In a match that came down to criteria No. 3, Pitt outscored No. 7 Lehigh in total points and came away with a 19-18 upset victory in a wrestling match Sunday.
Panther heavyweight Demetrius Thomas defeated Jordan Wood, 10-6, in the final bout to tie the score at 18-18.
Both teams each won five bouts, but Pitt held a 39-34 edge in total points.
No. 12 Pitt (2-1) got a pin from Taleb Rahmani at 157 pounds and victories from Micky Phillippi (Derry) at 133, Jake Wentzel (South Park) at 165 and Nino Bonaccorsi (Bethel Park) at 184.
It was the second consecutive loss for Lehigh, which fell to Princeton on Saturday. The Mountain Hawks opened the season by defeating Oklahoma State.
“It was a hard-fought win today,” Pitt coach Keith Gavin said in a news release. “It wasn’t perfect and definitely didn’t go the way we thought it would, but we just kept wrestling and found a way to win against a tough team. Taleb (Rahmani) and Meech (Thomas) stepped up big for us today.”
Pitt’s next match is Dec. 5 against West Virginia in Morgantown.
