University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
Lehigh
Pitt Prepared for Big Duals at No. 17 Lehigh, Maryland
11/18/2023 1:00:00 PM | Wrestling
PITTSBURGH—The Pitt wrestling team, ranked No. 23 in the NWCA Coaches Poll this week, has two quality chances to stake its claim for a higher ranking when it faces No. 17 Lehigh and Maryland on the road over the next two days.
The Panthers (2-1) will look to rebound from their loss at Navy last Sunday when they travel to face the Mountain Hawks (0-0) on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Bethlehem, Pa.
The Pitt-Lehigh dual is an annual Pennsylvania in-state wrestling rivalry that will once again feature two ranked teams this year. FloWrestling will have streaming coverage of the action at Lehigh's Grace Hall.
The home team has had the edge in the series in recent years, including last season's 22-12 Pitt win at Fitzgerald Field House. The Panthers, with eight wrestlers ranked by InterMat this week, will look to go into Bethlehem and beat the 17th-ranked Mountain Hawks and their six ranked individuals on the road for the first time since an epic dual in 2019 that Pitt won on criteria.
With Keith Gavin at the helm of the Panthers and Pat Santoro leading Lehigh, both programs have a head coach that won a wrestling national championship at the University of Pittsburgh.
Monday will see Pitt travel to College Park, Md., for an ACC-Big Ten dual at Maryland. The 7:30 p.m. matchup at XFINITY Center Pavilion will stream on B1G+ online.
The Terrapins (1-0) are the first team outside the Top 25 in the NWCA Coaches Poll, but Pitt will look for revenge after Maryland came into Fitzgerald Field House last season and upset the Panthers.
Maryland matches Pitt's depth with eight ranked wrestlers and will again provide a tough test for the Panthers early in the season. Pitt leads the all-time series with Maryland, 22-7.
Fans can follow Pitt Wrestling on the X app @Pitt_WRES for updates from both duals.
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