Pitt Crowns Two Champions, Places Second at Midlands

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Pitt Crowns Two Champions, Places Second at Midlands

12/30/2022 10:00:00 PM | Wrestling

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill.—Members of the Pitt wrestling program garnered national attention thanks to several impressive performances at the prestigious Midlands Championships at the NOW Arena.

Pitt's Cole Matthews at 141 pounds and Illinois native Reece Heller at 184 pounds emerged as 2022 Midlands champions in their respective weight classes, with Heller earning the tournament's top individual point scorer after thanks to tallying two falls during his 6-0 performance.

But it was true freshman Dayton Pitzer at heavyweight who caught the most attention of college wrestling fans across the country with his run to the final at Midlands. Pitzer upset returning NCAA finalist and top seed Cohlton Shultz from Arizona State with a dominant shutout performance in the quarterfinals and followed that up by pulling off an incredible reverse pin in the final seconds to defeat returning All-American Trent Hillger from Wisconsin in the semifinal.

REVERSE FALL ?? @NCAAWrestling @DaytonPitzer, HIM ??

Last-second pin over No. 10 Trent Hillger sends Pitzer to the Midlands final ??#H2P » @MidlandsChamps pic.twitter.com/xjuE3hn0OA
— Pitt Wrestling (@Pitt_WRES) December 30, 2022

Another Pitt true freshman, Mac Stout, also made the semifinals at 197 pounds; but Stout and Pitzer were defeated in their final bouts and finished in fourth and second, respectively.

Pitt finished the 2022 Midlands Championships in second place with 115 team points, and that result occurred without super senior top-10 individuals Micky Phillippi and Nino Bonaccorsi competing. Both were rested over the holiday season to prepare for a final run at national glory in 2023.

Also standing on podiums for the Panthers were Tyler Badgett, who took fifth at 149 pounds; Luca Augustine, who placed sixth at 174 pounds; and Ryan Michaels, who also finished sixth at 141 pounds while competing in an unattached Pittsburgh Wrestling Club singlet.

Here are all of Pitt's individual results from the 2022 Midlands Championships:

Colton Camacho, 125 Pounds, 2-2
Killian Delaney (Lehigh) dec. Camacho (Pitt), 3-2
Camacho (Pitt) tech fall Davian Guanajuato (SIUE), 16-0
Camacho (Pitt) maj. dec. Nick Gonzalez (Air Force), 12-2
Jack Medley (Michigan) dec. Camacho (Pitt), 5-3

No. 1 Cole Matthews, 141 Pounds, Champion, 6-0
Matthews (Pitt) dec. Dakarai Clay (UW-Whitewater), 4-3
Matthews (Pitt) dec. Daniel Coles (Princeton), 1-0
Matthews (Pitt) maj. dec. Cole Rhemrev (Indiana), 11-3
Matthews (Pitt) dec. Joe Olivieri (Rutgers), 2-1
Matthews (Pitt) dec. No. 24 Saul Ervin (SIUE), 4-0
Matthews (Pitt) dec. Josh Edmond (Missouri), 3-1

Ryan Michaels, 141 Pounds, 6th Place, 6-3 (Unattached)
No. 12 Sammy Alvarez (Rutgers) dec. Michaels (Pitt), 14-10 SV
Michaels (Pitt) pins Daniel Coles (Princeton), 3:32
Michaels (Pitt) pins Shawn Nonaka (George Mason), 6:53
Michaels (Pitt) dec. Kyle Hauserman (Penn), 3-1 SV
Michaels (Pitt) dec. Kenny Herrmann (Harvard), 3-2
Michaels (Pitt) medical forfeit over No. 25 Jesse Vasquez (Arizona State)
Michaels (Pitt) dec. Josh Mason (Bloomsburg), 5-2
No. 12 Sammy Alvarez (Rutgers) dec. Michaels (Pitt), 8-4
No. 24 Saul Ervin (SIUE) dec. Michaels (Pitt), 9-4

No. 25 Tyler Badgett, 149 Pounds, 5th Place, 5-2
Badgett (Pitt) dec. Caine Tyus (SIUE), 4-2
Badgett (Pitt) dec. Jude Swisher (Penn), 3-2
No. 6 Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) dec. Badgett (Pitt), 12-5
Badgett (Pitt) dec. Rocco Camillaci (Princeton), 5-1
Badgett (Pitt) dec. Nate Higley (George Mason), 7-5
No. 24 Caleb Tyus (SIUE) dec. Badgett (Pitt), 4-1
Badgett (Pitt) dec. No. 26 Max Brignola (Lehigh), 3-2

Dazjon Casto, 157 Pounds, 0-2
Cael Berg (Harvard) dec. Casto (Pitt), 8-6
Jerrdon Fisher (Missouri) dec. Casto (Pitt), 4-3

Dan Mancini, 157 Pounds, 1-2
Mancini (Pitt) dec. Ty Whalen (Princeton), 7-0
Jared Hill (Oklahoma) dec. Mancini (Pitt), 6-5
Nic Sansone (Virginia) dec. Mancini (Pitt), 5-3 SV

Brock McMillen, 157 Pounds, 0-2
Anthony Gibson (Northern Illinois) dec. McMillen (Pitt), 7-0
Ty Whalen (Princeton) dec. McMillen (Pitt), 10-7

No. 28 Holden Heller, 165 Pounds, 2-2
Heller (Pitt) dec. Tracy Hubbard (Central Michigan), 10-4
Heller (Pitt) dec. Nick Hamilton (Virginia), 6-0
No. 4 Quincy Monday (Princeton) dec. Heller (Pitt), 6-2
Lucas Revano (Penn) dec. Heller (Pitt), 8-2

Luca Augustine, 174 Pounds, 6th Place, 4-3
Augustine (Pitt) tech fall Isiah Levitz (Indiana), 17-2
Augustine (Pitt) maj. dec. Cael Valencia (Arizona State), 14-1
No. 10 Edmond Ruth (Illinois) dec. Augustine (Pitt), 5-3
Augustine (Pitt) maj. dec. Scott Joll (West Virginia), 13-1
Augustine (Pitt) maj. dec. Kole Mulhauser (Princeton), 8-0
Daniel Wask (Navy) dec. Augustine (Pitt), 7-6
Alex Cramer (Central Michigan) pins Augustine (Pitt), 4:30

No. 14 Reece Heller, 184 Pounds, Champion, 6-0
Heller (Pitt) dec. Nate Dugan (Princeton), 9-8
Heller (Pitt) tech fall Andrew Wenzel (Air Force), 20-4
Heller (Pitt) pins Hadyn Danals (Virginia), 0:22
Heller (Pitt) dec. No. 29 Dylan Connell (Illinois), 2-0 SV
Heller (Pitt) pins No. 30 Anthony Carman (West Virginia), 4:26
Heller (Pitt) dec. Jaritt Shinhoster (UW-Whitewater), 7-5

James Lledo, 184 Pounds, 1-2
Dennis Robin (West Virginia) maj. dec. Lledo (Pitt), 15-4
Lledo (Pitt) pins Benjamin Cushman (Central Michigan), 1:33
Jon Halvorsen (Northwestern) dec. Lledo (Pitt), 5-2

Mac Stout, 197 Pounds, 4th Place, 4-2
Stout (Pitt) maj. dec. Cade Dallwitz (Central Michigan), 14-4
Stout (Pitt) dec. Eli Sheeran (Buffalo), 8-1
Stout (Pitt) injury default over No. 32 Austin Cooley (West Virginia), 4:20
No. 14 Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) dec. Stout (Pitt), 2-1
Stout (Pitt) dec. Michael Battista (Virginia), 3-1 SV
No. 27 Andrew Davison (Northwestern) dec. Stout (Pitt), 4-1

No. 5 Dayton Pitzer, Heavyweight, 2nd Place, 4-1
Pitzer (Pitt) dec. Tyrie Houghton (NC State), 7-3
Pitzer (Pitt) maj. dec. No. 28 Michael Wolfgram (West Virginia), 10-0
Pitzer (Pitt) dec. No. 6 Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State), 4-0
Pitzer (Pitt) pins No. 11 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin), 6:57
No. 4 Lucas Davison (Northwestern) dec. Pitzer (Pitt), 4-0

Jake Slinger, Heavyweight, 0-1
Bryan Caves (Central Michigan) dec. Slinger (Pitt), 5-2
Greg Hodulick (Buffalo) dec. Slinger (Pitt), 6-4

The Panthers return to action on Sunday, Jan. 8 for the renewal of the Backyard Brawl rivalry. No. 21 Pitt will also West Virginia at Fitzgerald Field House at 2 p.m. for a dual streamed on ACC Network Extra.

Fans can secure tickets to the 2023 Backyard Brawl on the mat at this link.

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