Pitt’s Wentzel, Bonaccorsi Reach NCAA Wrestling Finals
3/19/2021 11:00:00 PM | Wrestling
ST. LOUIS—Friday night was an exceptional – and historic – night at the 2021 NCAA Championships for the University of Pittsburgh wrestling program at the Enterprise Center.
In the same city where Keith Gavin won the team's last national title in 2008, he saw two Panthers – Jake Wentzel at 165 pounds and Nino Bonaccorsi at 197 pounds – qualify for NCAA finals.
This marks the first time since 1963 that Pitt will feature two wrestlers in the individual finals at the NCAA Championships – the marquee annual event for college wrestling.
"Things have certainly gone well for us in St. Louis," said Gavin, Pitt's fourth-year head coach. "It means a lot for Pitt to have Jake and Nino in the finals. I give them all of the credit. They both are very committed to trying to be the best. That's a big deal. Some people say they are; but they truly are."
"This is a big deal for our program," Gavin added. "The national tournament is always the focus, but especially this year after losing last year when we thought we'd put some guys on the podium. So to come back this year and do this is big for us. It's been too long for Pitt. We need people to realize that they can win national titles here. That's what we're showing."
An ESPN nationally televised audience watched Wentzel and Bonaccorsi make history on Friday.
Wentzel, usually known for his defensive prowess, opened up and won two entertaining matches in Friday's quarterfinals and semifinals. He defeated Missouri's Keegan O'Toole in a wild 9-6 contest before using a big third period to down Ohio State's Ethan Smith by 4-2 decision.
The 165-pound Wentzel allowed the first takedown in both matches – something he rarely does – but displayed incredible persistence in coming from behind and becoming Pitt's first national finalist since 2015 when Tyler Wilps reached the final match at NCAAs.
"Words can't even describe it," Wentzel said. "It's something you dream about for so long. That moment when the last whistle blows and you look up at your family… it's unreal."
After a six-year wait for another NCAA finalist, Pitt only had to wait about an hour for its next one.
That's because Bonaccorsi continued his impressive domination of his side of the 197-pound bracket, topping Kordell Norfleet of Arizona State in the quarterfinals and Jake Woodley of Oklahoma in the semifinals – both by relatively comfortable 4-1 decisions.
"I'm at a loss for words," Bonaccorsi said. "Everyone works hard, but I really worked my butt off to get here. I'm glad it paid off. I'm just really happy and ready to go get this title."
Wentzel and Bonaccorsi became the 81st and 82nd All-Americans in Pitt wrestling history as well.
Wentzel will meet No. 8 seed Shane Griffith of Stanford in the NCAA 165-pound final on Saturday night, while Bonaccorsi faces Oklahoma State's outstanding true freshman AJ Ferrari, the No. 4 seed at 197.
Also competing for the Panthers on Friday, Micky Phillippi fell in both of his bouts to just miss out on All-America honors at 133 pounds. Iowa's Austin DeSanto got the better of him in the quarterfinals before Illinois' Lucas Byrd defeated Phillippi in the tiebreaker periods in the Round of 12.
Saturday's NCAA wrestling finals, featuring Wentzel and Bonaccorsi representing the Panthers, will begin at 7 p.m. and be televised on ESPN.
Here are Pitt's results from the 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championships:
Micky Phillippi, No. 5 Seed, 133 Pounds, Record: 2-2
No. 5 Micky Phillippi (Pitt) maj. dec. No. 28 Ty Smith (Utah Valley), 14-3
No. 5 Micky Phillippi (Pitt) dec. No. 12 Jarrett Trombley (NC State), 6-1
No. 4 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) maj. dec. No. 5 Micky Phillippi (Pitt), 13-5
No. 7 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) dec. No. 5 Micky Phillippi (Pitt), 6-2 (TB1)
Cole Matthews, No. 16 Seed, 141 Pounds, Record: 1-2
No. 16 Cole Matthews (Pitt) maj. dec. No. 17 McKenzie Bell (Rider), 17-3
No. 1 Jaydin Eierman (Iowa) dec. No. 16 Cole Matthews (Pitt), 5-3
No. 18 Parker Filius (Purdue) dec. No. 16 Cole Matthews (Pitt), 6-3
Jake Wentzel, No. 3 Seed, 165 Pounds, Record: 4-0, Finalist
No. 3 Jake Wentzel (Pitt) dec. No. 30 Evan Barczak (Drexel), 1-0
No. 3 Jake Wentzel (Pitt) dec. No. 14 Peyton Robb (Nebraska), 8-1
No. 3 Jake Wentzel (Pitt) dec. No. 6 Keegan O'Toole (Missouri), 9-6
No. 3 Jake Wentzel (Pitt) dec. No. 7 Ethan Smith (Ohio State), 4-2
Gregg Harvey, No. 30 Seed, 184 Pounds, Record: 1-2
No. 3 Lou Deprez (Binghamton) dec. No. 30 Gregg Harvey (Pitt), 6-4
No. 30 Gregg Harvey (Pitt) maj. dec. No. 33 Joe Accousti (Sacred Heart), 8-0
No. 19 Zach Braunagel (Illinois) dec. No. 30 Gregg Harvey (Pitt), 5-2
Nino Bonaccorsi, No. 6 Seed, 197 Pounds, Record: 4-0, Finalist
No. 6 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt) maj. dec. No. 27 Nick Stemmet (Stanford), 15-2
No. 6 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt) maj. dec. No. 11 Jay Aiello (Virginia), 13-3
No. 6 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt) dec. No. 3 Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State), 4-1
No. 6 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt) dec. No. 26 Jake Woodley (Oklahoma), 4-1
Follow @Pitt_WRES on Twitter and Instagram for updates and coverage the event.
#pinzburgh | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
In the same city where Keith Gavin won the team's last national title in 2008, he saw two Panthers – Jake Wentzel at 165 pounds and Nino Bonaccorsi at 197 pounds – qualify for NCAA finals.
This marks the first time since 1963 that Pitt will feature two wrestlers in the individual finals at the NCAA Championships – the marquee annual event for college wrestling.
"Things have certainly gone well for us in St. Louis," said Gavin, Pitt's fourth-year head coach. "It means a lot for Pitt to have Jake and Nino in the finals. I give them all of the credit. They both are very committed to trying to be the best. That's a big deal. Some people say they are; but they truly are."
"This is a big deal for our program," Gavin added. "The national tournament is always the focus, but especially this year after losing last year when we thought we'd put some guys on the podium. So to come back this year and do this is big for us. It's been too long for Pitt. We need people to realize that they can win national titles here. That's what we're showing."
An ESPN nationally televised audience watched Wentzel and Bonaccorsi make history on Friday.
Wentzel, usually known for his defensive prowess, opened up and won two entertaining matches in Friday's quarterfinals and semifinals. He defeated Missouri's Keegan O'Toole in a wild 9-6 contest before using a big third period to down Ohio State's Ethan Smith by 4-2 decision.
The 165-pound Wentzel allowed the first takedown in both matches – something he rarely does – but displayed incredible persistence in coming from behind and becoming Pitt's first national finalist since 2015 when Tyler Wilps reached the final match at NCAAs.
"Words can't even describe it," Wentzel said. "It's something you dream about for so long. That moment when the last whistle blows and you look up at your family… it's unreal."
After a six-year wait for another NCAA finalist, Pitt only had to wait about an hour for its next one.
That's because Bonaccorsi continued his impressive domination of his side of the 197-pound bracket, topping Kordell Norfleet of Arizona State in the quarterfinals and Jake Woodley of Oklahoma in the semifinals – both by relatively comfortable 4-1 decisions.
"I'm at a loss for words," Bonaccorsi said. "Everyone works hard, but I really worked my butt off to get here. I'm glad it paid off. I'm just really happy and ready to go get this title."
Wentzel and Bonaccorsi became the 81st and 82nd All-Americans in Pitt wrestling history as well.
Wentzel will meet No. 8 seed Shane Griffith of Stanford in the NCAA 165-pound final on Saturday night, while Bonaccorsi faces Oklahoma State's outstanding true freshman AJ Ferrari, the No. 4 seed at 197.
Also competing for the Panthers on Friday, Micky Phillippi fell in both of his bouts to just miss out on All-America honors at 133 pounds. Iowa's Austin DeSanto got the better of him in the quarterfinals before Illinois' Lucas Byrd defeated Phillippi in the tiebreaker periods in the Round of 12.
Saturday's NCAA wrestling finals, featuring Wentzel and Bonaccorsi representing the Panthers, will begin at 7 p.m. and be televised on ESPN.
Here are Pitt's results from the 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championships:
Micky Phillippi, No. 5 Seed, 133 Pounds, Record: 2-2
No. 5 Micky Phillippi (Pitt) maj. dec. No. 28 Ty Smith (Utah Valley), 14-3
No. 5 Micky Phillippi (Pitt) dec. No. 12 Jarrett Trombley (NC State), 6-1
No. 4 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) maj. dec. No. 5 Micky Phillippi (Pitt), 13-5
No. 7 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) dec. No. 5 Micky Phillippi (Pitt), 6-2 (TB1)
Cole Matthews, No. 16 Seed, 141 Pounds, Record: 1-2
No. 16 Cole Matthews (Pitt) maj. dec. No. 17 McKenzie Bell (Rider), 17-3
No. 1 Jaydin Eierman (Iowa) dec. No. 16 Cole Matthews (Pitt), 5-3
No. 18 Parker Filius (Purdue) dec. No. 16 Cole Matthews (Pitt), 6-3
Jake Wentzel, No. 3 Seed, 165 Pounds, Record: 4-0, Finalist
No. 3 Jake Wentzel (Pitt) dec. No. 30 Evan Barczak (Drexel), 1-0
No. 3 Jake Wentzel (Pitt) dec. No. 14 Peyton Robb (Nebraska), 8-1
No. 3 Jake Wentzel (Pitt) dec. No. 6 Keegan O'Toole (Missouri), 9-6
No. 3 Jake Wentzel (Pitt) dec. No. 7 Ethan Smith (Ohio State), 4-2
Gregg Harvey, No. 30 Seed, 184 Pounds, Record: 1-2
No. 3 Lou Deprez (Binghamton) dec. No. 30 Gregg Harvey (Pitt), 6-4
No. 30 Gregg Harvey (Pitt) maj. dec. No. 33 Joe Accousti (Sacred Heart), 8-0
No. 19 Zach Braunagel (Illinois) dec. No. 30 Gregg Harvey (Pitt), 5-2
Nino Bonaccorsi, No. 6 Seed, 197 Pounds, Record: 4-0, Finalist
No. 6 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt) maj. dec. No. 27 Nick Stemmet (Stanford), 15-2
No. 6 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt) maj. dec. No. 11 Jay Aiello (Virginia), 13-3
No. 6 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt) dec. No. 3 Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State), 4-1
No. 6 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt) dec. No. 26 Jake Woodley (Oklahoma), 4-1
Follow @Pitt_WRES on Twitter and Instagram for updates and coverage the event.
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