"Matt Kocher's 100 wins prior to completing his third year at Pittsburgh is quite impressive," said Head Coach Rande Stottlemyer. "Along with some of his teammates, he is helping to create a much more intense wrestling culture in which hard work is embraced, competing hard and often is the norm and winning championships is the goal.
"He has an excellent opportunity to overtake Pat Santoro's career mark of 167 wins. I think that speaks for itself in terms of this accomplishment thus far. You can be sure he will continue to pursue excellence these next two years."
Kocher (State College, Pa./State College) has used his time as a redshirt to gain as much wrestling experience as possible, and it has paid off for him. He started off the season by winning the Slippery Rock Open in November earning a technical fall in his second match. Later that month, he finished third at the West Virginia Open and registered two falls for the year. He won his second tournament at the East Stroudsburg Open, where he finished 6-0 including a fall and major decision to add to his record book.
At the Nittany Lion Open in December, Kocher went 6-0 again for first place with another fall and major decision. His fourth tournament victory came at the Cleveland State Open where he defeated Indiana's Matt Coughlin by a 3-1 decision in addition to winning with pins in his opening three matches. At the Midlands Tournament, Kocher finished 5-2 for fifth place with one pin. Two weeks ago he won the Hilltopper Open in West Virginia, and last weekend he took home the 157-pound championship at the Kent State Open.
Kocher now holds a 103-28 overall record with a 41-3 record for this season. He's already registered 11 pins on the season and 17 for his career. A two-time NCAA qualifier and EWL Freshman of the Year in 2004, Kocher has been a driving force in Pitt wrestling.
In his freshman campaign, he finished 32-13 with an 11-3 dual record, four pins and five major decisions. He placed second at the EWL Championships and earned his first NCAA berth. He additionally placed in three tournaments that season. As a sophomore, Kocher led the team in victories for the second consecutive season with 30 wins. He won the Mat Town Invitational when he defeated Penn State's James Woodall. Kocher finished sixth at the EWL Championships and earned his second trip to Nationals.
Kocher joins teammates Ronald Tarquinio (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) and Justin Nestor (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) in this achievement this season, and he will undoubtedly continue to climb in Pitt's record books with two more season ahead of him.
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