The holidays are over, the year on the calendar has changed, and it can only mean one thing: the Big Ten slate is officially underway.
Rutgers was back in action, kicking off 2019 on the road against Minnesota. The Golden Gophers, ranked 8th as team, featured a balanced lineup with six nationally ranked wrestlers. The firepower of the Gophers was too much for the Scarlet Knights, as Minnesota bested Rutgers by a score of 22–15.
The Gophers won six of ten bouts in the dual, with four of those victories earning bonus points. The high-points of the match came from Nick Suriano (133), Anthony Ashnault (149), Nicholas Gravina (184), and Matthew Correnti (197).
It came to the disappointment of wrestling fans when it was announced that No. 8 Ethan Lizak was scratched from the dual with a skin issue. A head-to-head matchup with No. 2 Nick Suriano was the most anticipated bout of the dual.
Instead, Suriano took on Minnesota 133-pound back up, Skyler Petry. Suriano was made easy work of Petry, defeating the Gopher 20–5 via technical fall. The victory was Suriano’s 11th bonus point victory of the season.
Anthony Ashnault continued his reign of dominance over the 149-pound division (feel like we’ve been typing that statement a lot this season). Ashnault took on No. 20 Tommy Thorn, and picked apart the ranked Gopher with a relentless attack.
The No. 2 Ashnault used multiple leg attacks and a series of tilts to rack up a 14–4 major decision. The sixth-year senior now has two (2) major decisions, two (2) technical falls, and seven (7) pin falls on the year.
Nick Gravina was back in action for the second time this season. Gravina used his trademarked grit to grind out a 4–3 decision over Brandon Krone.
Late in the third, Gravina was tied 2–2 with Krone, however, Krone had a riding time point locked up. The riding time point could have potentially given Krone the 3–2 win. Gravina, with time running down, forced a scramble from neutral, attempting to score a match-winning take down.
Krone, known for his scrambling abilities, was doing a good job of preventing a score. But with 11 seconds on the clock, Gravina hooked Krone’s ankle on the edge to secure the takedown, and the win.
Matt Correnti continued his hot streak, winning a 3–2 decision over Rylee Streifel. Correnti was off to a slow start this season, and at one point, was not even the starter at 197-pounds. However, the redshirt sophomore is now on a six match winning streak.
Correnti’s late start got rolling at the RAC when Rutgers took on Rider. The 197-pounder then won the Wilkes Open to close off the 2018 calendar year. The former NCAA qualifier appears to be closing in on his old form, which the Knights will desperately need moving further into the Big Ten schedule.
The Scarlet Knights return home this weekend, taking on No. 10 Wisconsin Friday night, and then No. 3 Oklahoma State on Sunday afternoon. The weekend will be both important and historical, as not only Rutgers will be taking on two top ten foes, it will mark the first time Oklahoma State wrestling makes an appearance on the banks.
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