As a team, Pitt finished with 88 points thanks to the help of seven top-six finishes, including individual champions redshirt senior Max Thomusseit and freshman Dom Forys at 184 pounds and 125 pounds, respectively.
"I think it was a good challenge for the guys. Obviously we would have liked to do better in a few weights," said head coach Jason Peters. "We're looking forward to getting back, getting ready for the next competition. These trips are tough. When you weigh-in Friday, travel a day and have to wrestling a tournament on Sunday it's not always easy, but we stepped up and did a good job."
After receiving a bye, Thomusseit posted three major decision victories to arrive in the finals of the 184 pound weight class. Thomusseit first knocked off Appalachian State's Marcus Johnson in a 15-5 major decision and followed that up with 14-4 and 15-7 major decisions against Michael Curby (Eastern Michigan) and Garet Krohn (Stanford). Waiting for Thomusseit in the finals was nationally-ranked No. 3 Lorenzo Thomas, of host school Penn. In a close decision, Thomusseit, ranked fourth according to InterMat, upset Thomas on his home mat and improved to 3-0 against ranked opponents, all of who were in the top-10. Overall this season, Thomusseit is now a perfect 9-0.
Competing in his first collegiate tournament, Forys rolled through the competition, recording four wins to finish first at 125 pounds. He started off with a pair of major decisions against Garrison White (17-6) of Northwestern and Blake Caudill (13-3) of Eastern Michigan. In the semifinals, Forys topped Stanford's Mason Pengilly 7-3 and completed his run to a title with a 4-0 shutout against Shayne Wireman, also of Eastern Michigan.
"Dom did a great job," said Peters. "Going out his first time wrestling in his first challenge tournament he entered he won. So anytime you can do that it's pretty exciting."
Redshirt juniors Nick Bonaccorsi and Ronnie Garbinsky were just shy of bringing home individual titles as the pair each fell in the finals and had to settle for second place.
Bonaccorsi began his day with an 8-4 decision against Joshua Murphy of Drexel and followed that up with one of seven Pitt falls, which he recorded versus Appalachian State's Collin Johnson in just 1:56. Bonaccorsi continued his ride to the finals by taking down Indiana's Luke Sheridan, who is ranked 19th, before dropping a 6-2 decision to Northwestern's Alex Polizzi, ranked 10th by Intermat. Bonaccorsi is now 2-2 against ranked opponents this season.
Following a strong performance against Penn State on Friday, Garbinsky rode that momentum all the way to the final before he fell to 10th ranked Cody Pack of South Dakota State in a 9-5 decision. Along the way, Garbinsky recorded a fall in 1:42 against Harvard's Colton Peppelman, a 12-6 decision over Stanford's Peter Galli and a 15-3 major decision versus Noel Blanco of Drexel.
Also of note were the fifth place finishes of true freshman Jake Gromacki, redshirt freshman Ryan Solomon and sophomore Mikey Racciato.
After losing his first bout, Gromacki went on win four more times, which included a fall in 21 seconds, to grab fifth place. Solomon won his first bout with a 36 seconds fall before losing a narrow 6-2 decision to eventual champion, No. 10 Polizzi. He bounced back, however, and went on to pick up two more winning decisions and a major decision to place fifth. His only other loss during the run was to No. 19 Sheridan. Racciato, who placed sixth, won his first two decisions, but was on the wrong side of an 8-2 decision to No. 9 Dyllan Cottrell to head to the consolation bracket. It was Racciato's second straight season earning a podium spot after placing fourth last year.
Pitt is back in action on Saturday, Dec. 5 at home against Maryland in the Fitzgerald Field House.
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