No. 13 Pitt notches upset against No. 5 Oklahoma State

One minute and 23 seconds into his match with Oklahoma State’s No. 8 Josh Kindig, Pitt freshman Mikey Racciato connected on a reversal and flattened Kindig’s shoulders on the mat for what would be the match-deciding pin.

“The pin was great,” Racciato said. “I don’t even remember how it happened.”

Sunday’s match between No. 13 Pitt and No. 5 Oklahoma State ended tied at 18. When a match ends in a tie, the first tiebreaker is total matches won. Since the Cowboys and Panthers each won five matches, the next tiebreaker is total pins. Racciato’s pin was the only one of the match and gave Pitt the bonus point for the 19-18 victory.

Racciato’s pin in the third day’s third match was just the beginning of the excitement for the Panthers in their upset of a traditional power in collegiate wrestling.

After losing the 125- and 133-pound matches, Pitt faced a 7-0 hole. With two freshmen coming to the mat in the next two matches, it was crunch time for the Panthers.

At 141 pounds, Pitt’s No. 20 Edgar Bright earned a 10-5 decision over No. 12 Anthony Collica.

Bright’s match was just one of a number of wins for the Panthers on Sunday that they weren’t supposed to get. Pitt wanted to prove to everyone that they could compete with a top program.

“Our coaches remind us every day that we’re working hard for a reason,” Bright said. “I would say there’s a lot to prove.”

Unranked Racciato stepped to the mat next and connected on his pin of his top-10 opponent, giving Pitt a 9-7 lead.

The underdog Panthers were only favored to win two of the 10 matches during the day. Wins by the freshmen — Bright and Racciato — over higher-ranked wrestlers were a necessity for Pitt to come away with a win.

“A win like that over such a prestigious school is a great win for the team,” senior P.J. Tasser said. “It really shows how resilient we are as a unit.”

Pitt needed to show its resilience again after Racciato’s pin as the Panthers dropped the next three matches, going into the final three matches of the day down 18-9.

Included in those three losses was a tight decision for Pitt’s No. 8 Tyler Wilps. Facing No. 2 Chris Perry, Wilps forced overtime before losing 5-4.

The Panthers then had two winnable matches with an opportunity to close the gap in score.

No. 7 Max Thomusseit took care of No. 18 Nolan Boyd 8-6, and No. 20 Nick Bonaccorsi connected on a takedown in the sudden-victory period of overtime to earn a 3-1 victory.

With the Panthers down 18-15, Tasser’s matchup against No. 16 Austin Marsden would decide the overall match outcome for the Panthers. Going into the match, the Panthers and their fans knew a decision in favor of Tasser would earn the win for Pitt due to the tiebreaking rules.

The two heavyweights fought a close and conservative match and entered the sudden-victory period of overtime tied at one point apiece. In the one-minute extra period, the first wrestler to score a takedown wins.

“It’s definitely a different mentality going into overtime to win the match,” Tasser said. “I knew I just had to stay disciplined and wait for an opportunity.”

A double-leg takedown in the first sudden-victory period for Tasser sent the Pitt bench and the crowd of more than 1,900 fans into a frenzy.

Pitt, which lost to its only other top-five opponent this season in No. 1 Penn State, has a schedule that includes some of the top programs in wrestling.

The Panthers believe that tough schedule hardens them for the stretch run of their schedule into postseason play.

“It’s a great opportunity when a team like that comes to wrestle us at home,” Racciato said. “It’s great for our fans. Our schedule is probably one of the hardest out there, which can do nothing but help us.”

Tasser, an upperclassman who has been through the rigors of a conference schedule, a conference tournament and the NCAA Tournament, backs up Racciato’s statements.

“Wrestling a team of that caliber is huge because those are the guys you are going to see at NCAAs in March,” he said.

With the big nonconference win in their belt, the Panthers must shift focus back to making an impression on the ACC in their first year in the conference. Pitt hosts Virginia on Friday at the Fitzgerald Field House.

“We have to turn the page and get ready for Virginia on Friday,” Tasser said. “That match is just as important.”