Pitt
Navy
No. 25 Pitt Downs Navy 35-3 in Season Opener Saturday
11/2/2024 5:24:00 PM | Wrestling
Panthers Win Nine of 10 Bouts En Route to Victory
PITTSBURGH – The No. 25 Pitt wrestling team had a strong start to the 2024-25 season, defeating Navy 35-3 at the Fitzgerald Field House Saturday afternoon. The Panthers won nine of 10 bouts to secure their first victory over the Midshipmen in Pittsburgh since 1989.
Full results are available below
Graduate transfer Nick Babin (125) and redshirt sophomore Vinnie Santaniello (133) got things started for the Panthers with two big wins to kick off the match. Babin had a 5-2 lead over Nick Treaster heading into the third period and scored eight points in the third period to take a 13-4 lead. Babin ended the match with a pin late in the third period at 6:58. Santaniello scored 13 unanswered points in the first two periods and ended the match with a 16-2 tech fall win over Hunter Heflin.
Navy looked to have the next match secured but Finn Solomon persevered to overcome a 7-1 deficit in the first period to gain momentum back for the Panthers. Solomon used late takedowns each in the second and third rounds to cut the deficit 9-8 heading into the third period. Solomon took the lead in the final period on a takedown and used a near fall to win the bout 16-9.
The Panthers continued to win with Dylan Evans and Kelin Laffey picking up wins at 157 and 165, respectively. Junior captain Luca Augustine had a match deciding takedown in the first period to claim a ranked win over No. 22 Danny Wask.
Pitt went on to win the last three bouts with Reece Heller winning at 184, Mac Stout winning at 197, and Dayton Pitzer at 285. Pitzer closed out the season-opener with three straight near falls to secure a 15-0 shutout win over Alistair Larson.
At 141, No. 9 Josh Koderhandt claimed a 5-4 decision for Navy over Anthony Santaniello. Santaniello held a 4-2 lead heading into the third period but a late takedown from Koderhandt earned Navy their lone win of the day.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will compete at the Clarion Open (Nov. 3) and the Journeymen Classic (Nov. 10) before returning to Pittsburgh to take on Lehigh (Nov. 24 – 2 p.m.) at the Fitzgerald Field House.
No 25 Pitt 35, Navy 3
125: No. 28 Nick Babin (Pitt) fall Nick Treaster (Navy), 6:58 (Pitt leads 6-0)
133: No 31. Vinnie Santaniello (Pitt) tech fall Hunter Heflin (Navy), 16-2 (Pitt leads 11-0)
141: No. 9 Josh Koderhandt (Navy) dec. Anthony Santaniello (Pitt), 5-4 (Pitt leads 11-3)
149: No. 29 Finn Solomon (Pitt) dec Kaemen Smith (Navy), 16-9, (Pitt leads 14-3)
157: Dylan Evans (Pitt) dec. Jonathan Ley (Navy), 7-3 (Pitt leads 17-3)
165: Kelin Laffey (Pitt) dec. Tyler Sagi (Navy), 4-2 (Pitt leads 20-3)
174: No. 19 Luca Augustine (Pitt) dec. No. 22 Danny Wask (Navy), 4-3 (Pitt leads 23-3)
184: No. 18 Reece Heller (Pitt) major dec. Zayn Hall (Navy), 11-2 (Pitt leads 27-3)
197: No. 14 Mac Stout (Pitt) dec. Payton Thomas (Navy), 11-5 (Pitt leads 30-3)
285: No. 12 Dayton Pitzer (Pitt) tech fall Alistair Larson (Navy), 15-0 (Pitt lead 35-3)
Attendance: 985
Players Mentioned
