Sunday, March 8
Pittsburgh, Pa.
11 a.m.
Pitt
vs
ACC Wrestling Championship
Three Panthers Earn Titles, Seven Qualify for NCAA’s
3/8/2020 10:36:00 PM | Wrestling
Pitt Finishes Second at ACC Championship in Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH – The eighth-ranked University of Pittsburgh team earned a second place finish at the 2020 ACC Wrestling Championship and crowned three champions at the Petersen Events Center.
Redshirt sophomore Micky Phillippi and senior Demetrius Thomas repeated as ACC Champions in their respective weight classes. Redshirt junior Jake Wentzel earned his first ACC title tonight at 165 pounds.
In addition to the champions, seven Panthers punched their tickets to the 2020 NCAA Championships: Phillippi (133), redshirt freshman Cole Matthews (141), redshirt senior Taleb Rahmani (157), Wentzel (165), redshirt junior Gregg Harvey (174), redshirt sophomore Nino Bonaccorsi (184) and Thomas (285).
NOTES
ROAD TO THE FINALS
133 – Micky Phillippi – First Place – 2-0 – NCAA Qualifier
Phillippi, the No. 1 seed, had a first round bye and faced the No. 4 seed Louie Hayes of Virginia in the semifinals. Phillippi held off Hayes in a 1-0 decision to punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships and secure his spot in the finals.
Once in the finals, Phillippi outlasted the No. 2 seed Jaime Hernandez of North Carolina in an 8-5 decision. After a back-and-forth opening period Phillippi led 5-4 entering the second period. He then extended his lead to 8-4 by the end of the second period. He held off Hernandez to secure the 8-5 victory.
Phillippi finishes the weekend 25-1 overall after successfully defending his ACC title.
157 – Taleb Rahmani – Second Place – 2-1 – NCAA Qualifier
Redshirt senior Taleb Rahmani entered the championship as the three seed and worked his way to the finals for the second consecutive season.
Rahmani began the day by pinning Eric Carter of Duke in 3:23. He then faced A.C. Headlee, the No. 2 seed out of North Carolina. Rahmani defeated Headlee in a 6-4 decision to become a four-time NCAA qualifier and three-time ACC Championship finalist.
Rahmani clashed with the No. 1 seed Hayden Hidlay of NC State for the second year in a row. Rahmani fell in a 13-4 major decision.
165 – Jake Wentzel – First Place – 3-0 – NCAA Qualifier
Wentzel, the four seed, began the day with a dominant 8-1 decision over Duke's Ben Anderson in the quarterfinals. He then advanced to the semifinals to face the No. 1 seed Kennedy Monday of North Carolina. Wentzel trailed 2-0 entering the final frame and came back to win it 3-2 to advance to the finals and punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships for the first time in his career.
In the finals, Wentzel faced the No. 3 seed in David McFadden of Virginia Tech. Wentzel fell behind 1-0 in the first, but scored a takedown in the second to take the lead. The South Park, Pa., native rode out McFadden to secure riding time and the ACC title, 3-1.
285 – Demetrius Thomas – First Place – 2-0 – NCAA Qualifier
Thomas entered the championship as the No. 1 seed at heavyweight and earned a first round bye. The senior advanced to the finals after defeating John Borst of Virginia Tech in a 10-1 major decision. Thomas then faced Deonte Wilson of NC State in the finals, where he recorded a 5-4 decision en route to his second consecutive ACC title.
FINAL TEAM SCORES
1. NC State, 81.0
2. Pitt, 77.0
3. North Carolina, 67.5
4. Virginia, 60.5
5. Virginia Tech, 52.0
6. Duke, 2.0
#pinzburgh | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Redshirt sophomore Micky Phillippi and senior Demetrius Thomas repeated as ACC Champions in their respective weight classes. Redshirt junior Jake Wentzel earned his first ACC title tonight at 165 pounds.
In addition to the champions, seven Panthers punched their tickets to the 2020 NCAA Championships: Phillippi (133), redshirt freshman Cole Matthews (141), redshirt senior Taleb Rahmani (157), Wentzel (165), redshirt junior Gregg Harvey (174), redshirt sophomore Nino Bonaccorsi (184) and Thomas (285).
NOTES
- The seven NCAA qualifiers are the most since the 2014 season when eight Panthers qualified.
- Pitt now has 12 ACC champions since joining the league in 2013-14.
- Pitt has crowned three champions on three different occasions, but tonight was the first since 2017.
- Pitt finished second for the third time in program history and first time since 2015.
- Pitt's 77.0 team points are the most recorded since joining the ACC.
ROAD TO THE FINALS
133 – Micky Phillippi – First Place – 2-0 – NCAA Qualifier
Phillippi, the No. 1 seed, had a first round bye and faced the No. 4 seed Louie Hayes of Virginia in the semifinals. Phillippi held off Hayes in a 1-0 decision to punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships and secure his spot in the finals.
Once in the finals, Phillippi outlasted the No. 2 seed Jaime Hernandez of North Carolina in an 8-5 decision. After a back-and-forth opening period Phillippi led 5-4 entering the second period. He then extended his lead to 8-4 by the end of the second period. He held off Hernandez to secure the 8-5 victory.
Phillippi finishes the weekend 25-1 overall after successfully defending his ACC title.
157 – Taleb Rahmani – Second Place – 2-1 – NCAA Qualifier
Redshirt senior Taleb Rahmani entered the championship as the three seed and worked his way to the finals for the second consecutive season.
Rahmani began the day by pinning Eric Carter of Duke in 3:23. He then faced A.C. Headlee, the No. 2 seed out of North Carolina. Rahmani defeated Headlee in a 6-4 decision to become a four-time NCAA qualifier and three-time ACC Championship finalist.
Rahmani clashed with the No. 1 seed Hayden Hidlay of NC State for the second year in a row. Rahmani fell in a 13-4 major decision.
165 – Jake Wentzel – First Place – 3-0 – NCAA Qualifier
Wentzel, the four seed, began the day with a dominant 8-1 decision over Duke's Ben Anderson in the quarterfinals. He then advanced to the semifinals to face the No. 1 seed Kennedy Monday of North Carolina. Wentzel trailed 2-0 entering the final frame and came back to win it 3-2 to advance to the finals and punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships for the first time in his career.
In the finals, Wentzel faced the No. 3 seed in David McFadden of Virginia Tech. Wentzel fell behind 1-0 in the first, but scored a takedown in the second to take the lead. The South Park, Pa., native rode out McFadden to secure riding time and the ACC title, 3-1.
285 – Demetrius Thomas – First Place – 2-0 – NCAA Qualifier
Thomas entered the championship as the No. 1 seed at heavyweight and earned a first round bye. The senior advanced to the finals after defeating John Borst of Virginia Tech in a 10-1 major decision. Thomas then faced Deonte Wilson of NC State in the finals, where he recorded a 5-4 decision en route to his second consecutive ACC title.
FINAL TEAM SCORES
1. NC State, 81.0
2. Pitt, 77.0
3. North Carolina, 67.5
4. Virginia, 60.5
5. Virginia Tech, 52.0
6. Duke, 2.0
#pinzburgh | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Players Mentioned
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
Pitt Wrestling Highlights | Pitt vs. North Carolina
Saturday, March 01
Highlights | Pitt vs. North Carolina
Friday, February 07
Pitt Wrestling | No. 16 Pitt 42, Duke 0 | Highlights
Sunday, February 02
Highlights | Pitt vs. Duke
Saturday, February 01