ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy wrestling team (0-1) opened its 2025-26 season with a 20-12 loss to 21st-ranked Pittsburgh (1-0) on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Hall in Annapolis. The Midshipmen earned four bout victories and picked up three ranked wins to show early promise.
 
"The freshmen looked good today," said Navy head coach Cary Kolat. "We told them before they wrestled not to change anything. We recruited them for a reason, and they came in with good stuff. They were solid out there and looked like veterans. The whole dual was about matchups. There wasn't a bout that wasn't going to be a back-and-forth fight. It came down to momentum and they captured it in the center. The dual got away from us, but it was great to see our heavyweight go out there and give us a boost heading into the Navy Classic tomorrow."
 
Freshman Andrew Binni started the dual by winning a 4-1 decision over Tyler Chappell at 125 pounds. Binni broke a scoreless tie with an escape in the second period and sealed his first collegiate win with a late takedown in the final stanza.
 
Pitt tied the match at 133 pounds when Evan Tallmadge edged Brendan Ferretti, 6-3 in sudden victory.   Navy briefly regained momentum at 141 pounds behind freshman Caedyn Ricciardi, who dominated 32nd-ranked Briar Priest, 10-3. Ricciardi pushed the pace throughout and extended Navy's early lead to 6-3.
 
The Panthers then won three-straight bouts from 149 through 165 to take control of the dual at 14-6.  That stretch included an overtime win at 157 and a major decision at 165.
 
Fifth-ranked Danny Wask delivered one of the biggest moments in a highly-anticipated matchup at 174 pounds. Down late against 15th-ranked Luca Augustine, Wask scored a takedown in the final seconds of the match and walked away with 6-5 win to cut Pitt's lead to 14-9.
 
"He (Wask) never quits wrestling and that's what we talked about.  If there's time on the clock, you keep wrestling," remarked Kolat.
 
The Panthers added another win at 184 pounds as Chase Kranitz edged Daniel Williams, 4-2, with a third-period takedown. Pitt also claimed the 197-pound bout when All-American and fifth-ranked Mac Stout defeated 24th-ranked Payton Thomas, 5-2.
 
Heavyweight Spencer Lanosga, ranked 29th in his weight class, closed the dual with a 5-0 shutout over seventh-ranked Dayton Pitzer. The freshman earned a reversal in the second period and added a takedown in the final seconds in the third period for Navy's third win against a ranked opponent.
 
Up Next
Navy will be back in action Sunday when it plays host to the 47th annual Navy Classic at the Wesley A. Brown Field House in Annapolis. The 10-team tournament is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
 
 
Navy-Pitt Match Results
125: Andrew Binni (NAVY) dec. Tyler Chappell, 4-1 // Navy 3, Pitt 0
133: Evan Tallmadge dec. Brendan Ferretti (NAVY), 6-3 SV-1 // Navy 3, Pitt 3
141: Caedyn Ricciardi (NAVY) dec. #32 Briar Priest, 10-3 // Navy 6, Pitt 3
149: #17 Kade Brown major Kaemen Smith (NAVY), 17-3 // Pitt 7, Navy 6
157: Vince Bouzakis dec. Jonathan Ley (NAVY), 4-2 TB-2 // Pitt 10, Navy 6
165: #21 Dylan Evans major #28 Dylan Elmore (NAVY), 9-1 // Pitt 14, Navy 6
174: #5 Danny Wask (NAVY) dec. #15 Luca Augustine, 6-5 // Pitt 14, Navy 9
184: Chase Kranitz dec. Daniel Williams (NAVY), 4-2 // Pitt 17, Navy 9
197: #5 Mac Stout dec. #24 Payton Thomas (NAVY), 5-2 // Pitt 20, Navy 9
285: #29 Spencer Lanosga (NAVY) dec. #7 Dayton Pitzer, 5-0 // Pitt 20, Navy 12
Attendance: 287