PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers wrestling has produced 18 All-Americans in its history, which includes multiple podium finishes at the last four NCAA Championships under head coach Scott Goodale. Scott DelVecchio broke through for a top-eight national finish at the 2018 national tournament in Cleveland, where he used a come-from-behind overtime win during the ‘Blood Round’ over Austin DeSanto (Drexel) en route to a sixth-place finish at 133 pounds.

A four-year letterwinner and three-time national qualifier for the Scarlet Knights from 2013-18, DelVecchio closed out his collegiate career with 89 career victories, good for 23rd all-time in program history. DelVecchio is also a two-time Big Ten Championships placewinner and finished third at the 2017 Midlands Championships during his impressive time “On the Banks.”

Now in his third season as an assistant coach at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, DelVecchio provided some updates on his coaching career as well as some memories of his run from unseeded to All-American.

ScarletKnights.com: What was that night at nationals like for you?
Scott DelVecchio: That night, there’s a lot of nerves flowing. As a senior, you know this is your last chance to break through. Obviously against DeSanto, he had a lot of hype around him. So I knew it was going to be a big match. As the match went on and I found myself down 6-1, it was tough. But it was my last chance so I laid it all out there and wrestled to the last whistle. Lucky for me, the best turned out in my favor. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, but it was really special to win that match.

SK.com: What was going through your mind when he was down big in the third period? 
SD: It wasn’t so much nerves. For me, I just kept thinking through match strategy. Being on top, it was tough because all of these things are running through my head. ‘Should I cut him? Should I keep him down? Should I try to turn him?’ So there was a lot going on so I just kept riding on top. Stalls started to fly and points started to go up on the board, and next thing you know, we’re tied. It was nerve racking, but I was focused.

SK.com: How did it feel once you landed that takedown to become an All-American?
SD: My mind was everywhere. Especially going into overtime, once we got into overtime, I felt like I had him. But to actually follow through and do it, it put an exclamation point on five years of trying to break through. As soon as it happened, my mind went blank because I was so happy. I ran over him and then I was in a different world.

SK.com: What does it mean to be an All-American?
SD: It’s every wrestler’s dream. To me it meant a lot because I wrestled for so long. It’s probably not the best mindset, but I always thought to myself ‘If I didn’t accomplish [being an All-American], what did I do this all for?’ I put a lot of pressure on myself for it, so it was a huge accomplishment for me. It’s really meaningful to get on that podium and be one of the top eight guys in the country.

SK.com: So what are you up to now?
SD: Right now, I’m an assistant coach at Stevens in Hoboken. We’re a very competitive Division III program. I also do project management for a general contracting company. My construction job is my full-time job, but I’m able to do both and make all of our workouts at Stevens. It’s a great situation right now for me.

SK.com: How did your time at Rutgers help you as a coach at Stevens?
SD: A lot of it was just being around the coaches I had. I was able to soak up how they approached coaching and use it now. Donny [Pritzlaff] is a really intense guy and good with technique and how to explain it. Goody was good at relating to us as wrestlers and keeping our morale high. So I learned a lot from them and am able to carry what I learned to help the guys out at Stevens.

SK.com: What was your favorite RAC moment?
SD: It had to be our match against UNC my senior year. I faced [Zach] Sherman and every time I mat returned this guy, the crowd was so loud. It happened three or four times and each time our fans went nuts. That was a really cool moment for me.

SK.com: What does it mean to be able to wrestle in front of your home state?
SD: It means a lot. Jersey is such a being wrestling state. They build you up and you feel like a superstar when you’re out there. After the match, everyone is coming up to you and congratulating you, even people you don’t even know. It means a lot to put the entire state on your back when you go out there. We sold out the RAC a few times I was there, and it’s a great environment to wrestle in.

SK.com: What was it like to see the Big Ten Championships at the RAC?
SD: It was wild. When I started at Rutgers, we were still at College Ave. Gym wrestling in front of a handful of people. The Big Ten Championships this year kind of brought it full circle and made you realize how big of a deal wrestling is now here in New Jersey and at Rutgers. I was actually jealous a little bit. I would have loved to wrestle in Big Tens at the RAC. But it was awesome to see.

SK.com: How did you enjoy your time at Rutgers?
SD: I loved it. I had a great time. I was actually supposed to go to NC State out of high school, but for whatever reason, I came back to Rutgers and I am very grateful for it. I can’t even imagine what it would have been like being anywhere else but here.

SK.com: What’s it like to wrestle for Goodale?
SD: It was a trip. It was always a fun time. You never knew what was going to happen. He was really good at keeping us on our toes. It was a fun group of coaches we had throughout my time there and he kept our moral high. It was a great experience. There’s too many moments with him to single one out.

SK.com: How does it feel knowing you had a part in Goodale’s vision of a top collegiate wrestling program at Rutgers?
SD: It’s just one of those things you look at in hindsight. When you’re a part of it, you don’t see what’s going on because you’re so focused on training and competing. It took that Big Ten at Rutgers moment to make me realize how much we brought this thing along. It’s meaningful because you always get to tell the story of the program’s rise.

SK.com: What’s the message to someone who is interested in wrestling at Rutgers?
SD: You have no reason to not stay home. Some guys will say they want to be on a team that can compete. Well, Rutgers has become one of those programs. Some guys want to wrestle in front of big crowds. Well, the RAC is one of the best places in the country to wrestle. The excuses that were there even five or six years ago just aren’t there anymore. You have everything you need right here.

But you should never have to persuade someone to come. Rutgers is a place where you have to want to be here. No one should have to talk you into wrestling at the RAC or wrestling in front of a Jersey crowd. You should have a desire to be in front of a crowd and to wrestle for Rutgers and that’s what it has turned into. It’s turned into a desirable place.