Pitt
West Virginia
No. 18 Panthers Comeback to Defeat No. 22 West Virginia in Backyard Brawl, 25-17
1/12/2025 5:15:00 PM | Wrestling
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The Backyard Brawl proved to be just that as the 18th-ranked Panthers rallied to win the final four matches and defeat No. 22 West Virginia, 25-17, at the WVU Coliseum Sunday afternoon.
The Panthers scored 16 points over the final four matches en route to their victory after trailing the Mountaineers 17-9 after the first six bouts. West Virginia started the dual strong by winning the first three matches, including opening with back-to-back major decision wins, to take an 11-0 lead.
Freshman Kade Brown got the Panthers on the board after winning the 149-pound match, defeating Sam Hillegas by a 21-11 major decision. Brown was aggressive from the start with an early takedown to take a 3-0 lead. Hillegas fought back to tie the bout 4-4 but Brown used another takedown with 30 seconds left in the first period for a 7-4 lead. He had two more takedowns to take a 13-6 lead heading into the third and did not let up, scoring two more takedowns and a reversal as the clock ran out.
Redshirt-freshman Dylan Evans continued the momentum for the Panthers to with a 21-6 technical fall win over Sasha Gavronsky at 157, decreasing the Panthers' deficit to 11-9. Evans attacked early with a takedown in the first 44 seconds of the match and finished the opening period with a 3-1 advantage. Evans controlled the rest of the match with a takedown followed by a near fall to go up 12-3 early in the second period. He recorded three more takedowns in the final minute to secure the victory with one second remaining on the clock in the second period.
No. 18 Luca Augustine and No. 18 Reece Heller won back-to-back competitive matches at 174 and 184, respectively, to keep the Mountaineers from running away with the dual. Augustine won on a 4-2 decision over No. 29 Brody Conley while Heller took down No. 16 Dennis Robin by a 11-4 decision.
Pitt took a 19-17 lead after the 197-pound match as No. 12 Mac Stout continued his winning streak with a 13-3 major decision over Ian Bush. Stout didn't waste any time getting on the board, getting a takedown in the first 20 seconds of the match. Stout held a 9-3 lead at the end of the second period and controlled most of the match with recording over two minutes of riding time.
No. 14 Dayton Pitzer put an exclamation point on the dual with pin over Michael Wolfgram in the final match a 285. Like Stout, Pitzer scored in the opening seconds of bout and held a 3-1 advantage after the first period. He recorded over three minutes of riding time entering in the second period and held a 6-2 lead before pinning Wolgram at the 5:33 mark of the match.
UP NEXT
The Panthers continued their road stint as they travel to Bucknell Friday, Jan. 17 (ESPN+ - 6 P.M.).
No. 18 Pitt 25, No. 22 West Virginia 17
125: Jett Strickenberger (WVU) maj. dec. No. 17 Nick Babin (Pitt), 9-0 (WVU leads 4-0)
133: Mason Kernan (WVU) maj. dec. Matt Marlow (Pitt), 12-1 (WVU leads 8-0)
141: No. 29 Jordan Titus (WVU) dec. No. 31 Anthony Santaniello (Pitt), 3-1 (WVU leads 11-0)
149: Kade Brown (Pitt) maj. dec. Sam Hillegas (WVU), 21-11 (WVU leads 11-4)
157: No. 22 Dylan Evans (Pitt) tech. fall Sasha Gavronsky (WVU), 21-6 (4:59) (WVU leads 11-9)
165: No. 3 Peyton Hall (WVU) fall Jared Keslar (Pitt), 2:46 (WVU leads 17-9)
174: No. 18 Luca Augustine (Pitt) dec. No. 29 Brody Conley (WVU), 4-2 (WVU leads 17-12)
184: No. 18 Reece Heller (Pitt) dec. No. 16 Dennis Robin (WVU), 11-4 (WVU leads 17-15)
197: No. 12 Mac Stout (Pitt) maj. dec. Ian Bush (WVU), 13-3 (Pitt leads 19-17)
285: No. 14 Dayton Pitzer (Pitt) fall Michael Wolfgram (WVU), (5:33) (Pitt wins 25-17)
Players Mentioned
