Nino Bonaccorsi and Cole Matthews won ACC championships on Sunday at North Carolina State and Pitt qualified six wrestlers for the NCAA Tournament.

The Panthers finished a distant third with 60 points – 18 behind runner-up Virginia Tech and 41.5 behind N.C. State, which won its fifth consecutive team title.

“It was a tough tournament,” Panthers coach Keith Gavin said. “I thought we had a tough semifinal round there. We were hoping to get more guys through to the finals. Overall, I feel good about those guys that we have going to Tulsa. I think we have guys who can score points out there.”

Bonaccorsi captured his third conference title with a 2-1 victory over a familiar foe in North Carolina State’s Isaac Trumble. After losing to Trumble in dual meets in 2021 and 2022, Bonaccorsi beat him in the ACC tournament a year ago and in last month’s dual. On Sunday, he got a locking hands call and an escape in the second period and made it stand up.

“It was definitely a weird match,” Bonaccorsi said. “It was not super high scoring.”

Bonaccorsi’s known for his high volume of leg attacks, but he was cautious in the first period in the final. He’s struggled on bottom against Trumble in the past, but chose to go down in the second period. He credited his practice sessions with Pitt Wrestling Club member Greg Bulsak with helping him improve on his bottom game.

“Having someone like that on you every day gives you confidence in that,” Bonaccorsi said.

A national runner-up in 2021, Bonaccorsi improved to 16-0 this season and should be the top seed in the NCAA Tournament at 197 pounds.

“That’s not something I’m worried about,” he said. “I really haven’t been following the conference tournaments other than my own. I made a commitment to not get in my own head. I think that can cause some problems. I’m aware of it, but my actions and training wouldn’t change if I was the 33rd seed.”

Matthews should also earn a high seed in Tulsa, possibly third at 141. An All-American a year ago, he beat N.C. State’s Ryan Jack 2-1 Sunday on the strength of a riding time point. He also beat Jack in the conference finals last year.

“Jack doesn’t really shoot against him,” Gavin said. “Not much happened. Cole kind of did what he does. He did a nice job on bottom – he had to get out quickly. I thought he did a nice job of staying cool in a tight match.”

Pitt had two other top-seeded wrestlers fall short in their bids for conference titles.

Micky Phillippi finished second, losing by fall in sudden victory to North Carolina State’s Kai Orine. Phillippi had 1:10 of riding time before Orine escaped in the second, but the Panther couldn’t escape fast enough in the third to maintain the one-minute advantage, and they went to overtime tied at 1. As time wound down in the sudden-victory period, Orine hit a cement mixer on the boundary for the takedown and the fall.

Holden Heller, the top seed at 165 pounds, was upset by Virginia Tech’s Connor Brady, 7-5, in the semifinal round. Heller bounced back with victories over Duke’s Gabe Dinette and North Carolina State’s Matthew Singleton in the consolation rounds.

Luca Augustine finished third at 174 pounds for an automatic qualifier spot. The redshirt freshman beat Virginia’s Victor Marcelli 3-1 for third place.

Reece Heller finished fourth at 184, but that is good enough for a spot in Tulsa, as the ACC had five automatic qualifiers at the weight. Heller went 2-2 and nearly stunned second-seeded Hunter Bolen of Virginia Tech for the second time this season, but the Hokie’s late reversal gave him a 7-5 victory.

There’s still hope for a seventh Pitt qualifier, as Colton Camacho could get an at-large bid at 125 pounds. He finished third – beating North Carolina’s Jack Wagner in the consolation final – at a weight where the ACC only got two automatic qualifiers.

“I think it’s going to be close,” Gavin said of Camacho’s chances for an at-large bid. “I don’t know (if he’ll get one). That was a good win (over Wagner).”

The at-large bids are expected to be released on Wednesday.

Heavyweight Jake Slinger won his first match on Sunday but lost his next two. Tyler Badgett and Dazjon Casto each went 0-2.