Takedown Report

Rutgers wrestling success emboldens all of U., athletic department’s future

Saturday evening in Pittsburgh, one of the most notable events in Rutgers Athletics history took place as wrestlers Nick Suriano and Anthony Ashnault both stood atop their respective weight classes as the best in the NCAA. The wins are the first in wrestling for the school but have a much larger impact on the program than just two trophies in a case.  Over the last 12 years, head coach Scott Goodale has built the Rutgers Wrestling program quite literally from the bottom up. He often recalls in interviews his first home dual meet at Rutgers back in 2008, a 42-0 win over Wagner at the College Avenue Gymnasium, attended by less than 100 people. He describes how the scene was so dismal, he had to leave to grab a portable clock from his car after the one in the gym broke down. 

Now, in a training room that hangs a banner proclaiming “Rutgers Wants NCAA Champions,” they have two. Suriano, a junior from Paramus who transferred from wrestling giant and Big Ten rival Penn State, and Ashnault, a graduate student from South Plainfield who is Rutgers’ all-time leader in wins. The two are quintessentially Jersey. Suriano is often seen in flashy clothes, or on Instagram dancing to club music. Ashnault stays taunting opposing coaches and living and dying by his “Shnaulty be mobbin'” attitude. Together they are now cemented in history as Rutgers athletic legends.  The wins are the first individual national championships won by a Rutgers athlete since a fencing gold for Alexis Jemal back in 2003. The school discontinued their fencing program in 2007. The wrestling program was almost cut before Goodale was hired. His persistence to bring the energy to New Jersey wrestling is so well known that it kept the program alive. It is what fills the seats of the Rutgers Athletic Center to capacity, it is what brought home two national champions and it is what has set up the wrestling program and athletics as a whole, allowing it to change the culture around the Scarlet Knights. Winning is no longer a pipe dream. Rest of the story http://www.dailytargum.com/article/2019/03/rutgers-wrestling-success-emboldens-all-of-u-athletic-departments-future?mc_cid=804bb737cf&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

April 3, 2019 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized