Pitt Wrestling Ranked 14th in Preseason Poll
10/29/2010 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Oct. 29, 2010
PITTSBURGH —Coming off a season that featured a 17-1-1 record and an EWL conference championship, the Pitt wrestling team finds itself ranked no. 14 in the NWCA/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll.
The poll lists the Panthers with 102 points, two points behind Virginia Tech, which holds the no. 13 spot. Cornell holds the no. 1-ranking, while Boise State, Oklahoma State, Minnesota and Wisconsin round out the top five.
The Panthers will take on seven opponents ranked in the top 25, including Penn State (6th), Ohio State (12th), Nebraska (15th), Lehigh (17th), Michigan (18th), Northwestern (19th) and Virginia (23rd).
Pitt is ranked as high as 10th by Amateur Wrestling News. WIN Magazine ranks the Panthers at a tie for 16th while The Open Mat (TOM) lists the team at 17th. Other polls with the Panthers in the top 25 include WrestlingReport.com at 23rd and InterMat at a tie for 25th.
Along with high marks for the team, several Panthers garnered preseason accolades from wrestling publications.
At the 125-pound class, sophomore Anthony Zanetta is ranked as high as 14th by InterMat and WrestlingReport.com. TOM lists Zanetta 15th and Amateur Wrestling News ranks him 17th.
Returning NCAA All-American Tyler Nauman is ranked third at 141 by InterMat. Amateur Wrestling News, WIN Magazine and TOM all list Nauman at fourth.
After redshirting last season, two-time NCAA qualifier Ethan Headlee finds himself back in the rankings. InterMat lists Headlee at 23rd at 174.
Zac Thomusseit received several rankings at 184, although the junior will wrestle at 197 this season. InterMat ranks Thomusseit at 12th in the higher weight class.
Matt Wilps also gained recognition at 197, with rankings as high as sixth, but Pitt Head Coach Rande Stottlemyer plans to redshirt the junior, giving him two more years of eligibility.
At the heavyweight division, redshirt senior Ryan Tomei is ranked by all five publications, with Amateur Wrestling News placing him highest at sixth. WIN Magazine and TOM list Tomei at 10th while WrestlingReport.com and InterMat list him at 11th.
The Panthers open the season at the Clarion Open on Nov. 6. Pitt begins its dual season at home when it hosts Lehigh on Nov. 12 in a battle of top-20 teams.
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