Press release from Pitt:
The 24th-ranked University of Pittsburgh wrestling team officially opens the 2017-18 campaign Saturday, Nov. 11 at the Eastern Michigan Open in Ypsilanti, Mich.
Saturday’s open tournamentat the Convocation Center features numerous members of the team ahead of Pitt’s first dual meets next weekend.
HOW TO FOLLOW
- Live stats, brackets and team scores will be updated on TrackWrestling here.
- TrackWrestling will provide a live stream with a paid subscription and may be viewed by clicking here.
- Follow Pitt wrestling on Twitter for live updates in-match.
A LOOK AT THE PANTHERS
- First-year head coach Keith Gavin takes over a squad with four returning NCAA qualifiers including three from a year ago in redshirt senior Ryan Solomon at 285 pounds, senior Dom Forys at 133 pounds, junior LJ Bentley at 125 pounds and redshirt sophomore Taleb Rahmani at 157 pounds.
- Of the returners, three were 2017 ACC Champions as the team finished third at the tournament.
- Pitt also welcomes new talent to the roster in transfers Kellan Stout, a 197-pound transfer from Penn State, and Micky Phillippi, a 133-pounder from Virginia. Phillippi will sit the 2017-18 season due to transfer rules.
PANTHERS IN THE POLLS
- The Panthers enter the USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll one spot lower than where they left off a year ago, checking in at No. 24 in the country.
- Within the top-25 are three other ACC schools in No. 8 NC State, No. 9 Virginia Tech and No. 22 North Carolina. Virginia enters the season receiving votes, while Duke is the lone ACC wrestling school left out of the national ranking.
GAVIN RETURNS TO ALMA MATER
- A 2008 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Keith Gavin is Pitt’s 11th head coach in program history and was Pitt’s last national champion in 2008.
- Gavin returns to Pittsburgh after making stops at Oklahoma and Virginia, while enjoying a professional career prior to that.
- During his time at Pitt, Gavin was a two-time All-American, two-time EWL champion, two0time EWL Wrestler of the Year and is a member of the EWL Hall of Fame. His 120 career wins rank eighth in program history.
- Gavin was a member of the U.S. national team for over six years, placing third at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials before capturing the U.S. National Championship in 2013 and 2014.
ALL-AMERICAN COACHING STAFF
- As head coach, Gavin now has two full-time assistants and a volunteer assistant coach looking to build on the already historic Panther program.
- Assistant coach Jordan Leen comes to Pitt after having spent the past six seasons at the University of Virginia. Leen is a 2009 graduate of Cornell and was the 2008 157-pound national champion. He was also a four-time NCAA qualifier, posting a 118-29 career record.
- Assistant coach Drew Headlee is enters his fourth season on the Panther coaching staff. A 2008 Pitt graduate, Headlee spent two years at Lehigh as a volunteer assistant under the guidance of former Pitt-great Pat Santoro. The Pittsburgh native was a 2005 All-American and three-time NCAA qualifier.
- A 2017 University of Michigan graduate Conor Youtsey serves at Pitt’s volunteer assistant after enjoying a successful career with the Wolverines. Youtsey was a two-time All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier for Michigan.
2017-18 SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
- The Panthers face a tough slate of opponents this year and will take on eight teams ranked in the top 25 of the first USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll, announced Oct. 31.
- Teams in the top 25 that Pitt will face are No. 8 NC State (Feb. 2), No. 9 Virginia Tech (Jan. 21), No. 10 Lehigh (Feb. 18), No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 19), No. 16 South Dakota State (Feb. 9), No. 18 Wisconsin (Nov. 17), No. 19 Oklahoma (Jan. 7) and No. 22 North Carolina (Jan. 26).
- Pitt will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, March 3 for the 2018 ACC Tournament hosted by the University of North Carolina.
- The 2018 NCAA Championships will be held March 15 – March 17 in Cleveland, Ohio at Quicken Loans Arena.
LOOKING AHEAD
- Pitt enters dual competition Friday, Nov. 17 when the team makes the trip to CSU Bakersfield for a tri-meet. The Panthers will take on the home team at 7 p.m. (EST), followed by No. 18 Wisconsin at 8:30 p.m.
- Pitt will then head to Arizona State Sunday, Nov. 19 to take on the No. 11 Sun Devils at Gammage Theatre in Tempe, Ariz. For more information on the dual, click here.
The 24th-ranked University of Pittsburgh wrestling team officially opens the 2017-18 campaign Saturday, Nov. 11 at the Eastern Michigan Open in Ypsilanti, Mich.
Saturday’s open tournamentat the Convocation Center features numerous members of the team ahead of Pitt’s first dual meets next weekend.
HOW TO FOLLOW
- Live stats, brackets and team scores will be updated on TrackWrestling here.
- TrackWrestling will provide a live stream with a paid subscription and may be viewed by clicking here.
- Follow Pitt wrestling on Twitter for live updates in-match.
A LOOK AT THE PANTHERS
- First-year head coach Keith Gavin takes over a squad with four returning NCAA qualifiers including three from a year ago in redshirt senior Ryan Solomon at 285 pounds, senior Dom Forys at 133 pounds, junior LJ Bentley at 125 pounds and redshirt sophomore Taleb Rahmani at 157 pounds.
- Of the returners, three were 2017 ACC Champions as the team finished third at the tournament.
- Pitt also welcomes new talent to the roster in transfers Kellan Stout, a 197-pound transfer from Penn State, and Micky Phillippi, a 133-pounder from Virginia. Phillippi will sit the 2017-18 season due to transfer rules.
PANTHERS IN THE POLLS
- The Panthers enter the USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll one spot lower than where they left off a year ago, checking in at No. 24 in the country.
- Within the top-25 are three other ACC schools in No. 8 NC State, No. 9 Virginia Tech and No. 22 North Carolina. Virginia enters the season receiving votes, while Duke is the lone ACC wrestling school left out of the national ranking.
GAVIN RETURNS TO ALMA MATER
- A 2008 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Keith Gavin is Pitt’s 11th head coach in program history and was Pitt’s last national champion in 2008.
- Gavin returns to Pittsburgh after making stops at Oklahoma and Virginia, while enjoying a professional career prior to that.
- During his time at Pitt, Gavin was a two-time All-American, two-time EWL champion, two0time EWL Wrestler of the Year and is a member of the EWL Hall of Fame. His 120 career wins rank eighth in program history.
- Gavin was a member of the U.S. national team for over six years, placing third at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials before capturing the U.S. National Championship in 2013 and 2014.
ALL-AMERICAN COACHING STAFF
- As head coach, Gavin now has two full-time assistants and a volunteer assistant coach looking to build on the already historic Panther program.
- Assistant coach Jordan Leen comes to Pitt after having spent the past six seasons at the University of Virginia. Leen is a 2009 graduate of Cornell and was the 2008 157-pound national champion. He was also a four-time NCAA qualifier, posting a 118-29 career record.
- Assistant coach Drew Headlee is enters his fourth season on the Panther coaching staff. A 2008 Pitt graduate, Headlee spent two years at Lehigh as a volunteer assistant under the guidance of former Pitt-great Pat Santoro. The Pittsburgh native was a 2005 All-American and three-time NCAA qualifier.
- A 2017 University of Michigan graduate Conor Youtsey serves at Pitt’s volunteer assistant after enjoying a successful career with the Wolverines. Youtsey was a two-time All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier for Michigan.
2017-18 SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
- The Panthers face a tough slate of opponents this year and will take on eight teams ranked in the top 25 of the first USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll, announced Oct. 31.
- Teams in the top 25 that Pitt will face are No. 8 NC State (Feb. 2), No. 9 Virginia Tech (Jan. 21), No. 10 Lehigh (Feb. 18), No. 11 Arizona State (Nov. 19), No. 16 South Dakota State (Feb. 9), No. 18 Wisconsin (Nov. 17), No. 19 Oklahoma (Jan. 7) and No. 22 North Carolina (Jan. 26).
- Pitt will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, March 3 for the 2018 ACC Tournament hosted by the University of North Carolina.
- The 2018 NCAA Championships will be held March 15 – March 17 in Cleveland, Ohio at Quicken Loans Arena.
LOOKING AHEAD
- Pitt enters dual competition Friday, Nov. 17 when the team makes the trip to CSU Bakersfield for a tri-meet. The Panthers will take on the home team at 7 p.m. (EST), followed by No. 18 Wisconsin at 8:30 p.m.
- Pitt will then head to Arizona State Sunday, Nov. 19 to take on the No. 11 Sun Devils at Gammage Theatre in Tempe, Ariz. For more information on the dual, click here.
