Pitt wrestling holds first place in the ACC dual standings after a decisive upset of nationally ranked Virginia Tech, 26-12.
The Panthers won 7 of 10 bouts from the Hokies (7-3, 1-1) on Friday night in Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va. It was Pitt’s first victory in Blacksburg since 2004. Virginia Tech is ranked seventh in the National Wrestling Coaches Association poll.
“We went out and were aggressive,” Pitt coach Keith Gavin said. “That’s a huge win for the program. I’m super proud of these guys. It was a total team effort. We showed tremendous skills, but also a lot of fight. Now, we need to continue to be consistent and build on this moving forward.”
The Panthers (8-2, 2-0) started strong at the 125-pound weight class, with Colton Camacho (Franklin Regional) pinning Cooper Flynn in 44 seconds.
At 133, Micky Phillippi (Derry) fought off several single-leg attacks from Sam Latona in a 3-2 victory after winning by a 9-second difference in riding time in the tiebreakers.
“Colton gave us a perfect start and we were able to use that momentum,” Gavin said. “He’s been wrestling great, went for the kill and it paid off big time. And Micky had a lot of fight in his match. He was in some challenging positions and showed really impressive toughness. That won it for him.”
Cole Matthews built Pitt’s lead to 12-0 with a 6-2 decision against Tom Crook at 141 pounds, securing takedowns in each of the final two periods.
Pitt’s Holden Heller scored a crucial victory at 165, defeating Connor Brady, 2-0, by riding out the entire third period.
Reece Heller provided another pin for the Panthers by putting Hunter Bolen on his back at 184 and silencing the crowd. Heller threw his headgear after the match and was assessed a penalty point, but Pitt still led 20-12.
Then, Nino Bonaccorsi (Bethel Park) clinched the victory with a 3-1 decision against Andy Smith at 197 pounds.
Heavyweight Dayton Pitzer (Mt. Pleasant) ended the night with a 5-3 sudden-victory takedown against Hunter Catka.
