Wrestling Concludes Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite
Dec 07 | Wrestling
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Dec. 7, 2013) - The Rutgers wrestling team concluded its stay in Las Vegas, Nev., for the 2013 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Wrestling Invitational on Saturday, Dec. 7. Redshirt sophomore 285-pounder Billy Smith (Wantage, N.J.) bested Ohio State's Nick Tavanello, 4-2, to take seventh place at his weight, the best finish of any Scarlet Knight in the tournament.
Oklahoma won the tournament with 154.5 team points, as three Sooners were crowned champions and two finished as runner-ups. Behind Oklahoma was a pair of Big Ten schools, as Nebraska placed second with 130.5 points and Ohio State placed third with 119.5 points. Ohio State entered this year's competition having won the past two Cliff Keen Collegiate Invitationals.
No. 19/18/18 (AWN/InterMat/W.I.N.) Smith entered the second day of the invitational in the consolation bracket after being upset in his second bout by Nebraska's Colin Jensen. He rebounded by defeating Hofstra's Michael Hughes Friday night, and kicked off his journey through the consolation bracket by topping No. 15/13/20 Blake Herrin of American University, 5-4.
That match set Smith up for a showdown with North Carolina State's No. 3/3/4 Nick Gwiazdowski with the opportunity to advance to at least the fifth-place bout. Smith fell to Gwiazdowski by a 6-3 margin to end his run at third place, and the High Point HS product responded by defeating Tavanello to earn seventh place.
Redshirt senior 133-pounder Vinnie Dellefave (Toms River, N.J.) also entered Saturday in the consolation bracket after falling, 1-0, last night to No. 4/4/8 Joe Colon of Northern Iowa. No. 19 (W.I.N.) Dellefave was slated against Nebraska's 15/19/NR Colton McCrystal, but fell, 5-2, to end his tournament.
Overall Dellefave posted a 2-2 clip at the tournament, moving his record to 6-4 on the season. Smith recorded a 5-2 clip to improve his season record to 13-5.
The Scarlet Knights return to the "Garden State" this week, when they travel down Route 1 to face EIWA and in-state rival Princeton on Dec. 14 at Jadwin Gym. The match will begin at 5:00 p.m., and represents the team's final dual meet of the calendar year.
Team scores;
1. Oklahoma 154.5 17. Bakersfield 40.0
2. Nebraska 130.5 18. Air Force 31.5
3. Ohio State 119.5 T19. Brown 26.0
4. Cornell 115.5 T19. San Francisco St 26.0
5. Michigan 108.5 21. Purdue 25.5
6. Northern Iowa 75.5 22. Rutgers 24.0
7. Virginia 73.0 23. Arizona State 22.0
8. Iowa State 62.5 T24. Cal Poly 21.0
9. N Carolina State 59.5 T24. Utah Valley 21.0
10. Virginia Tech 56.5 26. The Citadel 20.5
11. Boise State 56.0 27. Harvard 15.5
12. Oregon State 55.0 T28. Army 10.5
13. American 48.5 T28. Grand Canyonn10.5
T14. Hofstra 46.0 30. North Idaho 9.0
T14. Wyoming 46.0 31. Cal Baptist 5.0
16. Navy 44.0 32. CS - Pueblo 4.0
EIWA Opponents listed in bold
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers wrestling, follow the program on Twitter (@RUWrestling) and Instagram (@RUWrestling). Fans can receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on our social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com.
--RU--
