ACC Wrestling Release
https://theacc.co/38gJTsd

NWCA Rankings
https://theacc.co/3TDZtTi

InterMat Rankings
https://intermatwrestle.com/rankings/college

• The ACC wrestling schedule continues to be lighter with final exam periods at most schools following the Thanksgiving break, but the conference's two top-10 ranked teams -- No. 8 NC State and No. 10 Virginia Tech -- are both slated to get back into action at the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, which gets underway Friday.

• NC State will send eight wrestlers and Virginia Tech will enter seven competitors in the 40th annual Las Vegas tournament that is slated to feature 33 teams – nine in the top-25, and a total of 108 ranked wrestlers – 45 in the top-10, with at least nine ranked competitors in each weight class.

• Virginia has a pair of road matches set at Queens (Friday night) and at Campbell (Sunday afternoon). Pitt is at Illinois on Saturday afternoon, while Duke travels to VMI on Sunday for a road match versus the Keydets and a neutral-mat bout against Franklin & Marshall.

• A season-high 35 ACC wrestlers are ranked among the top 33 in their respective weight classes by InterMat its Nov. 29 release. Pitt also continues to boast the ACC’s current lone No. 1-ranked wrestler in Clay Matthews (141). Virginia Tech's Mekhi Lewis continues to hold the No. 2 spot at 174, and NC State's Trent Hidlay in No. 3 at 184.  The 157-pound  rankings feature three ACC wrestlers among the top nine, led by Virginia Tech's No. 5 Bryce Andonian, last season's ACC runner-up at 149 pounds.

• As Duke resumes action Sunday, senior Jonah Niesenbaum will seek to maintain his momentum following his individual heavyweight title at the Keystone Classic on Nov. 20. Seeded third in the heavyweight bracket, Niesenbaum claimed his first two wins over nationally-ranked opponents after defeating No. 22 Benjamin Goldin (Penn) in the semifinals and No. 19 Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech) in the championship bout.


ACC Wrestler of the Week
Pitt redshirt sophomore James Lledo (above)
was named the ACC Wrestler of the Week for November 28.

Lledo pinned his way to an individual title at Lock Haven’s Mat Town Open on Sunday, winning each of his four matches with maximum bonus points. Lledo pinned wrestlers from Virginia, Lock Haven and Binghamton before picking up a forfeit win to secure the tournament title at 184 pounds. 

A past winner of Pitt’s team “Mayor of Pinzburgh” award for leading the Panthers in pins for a season, the Lower Merion, Pennsylvania native showcased his ability to earn falls once again.

Recent Results, Schedule
Friday, Nov. 18
NC State 26, Central Michigan 12
Maryland 18, Pitt 16
NC State 27, Illinois 12

Saturday, Nov. 19
North Carolina at Life U Open - NTS
Pitt 22, Lehigh 12

Sunday, Nov. 20
Duke at Keystone Classic - 9th (38.5)
Virginia Tech at Keystone Classic -1st (174.5)
Ohio State 33, North Carolina 9
Northwestern 20, Virginia 13

Friday, Dec. 2
NC State at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational
Virginia Tech at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational
Virginia at Queens, 7 p.m.
 
Saturday, Dec. 3
Pitt at Illinois, 4 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 4
Duke at VMI, 1 p.m.
Duke vs. Franklin & Marshall (Lexington, Va.), 3 p.m.
Virginia at Campbell, 4 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 9
Pitt at Brown, 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 11
Pitt at Columbia, Noon
Missouri at Virginia Tech, 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 15
Appalachian State at North Carolina, 7 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 18
Virginia Tech vs. Lindenwood (Palo Alto, Calif).
Virginia Tech at Stanford, 6 p.m.