HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILL. – No. 17 Rutgers wrestling advanced six Scarlet Knights to Friday night's quarterfinals and is in fourth place after the first session of the 55
th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. No. 1 seed
Nick Suriano (125), No. 2 seed
Scott DelVecchio (133), No. 2 seed
Nicholas Gravina (184), No. 3 seed
Richie Lewis (165) No. 8 seed
Eleazar DeLuca (149) and unseeded
Kevin Mulligan (197) – will all compete for semifinal spots at the Sears Centre beginning tonight at 8 p.m. ET.
The Scarlet Knights produced 36 team points and sit in fourth place heading into tonight's second session. Iowa leads with 51 points, followed by Arizona State (39.5) and Central Michigan (37).
In total, six RU wrestlers are alive in their championship brackets, while
Peter Lipari (141),
Michael Van Brill (141),
Nick Santos (149),
John Van Brill (157),
Brett Donner (157),
Jordan Pagano (174) and
Anthony Messner (197) will all compete in the wrestlebacks. Wrestling unattached,
Matthew Correnti (HWT) went 2-1 during the first session.
No. 17 Rutgers Wrestling Quarterfinal Matchups (8 p.m. ET, BTN2Go/FloWrestling)
| Rutgers Wrestling |
| 125 Pounds: No. 1 Nick Suriano (Rutgers) vs. No. 9 Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) |
| 133 Pounds: No. 2 Scott DelVecchio (Rutgers) vs. No. 7 Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) |
| 149 Pounds: No. 8 Eleazar DeLuca (Rutgers) vs. No. 1 Brandon Sorenson (Iowa) |
| 165 Pounds: No. 3 Richie Lewis (Rutgers) vs. No. 6 Logan Parks (Central Michigan) |
| 184 Pounds: No. 2 Nicholas Gravina (Rutgers) vs. Dylan Ammerman (Lehigh) |
| 197 Pounds: Kevin Mulligan (Rutgers) vs. (5) Frank Mattiace (Penn) |
In his Midlands debut, Suriano produced back-to-back tech falls to secure his place in tonight's quarters. Suriano defeated Minnesota's Steve Polakowski, 21-5, in his round of 32 match, and followed with six takedowns and six near fall points for the 19-4 tech fall over Iowa's Justin Stickley. Suriano's 40 total match points are tied for fifth overall in the field.
DelVecchio rattled off three victories during the first session, starting with a pin of Maryland's Danny Bertoni (4:58). Back-to-back two-point decisions over Hunter Kosco (Brown) and Colin Valdivez (Northwestern) followed for DelVecchio.
DeLuca began his Midlands' run with 8-0 major decision over Michigan's Tyler Meisinger, and then registered a first-period pin (2:05) of Lehigh's Camden Fischer. Thanks to a third-period takedown, DeLuca ended session one with a 3-2 decision over Minnesota's Steven Bleise (Unattached).
Lewis, Gravina and Mulligan all competed in two matches during the morning session, as Lewis contributed a 15-7 major decision over Brett Bye (South Dakota State). Lewis fell behind Bye after a takedown-near fall combo, but outscored Bye 15-3 for the final tally. Lewis then used an 11-5 decision over Zachary Carson (Eastern Michigan) to advance.
Gravina muscled out a 20-5 tech fall over Dylan Reynolds (Edinboro) in his first bout, followed by a 3-2 decision against Greg Bulsak (Clarion) in the round of 16. Mulligan's back-to-back decisions over Landon Pelham (Central Michigan) and Mason Reinhardt (Wisconsin) allowed him to move on.
Three Scarlet Knights –
Razohnn Gross (HWT), Santos, and Pagano – upended seeded foes in their first bouts. Gross landed a decision over No. 7 Matt Stencel (Central Michigan), Pagano defeated 2017 NCAA qualifier and No. 11 seed Joey Gunther (Iowa), and Santos added a 7-5 decision over No. 14 Collin Purinton (Nebraska).
Full results from session one can be found below
125 Pounds: No. 1 Nick Suriano (2-0, Six Team Points)
Champ. Round 1 - Suriano (Rutgers) received a bye () (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 - Suriano (Rutgers) won by tech fall over Steve Polakowski (Minnesota) (TF 21-5)
Champ. Round 3 - Suriano (Rutgers) won by tech fall over Justin Stickley (Iowa) (TF 19-4)
133 Pounds: No. 2 Scott DelVecchio (3-0, Five Team Points)
Champ. Round 1 - DelVecchio (Rutgers) won by fall over Danny Bertoni (Maryland) (Fall 4:58)
Champ. Round 2 - DelVecchio (Rutgers) won by decision over Hunter Kosco (Brown) (Dec 5-3)
Champ. Round 3 - DelVecchio (Rutgers) won by decision over Colin Valdiviez (Northwestern) (Dec 7-5)
141 Pounds: Peter Lipari (2-1, Four Team Points)
Champ. Round 1 - Lipari (Rutgers) won by fall over Anthony Rubino (Northern Illinois) (Fall 2:42)
Champ. Round 2 - Michael Carr (Illinois) won by decision over Lipari (Rutgers) (Dec 8-4)
Cons. Round 2 - Lipari (Rutgers) received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 3 - Lipari (Rutgers) won by decision over Nicholas Villarreal (Arizona State) (Dec 8-4)
141 Pounds: Michael Van Brill (1-1, Three Team Points)
Champ. Round 1 - Van Brill (Rutgers) received a bye () (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 - Van Brill (Rutgers) won by major decision over Keegan Moore (West Virginia) (Maj 11-0)
Champ. Round 3 - Yahya Thomas (Northwestern - UNAT) won by decision over Van Brill (Rutgers) (Dec 8-3)
149 Pounds: No. 8 Eleazar DeLuca (3-0, Six Team Points)
Champ. Round 1 - DeLuca (Rutgers) won by major decision over Tyler Meisinger (Michigan) (Maj 8-0)
Champ. Round 2 - DeLuca (Rutgers) won by fall over Camden Fischer (Lehigh) (Fall 2:05)
Champ. Round 3 - DeLuca (Rutgers) won by decision over Steven Bleise (Minnesota - UNAT) (Dec 3-2)
149 Pounds: Nick Santos (3-1, Two Team Points)
Champ. Round 1 - Santos (Rutgers) won by decision over Collin Purinton (Nebraska) (Dec 7-5)
Champ. Round 2 - Evan Fidelibus (Rider) won by tech fall over Santos (Rutgers) (TF 18-3)
Cons. Round 2 - Santos (Rutgers) won by decision over Eric Yang (Northwestern) (Dec 8-3)
Cons. Round 3 - Santos (Rutgers) won by decision over Jordan Shearer (Nebraska) (Dec 7-5)
157 Pounds: John Van Brill (1-1, 3.5 Team Points)
Champ. Round 1 - Van Brill (Rutgers) received a bye () (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 - Van Brill (Rutgers) won by tech fall over Nick Gasbrro (Illinois) (TF 15-0)
Champ. Round 3 - Andrew Crone (Wisconsin) won by decision over Van Brill (Rutgers) (Dec 7-3)
157 Pounds: Brett Donner (1-1, Two Team Point)
Champ. Round 1 - Donner (Rutgers) received a bye () (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 - Donner (Rutgers) won by decision over Leonard Merkin (Princeton) (Dec 10-9)
Champ. Round 3 - Michael Kemerer (Iowa) won by fall over Donner (Rutgers) (Fall 1:25)
165 Pounds: Richie Lewis (2-0, Three Team Points)
Champ. Round 1 - Lewis (Rutgers) won by major decision over Brett Bye (South Dakota State) (Maj 15-7)
Champ. Round 2 - Lewis (Rutgers) won by decision over Zachary Carson (Eastern Michigan) (Dec 11-5)
174 Pounds: Jordan Pagano (1-1, Two Team Points)
Champ. Round 1 - Pagano (Rutgers) received a bye () (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 - Pagano (Rutgers) won by decision over Joey Gunther (Iowa) (Dec 7-4)
Champ. Round 3 - Johnny Sebastian (Northwestern) won by decision over Pagano (Rutgers) (Dec 9-3)
174 Pounds: Joseph Grello (0-2, Zero Team Points)
Champ. Round 1 - Grello (Rutgers) received a bye () (Bye)
Champ. Round 2 - Garrett Sutton (Michigan) won by decision over Grello (Rutgers) (Dec 6-4)
Cons. Round 2 - Grello (Rutgers) received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 3 - Devin Kane (North Carolina) won by decision over Grello (Rutgers) (Dec 4-2)
184 Pounds: Nicholas Gravina (2-0, 3.5 Team Points)
Champ. Round 1 - Gravina (Rutgers) won by tech fall over Dylan Reynolds (Edinboro) (TF 20-5)
Champ. Round 2 - Gravina (Rutgers) won by decision over Greg Bulsak (Clarion) (Dec 3-2)
197 Pounds: Kevin Mulligan (2-0, 2.00 Team Points)
Champ. Round 1 - Mulligan (Rutgers) won by decision over Landon Pelham (Central Michigan) (Dec 6-3)
Champ. Round 2 - Mulligan (Rutgers) won by decision over Mason Reinhardt (Wisconsin) (Dec 2-1)
197 Pounds: Anthony Messner (0-1, Zero Team Points)
Champ. Round 1 - Cash Wilcke (Iowa) won by fall over Messner (Rutgers) (Fall 4:45)
Cons. Round 1 - Messner (Rutgers) received a bye () (Bye)
HWT: Razohnn Gross (1-2, One Team Point)
Champ. Round 1 - Gross (Rutgers) won in tie breaker - 2 over Matt Stencel (Central Michigan) (TB-2 5-2)
Champ. Round 2 - Ian Butterbrodt (Brown) won by decision over Gross (Rutgers) (Dec 3-2)
Cons. Round 2 - Gross (Rutgers) received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 3 - Christian Araneo (Princeton) won by decision over Gross (Rutgers) (Dec 2-1)
HWT: Matthew Correnti (Unattached) (2-1)
Champ. Round 1 - Correnti (Rutgers - UNAT) won by decision over Trent Hillger (Wisconsin - UNAT) (Dec 5-0)
Champ. Round 2 - Correnti (Rutgers - UNAT) won by decision over Tyler Hall (Penn) (Dec 9-3)
Champ. Round 3 - William Miller (Edinboro) won by fall over Correnti (Rutgers - UNAT) (Fall 6:47)
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers wrestling, follow the program on Twitter (@RUWrestling) and Instagram (@RUWrestling). Fans can receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on our social media outlets along with
www.ScarletKnights.com.
