No. 21 Panthers Travel to No. 1 Oklahoma State
12/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Dec. 3, 2016
PITTSBURGH - The 21st-ranked Pitt wrestling team (3-1) travels to Stillwater, Okla., to take on the top-ranked Cowboys (3-0) Sunday, Dec. 4, in Gallagher-Iba Arena. The top-25 dual is set to get underway at 2 p.m. ET.
FOLLOW ALONG
- Sunday's dual will be broadcast live on FloWrestling, while live stats can be found at TrackWrestling.
THE SERIES
- Sunday's dual marks the fifth meeting in program history, with Oklahoma State leading the series 3-1.
- The Panthers lone win over the Cowboys came in 2014 in the Fitzgerald Field House when Pitt upset Oklahoma State, 19-18.
LAST TIME OUT
- Pitt suffered its first loss of the season after hosting No. 11 Lehigh in a Nov. 18 dual in the Fitzgerald Field House.
- The Panthers fell 28-8 to the in-state foe, with wins coming from TeShan Campbell at 165 pounds by way of technical fall and Dom Forys at 133 pounds.
- After falling to the Mountain Hawks, the Panthers made the trip across the state to for the Keystone Classic Nov. 20 in Philadelphia, Pa.
- Pitt finished second with 121.5 points behind Penn State.
- Forys and Campbell shined yet again, as Forys captured his third Keystone Classic title while Campbell finished second.
SCOUTING THE COWBOYS
- Oklahoma State have dominated all of their opponents so far this season as they hold on to the No. 1 spot in the rankings.
- The Cowboys have allowed just nine dual points by their combined three opponents, taking down Bucknell, Minnesota and Oklahoma.
- Although losing three-time NCAA Champion Alex Dieringer to graduation, the Cowboys return 2016 NCAA Champion Dean Heil at 141 pounds as well as All-Americans Nolan Boyd, Anthony Collica and Joe Smith.
- As a team, Oklahoma State finished second at the 2016 NCAA Championship behind Penn State.
- All 10 probable starters for the Cowboys rank among the top 20 performers in their respective weight classes, while eight of the 10 rank among the top eight.
- Oklahoma State is guided by head coach John Smith, who is in his 26th season at the helm.
PANTHERS vs. COWBOYS
- Although the teams have met four times, Sunday's probable starters will all clash for the first time.
MORE CONFERENCE HONORS FOR THE PANTHERS
- For the second week in a row, a Pitt wrestler was recognized at the ACC Wrestler of the Week.
- After capturing his third Keystone Classic title at 133 pounds, Forys was named ACC Wrestler of the week Nov. 23.
- Pitt's heavyweight Ryan Solomon was named ACC Co-Wrestler of the Week, Tuesday, Nov. 16, after lifting the Panthers to a 20-16 win over Edinboro Sunday, Nov. 13.
- This was Solomon's first conference weekly honor.
- Solomon earned the weekly honor alongside Ty Walz of Virginia Tech.
PITT IN THE POLLS
- As a team, the Panthers rank No. 21 in the USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll for the third straight week.
Pitt is one of three ACC teams ranked among the top 25 with Virginia Tech checking in at No. 6 and NC State coming in at No. 9.
- Last year, the Panthers were ranked for nine consecutive weeks (Dec. 15-Feb. 16) and jumped in after pulling an upset over 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. 8, sophomore TeShan Campbell (165) at No. 13 and redshirt junior Ryan Solomon (285) at No. 15.
LOOKING AHEAD
- Pitt returns to Pittsburgh to host West Virginia Sunday, Dec. 11, for a 2 p.m. tilt.
Players Mentioned
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