Newcomers Ready to Represent Rutgers
Oct 01 | Wrestling
By Alex Restrepo
Bill Ashnault and Daryl Cocozzo are both New Jersey natives who originally decided to go to college in Pennsylvania. Ashnault chose Lock Haven and Cocozzo chose Edinboro.
Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale was familiar with both wrestlers. Goodale particularly took notice of them at the 2008 NCAA Championships.
Cocozzo squared off with Eric Medina of Maryland in the NCAA first round of the 149-pound bracket. Medina had won over 20 matches entering the match, and had been ranked as high as No. 13 in the country that season.
Cocozzo dominated Medina and won the match by an 8-4 mark. Cocozzo fell in the next round, but he made a lasting impression on the Rutgers coach.
After the season, Cocozzo decided he wanted to move closer to home. He reached out to Goodale to ask if he could join Scarlet Knights – he didn’t have to ask twice.
“I watched Daryl wrestle a ton during high school,” Goodale said. “He was very impressive in his first two years at nationals. He was very impressive in his opening-round match against Medina from Maryland. He dominated the match and I knew he was a winner.”
“When he reached out and said he was interested in Rutgers, I knew he was someone who could immediately help our program. I think the biggest thing is that he worked his tail off to be eligible for Rutgers. He has tremendous work ethic. He competed at a great wrestling program at Edinboro with teammates like (Gregor) Gillespie who won a national championship. He is a great addition to our program.”
Ashnault made a name for himself at the 2008 EWL Championships. The South Plainfield, N.J. native trailed the tournament’s No. 1 seed Rick Deubel of Edinboro, 4-2, after two periods in the first round. Ashnault fought his way back in the third period and tied the match at 6-6 to force a sudden victory period. Ashnault used a high single and spun around giving him the upset victory.
Ashnault avenged to a previous loss in the semifinals, as he cruised in his next match against Rob LaBrake of Clarion with a 13-6 win.
Ashnault faced Jimmy Conroy of Pittsburgh in the finals where the two went toe-to-toe in the early goings to end the first period at a 0-0 tie. Conroy started the second period down. Conroy executed a quick reversal but Ashnault was able to earn the escape. Conroy controlled the remainder of the contest to capture the tournament title.
The second place finish punched Ashnault’s ticket to the NCAA Championships. The success at the EWL Championships was no surprise for Ashnault as his father, Bill, had a successful career wrestling at West Virginia.
Ashnault enjoyed competing at Lock Haven, but wanted to move closer to home. Lock Haven was a three-hour drive from his hometown of South Plainfield, N.J.
Goodale, a Lock Haven alum, was impressed with Ashnault’s run to the NCAAs and Ashnault liked the 10-minute proximity of Rutgers to his hometown. After visiting the campus and meeting the team, Ashnault was hooked.
“The team here is like a family,” said Ashnault. “There is a strong work ethic at Rutgers. The coaches push their team every day to get better. Coach (Goodale) has a very positive attitude and is always open to talk about wrestling and school.”
Cocozzo echoed Ashnault’s beliefs on the Rutgers program.
“I wanted to get back in my home state and I really like the new staff coach Goodale has here and what he is building,” said Cocozzo. “They are new, young coaches that clearly had success in the sport. I like being in a big city here. The academics are harder here but the coaching staff is really good about making sure we stay on top of our school work.”
Goodale says both transfers will be a huge boost to his program that racked up a school record 20 wins last season in Goodale’s second year “On the Banks.”
“Billy and Daryl both have the same intensity and work ethic,” said Goodale. “They always want to train and compete and get better.
“They are just two guys looking to make an impact not only in New Jersey, but nationally. They understand what it takes to wrestle at a high level, which does nothing but help your program.”
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