Rutgers University
NCAA Championships
Wrestling Puts Two on Podium at NCAA Championships
Mar 19 | Wrestling
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Rutgers wrestling wrapped up the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships with two All-Americans for the second time in program history over the weekend at Madison Square Garden. Fourth-place finisher Anthony Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) and eighth-place finisher Anthony Perrotti (Roseland, N.J.) both reached the national podium for the second time in their careers. Ashnault's finish ties the second-highest in the history of Rutgers wrestling.
Rutgers concluded the national tournament in 15th place with 30 team points, the best finish in program history.
2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Thursday, March 17 - Saturday, March 19
Madison Square Garden | New York City
Brackets: Final | Session V | Session IV | Session III | Session II | Session I Team Scores: Final | Session V | Session IV | Session III | Session II| Session I Day One Attendance: 35,569
Day Two Attendance: 36,208
Day Three Attendance: 38,317
Total Attendance: 110,194
"Never satisfied leaving this tournament. It's the toughest tournament in the world, it's a hard thing to let go of," said head coach Scott Goodale. "We feel like we left some points out on the board, but we leave here with two All-Americans. I understand the expectations right now with this program and our staff understands the expectations. It's an exciting time. We just want to keep getting better. We want to keep winning at the highest level, and we'll do that."
Ashnault concludes his sophomore campaign with a 32-4 record and his second consecutive All-America honor. He fell in a battle of a third-place match against No. 2 Joey McKenna (Stanford), 7-6. The Cardinal wrestler took a 7-5 lead in the third period, but Ashnault got away to make it 7-6 with a minute to go. McKenna warded Ashnault off over the next 60 seconds and the match ended in a scramble.
"A two-time All-American as a sophomore, that's pretty cool," Ashnault said. "I guess I'll be looking back at it later on and thinking it's a great accomplishment. Right now it's a little disappointing."
Perrotti dropped his seventh-place match against Nebraska's Austin Wilson by a 4-2 score. Wilson reversed Perrotti to begin the final period and the Scarlet Knight faced an uphill climb from there, unable to connect on an attack to send the match to overtime. Perrotti ends his Rutgers career with an 85-46 record and as the third two-time All-American in program history.
"It's pretty cool to be able to finish your career on the podium after I had such a bad taste in my mouth last year. It's good to get back on it," Perrotti said. "I didn't come here to take eighth, or third, but life will throw a curve ball at you all the time and you just have to get back up and keep it moving."
Ashnault got right to work in his consolation semifinal matchup with No. 7 Solomon Chisko of Virginia Tech. The South Plainfield HS product took a 2-1 lead in the first period and forced a Chisko stall warning, escaped and scored two as time expired in the second period, then converted another two takedowns in the 11-3 major decision.
"Yea I wanted to win a national title, but you never know, things happen. It's so close in so many weight classes," Ashnault said. "It stung a lot, but I knew this morning I was going to come ready to wrestle. No matter what the deal was I was going to wrestle hard.
"Even in the third-place match I felt like I wrestled pretty hard with really good pace, just made a few mistakes and he's a really good wrestler. You wrestle the tournament again and me and him could be in the finals, you never know."
Rutgers has two All-Americans in the same season for just the second time in history and first time since 1952. Perrotti (2014, 16) is the third two-time time All-American in history joining Ashnault (2015, 16) and Anthony Surage (1980, 83).
Perrotti is the first Scarlet Knight to All-American at two different weight classes, while Ashnault is the first RU grappler to start his career with consecutive All-America honors. RU has produced four All-Americans in Goodale's tenure, the second-most in history. Former head coach Dick Voliva coached five from 1946-69. The four All-America honors in the last three years are the most for the program in a three-year span.
"I've waited five years to have a really good team. This was really special," Perrotti said of his senior season. "My individual accomplishments are awesome, I like them. But I'm a big team guy, like I said. I care about everything the team does. We finished so awesome and to be considered a leader of it, it's crazy, it's awesome. I'm honored."
The 2015-16 season concludes 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. Ashnault 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 the Goodale era.
"I'm happy for this program, I'm happy for our guys, I'm happy for our staff. Those guys work really, really hard," Goodale said. "We just want to keep winning. We want to keep getting better, we're going to keep getting better, and we want to do it at the highest level."
| Wrestler - Weight (Record) | Opponent (School) | Result |
| Sean McCabe - 125 Pounds Did Not Place (0-2) | ||
| Championship First Round | No. 16 Elijah Oliver (Indiana) | L-D, 8-2 |
| Consolation First Round | Brandon Jeske (Old Dominion) | L-F, 3:20 |
| No. 16 Anthony Giraldo - 133 Pounds Did Not Place (0-2) | ||
| Championship First Round | Nathan Kraisser (Campbell) | L-F, 6:12 |
| Consolation First Round | Mason Beckman (Lehigh) | L-MD, 13-3 |
| No. 4 Anthony Ashnault - 141 Pounds Fourth Place (4-2) | ||
| Championship First Round | Jamel Hudson (Hofstra) | W-TF, 16-0 |
| Championship Second Round | Seth Gross (South Dakota State) | W-MD, 15-2 |
| Championship Quarterfinals | No. 12 Chris Mecate (Old Dominion) | W-D, 5-4 |
| Championship Semifinals | No. 1 Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) | L-D, 8-3 |
| Consolation Semifinals | No. 7 Solomon Chisko (Virginia Tech) | W-MD, 11-3 |
| Third Place Match | No. 2 Joey McKenna (Stanford) | L-D, 7-6 |
| Tyson Dippery - 149 Pounds Did Not Place (0-2) | ||
| Championship First Round | No. 16 Patricio Lugo (Edinboro) | L-D, 4-2 |
| Consolation First Round | Coleman Hammond (CSU Bakersfield) | L-F, 3:57 |
| No. 9 Richie Lewis - 157 Pounds Did Not Place (1-2) | ||
| Championship First Round | Andrew Atkinson (Virginia) | W-D, 7-3 |
| Championship Second Round | No. 8 Nick Brascetta (Virginia Tech) | L-D, 7-6 |
| Consolation Second Round | Dylan Cottrell (West Virginia) | L-D, 4-0 |
| No. 7 Anthony Perrotti - 165 Pounds Eighth Place (4-3) | ||
| Championship First Round | Forrest Przybysz (Appalachian State) | W-F, 1:18 |
| Championship Second Round | No. 10 Austin Wilson (Nebraska) | L-D, 4-1 |
| Consolation Second Round | Seth Thomas (Oregon State) | W-MD, 15-6 |
| Consolation Third Round | No. 15 Clark Glass (Oklahoma) | W-D, 5-2 |
| Consolation Fourth Round | No. 12 Connor Brennan (Rider) | W-D, 5-4 |
| Consolation Quarterfinals | No. 14 David McFadden (Virginia Tech) | L-MD, 10-2 |
| Seventh Place Match | No. 10 Austin Wilson (Nebraska) | L-D, 4-2 |
| Phillip Bakuckas - 174 Pounds Did Not Place (0-2) | ||
| Championship First Round | No. 6 Bryce Hammond (CSU Bakersfield) | L-D, 7-0 |
| Consolation First Round | Nick Wanzek (Minnesota) | L-D, 6-4 (SV) |
| No. 15 Nicholas Gravina - 184 Pounds Did Not Place (1-2) | ||
| Championship First Round | Jordan Ellinwood (Central Michigan) | L-D, 9-3 |
| Consolation First Round | John Lampe (Chattanooga) | W-D, 6-2 |
| Consolation Second Round | Tom Sleigh (Bucknell) | L-D, 6-1 |
| Hayden Hrymack - 197 Pounds Did Not Place (0-2) | ||
| Championship First Round | No. 2 J'Den Cox (Missouri) | L-F, 1:17 |
| Consolation First Round | Nate Rotert (South Dakota State) | L-MD, 11-3 |
| No. 12 Billy Smith - Heavyweight Did Not Place (4-2) | ||
| Championship First Round | Ross Larson (Oklahoma) | L-D, 8-4 |
| Consolation Pigtail Round | Ryan Solomon (Pittsburgh) | W-D, 3-0 |
| Consolation First Round | Patrick Gillen (Virginia) | W-D, 9-4 |
| Consolation Second Round | Boyce Cornwell (Gardner-Webb) | W-D, 7-2 |
| Consolation Third Round | Riley Shaw (Cleveland State) | W-F, 1:39 |
| Consolation Fourth Round | No. 8 Max Wessell (Lehigh) | L-D, 3-2 |
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.
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