Williamsport, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford wrestling team was in tournament action on Sunday as they competed in the Rennie Rodarmel Allstate Invitational, hosted by Lycoming College. As a team, the Panthers finished in 6th place with 72.0 points, while 5 different wrestlers earned podium spots in their weight classes.
The top two finishers on the day were Colton Gietler, who wrestled at 174, and Gavin Thompson, who was in the heavyweight class. After a 1st round bye, Gietler breezed to the 1st place match, winning by pin at 1:47 in the quarter-final, and then earning a technical fall win by an 18-2 margin. In the final, he fell just short, losing by an 8-2 decision.
At 285, Thompson pinned his first opponent in 3:51 and then won the semifinal by a 5-1 decision. In the final, he wasn't able to keep up with his opponent, losing by an 11-1 major decision.
D.J. Slovick was the next Panther to earn a podium position, as he took 3rd at 165. Slovick won his first bout 13-1 or a major decision victory, and then pinned his second opponent in 1:13. He fell 19-3 in the semifinal before being declared the winner of the 3rd place match by a medical forfeit.
Wrestling at 149, Ray Worsen III battled back from a tough start to take 5th place. Worsen lost his opener by technical fall but pinned the next three opponents to earn a spot in the 5th-place match. His pins came in 1:05, 2:19, and 1:38 of their respective matches. In the placement match, he was able to earn a hard-fought victory by decision, going the distance to win 9-5.
The final Panther to place was Jacob Rodgers at 133, earning his first collegiate placement in 6th. Following a bye, Rodgers lost his opener but earned a spot in a placement match with a medical forfeit.
In addition to the place winners, two more Panthers were able to pick up victories. Uriah Morris won a match in the consolation bracket with a 19-8 major decision, and Mamady Traore dominated his opening opponent to the tune of a 20-3 tech fall victory.
The Panthers will be back in action next weekend as they will compete for conference championships and spots on the All-Conference team. The Conference Championship will be held at Alfred State on Saturday, February 10th.
