PISCATAWAY, NJ – The Rutgers University wrestling team is ranked fifth in the preseason EIWA poll, released today. The Scarlet Knights are tied for fifth in the preseason rankings with Lehigh University. Cornell received the first-place endorsement, followed by Penn, Harvard and Navy, respectively.

Individually, Rutgers earned top five rankings in six of 10 weight classes. At 133, sophomore Andrew Tilles (Devon, PA/Conestoga) was ranked third, while junior Greg Austin (Seaville, NJ) was ranked fourth at 149. Tilles posted a 17-15 record last season, including a 10-4 mark in duals, while Austin led the team with a 32-11 mark. He placed fourth at the EIWA Championships and was one of three RU wrestlers to compete at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

At 165, sophomore Chris Ressa (Andover, NJ) is ranked fifth after moving up from 157, where he competed a year ago. Ressa was 18-18 last season for the Scarlet Knights.

At 174, red-shirt sophomore Andy Roy (Wall, NJ) is ranked third behind Pat O’Donnell of Harvard and Brad Dillon of Lehigh. Roy was 19-8 last season, although four of his losses came to the nation’s top two wrestlers, placed fourth at EIWA’s and also competed at Nationals.

Senior Ryan McGrath (Columbia, NJ), ranked fourth at 197, and senior Frank Sabatino (Hazlet, NJ), ranked fourth at 285, round out the group. McGrath was 21-10 during an injury-plagued season last year, while Sabatino posted a 15-15 mark.

“This is a preseason poll and it doesn’t include freshmen,” said head coach John Sacchi. “A lot of the EIWA schools have some outstanding freshmen, so it will be interesting to see where they fit as the year progresses. We have some weight classes where our kids are capable of doing better than anticipated, but this is a good gauge to see where we stand heading into the season.”

Rutgers’ season is quickly approaching. The Scarlet Knights will open on Saturday, November 16, when they travel to the Oklahoma Gold Tournament in Brockport, NY. After competing at the Navy Invitational on Saturday, November 23, the team will open its home and dual meet season by hosting Indiana on November 30 at the College Avenue Gymnasium.

2002-2003 Preseason EIWA Rankings

125_
1. Travis Lee, Cornell
2. Mario Stuart, Lehigh
3. Mason Lenhard, Penn
4. Dan Green, Columbia
5. Sam Gray, Navy
6. David Germakian, Harvard
133_
1. Alejandro Alvarez, Cornell
2. Steve Popovitch, Columbia
3. Andrew Tilles, Rutgers
4. Rich Gebauer, F&M
5. Mike Simon, Navy
6. Shawn Protz, Penn
141_
1. Phillip Simpson, Army
2. Clint Frease, Brown
3. Tristan Boyd, Lehigh
4. Joe Clarke, Princeton
5. Byron Warner, Cornell
6. Jon Mankovich, Harvard
149_
1. Jesse Jantzen, Harvard
2. Jason Mercado, Brown
3. Jody Giuricich, Penn
4. Greg Austin, Rutgers
5. Eric Norgaard, Columbia
6. Keith Kleckner, ESU
157_
1. Gabe Webster, Cornell
2. Max Odom, Harvard
3. Jeremy Connor, Army
4. Mike Carbonaro, Navy
5. Matt Dudeck, ESU
6. Dustin Tillman, Columbia
165_
1. Scott Roth, Cornell
2. Robbie Griffin, Harvard
3. Luke Lazzo, Navy
4. Brandon Mihalko, ESU
5. Chris Ressa, Rutgers
6. Craig Frost, F&M

174_
1. Pat O’Donnell, Harvard
2. Brad Dillon, Lehigh
3. Andrew Roy, Rutgers
4. Adam Santee, Brown
5. Tyler Baier, Cornell
6. Nick Carrier, Columbia
184_
1. Clint Wattenburg, Cornell
2. Greg Parker, Princeton
3. Nick Ciarcia, Brown
4. Marcus Schontube, Penn
5. Shawn Smith, ESU
6. Travis Manion, Navy
197_
1. Jon Trenge, Lehigh
2. Matt Greenburg, Cornell
3. Mike Faust, Penn
4. Ryan McGrath, Rutgers
5. Jim Letchford, Navy
6. Joe Chiavarello, Columbia
285_
1. Steven Kovach, Navy
2. Matt Feast, Penn
3. Joe Looke, Princeton
4. Frank Sabatino, Rutgers
5. Jon Paxton, Army
6. Joe Sahl, Lehigh

Team Ranking_
1. Cornell
2. Penn
3. Harvard
4. Navy
T5. Lehigh
T5. Rutgers
7. Brown
8. Columbia