Pitt
ACC Championship
Pitt Wrestling Places Five on ACC Podiums
3/10/2024 10:00:00 PM | Wrestling
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—Pitt wrestling put five individuals on the podium at the 2024 ACC Championship, led by ACC runner-up Cole Matthews at 141 pounds, on Sunday at North Carolina's Carmichael Arena.
Matthews earned his fifth ACC medal after winning the conference title in 2022 and '23 and bringing home bronze in 2020 and '21. This was his first ACC silver medal performance.
Matthews, ranked No. 14 at 141 pounds by InterMat entering the postseason, incredibly defeated his fourth top-five opponent of 2023-24 on Sunday to secure another ACC medal.
Pitt's senior used sudden victory to defeat No. 5 Lachlan McNeil, 4-1, of North Carolina in the semifinal before falling to No. 4 Ryan Jack of NC State by 4-1 decision after a decisive late takedown in the final.
The Panthers also showcased a youth movement on Sunday, with three freshmen earning podium places as Finn Solomon at 149 pounds, Mac Stout at 197 and Dayton Pitzer at heavyweight each battled through the consolation brackets to earn a third-place bronze medal at the ACC Championship this year.
Reece Heller also completed a winning run through the consolation bracket to take third at 184 pounds. He joined Matthews and Stout in securing automatic bids to the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
Several other Panthers, including top-20 ranked Pitzer, Holden Heller at 175 pounds and Luca Augustine at 174, will hope to earn at-large bids to nationals this week through the wild-card process.
Pitt placed fourth at the 2024 ACC Championship as a team with 47.0 points. Every Panther competing on Sunday won at least one match in Chapel Hill.
"We certainly didn't wrestle our best today," Pitt head coach Keith Gavin said. "It's disappointing, but we're hopeful of receiving a couple more bids to NCAAs this week and will look forward to preparing for nationals in Kansas City with the guys."
Full results from Pitt's busy day of wrestling at the 2024 ACC Championship are available below.
The Panthers' three NCAA automatic qualifiers and any individuals that receive at-large bids this week move on to compete for All-America honors at nationals in Kansas City from March 21-23.
Colton Camacho, 125 Pounds, 2-2
Quarterfinal: Colton Camacho (Pitt) dec. No. 28 Spencer Moore (UNC), 5-2 TB
Semifinal: No. 6 Cooper Flynn (VT) dec. Colton Camacho (Pitt), 4-2
Consolation: Colton Camacho (Pitt) dec. Kyle Montaperto (Virginia), 5-1
Third Place: No. 28 Spencer Moore (UNC) dec. Colton Camacho (Pitt), 2-0
Vinnie Santaniello, 133 Pounds, 2-2
Quarterfinal: No. 29 Vinnie Santaniello (Pitt) dec. Jace Palmer (UNC), 8-3
Semifinal: No. 4 Kai Orine (NC State) maj. No. 29 Vinnie Santaniello (Pitt), 10-0
Consolation Semifinal: No. 29 Vinnie Santaniello (Pitt) dec. Raymond Adams (Duke), 2-0
Third Place: No. 27 Marlon Yarbrough (Virginia) dec. Vinnie Santaniello (Pitt), 6-2
Cole Matthews, 141 Pounds, 1-1, 2nd Place, NCAA Qualifier
Semifinal: No. 14 Cole Matthews (Pitt) dec. No. 5 Lachlan McNeil (UNC), 4-1 SV
Final: No. 4 Ryan Jack (NC State) dec. No. 14 Cole Matthews (Pitt), 4-1
Finn Solomon, 149 Pounds, 3-1, Third Place
Quarterfinal: Finn Solomon (Pitt) dec. Michael Gioffre (Virginia), 15-11
Semifinal: No. 2 Caleb Henson (VT) dec. Finn Solomon (Pitt), 8-1
Consolation Semifinal: Finn Solomon (Pitt) dec. Jarred Papcsy (Duke), 6-4
Third Place: Finn Solomon (Pitt) dec. No. 32 Jayden Scott (UNC), 5-2
Jared Keslar, 157 Pounds, 1-2
Quarterfinal: Jared Keslar (Pitt) pins Nick Sanko (Virginia), 4:01
Semifinal: No. 32 Sonny Santiago (UNC) dec. Jared Keslar (Pitt), 4-2
Consolation Semifinal: Logan Ferrero (Duke) dec. Jared Keslar (Pitt), 5-2
Holden Heller, 165 Pounds, 1-2
Semifinal: No. 21 Connor Brady (VT) dec. No. 14 Holden Heller (Pitt), 9-3
Consolation Semifinal: No. 14 Holden Heller (Pitt) dec. Isaias Estrada (UNC), 4-3
Third Place: Derek Fields (NC State) dec. No. 14 Holden Heller (Pitt), 4-1 SV
Luca Augustine, 174 Pounds, 1-2
Quarterfinal: Alex Faison (NC State) dec. No. 18 Luca Augustine (Pitt), 4-2 TB
Consolation: No. 17 Tyler Eischens (UNC) pins No. 18 Luca Augustine (Pitt), 6:27
Fifth Place: No. 18 Luca Augustine (Pitt) tech fall Gaetano Console (Duke), 20-3 (2:00)
Reece Heller, 184 Pounds, 2-1, Third Place, NCAA Qualifier
Semifinal: No. 10 Dylan Fishback (NC State) dec. No. 9 Reece Heller (Pitt), 8-2
Consolation Semifinal: No. 9 Reece Heller (Pitt) dec. Ethan Weatherspoon (Virginia), 8-4
Third Place: No. 9 Reece Heller (Pitt) dec. No. 24 Gavin Kane (UNC), 5-4
Mac Stout, 197 Pounds, 3-1, Third Place, NCAA Qualifier
Quarterfinal: No. 15 Mac Stout (Pitt) dec. Krystian Kinsey (Virginia), 5-4
Semifinal: No. 2 Trent Hidlay (NC State) tech fall No. 15 Mac Stout (Pitt), 19-4 (7:00)
Consolation Semifinal: No. 15 Mac Stout (Pitt) tech fall Kwasi Bonsu (Duke), 24-9 (6:04)
Third Place: No. 15 Mac Stout (Pitt) wins by forfeit
Dayton Pitzer, 285 Pounds, 3-1, Third Place
Quarterfinal: No. 13 Dayton Pitzer (Pitt) dec. Connor Barket (Duke), 1-0
Semifinal: No. 14 Owen Trephan (NC State) dec. No. 13 Dayton Pitzer (Pitt), 7-3
Consolation Semifinal: No. 13 Dayton Pitzer (Pitt) pins Cade Lautt (UNC), 4:40
Third Place: No. 13 Dayton Pitzer (Pitt) dec. No. 33 Ryan Catka (Virginia), 7-0
#pinzburgh | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Players Mentioned
