Waynesburg, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford wrestling team started the spring portion of their schedule with a 13th place finish at the Waynesburg Invitational. Senior Derek Ridgeway was the Panthers' high finisher as he placed 4th at 184, while Mitchell Dowd placed 6th at 285.
At 184- Ridgeway's day started with a bye and a loss in the quarterfinal round. Once in the consolation bracket, Ridgeway picked up three straight wins to battle back and earn a 4th place finish. He picked up 12.5 points for the Panthers.
Dowd continued his impressive junior campaign with a 6th place finish, earning 11 points for Pitt-Bradford on the day in the heavyweight slot. He split his first two matches to head to the consolation bracket but won 4 straight matches to earn a spot in the consolation semifinals. He won 2 of his matches by pin, and 3 by decision.
Nate Powley had a strong performance at 165, winning 7.5 points. He won 3 matches on the day, with to coming via the pin and one by tech fall.
Eli Hernandez also picked up a victory by decision at 141 before losing in the quarterfinal and consolation match.
The Pitt-Bradford wrestlers have a week off before they return to action on January 11th, when they travel to Brockport, N.Y. for a dual match with the Golden Eagles and Alfred State.