Pitt Wrestling
Pitt Wrestling Faces Off Against No. 5 Oklahoma State at Home
No. 15 Pitt wrestling will face off against No. 5 Oklahoma State in their first dual of 2024, 7 p.m. Friday night at Fitzgerald Field House.
The dual serves as the first of 2024 for Pitt and just their second dual at home this season, with a victory over Illinois in their home opener coming on Dec. 3. Pitt is 7-3 on the season, with losses coming against Navy in the Navy Duals on Nov. 12 and then to both then ranked No. 5 Cornell and No. 6 Iowa State on Dec. 18 in the Collegiate Duals in Nashville, Tenn. Pitt has important victories over No. 17 Lehigh on Nov. 19 and then No. 5 Ohio State on Dec. 10, both on the road.
The Panthers most recently competed in the Franklin & Marshall Open last Friday in Lancaster, Pa, which saw redshirt first-year Vinnie Santaniello finish in first place at 133 pounds, along with four other Panthers placing as well.
The matchup with Oklahoma State is one of the best this weekend and will serve as the fourth top ten matchup of the season so far for Pitt wrestling.
Pitt will also honor former wrestler Nino Bonaccorsi (2017-23), who finished last season with a National Title at 197 pounds and a perfect record, prior to the dual.
No. 15 Pitt Wrestling Vs. No. 5 Oklahoma State Probables Jan. 12 Fitzgerald Field House
125 Pounds: No. 28 redshirt senior Colton Camacho (7-5) vs. No. 19 redshirt first-year Troy Spratley (11-3)
133 Pounds: No. 18 redshirt first-year Vinnie Santaniello (11-8) vs. No. 3 redshirt senior Daton Fix (3-0)
141 Pounds: No. 27 redshirt senior Cole Matthews (8-8) vs. No. 8 Tagen Jamison (12-3)
149 Pounds: No. 26 redshirt first-year Finn Solomon (12-4) vs. No. 21 redshirt first-year Jordan Williams (10-4)
157 Pounds: Redshirt first-year Jared Keslar (12-9) vs. No. 20 redshirt sophomore Teague Travis (10-1)
165 Pounds: No. 8 redshirt senior Holden Heller (7-2) vs. No. 2 redshirt senior Izzak Olejnik (15-0)
174 Pounds: No. 15 redshirt sophomore Luca Augustine (8-2) vs. No. 28 First-Year Brayden Thompson (4-3) 184 Pounds: No. 12 redshirt senior Reece Heller (12-3) vs. No. 2 senior Dustin Plott (15-1)
197 Pounds: No. 15 redshirt first-year Mac Stout (12-3) vs. No. 12 senior Luke Surber (9-1)
285 Pounds: No. 9 redshirt first-year Dayton Pitzer (8-2) vs. No. 11 redshirt junior Konner Doucet (10-2)
The top 10 battle between Panthers No. 8 redshirt senior Holden Heller and Cowboys No. 2 redshirt senior Izzak Olejnik at 165 pounds, serves as the one dual that fans will want to see the most.
The two have wrestled each other twice, with Olejnik coming out on top twice. Oljenik, wrestling with Northern Illinois, won a 6-2 over Holden Heller, wrestling with Hofstra in December 2021. Olejnik also defeated him in the 2023 NCAA Championships last year in the consolations, when Holden Heller suffered an injury at the 5:40 mark.
Olejnik and Holden Heller have faced the same two wrestlers this season in Lehigh graduate student Jake Logan and No. 3 Iowa State junior Julian Ramirez. Both wrestlers defeated Logan, while Holden Heller suffered a 11-1 major decision to Ramirez, while Olejnik won a 4-2 decision.
No. 9 redshirt first-year Dayton Pitzer has had a solid first season starting for Pitt wrestling and will have to face a good opponent in Oklahoma State redshirt junior Konner Doucet at 285 pounds.
Pitzer and Doucet have both wrestled No. 18 Navy senior Grady Griess and No. 10 Lehigh junior Nathan Taylor this season. Pitzer lost a 4-2 decision late to Griess, but won a 2-0 decision over Taylor, while Doucet suffered an injury six seconds in to his dual with Griess and lost to Taylor in a 4-3 decision.
Panthers No. 12 redshirt senior Reece Heller and Cowboys No. 2 senior Dustin Plott will wrestle at 184 pounds, which should serve as an exciting match.
Both wrestlers have defeated their two similar opponents this season, with Reece Heller winning a 4-1 decision against Lehigh sophomore Caden Rogers and pinned Columbia junior Aaron Ayzerov, while Plott won major decisions over each of them.
Pitt wrestling No. 15 redshirt first-year Mac Stout will take on Oklahoma State No. 12 senior Luke Surber at 197 pounds in another intriguing dual. Stout is only 1-3 against ranked wrestlers this season and will need to stay strong against Surber, who has had a great season so far.
Santaniello will have an incredibly difficult matchup as he faces Cowboys No. 3 redshirt senior Daton Fix at 133 pounds. Fix is in his sixth season of collegiate wrestling, finishing as the runner-up at the NCAA Championships at 133 pounds three times and making the semifinals last season.
With a 3-7 record against ranked opponents, Santaniello has had to face some great opponents as a first-year starter and Fix will prove just as much of a difficult test for him as those others have.
No. 15 redshirt sophomore Luca Augustine is competing at a top level this season for Pitt wrestling and will battle Oklahoma State No. 28 First-Year Brayden Thompson at 174 pounds Friday night.
Panthers No. 27 redshirt senior Cole Matthews hasn’t had the best season so far, but a fourth-place finish at the Franklin & Marshall Open might serve as a kickstart for 2024 that he needs.
He’ll face off against Cowboys No. 8 redshirt first-year Tagen Jamison at 141 pounds, who transferred in from Minnesota over the summer. Matthews is 0-2 against the same wrestlers that Jamison competed with this season, with Matthews losing a 5-3 decision to Midshipmen No. 20 junior Josh Koderhandt and an 8-2 decision to Big Red No. 17 Vince Cornella, while Jamison won 4-2 decision over Koderhandt and an 11-2 major decision over Cornella.
No. 28 redshirt senior Colton Camacho is another Pitt wrestler who will face a Minnesota transfer in Oklahoma State No. 19 redshirt first-year Troy Spratley.
Camacho has a 1-2 record against common wrestlers with Spratley, who has a 3-0 record against them. Camacho lost decisions to Lehigh first-year Luke Stanich and Navy first-year Evan Tallmadge, but won a 20-7 major decision over Little Rock redshirt sophomore Reid Nelson, while Spratley won decisions over Stanich and Tallmadge and a technical fall on Nelson.
No. 26 redshirt first-year Finn Solomon transferred to Pitt wrestling from NC State and has made himself the starter at 149 pounds. He’ll face off against Oklahoma State No. 21 redshirt first-year Jordan Williams Friday night, a close matchup that should go down to the last second.
Solomon is 1-1 against wrestlers that Williams has also faced this season, pinning Morgan State first-year Aaron Turner, but losing to Maryland No. 12 Ethen Miller in a 7-3 decision, while Williams won a technical fall against Turner and a 5-4 decision over Miller.
Panthers redshirt first-year Jared Keslar has a tough challenge in Cowboys No. 20 redshirt sophomore Teague Travis at 157 pounds. They only have one common wrestler in Little Rock redshirt sophomore Matty Bianchi, with Keslar losing an 8-0 major decision and Travis winning a close 6-5 decision.
A win for Pitt wrestling would serve as the first over a top five team at home since they won 19-18 over Oklahoma State in 2014. It won’t come easy for either squad, but the dual should provide great moments from some of the best wrestlers in the country.
Not looking good so far