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WVU Travels to No. 23 Pitt on Sunday
December 10, 2016 02:38 PM | Wrestling
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The wrestling version of the Backyard Brawl will resume on Sunday, when West Virginia takes on No. 23 Pitt in a 2 p.m. match at Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh.
The Mountaineers and the Panthers meet for the 62nd time on Sunday in the longest-running series in WVU history. The two first squared off 1934; 13 years after West Virginia started a program. The Panthers lead the series, 33-26, and the two have tied on a pair of occasions.
“With Cliff Keen, Pitt and Virginia Tech on the schedule we have a tough December schedule,” WVU coach Sammie Henson said. “But our men are looking forward to the challenge. Rivalry matches are always exciting, so we’re looking forward to a good match.”
Despite Pitt maintaining a lead in the all-time series, the Mountaineers have taken the Backyard Brawl the last two seasons. In February of 2014, then-unranked West Virginia upset No. 18 Pitt, 24-14, at Fitzgerald Field House on a pin by Jacob A. Smith at 197. It marked WVU's first win in the series since 2007. The Mountaineers registered an 18-12 victory over the No. 17 Panthers at the WVU Coliseum last February.
West Virginia enters Sunday's match looking for the program's 600th win. Since the program's inception in 1921 (no wrestling occurred during WWII), the Mountaineers have accrued 599 wins. WVU is 17-22 in Henson's first two seasons at the helm.
The Mountaineers competed at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational last weekend. Smith went 4-2 on his way to a fourth-place finish, earning his third straight trip to the podium at the event. He worked his way through the championship bracket with wins over Jake Waste of Cal Baptist (Dec., 5-0) and Austin Severn of Central Michigan (Dec., 6-1). Smith then defeated No. 16 Tom Sleigh of Bucknell in a 6-1 decision in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals. Smith dropped a 6-4 decision in sudden victory to No. 2 Jared Haught of Virginia Tech in the semifinals before bouncing back with an 8-1 win over No. 15 Ricky Robertson of Wisconsin in the consolation semifinals to move to the third-place match. He suffered a 9-7 setback to No. 12 Kollin Moore of Ohio State, taking fourth place for the second straight year.
Smith will have his chance at revenge on Haught next Sunday when WVU hosts No. 6 Virginia Tech at Parkersburg High.
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125
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Devin Brown (WVU)
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LJ Bentley (UP)
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133
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Cory Stainbrook (WVU)
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No. 7 Dom Forys (UP)
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141
|
Joe Wheeling (WVU)
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Robert Lee (UP)
Nick Zanetta (UP)
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149
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Christian Monserrat (WVU)
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Mikey Racciato (UP)
|
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157
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Dayton Garrett (WVU)
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Taleb Rahmani (UP)
Jake Wentzel (UP)
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165
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Ryan Lopez (WVU)
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No. 11 TeShan Campbell (UP)
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174
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Ty Millward (WVU)
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Austin Bell (UP)
Cam Jacobsen (UP)
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184
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Parker VonEgidy (WVU)
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Donovan McAfee (UP)
Alex Delp (UP)
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197
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No. 9/10 Jacob A. Smith (WVU)
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Zach Bruce (UP)
John Rizzo (UP)
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HWT
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Brandon Ngati (WVU)
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No. 15 Ryan Solomon (UP)
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