Keith Gavin has been previewing the various weight classes on Pitt's roster this season.
He previewed 125, 133 and 141 here. And he previewed 149, 157 and 165 here.
Today the previews conclude with the upper weights.
174
Probable starter: Austin Bell (RS-Fr.)
Pittsburgh native Austin Bell will get the starting nod at 174 pounds after returning from injury. Bell, a standout wrestler from nearby Belle Vernon, had a successful high school campaign placing twice at states and winning two WPIAL titles.
Gavin on 174: “Austin Bell is our expected starter. Again, we have some young guys that will challenge him for this spot, but right now it looks like Austin is the front runner. Like Jake Wentzel, he was also injured last year and missed a good portion of the season. However, Austin is off to a good start and been working hard ever since we started season here. He has been doing a good job with his weight, which is a big deal for him, making sure he’s properly prepared. Austin is used to winning, as he had a very successful high school career, and we are hoping that transitions well into college.”
184
Probable starter(s): Gregg Harvey (RS-Fr.) or Zach Bruce (RS-Jr.)
Looking to get time at the 184 spot is either redshirt freshman Gregg Harvey or redshirt junior Zach Bruce. Bruce opened the 2016-17 season at 197 then dropped down to 184 for the remainder of the year. The Seneca, Pa., native is 23-30 overall and brings two years of varsity experience to the weight class. As a freshman last year, Harvey wrestled in open tournaments.
Gavin on 184: “This class is up for grabs right now. We have Gregg Harvey or Zach Bruce, but we also havefreshman Nino Bonaccorsi at that weight. Our early plan with Nino is to redshirt him, but we will see how that goes. Zach was the starter last year with Harvey being a redshirt, but both of those guys are working hard and doing the right thing. We plan on early in the year using them both, most likely, and seeing who does better against other competition and that will be the guy we go with.”
197
Probable starter: Kellan Stout (RS-So.)
Redshirt freshman Kellan Stout is one of two transfers that came to Pitt for the 2017-18 season. Eligible immediately, Stout will be Pitt’s 197-pounder after spending his first two years at Penn State. A product of nearby Mt. Lebanon High School, Stout looks to bring consistency to this weight class after three different Panthers competed at that weight a year ago. Stout had a stellar high school career, finishing 138-18 through his four years, while capturing a PIAA title as a senior.
Gavin on 197: “Kellan Stout will be our guy at 197 and is one of our transfers. He came from a great program [Penn State], he knows what he’s doing, he’s a very mature kid and we think he will fit in very nicely at the 197 spot.”
285
Probable starter: Ryan Solomon (RS-Sr.)
Redshirt senior Ryan Solomon is the most experienced of the upper weights as he enters his fifth and final year as a Panther. Solomon is a three-time NCAA qualifier and three-time ACC Championship placer. The Milton, Pa., native looks to reach the podium in Cleveland in his final run and build on his 53-28 career record. The heavyweight finished the 2016-17 season one win short of reaching All-America status and went 20-6 overall.
Gavin on 285: “Our heavyweight is Ryan Solomon. Ryan was one match away from being an All-American last year, so the focus with him is getting him on the podium this year. I think he is in a pretty good place as far as training partners go this year, which is often hard to do for heavyweights because of their size since they can’t just wrestle with anybody. We have some young guys and some big bodies for him to roll with and get a good feel, so his training has been going great. Like Nick [Zanetta], he’s a fifth-year senior, so he’s been through the ringer. A big part of getting him on the podium is keeping him healthy, so we are constantly monitoring that, and so far so good.”
Gavin on the mix of young guys with minimal seniors on the team: “We are still a young team with only three seniors, but it’s good. I think that we are fortunate to have the team be that way because when you’re younger, you’re more open to learning. It hasn’t been too difficult to introduce our standard or the way that we teach and the techniques that we are showing. Everyone has been open towards it, and the older guys on the team are doing a good job of leading by example. The three seniors we have in our starting lineup are all hard workers, so that in itself goes a long way.”
He previewed 125, 133 and 141 here. And he previewed 149, 157 and 165 here.
Today the previews conclude with the upper weights.
174
Probable starter: Austin Bell (RS-Fr.)
Pittsburgh native Austin Bell will get the starting nod at 174 pounds after returning from injury. Bell, a standout wrestler from nearby Belle Vernon, had a successful high school campaign placing twice at states and winning two WPIAL titles.
Gavin on 174: “Austin Bell is our expected starter. Again, we have some young guys that will challenge him for this spot, but right now it looks like Austin is the front runner. Like Jake Wentzel, he was also injured last year and missed a good portion of the season. However, Austin is off to a good start and been working hard ever since we started season here. He has been doing a good job with his weight, which is a big deal for him, making sure he’s properly prepared. Austin is used to winning, as he had a very successful high school career, and we are hoping that transitions well into college.”
184
Probable starter(s): Gregg Harvey (RS-Fr.) or Zach Bruce (RS-Jr.)
Looking to get time at the 184 spot is either redshirt freshman Gregg Harvey or redshirt junior Zach Bruce. Bruce opened the 2016-17 season at 197 then dropped down to 184 for the remainder of the year. The Seneca, Pa., native is 23-30 overall and brings two years of varsity experience to the weight class. As a freshman last year, Harvey wrestled in open tournaments.
Gavin on 184: “This class is up for grabs right now. We have Gregg Harvey or Zach Bruce, but we also havefreshman Nino Bonaccorsi at that weight. Our early plan with Nino is to redshirt him, but we will see how that goes. Zach was the starter last year with Harvey being a redshirt, but both of those guys are working hard and doing the right thing. We plan on early in the year using them both, most likely, and seeing who does better against other competition and that will be the guy we go with.”
197
Probable starter: Kellan Stout (RS-So.)
Redshirt freshman Kellan Stout is one of two transfers that came to Pitt for the 2017-18 season. Eligible immediately, Stout will be Pitt’s 197-pounder after spending his first two years at Penn State. A product of nearby Mt. Lebanon High School, Stout looks to bring consistency to this weight class after three different Panthers competed at that weight a year ago. Stout had a stellar high school career, finishing 138-18 through his four years, while capturing a PIAA title as a senior.
Gavin on 197: “Kellan Stout will be our guy at 197 and is one of our transfers. He came from a great program [Penn State], he knows what he’s doing, he’s a very mature kid and we think he will fit in very nicely at the 197 spot.”
285
Probable starter: Ryan Solomon (RS-Sr.)
Redshirt senior Ryan Solomon is the most experienced of the upper weights as he enters his fifth and final year as a Panther. Solomon is a three-time NCAA qualifier and three-time ACC Championship placer. The Milton, Pa., native looks to reach the podium in Cleveland in his final run and build on his 53-28 career record. The heavyweight finished the 2016-17 season one win short of reaching All-America status and went 20-6 overall.
Gavin on 285: “Our heavyweight is Ryan Solomon. Ryan was one match away from being an All-American last year, so the focus with him is getting him on the podium this year. I think he is in a pretty good place as far as training partners go this year, which is often hard to do for heavyweights because of their size since they can’t just wrestle with anybody. We have some young guys and some big bodies for him to roll with and get a good feel, so his training has been going great. Like Nick [Zanetta], he’s a fifth-year senior, so he’s been through the ringer. A big part of getting him on the podium is keeping him healthy, so we are constantly monitoring that, and so far so good.”
Gavin on the mix of young guys with minimal seniors on the team: “We are still a young team with only three seniors, but it’s good. I think that we are fortunate to have the team be that way because when you’re younger, you’re more open to learning. It hasn’t been too difficult to introduce our standard or the way that we teach and the techniques that we are showing. Everyone has been open towards it, and the older guys on the team are doing a good job of leading by example. The three seniors we have in our starting lineup are all hard workers, so that in itself goes a long way.”
