No. 19 Pitt Prepped for No. 5 Ohio State Friday

PITTSBURGH – The Pitt wrestling team, ranked No. 19 in the NWCA Coaches Poll this week, will host No. 5 Ohio State in a top 20 dual at the Fitzgerald Field House, Friday night. The match is set to start at 7 p.m. with Greg Warnock and Jason Earle calling the action on ACC Network Extra.

THE SERIES

The Panthers stunned the Buckeyes in a 21-13 win in Covelli Center last season, but trail the all-time series 14-10. Pitt triumphed in six bouts to earn their first win over Ohio State in 13 years.
Last season's victory marked the first top 5 win of the Gavin era and first since the Panthers beat No. 5 Oklahoma State in 2014.

PANTHERS IN THE POLLS

Pitt's roster features nine individual wrestlers ranked in both the InterMat Rankings and FloWrestling Rankings, including five wrestlers ranked in the top 20.
Anthony Santaniello (141) and Dylan Evans (157) each entered the rankings after strong performances against Lehigh. Santaniello defeated No. 19 Malyke Hines by a 4-1 decision and Evans held on to secure his fifth consecutive win of the season with a 2-1 victory over No. 31 Logan Rozynski.

QUICK NOTES

Graduate student and team captain Reece Heller (184) and redshirt-freshman Dylan Evans (157) each own a 5-0 record to start the season.
Heller holds a 2-0 dual record and won three-straight bouts en route to winning the 184 title at the Journeymen Classic in November.
Evans has emerged as a signature starter for the Panthers at 157 in his redshirt-freshman campaign. He wrestled 30 times in 2023-24, mostly unattached, and made one dual appearance last year against Cornell at the National Collegiate Duals.
Anthony Santaniello picked up a signature win against No. 18 Lehigh after missing last season due to injury. In 2023-24, he went 3-1 at the Clarion Open. His only defeat last year was to eventual 141-pound national champion Jesse Mendez from Ohio State.
Jared Keslar makes his first dual appearance of the season after missing four weeks due to a hand injury. Keslar suffered the injury in his lone appearance this season at the Clarion Open on Nov. 3.

TICKETS
Tickets are available for purchase through the Panther Ticket Office here or by calling (412) 624-1701.