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After missing the start of the season to injury, Pitt's Tyler Wilps is back and making an impact.
The senior is a perfect 5-0 in dual bouts and last week, he knocked off Virginia's Blaise Butler, for (somewhat surprisingly) the first win over a Top 5 opponent in his career. That was only Blaise's second loss on the year and the victory helped name Wilps as the ACC's Wrestler of the Week. Max Thomusseit and Dom Forys both won the award for the Panthers this season as well.
The win also propelled Wilps into the Top 5 in some rankings and he is now a consensus Top 6 wrestler in his weight class among the major rankings
Troy Reaghard, had done well in his stead, posting a 4-2 record while he was out. Getting Wilps back, however, has been huge not only in terms of the perfect record, but also the threat for additional points that he brings as I mentioned in a recent article. So far, that's proving out to be true.
Reaghard had only earned extra points from one major decision win this season. Wilps, meanwhile, already has recorded three pins and a major decision win. When he's out there, not only does he usually win, but he often can earn extra points for the team.
Thus far, Wilps has been doing his job and continues to win. It's not unexpected considering he was an All-American last year, but the 5-0 duals record (9-2 overall) and the convincing win over Butler last week are great to see after being out for the early part of the year.
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