The Pitt-Johnstown wrestling team finally returned to the mat Thursday night for its first dual meet in 21 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
And the 21st-ranked Mountain Cats made quite a statement against a tough NCAA Division II opponent.
Pitt-Johnstown rallied from a four-point deficit and won the final three bouts to topple the Hilltoppers 23-14 before a large crowd at the Academic Sports and Recreation Complex.
Pitt-Johnstown coach Pat Pecora extended his winning streak to eight consecutive dual meet wins against his alma mater.
Trailing 14-10 after seven bouts, the Mountain Cats used a major decision from Mason Myers at 133 pounds, a fall from Caleb Morris at 141 and a 6-3 decision by No. 7 ranked Jacob Ealy to seal the road victory.
In the opening bout of the night, Pitt-Johnstown's Nate Smith earned a 3-2 decision over Christian Rivera at 157, thanks to a riding time advantage, and Dillon Keane followed with a 9-5 upset win over No. 9-ranked Chase Morgan, giving the Mountain Cats a 6-0 lead.
West Liberty's Ty McGeary used a third-period takedown to upset No. 6 Brock Biddle 3-2 at 174 and No. 2 Connor Craig followed with a technical fall against Gage Arnold at 184 to give the Hilltoppers their first lead at 8-6.
The Mountain Cats quickly went back on top at 10-8 when Dakoda Rodgers scored a 18-6 major decision over Drake Kendrex at 197.
No. 8-ranked Francesco Borsellino at 285 and No. 1 Cole Laya at 125 picked up wins to give Danny Irwin's team to a 14-10 lead, but the Mountain Cats swept the final three matches.
Pitt-Johnstown returns to action Nov. 13 at the Journeyman Collegiate Classic at Manheim, Pa. before returning home at 7 p.m. Nov. 18 for its PSAC opener against East Stroudsburg at the Sports Center.
Pitt-Johnstown at West Liberty – 11/04/21
NO. 21 PITT-JOHNSTOWN 23, NO. 5 WEST LIBERTY 14
157: Nate Smith (UPJ) dec. Christian Rivera (WL), 3-2. (UPJ 3-0)
165: Dillon Keane (UPJ) dec. No. 9 Chase Morgan (WL), 9-5. (UPJ 6-0)
174: Ty McGeary (WL) dec. No. 6 Brock Biddle (UPJ), 3-2. (UPJ 6-3)
184: No. 2 Connor Craig (WL) tech. fall Gage Arnold (UPJ), 16-1. (WL 8-6)
197: Dakoda Rodgers (UPJ) major dec. Drake Kendrex (WL), 18-6. (UPJ 10-8)
285: No. 8 Francesco Borsellino (WL) dec. Isaiah Vance (UPJ), 7-3. (WL 11-10)
125: No. 1 Cole Laya (WL) dec. No. 11 Matt Siszka (UPJ), 5-2. (WL 14-10)
133: Mason Myers (UPJ) major dec. Luke Miller (WL), 8-0. (UPJ 14-14)
141: Caleb Morris (UPJ) pinned Marcus Jean-Baptiste (WL), 6:19. (UPJ 20-14)
149: No. 7 Jacob Ealy (UPJ) dec. Jordan Watters (WL), 6-3. (UPJ 23-14)