Pitt is set to face 10 teams in Intermat’s ranking of the top 30 dual meet squads, but when the full schedule was released this week those dates didn’t seem to generate the most buzz.
Instead, the team on Pitt’s schedule that is being talked about most is the one guaranteed to not have an entry in Philadelphia when the NCAA tournament rolls around in March.
That’s because Pitt-Johnstown, the branch school that developed into one of the best Division II programs in the country under coach Pat Pecora, will visit Fitzgerald Field House on Jan. 3.
Why Pitt is facing Pitt-Johnstown
The first meeting between the two programs was scheduled as a tribute to Pecora, who won more dual meets (661) than any coach in college wrestling history.
Pecora passed away on Sept. 8 after a long and inspiring battle with cancer.
Pitt coach Keith Gavin had hoped to honor Pecora, who led UPJ to two national team titles and coached 15 different wrestlers to 23 NCAA Division II championships, at the dual.
“He’s just awesome,” Gavin said. “I thought it would be cool, since he’s at a branch campus, to compete against them and honor him. Unfortunately, he passed, but we’re still going to do it.”
Gavin said that Pecora has kept in contact with him during his seven seasons as head coach of the Panthers.
“He was always so supportive. He’d text me after a big win. He’s done a lot for wrestling in general, not just UPJ and Pitt.”
There could be two familiar faces in the UPJ lineup, as Cooper Warshel – who spent a season with the Panthers – returned home to Johnstown and was a national qualifier at 157 pounds last season. Brock McMillen, who impressed in his freshman season in Oakland before struggling with injuries, is in his first season at UPJ and could be bumping up to 165 pounds.
How Pitt’s ACC wrestling schedule looks
Unranked Pitt will wrestle six ACC duals for the first time this season, as the conference’s addition of Stanford adds quality and depth to the conference.
“Our conference continues to get better, and this will just help us do that,” Gavin said. “Stanford is always going to have good kids, because it’s a hell of a brand and a great school. It’s going to make our tournament better as well.”
The 15th-ranked Cardinal will visit the Field House for Pitt’s first conference dual on Jan. 10. Duke (Feb. 1) and No. 23 North Carolina (Feb. 7) will also come to Pittsburgh while the Panthers will travel to No. 4 North Carolina State (Jan. 24), No. 6 Virginia Tech (Feb. 14) and Virginia (Feb. 21).
The ACC tournament will be held March 9 at Duke.
Non-conference schedule
Gavin’s team will once again face a difficult out-of-conference slate, with six ranked foes on the schedule.
No. 7 Ohio State (Dec. 13) and No. 21 Lehigh (Nov. 24) will come to the Field House before the end of the fall semester.
Gavin has a close relationship with Mountain Hawks coach Pat Santoro, who won two NCAA championships while wrestling for Pitt, and he expects the schools to wrestle every year.
“It’s kind of an in-state rival, probably more of a friendly rivalry,” Gavin said. “We decided that we’re going to do it that weekend of November every year. That’s always a good match. It’s fun. It’s always very competitive. I’m sure it will be the same again this year.”
Pitt will also host Navy on Nov. 2.
A Jan. 20 trip to Rider will include duals with No. 17 South Dakota State and No. 30 Maryland.
Pitt will head to Morgantown on Jan. 20 to face No. 20 West Virginia.
“We try to do it every year,” Gavin said of the Backyard Brawl. “It’s tough with being in different conferences, and their conference has a lot more teams than ours. That’s a cool rival, too. You always want to wrestle them. Coach Flynn does an awesome job.”
Pitt’s other road trips include Bucknell (Jan. 17), Binghamton (Feb. 2) and No. 8 Iowa State (Feb. 9).
Tournament time
Pitt is back at the Midlands tournament after skipping it last year in favor of the National Collegiate Duals.
“I wanted to make sure we got a multiple day tournament on the schedule,” Gavin said of the Midlands, which will be held Dec. 29-30. “It’s always a good tournament. It worked out timing-wise. I did like those duals last year, but you can get some more matches in with Midlands. With the duals, you were locked into four matches.”
The Clarion Open, which Gavin usually uses to get experience for younger wrestlers, is on the schedule for Nov. 3 and will be followed a week later by the Journeyman Classic in Bethlehem, Pa.
Oct. 25 – Blue vs. Gold
Nov. 2 – vs. Navy
Nov. 3 – at Clarion Open
Nov. 10 – at Journeyman Classic
Nov. 24 – vs. Lehigh
Dec. 13 – vs. Ohio State
Dec. 20 – at Rider; vs. South Dakota State; vs. Maryland
Dec. 29-30 – at Midlands
Jan. 3 – vs. Pitt-Johnstown
Jan. 10 – vs. Stanford*
Jan. 12 – at West Virginia
Jan. 17 – at Bucknell
Jan. 24 – at North Carolina State*
Feb. 1 – vs. Duke *
Feb. 2 – at Binghamton
Feb. 7 – vs. North Carolina*
Feb. 9 – at Iowa State
Feb. 14 – at Virginia Tech*
Feb. 21 – at Virginia*
March 9 – ACC Championships at Durham, N.C.
March 20-22 – NCAA Championships at Philadelphia
* – ACC dual
