PITTSBURGH – After facing tough competition at the Mat Town USA Invitational at the tail end of 2011, the Keydets of VMI will face heavy competition this Saturday as the squad heads to Pittsburgh as one of five teams in the 2012 Pitt Duals, hosted by the University of Pittsburgh.

The action is set to begin at 9 a.m. in the Panthers' home arena, Fitzgerald Field House. Joining the Keydets and Pittsburgh will be Columbia, Eastern Michigan and Princeton. The host Panthers are ranked No. 10 in the most recent NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, while several participating schools have individuals ranked, according to InterMatWrestling.com.

VMI will see three teams that have been at the same tournaments in 2011-12. At the Mat Town USA Invitational, several Keydets wrestled against opponents from Pittsburgh and Columbia, while VMI grapplers also ran into Princeton at the Keystone Classic in November.

Saturday will mark the seventh meeting all-time with Princeton since the Institute first offered scholarships for wrestling during the 1978-79 season. VMI holds a narrow 3-2-1 record against the Tigers. This will be the first time VMI has grappled with Princeton since Dec. 5, 2009.

The Keydets have squared off with Pittsburgh on two previous occasions, with the Panthers holding a 2-0 record against the Keydets. Saturday will end a 10-season hiatus between VMI and Pittsburgh, who last faced each other on Nov. 19, 2001 in Pittsburgh.

As a team, the Keydets will face Columbia and Eastern Michigan for the first time in a dual match.

So far in 2011-12, VMI wrestlers have squared off with Columbia grapplers six times, Pittsburgh four times and Princeton twice. The Keydets hold an unblemished record against Princeton wrestlers, with Carry Joseph (165 pounds) and Matthew Brock (174 pounds) each going 1-0 against Tigers at the Keystone Classic.  

Brock is the team's leader in the wins column, tallying 15 already this season, a mark just three shy of his career high for a season (18). Brock could potentially reach that mark this Saturday. Of his 15 wins this year, Brock has employed his grind-it-out style of wrestling, earning nine decisions by three points or less. Brock has win three matches by fall and none by major decision or technical fall.

The Keydets' other double-figure match winner is heavyweight Andrew Embree, who has logged 11 victories this season. Embree is coming off of a fifth-place finish at the Mat Town USA Invitational, with all five of his matches ending in decision.