Pitt
NCAA Championships
Wilps' Championship Run Ends With Runner-Up Finish
3/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
ST. LOUIS - Redshirt senior Tyler Wilps' bid for a national title came up seconds short when his opponent, Matt Brown of Penn State, was awarded two points in the final 10 seconds, handing Wilps his only loss of the 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships in the 174-pound finals on Saturday, March 21 at Scottrade Center.
It was a controversial and thrilling finish as Brown, seeded second, took a 3-1 lead with a minute remaining in the third period following an escape and takedown. Wilps was able to escape from Brown's grasp with 36 seconds to go and scored the go-ahead takedown with 22 seconds left for a 4-3 lead.
Needing to hold Brown for the remainder of the bout, Wilps was eventually called for stalling with three seconds left on the clock, bringing the score to 4-4.
The match appeared to be on its way to sudden victory when the clock struck 0:00. However, Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson held up his flag, challenging a locked hands call on Wilps. The call was confirmed, but not before Pitt head coach Jason Peters countered Sanderson with a challenge of his own, claiming time had already run out. After a long discussion by the referees, they upheld the decision once again, giving Brown his first national title.
"It is what it is. It's been interpreted differently all year and we fell subject to it. It is what it is," said Peters following the match. "I'm disappointed for Tyler. I would have liked to see him have the opportunity to be a national champ."
Wilps' appearance in the finals was just the first for any Pitt wrestler since Keith Gavin captured a title at the same 174-pound weight class in 2008. Dating back to 1990, Wilps is one of just three wrestlers to compete in a national final. Gavin also placed second in 2007 and Carl Fronhoffer was a runner-up in 2003, also at 174 pounds.
"We're thankful for what he's done for Pitt wrestling and I really hoped he could have finished with a national championship," said Peters. "Unfortunately he didn't. Hats off to Brown for what he was able to do, and he has a national championship in his senior year."
Surprisingly, Saturday night's match between Wilps and Brown was just the first time wrestlers from Pitt and Penn State were paired with an individual title on the line.
The second place finish gave Wilps his second-straight All-American award, joining only 18 other wrestlers who have won at least two. Prior to Wilps, the most recent occurrence was Matt Wilps, Tyler's older brother, who was an All-American in back-to-back seasons in 2012 and 2013.
Tyler Wilps completes his stellar career at Pitt with an 87-31 four-year record. As a senior, Wilps went 19-4, with half of his losses to Brown. The other one came in a 6-5 setback at the Southern Scuffle in January.
"Tyler has a bright future and what he's done for Pitt wrestling has been great. I'm thankful for him," said Peters.
As a team, Pitt concluded the three-day event with 23 points, placing 21st. Ohio State won the team title with 102 points and was followed by Iowa (84) and Edinboro (75.5), rounding out the top-three.
Dom Forys (125 pounds): 0-2
First Round: No. 3 Joey Dance (Virginia Tech) fall Dom Forys (Pitt), 6:36
Consolation Round 1: No. 14 Joshua Rodriguez (North Dakota St.) dec. Dom Forys (Pitt), 9-4
Mikey Racciato (149 pounds): 1-2
First Round: Brandon Nelson (Purdue) dec. No. 16 Mikey Racciato (Pitt), 10-6
Consolation Round 1: No. 16 Mikey Racciato (Pitt) dec. Christian Barber (UNC), 3-2
Consolation Round 2: No. 15 Bryant Clagon (Rider) m. dec. No. 16 Mikey Racciato, 16-3
Troy Reaghard (165 pounds) 1-2
First Round: No. 12 Dylan Palacio (Cornell) m. dec. Troy Reaghard (Pitt), 14-4
Consolation Round 1: Troy Reaghard (Pitt) dec. Garrett Sutton (Michigan), 3-1 SV
Consolation Round 2: Mike England (Missouri) m. dec. Troy Reaghard (Pitt), 12-4
Tyler Wilps (174 pounds) 4-1
First Round: No. 8 Tyler Wilps (Pitt) dec. Matt Reed (Oklahoma), 7-4
Second Round: No. 8 Tyler Wilps (Pitt) dec. Cody Walters (Ohio), 8-3
Quarterfinals: No. 8 Tyler Wilps (Pitt) dec. No. 1 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska), 3-2
Semifinals: No. 8 Tyler Wilps (Pitt) dec. No. 12 Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma State), 3-1 SV
Finals: No. 2 Matt Brown (Penn State) dec. No. 8 Tyler Wilps (Pitt), 5-4
Max Thomusseit (184 pounds), 2-2
First Round: No. 2 Max Thomusseit (Pitt) m. dec. Bubba Scheffel (West Virginia), 14-4
Second Round: No. 2 Max Thomusseit (Pitt) dec. Richard Robertson (Wisconsin), 11-4
Quarterfinals: No. 7 Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) dec. Max Thomusseit (Pitt), 7-4
Consolation Round 4: No. 6 Hayden Ziller (North Dakota St.) dec. Max Thomusseit (Pitt), 7-1
Ryan Solomon (285 pounds) 2-2
First Round: No. 13 Tyler Deuel (Binghamton) dec. Ryan Solomon (Pitt), 8-3
Consolation Round 1: Ryan Solomon (Pitt) dec. Jared Johnson (Chattanooga), 6-4
Consolation Round 2: Ryan Solomon (Pitt) WBF No. 14 Joe Stolfi (Bucknell)
Consolation Round 3: No. 11 Devin Mellon (Missouri) dec. Ryan Solomon, 5-3
Players Mentioned
