Rutgers Edges Princeton In 19-18 Thriller

A packed Rutgers Athletic Center crowd showed up Sunday to watch the two top-ranked wrestlers at 149, but they ended up getting one of the most exciting and competitive duals of the NCAA season thus far. Princeton built an 18-5 lead by winning three of four thrillers after intermission, but Rutgers closed with a major decision to score a 19-18 home win over the Tigers.

The featured match came at 149, as top-ranked Matthew Kolodzik took on Rutgers senior Anthony Ashnault for the fifth time at the collegiate level. After a scoreless first, Ashnault ignited the RAC with two quick back points and a takedown to open a 4-1 lead. It was 4-2 to start the third, but Ashnault escaped and scored another takedown at the edge of the mat to open a 7-2 lead. Kolodzik fought for a late turnaround, and Ashnault was able to take advantage with a quick turn for two final back points in the last 15 seconds to help secure a 10-2 major decision. The loss is Kolodzik's first of the season and first in a dual in nearly a calendar year (Feb. 4, 2018), and it gives Ashnault a 3-2 edge in their collegiate careers.

Should those two meet for a sixth and final time this year, it would come in Pittsburgh next month during the 2019 NCAA Championships (March 21-23).

That win evened the score for Rutgers, as a pair of Princeton freshmen put on an early show. Patrick Glory had the first set of fireworks, as he turned and pinned Shane Metzler with one second remaining in his match at 125. Following a technical fall for Nick Suriano, Marshall Keller overcame an early takedown with a score and back points of his own in an 8-5 win over Mike Van Brill.

Rutgers led 12-9 at the break, but the excitement was only going to ramp up from that point. Sophomore Dale Tiongson, the hero of Princeton's early-season win over Lehigh, scored an overtime takedown of Stephan Glasgow at 165 to bring Princeton even at 12-12. Travis Stefanik got in tight on a single in his overtime at 174, but Joe Grello countered it and turned it into a cradle of his own; Stefanik did well to fend off the fall, but he fell 8-2.

A third straight overtime was in store, and junior Kevin Parker again drew Princeton even with a 4-2 win over Nick Gravina, a Rutgers wrestler who had pinned Parker one year earlier. Parker showed incredible toughness late, maintaining control of Gravina in the final seconds to force overtime, and then driving in on the legs for an overtime takedown that evened the score at 15-15. Sophomore Patrick Brucki had a tough battle at 197, but he scored the match's only takedown in the third period for a 3-2 win, which gave Princeton an 18-15 lead.

The final match came at heavyweight, where Princeton sophomore Kendall Elfstrum — who moved up from 184 this season to add depth to that weight class — gave up about 50 pounds to Christian Colucci. That deficit was a bit too much for Elfstrum, who battled throughout but couldn't avoid a 12-2 major decision that ultimately clinched the match for Rutgers.

While the outcome was disappointing for Princeton, the Tigers know there is plenty left to achieve this year, and their next dual could go a long way into hitting one of their goals. Princeton will head to Ithaca to take on reigning Ivy League champion Cornell; the Tigers currently share first place in the league following wins over both Harvard and Brown yesterday. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.

#18 RUTGERS 19, #20 PRINCETON 18
125 – #10 Patrick Glory (P) WBF Shane Metzler 2:59
133 – #4 Nick Suriano (R) TF Jonathan Gomez 26-9
141 – Marshall Keller (P) dec. Mike Van Brill 8-5
149 – Anthony Ashnault (R) mdec. #1 Matthew Kolodzik 10-2
157 – #17 John Van Brill (R) dec. Quincy Monday 9-3
165 – Dale Tiongson (P) dec. Stephan Glasgow 8-5, TB-1
174 – Joe Grello (R) dec. Travis Stefanik 8-2, SV-1
184 – Kevin Parker (P) dec. Nick Gravina 4-2, TB-1
197 – Patrick Brucki (P) dec. Matt Correnti 3-2
285 – Christian Colucci (R) mdec. Kendall Elfstrum 12-2

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