Junior 133-Pounder Nick Suriano
Q. What was that moment like?
NICK SURIANO: Speechless. I just didn't quit. I didn't quit through this whole journey. And it came down to not quitting this last match. I was going to quit. I was this close. I was thinking about it. He rolled me like that. And like I got out. I made sure I was going to get out.

And I looked in his eyes, and I said, I'm going to take him down. And I took him down, and he was getting away with stalling the whole match. And all due respect to John Smith and the Okie State staff, they're legends. They did what they did.

But they've been working the refs they were doing it the whole match the match at the RAC at Rutgers, and I deserved that too. And I'm blessed.

Q. How much does that match that you had with him a few years ago -- just talk about how that factored in your head?
NICK SURIANO: He's a world-class competitor. He's legit. Daton Fix, we've had our battles. We've had our words, and they go the same way. He's so stingy on his defense and it's hard for me to open up on him. He's very tricky. He's very -- he's an advance man. He's elite.

And marathon match, I wrestled -- he beat him at (indiscernible). I beat him in the marathon match, folkstyle. He got the hands-to-the-face call at Rutgers. And I'm blessed to be here. I'm blessed.

Q. You beat DeSanto, you beat Micic, and now you beat fix. To take all those losses off the board in the regular season and finish this way, what does that mean to you?
NICK SURIANO: It just means be persistent, never quit, never give up whatever the circumstances. It's just so simple. And if you want something you just gotta fight and go get it.

And I was down for so long. They called this the toughest weight class and everything. And it really is. Micic is a world medalist, and Daton Fix is a world champ. I'm right up there.

And I got the takedown fair and square. At the end they're fighting for their guy, but I took him down fair and square.

Q. Beat the Street is going to invite the winner of this tournament to wrestle the No. 1 guy in Madison Square Garden. Is that something you want to do in freestyle in May?
NICK SURIANO: I'm not afraid to challenge any fight. It's (indiscernible) what I want to do, what my plans are. My plan is to come win the NCAA Tournament. And I won the NCAA Tournament.

And I just want to say to my parents, my family, they've seen this man. There's so much tragedy out there that people go through. And it almost put an end to my journey. It was tough for me.

And I said, nope, I'm coming out on top. And I just want to give everything to my parents, first, my parents, my mom, my dad, my brother, my family, all my mentors and supporters. Honestly, everybody who supported me and helped me, from club wrestling coaches, to people behind the scenes -- Enrique, Manteo, champion by design, my mind and so many people and all the fans cheering me on. I felt the energy, and it was a blessing.

Q. With about eight seconds left in that last ride-out period, you seemed like you had a moment where you gathered yourself, adjusted your headgear, got ready. Can you tell me what you're telling yourself, what you're thinking in that moment?
NICK SURIANO: It's a dream. It's a dream, because he had my number. He had me the whole period. I guess I could say I got a call. I was working my way out. I don't know. He got a lot of calls that match. It goes both ways. I took him down for the takedown. I took him down for 2. I got my goals.

Q. This is the first national championship for the program as well as for the university. Did you put that into perspective yet?
NICK SURIANO: Yeah, I'm just telling my family, I heard Goodale, Coach Goodale yell, and it made me so happy, man. Honestly, when I heard Coach Goodale yell and cheer me on, it was a dream.

I saw Donny, I saw my coaches. And man I am blessed. It's an honor to bring history to Rutgers where it belongs. It's an honor, a blessing. And Anthony Ashnault, right on the screen right there, is going to do it next. And this is going to be a day in history. It's a blessing.

Graduate student 149-pounder Anthony Ashnault
ANTHONY ASHNAULT: I don't know, it's everything that I've worked for up to this point. I try not to idolize wrestling, but a big part of my life was focused on getting a national title.

Extremely blessed to get a sixth year. Man, I can't put it into words right now, but I'm just excited. And I just want to go hug my family and be with them and just bask in it for a little bit.

Q. How close were you to not coming back for your sixth year?
ANTHONY ASHNAULT: I had two surgeries, I was out for about six months, not wrestling at all. And at a time when I was going through it I didn't know if this was in my cards. Did a lot of soul searching. And at the end of the day I know I loved wrestling.

And it was just a chance to get out there and compete again. It wasn't about winning the title at the time. It was just like being a little kid again, and enjoying the sport and falling back in love with it.

Q. Anthony, you were the first four-time, undefeated New Jersey champion. You were the first Rutgers four-time All-American, and I'll give you tied for first even though Nick technically --
ANTHONY ASHNAULT: Nah, he's first. I had three chances. I didn't get it done.

Q. You've been a trailblazer in your career. Is that a role that you like? And can you say "mobbin" for us?
ANTHONY ASHNAULT: Schnaulty B Mobbin (phonetic). And I came to Rutgers to do that kind of thing, to get more recruits, like I said after the semis. To be honest, I was a little nervous. Once Nick won I could be free out there and let it fly.

So I'm grateful for him; he pushed me a lot. He could be one of the reasons why I finally jumped to get in here. He transferred, another workout partner. He's an awesome kid. I'm so freakin' happy. Rutgers got a chance, and we broke through that wall. And it's going to be uphill from now.

Q. What's it mean to break through that wall? No one can say you can't do it at Rutgers?
ANTHONY ASHNAULT: It means, I'm going to be coaching next year and going to kids, saying, hey, we got it done. I know what I did and I know what Nick did, the steps along the way. The proof's in the pudding.

It's a lot easier to set the table for a high school kid looking to come to school for Rutgers. We're not just producing All-Americans and national finalists and Big Ten champs now. We're taking top 10 in the country as a team and now we're national champs.

Q. I know you enjoy freestyle and have goals in that. Do you take a little time off or do you just start working on your gut wrenches? And secondly, will you wrestle in the Garden when they invite you to wrestle the No. 1 guy in freestyle in May?
ANTHONY ASHNAULT: Heck, yeah, man I'm going to Pan Am Games with the senior level guys about April 20th. I think, I compete in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I'll be with a lot of the starting guys. That's where I want to be. My goal as a little kid was to be Olympic champ, national champ, and now I got that part done.

I thought it would be a little more satisfying, but I just realized that my potential still has a little bit more to go. And, you know, this was a stressful time. College is stressful. You've got goals for yourself. I had six years, but usually you only get four years to do it. And when you don't accomplish it so many times in a row, you start getting down on yourself. And it took a lot of soul searching to prove to myself that I am worth it, and the grind is worth it, and it's going to happen one day. And it happened.

Q. I remember seeing you warm up and getting ready for your matches with that SpongeBob shirt. What does it mean on this day, wearing that Rutgers singlet? And what does this mean to you and your family and the program that you're wrestling for?
ANTHONY ASHNAULT: This goes beyond just Rutgers. Grew up in a small community, South Plainsville, New Jersey, and I deleted my Twitter and Instagram this year, but the older people on Facebook, they're popping off. And they're putting me in their stories and just showing me all their love.

And that motivated me a lot for tonight. And I knew I had an army behind me. One of my old coaches, Steve Veres, Sebastian Veres' dad, 125 pounder, he always said it takes an army for us to go compete out there.

Man, if you look up at the Rutgers crowd, they're an army. They're chanting, they're nervous, they're into it. And that's what this tournament is about. And I'm just excited and blessed. I don't mean to cut anyone off, I just want to go see my family a little bit.

Q. Speaking of your family, you obviously haven't seen the tape of the match, but your mother did not watch most of it.
ANTHONY ASHNAULT: Most of my matches.

Q. Is that a superstition?
ANTHONY ASHNAULT: I told her -- they asked if my family wanted to sit next to the mat side. My first reaction was, like, my mom is super superstitious. If she sits in one seat the first session of the tournament and I win and I look good, it's the same seat, the same shirt, the same scarf, the same position she watches it. Everything is the same.

Back to the SpongeBob shirt. I'm just happy that senior on my team ripped it when he did because my superstitions aren't like that at all.

And the most superstitious thing I have is just my thoughts and controlling them. So I look at her, though, when she is doing that and to me it means she loves me and she cares so much about me that she doesn't want to see me hurt or she wants to see me accomplish my goals. Honestly, I love it. I don't mind seeing her like that, because that's been my whole life and that's how I know she really cares about me.