The Virginia wrestling team knocked off No. 12 Pittsburgh Friday night at Memorial Gymnasium in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers (2-2, 1-2 ACC) fell behind early but completed a late rally to pull off the upset.
The Panthers (3-2, 1-2 ACC) jumped out to an early 9-3 lead by winning three of the first four matches. Junior Brian Courtney picked up the lone win for the Cavaliers, with an upset victory over No. 14 sophomore Cole Matthews.
No. 15 sophomore Justin McCoy picked up a key bonus point for Virginia with a major decision victory at 157 pounds. However, in the next match, No. 7 senior Jake Wentzel recorded a major decision victory for Pittsburgh. After six matches, the score read 13-7 in favor of the Panthers.
Sophomore Victor Marcelli and junior Michael Battista picked up consecutive wins for Virginia to even up the match. With just two matches remaining, the score was tied at 13-13.
No. 5 junior Nino Bonaccorsi recorded a win over No. 3 senior Jay Aiello to regain the lead for Pittsburgh. The loss was Aiello’s first in over two years and it snapped his 24-match winning streak in dual meets. In the final match of the night, No. 20 Quinn Miller came up big for the Cavaliers by recording a major decision victory in the heavyweight division. The win and the bonus point allowed the Cavaliers to edge the Panthers and win by a score of 17-16.
“What a night and what a match with two teams fighting for every point,” Coach Steve Garland said. “The wins at 174 and 184 were big matches for us that turned the dual around and put us in a position to win, especially Michael Battista at 184 pounds knocking off a nationally-ranked wrestler. And Quinn found a way, not just to win, but to get a major decision and lock up the win for us.”
Virginia concludes the home portion of its schedule with a match against Duke next Friday at Memorial Gymnasium. The match is set to begin at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ACC Network.
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