University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
Virginia Tech
No. 13 Pitt Wrestling Falls At No. 9 Virginia Tech
2/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
PITTSBURGH - The Pitt wrestling team received bonus point wins from redshirt senior Max Thomusseit and sophomore Mikey Racciato, but it wasn’t enough as the 13th-ranked Panthers suffered a 26-10 setback to ninth-ranked Virginia Tech in a critical conference clash for both teams on Friday, Feb. 6 at the Moss Arts Center.
Pitt (7-5, 2-2 ACC) lost its third straight road match to a top-15 teams and dropped its second straight Atlantic Coast Conference match after winning its first eight upon joining the league in the 2013-14 season. The win for the Hokies (11-2, 2-0) marked their first victory in the all-time series with Pitt, bringing the series record to 11-1.
Thomusseit, the number two wrestler at 184 pounds, became the first Pitt competitor to reach 20 wins this season as he improved to 20-1 overall. He stayed unbeaten in dual matches, stretching his record to 12-0, and sits at 4-0 in the ACC with one conference match to go. Thomusseit also matched a career-high with his fifth major decision of the campaign, which ranks second on the team.
Racciato also moved to 4-0 in the league with his second fall of the year and now has nine in his career. He has won nine of his last 13 bouts and ranks second on the team with 32 dual pounds, behind only Thomusseit’s 48.
It was a star-studded night that showcased nine-of-10 matches with at least one ranked wrestler, including one that had both grapplers ranked and six wrestlers inside the top-10.
For the first time all season, Pitt opened the match at a weight other than 125 pounds as redshirt freshman Cody Wiercioch started things off with Chad Strube at 165 pounds. Wiercioch fell in a narrow 6-4 decision, which foreshadowed the evening for the Panthers, who lost three matches by a single point and two more by only two points.
Next, sixth-ranked redshirt senior Tyler Wilps and No. 12 Zach Epperly went-head-to-head at 174 pounds in what was billed as the featured match of the night. It certainly lived up to expectations and in the end Epperly handed Wilps his first dual loss of the season. Wilps is now 9-3 this year and 3-2 against ranked opponents.
Thomusseit got Pitt on the scoreboard with his 10-2 major decision at 184 pounds over Austin Gabel. However, the Hokies went on to win the next five bouts to clinch the match with two battles remaining.
Things could have ended differently for the Panthers as three of those five matches resulted in either a one-point or two-point win for Virginia Tech.
No. 20 redshirt junior Nick Bonaccorsi lost a 3-2 decision to Jared Haught at 197 pounds and redshirt Ryan Solomon, who got the nod at 285, was upended by eighth-ranked Ty Walz, 4-2. After a loss at 125 pounds for the Panthers, redshirt freshman Nick Zanetta dropped a 3-2 decision to No. 17 Kevin Norstrem in his return to 133 pounds. It was Zanetta’s seventh match against a ranked opponent and fourth time he lost by three or less points.
Following third-ranked Devin Carter’s tech fall at 141 pounds that secured the match for the Hokies, Racciato, who is ranked 20th, recorded his second fall of the season in 5:30 against Brent Waterman. The hosts closed out the match by winning the 157-pound tilt.
It’s a short turn around for the Panthers who return to Fitzgerald Field House for the first time in nearly a month when they host Clarion on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m.
#9 Virginia Tech 26, #13 Pitt 10
165: Chad Strube (VT) dec. Cody Wiercioch (P), 6-4; VT leads 3-0
174: #12 Zach Epperly (VT) dec. #6 Tyler Wilps (P), 3-2; VT leads 6-0
184: #2 Max Thomusseit (P) maj. dec. Austin Gabel (VT), 10-2; VT leads 6-4
197: Jared Haught (VT) dec. #20 Nick Bonaccorsi, 3-2 (P); VT leads 10-4
285: #8 Ty Walz (VT) dec. Ryan Solomon (P), 4-2; VT leads 13-4
125: #4 Joey Dance (VT) dec. Dom Forys (P), 10-3; VT leads 16-4
133: #17 Kevin Norstrem (VT) dec. Nick Zanetta (P), 3-2; VT leads 19-4
141: #3 Devin Carter (VT) tech fall Ben Ross (P), 21-6 (5:11); VT leads 23-4
149: #20 Mikey Racciato (P) fall Brent Waterman (VT), 5:30; VT leads 23-10
157: #5 Nick Brascetta (VT) dec. Ronnie Garbinsky (P), 12-5; VT wins 26-10
