Peters Announces 2015-16 Wrestling Schedule
9/25/2015 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
2015-16 Schedule | Ticket Interest Form
PITTSBURGH -- The University of Pittsburgh wrestling team has finalized its schedule for the upcoming 2015-16 season, as announced by head coach Jason Peters on Friday.
The campaign includes marquee matchups against defending ACC Champion Virginia, top NCAA finishers in Edinboro (3rd), Oklahoma State (7th), and Virginia Tech (10th), along with archrival West Virginia.
“We have a challenging non-conference schedule,” Peters said. “The ACC is strong and competitive top to bottom. We have the opportunity to compete with the best teams in the country and wrestle 10 times in the Fitzgerald Field House. I’m excited to get started.”
The season kicks off with the annual Blue vs. Gold intrasquad duel Friday, October 23. Nine days later the Panthers head to their first tournament of the season in College Park, Md., for the Terrapin Duels (Nov. 1).
After a trip to Bethlehem, Pa., for a duel with in-state rival Lehigh (Nov. 20), Pitt will remain in eastern Pennsylvania for the Keystone Classic, hosted by Penn. The Panthers will compete against 13 squads during the tournament, including Bloomsburg, Northwestern, Penn and Drexel.
Pitt will then host non-conference matchups with former EWL foe Edinboro (Dec. 10) and Wisconsin (Dec. 12) at the Fitzgerald Field House. Two more regular season tournaments will follow – the Midlands Championships (Dec. 29), hosted by Northwestern, and the annual Pitt Duals at the Fitzgerald Field House on January 9 to ring in the new year. Out of the 12 teams that will be at Pitt Duals, the Panthers are set to take on Brown, F & M, Davidson, and ACC-foe Duke.
Following the Pitt Duals, the Panthers will continue their five-match homestand as they will clash with Oklahoma State for the fourth consecutive season on January 17 before entering ACC action.
“The ACC is a conference that is committed to wrestling,” Peters said. “The duals are intense and the tournament is exciting. Our coaches in the conference are working together to make the ACC the best conference in the country. ”
The Panthers first conference match will come against defending ACC champion Virginia, followed by matchups with NC State (Jan. 30) and Virginia Tech (Feb. 5). All three matches will be at the Fitzgerald Field House.
The regular season closes out with three road duals. The wrestling edition of the “Backyard Brawl” will be held in Morgantown, W.Va., this season when Pitt faces off with West Virginia (Feb. 7) for the 61st time in the rivalry’s history. Pitt finishes up its regular season docket at North Carolina (Feb. 13) and at Clarion (Feb. 21).
The ACC Championships, held in Pittsburgh last season, will be on the University of Virginia’s campus on Saturday, March 6.
NCAA Championships will be held in Madison Square Garden in New York City March 17-19.
“The NCAA Championships are always exciting but this year should be extra special,” Peters said. “Wrestling in Madison Square Garden will be a once in a lifetime experience.”
Season and single game ticket options will be announced at a later date. For those interested in finding out more information about ticket options, please follow this link to fill out a wrestling ticket interest form.
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