FRANKLIN, N.J. – Ayden Smith (125), Mason Gibson (133), Max Hermes (149) and Ryan Ford (174) all claimed unattached individual titles to highlight action for Rutgers wrestling at Zingo Nationals on Sunday at Franklin High School. Ten Scarlet Knights earned top-three finishes during the all-day open.
 
Smith was named the tournament's 'G.O.A.T' award after he went 3-0 en route to his individual title at 125 pounds, outscoring his opponents, 14-2. Ford, Gibson and Hermes all produced three victories on Sunday, with Gibson adding a fall in the quarterfinals.
 
Eric Freeman (184) finished second in his championship bracket, while Brandan Chletsos (133), Nick Villani (149), Dagen Condomitti (157), Luke Gayer (174) and Hadyn Packer (197) all added third-place finishes.
 
Full results can be found here.
 
Fresh off its best final ranking in the NWCA Coaches Poll since 2015-16, No. 11 Rutgers finished 14-5 during the dual season, including a 5-3 mark in the Big Ten Conference for its first winning league record since 2018-19. Its 14 victories were the most for Rutgers since it posted 16 in 2021-22. The Scarlet Knights tallied an impressive 5-1 mark at Jersey Mike's Arena in 2024-25, which included a thrilling 16-15 win over No. 10 Illinois for their first win over a top 10 opponent in six years.