MISSION STATEMENT
Rutgers (13-8, 5-1 EIWA) at the 2012 EIWA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Saturday, March 3
Session I - 9 a.m. • Session II - 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 4
Session III - 10 a.m. • Session IV - 3 p.m.
Princeton, N.J. • Jadwin Gym
EIWA Tickets – GoPrincetonTigers.com
Knight Notes
• The Rutgers wrestling team (13-8, 5-1 EIWA) begins its postseason journey at the 2012 EIWA Championships, hosted by Princeton in Jadwin Gym from Saturday March 3 – Sunday, March 4. The league meet serves as the qualifying event for the 2012 NCAA Championships in St. Louis, held March 15-17 in the Scottrade Center.
• Rutgers finished the dual season with a 24-9 victory over Drexel on Senior Night on Feb. 16 in College Ave. Gym. Greg Zannetti (Edison, N.J.) led the way for RU with big bonus points from a technical fall win at 174 pounds. Dan Seidenberg (Red Bank, N.J.) added a major decision victory at 184 pounds.
• Individually, Rutgers is led by Mason, who sports a 19-2 record at 149 pounds. Zannetti has recorded a team-high 26 victories, with Dan Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) following him with 22 wins at 197 pounds. Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) has collected 20 wins.
• Zannetti has the hot streak of 11 consecutive match victories heading into the postseason. Rinaldi is on his tail, having won seven matches in a row.
• In his fifth season leading the Scarlet Knights, head coach Scott Goodale has compiled an 84-29-1 dual record.
Rutgers and the EIWA Championships
• Rutgers first participated in the EIWA Championships in 1950 and has wrestled at the event 55 times since that initial contest. This season’s EIWA tournament is the 108th edition.
• RU has crowned 11 EIWA individual champions in its history, with the most recent title being won in 2011 by 165-pounder Scott Winston (Jackson, N.J.).
• As a team, the Scarlet Knights have placed in the top four at the EIWA meet four times (1952, 1961, 2004, 2011). Last season’s third-place team finish was Rutgers’ best overall placement in the event since 1952.
• Last season, head coach Scott Goodale’s squad placed a program-high nine wrestlers on the EIWA award stand. In both 2001 and 2004, RU placed eight individuals.
Rutgers Placewinners - 107th EIWA Championships - Lewisburg, Pa. (March 5-6, 2011)
125 pounds: Seventh place match: Joe Langel (RU) wins by forfeit over Nick Arujau (American)
141 pounds: Fifth place match: Hicks Manson (Cornell) dec. Trevor Melde (RU), 3-2
149 pounds: Third place match: Mario Mason (RU) dec. Ganbayar Sanjaa (American), 3-2
157 pounds: Third place match: Daryl Cocozzo (RU) dec. DJ Meagher (Cornell), 5-3
165 pounds: Finals: Scott Winston (RU) dec. Eren Civan (Columbia), 3-2 (OT)
174 pounds: Third place match: Alex Caruso (RU) wins by forfeit over Austin Meys (Lehigh)
184 pounds: Third place match: Dan Rinaldi (RU) dec. Luke Rebertus (Navy), 2-0
197 pounds: Fifth place match: Joe Kennedy (Lehigh) dec. Mike Wagner (RU), 3-1 (SV)
HWT: Third place match: D.J. Russo (RU) pinned Kevin Lester (Columbia), 1:14
Bold denotes current RU squad member
Scouting the EIWA
• The tradition-rich Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association has accounted for 84 NCAA individual champions in its history. Two returning wrestlers claimed top national honors in 2011: Kyle Dake (Cornell, 149) and Zach Rey (Lehigh, HWT).
• EIWA foes Cornell and Lehigh figure into the national team rankings. The Big Red were ranked sixth in the NWCA/USA Today Division I Coaches Poll (Feb. 28). The Mountain Hawks were placed in the 15th spot.
• The following top-ranked individuals (Amateur Wrestling News, Intermat, W.I.N. Magazine) are set to take the mat in Jadwin Gym: Kyle Dake (Cornell, 157); Cam Simaz (Cornell, 197) and Ryan Flores (American, HWT).
• In total, 15 EIWA wrestlers reside in the top 10 of their respective weight classes:
• Wt. Rank Name (School, Yr.)
125 7/7/6 Frank Perrelli (Cornell, Sr.)
149 5/5/9 Corey Jantzen (Harvard, Sr.)
7/6/6 Mario Mason (Rutgers, R-Jr.)
157 1/1/1 Kyle Dake (Cornell, Jr.)
3/3/3 Ganbayar Sanjaa (American, Sr.)
11/6/9 Walter Peppelman (Harvard, Jr.)
9/14/18 Daniel Kolodzik (Princeton, Sr.)
165 9/9/- Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh, Sr.)
184 2/3/2 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh, Jr.)
5/5/5 Steve Bosak (Cornell, Jr.)
197 1/1/1 Cam Simaz (Cornell, Sr.)
4/10/3 Micah Burak (Penn, Jr.)
8/11/6 Joe Kennedy (Lehigh, Sr.)
HWT 1/1/1 Ryan Flores (American, Sr)
2/2/2 Zach Rey (Lehigh, Sr.)
• On Feb. 23, the NCAA announced the qualifier allocations for the 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, held inside the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, March 15-17. The EIWA received 46 qualifier spots. The total is good for second-best in the nation behind the Big Ten Conference’s 74 spots.
• The number of EIWA wrestlers that will receive automatic bids per weight class:
125 133 141 149 157 165 174 184 197 HWT
3 5 6 6 6 4 4 4 5 3
Rutgers Ends Dual Season with 24-9 Win over Drexel
• The Rutgers wrestling team concluded its 2011-12 dual season in top form, winning 24-9 over Drexel on Feb. 16 inside College Ave. Gym. The Senior Night victory improved RU’s overall record to 13-8.
• RU took seven of the 10 matches over the Dragons (7-10). The Scarlet Knights were pushed through to victory by a technical fall win by junior Greg Zannetti (Edison, N.J.) and a major decision victory by redshirt sophomore Dan Seidenberg (Red Bank, N.J.).
Rutgers Has Three in Intermat Rankings
• Rutgers placed three individual wrestlers in the Intermat’s Feb. 28 weight-by-weight rankings.
• Wt. – Rk., Name, Yr.
149 – 6. Mario Mason, R-Jr.
165 – 17. Scott Winston, R-Jo.
174 – 16. Greg Zannetti, R-Jr.
Three RU Wrestlers Ranked by Amateur Wrestling News
• RU wrestling had three individual wrestlers ranked in AWN’s Feb. 28 poll.
• Wt. – Rk., Name, Yr.
149 – 7, Mario Mason, R-Jr.
165 – 20, Scott Winston, R-Jr.
174 – 18, Greg Zannetti, R-Jr.
Three Scarlet Knights in W.I.N. Magazine Poll
• The Scarlet Knights placed three individual wrestlers in W.I.N. Magazine’s Feb. 27 rankings.
• Wt. – Rk., Name, Yr.
149 – 6, Mario Mason, R-Jr.
165 – 18, Scott Winston, R-Jr.
174 – 18, Greg Zannetti, R-Jr.
