Jan. 17, 2001
The Cleveland State University wrestlers locked up with nationally-ranked Pittsburgh last night in an Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) match. The Panthers, ranked 24th in the nation, were stunned last night by the Vikings, 22-20. Pittsburgh, who led 20-6 going into the final three matches, lost their first EWL match while the Vikes won their first. "This is probably the sweetest victory of my coaching career," commented Head Coach Jack Effner. "This season has been filled with adversity, and for everything to come together like it did last night was special."
The Vikings got a big win from freshman Anthony Coleman at 149 pounds to start the night. Coleman, who leads the team in wins, defeated Blaise Mucci 9-2. Freshman Joe Phillips (174) also gave the Vikings a big win in a thrilling 3-1- overtime victory. However, the Panthers captured the next three matches and led, 20-6. Yet that's when the contest got interesting. With Rocco Mansueto out after separating his shoulder against Purdue last weekend, 125-pounder Jon Gondol stepped in. 50 seconds into the second period Gondol pinned Pitt's Kris Neu. "Gondol pulled out some more of his magic," said Effner. Gondol also used a pin to give the Vikings a win against Ohio University two years ago. In the 133-pound contest Nick Boucher, still battling injuries, pinned Bill Mowbray in 4:50. The back-to-back pins put CSU two points down heading into the last match. Junior Ryan Guciardo quickly earned the advantage for the Vikes and won, 12-1.
"I couldn't be more proud of these guys right now, it's nice to see the light after grinding so hard," said Effner. "This just goes to show that when you wrestle the best teams and see the right competition, you're going to get better." The Vikings move to 1-2 in the EWL this season and face two more conference matches on Saturday. They travel to Bloomsburg for a 1:00 p.m. match and then head to Lock Haven for an 8:00 p.m. contest.
