March 1, 2017
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers wrestling is geared up for the 2017 Big Ten Championships, as 10 Scarlet Knights chase NCAA Championships qualifying bids from March 4-5 in Bloomington, Indiana. Anthony Ashnault, the defending Big Ten champion at 141 pounds, has won 12-straight matches entering this weekend and will look to earn another title.
All sessions of the tournament will be available on BTN Plus, with the championship finals airing live on Big Ten Network on Sunday, March 5.
Big Ten Championships Notes
Big Ten Championships Brackets
Five individuals are ranked by Intermat entering the tournament, including No. 5 Ashanult (141), No. 12 Nicholas Gravina (184), No. 14 Ken Theobold (149), No. 15 Jordan Pagano and No. 19 John Van Brill (157).
The dual season closed with a 23-10 loss at No. 11 Lehigh in the NWCA Dual Championship Series on Feb. 17. Pagano earned the biggest result with a 10-4 decision against No. 4 Ryan Preisch. Despite the loss, RU closed the year ranked tied for 12th in the USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll, the sixth top-25 ranking since 2009.
Scott DelVecchio (133), Ashnault, Theobold and Gravina are RU's only projected competitors with Big Ten Tournament experience. Gravina placed fourth last season at 184 pounds.
No. 12 Rutgers Projected Competitors
| Wt. | Name | Yr. | Hometown | Overall Record (Dual) |
| 125 | Brandon Paetzell | Fr. | Phillipsburg, N.J. | 14-8 (6-5) |
| 133 | Scott DelVecchio * | R-Jr. | South Plainfield, N.J. | 17-11 (7-6) |
| 141 | Anthony Ashnault ** | R-Jr. | South Plainfield, N.J. | 24-3 (16-1) |
| 149 | Ken Theobold ** | R-Sr. | Toms River, N.J. | 18-7 (11-4) |
| 157 | John Van Brill | R-So. | Mullica Hill, N.J. | 20-9 (11-4) |
| 165 | Dylan Painton | R-Jr. | South Plainfield, N.J. | 9-8 (0-2) |
| 174 | Jordan Pagano | R-So. | South Brunswick, N.J. | 24-7 (6-1) |
| 184 | Nicholas Gravina * | R-Jr. | Allendale, N.J. | 18-7 (11-5) |
| 197 | Matthew Correnti | Fr. | Delran, N.J. | 13-10 (8-6) |
| HWT | Razohnn Gross | Jr. | Franklin Park, N.J. | 11-9 (6-7) |
*denotes previous NCAA Championships qualifications
Competitors Postseason Numbers
Scouting The Knights
Seven Scarlet Knights are pre-seeded for the 2017 Big Ten Championships, including top-seed Ashnault - last year's champion at 141 pounds.
Ashnault, a two-time All-American, went a perfect 8-0 against the field this season, followed by an impressive 5-1 showing in conference competition by heavyweight Razohnn Gross.
Ashnault, who won last year and placed fifth in 2015, is one of just two returning Big Ten placewinners competing for RU this season. The other is classmate Gravina, who earned an automatic NCAA Championships bid last year by finishing fourth.
DelVecchio and Theobold will compete in their first Big Ten Championships since the 2015 season after redshirting 2015-16. Brandon Paetzell (125), Van Brill (157), Dylan Painton (165), Pagano (174), Matthew Correnti (197) and Gross (HWT) will all make their Big Ten Championships debuts this weekend.
As a team, the Scarlet Knights accumulated 106.5 points and posted top-eight finishers at all 10 weight classes at last year's Big Ten Championships, one of just three schools to do so. The 10 conference tournament placewinners set a new program record.
Scouting the Field
The Big Ten holds 77 automatic qualifying bids for the NCAA Championships scheduled from March 16-18 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
Eight returning Big Ten champs highlight the field in two-time national runner-up Cory Clark (133), 2015 NCAA champ Nathan Tomasello (133), 2016 NCAA champion Zain Retherford (149), two-time NCAA champ Isaiah Martinez (165), 2016 national runner-up Isaac Jordan (165), All-American Sammy Brooks (184), national runner-up Bo Nickal (184) and NCAA, Olympic and World champ Kyle Snyder (HWT). Tomasello, Martinez and Jordan are all two-time conference title holders.
Penn State captured the 2016 Big Ten Championship in Iowa City with a total score of 150.5 and boasted three champions in Retherford, Nickal and Morgan McIntosh (197). It was the Nittany Lions' fifth B1G crown and first since 2014. PSU went on to win the national title at Madison Square Garden weeks later.
Punch Those Tickets
The Scarlet Knights will look to repeat their rare feat from a year ago, when all 10 weight classes qualified for the 2016 NCAA Championships at Madison Square Garden. RU was one of just three teams nationally along with Nebraska and Oklahoma State to accomplish that feat. Four returning NCAA qualifiers are set to compete this weekend.
Another Year, Another Top 25 Finish
Rutgers wrestling finished the 2016-17 season ranked tied for No. 12 in the final USA Today/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll. The Scarlet Knights (12-5, 6-3) wrapped up the season with their second-straight appearance in the NWCA National Dual Championship Series and compiled a program-best 6-3 record in Big Ten action.
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.
