Pitt
Franklin & Marshall Open
No. 13 Pitt Wrestling Opens 2024 at F&M Open
1/4/2024 11:00:00 AM | Wrestling
PITTSBURGH—Pitt will send more than a dozen wrestlers, including a few starters, to Lancaster on Friday to begin the 2024 calendar year with a day of competition at the Franklin & Marshall Open.
Led by Coach Keith Gavin, 2023 was a memorable year for Pitt wrestling, with the program winning an ACC dual title, crowing two conference champions and one NCAA national champion crowned and the Panthers earning memorable wins on the road against top-10 opponents in Ohio State and Virginia Tech.
Now the Panthers, ranked No. 13 as a team in the latest NWCA Coaches Poll, will look to build on those successes in 2024, starting at Franklin & Marshall College with a full day of action starting at 9 a.m.
Starters Vinnie Santaniello at 133 pounds, Cole Matthews at 141 and Jared Keslar at 157 highlight Pitt's lineup for the one-day tournament that will stream on FloWrestling ($).
Tyler Chappell (unattached) and Jordan Villareal at 125 pounds; Briar Priest, Emory Taylor and Connor Swaim at 141; Jack Pletcher and Ty Cymmerman at 149; Dylan Evans (unattached), Brock McMillen, Kelin Laffey and Carson Miller at 157; Grant MacKay (unattached) at 165; and Daniel Gurovich at 174 will also travel from Pittsburgh and look to compete for the top podium places on Friday in Lancaster.
The 11th annual Franklin & Marshall Open, held in honor of legendary wrestling figure and F&M alum David Lehman, will features individual wrestlers from Air Force, American, Army, Binghamton, Campbell, Drexel, F&M, George Mason, Harvard, Hofstra, Kent State, Lehigh, Long Haven, Long Island, Maryland, Millersville, NC State, Navy, Penn, Princeton, Rider and Sacred Heart in addition to Pitt.
Pitt hasn't been in action since defeating Little Rock at the 2023 National Collegiate Duals in Nashville on Monday, Dec. 18 to improve to 7-3 on the season.
The Panthers will return to dual action next Friday when they welcome No. 9 Oklahoma State to the Fitzgerald Field House for an elite nonconference dual at 7 p.m.
Tickets are going fast and fans can secure seats to the Pitt-Oklahoma State dual here.
Pitt's 2023 NCAA champion and Bethel Park's own Nino Bonaccorsi will be honored during the dual against the Cowboys. Fans in attendance should arrive early to pick up the giveaway item of a mini replica of Bonaccorsi's national championship banner that hangs in the Pitt wrestling room.
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