Reece Heller

Class:
Redshirt Senior
Weight:
184
Hometown:
Riverwoods, IL
High School:
Marian Catholic
Prev School:
Hofstra

ACC Champion (2025)
NCAA Qualifier (2023, 2024, 2025)
All-ACC Team (2025)
ACC Medalist (2024, 2025)
NWCA Scholar All-American (2025)
NCAA and ACC Wrestler of the Week (1/31/23)

2024-25 (285): Finished the season with a 21-5 overall record and tallied 94 career wins … Qualified for his third NCAA Championships and earned the No. 9 seed at 184-pounds … Earned the top seed at 184-pounds and won first ACC title … defeated TJ Stewart, 4-2, in the semifinals and took down No. 14 Dylan Fishback, 4-1, in sudden victory to claim the 184-pound title … Started the season with a 6-0 record … won the 184-pound title at the Journeymen Classic in November … Also took home the 184-pound title at the Midlands Championship as the Panthers finished tied for fourth place as a team … missed two duals late in the season against Iowa State and Virginia Tech due to injury … entered the NCAA Championships with a 21-3 overall record … Won 15 straight matches from December 29 – March 20 after dropping all three matches at Rider.

2023-24 (184): Continued his development at Pitt, spending most of the season ranked in the top 10 of most polls ... qualified for his second NCAA Championships and scored a pin over No. 31 Tony Negron of Arizona State ... stood on the podium at the ACC Championship by placing third to earn an automatic trip to nationals in Kansas City ... finished with a 21-8 record, including a 13-5 mark in duals against one of the toughest schedules in the country ... posted a team-high 14 victories with bonus points ... scored four major decisions, seven technical falls and three pins ... majored No. 15 Gavin Hoffman at Ohio State in Pitt's signature dual win in Columbus ... also beat No. 5 Will Feldkamp of Iowa State by major at the National Collegiate Duals ... earned another top-10 win over No. 7 Dylan Fishback in the NC State dual ... went 4-1 in ACC duals ... started the season by winning the Clarion Open, with all five victories coming with bonus.

2022-23 (184): Instantly became a valuable starter for the Panthers at 184 pounds ... went 19-10 while competing in possibly the toughest weight class in the ACC and became a fan favorite for his funky and aggressive style, winning 10 bouts with bonus points, including four pins ... qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time after placing fourth at the ACC Championship ... earned the No. 16 seed at nationals in Tulsa and won one bout, avenging a defeat from the dual against West Virginia's Anthony Carman ... eight of his wins came against ranked opponents, including a crucial pin of No. 7 Hunter Bolen of Virginia Tech in the Panthers' upset win over the No. 7 Hokies ... named NCAA and ACC Wrestler of the Week following that thrilling moment in Blacksburg ... won the 184-pound title at the 2022 Midlands Championships in his home state of Illinois ... was ranked throughout the entire season and reached as high as No. 14 in the InterMat polls following a 10-match winning streak.

PRIOR TO PITT (2019-22): Spent three seasons at Hofstra ... started for the Pride as a true freshman in 2019-20, winning 19 matches ... had a winning record in EIWA duals in his debut campaign ... scarcely competed in the 2021 COVID-shortened season and redshirted the following year.

HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated from Marian Catholic near Chicago ... three-time Illinois state qualifier ... 2019 IHSA runner-up who won sectional and regional titles as a junior and senior ... also named his team's Most Valuable Wrestler as a senior ... ranked in the InterMat top 20 in his weight class coming out of high school.

PERSONAL: Son of Mark and Nancy Heller ... brother, Holden, transferred with him from Hofstra to Pitt in 2022 .. business information systems major.

By the Numbers
2024-25 (Pitt): 21-5 – ACC Champion, 1-2 at NCAA
2023-24 (Pitt): 21-8 - 3rd at ACC, 1-2 at NCAA
2022-23 (Pitt): 19-10 - 1-2 at NCAA
2021-22 (Unattached): 12-4
2020-21 (Hofstra): 2-1
2019-20 (Hofstra): 19-13
Career Record for Pitt: 61-23
Career Record: 94-41