Cornell, Lehigh, Edinboro, Rutgers at Grapple at Garden Dec. 21
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by Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
A.J. Schopp of Edinboro, ranked No. 1 at 133 pounds, is among the star college wrestlers on display at the Grapple at the Garden in New York City on Dec. 21. Photo by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers Are Warriors.
In its third year, the Grapple at the Garden at world-famous Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday, Dec. 21 has grown into a true celebration of all levels of wrestling, spread out on eight mats.
There are two co-main event professional international-style matches. Two teams of MMA and wrestling stars will host a dual meet competing in wrestling. There is the finals of a high school wrestling tournament and the finals of a youth wrestling tournament.
But, as with every year, the Grapple at the Garden is a very big, very exciting card of college wrestling dual meets. This year, as with each of the three Grapple events, there is a nice mix of national powers and local college programs, set up to provide wrestling fans with a chance to see exciting wrestling.
A majority of the dual meets include Div. I wrestling programs, led by four teams ranked in the most recent NWCA Div. I Coaches Poll: No. 3 Cornell, No. 11 Lehigh, No. 12 Edinboro and No. 23 Rutgers.
Edinboro is truly testing itself this year at the Garden, opening up against No. 3 Cornell and then facing No. 11 Lehigh. Tim Flynn’s Scots, the top team in the Eastern Wrestling League, are looking to knock off the two top teams from the EIWA and use the Grapple at the Garden as a springboard to climb higher in the rankings.
Lehigh is competing at its first Grapple at the Garden, and you can expect the large Lehigh fan base to show up in strong numbers in New York City. Pat Santoro’s Mountain Hawks open with EIWA rival Princeton, coached by Lehigh grad Chris Ayers. They finish off against the talented Edinboro team.
Cornell has become a fixture at the Grapple at the Garden, and also should have a strong cheering section there. Rob Koll’s Big Red starts off with Edinboro, then take on MAC power Northern Iowa in their second match. As the highest ranked team on the card, Cornell will be expected to take both duals, but you can expect close battles.
Rutgers, in their first year in the Big Ten, hopes to attract a good fan following from across the river in New Jersey. Scott Goodale’s Scarlet Knights goes against old EIWA rival Army, then finishes against Southern Conference program Davidson.
There will be about 30 nationally ranked Div. I wrestlers on display, based upon the most recent W.I.N. rankings, led by No. 1 A.J. Schopp of Edinboro at 133 pounds. Add in three wrestlers with No. 2 national rankings, Nahshon Garrett of Cornell at 125, Mitchell Port of Edinboro at 141 and Gabe Dean of Cornell at 184.
There are potentially a number of interesting individual matches featuring ranked wrestlers based upon the draw. Fans should watch out for these projected matchups:
• No. 1 A J Schopp of Edinboro vs. No. 5 Mason Beckman of Lehigh at 133
• No. 2 Nahshon Garrett of Cornell vs. No. 6 Dylan Peters of Northern Iowa at 125
• No. 5 David Habat of Edinboro vs. No. 6 Chris Villalonga of Cornell at 149
• No. 4 Brian Realbuto of Cornell vs. No. 8 Austin Matthews of Edinboro at 157
• No. 5 Dylan Palacio of Cornell vs. No. 11 Cooper Moore of Northern Iowa at 165
• No. 10 Anthony Perrotti of Rutgers vs. No. 15 Russell Parsons of Army at 157
Beyond the Div. I matches, the Grapple at the Garden is also showcasing NCAA Div. II, NCAA Div. III, NJCAA and NCWA club teams from the region on the card.
On the Div. II level, local fans will enjoy seeing the team from LIU-Post, which revived its wrestling program after many years without the sport. Longtime fans will remember this team when it was called C.W. Post, when it hosted a respected holiday college tournament which attracted athletes from all over the Northeast. In its first year back as a varsity team, LIU-Post squares off with Minnesota State-Moorhead. Another Div. II school on the card is Wheeling Jesuit.
On the Div. III level, No. 19 ranked Stevens Institute of Technology, which is located in New Jersey, competes against Southern Maine. Other Div. III teams competing are Mount St. Vincent and Muhlenberg. Junior college programs competing are SUNY Sullivan and Middlesex CC. NCWA teams on the mat are Stony Brook and Montclair State.
Fans are going to want to see the big professional bouts from the Global Wrestling Challenge, as Kyle Dake battles World champion Arsen Julfalakyan of Armenia in Greco-Roman and Tervel Dlagnev squares off with Olympic champion Khadjimurad Gatsalov of Russia. The Team Joe Warren vs. Team Renzo Gracie dual meet, featuring MMA and wrestling stars, will also be another big fan favorite. The local high school and middle school bouts bring tremendous community interest and support as well.
However, the Grapple at the Garden made its reputation as a college wrestling event, and the college action should once again be very entertaining this year.
Tickets, priced at $20, $35 and $55, are currently on sale and can be purchased online at www.thegarden.com, all Ticketmaster locations and the Madison Square Garden box office.
For those not able to get the New York City, all of the college dual meets will be available on www.flowrestling.org.
Click for live webcast on Flowrestling
Those who would like to see the Senior level matches also have an opportunity on Pay-Per-View.
Grapple at The Garden, presented by MusclePharm is being distributed in North America by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 12:00 p.m. ET / 9:00 a.m. PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view in the USA via iN Demand, DISH, and Vubiquity and Bell TV, Shaw PPV, Rogers, SaskTel, TELUS and MTS in Canada for a suggested retail price of only $14.95. Viewer’s world-wide can order on-line at www.GFL.TV.
RANKED DIV. I WRESTLERS AT GRAPPLE AT THE GARDEN
(based on most recent W.I.N. individual rankings)
125 Pounds
No. 2 Nahshon Garrett Jr. Cornell
No. 6 Dylan Peters So. Northern Iowa
No. 15 Paul Petrov Jr. Bucknell
133 Pounds
No. 1 A J Schopp Sr. Edinboro
No. 5 Mason Beckman Jr. Lehigh
No. 8 Geoffrey Alexander Sr. Maryland
No. 14 Levi Wolfensperger Sr. Northern Iowa
No. 19 Kevin Devoy So. Drexel
141 Pounds
No. 2 Mitchell Port Sr. Edinboro
No. 11 Anthony Ashnault RSFr. Rutgers
No. 16 Randy Cruz So. Lehigh
No. 20 Jamel Hudson So. Hofstra
149 Pounds
No. 5 David Habat Sr. Edinboro
No. 6 Chris Villalonga Sr. Cornell
No. 18 Ken Theobold Jr. Rutgers
157 Pounds
No. 4 Brian Realbuto So. Cornell
No. 8 Austin Matthews So. Edinboro
No. 10 Anthony Perrotti So. Rutgers
No. 13 Immanuel Kerr-Brown Sr. Duke
No. 15 Russell Parsons, So. Army
165 Pounds
No. 5 Dylan Palacio, So., Cornell
No. 11 Cooper Moore, So., Northern Iowa
184 Pounds
No. 2 Gabe Dean, So., Cornell
No. 5 Nathaniel Brown, Jr., Lehigh
No. 11 Victor Avery, Jr., Edinboro
No. 20 Cody Caldwell, Jr., Northern Iowa
197 Pounds
No. 5 Conner Hartman, Jr., Duke
No. 14 Elliot Riddick, So., Lehigh
No. 16 Jace Bennett, Sr., Cornell
Heavyweight
No. 12 William Smith, So., Rutgers
No. 18 Blaize Cabell, Jr., Northern Iowa
GRAPPLE AT THE GARDEN PRESENTED BY MUSCLEPHARM
Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y., Sunday, December 21
7:15AM: Mats 1-8 – YOUTH TOURNAMENT FINALS
8:00AM: Mat 1– HIGHSCHOOL: MAYOR’S CUP VS. METRO
Mat 2 – LIU POST VS. MINN. ST. - MOORHEAD
Mat 3 - STONY BROOK VS. MONTCLAIR STATE
Mat 4 - SO. MAINE VS. STEVENS
Mat 5 – SUNY SULLIVAN VS. MIDDLESEX CC
Mat 6 – NORTHERN IOWA VS. DUKE
Mat 7 – MT. ST. VINCENT VS. WHEELING JESUIT
Mat 8 – HIGH SCHOOL: MAYOR’S CUP VS. METRO
10:00AM: Mat 1 – DAVIDSON VS. BUCKNELL
Mat 2 - LEHIGH VS. PRINCETON
Mat 3 – RUTGERS VS. ARMY
Mat 4 – MARYLAND VS. HOFSTRA
Mat 5 – DUKE VS. GEORGE MASON
Mat 6 – NORTHERN IOWA VS. DREXEL
Mat 7 – EDINBORO VS. CORNELL
Mat 8 – SO. MAINE VS. MUHLENBERG
12:00PM: Mat 1 – ARMY VS. PRINCETON
Mat 2 - LEHIGH VS. EDINBORO
Mat 3 – DAVIDSON VS. RUTGERS
Mat 4 – HOFSTRA VS. BUCKNELL
Mat 5 – MARYLAND VS. DUKE
Mat 6 – DREXEL VS. GEORGE MASON
Mat 7 – NORTHERN IOWA VS. CORNELL
Mat 8 – TEAM JOE WARREN VS. TEAM RENZO GRACIE
2:10PM: Mat 9 – (center) Co-Main Event: Tervel Dlagnev vs. Khadzhijurat Gatsalov (Freestyle)
Main Event: - Kyle Dake vs. Arsen Julfalakyan (Greco-Roman 75 kg/165 lbs.)
In its third year, the Grapple at the Garden at world-famous Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday, Dec. 21 has grown into a true celebration of all levels of wrestling, spread out on eight mats.
There are two co-main event professional international-style matches. Two teams of MMA and wrestling stars will host a dual meet competing in wrestling. There is the finals of a high school wrestling tournament and the finals of a youth wrestling tournament.
But, as with every year, the Grapple at the Garden is a very big, very exciting card of college wrestling dual meets. This year, as with each of the three Grapple events, there is a nice mix of national powers and local college programs, set up to provide wrestling fans with a chance to see exciting wrestling.
A majority of the dual meets include Div. I wrestling programs, led by four teams ranked in the most recent NWCA Div. I Coaches Poll: No. 3 Cornell, No. 11 Lehigh, No. 12 Edinboro and No. 23 Rutgers.
Edinboro is truly testing itself this year at the Garden, opening up against No. 3 Cornell and then facing No. 11 Lehigh. Tim Flynn’s Scots, the top team in the Eastern Wrestling League, are looking to knock off the two top teams from the EIWA and use the Grapple at the Garden as a springboard to climb higher in the rankings.
Lehigh is competing at its first Grapple at the Garden, and you can expect the large Lehigh fan base to show up in strong numbers in New York City. Pat Santoro’s Mountain Hawks open with EIWA rival Princeton, coached by Lehigh grad Chris Ayers. They finish off against the talented Edinboro team.
Cornell has become a fixture at the Grapple at the Garden, and also should have a strong cheering section there. Rob Koll’s Big Red starts off with Edinboro, then take on MAC power Northern Iowa in their second match. As the highest ranked team on the card, Cornell will be expected to take both duals, but you can expect close battles.
Rutgers, in their first year in the Big Ten, hopes to attract a good fan following from across the river in New Jersey. Scott Goodale’s Scarlet Knights goes against old EIWA rival Army, then finishes against Southern Conference program Davidson.
There will be about 30 nationally ranked Div. I wrestlers on display, based upon the most recent W.I.N. rankings, led by No. 1 A.J. Schopp of Edinboro at 133 pounds. Add in three wrestlers with No. 2 national rankings, Nahshon Garrett of Cornell at 125, Mitchell Port of Edinboro at 141 and Gabe Dean of Cornell at 184.
There are potentially a number of interesting individual matches featuring ranked wrestlers based upon the draw. Fans should watch out for these projected matchups:
• No. 1 A J Schopp of Edinboro vs. No. 5 Mason Beckman of Lehigh at 133
• No. 2 Nahshon Garrett of Cornell vs. No. 6 Dylan Peters of Northern Iowa at 125
• No. 5 David Habat of Edinboro vs. No. 6 Chris Villalonga of Cornell at 149
• No. 4 Brian Realbuto of Cornell vs. No. 8 Austin Matthews of Edinboro at 157
• No. 5 Dylan Palacio of Cornell vs. No. 11 Cooper Moore of Northern Iowa at 165
• No. 10 Anthony Perrotti of Rutgers vs. No. 15 Russell Parsons of Army at 157
Beyond the Div. I matches, the Grapple at the Garden is also showcasing NCAA Div. II, NCAA Div. III, NJCAA and NCWA club teams from the region on the card.
On the Div. II level, local fans will enjoy seeing the team from LIU-Post, which revived its wrestling program after many years without the sport. Longtime fans will remember this team when it was called C.W. Post, when it hosted a respected holiday college tournament which attracted athletes from all over the Northeast. In its first year back as a varsity team, LIU-Post squares off with Minnesota State-Moorhead. Another Div. II school on the card is Wheeling Jesuit.
On the Div. III level, No. 19 ranked Stevens Institute of Technology, which is located in New Jersey, competes against Southern Maine. Other Div. III teams competing are Mount St. Vincent and Muhlenberg. Junior college programs competing are SUNY Sullivan and Middlesex CC. NCWA teams on the mat are Stony Brook and Montclair State.
Fans are going to want to see the big professional bouts from the Global Wrestling Challenge, as Kyle Dake battles World champion Arsen Julfalakyan of Armenia in Greco-Roman and Tervel Dlagnev squares off with Olympic champion Khadjimurad Gatsalov of Russia. The Team Joe Warren vs. Team Renzo Gracie dual meet, featuring MMA and wrestling stars, will also be another big fan favorite. The local high school and middle school bouts bring tremendous community interest and support as well.
However, the Grapple at the Garden made its reputation as a college wrestling event, and the college action should once again be very entertaining this year.
Tickets, priced at $20, $35 and $55, are currently on sale and can be purchased online at www.thegarden.com, all Ticketmaster locations and the Madison Square Garden box office.
For those not able to get the New York City, all of the college dual meets will be available on www.flowrestling.org.
Click for live webcast on Flowrestling
Those who would like to see the Senior level matches also have an opportunity on Pay-Per-View.
Grapple at The Garden, presented by MusclePharm is being distributed in North America by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 12:00 p.m. ET / 9:00 a.m. PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view in the USA via iN Demand, DISH, and Vubiquity and Bell TV, Shaw PPV, Rogers, SaskTel, TELUS and MTS in Canada for a suggested retail price of only $14.95. Viewer’s world-wide can order on-line at www.GFL.TV.
RANKED DIV. I WRESTLERS AT GRAPPLE AT THE GARDEN
(based on most recent W.I.N. individual rankings)
125 Pounds
No. 2 Nahshon Garrett Jr. Cornell
No. 6 Dylan Peters So. Northern Iowa
No. 15 Paul Petrov Jr. Bucknell
133 Pounds
No. 1 A J Schopp Sr. Edinboro
No. 5 Mason Beckman Jr. Lehigh
No. 8 Geoffrey Alexander Sr. Maryland
No. 14 Levi Wolfensperger Sr. Northern Iowa
No. 19 Kevin Devoy So. Drexel
141 Pounds
No. 2 Mitchell Port Sr. Edinboro
No. 11 Anthony Ashnault RSFr. Rutgers
No. 16 Randy Cruz So. Lehigh
No. 20 Jamel Hudson So. Hofstra
149 Pounds
No. 5 David Habat Sr. Edinboro
No. 6 Chris Villalonga Sr. Cornell
No. 18 Ken Theobold Jr. Rutgers
157 Pounds
No. 4 Brian Realbuto So. Cornell
No. 8 Austin Matthews So. Edinboro
No. 10 Anthony Perrotti So. Rutgers
No. 13 Immanuel Kerr-Brown Sr. Duke
No. 15 Russell Parsons, So. Army
165 Pounds
No. 5 Dylan Palacio, So., Cornell
No. 11 Cooper Moore, So., Northern Iowa
184 Pounds
No. 2 Gabe Dean, So., Cornell
No. 5 Nathaniel Brown, Jr., Lehigh
No. 11 Victor Avery, Jr., Edinboro
No. 20 Cody Caldwell, Jr., Northern Iowa
197 Pounds
No. 5 Conner Hartman, Jr., Duke
No. 14 Elliot Riddick, So., Lehigh
No. 16 Jace Bennett, Sr., Cornell
Heavyweight
No. 12 William Smith, So., Rutgers
No. 18 Blaize Cabell, Jr., Northern Iowa
GRAPPLE AT THE GARDEN PRESENTED BY MUSCLEPHARM
Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y., Sunday, December 21
7:15AM: Mats 1-8 – YOUTH TOURNAMENT FINALS
8:00AM: Mat 1– HIGHSCHOOL: MAYOR’S CUP VS. METRO
Mat 2 – LIU POST VS. MINN. ST. - MOORHEAD
Mat 3 - STONY BROOK VS. MONTCLAIR STATE
Mat 4 - SO. MAINE VS. STEVENS
Mat 5 – SUNY SULLIVAN VS. MIDDLESEX CC
Mat 6 – NORTHERN IOWA VS. DUKE
Mat 7 – MT. ST. VINCENT VS. WHEELING JESUIT
Mat 8 – HIGH SCHOOL: MAYOR’S CUP VS. METRO
10:00AM: Mat 1 – DAVIDSON VS. BUCKNELL
Mat 2 - LEHIGH VS. PRINCETON
Mat 3 – RUTGERS VS. ARMY
Mat 4 – MARYLAND VS. HOFSTRA
Mat 5 – DUKE VS. GEORGE MASON
Mat 6 – NORTHERN IOWA VS. DREXEL
Mat 7 – EDINBORO VS. CORNELL
Mat 8 – SO. MAINE VS. MUHLENBERG
12:00PM: Mat 1 – ARMY VS. PRINCETON
Mat 2 - LEHIGH VS. EDINBORO
Mat 3 – DAVIDSON VS. RUTGERS
Mat 4 – HOFSTRA VS. BUCKNELL
Mat 5 – MARYLAND VS. DUKE
Mat 6 – DREXEL VS. GEORGE MASON
Mat 7 – NORTHERN IOWA VS. CORNELL
Mat 8 – TEAM JOE WARREN VS. TEAM RENZO GRACIE
2:10PM: Mat 9 – (center) Co-Main Event: Tervel Dlagnev vs. Khadzhijurat Gatsalov (Freestyle)
Main Event: - Kyle Dake vs. Arsen Julfalakyan (Greco-Roman 75 kg/165 lbs.)
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