#18 Rutgers Tops Princeton 28-7 In Regular Season Finale; Tigers Turn Attention To EIWAs

Princeton's loaded regular season schedule came to a conclusion Sunday afternoon in front of 1,141 fans inside Jadwin Gym, as 18^th-ranked Rutgers claimed a 28-7 victory over the Tigers. Princeton now hopes its battle-tested season will pay dividends at the EIWA Championships, which will take place in two weeks at Hofstra.

Matteo DeVincenzo opened the match at 125 against Luke Ecklof, a replacement for injured starter Nick Suriano, the nation's top-ranked wrestler. DeVincenzo was able to get an early takedown, but Ecklof was able to take a three-point lead into the final period. DeVincenzo scored an escape and excited the crowd with a takedown in the final seconds of the period to force sudden victory. Ecklof was able to gain an early edge, though DeVincenzo fought it off as long as possible. Seconds before the period ended, Rutgers was given the takedown for the 9-7 win.

Jonathan Gomez found his offense late against 20^th-ranked Scott DelVecchio at 133, but DelVecchio was able to use a four-point move to gain early control for a 10-4 win. Michael VanBrill followed with a strong effort at 141, as he scored a 9-1 major decision over Jordan Reich to open a 10-0 Rutgers lead.

Nobody stops opposing momentum like sophomore All-American Matthew Kolodzik, and he answered the bell against a higher-ranked opponent. The 12^th-ranked Kolodzik scored the only takedown in the first period against 11^th-ranked Eleazar DeLuca, and he grabbed full control of the match with a takedown late in the second. A full ride and a stall point gave Kolodzik an 8-1 decision and his 20^th win of the year.

This takedown by Kolodzik late in the 2nd helped him open a 5-1 lead. The sophomore All-American controlled the 3rd for an 8-1 win. pic.twitter.com/KeehpgS189
— Princeton Wrestling (@tigerwrestling) February 18, 2018

Junior co-captain Mike D'Angelo built on the momentum of Kolodzik's win and scored an early takedown against John Van Brill, but he wasn't able to turn him for added points. Van Brill stayed close, and then grabbed a lead with a late takedown in the second period. D'Angelo was aggressive in the third, but Van Brill countered with a reversal and held on late for the 5-3 win.

Seventh-ranked Richie Lewis and Princeton senior captain Jonathan Schleifer met in another featured match, and both fought off every attempt for a scoreless opening period. Lewis was able to convert on a single to grab a 3-0 lead in the second, but Schleifer scored an escape to get back within two in the final period. Lewis was able to get another single in the final 30 seconds to close a 5-1 win.

Rutgers clinched the team win over the next two matches. Joe Grello used a takedown and back points for a 7-0 win over Matthew Gancayco at 174, and 12^th-ranked Nicholas Gravina turned Kevin Parker midway through the first period and worked it into a fall 2:00 into the match.

Freshman Patrick Brucki made his collegiate debut in Jadwin Gym when he won the Tiger Open there in November, and he added a victory over Lehigh when those teams met in December. He improved to 6-0 in the facility with a dominant 13-5 major decision. Brucki scored takedowns in every period, including a final one with less than 20 seconds remaining to clinch the major decision. Brucki will enter his first collegiate postseason with a team-best 24 wins.

This takedown and the riding point gave Brucki a 13-5 major. Final match: Christian Araneo (P) vs Razohnn Gross (R) pic.twitter.com/vTY750MzTB
— Princeton Wrestling (@tigerwrestling) February 18, 2018

While the team match was decided, the finale thrilled both sides. Princeton heavyweight Christian Araneo grabbed the early lead with a takedown, but Razohnn Gross battled back with a takedown in the third to open a 4-3 lead. Araneo continued to battle and eventually got an escape to force overtime, but Gross was able to spin around Araneo in a scramble to secure the 6-4 win.

Check back with GoPrincetonTigers.com the week of EIWAs for a full postseason preview for the Princeton Tigers.

#18 RUTGERS 28, PRINCETON 7
125 – Luke Ecklof (R) dec. Matteo DeVincenzo 9-7, sv-1
133 - #20 Scott DelVecchio (R) dec. Jonathan Gomez (P) 10-4
141 – Michael Van Brill (R) mdec. Jordan Reich (P) 9-1
149 – #12 Matthew Kolodzik (P) dec. #11 Eleazar DeLuca 8-1
157 – John Van Brill (R) dec. #13 Mike D'Angelo 5-3
165 – #7 Richie Lewis (R) dec. Jonathan Schleifer 5-1
174 – Joe Grello (R) dec. Matthew Gancayco 7-0
184 – #12 Nicholas Gravina (R) WBF Kevin Parker 2:00
197 – #17 Patrick Brucki (P) mdec. Anthony Messner 13-5
285 – Razohnn Gross (R) dec. Christian Araneo (P) 6-4, OT

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