HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – Greg Bulsak (197) and
Sebastian Rivera (141) secured individual titles to highlight action for No. 12 Rutgers wrestling at the 2021 Matmen Open on Thursday in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Bulsak defeated No. 2 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) - a 2021 NCAA finalist - by 3-2 decision for one of the biggest wins in the country this season. With their titles, Bulsak and Rivera remained undefeated heading into the Big Ten dual season.
Bulsak and Rivera were two of eight Scarlet Knights (six attached, two unattached) to place at the inaugural event. The tournament replaced the previously scheduled Midlands Championships, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. RU finished fifth in the team standings with 94.0 points.
"We're grateful for the organizers of the Matmen Open who put together this competitive tournament in a matter of days," said head coach
Scott Goodale. "Having two individual titles and eight places coming home with us adds to the positive momentum we have as we head into the heart of the Big Ten dual season."
Tony White (149) finished fourth competing unattached, while
Dylan Shawver (125) and
Joseph Olivieri (133, unattached) added wins in their fifth-place bouts.
Connor O'Neill (sixth, 174),
Al DeSantis (seventh, 149) and
Boone McDermott (eighth, HWT) also placed during the two-day tournament.
Bulsak faced Bonaccorsi - who entered the open ranked No. 2 in the country and finished as the runner-up at the 2021 NCAA Championships - in the 197-pound final. Bulsak landed a takedown for his first lead, but the call was reversed after a coach's challenge, as he trailed 2-1 at the end of the first period. Bonaccorsi was then hit for locked hands in the second period, while a Bulsak escape point made it 3-2 after two periods. With a neutral start in the third, Bulsak held on for the final two minutes for the signature victory.
Rivera dominated the field en route to his individual title at 141 pounds, which included an 18-3 tech fall over CJ Composto (UPenn) in Thursday's final. Rivera won all four of his matches by bonus points, outscored his opponents 47-6, and did not concede a point until a reversal from Composto in the second period. With his four victories, Rivera is just four wins away from 100 for his collegiate career.
White wrestled hard competing unattached, as he lost by just a 2-0 decision to four-time NCAA qualifier and No. 10 Josh Heil (Campbell) in the championship semifinals. White also defeated Max Brignola (Lehigh) in sudden victory before he lost by 3-1 decision to No. 27 Anthony Artalona (UPenn) in the consolation final.
Rutgers won a pair of fifth-place matches, which included a 12-3 major decision from Shawver over Blair Orr (UPenn). Olivieri also capped his impressive Matmen Open with a 16-3 major decision against Carter Bailey (Lehigh) in his fifth-place bout. Olivieri finished his tournament with four wins, all by major decision.
O'Neill finished sixth but added a ranked win to his ledger thanks to a 4-3 decision over No. 29 Josh Kim (Harvard) in the consolation quarterfinals. DeSantis and McDermott finished seventh and eighth in their respective weight classes.
Off to its best start to a dual season in program history, Rutgers returns to dual action on Friday, Jan. 7 when it hosts Indiana at 7 p.m. ET at Jersey Mike's Arena.
125:
Dylan Shawver (3-2)
| Round |
Opponent |
Result |
| Rd. of 16 |
Bryce West (Northern Illinois) |
W-MD, 15-4 |
| Quarters. |
Zurich Strom (Campbell) |
W-D, 3-2 |
| Semis |
Ryan Miller (UPenn) |
L-SV1, 5-3 |
| Conso. Semis |
Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh) |
L-TB2, 8-7 |
| 5th Place Match |
Blair Orr (UPenn) |
W-MD, 12-3 |
133:
Sammy Alvarez (1-1)
| Round |
Opponent |
Result |
| Rd. of 16 |
Nicholas Masters (Princeton) |
W-TF, 21-2 (7:00) |
| Quarters. |
Carter Bailey (Lehigh) |
L-Fall (2:20) |
| Conso. Rd. 4 |
Jack Wagner (Northern Iowa) |
L-MFF |
133:
Joseph Olivieri (Unattached, 4-2)
| Round |
Opponent |
Result |
| Rd. of 32 |
Brandon Spellman (Princeton) |
W-MD, 12-1 |
| Rd. of 16 |
Jack Skudlarzyk (Northern Iowa) |
W-MD, 9-0 |
| Quarters. |
No. 6 Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh) |
L-D, 2-0 |
| Conso. Rd. 4 |
Kyle Burwick (Wisconsin) |
W-MD, 9-1 |
| Conso. Semis |
Drew Mattin (Michigan) |
L-SV1, 7-5 |
| 5th Place Match |
Carter Bailey (Lehigh) |
W-MD, 16-3 |
133:
Devon Britton (1-2)
| Round |
Opponent |
Result |
| Rd. of 32 |
Nicky Cabanillas (Brown) |
W-D, 9-4 |
| Rd. of 16 |
Drew Mattin (Michigan) |
L-D, 8-4 |
| Conso. Rd. 2 |
Julian Farber (U-Northern Iowa) |
L-D, 4-0 |
141:
Sebastian Rivera (4-0)
| Round |
Opponent |
Result |
| Rd. of 16 |
Kenny Hermann (Harvard) |
W-Fall (1:35) |
| Quarters. |
McKenzie Ball (U-Rider) |
W-TF, 18-2 |
| Semis |
Joseph Zargo (Wisconsin) |
W-MD, 11-1 |
| 1st Place Match |
CJ Composto (UPenn) |
W-TF, 18-3 |
149:
Al DeSantis (5-2)
| Round |
Opponent |
Result |
| Rd. of 32 |
Dillon Pousson (Unattached) |
W-MD, 9-1 |
| Rd. of 16 |
Josh Heil (Campbell) |
L-D, 5-2 |
| Conso. Rd. 2 |
Kaya Sement (UPenn) |
W-D, 7-2 |
| Conso. Rd. 3 |
Luke Kemerer (Pittsburgh) |
W-D, 7-5 |
| Conso. Rd. 4 |
Kolby Depron (Bucknell) |
W-D, 7-6 |
| Conso Quarters |
Lukus Stricker (Harvard) |
L-D, 6-2 |
| 7th Place Match |
Christian Kanzler (Illinois) |
W-FF |
149:
Tony White (Unattached, 3-2)
| Round |
Opponent |
Result |
| Rd. of 16 |
Lukus Stricker (Harvard) |
W-D, 4-0 |
| Quarters. |
Kolby Depron (Bucknell) |
W-D, 5-1 |
| Semis |
No.10 Josh Heil (Campbell) |
L-D, 2-0 |
| Conso Semis |
Max Brignola (Lehigh) |
W-SV1, 4-2 |
| 3rd Place Match |
No. 27 Anthony Artalona (UPenn) |
L-D, 3-1 |
157:
Robert Kanniard (0-2)
| Round |
Opponent |
Result |
| Rd. of 16 |
Brawley Lamer (Cal Poly) |
L-D, 6-2 |
| Conso. Rd. 2. |
Nick Delp (Bucknell) |
L-D, 9-4 |
165:
Andrew Clark (2-2)
| Round |
Opponent |
Result |
| Rd. of 16 |
Zach Hartman (Bucknell) |
L-MD, 10-0 |
| Conso. Rd. 2 |
Michael Kistler (UPenn) |
W-Fall (4:50) |
| Conso. Rd. 3 |
Michael Caliendo (U-NDST) |
W-D, 5-3 |
| Conso. Rd. 4 |
Dan Braunagel (Illinois) |
L-MD, 13-0 |
174:
Jackson Turley (2-1)
| Round |
Opponent |
Result |
| Rd. of 16 |
Nate Dugan (Princeton) |
L-SV1, 5-3 |
| Conso. Rd. 2 |
Dajun Johnson (Northern Iowa) |
W-Fall (4:56) |
| Conso. Rd. 3 |
Hunter Kernan (Pittsburgh) |
W-6-1 |
| Conso Rd. 4 |
Josh Kim (Harvard) |
L-MFF |
174:
Connor O'Neill (4-2)
| Round |
Opponent |
Result |
| Rd. of 32 |
Manuel Rojas (Unattached) |
L-D, 16-12 |
| Conso. Rd. 2 |
Graham Calhoun (U-Wisconsin) |
W-D, 4-2 |
| Conso. Rd. 3 |
John Crawford (F&M) |
W-D, 12-5 |
| Conso. Rd. 4 |
Nate Dugan (Princeton) |
W-D, 5-2 |
| Conso. Quarters |
No. 29 Josh Kim (Harvard) |
W-D, 4-3 |
| Conso. Semis |
Manuel Rojas (Unattached) |
L-Fall (6:25) |
| 5th Place Match |
Gerrit Nijenhuis (Purdue) |
L-MD, 14-3 |
197:
Greg Bulsak (4-0)
| Round |
Opponent |
Result |
| Rd. of 16 |
Tristian Guaman (Northern Illinois) |
W-MD, 13-3 |
| Quarters. |
Cody Baldridge (North Central) |
W-MD, 13-2 |
| Semis |
No. 26 Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) |
W-D, 6-2 |
| 1st Place Match |
No. 2 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) |
W-D, 3-2 |
HWT:
Boone McDermott (2-3)
| Round |
Opponent |
Result |
| Rd. of 16 |
Lear Quinton (Brown) |
W-MD, 10-2 |
| Quarters. |
No. 28 Jake Slinger (Pittsburgh) |
L-D, 8-5 |
| Conso Rd. 4 |
Jack Delgarbino (Princeton) |
W-D, 7-4 |
| Conso. Quarters. |
Michael Woulfe (Purdue) |
L-D, 11-6 |
| 7th Place Match |
Ben Goldin (UPenn) |
L-SV1, 6-4 |
