Wrestling Opens 2020 at Southern Scuffle

Wednesday, January 1

Chattanooga, TN

All Day

Rutgers University

Southern Scuffle

Photo by: (Ben Solomon/Rutgers Athletics)

Dec 31 | Wrestling

Southern Scuffle Home Page Live Results Live Video ($)Bracket

Scarlet Knights to compete Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers wrestling will ring in the new year in the Volunteer State, as 15 Scarlet Knights will compete at the 2020 Southern Scuffle, presented by Compound Sportswear, from Jan. 1-2 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The two-day tournament takes place at McKenzie Arena on the campus of the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga.

Wrestling on each day begins at 10 a.m. ET, with all sessions streamed live via FloWrestling ($). The 28-team field features six programs ranked in the latest NWCA Coaches Poll, including No. 6 N.C. State, No. 9 Oklahoma State, No. 10 Pittsburgh, No. 11 Iowa State, No. 25 Stanford and No. 25 Rider. No. 5 Virginia Tech and No. 17 North Carolina will also have competitors in the field.

Six RU wrestlers earned pre-seeds for the prestigious tournament – No. 2 Nicolas Aguilar (125), No. 2 Joseph Grello (174), No. 3 Gerard Angelo (149), No. 5 Sammy Alvarez (133), No. 6 Jordan Pagano (197) and No. 8 Michael Van Brill (157).

Projected Competitors
125: No. 2 Nicolas Aguilar (11-1) & Malcolm Robinson (3-1)
133: No. 5 Sammy Alvarez (10-4)
141: JoJo Aragona (6-2) & Zach Firestone (4-4)
149: No. 3 Gerard Angelo (8-4)
157: No. 8 Michael Van Brill (9-5) & Robert Kanniard (6-3)*
165: Brett Donner (7-5) & Jackson Turley (8-3)
174: No. 2 Joseph Grello (3-0) & Willie Scott (3-2)
184: Billy Janzer (11-4)
197: No. 6 Jordan Pagano (9-2) & Matthew Correnti (7-1)
HWT: Alex Esposito (12-8)
*wrestling unattached

Ranked Scarlet Knights (Intermat/FloWrestling/Open Mat)
125: No. 7/9/10 Nicolas Aguilar
133: No. NR/13/19 Sammy Alvarez
149: No. NR/23/NR Gerard Angelo
174: No. 19/10/11 Joseph Grello
197: No. 18/16/20 Jordan Pagano

What to Know
• Rutgers is 6-0 to begin a dual season for the first time since 2014-15, its first season in the Big Ten.
• In their last time out, the Scarlet Knights earned a 28-11 victory over Maryland on Dec. 7 in front of 5,405 fans at the RAC. Aguilar and Angelo pinned their opponents as RU won seven out of 10 bouts against the Terrapins. Grello picked up his first ranked victory of the season with his 3-2 win over No. 20 Philip Spadafora.
• Heading into 2020, Rutgers features five ranked wrestlers according to FloWrestling, including No. 9 Aguilar, No. 10 Grello, No. 13 Alvarez, No. 16 Pagano and No. 23 Angelo.
• Through its first six dual matches, the Scarlet Knights are a combined 45-15, which includes 21 wins by bonus. RU has also pinned seven opponents in dual action to begin 2019-20.

UP NEXT
Rutgers returns to dual action with road Big Ten matches at No. 7 Ohio State (Jan. 10) and Michigan State (Jan. 12).

Rutgers Wrestling is presented by Eat Clean Bro, an Official Partner of Rutgers Athletics.

Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (/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. For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.