HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – In an iconic night for the program, No. 17 Rutgers wrestling finished second at the 55
th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships Saturday night in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
Nick Suriano (125) became the first individual champion ever for the Scarlet Knights at the tournament, while
Scott DelVecchio (133),
John Van Brill (157) and
Richie Lewis (165) recorded third-place results and
Nicholas Gravina (184) finished sixth to help RU secure its best team result in program history.
With 109.5 team points, Rutgers finished only behind No. 6 Iowa, who claimed the team title with 156.5 points. No. 21 Central Michigan placed third with 108 points.
In total, Rutgers collected 16 bonus-point victories – seven pins, five major decisions and four tech falls – and defeated five ranked
Intermat foes at the Midwest tournament.
"What a great way to close out this tournament," said head coach
Scott Goodale. "Our guys were prepared to close this weekend out the right way and it showed with us going four-for-four tonight. We picked up a lot of victories over ranked guys, so this was a great team effort all around."
Suriano registered a gritty 2-1 victory over No. 3 seed Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) for his first major championship in a RU singlet. After a scoreless first period, the sophomore opened period two with a quick escape. With both wrestlers in a neutral position in the final period, Bresser was called for stalling, which proved to be the deciding factor in Suriano's title win.
"[My strategy] was a little different," Suriano said of the match. "I had a guy who could move, is fast and can shoot from the outside, which is a little bit like myself. It was a good style for me to compete against. I'm used to guys coming at me more so I can get underneath them."
The individual championship capped off a dominate run for Suriano, who outscored his opponents, 55-16, with two tech falls and two decisions to lead Rutgers with 24 team points during the two-day tournament. In his final two bouts of the event, Suriano defeated back-to-back ranked opponents in No. 10 Besser and No. 12 Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern).
The night started at 165 pounds, as Lewis faced No. 1 overall seed Anthony Valencia (Arizona State) in his third-place bout. Lewis scored first, courtesy of a takedown in period one, while his second takedown of the match in the third period sealed the win for Lewis over Valencia, who entered the match ranked No. 13 by
Intermat.
DelVecchio continued the strong night for Rutgers with his 3-1 decision over No. 7 seed Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh-Unattached) in sudden victory overtime. With the score tied, 1-1, at the end of regulation, the redshirt senior used a takedown in the closing seconds of the bonus period for the win.
Van Brill closed out his tournament with a 7-4 decision over 11-seed Mike D'Angelo (Princeton), which game RU three third-place finishers on the night. Van Brill wrestled all the way back after a loss on day one, with victories over No. 11 Luke Zilverburg (South Dakota State), No. 18 Larry Early and Jake Danishek (Indiana), who qualified for NCAAs in 2017.
Van Bill scored 23 team points off his four bonus-point victories and seven win overall, which included two pins, an tech fall and a major decision.
Gravina, who entered the tournament as a No. 2 seed, placed sixth after taking a medical forfeit in his fifth-place match. Gravina finished with three wins at Midlands after advancing to the championship semifinal at 184 pounds, where he lost to No. 3 Emmery Parker (Illinois), 2-1, after being injured in the final period.
Michael Van Brill (141),
Jordan Pagano (174) and
Kevin Mulligan (197) were all eliminated during their Round of 12 matches Saturday morning, while No. 8
Eleazar DeLuca (149) was forced to forfeit his consolation match.
Matthew Correnti, who wrestled unattached at the tournament, also lost in the blood round to close out his Midlands Championships at 4-2.
Rutgers returns to action next Sunday, when it hosts No. 2 Ohio State at noon at the RAC. The match will broadcast nationally on BTN.
55th Annual Ken Kraft Midland Championships
Sears Centre – Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Team Result: Second, 109.5 Points
Individual Champions (One, Nick Suriano – 125 Pounds)
Placewinners (Five)
125 Pounds: No. 1 Nick Suriano (5-0, 24.00 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)
Quarterfinal - Suriano (Rutgers) won by decision over Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) (Dec 6-0)
Semifinal - Suriano (Rutgers) won by decision over Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) (Dec 7-6)
1st Place Match - Suriano (Rutgers) won by decision over Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) (Dec 2-1)
157 Pounds: No. 7 John Van Brill (7-1, 23.00 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)
Cons. Round 4 – Van Brill (Rutgers) won by injury default over Andrew Shomers (Edinboro) (Inj. 4:25)
Cons. Round 5 – Van Brill (Rutgers) won by fall over Spencer Nagy (Edinboro) (Fall 2:27)
Cons. Round 6 – Van Brill (Rutgers) won by major decision over Jake Danishek (Indiana) (Maj 8-0)
Cons. Round 7 – Van Brill (Rutgers) won by fall over Larry Early (Old Dominion) (Fall 3:51)
Cons. Semi – Van Brill (Rutgers) won by decision over Luke Zilverberg (South Dakota State) (Dec 9-6)
3rd Place Match – Van Brill (Rutgers) won by decision over Mike D`Angelo (Princeton) (Dec 7-4)
133 Pounds: No. 2 Scott DelVecchio (6-1, 16.50 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)
Quarterfinal - DelVecchio (Rutgers) won by decision over Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh ) (Dec 6-2)
Semifinal - Bryan Lantry (Buffalo) won by decision over DelVecchio (Rutgers) (Dec 4-3)
Cons. Semi - DelVecchio (Rutgers) won by decision over Colin Valdiviez (Northwestern) (Dec 7-5)
3rd Place Match - DelVecchio (Rutgers) won in sudden victory - 1 over Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh ) (SV-1 3-1)
165 Pounds: No. 3 Richie Lewis (5-1, 15.50 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)
Quarterfinal - Lewis (Rutgers) won in sudden victory - 1 over Logan Parks (Central Michigan) (SV-1 3-1)
Semifinal - Alex Marinelli (Iowa) won by decision over Lewis (Rutgers) (Dec 3-2)
Cons. Semi - Lewis (Rutgers) won by major decision over May Bethea (Penn) (Maj 12-4)
3rd Place Match - Lewis (Rutgers) won by decision over Anthony Valencia (Arizona State) (Dec 5-2)
184 Pounds: No. 2 Nicholas Gravina (3-3, 10.50 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)
Quarterfinal - Gravina (Rutgers) won by decision over Dylan Ammerman (Lehigh) (Dec 4-2)
Semifinal - Emery Parker (Illinois) won by decision over Gravina (Rutgers) (Dec 2-1)
Cons. Semi - Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh ) won by medical forfeit over Gravina (Rutgers) (MFF)
5th Place Match - Joe Heyob (Penn) won by medical forfeit over Gravina (Rutgers) (MFF)
141 Pounds: Michael Van Brill (3-2, Six 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)
Cons. Round 4 - Van Brill (Rutgers) won by decision over Pete Lipari (Rutgers) (Dec 4-0)
Cons. Round 5 - Van Brill (Rutgers) won by fall over Vince Turk (Iowa) (Fall 2:12)
Cons. Round 6 - Carter Happel (Iowa) won by decision over Van Brill (Rutgers) (Dec 3-1)
149 Pounds: No. 8 Eleazar DeLuca (3-2, 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)
Quarterfinal - Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) won by major decision over DeLuca (Rutgers) (Maj 12-2)
Cons. Round 6 - Pat Lugo (Iowa - UNAT) won by forfeit over Eleazar Deluca (Rutgers) (FF)
174 Pounds: Jordan Pagano (3-2, Five 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)
Cons. Round 4 - Pagano (Rutgers) won by decision over Mathew Wilhelm (Cal Poly) (Dec 6-5)
Cons. Round 5 - Pagano (Rutgers) won by fall over Andrew McNally (Eastern Michigan) (Fall 2:59)
Cons. Round 6 - Christian Brucki (Central Michigan) won by major decision over Pagano (Rutgers) (Maj 14-2)
HWT: No. 12 Matthew Correnti (4-2, Unattached)
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)
Cons. Round 4 - Correnti (Rutgers - UNAT) won by decision over Ian James (Buffalo) (Dec 4-0)
Cons. Round 5 – Correnti (Rutgers - UNAT) won by fall over Christian Araneo (Princeton) (Fall 0:36)
Cons. Round 6 - Amar Dhesi (Oregon State) won by fall over Corentti (Rutgers - UNAT) (Fall 0:59)
141 Pounds: Peter Lipari (2-2, 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)
Cons. Round 4 – Van Brill (Rutgers) won by decision over Lipari (Rutgers) (Dec 4-0)
197 Pounds: Kevin Mulligan (2-2, Two 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)
Quarterfinal - Frank Mattiace (Penn) won by fall over Mulligan (Rutgers) (Fall 1:46)
Cons. Round 4 - Jackson Striggow (Michigan) won by decision over Mulligan (Rutgers) (Dec 4-2)
149 Pounds: Nick Santos (3-2, 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)
Cons. Round 4 - Steven Bleise (Minnesota - UNAT) won by tech fall over Santos (Rutgers) (TF 17-1)
157 Pounds: Brett Donner (1-2, Two Team Points)
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)
Cons. Round 4 - Shayne Oster (Northwestern) won by decision over Donner (Rutgers) (Dec 5-2)
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)
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)
197 Pounds: Anthony Messner (0-2, Zero Team Points)
Champ. Round 1 - Cash Wilcke (Iowa) won by fall overMessner (Rutgers) (Fall 4:45)
Cons. Round 1 - Messner (Rutgers) received a bye () (Bye)
Cons. Round 2 - Mason Reinhardt (Wisconsin) won by fall over Messner (Rutgers) (Fall 6:16)
