SESSION I RESULTS        TEAM STANDINGS

ST. LOUIS (March 15, 2012) – Rutgers wrestling team members Billy Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) and Dan Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) won their opening matches at the 2012 NCAA Championships inside the Scottrade Center on Thursday. The duo advanced to the second round of their respective weight divisions with the victories. Head coach Scott Goodale’s squad had five NCAA qualifiers compete in the initial session of the tournament.

Redshirt senior Ashnault will wrestle No. 4 Michael Mangrum of Oregon State in Thursday’s evening session at 7:30 p.m. ET. Rinaldi, a redshirt junior, takes on No. 2 Chris Honeycutt of Edinboro.

Ashnault advanced with a closely contested win over Northern Iowa’s Levi Wolfensperger. The Scarlet Knight and Panther battled to a 1-1 tie though three regulation periods and one minute of sudden victory overtime. Ashnault then rode Wolfensperger from the top position through the first 30-second portion of the following tiebreaker period. RU’s three-time NCAA qualifier took his turn in the down position for the second half of the tiebreaker and promptly escaped to take a 2-1 lead. Ashnault avoided Wolfensperger’s takedown attempts to win the match and advance.

Rinaldi went right to work against Kent State’s Keith Witt, working to a 4-0 lead after the first period. The three-time NCAA qualifier added a reversal and escape in the second period to set the score at 7-2, then held his foe scoreless in third. Rinaldi used a riding time advantage of 1:28 to win the match 8-2 and move forward. The win was Rinaldi’s second over the Golden Flash wrestler this season, as the Scarlet Knight took a 5-3 win at the NWCA National Duals event in the RAC on Feb. 11.

The Scarlet Knights won two of a possible five matches to start the tournament, with Mario Mason (Moorestown, N.J.), Scott Winston (Jackson, N.J.) and Greg Zannetti (Edison, N.J.) dropping into the consolation rounds of their respective weight classes.

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2012 NCAA Championships

141 pounds: Billy Ashnault (1-0)
Levi Wolfensperger (UNI)                         W, 2-1 (TB1)
No. 4 Michael Mangrum (OSU)               Session II

149 pounds: Mario Mason (0-1)
Josh Wilson (Utah Valley)                        L, 4-2 (SV)
Augustus Sako (Virginia)                          Session II

165 pounds: Scott Winston (0-1)
No. 12 P.J. Gillespie (Hofstra)                  L, 4-3
Kyle Blevins (Appalachian State)             Session II

174 pounds: Greg Zannetti (0-1)
No. 11 Justin Zeerip (Michigan)               L, 3-2
Joseph (E. Michigan) OR Foxen (Harvard)   Session II

197 pounds: Dan Rinaldi (1-0)
Keith Witt (Kent State)                              W, 8-2
No. 2 Chris Honeycutt (Edinboro)            Session II

141 pounds - Billy Ashnault vs. Levi Wolfensperger (UNI)

First period
No scoring

Second period
Wolfensperger defers, Ashnault chooses down

1:37 Ashnault escape, 1-0

Third period
Wolfensperger chooses down
1:45 Wolfensperger escape, 1-1

Sudden Victory
No scoring

TB1
Wolfensperger down
No scoring
Ashnault down
0:25 Ashnault escape, 2-1
0:11 Ashnault stalling warning

Final: Ashnault wins by decision, 2-1 (TB1)

149 pounds – Mario Mason vs. Josh Wilson (Utah Valley)

First period
2:16 Mason takedown, 2-0
2:04 Wilson escape, 2-1

Second period
Mason defers, Wilson chooses down
1:55 Wilson escape, 2-2

Third period
Mason chooses neutral
No scoring

Sudden Victory
0:01 Wilson takedown, 4-2

Final: Wilson wins by decision, 4-2 (SV)

165 pounds – Scott Winston vs. No. 12 P.J. Gillespie (Hofstra)

First period
0:03 Winston takedown, 2-0

Second period
Gillespie chooses down
1:53 Gillespie escape, 2-1
0:01 Gillespie takedown, 2-3

Third period
Winston chooses down
1:22 Winston caution
0:24 Winston escape, 3-3
Gillespie riding time 1:23

Final: Gillespie wins by decision, 4-3

174 pounds – Greg Zannetti vs. No. 11 Justin Zeerip (Michigan)

First period
0:20 Zeerip takedown, 0-2

Second period
Zeerip chooses down
1:03 Zannetti stalling warning
1:03 Zeerip caution
0:53 Zeerip escape, 0-3

Third period
Zannetti chooses down
1:49 Zannetti escape, 1-3
1:16 Zeerip stalling warning
0:24 Zeerip stalling warning, 2-3

Final: Zeerip wins by decision, 3-2

197 pounds – Dan Rinaldi vs. Keith Witt (Kent State)

First period
2:40 Rinaldi takedown, 2-0
2:03 Rinaldi two-point nearfall, 4-0

Second period
Rinaldi chooses down
1:12 Rinaldi reversal, 6-0
0:55 Witt Reversal, 6-2
0:35 Rinaldi escape, 7-2

Third period
Witt chooses neutral
No scoring
Rinaldi riding time 1:28

Final: Rinaldi wins by decision, 8-2