Six Grapplers Named Academic All-Big Ten
Mar 23 | Wrestling
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Six members of the Rutgers wrestling team were among the 32 Scarlet Knights recognized Wednesday on the Winter 2016 Academic All-Big Ten List. Nicholas Gravina (Allendale, N.J.), Nicholas Ottaviano (Marlboro, N.J.), Josh Patrick (Rector, Pa.), Anthony Pafumi (Westfield, N.J.), Anthony Perrotti (Roseland, N.J.), and Billy Smith (Wantage, N.J.) were all honored for their achievements in the classroom.
To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, student-athletes must be letterwinners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
Five of the six honorees - Gravina, Pafumi, Patrick, Perrotti, and Smith - were named Academic All-Big Ten last season. Smith is a three-time National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Academic Team selection.
Perrotti and Smith wrapped up their senior campaigns and stellar Rutgers careers last week. Perrotti finished as an All-American at 165 pounds at the 2016 NCAA Championships for the second All-America honors in his career. Smith qualified for his fourth consecutive NCAA Championships and leaves Rutgers with a 105-39 career record.
The 2015-16 season concluded as the most successful in Rutgers wrestling history. The Scarlet Knights sent all 10 weight classes to the NCAA Championships for the first time, wrestling to a fifth-place finish at the 2016 Big Ten Championships. 141-pounder Anthony Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) won the Big Ten title at 141 pounds to become Rutgers' first B1G champ.
RU (16-5) closed the dual season ranked No. 10 in the final USA Today/ NWCA Coaches Poll, defeating seven ranked opponents and three in the top-10, culminating with an 18-15 win over No. 7 Lehigh in the NWCA National Duals Championship Series. The top-10 finish was the second since 2009 and fifth top-25 finish in head coach Scott Goodale's reign.
Wrestling (6)
Nicholas Gravina , Jr., Psychology (Allendale, N.J.)
Nicholas Ottaviano, So., Undeclared (Marlboro, N.J.)
Josh Patrick, Jr., Criminal Justice (Rector, Pa.)
Anthony Pafumi, Sr., Communication (Westfield, N.J.)
Anthony Perrotti , Sr., Labor Studies And Employment Relations (Roseland, N.J.)
Billy Smith, Sr., Special Education (Wantage, N.J.)
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Players Mentioned
