Completed Event: Wrestling versus NCAA Championships on March 19, 2026 , , NTS
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Final
Wrestling
vs NCAA Championships
Blue Devils Make Final Road Trip to Pitt
2/14/2019 6:36:00 PM | Wrestling
Match 10
Duke (2-7, 0-3) at No. 15 Pittsburgh (11-3, 1-2)
February 15, 2019 | 7 p.m.
Fitzgerald Field House | Pittsburgh, Pa.
ACC Network Extra | Twitter | Match Notes
Duke Blue Devils
2018-19 record (ACC): 2-7 (0-3)
Head Coach: Glen Lanham (Oklahoma State '88)
Duke Lineup
| Wt. | Rk. | Name | Yr. | Record |
| 125 | - | Arien Leigh | Fr. | 0-2 |
| 133 | - | Open | ||
| 141 | - | Josh Finesilver | So. | 17-10 |
| 149 | - | Eric Carter | R-Fr. | 1-2 |
| 157 | - | Benjamin Anderson | R-Fr. | 5-8 |
| 165 | - | Zach Finesilver | R-Sr. | 14-7 |
| 174 | 16 | Matt Finesilver | So. | 21-6 |
| 184 | - | Kaden Russell | So. | 17-10 |
| 197 | - | Alec Schenk | R-Sr. | 4-7 |
| 285 | - | Araad Fisher | Sr. | 1-10 |
* Rankings are InterMat (2/12)
Pittsburgh Panthers
2018-19 record (ACC): 11-3 (1-2)
USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll: 15
Head Coach: Keith Gavin (Pittsburgh '08)
Pitt Lineup
| Wt. | Rk. | Name | Yr. | Record |
| 125 | Brendon Fenton | Fr. | 6-11 | |
| 133 | 5 | Micky Phillipi | R-Fr. | 15-2 |
| 141 | LJ Bentley | Sr. | 14-7 | |
| 149 | Robert Lee | Sr. | 10-10 | |
| 157 | 11 | Taleb Rahmani | R-Jr. | 13-5 |
| 165 | Tommy O'Brien | So. | 1-2 | |
| 174 | Gregg Harvey | F-So. | 10-7 | |
| 184 | 10 | Nino Bonaccorsi | R-Fr. | 16-5 |
| 197 | 20 | Kellan Stout | R-Jr. | 12-4 |
| HWT | 16 | Demetrius Thomas | Jr. | 22-3 |
* Rankings are InterMat (2/12)
Duke by the Numbers
87 – Career wins for Mitch Finesilver, three shy of becoming the 11th Blue Devil to record 90 victories
1 – Rematch from the 2018 dual with Pittsburgh - Duke's Alec Schenk vs. Kellan Stout
8 – Match win streak for Mitch Finesilver
25 – Wins this season for Mitch Finesilver, just four shy of his career-best 29 in 2015-16
17 – Wins for sophomore Kaden Russell, 10 more than he had in his rookie campaign
4 – Blue Devils ranked in the first installment of the NCAA Coaches' Panel rankings
7 – Panthers ranked in the top 32 of the first set of coaches' rankings
3 – More wins needed for Mitch Finesilver to move into a tie for 10th on Duke's career wins list
21 – NCAA qualifiers under head coach Glen Lanham since he took over the reins in 2012
45 – Blue Devil NCAA qualifiers from 1955-2011
NCAA Coaches Rankings No. 2 and 1st RPI Release
- Six Blue Devils are peppered throughout the second edition of the NCAA Coaches' rankings and the first release of the RPI. All four Finesilvers remain ranked, while Kaden Russell and Alec Schenk join the group.
| Wrestler | Wt. | Coaches' | RPI |
| Mitch Finesilver | 149 | 6 | 4 |
| Matt Finesilver | 174 | 14 | 8 |
| Zach Finesilver | 165 | 24 | 15 |
| Josh Finesilver | 141 | 29 | 19 |
| Kaden Russell | 184 | 33 | 30 |
| Alec Schenk | 197 | 31 |
Series History
- Duke and Pittsburgh are meeting for just the sixth time and for the first time in Pittsburgh. The Panthers have won all five previous matches, including last year's 23-10 dual in Durham.
- The Blue Devils came close to upending the Panthers in 2015 and 2016, falling by five and four points, respectively.
Last Time Out
- Duke sophomore Kaden Russell garnered his biggest win of the season with a second-period pin in a hard-fought 26-17 setback for the Blue Devils at Virginia last Saturday. The Blue Devils were within two points heading into the final two bouts, but again came up just a win short.
- Also winning for the Blue Devils were Josh Finesilver, Mitch Finesilver and Matt Finesilver. The win for Russell was his first over a ranked opponent with Schany coming in at No. 19 in the coaches' rankings.
In Common
- Duke and Pitt share just two common opponents in ACC foes NC State and Virginia Tech.
| Opponent | Duke | Pitt |
| Virginia Tech | L, 3-40 | L, 6-27 |
| Gardner-Webb | W, 36-9 | W, 38-4 |
| NC State | L, 12-30 | W, 18-16 |
Last Time We Met
- Jacob Kasper picked up his 30th win of the season and the 99th of his career as the Blue Devils fell to Pittsburgh, 23-10, in Cameron Indoor Stadium last season. Kasper avenged his regular season loss to Pittsburgh heavyweight Ryan Solomon with a 5-1 decision.
- Mitch Finesilver and Matt Finesilver also won for the Blue Devils, scoring a decision and major decision.
Looking at Duke
- Duke makes its final regular season road trip of the season this week when it travels to Pittsburgh. The Blue Devils look to continue their solid preparation for the ACC and NCAA Championships.
- Sixth-ranked Mitch Finesilver paces the Blue Devils with a 25-3 overall record and remains unbeaten in duals. Matt Finesilver is ranked 16th week and sports a 21-6 mark. He has just one dual loss to No. 7 David McFadden of Virginia Tech, a 6-2 decision. Zach Finesilver, after missing the early portion of the campaign to an off-season injury, is 4-5 in his duals. Josh Finesilver (141) is 5-4 in duals, 17-10 overall and aims to pick up a win over a tough LJ Bentley.
- At 157 pounds, Benjamin Anderson has provided a few solid performances after placing eighth at the Southern Scuffle. He is 2-5 in his seven duals. At the Southern Scuffle he upset the No. 6 seed to start the tournament and advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to eventual finalist Bo Pipher of Penn State. It was his first tournament in a Duke singlet. He is 5-8 overall on the year and looks to stop his three-match losing streak.
- At 184 pounds, Kaden Russell has taken big strides and is 17-10 on the year and is coming off of a huge result against Virginia's Will Schany last weekend. His 17 wins are 10 more than he had all of last season.
About Pittsburgh
- Pittsburgh returns home after a 3-0 weekend in North Carolina, which included an 18-16 upset of NC State in Raleigh. The Panthers are 11-3 overall and ranked 15th this week.
- Five Panthers are ranked in the top 20 this week and two in the top 10. At 133 pounds, Micky Phillipi sports a 15-2 record and is ranked fifth nationally. Heavyweight Demetrius Thomas has a team-best 22 wins and comes in at No. 16. Nino Bonaccorsi, ranked 10th, is 16-5 at 184 and Taleb Rahmani is 13-5 with a No. 11 ranking in the 157-pound division. At 197, Kellan Stout rounds out the top 20 Panthers at No. 20 with a 13-4 mark.
- Seven Panthers are represented across the 10 weight classes in the first NCAA Coaches' rankings.
| Name | Wt. | Rank |
| George Phillipi | 133 | 2 |
| LJ Bentley | 141 | 27 |
| Taleb Rahmani | 157 | 13 |
| Jake Wentzel | 165 | 28 |
| Nino Bonaccorsi | 184 | 12 |
| Kellan Stout | 197 | 28 |
| Demetrius Thomas | 285 | 8 |
Matches to Watch
- Saturday's dual features just one rematch from the 2018 dual. Alec Schenk is set to go up against Kellan Stout. The Pittsburgh 197-pounder edged Schenk by a 4-2 decision despite Schenk's final attacks in the third period.
Yr. Wt. Matchup Result
17-18 197 Schenk vs. Stout Pitt, W, Dec., 4-2
- Zach Finesilver, ranked 25th in the coaches' rankings, will face another tough opponent against Jake Wentzel who is ranked 28th by the coaches. Kaden Russell also has another great chance to score points against No. 10 Nick Bonaccorsi after he upended No. 20 Will Schany last weekend.
- At 141, Josh Finesilver faces another strong ACC foe with LJ Bentley being ranked 27th in the coaches' ranking. Benjamin Anderson has a tall task against 11th-ranked Taleb Rahmani at 157.
Up Next
- Duke returns home for the final dual of the regular season against rival North Carolina. The Blue Devils and Tar Heels battle it out on the mat, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.
#GoDuke
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