Nick Suriano found himself after injury and transfer to Rutgers

An ankle injury ended his remarkable 2016-17 NCAA season, but for Rutgers sophomore Nick Suriano, it was a blessing in disguise.

On Feb. 19, 2017, just weeks away from the Big Ten Championships and NCAA tournament, No. 2 Suriano, who was then a true freshman for wrestling powerhouse Penn State, took on 11th-ranked Nick Piccininni of Oklahoma State at 125 pounds in a national championship dual meet.

Choosing bottom to start the second, Suriano stood up but was forced back down. In that moment, he knew something was wrong.

“I was winning and everything was going great. It was a big match,” Suriano said. “It was a crazy freak accident. I stood up and my ankle was in a vulnerable position. I came down and boom. I knew it was broken.”

The New Jersey native managed to get the escape and looked over at the PSU coaching staff and told them his ankle was broken. The former Nittany Lion pressed on, but the referees stopped the match, resulting in a win for Piccininni by injury default.

The injury led to a series of events for the freshman phenom, who had wins over four top-10 opponents at the time and was poised to make a run at the NCAA crown.

“I’ve never been down and out in the sport like that,” Suriano said. “My career had gone well for me up until then. I had never been injured or never had to sit out. I was forced to do that. It just showed me what it was like to be down and I thrived from it.”

In order to qualify for the NCAA Championships, Suriano weighed in for the Big Ten tournament but injury defaulted his first bout in the opening seconds and medical forfeited his match on the back side.

Unfortunately when it came time for the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo., Suriano, the No. 3 seed and a national title threat, was still not 100 percent and medical forfeited out of the national tournament. Penn State went on to win the team title despite no points from Suriano.

The setback, which seemed tragic at the time sprung him forward.

“I wouldn’t take back this injury for anything,” Suriano said. “Last year, it was more about the tragedy and the adversity that I had to go through that prepared me. Forget the mat. I’ve been on the mat for 13 years. I found myself again. I got to do a lot of reflection and some good reading. I connected with friends and family. Little things like that really helped me through that tough time. I had to sit and watch people I beat go and win something that I had wanted to achieve my whole life. I learned that there’s more to life than wrestling and winning. That’s what I know how to do, so when I got hurt and I couldn’t do that anymore, it taught me a lot. I took it as a time to build, learn and reflect on myself.”

In that time of reflection, Suriano concluded Penn State wasn’t the best fit for him and decided to start the transfer process to Rutgers, a place closer to home.

“I wanted to leave. It was my decision,” he said. “I wasn’t happy with how things were being handled and the direction that things were going in. I wanted to be home. Rutgers is the best place for me. This was my decision and nobody else’s.”

Rumors started swirling around the wrestling world and Suriano’s transfer situation quickly became one of the most talked about topics of the summer.

First, Suriano had to get a release from Penn State, something he wasn’t sure would happen. Once that went through, it was in the hands of the Big Ten. Because he was transferring within the conference, the Big Ten had to decide whether Suriano would be able to compete right away for the on-the-rise Rutgers program or forfeit a year of eligibility.

In the end, it all worked out for Suriano, who suited up for the Scarlet Knights in their season opener against Maryland at Rutgers’ football stadium High Point Solutions Stadium. He kicked off his Rutgers career with a 24-7 technical fall.

“There’s a lot of talking from critics and the media about why I transferred or what really happened and things like that,” Suriano said. “None of that really matters. It’s about me and what I’m doing. I have to focus on doing what I do best and being the best at all times. Look at what I get to represent now! I get to represent my home state in front of a home crowd and people who have supported me since I was a little kid. That’s what I wanted most.”

In his short time at Rutgers, Suriano has seen some significant success on the mat and off the mat.

Just last month, Suriano became Rutgers’ first Midlands champion in the 55-year history of the tournament. So far, he holds an unblemished 14-0 record with four wins over ranked opponents in what may be one of the most exciting weights in the country.

The 125 field is overloaded with talent and features NCAA champions Nathan Tomasello of Ohio State (2015) and Darian Cruz of Lehigh (2017). Suriano, ranked No. 2 in the country, may have a chance to match up with top-ranked Tomasello this weekend as No. 17 Rutgers hosts No. 2 Ohio State in Piscataway, N.J.

Other notable names at the weight are Piccininni, 2017 NCAA finalist Ethan Lizak of Minnesota and three-time age-group World champion Spencer Lee of Iowa, who is expected to be pulled from his redshirt today against Michigan State.

Off the mat, Suriano is satisfied with how things have changed for him personally since transferring.

“I’m happy with my decision,” he said. “I feel like I’m more myself. Over there I was somebody I wasn’t. Now I get to be me and that’s the best part. I don’t have to change for anyone. Everyone knows who I am. Rutgers has everything I need. There’s nothing missing here. Some people think, ‘oh he left Penn State so he’s missing out on this or that.’ That’s not it. I have everything I need and more here.”