PITTSBURGH – For the first time in program history, Rutgers wrestling has two finalists at the same national tournament, as No. 1 seed Anthony Ashnault (149) and No. 3 seed Nick Suriano (133) both punched tickets to their respective title bouts at the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships Friday night in Pittsburgh.
 
Ashnault downed No. 5 seed Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton), 2-0, in his 149-pound semifinal match, while Suriano advanced to the 133-pound final with his 4-1 decision over No. 2 seed Stevan Micic (Michigan) at the PPG Paints Arena.
 
Ashnault (31-0) faces No. 2 seed Micah Jordan (Ohio State) and Suriano (28-3) faces No. 1 seed Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) Saturday night for a chance to secure the first individual national titles for the Scarlet Knights in their history. Both championship matches will broadcast live on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
 
"It was a great night for us, but there's a lot more work to do," said head coach Scott Goodale. "We have a huge night tomorrow and two big matches coming up. We're excited for Nick, we're excited for Anthony and they both stuck to an incredible game plan."

Notables
• First time in program history with two national finalists at the same tournament.
• First two-time national finalist (Nick Suriano)
• Most team points at nationals in program history (43.5)
• Multiple All-Americans for the fifth consecutive season under Goodale
 
Session IV Attendance: 18,100
Total Attendance: 72,019
Team Score: 11^th (43.5 Points)
 
National Championship Matchups (7 p.m., ESPN/ESPN3)
133: (3) Nick Suriano vs. (1) Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)
149: (1) Anthony Ashnault vs. (2) Micah Jordan (Ohio State)
 
In a rematch from earlier in the dual season, Suriano went the aggressive route against Micic, catching his foe with a single leg for the takedown at the 2:04 mark in the first period. Suriano continued to drive Micic into the mat, collecting 2:07 minutes of riding time and a 2-0 lead in the first. Suriano registered a quick escape out of the restart in period two, and held off Micic's attacks down the stretch for the 4-1 final. 
 
This marks the second consecutive trip to the finals for Suriano, as he also advanced to the 125-pound championship bout in 2018 as a sophomore. Suriano is the only Scarlet Knight in school history to advance to multiple national championship matches and the only one to do so at two different weight classes.
 
"I fixed my wrestling. I fixed my mindset. I didn't forget where I came from," Suriano said. "I stuck by my family and I listened to my pops – my No. 1 coach. I got Rutgers, the whole state and positive people behind me, and there's nothing better than inspiring the youth. For me, it's just about overcoming adversity, overcoming adversity and never quitting."
 
Ashnault faced his in-state rival Kolodzik in the 149-pound semifinal, as he continued to ride out his opponents at the national tournament. After a scoreless first and an escape at the 1:41 mark in the second, Ashnault used multiple mat returns to ride out Kolodzik for the duration of period three, adding the riding-time point for the 2-0 final. It was the second time Ashnault defeated Kolodzik at the national tournament, also downing the Tiger in the quarterfinals of the 2017 NCAA Championships to clinch All-America status.
 
"We're just excited to have two Rutgers guys in the finals," Ashnault said. "I came to Rutgers at a time when Rutgers wasn't close to the top 20, and now we're consistently in the top 10 in this tournament, and last year we finished right outside of it. The goal coming in was to have me and Nick be champs, and our whole team supports us for that. Our families and our fans support us, and it was kind of expected for us both to be in the finals, and now we're ready to go win it."
 
133: (3) Nick Suriano (4-0, 19.0 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)	W-Fall (4:24)
Semi	(2) Stevan Micic (Michigan)	W-D, 4-1

149: (1) Anthony Ashnault (4-0, 17.0 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)	W-D, 10-3
Semi.	(5) Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton)	W-D, 2-0

 
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