Northwestern maintained its perfect record for duals with three wins at the University of Pittsburgh on Sunday.
The most anticipated event at the Pittsburgh Duals was No. 21 NU’s face-off with No. 20 Pittsburgh, due to the teams’ high rankings in the latest NWCA/USA Today poll. The match-up was the closest of the meet.
Even without the efforts of redshirt sophomore Brian Roddy Jr. (174) and redshirt junior John Schoen (197), two usual starters, the Cats (13-0, 1-0 Big Ten) were able to fend off a late rally by the Panthers. NU coach Drew Pariano said the pair was “a little dinged up” and that he hopes they will be ready for Friday’s match against No. 10 Illinois (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten).
He said the dual against Pittsburgh particularly showcased the Wildcats’ resolve, physical and otherwise.
“The competition keeps getting better,” Pariano said. “We showed how mentally tough our team is.”
Redshirt senior Brandon Precin (125), who is the top-ranked wrestler in the nation in his weight class, easily defeated Anthony Zanetta 8-1, to start off the dual and gave NU a 3-0 lead.
The lead stretched to 7-0 when sophomore Levi Mele (133) won his match 10-1 by way of a major decision. Pittsburgh got on the board in the 141-pound division with a 9-2 victory over freshman Kaleb Friedley.
Redshirt senior Andrew Nadhir easily cruised through his 149-pound match, beating Dane Johnson 20-7, to put the Cats up 11-3. Redshirt sophomore Jason Welch (157) then beat Donnie Tasser 5-2, avenging his loss in the Midlands Championships and giving NU its largest lead of the dual at 14-3.
The Panthers stormed back, winning four of the last five matches including a narrow 8-6 victory in the 174-pound division over redshirt junior Robert Kellogg. The lone Wildcat winner in the last five matches was sophomore Marcus Shrewsbury(184), who wrestled up a division at 197 pounds.
“I am unbelievably proud of Marcus,” Pariano said. “He showed our guys that there is something to work for in practice. He pretty much sealed Pitt’s fate.”
The 17-15 victory was just the second time this season that NU let an opponent score double-digit points.
Earlier Pittsburgh Duals were completely smooth sailing for the Cats.
They easily defeated Millersville 42-6, with NU’s only loss coming in the 174-pound weight division when Kellogg was pinned 37 seconds into his match against Shane Smith.
The momentum continued with a 44-3 win over Drexel, during which NU’s only defeat was again in the 174-pound weight division when Kellogg lost 4-1 in his match against Justin Wieller.
The Cats will host No. 10 Illinois on Friday in their second Big Ten dual of the season.
