ACC Tourney Results

[mike412]

First round From Twitter. Semifinals I watched.

125: Bentley won by major decision. Bentley lost his next match to the #1 seed. In what unfortunately has become a Pitt tradition, he was leading 1-0 after two periods and lost.

133: Forys had a bye. Forys was dominated by the #4 seed in his semifinal match. Twice he gave up takedowns after he couldn’t complete a takedown. He gave up a quick takedown, and in another Pitt tradition, was hopeless on the bottom, getting ridden for almost 4 minutes to lose 6-0.

141: Zanetta won By TF. He was dominated in the s mid by Kevin Jack, who was too long for him.

149: Lee lost 4-1.

157: Rahmani won. He lost in OT to #2 national Hidley. Rahmani took a shot in the OT, couldn’t finish, and Hidley’s Counter got the takedown.

165: Wentzel won by pin. Wentzel then totally outclassed by undefeated VT wrestler in semis. When the VT wrestler wanted to ride him, he did. But he let him go 4 times and then immediately took him down again. You would have thought Wentzel would have caught on. He didn’t.

174: O’Brien lost in OT.

184: Harvey won. It was 1-1 early in third period. He won 9-5. In the semis, he lost 15-3. In Pitt tradition, he got ridden for about 4 minutes. When he scored his takedown, he rode the VT wrestler for 3 seconds.

197: Stout lost to Duke wrestler he beat in duals.

Hwt: Solomon won by major decision. In the s mis, the bout went 14 seconds before Solomon banged the back of his head against the basketball court. He now is in concussion protocol.

Subject to what happens with Solomon, Pitt has ZERO finalists. Every other ACC school has at least two finalists.

Everyone of the Pitt semifinal matches involved a 4 seed vs a 1 seed. Unfortunately, in the one match where we were a 1 seed, Forys didn’t come to wrestle.

 

[PittJake]

Bentley lost in OT

Forys loses 5-0 to Mueller

 

[PittJake]

Zanetta loses 2-0 to Kevin Jack

 

[PittJake]

Rahmani loses 6-4 in OT vs Hidlay

 

[PittJake]

Wentzel and Harvey both lost


Solomon in concussion protocol about 10 seconds into his match

 

[Cat classic]

Mike 412, please switch your allegiance to a different school. Pitt wrestling doesn’t need fans like you. Everyone is tired of your negativity. Take your act somewhere else.

 

[PittJake]

Solomon loses by injury default to Kasper


5 hwts go to nationals so Solomon still needs to come in and win a match to make it

 

[mike412]

Solomon not cleared by concussion protocol. Injury default.

Pitt has no finalists. Every other ACC school has at least two. Duke has 3. UVA has 2. Pitt is likely to finish last. I can still remember when we joined the ACC, and people were wondering if we would ever lose a conference wrestling match.

 

[PittJake]

Solomon not cleared by concussion protocol. Injury default.

Pitt has no finalists. Every other ACC school has at least two. Duke has 3. UVA has 2. Pitt is likely to finish last. I can still remember when we joined the ACC, and people were wondering if we would ever lose a conference wrestling match.

Give Gavin some time. Forys got a crap draw with Muller being a 4 seed. Solomon obviously didn't get a sbot

 

[mike412]

Mike 412, please switch your allegiance to a different school. Pitt wrestling doesn’t need fans like you. Everyone is tired of your negativity. Take your act somewhere else.

I’ve been a Pitt wrestling fan for almost 60 years. Not switching. If being realistic is being negative, so be it. This team has certain problems which are apparent every match and haven’t improved. The biggest one is being ridden for incredibly long periods. Mueller rode Forys for almost 4 minutes. Even though he let Harvey up 4 times to get enough takedowns for a MD, the VT wrestler rode him as long as he wanted to. Same with Wentzel. This was a pathetic performance except for Bentley, Zanetta and Rahmani, each of whom gave an all-out effort. That is the reality.

 

[Cat classic]

You might have followed Pitt wrestling for sixty years, but you can’t truthfully call yourself a fan. You call yourself a realist; that’s what people who see ahalf full glass as half empty. Have you even noticed how much your negativity has chased away any good wrestling discussion on this site?

 

[thom67]

I cannot disagree with Mike 412 on the ACC results so far. I would think that Gavin also agrees with Mike412. How can anyone disagree with him? This performance is very bad.

 

[Chaos]

Has any Pitt wrestler qualified for nationals? If not, who still has a chance? Thanks.

 

[Cat classic]

Of course you wouldn’t, you two are of the same ilk and always have been on here. You can focus on the positive or dwell on the negative. We all know where you stand. If coach Gavin focuses on the negatives from today then they probably aren’t going to be successful. I’m very good friends with the coach from Lehigh and when he was considering leaving there for the Pitt job, one of the reasons was because he had so called fans like you at his school too. Bottom line, you have not been supporters, you’ve been thorns in the coaches’ sides.

 

[bwh05]

I cannot disagree with Mike 412 on the ACC results so far. I would think that Gavin also agrees with Mike412. How can anyone disagree with him? This performance is very bad.

It’s not a bad performance, it’s just not a very good team. The only “upset” was Forys, and Mueller is obviously someone who’d normally be seeded ahead of him. Solomon got hurt. What can you do about that?

 

[Chaos]

Has any Pitt wrestler qualified for nationals? If not, who still has a chance? Thanks.

Looks like only Forys and Zanetta qualified for Cleveland according to Pitt wrestling twitter?

 

[thom67]

Of course you wouldn’t, you two are of the same ilk and always have been on here. You can focus on the positive or dwell on the negative. We all know where you stand. If coach Gavin focuses on the negatives from today then they probably aren’t going to be successful. I’m very good friends with the coach from Lehigh and when he was considering leaving there for the Pitt job, one of the reasons was because he had so called fans like you at his school too. Bottom line, you have not been supporters, you’ve been thorns in the coaches’ sides.

Who are you calling a non supporter of Pitt wrestling? I have been a supporter of Pitt wrestling for over 50 years. I go to all the matches and have donated a fair amount of money to Pitt wrestling. I just do not believe anyone would call our wrestling today to be a good showing. That is not negative, just accurate.

 

[goalieman]

Who are you calling a non supporter of Pitt wrestling? I have been a supporter of Pitt wrestling for over 50 years. I go to all the matches and have donated a fair amount of money to Pitt wrestling. I just do not believe anyone would call our wrestling today to be a good showing. That is not negative, just accurate.

In 2-3 years hopefully we will be a lot better.

 

[thom67]

I certainly agree with that. I think we will be a lot better next year. I see no good reason that Pitt wrestling is not a top 10 program with 1-2 guys that are challenging for a NCAA championship every year.

 

[goalieman]

I certainly agree with that. I think we will be a lot better next year. I see no good reason that Pitt wrestling is not a top 10 program with 1-2 guys that are challenging for a NCAA championship every year.

I know that you, mike412 and all of us want that.

 

[Cat classic]

I certainly agree with that. I think we will be a lot better next year. I see no good reason that Pitt wrestling is not a top 10 program with 1-2 guys that are challenging for a NCAA championship every year.

We know, you’ve been beating that drum forever, and as long as we haven’t done what you believe you’ve done nothing but complain. That is what your idea of support is. I don’t have the time to go back over the years of belly-aching you and Mike 412 have done, but you have provided plenty of good fodder for opposing coaches to use against us in recruiting over the years. “Look, even their own fans think they stink.” I’ll leave it at this, even when we won four championships you two were ridiculing about how weak the conferences were at the time.

 

[thom67]

We know, you’ve been beating that drum forever, and as long as we haven’t done what you believe you’ve done nothing but complain. That is what your idea of support is. I don’t have the time to go back over the years of belly-aching you and Mike 412 have done, but you have provided plenty of good fodder for opposing coaches to use against us in recruiting over the years. “Look, even their own fans think they stink.” I’ll leave it at this, even when we won four championships you two were ridiculing about how weak the conferences were at the time.

I believe you are linking Mike and I together which is incorrect. I have agreed with Mike over the years when he has been on target a s he was yesterday. I have gone against Mike many times when he is over negative. Our acc results yesterday were not a good showing for Pitt wrestling. That is hard to argue with. I can tell you that Keith is not happy with that showing either. Expecting Pitt to be a good wrestling program is NOT belly aching at all. I have always argued that Pitt teams finishing in the top 25 is not a great accomplishment when there are only 50-70 teams in the NCAA that field true d 1 teams. Being honest is not always negative. I will put my support against most on this board. I go to the matches including the conference championships, go to the NCAA's every year cheering on our panthers, and I DONATE money. I do not match Nish67 in donations, but I do much more than my share.
By the way, I have never stated that Pitt stinks. I have only stated that Pitt should do better. Keith Gavin told me the exact same thing. Does that make him a non supporter.

 

[Cat classic]

You have your perception of what you do and say, others perceive it differently. Of course a coach will always want better from his athletes and for his program, but he won’t publicly go around criticizing it.
Your criticism of the team and coaches over the years of how Pitt should place nationally never took into consideration the lack of funding the program had from the university. Do any of the top 10 teams’ coaches have to travel the country hat in hand begging for money for assistant coaches the way Coach Stottlemyer had to do? Please don’t tell me how Pitt had a full allotment of scholarships, when it didn’t provide any kind of a competitive budget to do recruiting. I could go on... I could write a book, and you and Mike and others like you would be the villains.

 

[Chaos]

Here's a rundown from another site on Pitt's ACC tourney outcome.
http://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2018/03/04/forys-zanetta-qualify-ncaas-pitt-finishes-last-accs/

 

[PittJake]

I certainly agree with that. I think we will be a lot better next year. I see no good reason that Pitt wrestling is not a top 10 program with 1-2 guys that are challenging for a NCAA championship every year.

So fill me in on next year Pitt being better because I have been wondering who we have coming in . Losing Solomon Forys and Zanetta

125 Bentley
157 Rahmani
165 Wentzel
184 Harvey

Those 4 to me are going to be solid/good next year. Not too sure about Lee, Stout, or Obrien

 

[mike412]

You have your perception of what you do and say, others perceive it differently. Of course a coach will always want better from his athletes and for his program, but he won’t publicly go around criticizing it.
Your criticism of the team and coaches over the years of how Pitt should place nationally never took into consideration the lack of funding the program had from the university. Do any of the top 10 teams’ coaches have to travel the country hat in hand begging for money for assistant coaches the way Coach Stottlemyer had to do? Please don’t tell me how Pitt had a full allotment of scholarships, when it didn’t provide any kind of a competitive budget to do recruiting. I could go on... I could write a book, and you and Mike and others like you would be the villains.

You are a total moron if you believe anything said on this board influences recruiting. What primarily influences recruiting, other than the quality of the school is the recruit’s perception of the program. That includes the quality of the head coach; the quality of the assistants, especially those who are close in weight to the recruit and whom he might wrestle with in the wrestling room (that is why Kyle Dake, for example, is such a big recruiting advantage for Cornell — recruits near his weight want to wrestle with a 4 time NCAA champion); the quality of the program overall and of the wrestlers near the recruit’s weight class in particular (again because of going up against them in the wrestling room); the quality of the facilities; and the fan support. That is why really good wrestlers pass up on scholarships to other schools to go to PSU, or take 1/4 scholarships to go there, turning down 1/2 or 3/4 scholarships to other schools.

I doubt you would know Pat Santoro (that is the Lehigh coach’s name— the good friend whose name you apparently couldn’t remember in your diatribe) if he bumped into you on the street. No one except him knows why he turned down the Pitt job — or even if it was offered to him. But, the most credible versions of why he didn’t take the job were (1) that he had an understanding based on the people from Pitt he had been talking to (before Lyke was appointed) of an unequivocal commitment of money to improve 4 areas: assistant coaches’ salaries; major improvements in facilities, including the wrestling room; recruiting budget; and (possibly) the club program, which can be another aid in recruiting. That when he met with Lyke, she was unwilling to commit to those improvements, and he left after 30 minutes. (2) That she wanted to make her own hire and didn’t offer him the job. (3) That he decided beforethe meeting he didn’t want to leave Lehigh and went to the meeting because he previously had agreed to do so.

If you seriously think Spencer Lee, Gavin Teasdale, Luke Pletcher or any other top local recruit didn’t select Pitt because of what is said on this or any other Pitt board, then you need psychiatric help.

Yesterday’s performance was terrible. There is no way to sugarcoat it. I thought the wrestler who fought with the most heart was Robert Lee — and he went 0-2. Bentley, Zanetta and Rahmani also fought in every one of their matches. But, Forys didn’t show up for his semifinal match, Wentzel and Harvey both were major disappointments, especially because they were helpless when on the bottom, and Stoudt either doesn’t want to wrestle or isn’t very talented. Solomon’s injury hurt us without a doubt, but the fact is that injuries happen in wrestling (Jason Nolf had to default in the middle of the Big 10 tournament). And, we finished last. In the ACC. In wrestling. Behind a Duke team which didn’t win a dual meet in the ACC all season, also has a first year coach, has zero wrestling tradition, and gives 0 wrestling scholarships. We give 9.9, the NCAA maximum.

But, go ahead and blame it on the pessimistic posters on this board. If I thought that if thom67 and I stopped posting, Pitt would become a wrestling power again, I would never post about wrestling again. But, I am sensible enough to realize nothing said on this board will make any difference in recruiting. You, unfortunately, are delusional. And, a liar.

 

[thom67]

So fill me in on next year Pitt being better because I have been wondering who we have coming in . Losing Solomon Forys and Zanetta

125 Bentley
157 Rahmani
165 Wentzel
184 Harvey

Those 4 to me are going to be solid/good next year. Not too sure about Lee, Stout, or Obrien

Everyone coming back k should be improved. Philip at 133 should be as good as or better than Forys. Bonicorsi should be a major improvement. A couple of freshman should also help a lot. Such as Cole Matthews. Hopefully another year with Keith Gavin training will also make a big difference.

 

[Cat classic]

You are a total moron if you believe anything said on this board influences recruiting. What primarily influences recruiting, other than the quality of the school is the recruit’s perception of the program. That includes the quality of the head coach; the quality of the assistants, especially those who are close in weight to the recruit and whom he might wrestle with in the wrestling room (that is why Kyle Dake, for example, is such a big recruiting advantage for Cornell — recruits near his weight want to wrestle with a 4 time NCAA champion); the quality of the program overall and of the wrestlers near the recruit’s weight class in particular (again because of going up against them in the wrestling room); the quality of the facilities; and the fan support. That is why really good wrestlers pass up on scholarships to other schools to go to PSU, or take 1/4 scholarships to go there, turning down 1/2 or 3/4 scholarships to other schools.

I doubt you would know Pat Santoro (that is the Lehigh coach’s name— the good friend whose name you apparently couldn’t remember in your diatribe) if he bumped into you on the street. No one except him knows why he turned down the Pitt job — or even if it was offered to him. But, the most credible versions of why he didn’t take the job were (1) that he had an understanding based on the people from Pitt he had been talking to (before Lyke was appointed) of an unequivocal commitment of money to improve 4 areas: assistant coaches’ salaries; major improvements in facilities, including the wrestling room; recruiting budget; and (possibly) the club program, which can be another aid in recruiting. That when he met with Lyke, she was unwilling to commit to those improvements, and he left after 30 minutes. (2) That she wanted to make her own hire and didn’t offer him the job. (3) That he decided beforethe meeting he didn’t want to leave Lehigh and went to the meeting because he previously had agreed to do so.

If you seriously think Spencer Lee, Gavin Teasdale, Luke Pletcher or any other top local recruit didn’t select Pitt because of what is said on this or any other Pitt board, then you need psychiatric help.

Yesterday’s performance was terrible. There is no way to sugarcoat it. I thought the wrestler who fought with the most heart was Robert Lee — and he went 0-2. Bentley, Zanetta and Rahmani also fought in every one of their matches. But, Forys didn’t show up for his semifinal match, Wentzel and Harvey both were major disappointments, especially because they were helpless when on the bottom, and Stoudt either doesn’t want to wrestle or isn’t very talented. Solomon’s injury hurt us without a doubt, but the fact is that injuries happen in wrestling (Jason Nolf had to default in the middle of the Big 10 tournament). And, we finished last. In the ACC. In wrestling. Behind a Duke team which didn’t win a dual meet in the ACC all season, also has a first year coach, has zero wrestling tradition, and gives 0 wrestling scholarships. We give 9.9, the NCAA maximum.

But, go ahead and blame it on the pessimistic posters on this board. If I thought that if thom67 and I stopped posting, Pitt would become a wrestling power again, I would never post about wrestling again. But, I am sensible enough to realize nothing said on this board will make any difference in recruiting. You, unfortunately, are delusional. And, a liar.

Wow, I don’t even know where to start! Let’s start with what you said last. I have many faults and am many things, but I am not a liar. I am also not a name dropper; I really don’t like repeating things Pat has said to me, but when I see so much misinformation put out on this site, thanks to you, I feel compelled to get the facts straight. That is something you play very loose with-facts.

Secondly, I know more about The last 40 years of Pitt wrestling in my little pinky than you could know in your whole body. My point about Pat was about his fan base on the internet that was critical of him. Coaches know what is being said of them, and just as Coach was ridiculed for not making the top 10, Pat has received flak for not being in the top 3. He knew he would be better appreciated here.

You and Tom seem to think that this is an insular bubble, but it’s not. Far more people read what is said here than will ever post here., and not for one minute do I believe that the negativity you post here isn’t repeated by you when you go to matches and attend nationals. People talk and word gets around. Coach Stottlemyer’s best friend related a story to me of how a huge Pitt wrestling “supporter” would acost him when he saw him in public, complaining to him about the wrestling program. Coach’s friend would remind him that he was his best friend and he didn’t want to hear it. If this so called supporter bad-mouthed the program to him numerous times, I can only imagine how much damage he did to the program in the WPIAL over the years.
Perhaps I was wrong to ask you to go away; it might have been more helpful to say that those people who truly want to support the program should look for the positive and build on it.

 

[thom67]

Please do not always link Mike and me. I have supported Pitt wrestling for 56 years. I do not bad mouth Pitt at all. I stated that the showing at acc tourney was bad. Can you really argue with that? If you believe that pitt performed well finishing in last place, you are delusional.

 

[FriendofPittWrestling]

What is most important to recruits is probably slightly different for different kids/families, but Mikes list is a good starting point. Second tier concerns would include coaches personality, major/course of study, families ability to be involved/watch career, romantic issues.

Having stated the above, don't underestimate peer pressure and the perception created in the highscholl wrestling grape vine.

There is real potential at Pitt with Gavin and Co. but unless you follow Pitt wrestling close enough to have witnessed the steady improvement over the course of the year, potential is what Gavin and Co are selling. There is nothing to show in the numbers. Cole Mathews actually stated such in his interview.

If someone gets hot next week in Cleveland, all of our sniping and whining will be drowned out. If I could have my way, I would love it if everyone held their fire until 2020. Next years recruiting class will be key.

Actually, if you want to bitch at anything, focus on the university and the facility they have promised. Maybe Pitt could get that guy running that " non- profit" UPMC to donate a million dollars to the cause. After all, they have been paying that non- profit CEO 6.5 million/year for the last decade. But I digress...

If I had to guess about next year, Pitt will have some improvement in the team record, but will have several individuals that will be enjoyable to watch - Phillipi and Bonocorsi included.

 

[Cat classic]

The team had a very rough year. We had a losing record and many times the wrestlers underperformed. Why were you expecting great results this weekend? I’m not going to tell you it was a great performance, but neither am I going to focus on the negative and keep talking about “in typical Pitt tradition”. There were things to be happy with if we wanted to acknowledge them. LJ suffered a horrible injury last summer and has had a long recovery. Not only was he wrestling his opponent in every match, he had to wrestle the fear of going through that horrible pain again. Once a joint is dislocated, it is susceptible to dislocating again. He looked confident and aggressive Saturday. He wrestled really well and that’s a positive to take into next year. Hopefully he will get a wild card, but the odds are probably not in his favor. He was not seeded in the top three, but he finished third.
Dom looked very good in both of his wins. Moore lost to Jack by a tech fall two weeks ago, but came back and beat him Saturday. Dom losing to Mueller by 6 points is not the end of the world.
Zanetta had a great day.
Robert Lee wrestled hard and will return next year.
Rahmani finally showed some of the stuff that put him on the podium last year. There is a lot to be excited about his wrestling on Saturday.
Harvey has shown a lot of improvement this year.
Solomon looked like a man on fire until his injury.
For a team that struggled as much as they did this year, there are plenty of positives to take from the day, or you can just b<#}.>* about all the bad.

 

[PittJake]

You are a total moron if you believe anything said on this board influences recruiting. What primarily influences recruiting, other than the quality of the school is the recruit’s perception of the program. That includes the quality of the head coach; the quality of the assistants, especially those who are close in weight to the recruit and whom he might wrestle with in the wrestling room (that is why Kyle Dake, for example, is such a big recruiting advantage for Cornell — recruits near his weight want to wrestle with a 4 time NCAA champion); the quality of the program overall and of the wrestlers near the recruit’s weight class in particular (again because of going up against them in the wrestling room); the quality of the facilities; and the fan support. That is why really good wrestlers pass up on scholarships to other schools to go to PSU, or take 1/4 scholarships to go there, turning down 1/2 or 3/4 scholarships to other schools.

I doubt you would know Pat Santoro (that is the Lehigh coach’s name— the good friend whose name you apparently couldn’t remember in your diatribe) if he bumped into you on the street. No one except him knows why he turned down the Pitt job — or even if it was offered to him. But, the most credible versions of why he didn’t take the job were (1) that he had an understanding based on the people from Pitt he had been talking to (before Lyke was appointed) of an unequivocal commitment of money to improve 4 areas: assistant coaches’ salaries; major improvements in facilities, including the wrestling room; recruiting budget; and (possibly) the club program, which can be another aid in recruiting. That when he met with Lyke, she was unwilling to commit to those improvements, and he left after 30 minutes. (2) That she wanted to make her own hire and didn’t offer him the job. (3) That he decided beforethe meeting he didn’t want to leave Lehigh and went to the meeting because he previously had agreed to do so.

If you seriously think Spencer Lee, Gavin Teasdale, Luke Pletcher or any other top local recruit didn’t select Pitt because of what is said on this or any other Pitt board, then you need psychiatric help.

Yesterday’s performance was terrible. There is no way to sugarcoat it. I thought the wrestler who fought with the most heart was Robert Lee — and he went 0-2. Bentley, Zanetta and Rahmani also fought in every one of their matches. But, Forys didn’t show up for his semifinal match, Wentzel and Harvey both were major disappointments, especially because they were helpless when on the bottom, and Stoudt either doesn’t want to wrestle or isn’t very talented. Solomon’s injury hurt us without a doubt, but the fact is that injuries happen in wrestling (Jason Nolf had to default in the middle of the Big 10 tournament). And, we finished last. In the ACC. In wrestling. Behind a Duke team which didn’t win a dual meet in the ACC all season, also has a first year coach, has zero wrestling tradition, and gives 0 wrestling scholarships. We give 9.9, the NCAA maximum.

But, go ahead and blame it on the pessimistic posters on this board. If I thought that if thom67 and I stopped posting, Pitt would become a wrestling power again, I would never post about wrestling again. But, I am sensible enough to realize nothing said on this board will make any difference in recruiting. You, unfortunately, are delusional. And, a liar.

What weight do you anticipate Nico at? 184? Harvey bump up?

 

[FriendofPittWrestling]

Wentzel at 165
Harvey will go down to 174
Bonocorsi at 184
Drought at 197

 

[FriendofPittWrestling]

Bye the way...
Zanetta and rahmani lost to guys ranked in top 3, in very close matches.

Bentley lost to ACC champion in sudden victory.

Phillips at 133

The new guys at 141 and/or 149...

Those are bright spots to focus on if one wants to acknowledge the bright spots that are in font of them.

Hopefully there are some kids that see what's ahead for Pitt and want to transfer in.

 

[gary2]

Wentzel at 165
Harvey will go down to 174
Bonocorsi at 184
Drought at 197

Who at 197?

 

[goalieman]

I don't know guys ...... we were not very good in the regular season nor in the ACC Tournament this season but I still have a positive outlook for the future of the program ...... I think Keith and the assistant coaches are quality coaches and know what it takes to develop a winning program and the administration and fans are actually helping the program much more than in the past ..... there are plans for facility upgrades, the RTC is huge, the Wrestling Club, and donations have increased (special thanks to Nish67), good recruits are looking at Pitt because of all this and because of the quality of the coaching staff ......

It will take 2-3 years of good recruiting, good coaching, and completion of all the plans for the program and we should be pleased .... let's hang in there.

 

[persp]

I personally have seen a whole lot to be positive about this season. Almost every wrestler in the lineup this season improved greatly as the year went on, save for Stout and Bell, and although the overall results in the ACC tourney were far from ideal, quite a few of the guy put up really solid efforts against top guys. Bentley, Zanetta, and Taleb fit this category. Taleb may have even won had he not gone for that hip toss, which everybody knows is coming now, at the end of both of his losses.

Im excited to see with my own eyes what Phillippi and Nico can bring to the table next season as well. Super nice to be able to lose a guy like Dom and likely not lose a beat at that spot the following year.

 

[thom67]

The team had a very rough year. We had a losing record and many times the wrestlers underperformed. Why were you expecting great results this weekend? I’m not going to tell you it was a great performance, but neither am I going to focus on the negative and keep talking about “in typical Pitt tradition”. There were things to be happy with if we wanted to acknowledge them. LJ suffered a horrible injury last summer and has had a long recovery. Not only was he wrestling his opponent in every match, he had to wrestle the fear of going through that horrible pain again. Once a joint is dislocated, it is susceptible to dislocating again. He looked confident and aggressive Saturday. He wrestled really well and that’s a positive to take into next year. Hopefully he will get a wild card, but the odds are probably not in his favor. He was not seeded in the top three, but he finished third.
Don looked very good in both of his wins. Moore lost to Jack by a tech fall two weeks ago, but came back and beat him Saturday. Don losing to Mueller by 6 points is not the end of the world.
Zanetta had a great day.
Robert Lee wrestled hard and will return next year.
Rahmani finally showed some of the stuff that put him on the podium last year. There is a lot to be excited about his wrestling on Saturday.
Harvey has shown a lot of improvement this year.
Solomon looked like a man on fire until his injury.
For a team that struggled as much as they did this year, there are plenty of positives to take from the day, or you can just b<#}.>* about all the bad.

That is exactly my point. I did not say "in Pitt tradition" but you lumped me with someone else. If you are going to accuse me of non support, then quote me, not someone else.

 

[Italianpittbull]

I think we got off point here
I believe we all
Want pitt to succeed , I agree that in some areas we underperformed but I do see the light at the end of the tunnel
I respect individuals opinions here but I
Would have to agree that mike has very little positives out there
One I would like to point out is we talk recruits
And I love once to hear more positives on the recruits coming in
Hardly hear anything about the studs me have and Yes I am a little biased on them but I
Believe we have two impact guys in redshirt and at least two coming in that will make immediate impact
H2p

 

[thom67]

I agree with Italianpittbull. I think Pitt has a good future. This is the most positive I have been about Pitt wrestling in a long time. Let's go Pitt!
By the way how many of you guys will be in Cleveland? Nish67: will you be coming?