What did Pitt learn from Navy loss?
Could last week’s lackluster loss at Navy turn out to be a good thing for the Pitt wrestling team?
That’s what coach Keith Gavin is hoping as the Panthers hit the road for Sunday’s 2 p.m. dual at Lehigh and Monday’s 7 p.m. meet at Maryland.
The 21-12 loss to the Midshipmen took the shine off anything that could be gleaned from shutout victories over Morgan State and VMI.
Rather than embracing the new three-point takedown, the Panthers seemed even more afraid to make a mistake against Navy, and they paid the price. Their first takedown didn’t come until 149 pounds. In overtime. Without a shot.
Holden Heller was the first Pitt wrestler to score an offensive takedown in a dual that frustrated the Panthers staff as much as their fans.
“I don’t expect everybody to fire off a million shots, but you should have the intent to go get a takedown and we just didn’t see that,” Gavin said. “We had several guys wrestle not to lose, and you can’t compete that way.”
The most baffling result came at 141, where Cole Matthews did almost nothing offensively against Josh Koderhandt. A 2022 All-American who came up short last season after losing matches just like this, Matthews vowed in March to become more offensive this season, but it didn’t materialize in Annapolis and a late takedown led to a 5-3 upset loss to Koderhandt.
Vinnie Santaniello and Jared Keslar were also notable for their lack of leg attacks against Navy, leaving Gavin and the coaching staff looking for ways to develop a more free-flowing style.
“I reevaluate my messaging to them and to those particular guys,” Gavin said. “The winning and losing takes care of itself at the end. It’s more about the way that we compete. Even if you win like that, you’re not getting any better.”
Part of the issue comes down to Pitt’s roster. It’s not loaded with wrestlers who are comfortable scoring takedowns and giving up escapes against good competition.
“We get a lot of PA kids who like to ride,” Gavin said. “That’s how they won in high school.”
It’s time to adapt. If they didn’t realize it before, Pitt’s wrestlers must after the Navy loss. The three-point takedown moved college wrestling closer to freestyle in emphasizing neutral wrestling and taking away the importance of riding.
In my conversations with Matthews, it’s clear that he knows what he needs to do, but once the whistle blows, he adapts the same style that brought him success in the past. In some ways, he’s a victim of his own success.
“Cole made a big jump to get to be an All-American,” Gavin said of his run to the NCAA semifinals in 2022. “Now everybody knows how hard he is to take down and on top. Once you lose that element of surprise, you need to evolve.”
The Navy dual showed evolution is needed in other areas as well. Gavin never has to worry about Reece Heller getting too cautious in a bout. In fact, the opposite can be true, as evidenced by Heller’s loss by fall to David Key. The Panthers had won back-to-back bouts and trailed 12-9 going into the 184-pound match.
Key was able to get in deep on a shot and collect both ankles. Rather than belly out and give up the takedown, Heller tried to fight it and ended up on his back. The pin effectively ended any hope for a comeback.
“I told him afterward, he’s getting too old to get pinned,” Gavin said. “He’s good at that (scrambling) stuff, but that’s the first period. There’s a lot of time left.”
In the end, the result of the Navy dual matters little. Gavin and the program will be evaluated on what 10 Pitt wrestlers do in March. If the losses in Annapolis can help them see the light, it will be well worth it.
If Pitt wrestles the same way against Lehigh and Maryland, the Panthers likely will return home with a losing record.
No. 18 Pitt (2-1) at No. 24 Lehigh (0-0)
2 p.m. Sunday at Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall, Bethlehem, Pa.
125: Colton Camacho, Jr., 2-3 vs. Sheldon Seymour, R-So., 5-3
133: No. 13 Vinnie Santaniello, R-Fr., 5-2 vs. No. 5 Ryan Crookham, R-Fr., 7-0/Connor McGonagle, Jr., 1-1
141: No. 7 Cole Matthews, R-Sr., 2-1 vs. No. 11 Malyke Hines, Jr., 7-1
149: No. 24 Finn Solomon, R-Fr., 8-1 vs. Kelvin Griffin, R-Fr., 4-4/Drew Munch, Jr., 6-3/Owen Reinsel, R-Fr., 3-5
157: Jared Keslar, R-Fr., 5-3 vs. No. 25 Max Brignola, Jr., 8-1
165: No. 11 Holden Heller, R-Sr., 3-0 vs. No. 32 Jake Logan, So., 6-1
174: No. 21 Luca Augustine, So., 3-0 vs. Thayne Lawrence, So., 2-2
184: No. 17 Reece Heller, Jr., 6-1 vs. J.T. Davis, Jr., 2-5/Caden Rogers, R-Fr., 4-2
197: No. 18 Mac Stout R-Fr., 8-0 vs. No. 11 Michael Beard, Jr., 6-1
285: No. 13 Dayton Pitzer R-Fr., 2-1 vs. No. 11 Nathan Taylor, So., 7-1
What to know: Ryan Crookham comes in after a week of debate about whether the redshirt freshman should be ranked No. 1 nationally following his win over reigning NCAA and world champion Vito Arujau. His bout with No. 13 Vinnie Santaniello should be one of five ranked-vs.-ranked matchups.
The fact that Penn State and West Virginia are now longer on the schedule each year makes this one of Pitt’s longest-running rivalries – this will be the 68th meeting with the Mountain Hawks, with Pitt going 20-45-2 in those duals. There’s a healthy respect between the programs, with Lehigh coach Pat Santoro having won a pair of national titles wrestling for Pitt. Gavin wrestled for the Lehigh Athletic Club after winning his national title, and assistant coach Drew Headlee spent a pair of seasons as a volunteer coach in Bethlehem.
(See Lehigh match notes)
WrestleStat Prediction: Pitt 18, Lehigh 12
Where to watch: FloWrestling.org
Key match
So many questions, including how do I choose from this list? How does Cole respond in a 7-11 match with Hines? Can Santaniello hang with Crookham? Can Pitzer dominate Taylor like he did in last year’s dual? The Brookville grad enters as the higher ranked wrestler after beating N.C. State’s Owen Trephan.
All are intriguing bouts, but I’ll go with Stout vs. Beard at 197. The redshirt freshman has been Pitt’s most consistent wrestler, but this will be by far his biggest test of the season. Beard is experienced – he’s been out of high school for six years – and talented, as evidenced by his All-American finish for Penn State in 2021.
This should give us a good gauge of where Stout is in the national picture.
No. 18 Pitt (2-1) at No. 22 Maryland (1-0)
7:30 p.m. Monday at XFINITY Center Pavilion, College Park, Md.
125: Colton Camacho, Jr., 2-3 vs. No. 22 Braxton Brown, So., 1-3
133: No. 13 Vinnie Santaniello, R-Fr., 5-2 vs. No. 32 King Sandoval, Sr., 1-0/Conner Quinn, So. 2-2
141: No. 7 Cole Matthews, R-Sr., 2-1 vs. No. 17 Kal Miller, So., 4-0
149: No. 24 Finn Solomon, R-Fr., 8-1 vs. No. 12 Ethen Miller, So., 1-0
157: Jared Keslar, R-Fr., 5-3 vs. No. 29 Michael North, Jr., 2-3
165: No. 11 Holden Heller, R-Sr., 3-0 vs. John Martin Best, Jr., 1-3/Gaven Bell, Jr. 2-2
174: No. 21 Luca Augustine, So., 3-0 vs. No. 32 Dominic Solis, Jr. 4-2
184: No. 17 Reece Heller, Jr., 6-1 vs. Chase Mielnik, Jr., 2-3
197: No. 18 Mac Stout R-Fr., 8-0 vs. No. 10 Jaxon Smith, So., 2-1
285: No. 13 Dayton Pitzer R-Fr., 2-1 vs. No. 19 Seth Nevills, R-Jr., 4-1
What to know: Maryland stunned Pitt last season with an 18-16 upset that was the program’s first over a ranked team in a decade. Seven of the Terps in that dual are expected to wrestle on Monday, and this might be a stronger Maryland lineup with the addition of former Penn State starter Seth Nevills at heavyweight.
WrestleStat Prediction: Pitt 22, Maryland 9
Where to watch: B1G+
Key match
Pitzer vs. Nevills at 285. Pitzer’s early season performance during his redshirt last year probably set expectations too high. The win over Cohlton Schultz had Pitt fans envisioning four All-American finishes and multiple national titles. Last week’s loss to Grady Griess doesn’t mean those things aren’t possible but serves as a reminder that Pitzer has a lot of learning and growing to do.
He was a fantastic high school wrestler – going 130-3 with 100 pins. That’s amazing, but it’s also impossible to translate to the collegiate level. In high school, Pitzer didn’t need an elite skillset from the bottom. His dominance meant that he was rarely on the bottom, and his mat wrestling was so good that he could reverse most of his opponents.
He’s learning that reversals in Division I are much harder to come by, and when he gives up a takedown – or chooses bottom – he’s going to need to be able to escape. He’ll face a solid veteran in Nevills, and I’ll be watching to see how his tactics change moving forward.