No. 23 Panthers, Mountaineers Clash for 62nd Time
12/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Dec. 10, 2016
PITTSBURGH - The 23rd-ranked Pitt wrestling team (3-2) hosts long-time rival West Virginia (0-3) Sunday, Dec. 11 in the Fitzgerald Field House. The 62nd meeting between the teams is set for 2 p.m.
The dual will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra and can be viewed on WatchESPN/WatchESPN app. Live stats can be viewed here.
THE SERIES
- Pitt leads the all-time series 35-24-2, while West Virginia claimed the last two meetings.
- The Panthers last defeated the Mountaineers, 33-6, in a Feb. 1, 2014 dual in Morgantown, W.Va.
THE LAST MEETING
- Pitt and West Virginia met a year ago in Morgantown, W.Va.
- The Mountaineers outlasted the Panthers, 18-12, as four Pitt wrestlers earned victories.
LAST TIME OUT
- Pitt fell 39-0 in Stillwater, Okla., Sunday, Dec. 4 to the top-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
- West Virginia makes the trip to Pittsburgh with a 0-3 dual meet record on the year after falling to Campbell and Ohio at the Mountaineer Duals as well as No. 7 Nebraska Nov. 18.
- Two Mountaineers are ranked this week by InterMat in Dylan Cottrell (#6/165) and Jacob A. Smith (#7/197). Cottrell and Smith were named Big 12 Wrestlers of the Week on separate occasions this year.
Smith, a two-time NCAA qualifier, has found success early on this year, finishing 4-2 for a fourth-place finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational last weekend.
- West Virginia will be without two-time NCAA qualifier Zeke Moisey (125) as he will redshirt this season.
- Stepping in at 125 pounds for the Mountaineers will be redshirt freshman Devin Brown, a native of Export, Pa., who wrestled at nearby Franklin Regional High School.
- WVU is led by Sammie Henson, who is in his third season at the helm.
LOCAL PRODUCTS PROVIDING SPARK
- Pittsburgh products Dom Forys and TeShan Campbell have provided consistent performances thus far.
- Forys, 133 pounds, and Campbell, 165 pounds, combine for 31 of Pitt's 70 dual points this season.
- Last season alone, Forys racked up a team-high 68 points. The next closest was Campbell, who was then at 174 pounds, with 40 points.
PITT IN THE POLLS
- As a team, the Panthers rank No. 23 in the USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll.
- Pitt is one of four ACC teams ranked among the top 25 with Virginia Tech checking in at No. 6, NC State coming in at No. 9 and Virginia ranking No. 25.
- Last year, the Panthers were ranked for nine consecutive weeks (Dec. 15-Feb. 16) and jumped in after upsetting then-ranked No. 15 Wisconsin early in the season. Pitt reached as high as No. 16 in the polls.
- Individually, three Panthers rank among the top 20 best wrestlers in the country according to InterMat this week. Leading the way is junior Dom Forys (133) at No. 7, sophomore TeShan Campbell (165) at No. 11 and redshirt junior Ryan Solomon (285) at No. 15.
LOOKING AHEAD
- The Panthers make the trip to Evanston, Ill., for the 54th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships Thursday, Dec. 29-Friday, Dec. 30 at Northwestern University.
Players Mentioned
Pitt Wrestling Highlights | Pitt vs. North Carolina
Saturday, March 01
Highlights | Pitt vs. North Carolina
Friday, February 07
Pitt Wrestling | No. 16 Pitt 42, Duke 0 | Highlights
Sunday, February 02
Highlights | Pitt vs. Duke
Saturday, February 01