2 Pitt wrestlers, 2 Franklin Regional grads advance to NCAA finals

Mar. 20—A pair of Franklin Regional graduates and a pair of Pitt teammates from WPIAL schools will wrestle for national championships Saturday night.

Spencer Lee and Michael Kemerer, both top seeds for Iowa, and Panthers wrestlers Jake Wentzel from South Park and Nino Bonaccorsi from Bethel Park won their semifinal matches at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Friday night in St. Louis.

Lee will be going for his third NCAA title while Kemerer is seeking his first. Iowa leads the team race with 109 points, ahead of second place Penn State (94.5).

Wentzel and Bonaccorsi will look to become Pitt's 12th national champion and first since the team's current coach, Keith Gavin, won an NCAA title in 2008.

Lee dominated Central Michigan's Drew Hildebrandt, 11-0, in the 125-pound semifinals. He used his trademark tilt to build a big early lead. He has won 34 consecutive matches and has recorded bonus points for his team in each of his 11 matches this season.

Lee will meet third-seeded Brandon Courtney of Arizona State in Saturday night's finals.

Kemerer rolled past Cal Poly's Bernie Truax on Friday night, 8-1. He has been dominating opponents at 174 pounds throughout the tournament, winning by a combined score of 61-13. He will meet Penn State's Carter Starocci in the finals.

Wentzel and Bonaccorsi, both ACC champions this season, reached the finals by defeating fellow WPIAL wrestlers.

Wentzel beat Ohio State's Ethan Smith, a Latrobe native, 4-2 in the 165-pound semis. On Saturday night, he'll meet Stanford's Shane Griffith, a 9-2 semifinal winner over Belle Vernon grad Zach Hartman of Bucknell.

Bonaccorsi defeated North Allegheny grad Jake Woodley of Oklahoma, 4-1, in the 197-pound finals. He'll meet Oklahoma State freshman AJ Ferrari in the finals.

Pitt will have two wrestlers in the finals for the first time since 1963. That year, Mike Johnson finished as runner-up at 123 pounds and Jim Harrison won an NCAA title at 167.

Woodley, the 26th seed, reached the semifinals and clinched All-American status with an 8-3 win over Penn State's Michael Beard in the quarterfinals. Smith knocked off second-seeded Anthony Valencia of Arizona State, 13-4.

Derry grad Micky Phillippi from Pitt dropped a 13-5 quarterfinal decision to Iowa's Austin DeSanto at 133.

Reaching the finals for Penn State were Starocci, Aaron Brooks (184), Nick Lee (141) and Roman Bravo-Young (133).

Friday's results for local wrestlers:

Friday's semifinals

125: Spencer Lee (Iowa/Franklin Regional) major dec. Drew Hildebrandt (Central Michigan), 11-0

133: Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) dec. Korbin Myers (Virginia Tech), 5-3

141: Nick Lee (Penn State) dec. Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers), 9-3

165: Jake Wentzel (Pitt/South Park) dec. Ethan Smith (Ohio State/Latrobe), 4-2; Shane Griffith (Stanford) dec. Zach Hartman (Bucknell/Belle Vernon), 9-2

174: Michael Kemerer (Iowa/Franklin Regional) dec. Bernie Truax (California Poly), 8-1; Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec. Demetrius Romero (Utah Valley), 2-0

184: Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec. Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa), 6-4

197: Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt/Bethel Park) dec. Jake Woodley (Oklahoma/North Allegheny), 4-1

Friday's quarterfinals

125: Spencer Lee (Iowa/Franklin Regional) major dec. Devin Schroder (Purdue), 10-2.

133: Austin DeSanto (Iowa) major dec. Micky Phillippi (Pitt/Derry Area), 13-5; Korbin Myers (Virginia Tech) dec. Matthew Schmidt (Missouri/Morgantown, WV), 1-0; Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) dec. Louis Hayes (Virginia), 4-1.

141: Nick Lee (Penn State) major dec. Zachary Sherman (North Carolina), 11-3.

149: Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State) dec. Max Murin (Iowa/Center Cambria), 6-4.

157: Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider) default over Brady Berge (Penn State).

165: Ethan Smith (Ohio State/Latrobe) major dec. Anthony Valencia (Arizona State), 13-4; Zach Hartman (Bucknell/Belle Vernon) won by medical default over Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech); Jake Wentzel (Pitt/South Park) dec. Keegan O'Toole (Missouri), 9-6.

174: Michael Kemerer (Iowa/Franklin Regional) major dec. Daniel Bullard (North Carolina State), 13-4; Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec. Andrew McNally (Kent State), 6-3.

184: Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec. Taylor Venz (Nebraska), 9-4.

197: Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt/Bethel Park) dec. Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State), 4-1; Jake Woodley (Oklahoma/North Allegheny dec. Michael Beard (Penn State), 9-4.

285: Gable Steveson (Minnesota) dec. Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State), 9-4.

Consolation round of 16 (No. 2)

125: Robert Howard (Penn State) dec. Fabian Gutierrez (Chattanooga), 9-7; Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) dec. Noah Surtin (Missouri), 9-4.

133: Chance Rich (Cal State Bakersfield) dec. Ryan Sullivan (West Virginia/Shaler), 4-3.

141: Parker Filius (Purdue) dec. Cole Matthews (Pitt/Reynolds), 6-3.

157: Kaleb Young (Iowa/Punzsutawney) dec. Benjamin Barton (Campbell), 8-2.

165: Gerrit Nijenhuis (Purdue/Canon-McMillan) dec. Tanner Skidgel (Navy), 7-4.

174: Austin Murphy (Campbell) pinned Jacob Oliver (Edinboro), 6:40.

197: Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) dec. Greg Bulsak (Clarion/South Park), 6-3; Thomas Penola (Purdue) dec. Max Shaw (North Carolina/Thomas Jefferson), 6-1.

Round of 8 (No. 1)

125: Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) dec. Rayvon Foley (Michigan State), 5-1; Patrick McKee (Minnesota) pinned Robert Howard (Penn State), 2:04.

157: Kaleb Young (Iowa/Punxsutawney) dec. Hunter Willits (Oregon State), 5-1.

165: Peyton Hall (West Virginia) dec. Gerrit Nijenhuis (Purdue/Canon-McMillan), 3-1 (SV).

Round of 8 (No. 2)

125: Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) dec. Jakob Camacho (NC State), 6-5 (TB2)

133: Lucas Byrd (Illinois) dec. Micky Phillippi (Pitt/Derry), 6-2 TB1

157: Kaleb Young (Iowa/Punxsutawney) maj. dec. Jacob Wright (Wyoming), 10-2; Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State) forfeit Brady Berge (Penn State)

165: Anthony Valencia (Arizona State) major dec. Peyton Hall (West Virginia), 13-4

197: Michael Beard (Penn State) major dec. Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State), 9-1

285: Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) major dec. Austin Harris (Oklahoma State), 13-5

Round of 4

125: Sam Latona (Virginia Tech) dec. Killian Cardinale (West Virginia), 4-3

157: Brayton Lee (Minnesota) dec. Kaleb Young (Iowa/Punxsutawney), 3-2

197: Rocky Elam (Missouri) dec. Michael Beard (Penn State), 5-0

285: Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) dec. Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State), 14-8

Paul Schofield is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul by email at pschofield@triblive.com or via Twitter .