Rutgers downs Northwestern on Senior Day at RAC
Friday evening was a significant day for the Rutgers wrestling team. For five seniors, it was the final match at the Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC) ahead of the Big Ten Championships, which will take place between March 7 and 8.
Sam Cali, who was a redshirt freshman in 2016, was also honored on senior night. Cali, a former 132-pounder wrestler at Don Bosco Preparatory High School, died in a car crash on June 20, 2016.
On the Banks, Cali appeared in the National Collegiate Open, the Wilkes University Open and the Nittany Lion Open. To remember him, his good friend and teammate on the Banks, No. 18 graduate student 197-pounder Jordan Pagano, had pointed up at the sky following his bouts.
As far as the meet goes, the Scarlet Knights (10-6, 4-5) downed Northwestern 26-13 for their tenth and final victory at the RAC in the 2019-20 campaign.
Rutgers captured six individual bout victories, completing the upset over the No. 25 Wildcats (5-7, 3-6). The Knights have now won the last four meetings dating back to 2014.
Starting at 165 pounds, Rutgers suffered an early loss. Junior 165-pounder Brett Donner was defeated by Shayne Oster 2-0. Donner now owns a 16-13 record.
With that being said, the Knights easily avenged that early loss. After being honored along with the four other seniors, fifth-year senior 184-pounder Willie Scott downed Ankhaa Enkhmandakh 16-1, a technical fall, in the 174-pound matchup.
Scott has been wrestling in junior 174-pounder Joseph Grello’s place, who has remained sidelined with a lower body injury since Jan. 19. Scott now owns an 8-7 record. Heading into Friday’s meet, he was on a two-bout losing streak.
No. 14 redshirt freshman 184-pounder Billy Janzer picked up right where he left off last Sunday, when he took a 6-3 victory over Rider’s George Walton in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Against Northwestern, Janzer earned a major decision over Jack Jessen 10-2.
Wrestling at the RAC for the final time, Pagano couldn’t secure a victory against Lucas Davison. Davison had a 12-4 record last season.
Sophomore heavyweight Alex Esposito stepped onto the mat to face Jack Heyob of the Wildcats. Esposito had recently avenged his own three-bout losing streak with a win last Sunday.
He added another one over Heyob last Friday evening in a decisive fashion. The Cranford, New Jersey native pinned his opponent 4:59 into the bout for his 13th fall of the season. He assumed the role of the everyday heavyweight starter, as fifth-year senior heavyweight Christian Colucci has not wrestled since Dec. 7.
Redshirt freshman 125-pounder Nicolas Aguilar played the upset role against Michael DeAugustino in his first victory over a top-10 ranked 125-pounder this season. In his first year of varsity action, Aguilar now owns a 20-8 record.
No. 8 true freshman 133-pounder Sammy Alvarez also earned a major decision. Alvarez now has 22 victories on the season, his first on the Banks.
After true freshman 141-pounder JoJo Aragona lost a 2-0 decision to Alec McKenna, redshirt freshman 149-pounder Gerard Angelo picked up Rutgers’ fourth major decision of the meet. All four of the major decisions provided extra points for the Knights.
For Rutgers, it was the team’s first win in the comforts of the RAC since Jan. 24 against Indiana.
“We haven't won here in a while, so it was important to get one here at the RAC," said head coach Scott Goodale. "It's good for us heading into this big Princeton match next weekend. It's a long week coming up, so it's always better going into the room on Monday with a win.”
The Knights will remain in the Garden State next weekend for their final match of the regular season. They will face Princeton in a battle for Route 1 on Sunday. The No. 14 Tigers (8-4, 5-0) won the Ivy League title after defeating Penn 33-16 on Saturday. They also worked a 22-16 victory over Drexel.
Princeton has had success against in-state schools this season. Like Rutgers, the Tigers also defeated the Broncs (11-3, 7-1), who were ranked No. 25 back on Dec. 19.
Princeton will look to sweep its slate of New Jersey schools this coming weekend when the Knights come to visit.
For updates on the Rutgers wrestling team, follow @TargumSports on Twitter.
