No. 8 WRES Readies for 53rd Annual Midlands Championships
Dec 24 | Wrestling
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - No. 8 Rutgers wrestling will have 15 Scarlet Knights pushing for the podium at the 53rd Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships from Dec. 29-30, hosted by Northwestern in Evanston, Ill.
Sessions I and II are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 29, while Sessions III and IV are scheduled for 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET on Dec. 30.
| 53rd Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships | |
| Date | Tuesday, Dec. 29 - Wednesday, Dec. 30 |
| Time | Session I: Dec. 29, 10:30 a.m. ET | Session II: Dec. 29, 8 p.m. ET Session III: Dec. 30, 1 p.m. ET | Session IV: Dec. 30, 9 p.m. ET |
| Location | Evanston, Ill. | Welsh-Ryan Arena |
| TV | Big Ten Network (Championship Finals) |
| Live Stream | BTN Plus |
| Live Results | TrackWrestling |
| Match Notes | Rutgers |
| Statistics | Rutgers |
| Tournament Info | Home | Brackets | Top Competitors |
| Tickets | Buy Here |
Knight Notes
- All sessions of the 2015 Midlands Championships will stream live online via BTN Plus. Big Ten Network will televise the championship finals on Dec. 30 beginning at 9 p.m.
- The Scarlet Knights head into the weekend ranked No. 8 in the USA Today/NWCA Division I Team Coaches Poll, the second-highest ranking in program history. Rutgers is also ranked No. 8 in the Intermat Dual Rankings and No. 11 in the WIN Magazine Dual Rankings.
- Rutgers did not compete last week. Two weeks ago RU earned its first Big Ten win at home in a 17-16 thriller over then-No. 4 Nebraska at the RAC. RU won by criteria 3.15.3 for its first top-five win since a 24-7 victory over Virginia Tech on Jan. 21, 2011.
- RU is 5-2 against ranked opponents this season with two coming over top-10 foes.
- Seven Scarlet Knights are ranked this week by Intermat. 141-pounder Anthony Ashnault is undefeated at 11-0 and ranked No. 2 in the nation - the highest ranking of his career. Seven of his 11 wins this season were by bonus points.
- Nicholas Gravina broke into the rankings at 184 pounds with a 3-2 upset over then-No. 4 T.J. Dudley in the win over Nebraska.
Rutgers Projected Competitors
| Wt. | Name | Yr. | Hometown/ High School | 2015-16 Overall Record (Dual) |
| 125 | No. 18 Sean McCabe | R-Jr. | Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Connetquot | 6-5 (6-5) |
| 133 | No. 20 Anthony Giraldo | R-Fr. | Guttenberg, N.J./ North Bergen | 7-5 (7-5) |
| 133 | Jr. | South Plainfield, N.J./ South Plainfield | 13-3 (0-0) | |
| 141 | No. 2 Anthony Ashnault | R-So. | South Plainfield, N.J./ South Plainfield | 11-0 (11-0) |
| 149 | R-So. | Harrisburg, Pa./ Central Dauphin | 7-5 (7-5) | |
| 149 | Sr. | Toms River, N.J./ Toms River South | 14-2 (0-0) | |
| 157 | No. 17 Richie Lewis | Jr. | Toms River, N.J./ Toms River East | 8-1 (8-1) |
| 157 | R-Fr. | Mullica Hill, N.J./ Clearview | 6-4 (2-1) | |
| 165 | No. 10 Anthony Perrotti | R-Sr. | Roseland, N.J./ West Essex | 10-1 (10-1) |
| 165 | R-Fr. | South Brunswick, N.J./ Bergen Catholic | 11-7 (1-0) | |
| 174 | R-Jr. | Hammonton, N.J./ Hammonton | 5-5 (5-5) | |
| 174 | R-Jr. | Westfield, N.J./ St. Peter's Prep | 5-3 (1-1) | |
| 184 | No. 20 Nicholas Gravina | R-So. | Allendale, N.J./ Northern Highlands | 8-3 (8-3) |
| 197 | Hayden Hrymack | Sr. | Point Pleasant, N.J./ CBA | 7-5 (7-5) |
| 285 | No. 9 Billy Smith | R-Sr. | Wantage, N.J./ High Point | 9-3 (9-3) |
Scouting the Midlands Championships
- The Midlands Championships annually features the best wrestlers from across the nation. Forty-two teams and over 400 competitors comprise the Midlands field for the largest tournament in history. Eight teams that placed in the top 10 at the 2014 Midlands Championships return for this year's installment, including 24-time champion Iowa.
- Two top-ranked, defending national champion grapplers will compete at #Midlands53 in No. 1 157-pounder Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) and No. 1 heavyweight Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State).
- Five champions from last year's Midlands Championships return to defend their titles this season: 133-pounder Cory Clark (Iowa), 149-pounder Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern), 157-pounder Isaiah Martinez (Illinois), 184-pounder Jack Dechow (Old Dominion), and 197-pounder Nathan Burak (Iowa).
- Nine Scarlet Knights were recognized by the Midlands Championships committee as top contestants: No. 18 125-pounder Sean McCabe, No. 20 133-pounder Anthony Giraldo, 133-pounder Scott DelVecchio, No. 2 141-pounder Anthony Ashnault, 149-pounder Ken Theobold, No. 17 157-pounder Richie Lewis, No. 10 165-pounder Anthony Perrotti, No. 20 184-pounder Nicholas Gravina, and No. 9 heavyweight Billy Smith.
- DelVecchio and Theobold will wrestle unattached in the tournament.
- In addition to No. 8 Rutgers, the following ranked Division I teams will compete at #Midlands53: No. 2 Iowa, No. 9 Nebraska, No. 11 Illinois, No. 18 Iowa State, No. 20 Pittsburgh, and No. 21 Ohio.
RU at Midlands
Since 2003, Rutgers has had wrestlers compete at seven Midlands Championships. The Scarlet Knights' last competed in the tournament as a team in 2011. The best individual finish at the event came from runner-up Mario Mason (149 Pounds) in 2011.
RU had four grapplers compete unattached at Midlands last year with three competing again this season - Anthony Giraldo (133 Pounds), Tyson Dippery (149 Pounds) and John Van Brill (157 Pounds).
Below is a tally of all of RU's placewinners at Midlands in the span:
2014 - No Placewinners
2011 - 11th Place Overall
Mario Mason (149 Pounds) - Runner-up
Billy Ashnault (141 Pounds) - Eighth Place
Scott Winston (165 Pounds) - Eighth Place
2010 - 12th Place Overall
Daryl Cocozzo (157 Pounds) - Fifth Place
D.J. Russo (Heavyweight) - Sixth Place
Alex Caruso (174 Pounds) - Seventh Place
Matt Fusco (125 Pounds) - Eighth Place
2009 - 15th Place Overall
Billy Ashnault (133 Pounds) - Eighth Place
D.J. Russo (Heavyweight) - Eighth Place
2008 - 23rd Place Overall
Scott Winston (157 Pounds) - Fourth Place
2004 - 30th Place Overall
Andy Roy (174 Pounds) - Seventh Place
2003 - 32nd Place Overall
Andy Roy (174 Pounds) - Seventh Place
Climbing to the Top
Anthony Ashnault continues his climb to the top of the 141-pound weight class. After starting the year 11-0, Ashnault is now No. 2 in the nation according to Intermat. The ranking is the highest of his career. Ashnault started the season ranked No. 8 by the publication.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers wrestling, follow the program on Twitter (@RUWrestling) and Instagram (@RUWrestling). Fans can receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on our social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com.
Players Mentioned
