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West Virginia 15, Pitt 15 Fitzgerald Field House Pittsburgh, Pa
Individual Results
		Results
125	Turnbull	Dec 7-2 >	Albright
133	Lowther	Dec 10-4 >	#17 Conroy
141	Johnston	Dec 7-5 >	#13 Nauman
149	#19 Jauregui	< Dec 8-6	Powell
157	Goodman	< Dec 2-1	Sorrentino
165	Jones	< Dec 4-2	Headlee
174	#12 Brenner	< Dec 10-5	Sullivan
184	Bryson	Dec 3-2 >	Thomusseit
197	Ryan	Dec 5-2 >	Hunte
HWT	#18 Rogers	< Dec 3-2	#8 Sheaffer
Top WVU Wrestlers
Kurt Brenner Dustin Rogers

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Fifth-year senior heavyweight Dustin Rogers, ranked No. 18 nationally, upset No.8-ranked Zach Sheaffer, 3-2, but it was not enough as the West Virginia University wrestling team tied Pitt, 15-15, on Saturday evening at the Fitzgerald Field House. WVU remains undefeated in Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) action, 3-0-1, and moves to 6-4-1 overall. Pitt moves to 3-0-1 in league play and 3-6-1 overall.

"That's really a significant win in a tough situation for Dustin and he showed a lot of poise all the way through to do it,” Coach Craig Turnbull said. “He's gaining a lot of confidence in himself and he's being rewarded for it and his hard work. This is the right time of the year for him to start showing that degree of confidence."

Rogers, who is now 2-1 all-time against Sheaffer, went into the third period behind, 1-0. After earning a quick escape point, Rogers landed the victory via a takedown with only five seconds remaining in the match. The Corning, Calif., native is now 4-0 in league play and 4-3 against ranked opponents this season.

"It was unfortunate for us to end in a tie,” Turnbull added. “I think we outworked them at most weights. We were the more aggressive team. They were very fortunate at 141 pounds where I feel Colin (Johnston) had secured a takedown to go into overtime. At 184 pounds, I felt Lance (Bryson) was significantly the aggressor. He charted about 15 takedown attempts to one and the call at the end with very little time on the clock was controversial."

The Mountaineers first got on the scoreboard when fifth-year senior David Jauregui (149) scored an 8-6 decision over Mark Powell. Jauregui, ranked 19th nationally, registered a takedown in both the first and second periods, but went into the third session trailing, 5-4. After earning an escape, the Santa Ana, Calif., native posted a takedown with 1:34 remaining and accrued 1:27 in riding time to seal his ninth overall victory.

Redshirt-freshman Ryan Goodman (157) added three more points to the Mountaineers’ total in the next bout. Although both Goodman and Pitt’s Phil Sorrentino earned escape points, it was Goodman’s 1:23 of riding time in the second period that gave him the 2-1 edge.

Redshirt-junior Donnie Jones’ match at 165 pounds was next on the slate and despite facing a formidable opponent in Ethan Headlee, who came into the match with a 21-11 overall record, Jones continued to dominate his league competition. After a period of scoreless action, Jones scored a takedown with 15 seconds left in the second period to go into the third session up 2-1. The Slickville, Pa., native added another takedown in the final period for the 4-2 victory, tying the team score at nine apiece.

The Mountaineers pulled ahead with fifth-year senior Kurt Brenner’s win at 174 pounds, the squad’s fourth straight victory. Ranked No. 12 nationally, Brenner never trailed Pitt’s Dave Sullivan. Brenner recorded four takedowns, two of which came in the final period, and accumulated 1:36 in riding time for the 10-5 decision.

"I want to credit something that gets hidden in there is Grant's (Lowther) last second takedown, taking a major away and allowing Dustin again to wrestle for the tie,” Turnbull commented.

WVU is unbeaten in its last five matches (4-0-1) and is 6-3-1 against Pitt since 2000.

WVU will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 14, to finish its non-conference portion of the schedule with a home match against Ohio. The contest is slated to begin at 7 p.m. in the WVU Coliseum.