Friday, February 5
Pittsburgh, Pa.
6 PM
Pitt
vs
North Carolina
No. 15 Panthers Host No. 14 North Carolina in Final Home Dual
2/4/2021 4:00:00 PM | Wrestling
PITTSBURGH—The University of Pittsburgh wrestling team, ranked No. 15 by the NWCA Coaches Poll this week, will welcome No. 14 North Carolina for an exciting top-15 ACC dual matchup on Friday at the Fitzgerald Field House for Pitt's final home contest of the 2021 season.
Due to the capacity regulations following direction from the Governor's office, the general public will not be able to attend Friday's meeting between the Panthers (3-2, 1-2) and Tar Heels (2-2, 1-2).
The dual and extra individual matches will air on ACC Network Extra via the WatchESPN app at 6 p.m., with Kevin Wheeler and Pitt wrestling four-time NCAA qualifier Anthony Zanetta calling the action.
"With only two more duals left, we need our entire team to step up," Pitt head coach Keith Gavin said. "This will be an extremely tough test against a talented North Carolina team. In preparing for the upcoming ACC and NCAA Championships, this is a very important match for us. We know that if each individual wrestles to their potential, then the team will do well also."
Pitt wrestling will honor several graduating Panthers – Cole Aaron, Dallas Bulsak, Jake Cherry, Anthony Colello, Will Kaldes and Tommy O'Brien – prior to the season's final home match, while other seniors plan to return and utilize the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the pandemic.
"We're grateful for every student-athlete that comes through our program," Gavin said of the seniors. "It will be weird having Senior Day without general fan attendance to send them off right. We're sad to see them go but also excited for those guys to begin the next chapter of their lives."
The Panthers are set to debut a new Steel City-themed alternate singlet during Friday's contest.
Pitt and North Carolina both enter Friday's dual after consecutive defeats. The Panthers are coming off losses to NC State and Virginia, while NC State and Virginia Tech beat UNC last weekend.
This top-15 dual will feature numerous ranked wrestlers as well, including some of the country's most outstanding individuals. UNC's Austin O'Connor owns the No. 1 ranking nationally at 149 pounds, while Pitt's Micky Phillippi is ranked No. 4 at 133 pounds and boasts an 18-match winning streak.
In total, Pitt has four wrestlers ranked by InterMat this week while the Tar Heels feature five. Possible ranked matchups for Friday night include Phillippi against No. 11 Jaime Hernandez at 133, Pitt's No. 17 Cole Matthews against No. 11 Zach Sherman at 141 and Pitt's No. 11 Jake Wentzel versus No. 9 Kennedy Monday at 165.
No. 7 Nino Bonaccorsi at 197 pounds is the other ranked Pitt wrestler and was named the ACC Wrestler of the Week after his win over Virginia's No. 3-ranked Jay Aiello last Friday.
#pinzburgh | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Due to the capacity regulations following direction from the Governor's office, the general public will not be able to attend Friday's meeting between the Panthers (3-2, 1-2) and Tar Heels (2-2, 1-2).
The dual and extra individual matches will air on ACC Network Extra via the WatchESPN app at 6 p.m., with Kevin Wheeler and Pitt wrestling four-time NCAA qualifier Anthony Zanetta calling the action.
"With only two more duals left, we need our entire team to step up," Pitt head coach Keith Gavin said. "This will be an extremely tough test against a talented North Carolina team. In preparing for the upcoming ACC and NCAA Championships, this is a very important match for us. We know that if each individual wrestles to their potential, then the team will do well also."
Pitt wrestling will honor several graduating Panthers – Cole Aaron, Dallas Bulsak, Jake Cherry, Anthony Colello, Will Kaldes and Tommy O'Brien – prior to the season's final home match, while other seniors plan to return and utilize the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the pandemic.
"We're grateful for every student-athlete that comes through our program," Gavin said of the seniors. "It will be weird having Senior Day without general fan attendance to send them off right. We're sad to see them go but also excited for those guys to begin the next chapter of their lives."
The Panthers are set to debut a new Steel City-themed alternate singlet during Friday's contest.
Pitt and North Carolina both enter Friday's dual after consecutive defeats. The Panthers are coming off losses to NC State and Virginia, while NC State and Virginia Tech beat UNC last weekend.
This top-15 dual will feature numerous ranked wrestlers as well, including some of the country's most outstanding individuals. UNC's Austin O'Connor owns the No. 1 ranking nationally at 149 pounds, while Pitt's Micky Phillippi is ranked No. 4 at 133 pounds and boasts an 18-match winning streak.
In total, Pitt has four wrestlers ranked by InterMat this week while the Tar Heels feature five. Possible ranked matchups for Friday night include Phillippi against No. 11 Jaime Hernandez at 133, Pitt's No. 17 Cole Matthews against No. 11 Zach Sherman at 141 and Pitt's No. 11 Jake Wentzel versus No. 9 Kennedy Monday at 165.
No. 7 Nino Bonaccorsi at 197 pounds is the other ranked Pitt wrestler and was named the ACC Wrestler of the Week after his win over Virginia's No. 3-ranked Jay Aiello last Friday.
#pinzburgh | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Players Mentioned
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ 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