Pitt routs Duke to claim share of ACC wrestling title
Micky Phillippi and Nino Bonaccorsi shared a few hugs and emotional moments on Saturday but set aside the nostalgia to help Pitt claim a share of the ACC dual meet title.
The super seniors each got bonus-point victories in Pitt’s 43-3 thrashing of Duke at Fitzgerald Field House. The Panthers share the title with North Carolina State and Virginia Tech after each team went 4-1 in the conference.
“As long as I get to touch the trophy, I don’t care how we get it,” said Bonaccorsi, who scored an 18-2 technical fall over Vincent Baker at 197 pounds.
There was little doubt about what the outcome would be on the day – Duke entered having been outscored 173-12 in conference duals – but for a Pitt team that has been up-and-down this season, it was great to get bonus points in seven of the 10 weight classes.
“I think today we handled our business and that was good to see,” coach Keith Gavin said. “Clinching a share of the title – after we lost last week to N.C. State – it was the best we could do.”
Colton Camacho built a 17-4 lead over Ethan Grimminger before pinning the Duke freshman at 125 pounds, and Phillippi followed with a fall over Logan Agin at 133.
“It’s really cool. It’s nice to end on a good note like that,” said Phillippi, who recorded a pin against Duke in each of the past four duals.
Phillippi started his career at Virginia – where Gavin was an assistant at the time – but transferred to Pitt after one season. Oakland has been home to the Derry Area graduate for the past six seasons, thanks to a ruling by the ACC and the extra COVID year, so there were plenty of memories for him to draw on during his final dual meet.
“It’s a little bittersweet,” Phillippi said. “I’m the oldest college wrestler of all time, but still it was a little sad to have one last match at Fitzgerald Field House.”
Cole Matthews followed with a major decision over Christian Coleman at 141, and Tyler Badgett beat Patrick Rowland to make it 19-0.
Dazjon “Cheez” Casto, who was honored along with Bonaccorsi, Phillippi, Jake Slinger and Nicholas Meglino as part of senior day, scored a major decision to push the lead to 23-0. That effectively clinched the dual and a share of the ACC title, as the Blue Devils had to forfeit to Luca Augustine at 174 pounds.
Casto lost in the blood round of the NCAA tournament last year while wrestling for The Citadel but has struggled at Pitt, going 6-7 this season. Saturday’s opponent wasn’t very good – Logan Ferrero entered the match with a 1-7 mark – but it’s still something Casto can build on entering the postseason.
“The way he wrestled was nice to see,” Gavin said. “He did solid stuff. Sometimes he lets himself get into crazy scrambles that he doesn’t need to be in.”
Holden and Reece Heller sandwiched victories around Augustine’s forfeit, with Reece getting a fall at 184. The Hofstra transfers have played big roles in Pitt’s success this season.
“They’ve been great,” Gavin said. “We knew that they were going to be pretty good for us, but they’ve been better than we’ve even thought. Holden had more experience coming in. Reece has really stepped up for us. Their consistency has been great for us. Even in their losses, you never really feel bad about the way that they lose.”
Bonaccorsi showed why he’s the top-ranked 197-pounder in the nation in his high-scoring victory.
“It’s always nice to get a win,” he said. “A lot of guys were getting pins. I’m just not a pinner. I felt like a tech fall is more style. It was a great way to end my run at the Fitz.”
Duke got its only victory at heavyweight, where Jonah Niesenbaum beat Slinger 5-3.
The Panthers got to lift the trophy after the victory but, aside from a celebratory breakfast on Monday morning, there won’t be much fanfare surrounding the ACC title. After all, there’s still plenty to do at the ACC tournament at N.C. State on March 5 and the NCAA tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma, two weeks later.
Gavin doesn’t expect his message or training style to change much as the focus switches from team to individual success.
“It’s not too much different,” he said. “For a dual meet, if everybody handles their job, the dual meet team will be good. Our guys have wrestled some high-level competitions, so they have some feedback as to where they need to improve. We’re here to help them with that.”