Pitt
Fun fact: Did you know that Slippery Rock has finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships more recently than Pitt? (1974 vs 1970)
Pitt put up 9.5 points (34th place) at the NCAA Championships, just short of 2018’s performance of 10.5 points (31st place). They qualified five wrestlers into the tournament with three making it to the round of 12. The Panthers had a very good dual season going 13-3 highlighted by victories against Northern Iowa, NC State and Virginia. Their losses were to Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech and North Carolina. Pitt placed 7th at Cliff Keen but were unable to attend Midlands due to Chicago area hotels refusing to accept reservations for the team. Pitt placed 4th at the ACC Championships.
While Pitt will most likely extend their streak of not making the top ten to 50 years, they should at least improve upon last year’s performance. All of their qualifiers are back and they add Cole Matthews to the lineup. Pitt has not yet released their 19/20 schedule.
125
Brendon Fenton (So) <Elyria, OH>
Fenton went 7-13 as a true freshman and went 0-2 in the ACC Championships. <Bonus: 5.0%, RPI: .521>
133
Micky Phillippi (So) <Derry Area, PA>
Phillippi went 21-4 in his first season as a starter for Pitt. He had a strong season highlighted by a victory over Daton Fix (OSU). Phillippi won the ACC championship and entered the NCAA tournament as the 4 seed. After losing to (5)Luke Pletcher (tOSU) in the quarterfinals, Phillippi’s tournament ended at the round of 12 against RBY. <Bonus: 28.0%, RPI: .691>
141
Cole Matthews (Fr) <Reynolds, PA>
Matthews enters the lineup after a very good redshirt season. He went 21-4 with his losses coming against 2 AAs, Nick Lee and Kyle Shoop (LHU) and 2 NCAA qualifiers, Chris Debien (UTC) and DJ Fehlman (LHU) <he later defeated Fehlman>. <Bonus: 24.0%, RPI: .670>
Last season, LJ Bentley moved up from 125 and went 16-10 overall and 0-2 in the ACC Championships. He didn’t qualify for the NCAA tournament.
149
Luke Kemerer (Fr) <Hempfield, PA>
Dallas Bulsak (So) <South Park, PA>
Kemerer might be entering the lineup after going 10-7 in his redshirt season. He was 0-2 against NCAA qualifiers. Last season, Bulsak went 5-10 overall and 0-2 in the ACC Championships.
157
Taleb Rahmani (Sr) < Marysville, OH>
Rahmani will be looking to qualify for the NCAAs a 4th time and to get to the podium for the first time. Last season he went 19-8 and placed 2nd at the ACC Championships. Rahmani was the 12 seed at the NCAA Championships. After a first round upset to (21)Justin Thomas (OU), Rahmani won three straight in the wrestlebacks before losing to (9)Christian Pagdilao (ASU) in the Round of 12. <Bonus: 22.2%, RPI: .616>
165
Jake Wentzel (Jr) <South Park, PA>
Wentzel’s season was cut short last year due to injury. His best win was against NCAA qualifier, Tanner Skidgel (Navy). Tommy O’Brien (Jr) finished the season as the starter going 11-14 and 0-2 in the ACC Championships.
174
Greg Harvey (Jr) <Boyertown, PA>
Harvey went 11-10 overall and 0-2 in the ACC Championships. He did have three wins against NCAA qualifiers. <Bonus: 9.5%, RPI: .567>
184
Nino Bonaccorsi (So) <Bethel Park, PA>
Bonaccorsi had a nice first season with Pitt, going 21-8 and placing 2nd at the ACC Championships. He entered the NCAA Championships as the 13 seed and advanced to the quarterfinals after upsetting (4)Emery Parker (Illini), who ended up placing 5th. After losing to (5)Max Dean (Corn) in the quarters, his tournament came to an end against (26)Dakota Geer (OSU) in the round of 12. <Bonus: 34.5%, RPI: .644>
197
Kellen Stout (Sr) <Mt. Lebanon, PA>
Former Nittany Lion Kellen Stout went 12-10 last season and 0-2 in the ACC Championships. Despite the average record and bad results in the conference championships, Stout secured an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships on the strength of having five victories against other qualifiers. Stout was the 23 seed and went 0-2. <Bonus: 0.0% (not a type), RPI: .575>
Heavy
Demetrius Thomas (Sr) <McCluer, Mo>
Thomas went 27-6 in his first year as the Pitt starter (he was a transfer from Williams Baptist). Thomas won the ACC championship and entered the NCAAs as the 8 seed where he went 1-2, losing to (9)Matt Stencel (CMU) and (26)Ian Butterbrodt (Brown). <Bonus: 57.6%, RPI: .649>
New Faces
Pitt has one top-20 (in weight class) incoming freshmen:
Jared McGill (Fr) < Chestnut Ridge, PA>
McGill has steadily improved over his high school years placing 6th @132 in 2016, 4th @170 in 2017, 3rd @160 in 2018 and 1st @170 in 2019 in the Pennsylvania state championships (AA). He is ranked 8th at 170 by Intermat.
Fun fact: Did you know that Slippery Rock has finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships more recently than Pitt? (1974 vs 1970)
Pitt put up 9.5 points (34th place) at the NCAA Championships, just short of 2018’s performance of 10.5 points (31st place). They qualified five wrestlers into the tournament with three making it to the round of 12. The Panthers had a very good dual season going 13-3 highlighted by victories against Northern Iowa, NC State and Virginia. Their losses were to Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech and North Carolina. Pitt placed 7th at Cliff Keen but were unable to attend Midlands due to Chicago area hotels refusing to accept reservations for the team. Pitt placed 4th at the ACC Championships.
While Pitt will most likely extend their streak of not making the top ten to 50 years, they should at least improve upon last year’s performance. All of their qualifiers are back and they add Cole Matthews to the lineup. Pitt has not yet released their 19/20 schedule.
125
Brendon Fenton (So) <Elyria, OH>
Fenton went 7-13 as a true freshman and went 0-2 in the ACC Championships. <Bonus: 5.0%, RPI: .521>
133
Micky Phillippi (So) <Derry Area, PA>
Phillippi went 21-4 in his first season as a starter for Pitt. He had a strong season highlighted by a victory over Daton Fix (OSU). Phillippi won the ACC championship and entered the NCAA tournament as the 4 seed. After losing to (5)Luke Pletcher (tOSU) in the quarterfinals, Phillippi’s tournament ended at the round of 12 against RBY. <Bonus: 28.0%, RPI: .691>
141
Cole Matthews (Fr) <Reynolds, PA>
Matthews enters the lineup after a very good redshirt season. He went 21-4 with his losses coming against 2 AAs, Nick Lee and Kyle Shoop (LHU) and 2 NCAA qualifiers, Chris Debien (UTC) and DJ Fehlman (LHU) <he later defeated Fehlman>. <Bonus: 24.0%, RPI: .670>
Last season, LJ Bentley moved up from 125 and went 16-10 overall and 0-2 in the ACC Championships. He didn’t qualify for the NCAA tournament.
149
Luke Kemerer (Fr) <Hempfield, PA>
Dallas Bulsak (So) <South Park, PA>
Kemerer might be entering the lineup after going 10-7 in his redshirt season. He was 0-2 against NCAA qualifiers. Last season, Bulsak went 5-10 overall and 0-2 in the ACC Championships.
157
Taleb Rahmani (Sr) < Marysville, OH>
Rahmani will be looking to qualify for the NCAAs a 4th time and to get to the podium for the first time. Last season he went 19-8 and placed 2nd at the ACC Championships. Rahmani was the 12 seed at the NCAA Championships. After a first round upset to (21)Justin Thomas (OU), Rahmani won three straight in the wrestlebacks before losing to (9)Christian Pagdilao (ASU) in the Round of 12. <Bonus: 22.2%, RPI: .616>
165
Jake Wentzel (Jr) <South Park, PA>
Wentzel’s season was cut short last year due to injury. His best win was against NCAA qualifier, Tanner Skidgel (Navy). Tommy O’Brien (Jr) finished the season as the starter going 11-14 and 0-2 in the ACC Championships.
174
Greg Harvey (Jr) <Boyertown, PA>
Harvey went 11-10 overall and 0-2 in the ACC Championships. He did have three wins against NCAA qualifiers. <Bonus: 9.5%, RPI: .567>
184
Nino Bonaccorsi (So) <Bethel Park, PA>
Bonaccorsi had a nice first season with Pitt, going 21-8 and placing 2nd at the ACC Championships. He entered the NCAA Championships as the 13 seed and advanced to the quarterfinals after upsetting (4)Emery Parker (Illini), who ended up placing 5th. After losing to (5)Max Dean (Corn) in the quarters, his tournament came to an end against (26)Dakota Geer (OSU) in the round of 12. <Bonus: 34.5%, RPI: .644>
197
Kellen Stout (Sr) <Mt. Lebanon, PA>
Former Nittany Lion Kellen Stout went 12-10 last season and 0-2 in the ACC Championships. Despite the average record and bad results in the conference championships, Stout secured an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships on the strength of having five victories against other qualifiers. Stout was the 23 seed and went 0-2. <Bonus: 0.0% (not a type), RPI: .575>
Heavy
Demetrius Thomas (Sr) <McCluer, Mo>
Thomas went 27-6 in his first year as the Pitt starter (he was a transfer from Williams Baptist). Thomas won the ACC championship and entered the NCAAs as the 8 seed where he went 1-2, losing to (9)Matt Stencel (CMU) and (26)Ian Butterbrodt (Brown). <Bonus: 57.6%, RPI: .649>
New Faces
Pitt has one top-20 (in weight class) incoming freshmen:
Jared McGill (Fr) < Chestnut Ridge, PA>
McGill has steadily improved over his high school years placing 6th @132 in 2016, 4th @170 in 2017, 3rd @160 in 2018 and 1st @170 in 2019 in the Pennsylvania state championships (AA). He is ranked 8th at 170 by Intermat.
