Wrestling: Wilps finishes season as All-American, Pitt places 22nd

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Tyler Wilps became Pitt’s 75th All-American with his seventh-place finish, but three other Panthers fell just one win shy of joining Wilps as the Pitt wrestling team finished 22nd in the team standings at the NCAA Tournament this weekend in Oklahoma City.

As a team, the Panthers also came up shy of their own expectations. Pitt finished the regular season ranked No. 10 in the coaches’ poll, which ranks teams based on their dual-meet accomplishments.

Because of the tournament’s scoring system, which favors bonus point wins and individual success over wins and team depth, the Panthers finished behind five teams that they beat in the regular season: No. 3 Oklahoma State, No. 8 Virginia Tech, No. 18 Lehigh, No. 19 North Carolina State and No. 20 Maryland.

“As a team, we expected more from ourselves,” senior Anthony Zanetta said. “We don’t strive to be an average or in-the-mix team at nationals.  We strive to not only make our fans, but every wrestling fan in the nation recognize and respect us.”

But Wilps’ performance alleviated some of that sting. He won his first two matches before losing 5-2 to eventual national runner-up Andrew Howe. He bounced back with a 3-2 win in wrestlebacks — which is akin to a consolation round — to earn his All-American status.

“It felt good when I finally got up [to the podium],” Wilps said. “Everyone’s applauding the All-Americans, and that feels good.”

He finished with a 4-2 win in the seventh-place match over California State-Bakersfield’s Bryce Hammond after losing in the consolation semifinals.

Senior 125-pound Zanetta, sophomore 197-pound Nick Bonaccorsi and junior 184-pound Max Thomusseit all lost in the round of 12 and were just one win shy of guaranteeing a top-eight finish and the All-American title.

Zanetta, in his fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament, scored a pin in his opening match before falling in the second round. The senior fought back with two wins in wrestlebacks before losing 8-5 in the round of 12.

Fellow seniors 133-pound Shelton Mack and heavyweight P.J. Tasser went 1-2 at the national tournament, but Tasser still left the tournament with a positive outlook.

“It means the world to me to finish my career at NCAAs,” Tasser said. “Obviously, I didn’t stand on the podium like I dreamed about as a kid, but the past five years have been one heck of a ride.”

Pitt’s freshman qualifiers, 141-pound Edgar Bright and 149-pound Mikey Racciato, also failed to advance far in the tournament. Bright won his first match and then lost his next two to end his first tournament. Racciato lost both of his matches in Oklahoma City.

“I think [the dual-season record] shows how dangerous and young this team is,” Tasser said.  “We didn’t have the best tournament, but five of the eight qualifiers are returning. That’s a good start. This program is headed in the right direction.”

In his second national tournament, Bonaccorsi lost a tough match to Virginia Tech’s Chris Penny 3-1 in the first round. The sophomore strung together three straight wins to put himself in a match to wrestle for All-American status.  Bonaccorsi lost 4-0 to Duke’s Conner Hartmann to end his sophomore season.

Thomusseit entered the national tournament as Pitt’s best chance at All-American status and a national title, but the 184-pounder was upset in the second round by Old Dominion’s Jack Dechow 3-1.

Thomusseit fought back with two wins in wrestlebacks before a 6-5 loss to Minnesota’s Kevin Steinhaus in the round of 12 fighting for All-American status.

Along with fellow junior Wilps, Thomusseit will be highly ranked entering 2015 for Pitt, giving the Panthers two legitimate national title contenders next season.

“I think I’ll take about a week or two off and then I’ll be right back at it every day,” Wilps said. “I’ve set my sights next year on being a national champion.”

With Wilps and Thomusseit leading the way, along with the three underclassmen who got tournament experience this year, the seniors believe that Pitt wrestling has better days in its future.

“I think there are plenty more positives to come from the program and the underclassmen on the team,” Zanetta said. “They must realize the NCAA tournament is an opportunity to create a legacy for themselves and the team, and they can’t let that slip away from them.”