University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
Virginia Tech
Pitt Closes Strong in 18-15 Battle with No. 7 Hokies
1/9/2026 10:07:00 PM | Wrestling
PITTSBURGH – No. 14 Pitt battled back with victories in the final five bouts to erase an 18-point deficit, but the Panthers couldn't overcome early bonus points, falling to No. 7 Virginia Tech, 18-15, Friday night at the Fitzgerald Field House. The Panthers move to 7-2 on the season and 0-1 in ACC action.
Jared Keslar put Pitt on the board with a 4-2 win by decision over Mac Church at 165 after the Hokies took the first five matches to start the dual. Virginia Tech opened the night with a technical fall, added a major decision at 141, and gained early separation with hard-fought wins at 149 and 157, where Pitt battled deep into each match but ultimately came up just short.
Luca Augustine continued the momentum into the 174 match and delivered one of the night's most thrilling performances. Following a scoreless opening period, Sergio Desiante got an escape to take 1-0 lead. Augustine answered with an escape in the third to knot the bout 1-1 and force sudden victory. Augustine got another escape after two hard fought overtime periods to earn a 2-1 victory.
At 184, Chase Kranitz built a 7-3 advantage heading into the third period. Jaden Bullock mounted a late push with a takedown to narrow the gap, but Kranitz sealed the 9-6 victory with an escape.
The Panthers closed the night strong in the final two bouts. Mac Stout controlled the 197 match, scoring three takedowns and securing an 11-4 win with riding time over No. 17 Sonny Sasso. Dayton Pitzer capped the rally in a rematch of the 2025 ACC Championship, edging No. 12 Jimmy Mullen, 1-0, after two scoreless periods to close the dual.
UP NEXT
Pitt returns to the mat at the Fitzgerald Field House on Friday, January 16, hosting No. 21 West Virginia at 7 p.m. The Panthers will then hit the road for an ACC matchup at Duke on Sunday, January 18, with first bout scheduled for noon.
#7 Virginia Tech 18, #14 Pitt 15
125: #4 Eddie Ventresca (VT) tech. fall Tyler Chappell (PITT) 19-4 (6:31) – (Pitt 0, Virginia Tech 5)
133: #11 Dillon Campbell (VT) dec. #29 Evan Tallmadge (PITT) 5-1 – (Pitt 0, Virginia Tech 8)
141: #23 Tom Crook (VT) major dec. #29 Anthony Santaniello (PITT), 8-0 – (Pitt 0, Virginia Tech 12)
149: Collin Gaj (VT) dec. #24 Kade Brown (PITT), 5-4 – (Pitt 0, Virginia Tech 15)
157: Ethen Miller (VT) dec. #18 Dylan Evans (PITT), 4-2 – (Pitt 0, Virginia Tech 18)
165: Jared Keslar (PITT) dec. Mac Church (VT), 4-2 – (Pitt 3, Virginia Tech 18)
174: #23 Luca Augustine dec. Sergio Desiante (VT), 2-1 TB1 – (Pitt 6, Virginia Tech 18)
184: Chase Kranitz dec. #32 Jaden Bullock (VT), 9-6 – (Pitt 9, Virginia Tech 18)
197: #11 Mac Stout dec. #17 Sonny Sasso (VT), 11-4 – (Pitt 12, Virginia Tech 18)
285: #17 Dayton Pitzer dec. #12 Jimmy Mullen (VT), 1-0 – (Pitt 15, Virginia Tech 18)
Attendance: 842
Players Mentioned
