Saturday, December 15
Pittsburgh, Pa.
7:00 P.M.
West Virginia University
at
Pitt
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
WVU Sets to Brawl at No. 24 Pitt on Saturday
December 14, 2018 04:06 PM | Wrestling
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Following a three-week hiatus, the West Virginia University wrestling team returns to the mat for the wrestling version of the Backyard Brawl on Saturday, Dec. 14, with a dual at No. 24 Pitt. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m. inside the Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh.
Saturday's match will be broadcasted live on the ACC Network Extra. Live stats will be provided on TrackWrestling. Direct links to the video stream and live stats can be found on the wresting schedule page on WVUsports.com.
"We are all really excited," said first-year coach Tim Flynn. "We had a couple weeks of really hard training, so I think a lot of them are ready to hit the mat against some good competition. I know we want to beat Pitt. It's a great rivalry, and a lot of the kids know each other. I know it is a big deal to the school, and I know it is a big deal to us. We are looking forward to it."
The Mountaineers (1-2, 1-1 Big 12) and the Panthers (2-0, 0-0 ACC) meet for the 64th time on Saturday in the longest running series in WVU history. The two squads first squared off in 1934; 13 years after West Virginia started its program. The Panthers hold a 36-25-2 lead in the all-time series, though, WVU has topped Pitt four times in the last five seasons, including last year.
Last season, West Virginia topped then-No. 25 Pitt, 24-10, at the WVU Coliseum, in Morgantown. The Mountaineers claimed seven of 10 bouts in the win, earning a pin at 125 pounds and a pair of major decisions at 149 and 174 pounds. Redshirt junior Zachary Moore (157) and sophomore Nick Kiussis (165) each picked up wins over ranked opponents, defeating Taleb Rahmani and Jake Wentzel, respectively.
West Virginia has not competed since its 27-19 loss against No. 14 Northern Iowa on Nov. 18. The Mountaineers picked up a trio of bonus-point victories over the Panthers, including two wins by fall. True freshman Caleb Rea earned his first dual-match victory of the season with a pin at 133 pounds, while redshirt senior Christian Monserrat captured a major decision at 149 pounds to remain undefeated in dual action. Moore also won by fall at 157 pounds.
Kiussis and Rea each sport a team-best nine victories on the season, followed by redshirt freshman Noah Adams (197) and Moore with eight.
Pitt last competed at the 2018 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational from Nov. 30 – Dec. 1, placing four individual wrestlers on the podium in their respective weight classes for a seventh-place team finish. No. 6 Micky Phillippi earned a runner-up finish at 133 pounds, while No. 13 Demetrius Thomas placed fourth in the heavyweight bracket. Additionally, No. 10 Rahmani finished fifth at 157 pounds, and No. 12 Nino Bonaccoris placed seventh at 184 pounds. As a team, Pitt finished seventh out of 43 teams, marking its best finish since 2008.
Five Panthers check-in to the national rankings this week, with Phillippi ranking the highest at No. 6 via Intermat. Of note, coach Keith Gavin is currently in his second year at the helm of his alma mater after taking over the program in April of 2017.
Following the Backyard Brawl, the Mountaineers welcome the Virginia Tech Hokies to the WVU Coliseum on Wednesday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m., before the team departs for a holiday break. Wednesday is Dollar Night, and all tickets and select concessions will be available for $1 each. Autographs also will take place after the match.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Saturday's match will be broadcasted live on the ACC Network Extra. Live stats will be provided on TrackWrestling. Direct links to the video stream and live stats can be found on the wresting schedule page on WVUsports.com.
"We are all really excited," said first-year coach Tim Flynn. "We had a couple weeks of really hard training, so I think a lot of them are ready to hit the mat against some good competition. I know we want to beat Pitt. It's a great rivalry, and a lot of the kids know each other. I know it is a big deal to the school, and I know it is a big deal to us. We are looking forward to it."
The Mountaineers (1-2, 1-1 Big 12) and the Panthers (2-0, 0-0 ACC) meet for the 64th time on Saturday in the longest running series in WVU history. The two squads first squared off in 1934; 13 years after West Virginia started its program. The Panthers hold a 36-25-2 lead in the all-time series, though, WVU has topped Pitt four times in the last five seasons, including last year.
Last season, West Virginia topped then-No. 25 Pitt, 24-10, at the WVU Coliseum, in Morgantown. The Mountaineers claimed seven of 10 bouts in the win, earning a pin at 125 pounds and a pair of major decisions at 149 and 174 pounds. Redshirt junior Zachary Moore (157) and sophomore Nick Kiussis (165) each picked up wins over ranked opponents, defeating Taleb Rahmani and Jake Wentzel, respectively.
West Virginia has not competed since its 27-19 loss against No. 14 Northern Iowa on Nov. 18. The Mountaineers picked up a trio of bonus-point victories over the Panthers, including two wins by fall. True freshman Caleb Rea earned his first dual-match victory of the season with a pin at 133 pounds, while redshirt senior Christian Monserrat captured a major decision at 149 pounds to remain undefeated in dual action. Moore also won by fall at 157 pounds.
Kiussis and Rea each sport a team-best nine victories on the season, followed by redshirt freshman Noah Adams (197) and Moore with eight.
Pitt last competed at the 2018 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational from Nov. 30 – Dec. 1, placing four individual wrestlers on the podium in their respective weight classes for a seventh-place team finish. No. 6 Micky Phillippi earned a runner-up finish at 133 pounds, while No. 13 Demetrius Thomas placed fourth in the heavyweight bracket. Additionally, No. 10 Rahmani finished fifth at 157 pounds, and No. 12 Nino Bonaccoris placed seventh at 184 pounds. As a team, Pitt finished seventh out of 43 teams, marking its best finish since 2008.
Five Panthers check-in to the national rankings this week, with Phillippi ranking the highest at No. 6 via Intermat. Of note, coach Keith Gavin is currently in his second year at the helm of his alma mater after taking over the program in April of 2017.
Following the Backyard Brawl, the Mountaineers welcome the Virginia Tech Hokies to the WVU Coliseum on Wednesday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m., before the team departs for a holiday break. Wednesday is Dollar Night, and all tickets and select concessions will be available for $1 each. Autographs also will take place after the match.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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