Head Coach Pat Pecora enters his 43^rd season at the helm of the Mountain Cat wrestling program with seven returning starters and two others who have starting experience.  Among the returning starters are 2018 National Champion Chris Eddins (Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Salem HS), All-American Devin Austin (Irwin, Pa./PennTrafford HS), and national qualifiers Corey Falleroni (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell HS), Steve Edwards (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell HS), and Levi Niebauer (Carrolltown, Pa./Cambria Heights HS).

Pitt-Johnstown, tied for sixth with Upper Iowa in the National Wrestling Coaches' Association (NWCA) Preseason Poll, welcomes back Eddins, who won a National Championship at 141 lbs. and who is expected to jump up to 149 lbs. this year, and Austin, who placed seventh in his second trip to the National Tournament.

In addition, Coach Pecora also returns 125-lb. starter Brendan Howard (Uniontown, Pa./Jefferson Morgan HS) and 184-lb. starter Alex Delp (New Kensington, Pa./Kiski Area HS). Plus, Matt Siszka (Leechburg, Pa./Kiski HS) at 133 lbs., and Allan Beattie (New Kensington, Pa./Burrell HS) at 285 lbs. both have starting experience.

Despite the load of talent that is back in the 2018-19 line-up, Pitt-Johnstown much replace 2018 National Champion Cody Law (Windber, Pa./Forest Hills HS) at 157 lbs., and 3-time National Qualifier and 2018 All-American D.J. Sims (Aliquippa, Pa./Aliquippa HS) at 285 lbs.  With Eddins jumping to 149 lbs., Falleroni will move from 157 lbs., and Beattie will become the starter at 285 lbs.


    Junior Brendan Howard, who came one win away from advancing to the National Tournament a year ago, returns as the starter at 125 lbs.  Howard transferred to Pitt-Johnstown from Division I Clarion University for the second semester last year and posted a 6-6 overall record and a 5-3 record in dual meets.  Freshmen in this weight class include: two-time PIAA AA State Qualifier Landon West (York Springs, Pa./Bermudian Springs HS) and Logan Wise (Burnham, Pa./Mifflin County HS).
  Matt Siszka will move from 125 lbs. to 133 lbs. and take over the starting job.  Siszka was Pitt-Johnstown's starter at 125 lbs. as a true freshman to being the 2017-18 season, but is expected to jump a weight class this season.  Siszka wrestled in four dual meets and the PSAC Championships for the Mountain Cats.  Freshman in this weight class include two-time PIAA AA State Qualifier Al Miscovich (Greensburg, Pa./Mount Pleasant Area HS), 2018 PIAA AAA State Qualifier C.J. Morton (Morgantown, Pa./Twin Valley HS), and Tyler Tinsman (Strongstown, Pa./Marion Center HS).
  With defending National Champion Chris Eddins expected to move up to 149 lbs., Coach Pecora and the Mountain Cats will have a brand new starter in this weight class.  Leading the way is 2016 NCAA National Runner-up and preseason sixth-ranked Joey Alessandro (Irwin, Pa./Hempfield Area HS), who transferred from Seton Hill to wrap-up up his college wrestling career.  Alessandro could be pushed by red-shirt freshman Dominic Means (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic HS).  Means, a former PIAA AAA State Qualifier, wrestled in open tournaments as a freshman and placed second at the John Carroll (OH) University Open and third at the Messiah College Open.  In addition, junior Justin Smith (Irwin, Pa./Penn Trafford HS), another Seton Hill transfer, will also compete with Alessandro and Means for mat-time at 141 lbs.
  Chris Eddins, ranked fourth in the preseason poll, will move up to 149 lbs. after defeating four of the top five-ranked wrestlers in the country at the national tournament at 141 lbs.to become Pitt-Johnstown's 13^th national champion.  Eddins, the runner-up at the Super Region I Tournament, finished with a 24-2 overall record and 14-0 dual meet record.  His 14 dual meet wins tied for the team lead, while his 24 overall wins were second on the team.  He also earned a spot on the All-PSAC Team with a third-place finish at the conference championships.  Red-shirt freshman Anthony Colello (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield Area HS) will make his Mountain Cat debut in 2018-19.  Freshman in this weight class include: PIAA AA fourth-place finisher Charlie Beatty (Marion Center, Pa./Marion Center HS), PIAA AA State Qualifiers Michael Capozzoli (Newport, Pa./Newport HS) and Lucas O'Connor (Wyalusing, Pa./Wyalusing Valley HS), and PA AAA Regional Qualifier Nate Smith (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional HS).
  After qualifying for the National Tournament in 2018 at 149 lbs., Corey Falleroni will move up a weight class to 157 lbs. to replace National Champion Cody Law.  Falleroni was 14-11 overall with 10 wins by decision on his way to placing fourth at the Super Region I Tournament and making his first appearance at the National Tournament.  Junior Jacob Smith (Irwin, Pa./Penn Trafford HS), sophomore and former PA State place-winner Gage Thomas (Glenville, Pa./Southwest HS), and red-shirt freshman Bryce Biddle (Martinsburg, Pa./Central Martinsburg HS) will compete for time in this weight class.
  All-American and preseason No. 5 Devin Austin is back in the line-up for his junior season.  After advancing to the National tournament as a freshman in 2015-16 and red-shirting in 2016-17, Austin was the runner-up at the Super Region I Tournament and went on to become an All-American with a seventh-place national finish a year ago.  He went 19-9 overall and 11-5 in dual meets and was second on the team with 11 wins by decision.  along with red-shirt freshmen and former PIAA State Qualifiers Tanner Vogel (Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing Area HS) and Logan Witwicki (Carnegie, PA/Carlynton HS), and Ohio State Tournament Qualifier Sam Rocazella (Chardon, OH/Chardon HS) will make their Pitt-Johnstown debuts.  Freshman in this weight class include: three PIAA State Place-winners in third-place finisher Andrew Todaro (Mount Union, Pa./Mount Union HS), fourth-place finisher Jacob Burgette (Scranton, Pa./Scranton HS), and seventh-place finisher Shaun Gates (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell HS).
  Steve Edwards, ranked ninth nationally at 174 lbs., reached his first NCAA National Tournament in 2018 and looks to take the next step and close out his Mountain Cat career as an All-American in 2019.  Edwards, the Super Region I Tournament Runner-up last season, was 14-6 overall and 8-3 in dual meets as a junior.  His five falls were tied for second on the team.  Sophomore and former PIAA AA State Place-winner Jake Driskel (Loretto, Pa./Penn Cambria HS), sophomore Kiernan Kelly (York Haven, Pa./Red Land HS), and red-shirt freshman former PIAA State Place-winner Brock Biddle (Martinsburg, Pa./Central Martinsburg HS) are expected to be the back-ups to Edwards at 174 lbs.  Freshman in this weight class include: three-time PIAA AA State Place-winner Dalton Group (Marysville, Pa./Susquenita HS) and Pennsylvania Regional Qualifier Brock Leinbach (Langhorne, Pa./Neshamany HS).
  Alex Delp transferred to Pitt-Johnstown from the University of Pittsburgh last season.  Delp joined the starting line-up, but did not place at the Super Region I Tournament.  He could be pushed for starting time by junior Mike Geyer (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland HS), sophomores Nate Claar (Tyrone, Pa./Bellwood-Antis HS) and Brodie Englert (York Haven, Pa./Red Land HS), and red-shirt freshman Emorson Wentz (Camp Hill, Pa./Cedar Cliff HS).  Along with wrestling at 174 lbs., Brock Biddle could also wrestled at 84 lbs.
  Two-time NCAA Division II National Qualifier and preseason No. 5 Levi Niebauer looks to join the ranks of the Mountain Cat All-Americans as a junior in 2018-19.  Niebauer, the runner-up at both, the PSAC Championships last December and the Super Region I Tournament in February, was 17-5 overall and 11-1 in dual meets.  His five wins by fall were tied for second on the team.  Former PIAA AA State-Place-winner Christian Hutzel (Meyersdale, Pa./Meyersdale Area HS) will make his Pitt-Johnstown debut and provide the Mountain Cats with a solid backup in this weight class.  2018 PIAA Regional Qualifier Harry Green (Willow Grove, Pa./Upper Moreland HS) is a freshman in this weight class.
  After serving as the primary backup to three-time NCAA National Qualifier and 2018 All-American D.J. Sims, junior Allan Beattie will get his shot at being the full-time starter at 285 lbs.  Beattie, a former PIAA AA State Champion, has gained valuable experience filling in for Sims over his first two years wrestling at Pitt-Johnstown.  Six of his eight career victories have come by way of fall.  In addition, junior Tyler Oliver (New Florence, Pa./United HS), who was the Mountain Cats' starter at 197 lbs. for a portion of his freshman season, will jump up to 285 lbs. this season to provide depth in the weight class.  A freshman in this weight class is 2018 WPIAL Place-winner DeShaun Butler (Verona, Pa./Penn Hills HS)

Pitt-Johnstown will make its home debut and kick-off the PSAC schedule against No. 18 Millersville University on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Sports Center, before traveling to a conference match at 16th-ranked Kutztown University on Tuesday.