University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
West Virginia
No. 15 Pitt Storms Back to Take Down No. 22 WVU
1/16/2026 10:37:00 PM | Wrestling
PITTSBURGH – No. 15 Pitt delivered a thrilling comeback Friday night, winning the final three bouts to earn a 17-15 victory over No. 22 West Virginia in the 68th edition of the Backyard Brawl at Fitzgerald Field House.
The Panthers won five total bouts on the night, including two bonus-point victories, to fuel the comeback.
No. 23 Kade Brown jumpstarted Pitt's rally with a dominant 12-3 major decision at 149 pounds, putting the Panthers on the board. Jared Keslar followed with a clutch 3-2 decision at 165, but Pitt still trailed 15-7 entering the final three matches.
At 184, Chase Kranitz delivered a momentum-shifting upset over No. 19 Ian Bush. Kranitz and Bush were locked in a scoreless battle through two periods, Kranitz struck with a third-period takedown and sealed a 4-2 victory to ignite the Panthers.
No. 11 Mac Stout came through at 197, securing a decisive takedown with 40 seconds remaining to win the bout 4-1.
Trailing 15-13, No. 15 Dayton Pitzer dominated Brock Kehler with a commanding 12-1 major decision, sealing the comeback and sending the Panthers to a rivalry victory.
No. 17 Dylan Evans dropped a hard-fought 5-1 decision to No. 4 Ty Watters at 157, while No. 23 Luca Augustine suffered a narrow 4-1 loss at 174 to No. 16 Brody Conley after a late third-period takedown.
UP NEXT
No. 15 Pitt hits the road for an ACC matchup at Duke on Sunday, Jan. 18 at 11 a.m. The dual will be streamed on ACCNX.
#15 Pitt 17, #22 West Virginia 15
125: #8 Jett Strickenberger (WVU) dec. Matt Marlow (PITT), 9-2 (WVU 3, Pitt 0)
133: #20 Gunner Andrick (WVU) dec. #30 Evan Tallmadge (PITT), 4-1 (WVU 6, Pitt 0)
141: Jordan Titus (WVU) dec. Briar Priest (PITT), 2-0 (WVU 9, Pitt 0)
149: #23 Kade Brown major dec. TJ Langley (WVU), 12-3 (WVU 9, Pitt 4)
157: #4 Ty Watters (WVU) dec. #17 Dylan Evans (PITT), 5-1 (WVU 12, Pitt 4)
165: Jared Keslar (PITT) dec. Leo Contino (WVU), 3-2 (WVU 12, Pitt 7)
174: #16 Brody Conley (WVU) dec. #23 Luca Augustine (PITT), 4-1 (WVU 15, Pitt 7)
184: #33 Chase Kranitz dec. #19 Ian Bush (WVU), 4-2 (WVU 15, Pitt 10)
197: #11 Mac Stout dec. #21 Rune Lawrence (WVU), 4-1 (WVU 15, Pitt 13)
285: #15 Dayton Pitzer major dec. Brock Kehler (WVU), 12-1 (Pitt 17, WVU 15)
Attendance: 1,591
Players Mentioned
