After winning three of the last four Eastern Wrestling League Dual Meet Championships, the Panthers earned their first Atlantic Coast Conference title by winning all six of their duals against ACC foes this season.
The back-and-forth contest began with North Carolina grabbing an early lead after Nathan Kraisser beat Anthony Zanetta at 125 pounds, but Shelton Mack tied the dual for Pitt with a 12-6 victory over Troy Heilmann.
In the afternoon's only matchup of ranked wrestlers, No. 15 Edgar Bright upset No. 6 Evan Henderson, 3-1. Henderson and Bright traded escapes before freshman Panther Bright secured a third-period takedown to win the match, which gave the Panthers a 6-3 team lead.
However, the Tar Heels responded with three consecutive victories that put North Carolina up 12-6 before junior Tyler Wilps helped Pitt regain the momentum with a 16-5 major decision over Scott Marmoll at 174 pounds.
After Max Thomusseit put Pitt ahead 13-12 with a 4-0 victory over Alex Utley, Nick Bonaccorsi clinched the dual victory for the Panthers by pinning Frank Abbodanza at 4:27, earning the Panthers six valuable team points and giving the Panthers an insurmountable 19-12 lead. It was the fifth pin of the season for the sophomore 197-pounder.
At heavyweight, senior P.J. Tasser notched an 8-1 win over Bob Coe to bring the final score to 22-12.
With Pitt having now clinched the outright ACC Dual Meet Championship - the fourth dual meet conference championship in school history -- the Panthers will now hope to add an ACC Tournament Championship on March 8 when Pitt travels to Blacksburg, Va.
Results:
125: Nathan Kraisser (N) dec. No. 16 Anthony Zanetta (P), 6-4; North Carolina leads 3-0
133: No. 20 Shelton Mack (P) dec. Troy Heilmann (N), 12-6; Tied 3-3
141: No. 15 Edgar Bright (P) dec. No. 6 Evan Henderson (N), 3-1; Pitt leads 6-3
149: Christian Barber (N) dec. Mikey Racciato (P), 4-2; Tied 6-6
157: Jake Crawford (N) dec. Ronnie Garbinsky (P), 9-5; North Carolina leads 9-6
165: John Michael Staudenmayer (N) dec. Geno Morelli (P), 4-1; North Carolina leads 12-6
174: No. 7 Tyler Wilps (P) m. dec. Scott Marmoll (N), 16-5; North Carolina leads 12-10
184: No. 6 Max Thomusseit (P) dec. Alex Utley (N), 4-0; Pitt leads 13-12
197: No. 17 Nick Bonaccorsi (P) pins Frank Abbodanza (N), 4:27; Pitt leads 19-12
285: No. 19 P.J. Tasser (P) dec. Bob Coe (N), 8-1; Pitt wins 22-12
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