University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Saturday, November 10
Pittsburgh, Pa.
7 p.m.
Pitt
vs
CSU Bakersfield
Panthers Open Season Saturday with CSU Bakersfield
11/9/2018 8:38:00 PM | Wrestling
Pitt Opens 2018-19 Season with Non-Conference Opponent
PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh wrestling team opens the 2018-19 season Saturday night when it hosts CSU Bakersfield at 7 p.m. at the Fitzgerald Field House.
HOW TO FOLLOW
LAST TIME OUT
THE SERIES: CSU BAKERSFIELD
SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS
SIZING UP THE SCHEDULE
READY FOR YEAR TWOOOO
PANTHERS IN THE POLLS
LOOKING AHEAD
WRESTLING FLEX SEASON TICKETS
Flex season tickets for the 2018-19 season are now on sale as the Panthers will host seven duals at the Fitzgerald Field House. Tickets are available for purchase at $50 apiece online or by calling the Panthers Ticket Office at 800-643-7488.
Wrestling Season Ticket Holder Benefits:
2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship
Wrestling season tickets holders and Panther Club members for the 2018-19 season are eligible to request tickets for the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championship which will be held March 21-23 at PPG Paints Arena. Patrons who place a request for tickets will be contacted in early 2019 if tickets are available for purchase. Due to overwhelming interest for the NCAA Championship, not all ticket requests can be fulfilled. Fans whom are unable to purchase tickets for the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championship through the University of Pittsburgh are encouraged to utilize StubHub.com or the NCAA Ticket Exchange program for their best chance at tickets. Please direct any direct questions regarding the 2018-19 NCAA Wrestling Championship to Derek Brough at 412-648-8305.
#pinzburgh | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
HOW TO FOLLOW
- Saturday's dual will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra and may be viewed on WatchESPN/WatchESPN app. Dom Trozzi will provide the play-by-play with former Panther Dom Forys providing the color commentary.
- Live results will be provided by TrackWrestling.
- Follow the team on Twitter for live updates throughout the dual meet at @Pitt_WRES.
LAST TIME OUT
- A handful of Panthers competed at the Clarion Open Saturday, Nov. 3 for another tune-up before the regular season.
- Junior heavyweight Demetrius Thomas cruised past five opponents en route to a first-place finish.
- The Panthers held their Blue vs. Gold intrasquad dual Friday, Nov. 2 at the Fitzgerald Field House. Blue defeated gold, 22-18, thanks to big wins by junior Kellan Stout at 184 pounds and back-to-back major decisions by redshirt junior Taleb Rahmani at 157 and redshirt sophomore Jake Wentzel at 165 pounds.
THE SERIES: CSU BAKERSFIELD
- Saturday marks just the second meeting between the two non-conference foes.
- The Panthers lead the all-time series, 1-0, after collecting a 21-18 win in Bakersfield, Calif., a year ago.
SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS
- CSU Bakersfield opened the season Thursday, Nov. 1 with Life Pacific and San Francisco State earning two wins.
- The Roadrunners will make a stop in Ohio for a quad meet with Kent State, Iowa and Wisconsin before Saturday's dual.
- CSUB finished the 2017-18 season 6-10 overall with a 1-3 mark against Pac-12 opponents. The Roadrunners placed third at the Pac-12 Championships and 33rd at the NCAA Championships in Cleveland.
- Redshirt senior Sean Nickell is the lone Roadrunner in the rankings, checking in at No. 18 at 133 pounds. Nickell is a returning two-time NCAA qualifier and was the Pac-12 champion at 125 pounds in 2017.
SIZING UP THE SCHEDULE
- The Panthers are slated to face six ranked opponents from a year ago including No. 5 Oklahoma State, No. 6 NC State, No. 10 Virginia Tech, No. 12 South Dakota State, No. 15 Northern Iowa and No. 24 North Carolina.
- Pitt hosts seven opponents at the Fitzgerald Field House in 2018-19 including West Virginia (Dec. 15), Oklahoma State (Jan. 19) and ACC foes North Carolina (Feb. 2) and Duke (Feb. 15).
- The Panthers will face nine opponents on the road and will also participate in the 2018 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite for the second consecutive season.
READY FOR YEAR TWOOOO
- Head coach Keith Gavin enters his second year at the helm of his alma mater.
- Gavin was named the 11th head coach of the University of Pittsburgh wrestling team April 14, 2017.
- Gavin was Pitt's last national champion, taking the 174-pound title in 2008. Gavin was also a two-time All-American, recorded 120 career wins, was a two-time EWL champion and two-time EWL Wrestler of the Year.
- Prior to his return to Pittsburgh, Gavin spent two seasons as an assistant at Oklahoma as well as three years with the Virginia Cavaliers as an assistant.
PANTHERS IN THE POLLS
- Pitt is receiving votes in this week's USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll for the second consecutive week.
- Three Panthers are ranked inside the top 20 individually by InterMat at their respective weight classes:
- Taleb Rahmani – No. 10 at 157 pounds
- Micky Phillippi – No. 14 at 133 pounds
- Nino Bonaccorsi – No. 16 at 184 pounds
LOOKING AHEAD
- The Panthers host Northern Iowa Saturday, Nov. 17 before taking a short break before the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite, Nov. 30-Dec. 1.
WRESTLING FLEX SEASON TICKETS
Flex season tickets for the 2018-19 season are now on sale as the Panthers will host seven duals at the Fitzgerald Field House. Tickets are available for purchase at $50 apiece online or by calling the Panthers Ticket Office at 800-643-7488.
Wrestling Season Ticket Holder Benefits:
- Flexibility to use season tickets in any combination and get the most usage out of your tickets
- Access to reserved seating area at the center of the mat, up until 10 minutes prior to the beginning of the match
- New for the 2018-19 season, season ticket holders will have access to a limited amount of mat-side seating
- Season ticket holders are eligible to request tickets for the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championship
- Wrestling season ticket holder exclusive gift: Pinzburgh Tumbler
2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship
Wrestling season tickets holders and Panther Club members for the 2018-19 season are eligible to request tickets for the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championship which will be held March 21-23 at PPG Paints Arena. Patrons who place a request for tickets will be contacted in early 2019 if tickets are available for purchase. Due to overwhelming interest for the NCAA Championship, not all ticket requests can be fulfilled. Fans whom are unable to purchase tickets for the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championship through the University of Pittsburgh are encouraged to utilize StubHub.com or the NCAA Ticket Exchange program for their best chance at tickets. Please direct any direct questions regarding the 2018-19 NCAA Wrestling Championship to Derek Brough at 412-648-8305.
#pinzburgh | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
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