No. 8 Pitt-Johnstown Downs Hilltopper Matmen

November 19, 2013

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The West Liberty University wrestling team suffered its first dual meet loss of the year here Wednesday night, dropping a 34-6 decision to No. 8-ranked Pitt-Johnstown on the Mountain Cats' home mat.

It was the 16th consecutive dual meet win for UPJ (2-0), which is coached by West Liberty Hall of Famer Pat Pecora. Four Mountain Cats are ranked in the top eight nationally while eight of UPJ's 10 starters are ranked in Super Region One.

Pitt-Johnstown dominated the lower weights, sprinting out to a 25-0 lead with wins in the six lowest weight classes before Eric Antesberger put West Liberty (1-1) on the board.

Antesberger shook off an apparent leg injury midway through the match to battle back for a 6-3 win against Nikos Garofola, who came into the match as the No. 5-ranked 174-pounder in Super Region One.

Danny Doyle picked up the Hilltoppers' other win, muscling out an 8-4 decision against Zak Newton in a battle of regionally-ranked 197-pounders. Doyle is ranked No. 4 in the region while Newton came in at No. 6.

A pair of unranked West Liberty wrestlers pushed regionally-ranked foes into overtime before falling. Mike Emery and UPJ's Gary Lantz – the region's No. 3-ranked 165-pounder – finished regulation in a 2-2 tie but Lantz came up with a takedown in the first overtime period to take the nod.

In the final match of the night, Pitt-Johnstown's Josh Duplin – No. 3 in the region and No. 8 nationally at 285 pounds – needed an escape in the second overtime period to hand Hilltopper sophomore Aaron Silverio a 2-1 loss.

Another near-miss for the Black and Gold came at 157 pounds where the Mountain Cats' Sam Molina scored a takedown in the waning seconds to come from behind for a 6-5 win against WLU's Bryan Skoff.

West Liberty will be idle over the Thanksgiving holidays before returning to the mats on Dec. 7 in

No. 8 Pitt-Johnstown 34, West Liberty 6
125: Dave Fogle (UPJ) p. Zach Brown, 2:56
133: Evan Link (UPJ) md. Bryce Gainer, 15-1
141: Luke Palamides (UPJ) d. Cole Nace, 8-5
149: Dave Cawley (UPJ) won by forfeit
157: Sam Molina (UPJ) d. Bryan Skoff, 6-5
165: Gary Lantz (UPJ) d. Mike Emery, 4-2, OT
174: Eric Antesberger (WLU) d. Nikos Garofola, 6-3
184: Travis McKillop (UPJ) p. Joey Congie, :47
197: Danny Doyle (WLU) d. Zak Newton, 8-4
285: Josh Duplin (UPJ) d. Aaron Silverio, 2-1, 2OT


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