Rutgers Wrestling Announces 2008 Recruiting Class
Dec 05 | Wrestling
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Rutgers wrestling program, under the guidance of first-year head coach Scott Goodale, announced its 2008 recruiting class. Scott Winston (Jackson, N.J.), Trevor Melde (Wayne, N.J.), Daniel Rinaldi (Lodi, N.J.) and Jesse Boyden (Kenilworth, N.J.) have all signed National Letters of Intent to wrestle for Rutgers in 2008-09.
"We are unbelievably excited about the guys who are going to be wrestling for us next season," said Goodale. "They have all had a tremendous amount of success, not only during their high school seasons but on a national level as well. All of them are year-round wrestlers and they come to us with some pretty lofty goals. We feel they can accomplish a lot while at Rutgers University."
Winston, who wrestles at 157/165-pounds, is ranked the No. 2 senior recruit in the nation by InterMat. He entered his senior season at Jackson Memorial High School with a 101-0 career record. He is a two-time New Jersey State Champion and the 2007 Junior National Freestyle Champion. Melde is a 141/149 pounder from DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, N.J. InterMat ranks him as the No. 17 overall recruit in the country.
Rinaldi, a senior at Lodi High School, wrestles at either 174 or 184 pounds. He is a two-time New Jersey State Place winner and is ranked No. 18 at 171-pounds by USA Wrestling. Boyden is a 197-pounder from David Brearley High School in Kenilworth, N.J. He is a two-time New Jersey State Place winner and a two-time Region 3 Champion.
Four other high school seniors have accepted admissions to Rutgers and plan to wrestle for Scott Goodale and the wrestling program next season. Nicholas Menditto (Ocean, N.J.), Joe Langel (Farmingdale, N.J.), and Zachary Coulas (Ocean, N.J.) all look to be a part of Rutgers wrestling in 2008-09.
Menditto is a 157-pound senior at Ocean Township High School in Ocean, N.J., ranked No. 58 in the country by InterMat. Langel is ranked No. 11 as a 119-pounder by USA Wrestling and was the 2007 Super 32 Champion. Coulas wrestles in the 133-pound class and placed sixth in the 2006 Beast of the East.
"This is an exciting time for our wrestling program," said Goodale. "All seven guys coming in understand the vision and the direction this program wants to go."
