Pitt wrestling sending 5 to NCAA Tournament

It was about a year ago when the NCAA shut down its championships because of the coronavirus.

Wrestlers, basketball players, swimmers and hockey teams were able to complete their winter seasons, and spring sports were stopped before they got going.

The National Wrestling Coaches Association honored wrestlers as All-Americans in early April. All-American honors were based on each wrestler’s overall body of work through the conference tournaments and up to the national championships.

Receiving those honors from Pitt were Micky Phillippi (133 pounds), Demetrius Thomas (285), Jake Wentzel (165) and Nico Bonaccorsi (184).

Phillippi (Derry) and Thomas were named to the first team, and Wentzel (South Park) and Bonaccorsi (Bethel Park) were on the second team.

And while the wrestlers appreciated the gesture, they were left with a hollow feeling.

“You want to earn that honor, not handed it,” Phillippi said. “It doesn’t feel like my own.”

Starting Thursday in St Louis, Phillippi, Cole Matthews, Wentzel, Greg Harvey and Bonaccorsi begin their quests for national championshipss at the NCAA Division I championships. The top eight finishers in each weight class will earn All-American honors, something the Pitt wrestlers want to earn.

“I can’t wait to get started,” said Phillippi, who came up short in 2019 when the tournament was at PPG Arena. “Everyone is tough in college. You can’t look past anyone.”

Phillippi (8-1), seeded fifth, opens the tournament against Ty Smith (8-5) of Utah Valley. He said he doesn’t look at the bracket in advance to see who he is wrestling.

The four wrestlers seeded ahead of him are No. 1 Daton Fix (Oklahoma), No. 2 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State), No. 3 Korbin Myers (Virginia tech) and No. 4 Austin DeSanto (Iowa). West Virginia’s Ryan Sullivan, a Shaler grad and former Panther, also is in the weight class.

Phillippi feels having Luke Pletcher, who was seeded No. 1 in 2019 from Ohio State, as a coach has helped him and his teammates. Pletcher (Latrobe) and Phillippi have had their battles in high school and college.

“Getting a chance to learn from Luke is huge,” Phillippi said. “He beats me up, and I need that. I get a lot of knowledge from him.”

Phillippi said he has developed into an all-around wrestler.

“I used to be good on top and recognized for that,” Phillippi said. “In college, you have to be good in all three phases.”

Pitt coach Keith Gavin, the last Panther to win a National title (2008), said Phillippi, a three-time qualifier, has to start quicker.

“He’s been really strong in the third period of matches, but we need him to be good in the first period,” Gavin said.

Matthews also has benefited from learning from Pletcher.

“I learn from Luke every day,” Matthews said. “My goal is to win every match.”

Matthews (6-5) is seeded No. 16 and will face Rider’s McKenzie Bell (7-3) at 141 pounds. Unlike Phillippi, Matthews checks out the brackets as part of his preparation.

“I like to gameplan for my opponents,” Matthews said. “Depending on the opponent, I may have to change my style.”

Wentzel (9-1) is seed No. 3 at 171 pounds. The two-time qualifier’s first match is against Drexel’s Evan Barczak (6-3). His second-round match could be against a wrester from the WPIAL, Purdue freshman Gerrit Nijenhuis (Canon-McMillan). Ohio State’s Ethan Smith (Latrobe) and Bucknell’s Zach Hartman (Belle Vernon), who is seeded fifth, also are in the weight class.

“There are a lot of WPIAL wrestlers in the tournament,” Wentzel said. “It just proves how tough we are. Wrestlers from this area have a blue-collar mentality. We’re tough like the Steelers, and everyone bleeds into it. I just want to go out and have fun.”

Harvey got into the tournament as an at-large bid. He is grateful he got the chance, though Gavin said Harvey’s win in the quarterfinals at the ACC Tournament assured him the spot.

“It means a lot getting the opportunity to compete,” Harvey said. “Everything is up for grabs. My opponent is seeded high because he’s had a good season, but upsets always happen.”

Harvey (6-6) faces Binghamton’s Lou Deprez (7-0), who is seeded third.

Bonaccorsi (9-1) is a three-time NCAA qualifier. He is seeded No. 6 and faces Stanford’s Nick Stemmet (7-2). He is in a weight class, 197, that features five WPIAL wrestlers: North Carolina’s Max Shaw (Thomas Jefferson), Clarion’s Greg Bulsak (South Park), Kent’s Colin McCracken (Waynesburg) and Oklahoma’s Jake Woodley (North Allegheny).

“I didn’t wrestle against them in high school because I was always a little smaller,” Bonaccorsi said. “But we were in clubs together, and we’ve trained together.

“My focus is not on them but improving, win or lose, every time I step on the mat. I’m always trying to get better.”

Because of the pandemic, Pitt headed to St. Louis a day early. They were tested Tuesday and will be tested again Wednesday. They were able to practice at the hotel Tuesday and will be at the arena Wednesday.

“The NCAA has set specific times for each team to practice,” Gavin said. “It’s different, but at least we here.”

Iowa’s, Spencer Lee (125) and Michael Kemerer (174), both Franklin Regional graduates, are seeded No. 1. Lee is a two-time NCAA champion and three-time All-American.