Rutgers Wrestling Closes Dual Season at Maryland Scarlet Knights Take on Terrapins Fy Night in College Park
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Rutgers Wrestling Closes Dual Season at Maryland Scarlet Knights take on Terrapins Fy night in College Park No. 18 Rutgers at Maryland Fri., Feb. 22 • 7 p.m. College Park, Md. • Xfinity Center Live Stream: BTN2Go Radio: WRSU (88.7 FM) Match Notes Projected Lineups PISCATAWAY, N.J. (Feb. 21, 2019) – No. 18 Rutgers wrestling closes out its 2018-19 dual season on Friday when it faces Maryland at the Xfinity Center in College Park. The match begins at 7 p.m. and will stream live on BTN2Go. WRSU (88.7 FM) will also have the road radio broadcast. The Scarlet Knights are 10-5-1 all-time against the Terrapins, which includes a 4-0 mark since both schools joined the conference. Last season, RU defeated UMD, 27-9, outside at HighPoint.com Stadium. RANKED SCARLET KNIGHTS (INTERMAT/FLOWRESTLING/THE OPEN MAT/AWN/TRACKWRESTLING) 133: 4/4/4/4/4 Nick Suriano (19-3) 149: 1/1/1/1/1 Anthony Ashnault (22-0) 157: 16/17/15/NR/11 John Van Brill (16-11) 174: NR/NR/NR/NR/21 Joseph Grello (13-7) WHAT TO KNOW • Last time out, No. 1 Anthony Ashnault (149) majored in his final home match and Joseph Grello (174) earned a decision as RU dropped a 28-7 dual to No. 4 Michigan Sunday afternoon in front of 5,364 fans at the RAC. • Rutgers finished the 2018-19 dual season with a 7-3 home record. 40,306 fans walked into the RAC to watch the Scarlet Knights wrestle this season (10 duals, eight home events), good for an average of 5,038 per dual. • Rutgers remained No. 18 in the latest NWCA Coaches’ Poll, released Tuesday. • As a team, Rutgers is also ranked No. 12 by TrackWrestling, No. 12/16 by The Open Mat, No. 13 by FloWrestling and No. 13/16 by Intermat. • Four Scarlet Knights appear in the national rankings. Ashnault is the consensus No. 1 wrestler at 149 pounds, while Nick Suriano is the consensus No. 4 wrestler at 133 pounds with a 19-3 record. • John Van Brill is as high as No. 11 at 157 pounds by TrackWrestling. Grello is ranked for the first time this season, as the redshirt sophomore is No. 21 at 174 pounds according to TrackWrestling. ASHNAULT APPROACHING ALL-TIME MILESTONE • Ashnault owns 113 career victories, tied with Rod Van Ness (1994-98) and Dominic Cerreto (1986-89) for second all-time in program history. • Ashnault needs just five wins to surpass Mike McHugh (1986-89) for the most wins in program history at 118. ASHNAULT & SURIANO’S DOMINANCE • Ashnault and Suriano have been dominant for the Scarlet Knights, as the duo has combined for a 41-3 record with 33 of those wins by bonus. In dual action, Ashnault and Suriano are a combined 31-3 and have accounted for 148 team points in RU’s 17 duals this season. • Ashnault owns an unblemished 22-0 record with 16 wins by bonus, including a team-high eight falls, four tech falls and four major decisions. • Ashnault is also 6-0 against ranked individuals, according to Intermat, and has outscored those opponents, 63-28, with three major decisions and three decisions. • Suriano leads the program with 17 wins by bonus, which includes a team-high nine major decisions, four tech falls, three pins and a forfeit. Suriano also owns four wins against ranked individuals and has accounted for 67 dual points in 17 matches. SCOUTING MARYLAND • The Terrapins enter Friday’s match with a 1-11 mark in dual action. UMD captured its’ first win of the season last weekend with a 26-12 victory over George Mason in Fairfax, Virginia. • Youssif Hemida (HWT) is the lone ranked wrestler for Maryland, as the senior checks in at No. 9 in the latest rankings from Intermat. Hemida and Alfred Bannister (149) and Ryan Diehl (157) are all two-time national qualifiers. • Last season, the Terrapins finished with a 5-12 dual record and a 0-9 mark in the Big Ten Conference. UMD sent three to the 2018 NCAA Championships in Cleveland, where Hemida placed seventh to secure All-America accolades for the first time in his career. LAST TIME AGAINST THE TERRAPINS • No. 12 Rutgers produced a statement victory to start the last season, as it defeated Maryland, 27-9, in Big Ten Conference action on Nov. 4, 2017 at HighPoint.com Stadium. The Scarlet Knights secured seven out of 10 bouts against the Terrapins in the dual win. • The match marked Suriano’s Rutgers debut after his transfer from Penn State. The former 125-pounder registered a 24-7 tech fall on Brandon Cray for his first dual win of his RU career. • Current Scarlet Knights John Van Brill (165), Michael Van Brill (141) and Nicholas Gravina (184) also had wins in the dual victory. SERIES HISTORY • Rutgers is 10-5-1 all-time against Maryland, which includes a perfect 4-0 record since both school joined the league. • The Scarlet Knights last loss to the Terrapins came on Dec. 1, 2013, a 19-18 defeat at the Grapple at the Garden event in MSG. • Head coach Scott Goodale is 4-2 all-time against Maryland. • The series dates back to Feb. 22, 1940, a 26-8 win for Rutgers. UP NEXT Rutgers heads to the Big Ten Championships from March 9-10 in Minneapolis. 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. –RU–.