Pitt
North Carolina
No. 19 Pitt Set for Friday Night Dual at North Carolina
2/8/2024 4:00:00 PM | Wrestling
PITTSBURGH—The University of Pittsburgh wrestling team aims for its first win in Chapel Hill in a decade this Friday night against North Carolina at Carmichael Arena.
Pitt, ranked No. 19 once again this week in the NWCA Coaches Poll, seeks a second straight ACC road win after demolishing Duke, 36-9, last Friday in Durham.
The Panthers (8-6, 1-1 ACC) will face a stiffer test this week in the hungry Tar Heels (8-7, 0-2 ACC) who are hoping to avoid a three-dual losing streak to begin the conference season.
The dual will begin at 7 p.m. and stream live on the ESPN app via ACC Network Extra, which requires a subscription to the ACC Network through your cable provider or streaming service.
Seeking a first win at UNC since 2014 when the Panthers debuted in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Pitt's probable lineup for this dual includes seven ranked wrestlers, led by No. 9 Reece Heller at 184 pounds, who could face a top-25 opponent in No. 24 Gavin Kane.
No. 22 Cole Matthews at 141 pounds has the opportunity to get his third top-five dual win of the season for the Panthers when he meets No. 5 Lachlan McNeil in the marquee matchup of the night.
No. 18 Luca Augustine at 174 pounds and No. 14 Mac Stout at 197 pounds are also slated to meet ranked opponents in this dual in No. 27 Tyler Eischens and No. 26 Max Shaw, respectively.
No. 23 Vinnie Santaniello at 133, No. 28 Finn Solomon at 149 and No. 14 Holden Heller at 165 round out Pitt's individuals looking to move up the rankings with triumphs in Chapel Hill.
North Carolina leads the all-time series in wrestling against Pitt, 10-5, but Keith Gavin led his team to a convincing 21-11 victory over the visiting Tar Heels last season at the Petersen Events Center.
Now Gavin's Panthers will look to overcome UNC on the road this time around and improve to 2-1 in the ACC ahead of the big conference matchup with Virginia Tech at Fitzgerald Field House on Friday, Feb. 16.
Follow @Pitt_WRES for live updates from Carmichael Arena on Friday evening.
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