Pitt wrestlers Nino Bonaccorsi, Cole Matthews win ACC championships

Pitt wrestlers Nino Bonaccorsi and Cole Matthews won ACC championships at 197 and 141 pounds, respectively, Sunday night at the ACC Wrestling Championships inside N.C. State’s Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, N.C.

Bonaccorsi, a Bethel Park graduate, joined Jake Wentzel as Pitt’s only three-time ACC champion; Matthews repeated his title-winning performance from a year ago. Bonaccorsi defeated N.C. State’s Isaac Trumble, 2-1. Matthews also won, defeating Ryan Jack of N.C. State, 2-1, on riding time.

Their efforts helped Pitt finish third as a team for the second consecutive season, recording 60 points. N.C. State won its fifth title in a row while Virginia Tech was second. The Panthers previously shared the ACC dual title with N.C. State and Virginia Tech.

Derry graduate Micky Phillippi (133 pounds) reached his fifth consecutive ACC final, but he settled for second place. He was pinned by Kai Orine of N.C. State at 8:45

“We had some really good moments and also some matches that we wish we could have back,” Pitt coach Keith Gavin said. “Overall, I was happy with how the guys finished the day after a disappointing semifinal round. I feel good about the six guys who qualified for the NCAA Championships in Tulsa. We hope to, maybe, get one more with an at-large bid.

“This conference continues to get more difficult to win, yet they are now consistently winning it,” he said of Bonaccorsi and Matthews. “That says a lot about them as wrestlers, and we know that the ACC has prepared them really well for nationals.”

Bonaccorsi, Matthews and Phillippi will be joined by at least three teammates at the NCAA Wrestling Championships March 16-18 in Tulsa, Okla. Holden Heller (165) and Luca Augustine (174) won bronze medals, and Reece Heller (184) placed fourth.

Colton Camacho, who finished third at 125, and other Pitt wrestlers hope to secure at-large bids to NCAAs. Those will be announced later this week.