Suriano, Lewis impressive as No. 12 Rutgers beats Maryland, 27-9, outside at High Point Solutions Stadium
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Nick Suriano takes down Brandon Cray on the way to a technical fall at 125 pounds. Photo by Juan Garcia.
VIDEO INTERVIEWS: Rutgers vs. Maryland dual meet
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The weather was quite nice, thank you, but the wrestling was crisp, as No. 12 Rutgers opened its season competing outside, with a 27-19 win over Big Ten rival Maryland at High Point Solutions Stadium.
Besides another successful wrestling-football doubleheader to start the season, it also marked the Rutgers debut of No. 3 ranked Nick Suriano at 125 pounds, the Penn State transfer who returned to his home state this fall. Suriano scored eight takedowns and a four-point turn for a 23-7 technical fall to start his Rutgers career over Brandon Cray of Maryland.
“This is where I want to be. I want to keep going and keep getting better. It is a little different being outside for the match, but this is just another match. I have prepped all summer for this, a lot of training and preparation. My coaches got me ready. This is a hungry team which is performing well, and we have to keep going,” said Suriano.
“Suriano had a great start for what will certainly be a great career here at Rutgers. He had a lot of points in his first time in a Rutgers singlet. Our guys were looking at it like, wow, this kid can really go. It was a really good start and got the crowd into it,” said Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale.
Rutgers won seven of 10 matches, and showed the kind of depth in their lineup for a team which many expect could have its best overall season ever.
Senior Richie Lewis of Rutgers, ranked No. 8 in the USA, kicked off his final season with a 13-4 major decision victory over Kyle Cochrane at 157 pounds. Lewis showed some powerful technique while scoring five takedowns, and added a two-point turn as well, along with riding time. Lewis is just weeks away from travelling to Poland, where he will represent the USA at the U23 World Championships in Poland. Lewis missed last season due to injury.
“I’m switching it up, going back to folkstyle. I am excited for Poland. Wrestling is wrestling. I am just looking to go out there and have a good time. In freestyle, I am a little bit better, because I am good at putting guys in danger. I am trying to translate that back into folkstyle wrestling. The main goal is to win the Worlds. Then after that, the main goal is the NCAAs,” said Lewis.
After the opening win by Suriano, Rutgers led the entire way, although Maryland had a few flashes of wrestling which showed the program continues to progress with young talent.
At 133 pounds, No. 11 Scott DelVecchio of Rutgers kept up the momentum with an 11-5 win over Michael Doetsch. DelVecchio was taken down to start the match, but got rolling with two first-period takedowns and controlled the action the rest of the way.
Maryland got on the board at 141 pounds, as No. 14 Ryan Diehl escaped with a 10-9 win over Michael Van Brill. Van Brill scored the first takedown in a back and forth match, which Diehl led most of the way. A Van Brill takedown with 45 seconds left tied it up at 9-9, and Diehl got a quick escape for the one point lead. Van Brill almost scored a takedown on the edge in the final 10 seconds but Diehl was able to avoid the score out of bounds.
Showing dominance on his feet and on the mat, with takedowns in each period and three minutes of riding time, Eleazar DeLuca got Rutgers going again with a 10-4 win over Adam Whitesell at 149 pounds.
At 165 pounds, Rutgers junior John Van Brill kept the pedal to the metal with a 15-0 technical fall over Brendan Burnham. Van Brill scored takedowns to backpoints two different times, scoring his points in big chunks.
Maryland got a nice win at 174 pounds, when freshman Josh Ugalde upset No. 16 Jordan Pagano, 8-2. Ugalde’s big move was a granby for a reversal and a four-point back points late in the first period.
The match was a chance to see the new challenge procedure, where coaches can get a video review of a call. Terrapin Coach Kerry McCoy threw out the brick during the 174 pound match after Pagano was awarded the opening takedown. The review official upheld the call, and the brick was not returned to Maryland.
The 184 pound bout did not start well for No. 10 Nick Gravina of Rutgers, who was taken down twice by Jaron Smith and needed some injury time in the first period. Down 4-0, Gravina scored a reversal to four back points to take a 6-4 lead and finished off with a strong third period for a 10-4 win.
The Scarlett Knight crowd seemed to enjoy the wrestling from 197-pounder Kevin Mulligan, who scored five takedowns in a 12-2 win over Nick Cappello.
The heavyweight bout was between two respected big men, as No. 13 Youssif Hemida of Maryland kept on the pressure on a way to a 7-1 win over Razohnn Gross. Hamida was strong on his feet, and competed aggressively, driving Gross off the mat twice out of bounds, once out onto the football field and a second time into the media tables matside.
It is the second consecutive season the Scarlet Knights competed outside at High Point Solution Stadium. Last November, Rutgers defeated Princeton, 19-16, with 16,178 fans in the stands, an event dubbed “the Battle at the Birthplace.” It was the second highest attendance for a dual meet at the time. Today’s crowd did not match last years, but the wrestlers and the fans had a blast.
“It was a great atmosphere. It was a really great setup, over in the corner there. It was a lot better than last year, being too far away. You could hear the crowd, which was neat. We wrestled really good in some spots, and struggled in others. It is early and we will get there. We have some young kids who made some mistakes, but we will certainly get there. It was a good start to the Big Ten season,” said Goodale.
This event was originally scheduled for Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y., the most famous major league baseball stadium on earth. However, as the Yankees made a deep run in the MLB playoffs, Rutgers made the decision to move the match (along with the football game) back on campus.
On November 14, 2016, the University of Iowa invited Oklahoma State to compete in historic Kinnick Stadium on the Iowa campus, and set the NCAA attendance record with a reported 42,287 in attendance. There has been a national trend for college programs to compete outside and in unique locations in recent years, and the Rutgers vs. Maryland dual was another example of the success of this trend,.
RUTGERS 27 MARYLAND 9
125 - No. 3 Nick Suriano (Rutgers) tech. fall Brandon Cray (Maryland), 23-7
133 - No. 11 Scott DelVecchio (Rutgers) dec. Michael Doetsch (Maryland), 11-5
141 - No. 14 Ryan Diehl (Maryland) dec. Michael Van Brill (Rutgers), 10-9
149 - Eleazar DeLuca (Rutgers) dec. Adam Whitesell (Maryland), 10-4
157 - No. 8 Richie Lewis (Rutgers) maj. dec. Kyle Cochran (Maryland), 13-4
165 - John Van Brill (Rutgers) tech. fall Brendan Burnham (Maryland), 15-0
174 - Josh Ugalde (Maryland) dec. No. 16 Jordan Pagano (Rutgers), 8-2
184 - No. 10 Nicholas Gravina (Rutgers) dec. Jaron Smith (Maryland), 10-4
197 - Kevin Mulligan (Rutgers) maj. dec. Nick Cappello (Maryland), 12-2
HWT - No. 13 Youssif Hemida (Maryland) dec. Razohnn Gross (Rutgers), 7-1
VIDEO INTERVIEWS: Rutgers vs. Maryland dual meet
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The weather was quite nice, thank you, but the wrestling was crisp, as No. 12 Rutgers opened its season competing outside, with a 27-19 win over Big Ten rival Maryland at High Point Solutions Stadium.
Besides another successful wrestling-football doubleheader to start the season, it also marked the Rutgers debut of No. 3 ranked Nick Suriano at 125 pounds, the Penn State transfer who returned to his home state this fall. Suriano scored eight takedowns and a four-point turn for a 23-7 technical fall to start his Rutgers career over Brandon Cray of Maryland.
“This is where I want to be. I want to keep going and keep getting better. It is a little different being outside for the match, but this is just another match. I have prepped all summer for this, a lot of training and preparation. My coaches got me ready. This is a hungry team which is performing well, and we have to keep going,” said Suriano.
“Suriano had a great start for what will certainly be a great career here at Rutgers. He had a lot of points in his first time in a Rutgers singlet. Our guys were looking at it like, wow, this kid can really go. It was a really good start and got the crowd into it,” said Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale.
Rutgers won seven of 10 matches, and showed the kind of depth in their lineup for a team which many expect could have its best overall season ever.
Senior Richie Lewis of Rutgers, ranked No. 8 in the USA, kicked off his final season with a 13-4 major decision victory over Kyle Cochrane at 157 pounds. Lewis showed some powerful technique while scoring five takedowns, and added a two-point turn as well, along with riding time. Lewis is just weeks away from travelling to Poland, where he will represent the USA at the U23 World Championships in Poland. Lewis missed last season due to injury.
“I’m switching it up, going back to folkstyle. I am excited for Poland. Wrestling is wrestling. I am just looking to go out there and have a good time. In freestyle, I am a little bit better, because I am good at putting guys in danger. I am trying to translate that back into folkstyle wrestling. The main goal is to win the Worlds. Then after that, the main goal is the NCAAs,” said Lewis.
After the opening win by Suriano, Rutgers led the entire way, although Maryland had a few flashes of wrestling which showed the program continues to progress with young talent.
At 133 pounds, No. 11 Scott DelVecchio of Rutgers kept up the momentum with an 11-5 win over Michael Doetsch. DelVecchio was taken down to start the match, but got rolling with two first-period takedowns and controlled the action the rest of the way.
Maryland got on the board at 141 pounds, as No. 14 Ryan Diehl escaped with a 10-9 win over Michael Van Brill. Van Brill scored the first takedown in a back and forth match, which Diehl led most of the way. A Van Brill takedown with 45 seconds left tied it up at 9-9, and Diehl got a quick escape for the one point lead. Van Brill almost scored a takedown on the edge in the final 10 seconds but Diehl was able to avoid the score out of bounds.
Showing dominance on his feet and on the mat, with takedowns in each period and three minutes of riding time, Eleazar DeLuca got Rutgers going again with a 10-4 win over Adam Whitesell at 149 pounds.
At 165 pounds, Rutgers junior John Van Brill kept the pedal to the metal with a 15-0 technical fall over Brendan Burnham. Van Brill scored takedowns to backpoints two different times, scoring his points in big chunks.
Maryland got a nice win at 174 pounds, when freshman Josh Ugalde upset No. 16 Jordan Pagano, 8-2. Ugalde’s big move was a granby for a reversal and a four-point back points late in the first period.
The match was a chance to see the new challenge procedure, where coaches can get a video review of a call. Terrapin Coach Kerry McCoy threw out the brick during the 174 pound match after Pagano was awarded the opening takedown. The review official upheld the call, and the brick was not returned to Maryland.
The 184 pound bout did not start well for No. 10 Nick Gravina of Rutgers, who was taken down twice by Jaron Smith and needed some injury time in the first period. Down 4-0, Gravina scored a reversal to four back points to take a 6-4 lead and finished off with a strong third period for a 10-4 win.
The Scarlett Knight crowd seemed to enjoy the wrestling from 197-pounder Kevin Mulligan, who scored five takedowns in a 12-2 win over Nick Cappello.
The heavyweight bout was between two respected big men, as No. 13 Youssif Hemida of Maryland kept on the pressure on a way to a 7-1 win over Razohnn Gross. Hamida was strong on his feet, and competed aggressively, driving Gross off the mat twice out of bounds, once out onto the football field and a second time into the media tables matside.
It is the second consecutive season the Scarlet Knights competed outside at High Point Solution Stadium. Last November, Rutgers defeated Princeton, 19-16, with 16,178 fans in the stands, an event dubbed “the Battle at the Birthplace.” It was the second highest attendance for a dual meet at the time. Today’s crowd did not match last years, but the wrestlers and the fans had a blast.
“It was a great atmosphere. It was a really great setup, over in the corner there. It was a lot better than last year, being too far away. You could hear the crowd, which was neat. We wrestled really good in some spots, and struggled in others. It is early and we will get there. We have some young kids who made some mistakes, but we will certainly get there. It was a good start to the Big Ten season,” said Goodale.
This event was originally scheduled for Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y., the most famous major league baseball stadium on earth. However, as the Yankees made a deep run in the MLB playoffs, Rutgers made the decision to move the match (along with the football game) back on campus.
On November 14, 2016, the University of Iowa invited Oklahoma State to compete in historic Kinnick Stadium on the Iowa campus, and set the NCAA attendance record with a reported 42,287 in attendance. There has been a national trend for college programs to compete outside and in unique locations in recent years, and the Rutgers vs. Maryland dual was another example of the success of this trend,.
RUTGERS 27 MARYLAND 9
125 - No. 3 Nick Suriano (Rutgers) tech. fall Brandon Cray (Maryland), 23-7
133 - No. 11 Scott DelVecchio (Rutgers) dec. Michael Doetsch (Maryland), 11-5
141 - No. 14 Ryan Diehl (Maryland) dec. Michael Van Brill (Rutgers), 10-9
149 - Eleazar DeLuca (Rutgers) dec. Adam Whitesell (Maryland), 10-4
157 - No. 8 Richie Lewis (Rutgers) maj. dec. Kyle Cochran (Maryland), 13-4
165 - John Van Brill (Rutgers) tech. fall Brendan Burnham (Maryland), 15-0
174 - Josh Ugalde (Maryland) dec. No. 16 Jordan Pagano (Rutgers), 8-2
184 - No. 10 Nicholas Gravina (Rutgers) dec. Jaron Smith (Maryland), 10-4
197 - Kevin Mulligan (Rutgers) maj. dec. Nick Cappello (Maryland), 12-2
HWT - No. 13 Youssif Hemida (Maryland) dec. Razohnn Gross (Rutgers), 7-1
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