Rutgers' Russo Falls Just Short of All-American Status at NCAA Championships

OMAHA, Neb. (March 19, 2010) - Redshirt junior heavyweight Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.) of the No. 22 Rutgers wrestling fell one win short of being an All-American on day two of the 80th NCAA Championships at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb. on Friday.

133-pound junior Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.), 125-pound freshman Joseph Langel (Howell, N.J.) and 174-pound redshirt sophomore Daniel Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) also competed in the consolation bracket on Friday.

Russo earned two pin falls early Friday morning for the right to compete for All-American status. In his first match of the day, Russo eliminated Virginia’s John Danilkowicz in a 6:18 time frame. In round four of the consolation bracket, the RU heavyweight took down Edinboro’s Christopher Birchler with a 5:21 pin.

10th-seeded Russo battled defending NCAA Champion and ninth-seeded Mark Ellis of Missouri for the right to be named an All-American. The two battled to a 2-2 tie after three periods to send the match into sudden-victory over time. Ellis earned a takedown in overtime to earn a 4-2 victory and prevent Russo from becoming the first RU All-American since Tom Tanis in 2002.

“We had a great first round and I thought our guys wrestled hard at this tournament,” said Rutgers assistant coach John Leonardis. “We had some guys score some points for us with some pin falls today.

“DJ scored two falls today and he wrestled the defending national champion and lost a heartbreaker by going out in sudden victory. We are real proud of his effort and I know it is a tough way to go out for him. I am sure he knows exactly what he has to do next year to reach All-American or National Champion status.”

Ashnault pinned Penn’s Bryan Ortenzio in a 5:47 fall but was eliminated by another EIWA grappler Matthew Fisk of Lehigh by a 5-1 decision.

Langel was eliminated by Ross Gitomer of Virginia in a 3-2 decision.

Fifth-seeded Scott Glaser of Minnesota knocked out Rinaldi by a 5-4 decision.

“At the beginning of this season we had Lamar Brown, DJ and Scott Winston as the only returning guys with national experience,” said Leonardis. “Now with what our guys experienced and gained this week, they know how intense it is especially tonight with the round of 12 – the make-or-break round. I am hoping our guys take some confidence from this into next season. With losing Brown and Winston returning, we will have seven NCAA wrestlers next year.

“Our whole staff is proud of our guys and the effort they gave this season. We are still not where we want to be but this NCAA experience was invaluable.”

Seven Rutgers Wrestlers to Participate in NCAA Championships

Seven RU NCAA participants are the most since 1960

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (March 10, 2010) - The No. 22 Rutgers wrestling team's historic season continued Wednesday night when four Scarlet Knights were announced as at-large selections for the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The four wild cards gives Rutgers a total of seven NCAA participants this season, the most for RU since it sent eight in 1960.

The NCAA Championships will take place March 18-20 at the Qwest Center Omaha in Omaha, Neb.

Redshirt junior heavyweight Dominick Russo's (Netcong, N.J.), 125-pound redshirt freshman Joseph Langel (Howell, N.J.) and 157-pound redshirt junior Daryl Cocozzo (River Edge, N.J.) qualified for the tournament at the 106th EIWA Championships last weekend.

133-pound junior Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.), 197-pound redshirt senior Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J), 141-pound sophomore Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) and 174-pound redshirt sophomore Daniel Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) earned at-large bids.

Ashnault. Brown, Cocozzo and Russo are making their second trip to the NCAA Championships, with the other three earning their first appearance. Russo competed last season and Ashnault, Brown and Cocozzo participated in the 2008 tournament, but Ashnault attended Lock Haven and Cocozzo was enrolled at Edinboro Universoty at the time.

At the conference championships last weekend, the Scarlet Knights finished sixth with 87 points and earned eight place winners.

Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale has now led 12 student-athletes to the NCAA Tournament as Matt Pletcher, Russo and Scott Winston (Jackson, N.J.) earned NCAA invites last season and Brown and Steve Adamcsik participated in the 2008 Championships.

"This is another big step for our program," said Goodale. "It's a reward for the season we had and for the really tough schedule we faced. The system is setup to reward you for the competition you faced and your success against them. This is a pretty big accomplish but now we focus on the next step and that is winning matches in Omaha. To continue our vision and progress we have to go out there and win some big matches. That is our focus right now."

Russo is the only Scarlet Knight to be seeded in his bracket as he earned the 10th-seed and will face Edinboro's redshirt senior Christopher Birchler in the first round. Russo placed second at the EIWA Championships and enters the NCAAs with a 29-6 record and 16 pin fall victories.

Langel earned his NCAA bid by placing third at the EIWA Championships. He will square off with freshman Cashé Quiroga of Purdue. The RU redshirt freshman owns a team-best 30 victories this season against only eight losses. Langel has earned nine major decisions this season.

Cocozzzo's fourth-place EIWA finish booked his ticket to the NCAA Tournament. He will face Indiana's redshirt junior Kurt Kinser.

Cocozzo was inserted in the Rutgers dual lineup in January after sitting out the fall due to NCAA transfer guidelines. The RU newcomer dominated the competition by posting a 12-1 record in dual action. Cocozzo owns an overall record of 16-9 this season.

Brown will look to end his Rutgers career on a high note after a disappointing fifth-place finish at the EIWAs. He will battle CSU Baker's redshirt junior Riley Orozco in the first round. The fifth-year Scarlet Knight enters the NCAAs with a 25-9 record, including an 11-3 mark in tournament action.

Rinaldi will be making his NCAA debut against sophomore Ryan DesRoches of Cal Poly. Rinaldi notched a 29-10 record this season highlighted by nine major decisions.

Ahnault's second NCAA tournament trip will begin against Liberty's redshirt freshman Joe Pantaleo. Ashnault owns a 23-12 record and is second on the team in pins with 11.

Melde will look to bounce back after he was seeded third in the EIWA Championships but finished sixth. Melde is 25-10 on the season and earned five pin falls.

Melde will wrestle junior Germane Lindsey of Ohio University in the opening round.
Russo's Runner-Up Finish Highlights Rutgers' 8 EIWA Place Winners

RU finishes sixth in team standings with 87 points

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (March 7, 2010) Redshirt junior Dominick Russo's (Netcong, N.J.) second-place finish highlighted eight members of the No. 22 Rutgers wrestling team that placed at the 106th EIWA Championships in Lehigh University's Stabler Arena. As a team, the Scarlet Knights finished sixth with 87 points.

Cornell won their fourth-straight EIWA Championship with 160.5 points.

The eight place winners are the most for Rutgers since they placed the same amount in 2004.

125-pound redshirt freshman Joseph Langel (Howell, N.J.) and 157-pound redshirt junior Daryl Cocozzo (River Edge, N.J.) each finished fourth to join Russo at the NCAA Championships. It will be the second trip to the NCAAs for Russo and Cocozzo. Russo competed last season and Cocozzo participated in the 2008 tournament while attending Edinboro University.

197-pound redshirt senior Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J) and 174-pound redshirt sophomore Daniel Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) placed fifth in their respective bracket. Brown placed second in the 2008 conference tournament.

141-pound sophomore Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) earned a sixth-place finish.

149-pound redshirt junior David Greenwald (Union, N.J.) and 165-pound sophomore Greg Zannetti (Edison, N.J) both placed seventh in their field.

At least two Scarlet Knights have earned NCAA bids each season during head coach Scott Goodale's three-year tenure. It marks the second straight year at least three RU grapplers earned NCAA bids. In 2009, Matt Pletcher, Russo and Scott Winston (Jackson, N.J.) earned NCAA invites. Brown and Steve Adamcsik participated in the 2008 Championships.

Wrestlers who failed to qualify for NCAAs this weekend will be eligible for one of 46 at-large berths which will be announced on Wednesday, March 10.

"When the dust settles we might have five or six wrestlers in the NCAAs but we will see with the at large bids," said Goodale. "The truth is, it was an up-and-down tournament for us. We got seven guys in their first EIWA tournament. I don't know if it was a little bit of a shock value or nerves.

"I like how some of our guys bounced back after some tough losses. Rinaldi's fifth-place match was huge and might get him a bid to the NCAA tourney. Lamar bounced back after two tough losses to help his NCAA chances. I would have liked to wrestle better early on and we had some opportunities at 133 and 141 that we couldn't capitalize on. We will see what happens with the at-large bids." 

Russo faced top-seeded and second-ranked Zach Rey of host Lehigh in the final bout of the championships. The two heavyweights fought to a 1-1 tie after the third period to go into sudden victory overtime.

Neither EIWA grappler could get the upper hand in the sudden victory overtime as the match would be decided in 30-second tiebreakers. Rey started in the down position and escaped Russo's grasp to take a 2-1 lead. Russo failed to flee from Rey's hold in the next tiebreaker as Rey secured the EIWA heavyweight championship.

Langel opened the day against fourth-seeded and 33rd-ranked Aaron Kalil of Navy. Trailing 4-0 in the early goings, Langel took control of the bout with a takedown and near fall to go ahead 5-4. After another takedown to push his advantage to three points, Langel went on to win 7-5.

Langel fell in the third-place match to Harvard's Steven Keith by a 16-0 (3:11) technical fall.

Cocozzo earned his second trip to the NCAA Tournament by defeating seventh-seeded and 27th-ranked Brantley Hooks of Bucknell with a 4-2 decision in the consolation semifinals. In the third-place match, Cocozzo suffered only his third loss of 2010 as he was defeated by the top 157 grappler in the NCAA Coaches Panel rankings Steve Fittery of American by a 2-1 decision.

In the 197 semifinals, Brown held a 6-4 lead over fifth-seeded Danial Mitchell of American at the end of the second period. After Mitchell took the lead with a minute remaining in the third period at 7-6. Brown scored an escape to tie at 7-7 before Mitchell earned a quick pin at 6:53 to give Brown the heartbreaking defeat.

Brown ended the day on a high note by knocking off fourth-seeded and 21st-ranked Joseph Kennedy of Lehigh by a 4-2 decision in sudden victory overtime to earn fifth place. Brown fell to Kennedy by a 3-2 mark in the regular season finale.

Rinaldi held his own against fourth-seeded and 12th-ranked Robert Hamlin of Lehigh in the consolation semifinals. The two EIWA grapplers went to sudden victory overtime where Hamlin escaped with a 4-2 victory. Rinaldi captured his fifth place title by pinning Brown's Jack Roberts in a 4:09 time span.

Melde had a tough outing on Sunday as he dropped both of his matches. In the consolation semifinals, the RU sophomore fell by a 6-5 mark to eighth-seeded Matt Pagain of Navy.

Melde squared off with second-seeded and 16th-ranked Seth Ciasulli of host Lehigh in the fifth-place match. The Mountain Hawk captured the victory with a 3:09 pin fall.

Zannetti knocked off eighth-seeded Jeffrey Lemmer of Brown in the seventh-place match by a 3-2 score.

Greenwald fell to sixth-seeded and 21st-ranked Hicks Manson of Cornell in the seventh place bout.

Cocozzo, Langel and Russo will be back in action at the NCAA Championships, which takes place March 18-20 at the Qwest Center Omaha in Omaha, Neb.

Final Team Standings

Standing Points Team

1 160.5 Cornell

2 113 Pennsylvania

2 109.5 Lehigh

4 103.5 Bucknell

5 96 American

6 87 Rutgers

7 81.5 Navy

8 65 Army

8 65 Columbia

10 55 Brown

11 52.5 Harvard

12 24 Princeton

13 2 Franklin & Marshall

Rutgers Individual EIWA Championship Results

Preliminaries

125 (2) #18 Joseph Langel (Rutgers) dec. Lance Penhale (Army) 8-5

133 Andrew Grabfelder (Columbia) pins (3) #33 Billy Ashnault (Rutgers) 5:52

149 (2) #10 Kyle Borshoff (American) dec. David Greenwald (Rutgers) 6-2

165 (7) #33 Greg Zannetti (Rutgers) dec. Anthony Bongarzone (Franklin & Marshall) 10-5

174 (6) #29 Daniel Rinaldi (Rutgers) tech. fall Jack Roberts (Brown) 16-0 (3:09)

184 (8) Collin Wittmeyer (Army) pins Jesse Boyden (Rutgers) 1:40

197 (7) #24 Lamar Brown (Rutgers) dec. Colin Ely (Franklin & Marshall) 15-6

Quarterfinals

125 (7) Garrett Frey (Princeton) pins (2) #18 Joseph Langel (Rutgers) 2:12

141 (3) #24 Trevor Melde (Rutgers) dec. (6) John Regan (Bucknell) 6-1

157 (4) #20 Daryl Cocozzo (Rutgers) dec. (5) Matt Dragon (Pennsylvania) 7-4

165 (2) #10 Justin Kerber (Cornell) dec. (7) #33 Greg Zannetti (Rutgers) 10-6

174 (3) #19 Shane Riccio (Bucknell) dec. (6) #29 Daniel Rinaldi (Rutgers) 3-1

197 (2) #14 Richard Starks (Army) dec. (7) #24 Lamar Brown (Rutgers) 7-2

285 (2) #9 Dominick Russo (Rutgers) pins (7) Joseph McMullan (Bucknell) 1:42

Semifinals

141 (7) Jordan Lipp (American) dec. (3) #24 Trevor Melde (Rutgers) 6-3

157 (1) #2 J.P. O'Connor (Harvard) dec. (4) #20 Daryl Cocozzo (Rutgers) 6-3

285 (2) #9 Dominick Russo (Rutgers) dec. (3) Scott Steele (Navy) 4-0

Finals

285 (1) #2 Zack Rey (Lehigh) dec. (2) #9 Dominick Russo (Rutgers) 2-1 tb1

Consolation Second Round

125 (2) #18 Joseph Langel (Rutgers) dec. (8) #24 Kyle Gilchrist (Columbia) 3-2

133 (5) #18 Bryan Ortenzio (Pennsylvania) dec. (3) #33 Billy Ashnault (Rutgers) 2-0

149 David Greenwald (Rutgers) pins (8) Daniel Kolodzik (Princeton) 0:36

165 (7) #33 Greg Zannetti (Rutgers) dec. Christopher Marchetti (Army) 3-1 tb1

174 (6) #29 Daniel Rinaldi (Rutgers) tech. fall Phillip Barreiro (American) 16-1 (6:20)

184 (7) Bran Crudden (Brown) pins Jesse Boyden (Rutgers) 1:09

197 (7) #24 Lamar Brown (Rutgers) major dec. Sean Murphy (Harvard) 15-6

Consolation Third Round

125 (2) #18 Joseph Langel (Rutgers) dec. (6) Mark Rappo (Pennsylvania) 11-7

149 Steve Santos (Columbia) pins David Greenwald (Rutgers) 3:56

165 (6) Robby Neill (Navy) dec. (7) #33 Greg Zannetti (Rutgers) 10-3

174 (6) #29 Daniel Rinaldi (Rutgers) dec. Stephen West (Columbia) 6-1

197 (5) Dennis Mitchell (American) pins (7) #24 Lamar Brown (Rutgers) 6:53

Consolation Semifinals

125 (2) #18 Joseph Langel (Rutgers) dec. (4) #33 Aaron Kalil (Navy) 7-5

141 (8) Matt Pagan (Navy) dec. (3) #24 Trevor Melde (Rutgers) 6-5

157 (4) #20 Daryl Cocozzo (Rutgers) dec. (7) #27 Brantley Hooks (Bucknell) 5-2

174 (4) #12 Robert Hamlin (6) #29 Daniel Rinaldi (Rutgers) 4-2 sv1

Third Place Match

125 #30 Steven Keith (Harvard) tech. fall (2) #18 Joseph Langel (Rutgers) 16-0 (3:11)

157 (2) #1 Steve Fittery (American) dec. (4) #20 Daryl Cocozzo (Rutgers) 2-1

Fifth Place Match

141 (2) #16 Seth Ciasulli (Lehigh) pins (3) #24 Trevor Melde (Rutgers) 3:09

174 (6) #29 Daniel Rinaldi (Rutgers) pins dec. Jack Roberts (Brown) 4:09

197 (7) #24 Lamar Brown (Rutgers) dec. (4) Joseph Kennedy (Lehigh) 4-2 sv2

Seventh Place Match

149 David Greenwald (Rutgers) pins (6) Hicks Manson (Cornell) 6:35

165 (7) #33 Greg Zannetti (Rutgers) dec. (8) Jeffrey Lemmer (Brown) 3-2

() - Bracket Seed

# - NCAA Coaches Panel Ranking
Nine Rutgers Wrestlers Recognized in Final NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings, Second RPI

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Feb. 27, 2010) - The No. 22 Rutgers wrestling team features nine student-athletes in the final NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings and the second Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) for the 2009-10 season, the organization announced.

The RU wrestlers that were listed in the rankings and RPI were 125-pound Joseph Langel (Howell, N.J.), 133-pound Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.), 141-pound Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.), 149-pound David Greenwald (Union, N.J.), 157-pound Daryl Cocozzo (River, Edge, N.J.), 165-pound Gregory Zannetti (Edison, N.J.), 174-pound Daniel Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.), 197-pound Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.) and heavyweight Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.).

The final rankings and RPI will be two of the tools used as part of the selection process to determine the qualifiers for the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Wrestlers in each weight class will be measured by Division I winning percentage, RPI and coaches' rankings to earn spots for the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

Langel moved up three spots to No. 18 in the rankings and is positioned at No. 23 in the RPI. The redshirt freshman owns a 26-6 record this season and had his 17-match winning streak snapped last Saturday against Lehigh's John McDonald.

Ashnault is listed as the 33rd best 133-pounder and placed at No. 19 in the RPI. The first-year Scarlet Knight owns a 23-10 record this season, including a 17-6 mark in dual action. Ashnault is second on the team in pins (11) and dual points (81).

Melde appeared at No. 24 in the rankings and at No. 22 in the RPI. The RU sophomore has earned a 24-7 overall mark this season and has won 18 of his 22 dual matches.

Greenwald's 17-10 record has positioned him at No. 33 in the RPI. Greenwald owns a 10-8 record in dual bouts.

Cocozzo jumped to No. 20 in the rankings and is listed at No. 18 in the RPI. He is on a team-best 11-match winning streak and has dominated his dual opponents with a 12-1 record. The RU newcomer was the only Scarlet Knight to pick up a victory at No. 7 Lehigh last Saturday by defeating 24th-ranked Sean Bilodeau.

Rinaldi is positioned at No. 29 in the rankings and No. 28 in RPI. The redshirt freshman owns a 25-8 overall record and has claimed victory in 17 of his 23 dual contests.

Brown appeared at No. 24 in the rankings and No. 29 in the RPI. The redshirt senior has earned a 21-7 overall record this season and has won 14 of his 20 dual battles.

Russo earned the highest ranking and RPI at No. 9 and No. 8, respectively. The heavyweight saw his 14-match win streak snapped last Saturday at Lehigh when he dropped a 4-2 decision to sixth-ranked Zack Rey. It was only the second time in Russo's 22 dual matches that the RU heavyweight was defeated. Russo leads the team with 27 victories and 100 dual points.

RU will return to action on the weekend of March 6-7 for the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championships at the Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pa.

Scarlet Knights Listed in NCAA Final Wrestling Coaches' Panel Rankings and Second RPI
Weight Ranking RPI Wrestler
125 18 23 Joseph Langel
133 33 19 Billy Ashnault
141 24 22 Trevor Melde
149 NR 30 David Greenwald
157 20 18 Daryl Cocozzo
174 29 28 Daniel Rinaldi
197 24 29        Lamar Brown
285 9 8 Dominick Russo
No. 7 Lehigh Tops No. 22 Rutgers Wrestling, 28-3

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (Feb. 20, 2010) - The No. 22 Rutgers wrestling team battled No. 7 Lehigh to several close bouts, however the Mountain Hawks (15-3-1) earned a 28-3 victory over the Scarlet Knights (19-5-1) Saturday afternoon in front of 1,806 fans at Stabler Arena in the regular-season finale for both teams.

The dual loss was RU's first since Dec. 12, 2009 when the Scarlet Knights dropped a 21-18 decision to then No. 24 Pittsburgh. It ended a 15-match dual match winning streak for RU. The 19 dual meet victories this season are the second-most in school history.

"It is all part of what usually happens when you are trying to go from a good team to a great one," said Rutgers head wrestling coach Scott Goodale. "You need to be able to win close matches to win big matches."

Rutgers dropped several close decisions, losing by a combined 10 points in six weight classes. Lehigh's John McDonald used an escape late in his bout to edge redshirt freshman No. 21 Joseph Langel III (Howell, N.J.), 5-4, at 125 pounds. No. 17 Seth Ciasulli of Lehigh topped No. 24 Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) of Rutgers, 6-4, on a late reversal at 141 pounds. The Mountain Hawks' Joey Napoli decisioned David Greenwald (Union, N.J.), 4-2, also on a late reversal at 149 pounds. No. 19 Robert Hamlin earned a 3-1 decision over No. 28 Daniel Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) at 174 pounds.. No. 16 Joe Kennedy of Lehigh used a takedown in the final seconds to edge No. 20 Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.), 3-2, at197 pounds. In a matchup of two top-10 wrestlers, No. 6 Zach Rey of Lehigh earned a 4-2 decision over No. 10 Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.) at heavyweight.

Junior Daryl Cocozzo (River Edge, N.J.) scored a victory for the Scarlet Knights with a 5-1 decision of No. 24 Sean Bilodeau at 157 pounds.

No. 25 Brandon Hatchett of Lehigh posted an 11-4 decision of Greg Zannetti (Edison, N.J.) at 165 pounds and No. 14 David Craig of the Mountain Hawks registered a 14-0 major decision of Jesse Boyden (Kenilworth, N.J.) at 184 pounds.

RU will return to Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pa. for the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championships, Saturday-Sunday, March 6-7.


No. 7 Lehigh 28, No. 22 Rutgers 3

Weight Match Team Score
125 John McDonald (Lehigh) dec. #21 Joseph Langel III (Rutgers), 5-4 3-0
133 #14 Matt Fisk (Lehigh) dec. #20 Bill Ashnault (Rutgers), 8-1 6-0
141 #17 Seth Ciasulli (Lehigh) dec. #24 Trevor Melde (Rutgers), 6-4 9-0
149 Joey Napoli (Lehigh) dec. David Greenwald (Rutgers), 4-2 12-0
157 Daryl Cocozzo (Rutgers) dec. #24 Sean Bilodeau (Lehigh), 5-1 12-3
165 #25 Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh) dec. Greg Zannetti (Rutgers), 11-4 15-3
174 #19 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) dec. #28 Daniel Rinaldi (Rutgers), 3-1 18-3
184 #14 David Craig (Lehigh) maj. dec. Jesse Boyden (Rutgers), 14-0 22-3
197 #16 Joe Kennedy (Lehigh) dec. #20 Lamar Brown (Rutgers), 3-2 25-3
285 #6 Zach Rey (Lehigh) dec. #10 Dominick Russo (Rutgers), 4-2 28-3
No. 22 Rutgers Wrestling Closes Home Slate with 35-6 Win Over Drexel

Dominating Victory improves RU's unbeaten streak to school record 15 matches

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Feb. 18, 2010) - The No. 22 Rutgers wrestling team capped off its home schedule by extending its school record unbeaten streak to 15 matches with a dominating 35-6 win against Drexel Thursday night at College Ave Gym.

The win improves the Scarlet Knights record to 19-4-1. The 19 victories is the second most in school history. RU set a school record with 20 wins last season. Rutgers owns a 14-0-1 record in 2010 and has not lost a dual match since being edged at then-No. 24 Pittsburgh, 21-18, on Dec. 12, 2009.

Rutgers captured eight matches from Drexel (11-14), including two technical falls, a major decision and a pin. The Dragons still lead the all-time series by a 11-10 mark.

Prior to the match, four Rutgers seniors - Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.), Jack Barrett (Metuchen, N.J.), Kellen Bradley (Newton, N.J.) and Matthew Rigoglisio (Wayne, N.J.) - were honored as it was their final home match as a Scarlet Knight.

"For us, the match was perfect," said Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale. "It gave us a chance to get the seniors out there. I was proud of our guys because they took care of their individual matchups to make sure the seniors got in. It was a special night."

During the senior presentation, Barrett got the biggest ovation of the night when he walked to the center of the mat with his family for his senior day picture. The Metuchen, N.J. native won 10 of 16 matches in the fall but was forced to sit out the spring semester due to a medical issue.

"Jack may not know it but he brought this team together," commented Goodale. "He inspired not only our staff but these wrestlers as well. It was great to have him on the bench with us."

Thursday night's battle started at 174 where 28th-ranked redshirt freshman Daniel Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) breezed by Rob Brooks with a 12-3 major decision to give RU the early 4-0 lead. The major decision is Rinaldi's ninth of the season and improves his overall record to 25-7, including a 17-5 mark in dual.

At 184, redshirt freshman Jesse Boyden (Kenilworth, N.J.) increased RU's advantage to 7-0 with a 3-1 victory over Justin Wieller. The win improves Boyden's overall record to 10-12 and 6-8 in dual competition this season.

Brown finished his five-year run at The Barn on a high note with a 3-1 victory over Shawn Fausey. Brown owns a 21-6 record this season and has claimed a victory in 14 of 19 dual battles.

10th-ranked heavyweight Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.) got the night off as Drexel's Kyle Frey was forced to forfeit due to injury. The forfeit ballooned Rutgers lead to 16-0.

21st-ranked and 125-pound Joseph Langel (Howell, N.J.) refuses to lose in 2010 as he dominated Michael Gomez by a 10-3 technical fall (4:53) to increase his win streak to an outstanding 17 matches.

Drexel finally got on the scoreboard at 133 to trim Rutgers' lead to 21-3.
24th-ranked 141-pounder Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) earned his fifth pin fall victory of the season by taking down Shane Fenningham with a 2:37 time. The pin puts Melde's record in 2010 at 24-6 overall and 18-3 in dual.

Bradley exited College Ave Gym a winner by claiming a 4-2 decision over Brett McCurdy to increases RU's lead to 30-3.

23rd-ranked 157-pounder Daryl Cocozzo (River Edge, N.J.) increased his winning streak to 10 matches by overpowering Charles Aungst with an 18-2 technical fall (5:00). The RU newcomer has won 23 of his 30 matches this season, including 11 of his 12 dual contests.

Drexel picked up a decision in the last match at 165 to put the final score as a Rutgers 35-6 victory. Rutgers will close out the regular season at No. 7 Lehigh on Saturday at 1 p.m.



Rutgers 35, Drexel 6

Weight Match Team Score

174 #28 Daniel Rinaldi (Rutgers) major. dec. Rob Brooks (Drexel) 12-3 4-0

184 Jesse Boyden (Rutgers) dec. Justin Wieller (Drexel) 3-1 (OT) 7-0     

197 #20 Lamar Brown (Rutgers) dec. Shawn Fausey (Drexel) 3-1 10-0   

285 #10 Dominick Russo (Rutgers) WBFF 16-0   

125 #21 Joseph Langel III (Rutgers) tech. fall Michael Gomez (Drexel) 19-3 (4:53) 21-0   

133 #13 Steve Mytych (Drexel) dec. #20 Bill Ashnault (Rutgers) 6-3 21-3   

141 #24 Trevor Melde (Rutgers) pins Shane Fenningham (Drexel) 2:37 27-3   

149 Kellen Bradley (Rutgers) dec. Brett McCurdy (Drexel) 4-2 30-3   

157 Daryl Cocozzo (Rutgers) tech. fall Charles Aungst (Drexel) 18-2 (5:00) 35-3   

165 Alex Rinaldi (Drexel) dec. Matthew Rigoglioso (Rutgers) 11-9 (OT) 35-6 
No. 23 Rutgers Increases Unbeaten Streak to 14 with 26-12 Win at American

Washington, D.C. (Feb. 14, 2010) - The No. 23 Rutgers wrestling team increased its unbeaten streak to a school-record 14 matches Saturday night by knocking off EIWA foe American with a 26-12 score at Bender Arena.

The Scarlet Knights (18-4-1) earned seven victories against the Eagles (7-6). Rutgers owns a 13-0-1 record in 2010 and hasn't lost a dual match since being edged at then-No. 24 Pittsburgh, 21-18, on Dec. 12, 2009.

Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale says the streak hasn't added any pressure to his No. 23 squad.

"It's not about the streak but we have built up expectations now where people expect us to win and wrestle well every time out and that is hard to do," said Goodale. "We are preparing for the EIWA championships right now. We have a huge week with Drexel and Lehigh coming up."

21st-ranked 125-pound Joesph Langel (Howell, N.J.) got the Scarlet Knights started in a big way by earning arguably his biggest win of the season by outlasting 16th-ranked Jason Borshoff in three overtimes for an 8-6 decision. The RU redshirt freshman's upset victory pushes his team-best winning streak to 16. Langel has compiled a 24-5 record, including 13-2 in dual.

"It is a huge win for Joey and he has a lot of momentum right now," commented Goodale. "He has been great since January and he set the tone for us tonight."

20th-ranked133-pound Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) increased RU's lead to 6-0 with a 7-1 victory over Thomas Williams. Ashnault owns a 22-8 record and has won 16 of his 20 dual matches.

At 141, 24th-ranked Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) took down Jordan Lipp by a 3-1 decision to pad RU's advantage to 9-0. The RU sophomore has claimed 10 of his last 12 bouts, owns a 23-6 record this season and has won 17 of his 20 dual contests.

American got on the scoreboard with a decision at 149 and 23rd-ranked Daryl Cocozzo (River, Edge, N.J.) won by forfeit at 157 to put The Scarlet Knights lead at 15-3.

Rutgers picked up back-to-back major decisions from165-pound Greg Zannetti (Edison, N.J.) and 28th-ranked 174-pound Daniel Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) to balloon its lead to 23-4 and seal the victory.

The Eagles posted a pin at 184 and a decision at 197 to trim RU's advantage to 23-12 before 10th-ranked heavyweight Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.) ended Saturday night's EIWA bout with a 6-0 victory over Mingo Grant. The RU heavyweight has won 19 of his 20 dual matches and leads the Scarlet Knights with 27 victories.

Rutgers will host its final home match next Thursday when it welcomes Drexel at College Ave Gym for a 6 p.m. contest.

Rutgers 26, American 12
Weight Match Team Score
125 #21 Joseph Langel (Rutgers) dec. #16 Jason Borshoff (American) 8-6 (3OT) 3-0
133 #20 Billy Ashnault (Rutgers) dec. Thomas Williams (American) 7-1 6-0
141 #24 Trevor Melde (Rutgers) dec. Jordan Lipp (American) 3-1 9-0
149 #10 Kyle Borshoff (American) dec. #33 David Greenwald (Rutgers) 8-2 9-4
157 #23 Daryl Cocozzo (Rutgers) WBFF 15-4
165 Greg Zannetti (Rutgers) major dec. Tanner Shaffer (American) 12-4 19-4
174 #28 Daniel Rinaldi (Rutgers) major dec. Phillip Barreiro (American) 15-2 23-4
184  #3 Mike Cannon (American) pins Jesse Boyden (Rutgers) 1:07 23-9
197 Daniel Mitchell (American) dec. #20 Lamar Brown (Rutgers) 7-4 23-12
285 #10 Dominick Russo (Rutgers) dec. Mingo Grant (American) 6-0 26-12

# - NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings
No. 23 Rutgers Wrestling Dominates Liberty to Push Unbeaten Streak to 13

LYNCHBURG, Va. (Feb. 12, 2010) - The No. 23 Rutgers wrestling team pushed its unbeaten streak to a school-record 13 matches by cruising past Liberty, 39-3, Friday night at the Vines Center.

The Scarlet Knights (17-4-1) claimed nine matches from the Flames (9-9), including three pins and three major decisions.

Rutgers owns a 12-0-1 record in 2010 and hasn't lost a dual match since being edged at then-No. 24 Pittsburgh, 21-18, on Dec. 12, 2009.

"It was good to get back on the mat and compete," said Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale. "I was worried with the long bus ride down here that we might be a little flat but that wasn't the case. (Joseph) Langel started us off well at 125 and it continued. We wrestled hard and we wrestled well."

21st-ranked 125-pound Langel extended his team-best winning streak to 15 matches by cruising past Jonathan Childress with a 9-1 score to start Friday's match. Langel owns a 24-5 record, including 12-2 in dual, and has earned a RU-best nine major decisions this season.

20th-ranked133-pound Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) claimed his 11th pin of the season dropping Joe Pantaleo in 4:20. Ashnault owns a 21-8 record, including a 15-4 mark in dual action this season.

Rutgers pushed its lead to a 13-0 mark at 141 when 24th-ranked Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) edged Scott Clymer with a 10-8 decision. The RU sophomore has won nine of his last 11 bouts and owns a 22-6 record this season, including a 16-3 mark in dual contests.

The only match between ranked competitors ended up being the quickest as 33rd-ranked 149-pound David Greenwald (Union, N.J.) dropped 25th-ranked Frank Gayeski with a minute pin. With the quick pin, Greenwald improves his record to 17-8 and 10-6 in dual competition. The Union, N.J. native owns 10 pin victories this season.

"Greenwald's pin was huge for us," commented Goodale. "That is what we are looking for right now are those individual matches where our guys can push themselves in the rankings. To beat a guy ranked ahead of him like that was big."

157-pound Daryl Cocozzo (River, Edge, N.J.), who earned his first NCAA Coaches Panel Ranking earlier in the day at No. 23, continues to own his dual competitors as he claimed a 9-1 major decision against Shaun Smith to push RU's lead to a commanding 23-0 score. The RU newcomer owns a 21-7 record this season and has won nine of his 10 dual bouts.

Rutgers picked up its third pin of the night at 165 when Greg Zannetti (Edison, N.J.) planted Joseph Bayer with his fastest pin of the season at 4:01. The pin is only Zannetti's third of the season and improves his record to 18-9 and 14-5 in dual matches.

28th-ranked174-pound Daniel Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) fought back from a 5-0 deficit to edge Brad Clark by a 7-6 mark for his 23rd win of the season.

Rutgers' one slip up of the night came in the 184 match where Jesse Boyden fell to Nick Knowles by a 9-5 score.

20th-ranked197-pound Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.) claimed his sixth straight victory with a 3-2 decision over Brandon Johnson. The redshirt senior owns a 20-5 overall mark and has won 13 of his 17 dual battles this season.

10th-ranked heavyweight Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.) capped off the dominating Rutgers victory with his 12th-straight win by claiming an 8-0 major decision over Joshua Pelletier. The RU heavyweight has won 18 of his 19 dual matches and leads the team with 26 victories.

Rutgers will be back in action Saturday night when the squad travels to EIWA foe American for a 7:30 p.m. contest.

Weight Match Team Score

125 #21 Joseph Langel (Rutgers) major dec. Jonathan Childress (Liberty) 9-1 4-0

133 #20 Billy Ashnault (Rutgers) pins Joe Pantaleo (Liberty) 4:20 10-0

141 #24 Trevor Melde (Rutgers) dec. Scott Clymer (Liberty) 10-8 13-0   

149 #33 David Greenwald (Rutgers) pins #25 Frank Gayeski (Liberty) 1:00 19-0    

157 #23 Daryl Cocozzo (Rutgers) major dec. Shaun Smith (Liberty) 9-1 23-0

165 Greg Zannetti (Rutgers) pins Joseph Bayer (Liberty) 4:01 29-0

174 #28 Daniel Rinaldi (Rutgers) dec. Brad Clark (Liberty) 7-6 32-0

184 Nick Knowles (Liberty) dec. Jesse Boyden (Rutgers) 9-5 32-3

197 #20 Lamar Brown (Rutgers) dec. Jacobi Johnson (Liberty) 3-2 35-3

285 #10 Dominick Russo (Rutgers) major dec. Joshua Pelletier (Liberty) 8-0 39-3

# - NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings
No. 23 Rutgers Features Eight Wrestlers in Second NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings, First RPI

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Feb. 4, 2010) - The No. 23 Rutgers wrestling team features eight student-athletes in the second of three NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings and the first Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) for the 2009-10 season, the organization announced Friday.

The RU wrestlers that were listed in the rankings and RPI were 125-pound Joseph Langel (Howell, N.J.), 133-pound Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.), 141-pound Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.), 149-pound David Greenwald (Union, N.J.), 157-pound Daryl Cocozzo (River, Edge, N.J.), 174-pound Daniel Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.), 197-pound Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.) and heavyweight Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.).

Langel earned a No. 21 ranking and No. 17 in the RPI. The redshirt freshman is on a team-best 14-match win streak and hasn't faltered since falling to Pittsburgh's Anthony Zanetta on Dec. 12, 2009.

Ashnault is listed as the 21st best 133-pounder and listed at No. 17 in the RPI. The first-year Scarlet Knight owns a 21-8 record, including a 15-4 mark in dual action. Ashanult is second on the team in pins (10) and dual points (72).

Melde appeared at No. 24 in the rankings and at No. 23 in the RPI. The RU sophomore has won eight of his last ten bouts and owns a 21-6 overall record and a 15-3 mark in dual competition.

Greenwald's 16-8 record has positioned him at No. 33 in the rankings and No. 17 in the RPI. Greenwald is 9-6 in dual competition.

Cocozzo earned a No. 23 ranking and No. 16 RPI. He has won eight of his nine dual matches this season, with his only loss coming against No. 1 J.P. O'Connor of Harvard.

Rinaldi is positioned at No. 28 in the rankings and No. 27 RPI. The redshirt freshman owns a 22-7 overall record and has won 15 of his last 18 battles.

Brown's five-match win streak pushed him to No. 20 in the rankings and No. 30 in the RPI. The redshirt senior owns a 19-5 record this season, including a 12-4 mark in dual matches.

Russo earned the highest ranking and RPI at No. 10 and No. 11, respectively. The heavyweight leads Rutgers with 25 victories, against only four losses, and has won 18 of his 19 dual bouts.
Russo is currently on an 11-match win streak and leads the EIWA in pins with 15.

The final rankings and RPI will be two of the tools used as part of the selection process to determine the qualifiers for the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Wrestlers in each weight class will be measured by Division I winning percentage, RPI and coaches' rankings to earn spots for the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

Rutgers wrestles at Liberty Friday night. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m.

Scarlet Knights Listed in NCAA Second Wrestling Coaches' Panel Rankings and First RPI
Weight Ranking RPI Wrestler
125 21 17 Joseph Langel
133 20 15 Billy Ashnault
141 24 23 Trevor Melde
149 33 17 David Greenwald
157 23 16 Daryl Cocozzo
174 28 27 Daniel Rinaldi
197 20 30 Lamar Brown
285 10 11 Dominick Russo
No. 23 Rutgers Wrestling Match Against No. 7 Lehigh Rescheduled for Feb. 20

Feb. 20 match against Bloomsburg Cancelled

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Feb. 11, 2010) - The No. 23 Rutgers wrestling team will face No. 7 Lehigh next Saturday, Feb. 20 at 1 p.m. in the Stabler Arena, Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale announced Thursday. The match was originally scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 6, but was cancelled due to heavy snow that prevented the team from traveling.

RU's home match against Bloomsburg on Feb. 20 has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled. With the Bloomberg match cancelled, it leaves Thursday, Feb. 18's match against Drexel as the final home match and will serve as senior day for the Scarlet Knights.

Ticketholders for the Feb. 6 Lehigh dual can still use those tickets for the match on February 20. Additionally, tickets to the Lehigh-Rutgers match are available and can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or by visiting the Lehigh ticket office.

Rutgers Wrestling Remaining 2010 Schedule
February 12 at Liberty 7 p.m.
February 13 at American 7:30 p.m.
February 18 Drexel 6 p.m. 
February 20 at Lehigh 1 p.m.
March 5-6 EIWA's (Bethlehem, Pa.) All Day
March 18-20 NCAA's (Omaha, Neb.) All Day
Rutgers Wrestling Earns Highest Ranking in School History

RU awarded first team ranking since 1992

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Feb. 2, 2010) - The Rutgers wrestling team's school record 12-match unbeaten streak has propelled the squad to No. 23 in the NWCA/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll, the highest in school history, the organization announced Monday.

The ranking is the first for the Scarlet Knights since being listed at No. 25 the week of Nov. 23-29, 1992 following a opening season quad-meet that featured RU defeating 13th-ranked Edinboro, 21-14, and 18th-ranked California (Pa.) University by a 26-12 score.

After receiving votes in the poll all year, the Scarlet Knights (16-4-1) earned the No. 23 spot following a dominating weekend with a 25-12 victory over then-No.23 Virginia on Friday and a 23-10 win against Navy on Saturday.

Rutgers owns an 11-0-1 record in 2010 and hasn't lost a dual match since being edged at then-No. 24 Pittsburgh, 21-18, on Dec. 12, 2009.

Six Scarlet Knights are listed in the latest NCAA Division I Wrestling Coaches Panel Rankings with 125-pound Joseph Langel (No. 26), 133-pound Billy Ashnault (No. 16), 141-pound Trevor Melde (No. 22), 174-pound Daniel Rinaldi (No. 28), 197-pound Lamar Brown (No. 26) and heavyweight Dominick Russo (No. 9).

The individual rankings will only be released two more times prior to the NCAA Tournament.

Brown, Daryl Cocozzo (River Edge, N.J.) and Russo were listed in the latest InterMat Individual Rankings. Russo earned his highest listing in the publication at No. 8 and Brown and Cocozzo appeared at No. 17 and No. 20, respectively.

Russo leads Rutgers with 25 victories, against only four losses, and has won 18 of his 19 dual bouts. The RU heavyweight is currently on a 11-match win streak and leads the EIWA in pins with 15. Russo picked up one of the biggest wins of his career last Saturday by outlasting No. 6 Scott Steele of Navy by a 7- 6 score.

Brown has won five straight bouts, including a match-clinching victory over 17th-ranked Brent Jones of No. 23 Virginia last Friday night. The redshirt senior owns a 19-5 record this season, including a 12-4 mark in dual matches.

Cocozzo has been a sure bet for RU in his first year at Rutgers, as he has won eight of his nine dual matches this season, with his only loss coming against No. 1 J.P. O'Connor of Harvard.

Langel is on a team-best 14-match win streak and hasn't faltered since falling to Pittsburgh's Anthony Zanetta on Dec. 12, 2009.

Melde has won eight of his last ten bouts and owns a 21-6 overall record and a 15-3 mark in dual competition. The sophomore rebounded from a frustrating loss Friday night by dominating Navy's Matt Pagan with an 18-2 (6:36) technical fall on Saturday night.

Rinaldi owns a 22-7 overall record and has won 15 of his last 18 battles. Last Saturday against Navy, the 174-pound redshirt freshman put Rutgers on the board first with a 3-0 decision against Mike Billings.

Rutgers will have a tough task for its first opponent as a ranked squad as the Scarlet Knights travel to Bethlehem, Pa. to face EIWA foe and seventh-ranked Lehigh on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Rutgers Wrestling Knocks Off No. 23 Virginia, 25-12, in the RAC

Dramatic Victory Pushes RU's unbeaten streak to 11

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (Jan. 29, 2010) - The Rutgers wrestling team pushed its unbeaten streak to 11 by knocking off No. 23 Virginia, 25-12, in dramatic fashion Friday night in front of 1,655 fans at the Louis Brown Athletic Center.

The Scarlet Knights (15-4-1) claimed seven wins against the Cavaliers (13-5). The victory improves RU's all-time record over VU to a 3-2 advantage.

The 11-match unbeaten streak is the longest for RU since it went the same distance in the 1992-93 season from late November to late January.

"Great win for this school and our program," said Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale. "Wins like this, and this environment is what I envisioned when I came here. It was exciting. The fans were great and the atmosphere is what college wrestling is all about."  

26th-ranked Joseph Langel (Howell, N.J.) opened Friday's contest by pushing his winning to 13 by claiming an 8-4 decision over 22nd-ranked Ross Gitomer. The redshirt freshman owns a 22-5 record, including a 10-2 mark in dual action.

No. 16 Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) extended Rutgers lead to 6-0 by defeating Matt Snyder by a 6-4 decision. The RU newcomer now owns a 20-8 record, including a 14-4 record in dual competition.

The Cavaliers got on the scoreboard at 141 when 27th-ranked Derek Valenti picked up a 6:39 pin fall over 22nd-ranked Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) to knot the score at 6-6. Melde was leading 6-4 before the pin. The loss snapped an eight match winning streak for the RU sophomore.

At 149, redshirt junior David Greenwald (Union, N.J.) regained the lead for the Scarlet Knights by earning a 10-1 major decision over David Ebbott. The major decision is only the second of the season for Greenwald.

157-pounder Daryl Cocozzo (Malvern, Pa.) continues to dominate in dual action, as he put the crowd on their feet heading into intermission by dropping Dan Gonsor with a 4:39 pin fall to give RU a 16-6 advantage at the midway point.

Following the intermission, sophomore Gregory Zannetti (Edison, N.J.) continued the RU momentum by claiming a 2-0 victory over Pat Riley to balloon the squad's lead to 19-6.

No. 28 Daniel Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) held his own against fourth-ranked Chris Henrich in the 174 match, but Henrich won by a 7-1 decision to trim RU's lead to 19-12.

The biggest match of the night came at 197 when 18th-ranked redshirt senior Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.) went up against 17th-ranked redshirt senior Brent Jones. The two fifth-year warriors battled back and forth and the match went to four overtimes before Brown captured the 14-8 record to seal the victory for RU.

Redshirt junior and 10th-ranked Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.) capped off the exciting victory with a 7-3 decision over Jack Danilkkowicz to give Rutgers the 25-12 victory. Russo leads Rutgers with 24 wins.

Rutgers will have little time to celebrate as the team is back on the mat Saturday night when it returns to College Ave Gym to host Navy for a 6 p.m. match.

Rutgers 25, #23 Virginia 12  

Weight Team Score

125      #26 Joseph Langel (RU) dec. #22 Ross Gitomer (VU), 8-4 3-0

133      #16 Billy Ashnault (RU) dec. Matt Snyder (VU) 6-4                        6-0      

141 #27 Derek Valenti (VU) pins #22 Trevor Melde (RU) 6:39 6-6      

149      David Greenwald (RU) major. dec. David Ebbott (VU) 10-1 10-6                

157      Daryl Cocozzo (RU) pins Dan Gonsor (VU) 4:39 16-6    

165      Gregory Zannetti (RU) dec. Pat Riley (VU) 2-0 19-6    

174      #4 Chris Henrich (VU) dec. #28 Daniel Rinaldi (RU) 7-1 19-9                            

184      #20 Mike Salopek (VU) dec. Daniel Seidenberg (RU) 6-3 19-12            

197      #18 Lamar Brown (RU) dec. #17 Brent Jones (VU) 14-8 (4ot) 22-12              

285      #10 Dominick Russo (RU) dec. Jack Danilkowicz (VU) 7-3 25-12  

# - NCAA Wrestling Coaches Panel Rankings
SAAC to Accept Haiti Relief Donations at Rutgers-Virginia Wrestling Match

Donations will go to AmeriCares for earthquake-stricken country

PISCATAWAY, NJ. (Jan. 29, 2010) - Members of Rutgers' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will be accepting donations tonight at the RU wrestling match against No. 23 Virginia in the Louis Brown Athletic Center to go to AmeriCares to support the Haiti earthquake relief efforts. The match is set to begin at 6:30 p.m.

Reserved tickets for Friday night's match are $10, while general admission seats are $7 for adults and $5 for children and senior citizens.

Haiti was struck by a series of earthquakes on Jan. 12 and SAAC is raising funds to donate to AmeriCares to help those affected by the disaster. SAAC members will be stationed on the RAC's concourse to accept donations.

AmeriCares is a nonprofit disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization which provides immediate response to emergency medical needs - and supports long-term humanitarian assistance programs - for all people around the world, irrespective of race, creed or political persuasion. To date, over $11 million worth of AmeriCares medical aid has been delivered to help Haitian earthquake survivors.

SAAC is a committee made up of student-athletes from Rutgers' 24 intercollegiate teams and acts as a liaison between student-athletes and the athletics administration. The SAAC offers input on the student-athlete experience, as well as rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes' lives on NCAA member institution campuses, and participates in community outreach projects throughout the year.
Rutgers Wrestling Looks to "Pack the RAC" by Hosting No. 23 Virginia Friday Night

The Scarlet Knights hold a 10-match unbeaten streak

PISCATAWAY, NJ. (Jan. 27, 2010) - The Rutgers wrestling team looks to "Pack the RAC" and extend its 10-match unbeaten streak Friday night when it hosts No. 23 Virginia at the Louis Brown Athletic Center.

Friday night's match will be streamed live through Knightvision Broadband on www.scarletknights.com. Danny Breslauer will give the play by play and redshirt junior heavyweight Sean DeDeyn (Bayville, N.J.) will provide color.

Fans are encouraged to arrive early as the Rutgers marketing department will hand out shirts to the first 100 fans that arrive.

The Scarlet Knights (14-4-1) are coming off a 20-15 victory at East Stroudsburg last Monday night. RU's 10-match unbeaten streak is the longest streak since the 1992-93 season when the Scarlet Knights went 11 straight matches from late November to late January without a defeat.

Virginia (13-4) fell to No. 14 Virginia Tech by a 19-16 score in its last contest this past Saturday. The Cavaliers won four straight matches prior to the loss to the Hookies.

Rutgers and Virginia are tied 2-2 in the all-time series. Last season, the Scarlet Knights won at Virginia by a 28-15 score.

In last season's match at the RAC, Rutgers defeated Rider 18-6 in front of 4,067 fans.

"This is a great opportunity this weekend as we face Virginia on Friday and Navy on Saturday," said Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale. "With back-to-back matches, it simulates a postseason tournament feel. We have to weigh in, compete and do it all over again the next day. It should be an exciting weekend of wrestling."

Six Scarlet Knights and Five Cavaliers were listed in the first NCAA Division I Wrestling Coaches Panel Rankings released last week. For Rutgers, 125-pound Joseph Langel (No. 26), 133-pound Billy Ashnault (No. 16), 141-pound Trevor Melde (No. 22), 174-pound Daniel Rinaldi (No. 28), 197-pound Lamar Brown (No. 26) and heavyweight Dominick Russo (No. 9) were recognized.

Virginia represents 125-pound Ross Gitomer (No. 22), 141-pound Derek Valenti (No. 27), 174-pound Christopher Henrich (No. 4), 184-pound Michael Salopek (No. 20) and 197-pound Brent Jones (No. 17) in the coaches rankings.

Rutgers will return to the mat the next day when it hosts Navy at the College Ave Gym this Saturday at 6 p.m.
Rutgers Wrestling Pushes Unbeaten Streak to 10 at East Stroudsburg

EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. (Jan. 25, 2010) - The Rutgers wrestling team remains undefeated in 2010 as it knocked off  East Stroudsburg, 20-15, Monday night at the Koehler Fieldhouse.

The Scarlet Knights (14-4-1) have gone 10 straight matches without a loss, the longest streak since the 1992-93 season when the Scarlet Knights went 11 straight matches from late November to late January without a defeat.

RU won five matches against East Stroudsburg (7-6) despite resting six starters. The win improves the Scarlet Knights all-time record over the Warriors to 18-11-1. Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale is a perfect 3-0 against East Stroudsburg.

"We gave some guys an opportunity to wrestle tonight," said Goodale. "Some guys took advantage of it and now we have to focus on a big match against Virginia."

Redshirt freshmen Joseph Langel (Howell, N.J.) and Daniel Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) earned major decisions. Redshirt senior Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J), freshman Cullen Isenberg (Stewartsville, N.J.) and sophomore Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) also claimed victories.

Langel improved his team-best win streak to 12 by picking up a 14-4 major decision against David Luthy. The victory improves Langel's record to 21-5 and 9-2 in dual play.

Rinaldi defeated Devon Passman by a 12-4 major decision to improve to 21-6 and 13-4 in dual action.

Melde is now on an eight-match win streak after taking down Adam Hluschak by a 9-5 decision. Melde owns a 20-5 overall record and 14-2 mark in dual competition this season.

Brown picked up his 10th dual win by earning a 6-3 decision over Ed Ebewo.

Isenberg won only his second dual match of the season by a medical forfeit.

Rutgers returns home for its next match when it looks to "Pack the RAC" this Friday when it hosts No. 23 Virginia at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. The contest is set to begin at 6:30 p.m.

Rutgers 20, East Stroudsburg 15

Weight                                                                                       Team Score

125: Joe Langel (RU) major dec. David Luthy (ES) 14-4 4-0     

133: Cullen Isenberg (RU) med. forfeit Andrew Arnold (ES) 10-0

141: Trevor Melde (RU) dec. Adam Hluschak (ES) 9-5 13-0

149: Eddie Stephenson (ES) dec. Kellen Bradley (RU) 3-2 13-3

157: Thad Frick (ES) dec. Braden Turner (RU) 6-3 13-6

165: Jeff Jacobs (ES) dec. Matt Rigoglioso (RU) 6-0 13-9 

174: Dan Rinaldi (RU) major dec. Devon Passman (ES) 12-4 17-9                                       

184: Shane Mallory (ES) dec. Jesse Boyden (RU) 5-1 17-12                         

197: Lamar Brown (RU) dec. Ed Ebewo (ES) 6-3 20-12

HWT: Will Weaver (ES) dec. Sean DeDeyn (RU) 6-3 20-15  
Rutgers Wrestling Extends Unbeaten Streak to Nine with 23-9 Win at Rider

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. (Jan. 22, 2010) - The Rutgers wrestling team extended its unbeaten streak to nine Friday night by defeating in-state rival Rider, 23-9, at Rider's Alumni Gymnasium.

The Scarlet Knights (13-4-1) won seven matches against the Broncs (7-7). Rider still leads the all-time series by a 12-4 advantage but Rutgers has won the previous two.

The nine-match unbeaten streak is the longest for Rutgers since the 1992-93 season when the Scarlet Knights went 11 straight matches from late November to late January without a defeat.

Redshirt freshman Joseph Langel (Howell, N.J.) and sophomore Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) each picked up a major decision. Redshirt senior Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.) redshirt junior Daryl Cocozzo (River Edge, N.J.), redshirt junior Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.), freshman Daniel Seidenberg (Red Bank, N.J.) and sophomore Gregory Zannetti (Edison, N.J.) also picked up victories.

Langel extended his win streak to 11 and improved his record to 20-5 on the season by blanking Ilyass Elmsaouri by an 8-0 score.

Melde improved his win streak to seven by defeating Aaron Nestor by a 10-1 score. The victory puts Melde's record at 19-5.

Brown claimed a 5-2 decision over Tyler Smith for his 16th victory of the season.

Cocozzo sealed Rutgers victory my earning a 5-3 decision over Zac Ciula. Cocozzo is 6-1 in dual action this season.

No. 9 Russo picked up an impressive victory by knocking off No. 19 Ed Bordas with a 4-0 decision. Russo owns a team-best 23 victories.

Seidenberg edged Mike Ward by a 3-2 score. The RU rookie's record is 13-11 this season.

Zannetti took out Rob Morrison with a 7-5 decision. Zannetti owns a 16-8 record this season.

Redshirt freshman Daniel Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) saw his 14-match win streak come to an end when he fell to Jim Resnick by a 5-2 decision. The last time Rinaldi lost a match was on Nov. 27 when he fell to then-No. 10 Shane Riccio of Bucknell by a 6-2 decision. The loss drops Rinaldi's record to 20-6.


Rutgers 23, Rider 9

Weight Team Score

165: Greg Zannetti (RU) dec. Rob Morrison (Rider) 7-5 3-0

174: Jim Resnick (Rider) dec. Dan Rinaldi (RU) 5-2 3-3

184: Daniel Seidenberg (RU) dec. Mike Ward (Rider) 3-2 6-3                             

197: Lamar Brown (RU) dec. Tyler Smith (Rider) 5-2 9-3     

HWT: No. 9 Dominick Russo (RU) dec. No. 19 Ed Bordas (Rider) 4-0 12-3     

125: Joe Langel (RU) major dec. Ilyass Elmsaouri (Rider) 8-0 16-3   

133: Jimmy Kirchner (Rider) dec. No. 20 Bill Ashnault (RU) 9-6 16-6

141: Trevor Melde (RU) major dec. Aaron Nestor (Rider) 10-1 20-6

149: Michael Kessler (Rider) dec.Dave Greenwald (RU) 3-0 20-9

157: Daryl Cocozzo (RU) dec. Zac Ciula (Rider) 5-3 23-9
Rutgers Ashnault, Russo Remain in Latest in InterMat Rankings

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (Jan. 20, 2010) - Redshirt junior Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.) and junior Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) remained in the latest InterMat individual rankings, the Web site announced Wednesday.

Heavyweight Russo held his No. 9 ranking and Ashnault is listed at No. 20 in the 133-pound class.

Four other Scarlet Knights were recognized in the national rankings - sophomore Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.), redshirt freshman Joseph Langel (Howell, N.J.) redshirt senior Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.) and redshirt freshman Daniel Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.)
Last weekend, Rutgers (12-4-1) extended its unbeaten streak to eight matches, as it defeated Eastern Michigan (30-9), tied Michigan State (16-16) and knocked off Findlay (34-9) Saturday afternoon at the inaugural Spartan Duals.

Along with InterMat, four other publications list Russo as the ninth best heavyweight in the country with Win-Magazine, WrestlingReport.com, Amateur Wrestling News and D1CollegeWrestling.net.

Russo leads the team, and ranks seventh in the EIWA, with 22 wins. The heavyweight has claimed a conference-best 15 pins, which ranks sixth in the country. At the Spartan Duals, Russo won all three of his matches and has won eight straight matches with four of those victories coming by pin fall.

Ashnault is listed as high as No. 18 by WrestlingReport.com and D1CollegeWrestling.net, while Win-Magazine and Amateur Wrestling News post him at No. 19.

Ashnault owns a 19-7 record this season with 11 of his victories coming by pin. The RU newcomer's 11 pins ranks third in the conference.

Melde has won six straight matches and has compiled an 18-5 record this season. Both WrestlingReport.com and Amateur Wrestling News listed Melde as the 20th best 141-pound wrestler and D1CollegeWrestling.net position him at No. 23.

WrestlingReport.com named Langel the 27th best 125-pound wrestler in the nation. He has won 10 straight matches and has tallied a 19-5 mark this season. Langel has earned six major decisions this season, which ranks tied for sixth in the EIWA.

Brown was recognized by D1CollegeWrestling.net (No. 24) and WrestlingReport.com (No. 26). The redshirt senior owns a 15-5 record this season.

Rinaldi entered the national rankings at No. 30 by WrestlingReport.com after winning 14 straight matches. The redshirt freshman is second in the team in wins with a 20-5 record and is tied for sixth in the conference with six major decisions.

Rutgers next contest will be in New Jersey, when it travels to in-state rival Rider this Friday, Jan. 22 for an 8 p.m. match.

Rutgers Wrestling 2009-10 National Rankings
(As of Jan. 20)

Joseph Langel - 125 Pounds
Rank               Publication    
27 WrestlingReport.com

Billy Ashnault - 133 Pounds
Rank Publication
20 InterMat
19 Win-Magazine
18 WrestlingReport.com
19 Amateur Wrestling News
18 D1CollegeWrestling.net

Trevor Melde - 141 Pounds
Rank Publication
20 WrestlingReport.com
20 Amateur Wrestling News
23 D1CollegeWrestling.net

Daniel Rinaldi - 174 Points
30 WrestlingReport.com

Lamar Brown - 197 Pounds
Rank Publication
26 WrestlingReport.com
24 D1CollegeWrestling.net

Dominick Russo - Heavyweight
Rank Publication
9 InterMat
9 Win-Magazine
9 WrestlingReport.com
9 Amateur Wrestling News
9 D1CollegeWrestling.net
The Rutgers Wrestling Captures Two Victories at Spartan Duals

EAST LANSING, Mich. (Jan. 16, 2010) - The Rutgers wrestling team extended its unbeaten streak to eight matches as it defeated Eastern Michigan (30-9), tied Michigan State (16-16) and knocked off Findlay (34-9) Saturday afternoon at the inaugural Spartan Duals in the Jenison Field House.

The Scarlet Knights (12-4-1) claimed 21 of the 30 individual matches, including three pin falls and three major decisions. The eight-match unbeaten streak is the longest for Rutgers since it went the same amount of matches without a loss in late December-early January of the 2000-01 season.

Redshirt junior Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.), redshirt freshman Joey Langel (Howell, N.J.), sophomore Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) and redshirt junior Daryl Cocozzo (River Edge, N.J.) all went 3-0 on the day.

"We had a good day but not a great day and we leave here with a bitter taste in our mouth because of the Michigan State match," said Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale. "We had a great opportunity but got upset at 197. We had other matches that could have gone better for us so it is disappointing."

Russo knocked off Eastern Michigan's David Wade in his first match by a 5-1 decision.

With Rutgers trailing 16-13 against Michigan State, Russo kept Rutgers' unbeaten streak alive by defeating Alan O'Donnel by a 6-3 score to give Rutgers the 16-16 tie. Russo claimed his 15th pin of the season against Findlay by taking down Matt Clum in a 2:14 time span. The heavyweight has won eight straight matches with four of those victories coming by pin fall.

For the second straight event, Langel gave Rutgers a strong start by claiming convincing victories at 125 in all three matches. Langel picked up a 7-5 decision against Eastern Michigan's Chris Jenkins. Langel blanked Michigan State's Brennan Lyon by a 12-0 score in his next match. The redshirt freshman capped off his outstanding day with a technical fall victory over Findlay's Nick Weisjahn. Langel is currently on a 10-match winning streak.

"Langel has a little less pressure taken off him with the arrival of (Vincet) Dellafave this year and he is on fire right now," said Goodale. "He is wrestling great right now and is getting us off to great starts and that is important."

Melde extended his winning streak to six with a 7-5 decision over Eastern Michigan's Chris Jenkins, a 10-4 victory over Michigan State's Dan Osterman and a 17-3 major decision against Findlay's Joshua Falk.

Cocozzo claimed three decisions on the day to improve his win streak to five and his dual record to 6-1.

Rutgers next contest will be in New Jersey when it travels to in-state rival Rider on Jan. 22 for an 8 p.m. match.

Rutgers 30, Eastern Michigan 9

Weight Team Score

125: Joe Langel (RU) dec. Chris Jenkins (EM) 7-5 3-0

133: Sean Clair (EM) pins No. 17 Bill Ashnault (RU) 3:56 6-3

141: Trevor Melde (RU) pins Corey Phillips (EM) 4:34 9-6

149: Dave Greenwald (RU) dec. David Pienaar (EM) 14-11 12-6

157: Daryl Cocozzo (RU) dec. Aaron Sulzer (EM) 5-0 15-6

165: Greg Zannetti (RU) pins Justin Brandel (EM) 4:50 21-6

174: Dan Rinaldi (RU) dec. Nick Hendrick (EM) 3-2 24-6

184: Phil Joseph (EM) dec. Jesse Boyden (RU) 7-5 24-9

197: No. 19 Lamar Brown (RU) dec. Josh Lewis (EM) 7-3 27-9

HWT: No. 9 DJ Russo (RU) dec. David Wade (EM) 5-1 30-9

Michigan State 16, Rutgers 16

Weight Team Score

125: Joe Langel (RU) maj. dec. Brennan Lyon (MS) 12-0 4-0

133: No. 1 Franklin Gomez (MS) dec. No. 17 Bill Ashnault (RU) 4-1 4-3

141: Trevor Melde (RU) dec. Dan Osterman (MS) 10-4 7-3

149: David Cheza (MS) maj. dec. Dave Greenwald (RU) 15-3 Tied, 7-7

157: Daryl Cocozzo (RU) dec. Anthony Jones, 2-0 10-7

165: Kyle Bounds (MS) dec. Greg Zannetti (RU) 5-2 10-10

174: Dan Rinaldi (RU) dec. Ian Hinton (MS) 7-5 13-10

184: Nick Palmieri (MS) dec. Dan Sedenberg (RU) 3-2 Tied, 13-13

197: Tyler Dickenson (MS) dec. No. 19 Lamar Brown (RU) 2-1 16-13

HWT: No. 9 DJ Russo (RU) dec. Alan O'Donnel (MS) 6-3 Match Ends as Tie, 16-16

Rutgers 34, Findlay 9

Weight Team Score

125: Joe Langel (RU) tech fall Nick Weisjahn (F) 19-4 5-0

133: Cullen Isenberg (RU) maj. dec. Jan Ulinski (FU) 12-1 9-0

141: Trevor Melde (RU) maj. dec. Joshua Falk (F) 17-3 13-0

149: Kellen Brandley (RU) dec. Jeremy Espenoza (F) 5-1 16-0

157: Daryl Cocozzo (RU) dec. Michael Lybarger (F) 5-4 19-0

165: Matt Rigoglioso (RU) dec. Kris Bowser (F) 5-3 22-0

174: Justin Shannon (F) dec. Greg Zanetti (RU) 6-3 22-3

184: Jesse Boyden (RU) WBFF 28-3

197: Dan Stevenson (F)WBFF 28-9

HWT: No. 9 DJ Russo (RU) pins Matt Clum (F) 2:14 34-9
Rutgers Russo Rises, Ashnault and Brown Remain in InterMat Rankings

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (Jan. 13, 2010) - Redshirt junior Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.) of the Rutgers wrestling team rose to No. 9 and junior Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) and redshirt senior Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.) remained in the InterMat individual rankings, the Web site announced Wednesday.

Ashnault is listed at No. 17 in the 133-pound class and 197-pounder Brown appears at No. 19.

Sophomore Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) and redshirt freshman Joseph Langel (Howell, N.J.) were also listed in national rankings.

Last weekend, Rutgers picked up convincing victories over Army, Boston University, Brown, Harvard and USMMA to improve to 10-4.

Russo and Ashnault are tied with a team-best 19 wins. Russo owns a RU-best 14 pins and Ashnault is right behind him with 10 pins.

Along with InterMat, Russo is listed as the ninth-best heavyweight by three other publications - Win-Magazine, Amateur Wrestling News and D1CollegeWrestling.net. WrestlingReport.com posted Russo at No. 10.

Ashnault is listed as high as No. 15 by D1CollegeWrestling.net and given recognition by three other outlets, with WrestlingReport.com (No. 16), Amateur Wrestling News (No. 20) and Win-Magazine (No. 20).

Brown owns a 14-4 record this season, including a 7-3 dual mark. The fifth-year senior is also ranked by D1CollegeWrestling.net (No. 17) and WrestlingReport.com (No. 22).

Melde has compiled a 15-5 record this season, including a 9-2 mark in dual competition. The Hewitt, N.J. native is listed as high as No. 20 via Amateur Wrestling News. WrestlingReport.com posted Melde at No. 21 and D1CollegeWrestling.net gave him a No. 23 ranking.

Langel had a dominating performance last Sunday as he claimed major decisions in all three of his matches. Langel is 16-5 this season with five major decisions. WrestlingReport.com listed Langel as the 29th-best 125-pounder in the country.

Rutgers will be back in action this Saturday when the squad travels to East Lansing, Mich. for a quad-meet with Michigan State, Findlay and Eastern Michigan.

Rutgers Wrestling 2009-10 National Rankings
(As of Jan. 13)

Joseph Langel - 125 Pounds
Rank               Publication    
29 WrestlingReport.com

Billy Ashnault - 133 Pounds
Rank Publication
17 InterMat
20 Win-Magazine
16 WrestlingReport.com
17 Amateur Wrestling News
15 D1CollegeWrestling.net

Trevor Melde - 141 Pounds
Rank Publication
21 WrestlingReport.com
20 Amateur Wrestling News
23 D1CollegeWrestling.net

Lamar Brown - 197 Pounds
Rank Publication
19 InterMat
22 WrestlingReport.com
17 D1CollegeWrestling.net

Dominick Russo - Heavyweight
Rank Publication
9 InterMat
9 Win-Magazine
10 WrestlingReport.com
9 Amateur Wrestling News
9 D1CollegeWrestling.net
Rutgers Wrestling Completes Weekend Sweep with Three Victories at USMMA

WESTPOINT, N.Y. (Jan. 10, 2010) - The Rutgers wrestling team defeated Boston University, 39-0, USMMA, 39-3, and Army, 28-10,  on Sunday at the Christl Arena in West Point, N.Y. to cap off a 5-0 weekend

RU (10-4) won 26 of 30 matches including five pin falls and five major decisions. Seven Scarlet Knights went 3-0 on the day.

Redshirt freshman Joseph Langel (Howell, N.J.) got the Scarlet Knights off to strong starts by claiming major decisions in all three matches. Langel is 16-5 this season with five major decisions.

Redshirt junior Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.) claimed his fastest pin of the season by taking down USMMA's Judd Connell in 40 seconds. Russo went 3-0 on Sunday to improve his overall record to 19-3 and 12-1 in dual action.

Redshirt junior Daryl Cocozzo (River Edge, N.J.) dominated his opponents Sunday by picking up three victories, including a major decision and technical fall. The RU newcomer is 4-1 in dual competition with his only loss coming against top-ranked Harvard's J.P. O'Connor.

16th-ranked junior Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) won all three of his matches, including a pin fall, to improve to 19-5 and 13-1 in dual play.

Sophomore Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) claimed three victories, with his most impressive win coming against USMMA's Garrick Skubon by a 2:33 pin. Melde is 15-5 and 9-2 in dual matches this season.

Redshirt freshman Daniel Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) and sophomore Gregory Zannetti (Edison, N.J.) also went 3-0 on Sunday.

Rutgers will be on the road again for its next competition this Saturday for another quad meet in East Lansing, Mich., where the squad will face Michigan State, Findlay and Eastern Michigan.

Rutgers 39, Boston 0

Weight Team Score   

125: Joseph Langel (RU) major dec. Ryan Dowd (BU) 10-2 4-0

133: #16 Billy Ashnault (RU) dec. Fred Santaite (BU) 2-1 7-0

141: Trevor Melde (RU) dec. Abbie Rush (BU) 7-1 10-0

149: David Greenwald (RU) pinned Matt Morgenstern (BU) 3:25 16-0

157: Daryl Cocozzo (RU) tech. fall Nestor Taffur (BU) 21-6 (4:36) 21-0

165: Greg Zannetti (RU) dec. Kyle Czarnecki (BU) 3-2 24-0

174: Daniel Rinaldi (RU) dec. Hunter Meyers (BU) 2-0 27-0

184: Daniel Seidenberg (RU) dec. Brock Mantella (BU) 3-0 30-0

197: #18 Lamar Brown (RU) dec. Dan Kennedy (BU) 6-4 33-0

285: #10 Dominick Russo (RU) won by forfeit 39-0   

Rutgers 39, United States Merchant Marine Academy 3

Weight Team Score

125: Joseph Langel (RU) major dec. Jordan Alfaro (USMMA) 12-4 4-0

133: #16 Billy Ashnault (RU) won by forfeit 10-0

141: Trevor Melde (RU) pinned Garrick Skubon (USMMA) 2:33 16-0

149: David Greenwald (RU) dec. Martin Bell (USMMA) 8-4 19-0

157: Daryl Cocozzo (RU) major dec. Dan Twito (USMMA) 12-1 23-0

165: Greg Zannetti (RU) dec. Logan Torgison (USSMA) 12-7 26-0

174: Daniel Rinaldi (RU) major dec. Justin Diesel (USSMA) 9-1 30-0

184: Jesse Boyden (RU) dec. Erik Schott (USSMA) 7-3 33-0

197: Eric Vincent (USMMA) dec. Michael Cucinotta (USSMA) 8-6 33-3

285: #10 Dominick Russo (RU) pinned Judd Connell (USSMA):40 39-3

Rutgers 28, Army 10

Weight Team Score

125: Joseph Langel (RU) major dec. Steven West (Army) 8-0 4-0

133: #16 Billy Ashnault (RU) pinned Travis Coffey (Army) 1:33 10-0

141: Trevor Melde (RU) dec. Casey Thome (Army) 10-5 13-0

149: #8 Matt Kyler (Army) major dec. David Greenwald (RU) 16-3 13-4

157: Daryl Cocozzo (RU) dec. Daniel Young (Army) 4-0 16-4

165: Greg Zannetti (RU) dec. Rudy Chelednik (Army) 2-1 19-4               

174: Daniel Rinaldi (RU) dec. Jacob Vetter (Army) 5-1 22-4

184: Collin Wittmeyer (Army) dec. Daniel Seidenberg (RU) 3-2 22-7

197: #17 Richard Starks (Army) dec. #18 Lamar Brown (RU) 3-1 22-10 

285: #10 Dominick Russo (RU) pinned Ryan Cook (Army) :47 28-10 
Rutgers Wrestling Heads to USMMA for Quad Meet

WESTPOINT, N.Y. (Jan. 9, 2010) - The Rutgers wrestling team will hit the road for a quad meet against Army, Boston University and USMMA this Sunday at the Christl Arena in West Point, N.Y.

Tickets are available at the arena for $5 and a video stream of USMMA's matches will be available on <http://www.usmmasports.com>www.usmmasports.com, via the school's subscription-based service ITT KnightVision.

The Scarlet Knights (7-4) will battle the Terriers (0-1-1) at 2 p.m., the Marines (2-4) at 4 p.m. and the Black Knights (1-2) at 6 p.m.

Last season, Rutgers hosted the three schools on Jan. 11 at The Barn where RU went 3-0 by beating Army (20-18) USMMA (39-0) and Boston (44-3).

RU picked up two victories Friday night in its first home event of the season by defeating Brown, 35-8, and Harvard, 46-4, at the College Ave Gymnasium. The Scarlet Knights have won four of their last five contests.

Following Sunday's quad meet, Rutgers will be on the road again for another quad meet in East Lansing, Mich., where the squad will face Michigan State, Findlay and Eastern Michigan.
Three Rutgers Wrestlers Begin 2010 Listed in InterMat National Rankings

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (Jan. 5, 2010) - Three Rutgers wrestlers open 2010 listed in the InterMat rankings, the Web site announced Tuesday. Rutgers also continues to receive votes in the NWCA/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll.

Junior Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.), redshirt senior Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.) and redshirt junior Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.) appeared in their respective weight classes of the InterMat Rankings. Russo earned the highest billing at No. 10 followed by Ashnault at No. 16 and Brown at No. 18.

Sophomore Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) and redshirt freshman Joseph Langel (Howell, N.J.) were also listed in national rankings.

Russo and Ashnault each earned five national rankings, are tied with a team-best 14 wins and each placed eighth in their bracket at the 47th Midlands Championships last week.

Along with InterMat, WrestlingReport.com, Amateur Wrestling News and D1CollegeWrestling.net gave Russo a No. 10 ranking. Win-Magazine placed the heavyweight at No. 11.

Ashnault was ranked as high as No. 15 by D1CollegeWrestling.net while earning three additional top-20 rankings by WrestlingReport.com (No. 16), Amateur Wrestling News (No.17) and Win-Magazine (No. 20).

InterMat and D1CollegeWrestling.net both gave Brown No. 18 billing, while Win-Magazine recognized him at No. 20 and WrestlingReport.com posted him at No. 24. Brown owns a 13-3 record and two major decision victories.

WrestlingReport.com and D1CollegWrestling.net ranked Melde at No. 20 and No. 23, respectively. Melde has compiled a 12-5 record this season and reached the quarterfinals of the Midlands Championship before falling to No. 10 Alex Krom of Maryland.

Langel earned a No. 30 ranking from WrestlingReport.com. The redshirt freshman owns a 13-5 record this season.

Rutgers will compete in its first home event this Friday when it hosts Brown and Harvard. RU will battle Harvard at 5 p.m. followed by Brown at 7 p.m.

Rutgers Wrestling 2009-10 National Rankings
(As of Jan. 5)

Team
Rank               Publication    
RV NWCA/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll

Joseph Langel - 125 Pounds
Rank               Publication    
30 WrestlingReport.com

Billy Ashnault - 133 Pounds
Rank Publication
16 InterMat
20 Win-Magazine.com
16 WrestlingReport.com
17 Amateur Wrestling News
15 D1CollegeWrestling.net

Trevor Melde - 141 Pounds
Rank Publication
20 WrestlingReport.com
23 D1CollegeWrestling.net

Lamar Brown - 197 Pounds
Rank Publication
18 InterMat
20 Win-Magazine.com
24 WrestlingReport.com
18 D1CollegeWrestling.net

Dominick Russo - Heavyweight
Rank Publication
10 InterMat
11 Win-Magazine.com
10 WrestlingReport.com (EIWA Ranking)
10 Amateur Wrestling News
10 D1CollegeWrestling.net
Rutgers Ashnaut and Russo Each Place Eighth at Midlands Championships

EVANSTON, Ill. (Dec. 30, 2009) — Redshirt junior Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.) and junior Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) of the Rutgers wrestling team each placed eighth in their respective brackets at the 47th Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill. at the Welsh-Ryan Arena on Wednesday. Rutgers as a team was in 15th place in the latest team rankings with 31 points.

Sophomore 141-pounder Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) also competed on Wednesday.

Eighth-ranked and seventh-seeded Russo, competing in the heavyweight bracket, picked up his third pin of the tournament and 11th of the season by taking down Eric Thompson of No. 2 Iowa State in his first wrestleback match by a 5:52 mark. Russo dropped his next match to sixth-seeded Mark Ellis of Missouri by a 10-5 decision.

In the seventh-place match, seventh-ranked and fifth-seeded Ryan Tomei defeated Russo by a 3-0 decision.

17th-ranked and eighth-seeded Ashnault, wrestling at 133, bounced back from his quarterfinals loss by knocking off Nathan McCormick of Missouri by a 6-3 decision. Ashnault was eliminated by 14th-ranked and fifth-seeded Kyle Hutter in the next round by a 6-1 score.

Oregon State’s Kelly Kubec, who is ranked 15th and seeded fifth, pinned Ashnault in the seventh-place match by a 2:08 time.

19th-ranked and 11th-seeded Melde fell in his first wrestleback match against 12th-seeded Juan Archuleta of Purdue by a 3-2 decision.

The Scarlet Knights will be back in action on Jan. 8 for their first home event when they host a tri-meet with Brown and Harvard.

47th Midlands Championships
Evanston, Ill. at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Dec. 29-30, 2009

Rutgers Results

133-Pound Bracket
Second Round
No. 17/8th Billy Ashnault (RU) pins Akif Eren (PU), 5:32
Third Round
No. 17/8th Billy Ashnault (RU) pins No. 18/9th David Marble (Bucknell) 6:54
Quarterfinals
No. 5/1st Nick Fanthorpe (Iowa State) dec. No. 17/8th Billy Ashnault (RU) 6-2

Wrestleback (consolation round)
No. 17/8th Billy Ashnault (RU) dec. Nathan McCormick(Missouri) 6-3
No. 14/5th Kyle Hutter (unattached) dec. No. 17/8th Billy Ashnault (RU) 6-1

7th Place Match
#6 Kelly Kubec (Oregon St.) pins No. 17/8th Billy Ashnault (RU) 2:08

141-Pound Bracket
Second Round
No. 19/11th Trevor Melde (RU) major dec. Vince Vercelli (Ill.) 9-1
Third Round
No. 19/11th Trevor Melde (RU) dec. No. 15/6th Seth Ciasulli (Lehigh) 8-6
Quarterfinals
No. 10/3rd Alex Krom (MD) pins No. 19/11th Trevor Melde (RU) 1:45

Wrestleback (consolation round)
12th Juan Archuleta (PU) dec. No. 19/11th Trevor Melde (RU) 3-2

157-Pound Bracket
First Round
11th Daryl Cocozzo (RU) dec. Joey Deaguero (Adams St.) 6-3
Second Round
11th Daryl Cocozzo (RU) dec. Trent Weatherman (unattached) 6-3
Third Round
No. 13/6th Jake Deitchler (unattached) dec. 11th Daryl Cocozzo (RU) 5-2

Wrestleback (consolation round)
Andrew Sorenson (Iowa St.) dec. 11th Daryl Cocozzo (RU) 5-2

165-Pound Bracket

Second Round
6th Scott Winston (RU) pins Dan Brascetta (Oregon St.) 6:30
*Winston forfeited due to injury
Mike Finch (Iowa St.) dec. Gregory Zannetti (RU) 8-4

Wrestleback (consolation round)
Rob Morrison (Rider) dec. Gregory Zannetti (RU) 9-3

285-pound Bracket
Second Round
No. 8/7th Dominic Russo (RU) pins Chris Weber (Cleveland St.) 1:29
Third Round
No. 8/7th Dominic Russo (RU) pins Bubba Owens (Oregon St.) 2:15
Quarterfinals
No. 3/2nd Zak Rey (Lehigh) dec. No. 8/7th Dominic Russo (RU) 5-2

Wrestleback (consolation round)
No. 8/7th Dominic Russo (RU) pins Eric Thompson (Iowa St.) 5:52
#6 Mark Ellis (Missouri) dec. No. 8/7th Dominic Russo (RU) 10-5

Seventh Place Match
No. 7/5th Ryan Tomei (Pitt) dec. No. 8/7th Dominic Russo (RU) 3-0

No. – National ranking/seed
Rutgers Maintains Four Wrestlers in InterMat National Rankings

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (Dec. 18, 2009) - Four Rutgers wrestlers were listed in the latest InterMat rankings released this week. Rutgers also continues to receive votes in the NWCA/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll.

Redshirt senior Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.) joined junior Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.), sophomore Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) and redshirt junior Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.) in their respective weight classes of the InterMat Rankings. Russo (No. 8), Ashnault (No. 18) and Melde (No. 19) all kept their previous ranking as Brown appeared at No. 18.

Joseph Langel (Howell, N.J.) and freshman Vincent Dellefave (Toms River, N.J) were also listed in national rankings.

Russo and Ashnault each own a team-best 11 wins. Russo suffered his first loss of the season last Saturday against No. 12 Ryan Tomei of Pittsburgh by a defensive pin. Along with InterMat, Russo is listed in four other national rankings and as high as No. 7 by WrestlingReport.com. D1CollegeWrestling.net (No. 8) and Amateur Wrestling News (No. 9) also listed Russo as a top-10 heavyweight. Win-Magazine.com ranks Russo at No. 12

Ashnault picked up his sixth pin of the season against Pittsburgh by knocking off Jimmy Conroyin in 6:53.

Ashnault leads the team with 39 dual points. Ashnault is listed as high as No. 14 by both WrestlingReport.com and Amateur Wrestling News. D1CollegeWrestling.net boasts Ashnault at No. 15.

Brown is 9-3 on the season and defeated Pittsburgh's Matt Wilps by a 3-1 decision in overtime in his last match. Brown was listed as high as No. 16 by D1CollegeWrestling.net. Win-Magazine.com and WrestlingReport.com ranked Brown at No. 20 and No. 22, respectively.

Melde has posted a 10-3 record this season and notched two pins and three major decisions.WrestlingReport.com and D1CollegeWrestling net acknowledged Melde in their rankings at No. 17 and No. 18, respectively.

WrestlingReport.com put both Vincet Dellefave (Toms River, N.J.) and Joseph Lagel (Howell, N.J.) at No. 28 in the 125-pound listing. Dellefave is 4-3 on the season and Langel is 9-5.

Rutgers will be back in action at the Midlands Tournament. The event runs Dec. 29-30.

Rutgers Wrestling 2009-10 National Rankings
(As of Dec. 17)

Team
Rank               Publication    
RV NWCA/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll
5 WrestlingReport.com EIWA Ranking

Vincent Dellefave - 125 Pounds
28t WrestlingReport.com

Joseph Langel - 125 Pounds
28t WrestlingReport.com

Billy Ashnault - 133 Pounds
Rank Publication
18 InterMat
14 (3) WrestlingReport.com (EIWA Ranking)
14 Amateur Wrestling News
15 D1CollegeWrestling.net

Trevor Melde - 141 Pounds
Rank Publication
19 InterMat
17 (4)              WrestlingReport.com (EIWA Ranking)
18 D1CollegeWrestling.net

Gregory Zannetti - 165 pounds
(6) WrestlingReport.com (EIWA Ranking)
 
Lamar Brown - 197 Pounds
Rank Publication
18 InterMat
20 Win-Magazine.com
22 (5) WrestlingReport.com (EIWA Ranking)
16 D1CollegeWrestling.net

Dominick Russo - Heavyweight
Rank Publication
8 InterMat
12 Win-Magazine.com
7 (2) WrestlingReport.com (EIWA Ranking)
9 Amateur Wrestling News
8 D1CollegeWrestling.net

RV - receiving votes.
Rutgers Wrestling Edged by No. 24 Pittsburgh, 21-18

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (Dec. 12, 2009) - The Rutgers wrestling team fell to No. 24 Pittsburgh in a hard fought match that came down to the heavyweight bout in the Fitzgerald Field House on Saturday night.

The Scarlet Knights (5-4, 1-1 EIWA) split the 10 matches with the Panthers (1-0) but Pittsburgh claimed two pin falls to give it an 21-18 victory.

RU was leading 18-15 heading into the final match between two top-15 wrestlers - No. 8 Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.) of Rutgers and No. 12 Ryan Tomei of Pittsburgh. Neither heavyweight could get on the scoreboard in the first period. Russo took the bottom in the second period and quickly scored a reversal to take a 2-0 advantage. However, Russo got called for a defensive pin at the 4:02 mark, giving the Panthers the win.

"We did a good job of fighting back, but unfortunately with only 10 weight classes you can't get pinned at this level - it is too many bonus points," said Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale. "It's an unfortunate ending but it happens in wrestling.

"DJ Russo has won a lot of matches for us and a defensive pin is something you rarely see. I also look at other spots like 125 and 141. If you want to knock off nationally-ranked programs you have to win those matches, especially matches you are ahead. Hopefully our young guys will learn from this and move forward."

Pittsburgh took a 3-0 lead with Anthony Zanneta clamming a 7-4 decision over redshirt freshman Joseph Langel (Howell, N.J.).

No. 18 Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) continues to be a star for Rutgers as he picked up his sixth pin of the season and improved his record to 11-2 by pinning high school teammate Jimmy Conroy in 6:53.

"Billy is the way we want our guys to wrestle," commented Goodale. "He is nonstop and he finds a way to win. He is not the best wrestler but he keeps at it and doesn't quit. Hopefully it catches up to our younger guys."

The Panthers quickly stole the momentum by claiming a comeback decision at 141 and a 2:06 pin at 149 to go ahead 12-6.

The Scarlet Knights began to crawl back in the contest by picking up decisions from three underclassmen - sophomore Gregory Zannetti (Edison, N.J.), redshirt freshman Daniel Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) and freshman Daniel Seidenberg (Red Bank, N.J.) - to go ahead 15-12.

After Pittsburgh claimed an 8-3 decision at 184 to tie the score at 15-all, redshirt senior Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.) went into overtime with Matt Wilps. Brown executed a takedown in OT to gain a 3-1 victory giving Rutgers' an 18-15 lead heading into the heavyweight match.

Rutgers will be out of action for the next two weeks before returning to the mat on Dec. 29 at the Midlands tournament.

No. 24 Pittsburgh 21, Rutgers 18

125 Anthony Zanneta (Pitt) dec. Joseph Langel (RU) 7-4 3-0
133 #18 Billy Ashnault (RU) pins Jimmy Conroy (Pitt) 6:53 3-6
141 #13 Tyler Nauman (Pitt) dec. #19 Trevor Melde (RU) 8-7 6-6
149 Eric Albright (Pitt) pins #19 David Greenwald (RU) 2:06 6-12
157 Cullen Isenberg (RU) dec. Mark Powell (Pitt) 2-1 9-12
165 Greg Zannetti (RU) dec. Karl Deciantis (Pitt) 6-4 12-12
174 Daniel Rinaldi (RU) dec. Dave Sullivan (Pitt) 15-12 15-12
184 Zac Thomusseit (Pitt) dec. Daniel Seidenberg (RU) 8-3 15-15
197 Lamar Brown (RU) dec. Matt Wilps (Pitt) 3-1 in overtime 18-15
285 #12 Ryan Tomei (Pitt) pins #8 Dominick Russo (RU) 21-18
Rutgers Wrestling Dominates In-State EIWA Foe Princeton, VMI

PRINCETON, N.J. (Dec. 5, 2009) - The Rutgers wrestling team picked up two convincing victories Saturday afternoon against in-state EIWA rival Princeton and VMI at the Dillon Gymnasium in Princeton, N.J. The Scarlet Knights won 19 of their 20 matches.

RU (5-3, 1-1 EIWA) blanked VMI (0-2) by a 44-0 score and Princeton (2-1, 0-1 EIWA) by a 34-3 mark.

"It was a good bounce back from last weekend," said Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale. "I thought we wrestled hard in all of our matches. We are really benefiting from the tough tournaments and teams we are facing right now."

Rutgers won all 10 matches against VMI and No. 9 Bill Ashnault (South Plainfield), Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) and No. 20 David Greenwald (Union, N.J.) all picked up pin falls against VMI. Greenwald has claimed three pin fall victories this season.

The Scarlet Knights claimed nine victories against the Tigers. No. 9 Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.) remains undefeated (11-0) after winning by forfeit against VMI and picking up RU's fastest pin fall of the season against Princeton's Bobby Grogran by a 1:08 time.

Redshirt freshman Daniel Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) scored his second major decision of the season by knocking off Princeton's Kurt Brendel, 13-4.

Freshman Daniel Seidenberg (Red Bank, N.J.) picked up his first major decision of his college career with an 8-0 victory over Princeton's Travis Erdman.

RU Newcomer Ashnault improved his record to 10-2 on the season and 7-1 in dual action by defeating Princeton's Zach Bintliff, 8-1.

Rutgers will travel to Pittsburgh for its next match on Saturday, Dec.12, at 5 p.m.

Rutgers 44, VMI 0

Individual results were not available.

Rutgers 34, Princeton 3

125: Vincent Dellefave (RU) dec. Garrett Frey (PU) 4-2

133: No. 19 Bill Ashnault (RU) dec. Zach Bintliff (PU) 8-1

141: Trevor Melde (RU) tech. fall Luis Ramos (PU) 19-4 (5:00)

149: Daniel Kolodzik (PU) dec. No. 20 David Greenwald (RU) 8-5

157: Kellen Bradley (RU) dec. Danny Scotton (PU) 4-3

165: Gregory Zannetti (RU) dec. Andrew Lowy (PU) 6-2

174: Daniel Seidenberg (RU) major dec. Travis Erdman (PU) 8-0

184: Daniel Rinaldi (RU) major dec. Kurt Brendel (PU) 13-4

197: Lamar Brown (RU) dec. Charles Fox (PU) 5-2

285:No. 9 Dominick Russo (RU) pins Bobby Grogan (PU) 1:08
Russo Highlights Rutgers Wrestling in National Rankings

Undefeated Russo Listed in Top-Nine of Four National Rankings

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Dec. 2, 2009) - Redshirt junior Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.), highlights the Rutgers wrestling team's presence in the national rankings released this past week as he was listed in the top-10 of four polls.

Additionally, Rutgers (3-3, 0-1 EIWA) is receiving votes in the NWCA/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll.

Russo is listed in the top-nine of four different national listings. The undefeated heavyweight is placed as high as No. 7 by WrestlingReport.com and InterMat, Amateur Wrestling News and D1CollegeWrestling.net have him at No. 9. Russo is a perfect 9-0 on the season and seven of his victories have come by pin fall. Russo has claimed four victories over ranked opponents this season

Along with Russo, Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.), Bill Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) , Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.), David Greenwald (Union, N.J.) and Joesph Langell, (Howell, N.J.), are still listed in national rankings of their respective weight class.

Ashnault is listed at No. 19 by both InterMat and D1CollegeWrestling.net. WrestlingReport.com ranks the RU newcomer as the 24th best 133-pounder in the country. Ashnault is tied with Russo for the most dual points this season with 24. Ashnault picked up his biggest win of the season last Friday when he defeated No. 13 David Marble of Bucknell by an 8-3 decision.

Greenwald, Langel and Melde are all listed in three different national rankings.

Langel earned a No. 18 spot by Amateur Wrestling News and a No. 24 posting by D1CollegeWrestling.net and WrestlingReport.com. The Howell, N.J. native is 9-4 on the season.

At 141 pounds, Melde is positioned as high as No. 17 by D1CollegeWrestling.net. WrestlingReport.com (18) and Amateur Wrestling News (No. 20) also recognized Melde. The Hewitt, N.J. native has tallied three major decisions this season.

Greenwald's highest ranking comes from WrestlingReport.com at No. 19. Intermat and D1CollegeWrestling.net posted Greenwald at No. 20 and 23, respectively. The Union, N.J. is 5-3 this season, including two pin fall victories.

Brown appears at No. 17 by D1CollegeWrestling.net and No. 20 by WrestlingReport.com. The fifth-year senior owns a 6-3 record this season.

Rutgers will be back in action this Saturday when it travels to Princeton for a tri-meet with VMI.

Rutgers Wrestling 2009-10 National Rankings
(As of Dec. 2)

Team
Rank               Publication    
RV NWCA/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll

Joseph Langel - 125 Pounds
Rank Publication
18 Amateur Wrestling News
24 D1CollegeWrestling.net
24                    WrestlingReport.com

Billy Ashnault - 133 Pounds
Rank Publication
19 InterMat
19 D1CollegeWrestling.net
24 WrestlingReport.com

Trevor Melde - 141 Pounds
Rank Publication
20 Amateur Wrestling News
17 D1CollegeWrestling.net
18 WrestlingReport.com

David Greenwald - 149 Pounds
Rank Publication
20 InterMat
23 D1CollegeWrestling.net
19 WrestlingReport.com

Lamar Brown - 197 Pounds
Rank Publication
17 D1CollegeWrestling.net
20 WrestlingReport.com

Dominick Russo - Heavyweight
Rank Publication
9 InterMat
9 Amateur Wrestling News
9 D1CollegeWrestling.net
7 WrestlingReport.com
Rutgers Wrestling Falls to No. 1 Iowa, Bucknell

LEWISBURG, Pa. (Nov. 27, 2009) - The Rutgers wrestling team fell to defending NCAA Champion and No. 1 Iowa, 33-9, and EIWA foe Bucknell, 26-12, Friday night in Lewisburg, Pa. at Bucknell's Sojka Pavilion.

The Scarlet Knights (3-3, 0-1 EIWA) were only able to claim two matches against the Hawkeyes (7-0) and three against the Bison (3-3, 1-0 EIWA).

Redshirt junior Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J,), ranked No. 10 nationally, won both of his matches by pin fall and both under two minutes to improve to 9-0 on the season. Six of Russo's victories this season have come by pin fall.

Junior Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) picked up the biggest win of the night for Rutgers by knocking off No. 13 David Marble of Bucknell with an 8-3 score. Ashnault fell in his first match to No. 4 Daniel Dennis of Iowa by a technical fall score of 21-5 (7:00). Ashnault is now 8-2 on the season.

Sophomores Gregory Zannetti (Edison, N.J.) and Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) also picked up victories for Rutgers.

Rutgers will be back on the mat next Saturday when the squad battles Princeton and VMI in Princeton, N.J.

No. 1 Iowa 33, Rutgers 9

125: No. 17 Matt McDonough (I) pinned Vinny Dellafave (R), 3:39

133: No. 4 Daniel Dennis (I) tech. fall Billy Ashnault (R), 21-5 (7:00)

141: No. 9 Dan LeClere (I) dec. No. 20 Trevor Melde (R), 7-3

149: No. 1 Brent Metcalf (I) tech. fall Kellen Bradley (R), 20-5 (6:27)

157: Aaron Janssen (I) dec. Braden Turner (R), 2-0

165: Gregory Zannetti (R) dec. Jake Kerr (I), 8-6 (OT)

174: No. 3 Jay Borschel (I) maj. dec. Daniel Rinaldi (R), 16-3

184: Grant Gambrall (I) maj. dec. Jesse Boyden (R), 11-3

197: No. 10 Chad Beatty (I) dec. No. 16 Lamar Brown (R), 9-3

285: No. 10 Dominick Russo (R) pinned Jordan Johnson (I), 1:24

Bucknell 26, Rutgers 12

125: Derrik Russell (B) dec. Joseph Langel (R), 5-0

133: Billy Ashnault (R) dec. No. 13 David Marble (B), 8-3

141: No. 20 Trevor Melde (R) dec. Zac Hancock (B), 7-0

149: No. 17 Kevin LeValley (B) tech. fall Kellen Bradley (R), 15-0 (5:21)

157: Brantley Hooks (B) dec. Braden Turner (R), 6-2

165: No. 6 Andy Rendos (B) pinned Gregory Zannetti (R), 0:58

174: No. 10 Shane Riccio (B) dec. Daniel Rinaldi (R), 6-2

184: David Thompson (B) dec. Daniel Seidenberg (R), 5-4

197: Jay Hahn (B) dec. No. 17 Lamar Brown (R), 9-2

285: No. 10 Dominick Russo (R) pinned Conor Sweeney (B), 1:52
Rutgers Wrestling Captures Two Wins at Sprawl and Brawl Duals

Scarlet Knights Won 21 of 30 Individual Matches

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (Nov. 22, 2009) - The Rutgers wrestling team captured two dominating victories and fell two points short of knocking off No. 19 Penn State Sunday at the Sprawl and Brawl Duals at Binghamton University in Binghamton, N.Y.

RU (3-1) split its matches against No. 19 Penn State (4-1) but PSU squeaked by with an 18-17 score in the opening match. The Scarlet Knights quickly rebounded with a strong 42-6 victory over Scared Heart (1-4). RU claimed a convincing 25-10 win against Northern Iowa (1-4) in its final match.

Junior Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) and redshirt junior Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J,) played huge roles in Rutgers' successful outing as Ashnault went 3-0 with two pins and Russo knocked off two top-20 wrestlers. Russo is 7-0 on the season and has won four straight matches against ranked wrestlers.

Ashnalt is 7-1 in his first season as a Scarlet Knight and four of his seven victories have come by pin fall.

"Billy has been great all year for us," said Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale. "He has scored a lot of bonus points and he really got after it today with two pins. He has brought a lot to our lineup."

Rutgers jumped out to a 7-3 advantage against Penn State behind a decision from Ashnault at 133 and a major decision from sophomore Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) at 141.

The Nittany Lions stole the momentum with major decisions at 149 and 157 to go up 11-7.

Redshirt freshman Daniel Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) closed the gap with RU's second of three major decisions of the match with a 15-5 win against Michael Lorenzo at 174.

At 184, Dave Erwin placed Penn State in a comfortable 18-11 advantage with an 11-2 major decision against redshirt freshman Jesse Boyden (Kenliworth, N.J.)

No. 16 Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J) improved his record to 5-1 with a 2-1 decision against Clay Steadman to cut PSU's lead to 18-14.

Russo knocked off No. 19 Cameron Wade by a 6-0 decision in the final contest of the Penn State match.

"It was a good match against Penn State and it came down to bonus points," said Goodale. "They have three All-Americans and just maybe one or two more weapons than us. I feel we missed out on an opportunity. We certainly aren't satisfied with the final result but we will continue to work and improve."

Against Sacred Heart, Rutgers won nine matches, including five by pin, for a 42-6 victory. RU earned pin falls from Ashnault, Greenwald, Rinaldi, Daniel Seidenberg (Red Bank, N.J.) and Sean DeDeyn (Bayville, N.J.).

Rutgers continued to dominate in its final contest against Northern Iowa as the Scarlet Knights claimed seven victories, highlighted by Russo beating No. 15 Christian Brantley by an 8-3 score, to capture the 25-10 victory.

Rutgers will be back in action next Friday when it travels to Lewisburg, Pa. for a tri-meet with Bucknell and defending NCAA Champion Iowa.

Sprawl and Brawl Duals
November 22, 2009
At Binghamton University

No. 19 Penn State 18, Rutgers 17
Score
PSU-RU
125 #6 Brad Pataky (PSU) dec. Vinny Dellafave (RU), 6-3 3-0
133 Billy Ashnault (RU) dec. Bryan Pearsall (PSU). 7-4 3-3
141 Trevor Melde (RU) major dec. Adam Lynch (PSU) 14-5 3-7
149 #8 Frank Molinaro (PSU) major dec. David Greenwald (RU) 11-3 7-7
157 #4 Cyler Sanderson (PSU) major dec. Braden Turner (RU) 18-8 11-7
165 #9 Dan Vallimont (PSU) dec. Gregory Zanetti (RU) 5-3 14-7
174 Daniel Rinaldi (RU) major dec. Michael Lorenzo (PSU) 15-5 14-11
184 Dave Erwin (PSU) major dec. Jesse Boyden (RU) 11-2 18-11
197 #16 Lamar Brown (RU) dec. Clay Steadman (PSU) 2-1 18-14
285 #10 Dominick Russo (RU) dec. #19 Cameron Wade (PSU) 6-0 18-17

Rutgers 42, Sacred Heart 6
Score
RU-SHU
125 Joseph Langel (RU) WBFF 6-0
133 Billy Ashnault (RU) pins Anthony Ricco (SHU) 3:31 12-0
141 Tom Hogan (RU) dec. Cory Dunn (SHU) 2-0 12-3
149 David Greenwald (RU) pins Zach Morana (SHU) 1:36 18-3
157 Kellen Bradley (RU) dec. Anthony Priore (SHU) 6-5 21-3
165 Matt Rigoglosa (RU) dec. Jonathon Rizzitello (SHU) 6-2 24-3
174 Daniel Rinaldi (RU) pins Michael Hartman (SHU) 4:22 30-3
184 Daniel Seidenberg (RU) pins Sam Sheppard (SHU) 1:38 36-3
197 Brandon Lapp (SHU) dec. Jesse Boyden (RU) 4-3 36-6
285 Sean DeDyn (RU) pins Paul Schweighardt (SHU) 1:23 42-6

Rutgers 25, Northern Iowa 10
Score
RU-NIU
125 Joseph Langel (RU) dec. Caleb Flores (NIU) 3-0
133 Billy Ashnault (RU) pins Joey Lazor (NIU) 4:40 9-0
141 Trevor Melde (RU) dec. Trent Washington (NIU) 5-3 12-0
149 David Greenwald (RU) major dec. Jamal Lawrence (NIU) 10-1 16-0
157 Tyson Reiner (NIU) major dec. Braden Turner (RU) 116-6 16-4
165 Gregory Zanetti (RU) dec. David Boinn (NIU) 3-2 19-4
174 Jarion Beets (NIU) dec. Daniel Rinaldi (RU) 5-3 19-7
184 Andy O'Loughlin (NIU) dec. Daniel Seidenberg (NIU) 3-2 19-10
197 #16 Lamar Brown (RU) dec. Dustin Bauman (NIU) 4-3 22-10
285 #10 Dominick Russo (RU) dec. #15 Christian Brantley (NIU) 8-3 25-10
Six Rutgers Wrestlers Listed in National Rankings
RU Listed at No. 24 in D1CollegeWrestling.Net Rankings

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (Nov. 17, 2009) - Six members of the Rutgers wrestling team appeared in multiple national rankings released this week after a shutout victory against Sacred Heart. 43-0, in its season opener on Nov. 8 and a third-place finish at the Oklahoma Gold Tournament last Saturday.

Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.), Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.), Bill Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) , Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.), David Greenwald (Union, N.J.) amd Joesph Langell, (Howell, N.J.), were listed in national rankings of their respective weight class.

Additionally, Rutgers was listed at No. 24 in the D1CollegeWrestling.net.

The Scarlet Knights went 39-29 overall at the Oklahoma Gold Tournament.Rutgers totaled 13 pin fall victories, including four from Russo. Russo knocked off two wrestlers ranked in the top-20 in his final pair of matches to claim the heavyweight title.

Russo highlights RU's presence in the national rankings with three top-10 appearances in the heavyweight division, listed as high as No. 7 by WrestlingReport.com. Intermat (No. 10) and D1CollegeWrestling.net (No. 9) also recognized Russo in their rankings.

Russo is 5-0 on the season with all of his victories coming by pin fall. Russo is averaging a 4:03 time span per pin this season.

Brown also earned three national listings and is positioned as high as No. 16 by both Intermat and D1CollegeWrestling.net. The Red Bank, N.J. native is listed as the 17th best 197-pound wrestler by WrestlingReport.com.

Last weekend, Brown reached the finals of his bracket at the Oklahoma Gold Tournament and defeated then ranked No.18 Richard Starks of Army in the semifinals.
Along with Brown and Russo, Ashnault and Langel also reached the finals of their respective brackets.

Ashnault jumped from No. 24 to No. 20 in D1CollegeWrestling.net's 133-pound rankings.
The RU newcomer jumped four spots in WrestlingReport.com's listing to No. 23. Ashnault boasts a 4-1 on the season with two pin falls.

Langel appeared in the national rankings for the first time this season as he was selected as the 24th-best 125-pound wrestler by both WrestlingReport.com and D1CollegeWrestling.net. The Howell, N.J. native went 3-1 at the Oklahoma Gold Tournament, including a 7-1 victory over then-No. 14 Nikko Triggas of Ohio State.

Rutgers will be back in action this Sunday when it travels to Binghamton, N.Y. for the Sprawl & Brawl College Wrestling Duals. RU will battle No. 17 Penn State, Northern Iowa and Sacred Heart.

Rutgers Wrestling 2009-10 National Rankings
(As of Nov. 17)

Team
Rank               Publication    
24                    D1CollegeWrestling.net

Joseph Langel - 125 Pounds
Rank Publication
24 D1CollegeWrestling.net
24                    WrestlingReport.com

Billy Ashnault - 133 Pounds
Rank Publication
20 D1CollegeWrestling.net
23 WrestlingReport.com

Trevor Melde - 141 Pounds
Rank Publication
22 D1 College Wrestling.net
20 WrestlingReport.com

David Greenwald - 149 Pounds
Rank Publication
22 D1 College Wrestling.net
21 WrestlingReport.com

Lamar Brown - 197 Pounds
Rank Publication
16                    InterMat NCAA Division I Rankings
16 D1 College Wrestling.net
17 WrestlingReport.com

Dominick Russo - Heavyweight
Rank Publication
10 InterMat NCAA Division I Rankings
9 D1CollegeWrestling.net
7 WrestlingReport.com
Rutgers Finishes Third, Russo Wins Bracket Title at Oklahoma Gold Tournament

BROCKPORT, N.Y. - (November 14, 2009) - Redshirt-junior Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J) of the Rutgers wrestling team won the 285-pound bracket title of the 11th Annual Oklahoma Gold Tournament Saturday night to highlight RU's impressive third-place finish at the event hosted by Brockport at the Tuttle North Gymnasium.

Russo won the title with a tournament-best four pins totaling 16:48. The Netcong, N.J. native is 5-0 on the season, with all of his victories coming by pin. The Scarlet Knights scored 12 pin falls on the day.

No. 18 Oklahoma won the event with a team score of 144.5. Following Oklahoma was No. 3 Ohio State (144), Rutgers (120.5), No. 12 Edinboro (110), Kent State (100.5), Army (81), Liberty (37.5) and host Brockport (11.5).

Along with Russo, Redshirt freshmen Joseph Langel (Howell, N.J.) junior Bill Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) redshirt senior Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.) all reached the finals of their respective bracket.

Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale was very pleased with his team's performance and called it the best tournament showing for the Scarlet Knights during his tenure.

"It was a very complete effort by our guys today," said Goodale. "To finish ahead of some ranked teams and to have a winner, four finalists and eight semifinalists was incredible. The amount of falls we got was tremendous. We have had a great start to the season so far. We are right in the thick of it.

"Russo continues to show hard work pays off. He stepped up big for us today with four pins in four matches. He pinned some of the best guys in the country."

Rutgers will be back on the mat next Sunday when it travels to Binghamton, N.Y. for a quad-meet with No. 14 Penn State, Northern Iowa and Sacred Heart.

Oklahoma Gold Tournament Final Team Standings
Pl. Points Team
1 144.5 #18 Oklahoma
2 144 #3 Ohio State
3 120.5 Rutgers
4 110 #12 Edinboro
5 100.5 Kent State
6 81 Army
7 37.5 Liberty
8 11.5 Brockport

Outstanding Wrestler - Dustin Kilgore - 184 lbs. - Kent State
Most Falls - Dominck Russo - Rutgers - 4 falls - 16:48
Fastest Fall - Sean Katz - Liberty - 0:33
Rutgers Wrestling Dominates Sacred Heart, 43-0, in 2009-10 Season Opener

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (November 8, 2009) The Rutgers wrestling team opened the 2009-10 season Sunday afternoon with a dominating performance as the Scarlet Knights won all 10 matches against the Pioneers for a 43-0 victory at the William H. Pitt Center in Fairfield, Conn.

"We got after it today and I was excited about how we performed," said Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale. "It was good to go against somebody else and it gave us a chance to see where we are at."

Senior Kellen Bradley (Newton, N.J.), redshirt junior Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.) newcomer junior Bill Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) and freshman Jesse Boyden (Kelinworth, N.J.) all claimed pin victories.

14th-ranked Russo won the quickest bout as he pinned Paul Schweighardt in 1:32.

19th-ranked Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.) showed no rust after redshirting last season as he won by major decision over Brandon Lapp, 12-1.

Along with Boyden, freshmen Vincent Dellefave (Toms River, N.J.), Daniel Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) and Braden Turner (Edison, N.J.) all picked up victories.

Turner defeated Anthony Priore by a 4-2 decision. Priore was ranked fifth in the 157-weight class of the preseason Colonial Athletic Association rankings.

"I was concerned about how they (freshmen) would do with their first match and how they would react," said Goodale. "Dellefave started us off with the first win. They all did a good job of competing and scoring bonus points today and that was exciting."

Sophomores Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) and Gregory Zanetti (Edison, N.J.) also picked up victories for Rutgers.

The Scarlet Knights will be back in action next Saturday at the Brockport Gold Tournament in Brockport, N.Y.

Rutgers 43, Sacred Heart 0
November 8, 2009
Fairfield, Conn.
William H. Pitt Center

125 -Vincent Dellefave (RU) dec. Pat Feely (SHU) 3-1
133 - Bill Ashnault (RU) pins Justin Belanger (SHU) 3:45
141 - Trevor Melde (RU) dec. Cory Dunn (SHU) 6-3
149 - Kellen Bradley (RU) pins Paul Galipeau (SHU) 4:50
157 -Braden Turner (RU) dec. Anthony Priore (SHU) 4-2
165 - Gregory Zanetti (RU) dec. Jonathon Rizzitello (SHU) 6-4
174 - Daniel Rinaldi (RU) dec. Michael Hartman (SHU) 10-4
184 - Jesse Boyden (RU) pins Sam Sheppard (SHU) 2:01
197 - #19 Lamar Brown (RU) major dec. Brandon Lapp (SHU) 12-1
285 - #14 Dominick Russo (RU) pins Paul Schweighardt (SHU) 1:32
Rutgers Wrestling Opens 2009-10 Season at Sacred Heart

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (November 7, 2009) The Rutgers wrestling team opens the 2009-10 season Sunday on the road against Sacred Heart at the William H. Pitt Center in Fairfield, Conn. for a 1 p.m. contest.

The Scarlet Knights are coming off a school record 20-win season in 2008-09. Five members of the Rutgers wrestling team were listed in the preseason national rankings of their respective weight class which were released this past week.

"I like where we are right now and our guys are ready to wrestling someone else for a change," said third-year Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale. "Sacred Heart is a good squad with some New Jersey guys that I know. It should be a good match."

Redshirt senior Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.) and redshirt junior Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.) highlighted the rankings for Rutgers as they were listed on the InterMat 2009-10 NCAA Division I preseason individual lists.

InterMat ranks the top-20 individual wrestlers in each weight class and the top-25 teams.

Brown was listed at No. 19 in the 197-pound division. Russo appeared at No. 14 in the 285-pound weight class.

Sacred Heart head coach Casey Brewster is entering his third season at the helm. The Pioneers had three student-athletes listed in the CAA preseason rankings with redshirt senior Cory Dunn, redshirt sophomore Justin Belanger and junior Anthony Priore.
Five Rutgers Wrestlers Listed in Preseason National Rankings

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Nov. 4, 2009) - Five members of the Rutgers wrestling team were listed in national rankings of their respective weight class which were released this past week.

InterMat, Amateur Wrestling News, D1CollegeWrestling.net and WrestlingReport.com all released national and or conference rankings.

Redshirt junior Dominick Russo (Netcong, N.J.) led the way for the Scarlet Knights as he was listed in the top-16 in the heavyweight division of four national rankings and ranked as high as No. 12 by both WrestlingReport.com and D1CollegeWrestling.net.

Redshirt senior Lamar Brown (Red Bank, N.J.) earned three top-20 national rankings in the 197-weight class and was ranked as high as No. 18 by WrestlingReport.com.

Newcomer junior Bill Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) earned two national rankings in the 133-pound class as he was listed at No. 24 by D1CollegeWrestling.net and No. 27 by WrestlingReport.com. Both sites listed the 2008 NCAA Qualifier in the top-five of the 133-pound class in the EIWA.

Sophomore Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) was listed at No. 24 in the national 141-pound class rankings by WrestlingReport.com. WrestlingReport.com and D1CollegeWrestling.net listed Melde as the second-best 141-pound wrestler in the EIWA.

Redshirt junior David Greenwald (Union, N.J.) appeared in WrestlingReport.com's national rankings. The Scarlet Knights' 20008-09 highest dual meet point scorer was listed at No. 22 in the 149-pound class.

Freshman Dan Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.), redshirt freshmen Jesse Boyden (Kelinworth, N.J.)  and Joe Langell, (Howell, N.J.), sophomore Greg Zannetti. (Edison, N.J.) and redshirt junior  Daryl Cocozzo (River Edge, N.J.) were all listed in conference rankings.

The RU wrestling squad has a big weekend coming up as head coach Scott Goodale will be inducted into the South Jersey Wrestling Hall of Fame Saturday evening at Masso's Columbus Manor on the Black Horse Pike in Williamstown, N.J. On Sunday, Rutgers will travel to Fairfield, Conn. to face Sacred Heart in the first dual meet off the season.

Rutgers Wrestling 2009-10 Preseason Individual Rankings

Joseph Langel - 125 Pounds
Rank Publication
NR/8 D1CollegeWrestling.net (Nationally/EIWA)
NR/HM/NR    WrestlingReport.com (Nationally/Atlantic Regional/EIWA)

Billy Ashnault - 133 Pounds
Rank Publication
24/4 D1CollegeWrestling.net (Nationally/EIWA)
27/11/5 WrestlingReport.com (Nationally/Atlantic Regional/EIWA)

Trevor Melde - 141 Pounds
Rank Publication
NR/2 D1CollegeWrestling.net (Nationally/EIWA)
24/9/2 WrestlingReport.com (Nationally/Atlantic Regional/EIWA)

David Greenwald - 149 Pounds
Rank Publication
NR/6 D1 College Wrestling.net (Nationally/EIWA)
22/14/NR WrestlingReport.com (Nationally/Atlantic Regional/EIWA)

Daryl Cocozzo - 157 Pounds
Rank Publication
NR/5 D1CollegeWrestling.net (Nationally/EIWA)
NR/HM/4 WrestlingReport.com (Nationally/Atlantic Regional/EIWA)

Gregory Zannetti - 165 Pounds
Rank Publication
NR/9 D1CollegeWrestling.net (Nationally/EIWA)
NR/HM/4 WrestlingReport.com (Nationally/Atlantic Regional/EIWA)

Daniel Rinaldi - 174 Pounds
Rank Publication
NR/6 D1CollegeWrestling.net (Nationally/EIWA)

Jesse Boyden - 184 Pounds
Rank Publication
NR/8 D1CollegeWrestling.net (Nationally/EIWA)
NR/HM/NR WrestlingReport.com (Nationally/Atlantic Regional/EIWA)

Lamar Brown - 197 Pounds
Rank Publication
19                    InterMat NCAA Division I Rankings
20/3 D1CollegeWrestling.net (Nationally/EIWA)
18/8/3 WrestlingReport.com (Nationally/Atlantic Regional/EIWA)

Dominick Russo - Heavyweight
Rank Publication
14 InterMat NCAA Division I Rankings
16 Amateur Wrestling News National Rankings
12/3 D1CollegeWrestling.net (Nationally/EIWA)
12/5/4 WrestlingReport.com (Nationally/Atlantic Regional/EIWA)

NR - Not Ranked
HM - Honorable Mention
Rutgers Wrestling Coaches Clinic set for October 18
 
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (August 24, 2009) - The 2009 Rutgers Wrestling Coaches Clinic is slated for Sunday, Oct. 18 at the College Avenue Gym, the RU coaching staff announced Monday.
 
The Rutgers staff and guests will cover all aspects of wrestling including coaching techniques, practice plans and match preparation. The head coach of Council Rock South, Brad Silimperi, will be this year's guest clinician.
 
The Rutgers coaching staff led the Scarlet Knights to a school-best 20-win season last year and guided three wrestlers to the NCAA Championships.
 
Registration prior to the day of the event is $50, while it is $60 at the door. To preregister for the event please send your name, school/club, and shirt size along with a check payable to the Scarlet Knight Wrestling Club to 130 College Ave. Gym, New Brunswick, NJ 08903. Each coach who attends will receive a Rutgers wrestling shirt and lunch.
 
The Scarlet Knights open the 2009 season at Sacred Heart at the William H. Pitt Health and Recreation Center on Nov. 7.
 
2009 Rutgers Coaches Clinic Schedule
October 18
College Avenue Gym
 
8:00-9:00am: Registration at College Avenue Gym/observe Rutgers team practice.
9:00-11:30am: Session 1: Brad Silimperi - technique, Cory Cooperman - Situational Drilling and Scott Goodale - recruiting, marketing your program and getting the most from your athletes
11:30-12:30pm: Lunch
12:30-2:30pm: Session 2: Silimperi - drills/ideas about running HS program and a "Council Rock South" practice.
--RU--
 
Alex Restrepo  |  Rutgers Athletic Communications
Louis Brown Athletic Center (RAC) | 83 Rockafeller Road |  Piscataway, NJ 08854
732-445-7746 (w) 985-373-4456 (c) | www.scarletknights.com

Rutgers' Pletcher Earns Wildcard Bid to Wrestling Nationals

Senior Becomes Third Scarlet Knight To Reach NCAAs

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (March 11, 2009) - Rutgers senior 165-poonder Matt Pletcher (Eastampton, N.J.) was awarded a wildcard bid to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships when national qualifiers were announced Wednesday. He will join freshman 157-pounder Scott Winston (Jackson, N.J.) and sophomore heavyweight D.J. Russo (Netcong, N.J.) at Nationals, which will be held Thursday - Saturday, March 19-21 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.

Pletcher owns a 33-11 record on the season and finished fourth in the 165-pound weight class at the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championships last weekend. He is tied with Lee Getz (1984-87) for 21st in school history with 77 career victories.

It marks the first time since 2004 RU has sent three Scarlet Knights to Nationals.
Four Rutgers Scarlet Knight Wrestlers Place In EIWA Championships

Winston And Russo Earn Automatic Bids To Nationals

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (March 8, 2009) - Four Scarlet Knights placed in their respective weight brackets, highlighted by freshman Scott Winston's (Jackson, N.J.) third place performance at 157 pounds, in the final day of the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships Sunday at the Palestra in Philadelphia. Rutgers finished just behind Harvard (48.5) in ninth with a final team score of 47.5 in the highly-competitive 14-team tournament.

Winston and heavyweight D.J. Russo (Netcong, N.J.), who finished in fourth place in his weight class, earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships, which will take place March 19-21 in St. Louis, Mo. Senior Matt Pletcher (Eastampton, N.J.) placed fourth at 165 pounds and freshman Trevor Melde (Hewitt, N.J.) placed fifth at 141 pounds. Pletcher and Melde now await possible at-large bids to Nationals, which will be announced later this week. It marks the second-straight year, under the direction of second-year head coach Scott Goodale, Rutgers will send multiple competitors to Nationals.

In a matchup of two of the best wrestlers in the nation in the 157 pound weight class, Winston, ranked 12th nationally, dropped a 4-2 decision to Harvard's J.P. O'Connor, ranked fourth nationally, in the semifinal round. Winston, the fourth seed, rebounded with 10-5 victory over Bucknell's Scott Sechler in the consolation bracket and pinned Penn's Matt Dragon, the third seed and 17th ranked wrestler nationally, in 2:26 to place third in the weight class and earn the bid to nationals in his first season of collegiate action.

Russo, the sophomore heavyweight and eighth seed in the bracket, earned three wins in the consolation bracket Sunday to advance to the bracket's final bout. He suffered a hard-fought, 8-6 loss to Chris Burchler of East Stroudsburg to finish fourth in the weight class. His three victories on the day came against Quinton Pruett of American (9-1), Andrew Knapp of Harvard (8-0) and third-seeded Trey McLean of Penn (11-8). He finished the two-day tournament with a 4-2 record.

Pletcher was pinned by top-seeded and undefeated Mack Lewness of Cornell, the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the nation in the 165-pound weight class, in 2:39 in the semifinal round. Lewness went on to take the weight class title. Pletcher, however, rebounded to take fourth place. He posted a 5-2 victory over Christopher Stout of American in consolation action. In the finals of the bracket, the Scarlet Knight suffered a 7-3 loss to Mike Galante of Lehigh, the third seed in the tournament and 14th ranked wrestler nationally.

Melde, the fourth seed at 141 pounds, dropped a 4-2 decision to Harvard's Corey Jantzen, the top seed in the weight class and the fourth-ranked wrestler nationally, in the semifinal round and Army's William Simpson pinned the Scarlet Knight in 4:49 in consolation action. However, Melde rebounded with a 6-1 victory over Matt Mariacher of American to place sixth in the weight class. It was his second victory over Mariacher in the two-day tournament.

Senior 174-pounder Mike Whalen (Lake Hiawatha, N.J.), the eighth seed in the weight class, was defeated by fifth-seeded Alex Caruso of Lehigh, 4-0, in the consolation bracket, eliminating him from the tournament. He finished 2-2 in the two-day event.