Nino Bonaccorsi wins Pitt’s 1st NCAA wrestling title in 15 years; Penn State wins team race

Tribune-Review | Saturday, March 18, 2023 9:59 p.m.

Pittsburgh’s Nino Bonaccorsi attempts to take down Rider’s Ethan Laird during the semifinal at the NCAA wrestling championships Friday night.

Nino Bonaccorsi, a 197-pound Bethel Park graduate, became Pitt’s first NCAA wrestling champion in 15 years Saturday night, and he didn’t have to wait long to receive congratulations from the last Panther to achieve that honor.

Bonaccorsi defeated South Dakota State’s Tanner Sloan, 5-3, to become Pitt’s 17th national champion. The last Pitt wrestler to win a national title was Keith Gavin, the team’s current head coach, in 2008.

Penn State, meanwhile, locked up first place in the team race before Saturday night’s finals even started, winning the program’s 10th national championship in the last 12 years. Carter Starocci (174) and Aaron Brooks (184) won national titles for the Nittany Lions.

Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihalis became the fifth wrestler to win four NCAA titles. Diakomihalis beat Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso, 4-2, to win the 149-pound crown and join Oklahoma State’s Pat Smith, Iowa State’s Cael Sanderson, Cornell’s Kyle Dake and Ohio State Logan Stieber in the NCAA record books.

Bonaccorsi, meanwhile, fell behind 3-0 in the finals after being taken down in the first period but methodically worked his way back for a 5-3 win. He had a takedown and rideout in the second period and another takedown in the third. At 21-0, he became the eighth Pitt wrestler to finish a season undefeated.

“This is so surreal,” said Bonaccorsi. “I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was a kid. I just kept wrestling. I knew it was going to be ugly, but I came away with the victory. Coach Gavin knew how much I wanted this. We put so much work into this – physically, mentally, everything. I couldn’t have done it without him. I can’t believe it. This is amazing.”

Starocci and Brooks each won their third title. Starocci dominated Nebraska’s Mikey Labriola, winning by first-period pin. Brooks handled top seed Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa, 7-2.

Penn State had three other wrestlers lose in the finals.

Roman Bravo-Young suffered a 10-4 upset loss to Cornell’s Vito Arujau in the 133-pound finals, heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet lost 5-1 to No. 1 Mason Parris of Michigan, and No. 1 Austin O’Connor of North Carolina beat freshman Levi Haines, 6-2, at 157.

Penn State finished with 137.5 points — 55 more than second-place Iowa — to run away with its 10th team title since Sanderson took over as coach in the 2009-2010 season. Cornell finished third with 76.5, Ohio State was fourth with 70.5, six ahead of fifth-place Missouri.

Purdue’s Matt Ramos, who shook the wrestling world with an upset of Iowa’s Spencer Lee in the semifinals Friday night, lost 4-1 to Princeton’s Patrick Glory in the 125-pound finals.