#8 Pitt Ready to Host ACC Championship Sunday

PITTSBURGH -- The eighth-ranked University of Pittsburgh wrestling team hosts the 2020 ACC Wrestling Championship Sunday, March 8 at the Petersen Events Center. First round action begins at 11 a.m. with the championship finals starting at 7 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Afternoon sessions will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra/ESPN app, with mats one and two having respective streams.
- Mat 1
- Mat 2
Championship finals will be broadcast live on the ACC Network and may be viewed online as well.
- Finals
Live scoring, mat assignments and updated brackets can be found on TrackWrestling.
Follow the team on Twitter for updates throughout the Championship at @Pitt_WRES.

LAST TIME OUT

No. 10 Pitt defeated No. 7 Virginia Tech, 18-13, Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Fitzgerald Field House in the regular season finale.
The Panthers captured wins at six weight classes, including the final four bouts.
Redshirt sophomore Nino Bonaccorsi earned the biggest win of the night, upsetting No. 2 Hunter Bolen, 10-8, in TB-1.
Redshirt sophomore Micky Phillippi, redshirt junior Gregg Harvey and redshirt senior Kellan Stout all won by way of decisions.
Redshirt senior Taleb Rahmani also earned an upset, defeating No. 17 B.C. LaPrade in a 4-3 decision.
Senior Demetrius Thomas was the only Panther to earn bonus points on the night, defeating John Borst in a 13-2 major decision.
The win marked Pitt's first win over the Hokies since 2014.

THREE PANTHERS EARN NO. 1 SEEDS

Three members earned top pre-seeds in their respective weight classes for the 2020 ACC Wrestling Championship.
Redshirt sophomore Micky Phillippi (133 pounds), redshirt junior Gregg Harvey (174 pounds) and senior Demetrius Thomas (285 pounds) all earned No. 1 seeds entering the Championship.
The last time Pitt had three No. 1 seeds was in 2015, which was also the last time the Panthers hosted the ACC Championship. In 2015, Mikey Racciato (149), Tyler Wilps (174) and Max Thomusseit (184) garnered top seeds.
All three made it to the finals and were crowned champions.
This year's championship also marks the third time since joining the conference that Pitt has had three No. 1 seeds (2020, 2015, 2014).

ACC RECEIVES 35 NCAA QUALIFYING SPOTS

The NCAA announced Feb. 27 that the ACC received 35 qualifier allocations for the 2020 NCAA Wrestling Championships.

125	133	141	149	157	165	174	184	197	285	TOTAL
3	5	3	2	5	4	4	3	1	5	35

Per the NCAA, each qualifying tournament was awarded automatic bids per weight class based on current year data. Each wrestler was measured on the following: Division I winning percentage at the weight class; ratings percentage index (RPI); and coaches' rankings.
For each wrestler that reached the threshold in at least two of the three categories, his conference tournament was awarded a qualifying spot in that weight class.
NCAA tournament spots for each qualifying event will be awarded at the tournament based solely on place-finish.
After all of the conference tournaments have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 47 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 10, while brackets and seeding will be announced on NCAA.com at 6 p.m. on March 11.
All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers. The at-large selections will be made based on the following criteria: head-to-head competition; quality wins; coaches' ranking; results against common opponents; RPI; qualifying event placement; and winning percentage.
The Championships will be held March 19-21 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.

BONACCORSI NAMED ACC WOTW

Redshirt sophomore Nino Bonaccorsi (184) was named ACC Wrestler of the Week Tuesday, Feb. 25.
Bonaccorsi is the first Panther to earn the recognition this season. The weekly honor is also the second of his career.
The Bethel Park, Pa., native recorded one of the most significant wins of his career Saturday, Feb. 22 as he upset No. 2 Hunter Bolen of Virginia Tech in TB-1.
The 10th-ranked Panthers went on to defeat No. 7 Virginia Tech, 18-13, after trailing through eight bouts.
The team win was the second over a seventh-ranked team this season as the Panthers defeated then-ranked No. 7 Lehigh, Nov. 24, 19-18, on criteria.

PITT FINISHES RANKED 8th

The Panthers finished the season ranked eighth in the NWCA Rankings Tuesday, Feb. 25, for the first time since 2014.
The final ranking is Pitt's first time finishing the season ranked in the top-10 since 2012 and the Panthers' highest ranking to end the season since 1960 when they were ranked sixth.
Pitt cracked the top 10 of the NWCA Rankings Tuesday, Nov. 26 for the first time since 2015.
The Panthers had previously earned a No. 10 ranking eight times.

LOOKING AHEAD

Qualifiers will head to Minneapolis, Minn., for the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships March 19-21 at U.S. Bank Stadium.
All qualifiers will be announced Tuesday, March 10 with the Selection Show to follow on Wednesday, March 11 at 6 p.m.

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#8 Pitt Ready to Host ACC Championship Sunday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nino Bonaccorsi

Gregg Harvey

Micky Phillippi

Taleb Rahmani

Kellan Stout

Demetrius Thomas

#8 Pitt Ready to Host ACC Championship Sunday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nino Bonaccorsi

Gregg Harvey

Micky Phillippi

Taleb Rahmani

Kellan Stout

Demetrius Thomas

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