PITTSBURGH – No. 1 seed Anthony Ashnault (149) and No. 3 seed Nick Suriano (133) both secured spots in Friday morning's quarterfinals as Rutgers wrestling closed out Session II of the 2019 NCAA Championships Thursday night in Pittsburgh.
 
Ashnault (29-0) and Suriano (26-3) are now just one win away from All-America accolades, which will give the program multiple podium finishes for the fourth consecutive season. Ashnault looks to become the first four-time All-American in team history, while Suriano attempts to secure his second consecutive top-eight result at the national tournament.
 
Session III begins tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. ET and will broadcast live on ESPNU, with ESPN3 streaming every championship and consolation bout during Friday's action. Two other Scarlet Knights – No. 16 seed John Van Brill (157) and No. 29 seed Joseph Grello (174) – also advanced in their consolation brackets to survive the first day of the championships. No. 33 seed Peter Lipari (141) and No. 21 seed Nicholas Gravina (184) have been eliminated from competition.
 
Session I Attendance: 17,949 | Session II Attendance: 17,957 | Total: 35,906
Team Score: 16th (10.5 Points)
Session III Championship Matchups (11 a.m., ESPNU/ESPN3)
133: (3) Nick Suriano vs. (6) Ethan Lizak (Minnesota)
149: (1) Anthony Ashnault vs. (8) Jarrett Degen (Iowa State)
 
Session III Consolation Matchups (11 a.m., ESPN3)
157: (16) John Van Brill vs. (18) Logan Parks (CMU)
174: (29) Joseph Grello vs. (14) Kimball Bastian (Utah Valley)
 
Ashnault faced No. 16 seed Davion Jeffries (Oklahoma) in his second-round matchup and wasted no time, as he landed a takedown less than 30 seconds into the opening period. Ashnault then got Jeffries on his back for four backs to end period one with a 6-1 lead. Riding out Jeffries for the duration of the second period, Ashnault exited with a 7-1 decision.
 
Between his two matches on Thursday, Ashnault collected more than eight minutes of riding time and outscored his opponents, 17-3, with a major decision and decision. He will face No. 8 seed Jarrett Degen (Iowa State) tomorrow morning in the quarterfinals.
 
After conceding a takedown to No. 14 seed Korbin Myers (Virginia Tech) in the opening minutes of his match, Suriano settled in with an escape and takedown for a 3-2 lead after one. Suriano hit a reversal off the restart in period two, while a Myers penalty point and riding time gave him a 7-2 decision.
 
Suriano has outscored his opponents, 19-5, with a major decision and decision. He will face No. 6 seed Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) tomorrow morning in the quarterfinals. Both met earlier this month at the Big Ten Championships, a 9-2 decision in favor of Suriano.
 
Van Brill (20-15) dropped a 19-4 tech fall to reigning two-time NCAA Champion and No. 1 seed Jason Nolf (Penn State) in his second-round match. The three-time national qualifier will face No. 18 seed Logan Parks (Central Michigan) tomorrow morning in the second round of the consolation bracket, needing three wins to secure the first All-America accolades of his career.
 
Grello (17-10) was aggressive in his first-round consolation match against No. 13 seed Brit Wilson (Northern Illinois), landing two takedowns in the first three minutes for a 4-1 lead. The first-time qualifier earned takedowns in periods two and three, using an escape and riding time to lock up the 10-1 major decision. He will face No. 14 seed Kimball Bastian (Utah Valley) tomorrow morning in the second round of the consolation bracket.
 
Gravina wrestled hard in his bout against No. 28 seed Noah Stewart (Army), with the score 0-0 at the end of two periods. Period three was back-and-forth, as Gravina drove Stewart into the mat for two with 40 seconds remaining. Stewart responded with a reversal and two-point near fall to regain the lead, and Gravina's last-second reversal was not enough in the 6-4 loss. The graduate student closed out his collegiate career as just the sixth four-time national qualifier in program history.
 
Lipari faced No. 17 seed Ian Parker (Iowa State) in his consolation bout and lost by fall in the third period, closing out his first NCAA Championships with a 1-2 record.

133: (3) Nick Suriano (2-0, 3.0 Team Points)

Rd. 1	(30) Dylan Duncan (Illinois)	W-MD, 12-3
Rd. 2	(14) Korbin Myers (Virginia Tech)	W-D, 7-2
Quart.	(6) Ethan Lizak (Minnesota)	Friday, 11 a.m.

141: (33) Peter Lipari (1-2, 1.0 Team Points)

Pig Tail	(32) Christopher Sandoval (UNCO)	W-D, 7-5
Rd. 1	(1) Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell)	L-D, 10-5
C. Rd. 1	(17) Ian Parker (Iowa State)	L-Fall (5:35)

149: (1) Anthony Ashnault (2-0, 3.0 Team Points)

Rd. 1	(33) Malik Amine (Michigan)	W-MD, 10-2
Rd. 2	(16) Davion Jefferies (Oklahoma)	W-D, 7-1
Quart.	(8) Jarrett Degen (Iowa State)	Friday, 11 a.m.

157: (16) John Van Brill (1-1, 2.0 Team Points)

Rd. 1	(17) BC LaPrade (Virginia Tech)	W-MD, 10-2
Rd. 2	(1) Jason Nolf (Penn State)	L-TF, 19-4
C. Rd. 2	(18) Logan Parks (CMU)	Friday, 11 a.m.

174: (29) Joseph Grello (1-1, 1.5 Team Points)

Rd. 1	(4) Myles Amine (Michigan)	L-D, 8-3
C. Rd. 1	(13) Brit Wilson (Northern Ill.)	W-MD, 10-1
C. Rd. 2	(14) Kimball Bastian (Utah Valley)	Friday, 11 a.m

184: (21) Nicholas Gravina (0-2)

Rd. 1	(12) Cash Wilcke (Iowa)	L-D, 3-2
C. Rd. 1	(28) Noah Stewart (Army)	L-D, 6-4

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