The Pitt wrestling program is in mourning after former wrestler Mikey Racciato died Friday at age 26.
Racciato, a native of Pen Argyl, competed for the Panthers from 2013-17, going 64-38, and winning an ACC championship at 149 pounds as a sophomore in 2015. He was a two-time NCAA Championships qualifier.
A cause of death has not been revealed.
“We are all saddened to hear this terrible news,” Pitt wrestling head coach Keith Gavin said in a statement. “We offer our condolences to the Racciato family and Mikey’s friends. Although I did not have the privilege of coaching Mikey, I know he was loved by his teammates, coaches and fans during his time here. He certainly made an impact and will be dearly missed.”
Pitt wrestling assistant coach Drew Headlee coached Racciato for several seasons at Pitt.
“Mikey’s personality lit up the room,” he said. “He always knew how to make everyone laugh. On the mat, he was dangerous from every position, so you could never count him out of any match.”
At Pen Argyl, Racciato compiled a 184-8 record and won three PIAA titles.
He became a starter at Pitt as a true freshman and had several memorable victories, including his ACC championship win over North Carolina’s Christian Barber.
He also pinned Penn State All-American James English in a dual, and his pin against Oklahoma State’s NCAA finalist, Josh Kinding, led Pitt to an upset victory in a dual in 2014. It was one of the Panthers’ biggest dual-meet upsets in program history.
