Cole Matthews

Class:
Redshirt Senior
Weight:
141
Hometown:
Greenville, PA
High School:
Reynolds

Career Highlights
NCAA Qualifier (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
NCAA All-American (2022, Fifth Place)
ACC Champion (2022, 2023)
USA U23 Freestyle World Team Trials Champion (2022)
ACC Wrestler of the Week (1/11/22, 2/8/22, 12/12/23, 1/30/24, 2/13/24)
Panther Award (2024)

2023-24 (141): Concluded his collegiate career with another strong season, this time as Pitt's team captain ... qualified for the NCAA Championships for the fifth time and won two matches at nationals in Kansas City ... finished as the ACC runner-up at 141 pounds to earn his fifth conference medal ... went 18-12 during an up-and-down campaign, highlighted by a 5-0 mark in ACC duals and four wins over top-five opponents ... sparked Pitt's upset dual win at No. 5 Ohio State by defeating eventual national champion Jesse Mendez with a last-second takedown ... also beat All-American Lachlan McNeil of North Carolina twice and scored 15 points in a win over NC State's Ryan Jack ... climbed up the national rankings following an eight-match winning streak in January and February, helping him earn the ACC's top seed at 141 pounds once again ... was named ACC Wrestler of the Week three times after his dual wins over Mendez, McNeil and Jack ... also won key bouts against Lehigh and Virginia Tech ... on Senior Night against Virginia, won his 100th collegiate match and received a standing ovation from the Fitzgerald Field House crowd in recognition of his incredible career ... won the Panther Award for athletic achievement at the 2024 Panthers' Choice Awards, ensuring his name will be engraved on the prestigious Pitt Varsity Walk outside of the Cathedral of Learning.

2022-23 (141): Started the campaign as the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the nation at 141 pounds and was ranked in the top three all season ... Won his second straight ACC title by defeating NC State's Ryan Jack by 2-1 decision ... Finished with a 21-3 record ... Went 11-2 against ranked opponents in 2022-23, including two wins over Jack and top-20 wins against Virginia Tech's Tom Crook (twice) and North Carolina's Lachlan McNeil ... Went 11-1 in duals for the Panthers, helping them earn a share of the ACC dual title for the first time since 2014 ... Posted a perfect 5-0 mark in ACC duals ... Competed at the 2022 NWCA All-Star Classic in Austin, Texas ... Was been taken down less than five times all season ... Concluded the year with heartbreaking defeats in the final seconds of his quarterfinal and round of 12 bouts at the 2023 NCAA Championships in Tulsa ... Confirmed after the season that he would utilize his final, extra year of eligibility at Pitt in 2023-24.

2021-22 (141): Emerged as one of the nation's top wrestlers and a fan favorite for his exciting style on the mat ... Earned his first NCAA All-America podium finish, advancing to the semifinals and placing fifth in Detroit ... Defeated a pair of top-four seeds - Sebastian Rivera of Rutgers and Real Woods of Stanford - during his run at nationals ... Won his first ACC title with a 3-2 decision over NC State's Ryan Jack ... Went 5-0 in ACC dual bouts ... In June, won the USA Wrestling 65kg freestyle title at the U23 World Team Trials, making him eligible to compete at the 2022 U23 World Championships in Spain ... His season started slowly as he recovered from offseason surgery to repair his knee, but two pins at the Illinois MatMen Open sparked a 16-match winning streak that took him to the NCAA semifinal stage ... Pinned five opponents, including a 33-second cement-mixer stick of Columbia's Matt Kazimir, and received Pitt's Mayor of Pinzburgh award ... Named ACC Wrestler of the Week in January after beating Michigan's Stevan Micic and again in February following a win over North Carolina's Kizhan Clarke ... Received the James Conner Comeback of the Year Award at the 2022 Panthers' Choice Awards honoring all of Pitt's student-athletes.

2020-21 (141): Fought through a torn ACL sustained early in the campaign and still managed to produce a quality sophomore season ... Finished with a 7-7 record ... Placed third at the ACC Championship for the second straight time ... Automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships and won his first match at nationals ... Defeated Rider's McKenzie Bell by 17-3 major decision to score valuable bonus points for the Panthers at NCAAs ... Lost narrowly against No. 1 Jaydin Eierman of Iowa in a thrilling second-round NCAA match ... Went 4-4 against ACC opponents ... Posted three wins by major decision and didn't lose by bonus points all season ... Developed a reputation for his scrambling and heralded for his entertaining matches - both in victory and defeat.

2019-20 (141): Went 15-9 overall with a 9-3 mark in tournament action … Ranked as high as No. 15 by Intermat … Scored a major decision win, win by tech fall and an overtime decision to claim first place at the Michigan State Open … Recorded three wins by fall … Placed third at the ACC Championship in Pittsburgh … Qualified for the NCAA Championship as a redshirt freshman ... Recorded two wins over Virginia's Brian Courtney … Pinned No. 13 Josh Heil of Campbell in 1:28 … Defeated Hunter Baxter of Maryland by fall in 6:53 … Topped David Loniewski of Davidson by fall in 2:35.

2018-19 (141): Redshirt season … Posted a 21-4 mark ... Wrestled unattached at the Clarion Open, Patriots Open, Cleveland State Open and Edinboro Open … Captured two titles at the Cleveland State Open and Edinboro Open … Recorded pins against Imran Heard of Lock Haven and Justin Ingram of Clarion.

HIGH SCHOOL: Committed to Pitt and was Keith Gavin's first high school recruit after he was hired as head coach at his alma mater in 2017 ... Won two individual Pennsylvania state championships for Reynolds High School ... Career prep record of 177-15 … As a senior, went 47-2 at 138 pounds and won his second state title at the PIAA Class AA Championships … Also won states as a freshman in 2015 at 120 pounds ... Four-time PIAA place-winner, earning runner-up in 2017 and taking third in 2016 … Led Reynolds to PIAA team titles in 2017 and '18 … Four-time District 10 and sectional champion … Three-time regional champion ... Ranked No. 49 on the FloWrestling Class of 2018 Big Board and No. 4 at 145 pounds by InterMat … 2016 PowerAde champion … Two-time Ironman finalist.

By the Numbers
2023-24 (Pitt): 18-12 - 2nd at ACC, NCAA Qualifier
2022-23 (Pitt): 21-3 - 1st at ACC, NCAA Qualifier
2021-22 (Pitt): 21-4 - 1st at ACC, 5th at NCAA
2020-21 (Pitt): 7-7 - 3rd at ACC, NCAA Qualifier
2019-20 (Pitt): 15-9 - 3rd at ACC, NCAA Qualifier
2018-19 (Unattached): 21-4
Career Record: 103-39
Career Record for Pitt: 82-35