Williamsport, PA -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford wrestling team began its postseason on Saturday as it wrestled in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Individual Championships in Williamsport. Five of Six Panthers earned podium places, while senior D.J. Slovick brought his AMCC career to a close with a title in the 174 lb. weight class.

The favorite going into the tournament, Slovick, was the top seed in his class and received a first-round bye. He earned his spot in the title match with a quick pin in 1:30 in the semifinal. In the final, he sprinted out to an early 9-3 lead with three takedowns in the opening period. His opponent closed the gap with four unanswered points in the 2nd, but another takedown in the 3rd gave him the room to allow a takedown in the final seconds and hold on for a 15-11 victory. It is the second AMCC Title of Slovick's career, as he was the AMCC Champion at 165 as a freshman.

Despite missing out on title matches, four other Panthers earned a spot in placement matches, and all won at least one bout. Mike Worsen and Ray Worsen each finished 3rd in their classes, while Cade Stern and Nikolas Fegert finished 4th.

Wrestling at 133, Mike worsen got off to a strong start, pinning his quarterfinal opponent in 2:40. He fell in the semifinal by a 21-8 major decision, but rallied to secure 3rd place with another pin in the placement bout. He led 3-0 after a takedown in the first, and then was able to finish his opponent with another takedown and a pin at 4:19.

Ray Worsen also wrapped up his AMCC career with a win, finishing 3rd at 157. He opened his tournament with a come-from-behind win in the quarterfinals. After falling behind 6-5 with 1:41 remaining, he picked up 8 quick points on an escape, takedown, and nearfall to secure the 13-6 victory. He just missed out on a trip to the final bout in his next match. Trailing 7-2, Worsen flipped the score and nearly picked up a pin with a reversal and a nearfall at the end of the 2nd, but could not finish off the pin and ultimately fell 13-11. He secured his 3rd place finish with a 9-7 win in the consolation semifinal, and then won a rematch with his opening opponent in the placement match, this time winning 10-8.

At 125, Cade Stern was able to battle back from an opening round loss to finish in 4th. After a loss in the opener, he won the next two matches by decision. He began with a 4-3 win in the 1st consolation round, and then won 13-7 in the consolation semifinal. In the 3rd place match, he fell by a 6-1 decision.

Nikolas Fegert was the last Panther to reach the podium, finishing 4th at 149. He started with a 7-5 decision in the quarterfinal, but then fell 18-3 in the semifinal to drop to the consolation half of the bracket. In the consolation final, he earned a podium spot with a 7-2 win; however, he dropped the 3rd place match 8-3.

Peyton Mitchell also competed for the Panthers at 165. He did not place, but was able to pick up his first career postseason win. In the consolation round, he pinned his opponent in 1:43.

The Panthers will have two weeks before returning to action on February 27th at the NCAA Region II Qualifying Tournament at Ithaca.