2019 Wrestling Predictions

[RUMadBro]

125: Suriano, Lee rematches but a new contender enters the ring...Daton Fix from Oklahoma State. This is always one of those weights where incoming freshman make a huge impact. PSU will be bringing in Roman Bravo-Young and Teasdale too.
133: Fix could also go up to 33 in order for Piccininni to stay at 125. Either way, all roads in this weight will lead back to Gross. Miccic is the top contender for Gross' crown, and he needs to score earlier because everyone could see how much Gross tanked at the end of that match.
141: Yianni...nothing more to be said. His weight class for the next three years.
149: Ashnault returns and makes his run at the post-Zain weight class. With a lot of wrestlers graduating at 149, it could be pretty open for Rutgers to get their first ever National Champion.
157: Nolf makes his final NCAA appearance and becomes a 3x National Champion.
165: It's hard to doubt Joseph at this point. He performs under the big lights and brings his best for the finals. Marinelli will be biting at his heels, along with Wick and Marsteller. I would love to see an all PIAA final with Joseph and Marsteller at this weight.
174: Valenica is jus too good and too big for this weight. And it's unbelievable he overshadows Mark Hall: a World Champion, NCAA Champion, and probably one of the best wrestlers his age. I think the rematch will be a lot closer.
184: Nickal repeats as champion and gets his third title. Martin is a good wrestler, but I just think it's another case of Nickal always showing up when it matters the most.
197: Cassar comes out and takes the weight by storm...wherever he goes. Moore is overhyped and gasses in tight matches.
285: Freshman phenom Stevenson storms through the season and makes it known he is the top dog in this weight class for the next four years. Bold prediction: He might make a run for the next 4x undefeated college wrestler.

 

[RutgersRaRa]

I thought I read some rumblings about Cassar transferring somewhere. Anything to that?

 

[nikoru09]

Gable ain't named. Gable for nuthin....this kid is Kyle Snyder good.....he won't lose a match in college...unless injured

 

[nikoru09]

If by a small miracles we land shultz..we would all be a lot happier about securing our heavy for four years,and quite possible a multiple aa

 

[RUMadBro]

I didn't know he was on our radar for hwt recruits. I think Fernandes has a lot of potential and also can grow into the weight. It's just a big leap from Fernandes to Stevenson, but multiple AAs would be incredible at heavy.

 

[rutgers0423]

From an RU perspective I think we can have 4 AA’s next year with Gravina and JVB along with suriano and ash

 

[BanjoSaysWoof]

You’re nuts if you think gable runs the table at heavy. That’s a grown mans weight class.

 

[bigmatt718]

From an RU perspective I think we can have 4 AA’s next year with Gravina and JVB along with suriano and ash

Don't forget Glasgow coming in.

 

[RUMadBro]

You’re nuts if you think gable runs the table at heavy. That’s a grown mans weight class.

Stevenson is a grown man whose won a college tournament already. With the top heavyweight wrestlers graduating, it will be wide open and I don't see anyone matching his athleticism. On top of an offseason of training at Minny under his belt, he'll be ready and get on top of the podium.

 

[Abro1975]

Another prediction- Goodale and Hobbs will figure out a way to schedule an early season home match at Rutgers Stadium before a Football game again.
Would love to see Cornell or Rider as the opponent.

 

[bigmatt718]

Another prediction- Goodale and Hobbs will figure out a way to schedule an early season home match at Rutgers Stadium before a Football game again.
Would love to see Cornell or Rider as the opponent.

Brilliant idea...match vs Cornell or Lehigh on Homecoming at RU Stadium. Match at 11 am, HC football game vs NW at 3:30 pm.

 

[RUMadBro]

Another prediction- Goodale and Hobbs will figure out a way to schedule an early season home match at Rutgers Stadium before a Football game again.
Would love to see Cornell or Rider as the opponent.

I missed the Princeton one last season. I'd love to see us wrestle PSU at High Point before the football game. It would draw a huge crowd and be an epic way to start the season.

 

[elvis7]

I missed the Princeton one last season. I'd love to see us wrestle PSU at High Point before the football game. It would draw a huge crowd and be an epic way to start the season.

I hate wrestling at high point! There is nothing like wrestling in the RAC, from a fans prospective.

 

[RUMadBro]

I hate wrestling at high point! There is nothing like wrestling in the RAC, from a fans prospective.

Well, obviously I'd rather be in a heated gym where I'm closer to the action. Nothing beats places like the Pit where you can literally feel the energy throughout the arena.
Hoping to go to my first match at the RAC next season. But if they do have an outdoor dual, it'd be awesome for it to be a PSU level team since the RAC might sell out quickly.

 

[dollarbill]

Brilliant idea...match vs Cornell or Lehigh on Homecoming at RU Stadium. Match at 11 am, HC football game vs NW at 3:30 pm.

I'm starting to question what giving Lehigh all this local exposure is going to do for our program. I'd prefer Virginia Tech, NC State, or Cornell at the stadium as part of a home and home if possible. Thanks. $$$$

 

[RUMadBro]

I'm starting to question what giving Lehigh all this local exposure is going to do for our program. I'd prefer Virginia Tech, NC State, or Cornell at the stadium as part of a home and home if possible. Thanks. $$$$

I don't think Lehigh will disrupt the Rutgers' recruiting pipeline. They specifically draw from the Lehigh Valley area and get wrestlers who grew up near the program. Also, a student-athlete would be attracted to Lehigh because of it's small school feel and specialized majors. It is the complete opposite of the big campus, B1G atmosphere Rutgers offers.

I respect the Lehigh program, but I see Rutgers and them going in two different directions. Rutgers has a higher trajectory after joining the B1G than Lehigh. They're recruiting better wrestlers and becoming the big name wrestling school on the east coast. I think Lehigh will still always be competitive, but it isn't going to be in the upper echelon as Lehigh used to be in past seasons.

 

[Leonard23]

No more outdoor matches. The RAC is perfect. Don't mess with a good thing. There's no juice or atmosphere wrestling outside at HPSS. Also, I know a Rider match has been mentioned on here before, but I'd like to keep giving them the stiff arm, since they spouted off like assholes on twitter some years back. Let them rot. For OOC matches, schedule some of Princeton, Cornell, VT, NCST, UNC, UVA, Lehigh, ASU, OKST, Mizzou.

 

[bigmatt718]

No more outdoor matches. The RAC is perfect. Don't mess with a good thing. There's no juice or atmosphere wrestling outside at HPSS. Also, I know a Rider match has been mentioned on here before, but I'd like to keep giving them the stiff arm, since they spouted off like assholes on twitter some years back. Let them rot. For OOC matches, schedule some of Princeton, Cornell, VT, NCST, UNC, UVA, Lehigh, ASU, OKST, Mizzou.

I'd love to wrestle VT or NC State. They're new money in wrestling, like us.

 

[FoxRU]

You’re nuts if you think gable runs the table at heavy. That’s a grown mans weight class.

Gable Stevenson will be a 4x undefeated champ. He is that good.

 

[dollarbill]

I don't think Lehigh will disrupt the Rutgers' recruiting pipeline. They specifically draw from the Lehigh Valley area and get wrestlers who grew up near the program. Also, a student-athlete would be attracted to Lehigh because of it's small school feel and specialized majors. It is the complete opposite of the big campus, B1G atmosphere Rutgers offers.

I respect the Lehigh program, but I see Rutgers and them going in two different directions. Rutgers has a higher trajectory after joining the B1G than Lehigh. They're recruiting better wrestlers and becoming the big name wrestling school on the east coast. I think Lehigh will still always be competitive, but it isn't going to be in the upper echelon as Lehigh used to be in past seasons.

Thanks for your comments. To me, the Lehigh Valley is to Rutgers Wrestling as Florida is to Rutgers Football. We need to pull some top level recruits out of these areas on a consistent basis to move the program forward. $$$$

 

[obrats]

No more outdoor matches. The RAC is perfect. Don't mess with a good thing. There's no juice or atmosphere wrestling outside at HPSS. Also, I know a Rider match has been mentioned on here before, but I'd like to keep giving them the stiff arm, since they spouted off like assholes on twitter some years back. Let them rot. For OOC matches, schedule some of Princeton, Cornell, VT, NCST, UNC, UVA, Lehigh, ASU, OKST, Mizzou.

Leonard I almost gave you a like. LOL. I am in agreement with the outdoor match but I am one of the ones that wants to wrestle Rider every year. Instead of giving them a stiff arm I would much rather beat them badly every year. IMO this past year was there best chance but they lose a lot with this graduating class.

 

[IroniaHorse]

Gable Stevenson will be a 4x undefeated champ. He is that good.

Quite possible....

 

[PhilaPhans]

The outdoor match does a ton to boost our average attendance and interest in our program. I’d do it vs a local team each year to boost attendance even more. Maybe even two matches at once.

 

[nikoru09]

You’re nuts if you think gable runs the table at heavy. That’s a grown mans weight class.

Google sebastion vs Stevenson ..watch gs manhandle js ,pretty sure he was in the 8th, or 9th grade .It was a summer tourny. Is js already won two sc

.I

 

[ScarletGrapfan]

Google sebastion vs Stevenson ..watch gs manhandle js ,pretty sure he was in the 8th, or 9th grade .It was a summer tourny. Is js already won two sc

.I

Sebastian wrestled Gable's older brother Bobby.

And Banjo, most people feel Gable can win it all next year as a true Frosh. Steve Mocco made the Hwt finals as a true frosh and Gable is more credentialed than Mocco already

 

[elvis7]

The outdoor match does a ton to boost our average attendance and interest in our program. I’d do it vs a local team each year to boost attendance even more. Maybe even two matches at once.

I respect your opinion, but I disagree completely.

 

[PhilaPhans]

The outdoor match does a ton to boost our average attendance and interest in our program. I’d do it vs a local team each year to boost attendance even more. Maybe even two matches at once.

I respect your opinion, but I disagree completely.

No problem! You’re always free to disagree.

I’m not saying the atmosphere is better, but it does build excitement up for the non-hardcore fan. I mean if we get 15K, those other 7K never usually come to a wrestling match (usually more since we don’t always sell out the RAC). Way different than football playing a game in Yankee Stadium, which I’m not a fan of.

 

[Bms22]

For those in the room (Bill) how did NS measure up to Scotty D? Were their battles 50/50 in practice? Scotty was hot and cold (let's say warm) and it drove some of us nuts so I'm happy he got the one win to get the AA unlike last year.

 

[Leonard23]

Leonard I almost gave you a like. LOL. I am in agreement with the outdoor match but I am one of the ones that wants to wrestle Rider every year. Instead of giving them a stiff arm I would much rather beat them badly every year. IMO this past year was there best chance but they lose a lot with this graduating class.

It bothers Rider much more that we don't wrestle them, so I'm good with that over beating them.

 

[bigmatt718]

It bothers Rider much more that we don't wrestle them, so I'm good with that over beating them.

They're not even our little brother in wrestling, that's Princeton. They're like the adopted little brother if anything.

 

[nikoru09]

Sebastian wrestled Gable's older brother Bobby.

And Banjo, most people feel Gable can win it all next year as a true Frosh. Steve Mocco made the Hwt finals as a true frosh and Gable is more credentialed than Mocco already

Sorry .that was my a.d.d kicking in....this kid is special......if we could get the second best. Shultz that would be a home run,touchdown,and the 4th of july...I already have a great admiration for coach g. I would be mightily impressed if he brought this kid. To the banks.

 

[rdefabri]

They're not even our little brother in wrestling, that's Princeton. They're like the adopted little brother if anything.

I wouldn't say that - if you are referring to the level of the program. It's a strong program.

 

[rdefabri]

It bothers Rider much more that we don't wrestle them, so I'm good with that over beating them.

Why? That's very short sighted, let me explain.

I'm a Seton Hall grad, and I've discussed with at least one of my Rutgers buddies that in order for Seton Hall to return to prominence, they NEED Rutgers and St. John's to be good. One of the best things that has happened to both schools is the Garden State Hardwood Classic. And while it pained me to see Seton Hall lose, it made me happy that Rutgers won. It builds BOTH programs. We NEED the local kids to stay home. Just look at UNC / Duke, Penn State / tOSU, Michigan / Michigan State, etc. - the kids see this.

I graduated Seton Hall in 1990. While I was there, both Rutgers and Seton Hall had strong soccer programs. One year (I think 1988), both teams were ranked in the top 10, and we played each other at Rutgers. I remember it being absolutely frigid, but there had to be 5,000 people there (I'm not kidding) - it was a big deal for soccer and a big deal for our programs (Seton Hall won that game, I think 1-0).

I'm not sure how many here have wrestled, or how long you've followed it. It's a dying sport - programs are under attack everywhere, even those that are self sustaining. Add in that any promotion you might get from TV is killed by pay-for services like FloWrestling or Intermat. You don't want to be insulated from the problem - the community is WAY TOO SMALL.

We NEED a strong Rutgers, Princeton, AND Rider to ensure that NJ kids want to stay home. Even more so, we need rivalries to promote and drive interest of the sport. NJ is wrestling crazy, it can only help. I'm not a big fan of tri- and quad- meets at the high school level, but a Rider / Princeton / Rutgers tri-meet would be worth paying for, and it can rotate around to each school every year, just like the Garden State Hardwood Classic.

I grew up during a time when nearly every school had a program - Seton Hall did, and I nearly wrestled for them (long story). After I graduated, they had 3 All Americans, one was the top seed in 1995 (Joe Burke at 158) - all obliterated because of Title IX and the lack of revenue / interest in wrestling, which disgusts me.

It angers me when I see the PSU folks ripping on Rutgers, and vice-versa. Penn State might survive the apocalypse, but it wouldn't be any fun if you couldn't wrestle anybody else. That may sound ridiculous, but I can see a future of it. The whole push for freestyle isn't helping either, and while I'm happy that international wrestling is on the upswing, it shouldn't come at the expense of folkstyle / scholastic wrestling.

Cherish Rider, cherish Princeton. In a blink of an eye, they could be gone, just like Seton Hall. Be thankful that Goodale has come in and run a program like a CEO, because if there were more Goodale / Scott Moore / Pat Popolizio types, maybe wrestling wouldn't be going south.

/RANT

 

[ruready07]

Why? That's very short sighted, let me explain.

I'm a Seton Hall grad, and I've discussed with at least one of my Rutgers buddies that in order for Seton Hall to return to prominence, they NEED Rutgers and St. John's to be good. One of the best things that has happened to both schools is the Garden State Hardwood Classic. And while it pained me to see Seton Hall lose, it made me happy that Rutgers won. It builds BOTH programs. We NEED the local kids to stay home. Just look at UNC / Duke, Penn State / tOSU, Michigan / Michigan State, etc. - the kids see this.

I graduated Seton Hall in 1990. While I was there, both Rutgers and Seton Hall had strong soccer programs. One year (I think 1988), both teams were ranked in the top 10, and we played each other at Rutgers. I remember it being absolutely frigid, but there had to be 5,000 people there (I'm not kidding) - it was a big deal for soccer and a big deal for our programs (Seton Hall won that game, I think 1-0).

I'm not sure how many here have wrestled, or how long you've followed it. It's a dying sport - programs are under attack everywhere, even those that are self sustaining. Add in that any promotion you might get from TV is killed by pay-for services like FloWrestling or Intermat. You don't want to be insulated from the problem - the community is WAY TOO SMALL.

We NEED a strong Rutgers, Princeton, AND Rider to ensure that NJ kids want to stay home. Even more so, we need rivalries to promote and drive interest of the sport. NJ is wrestling crazy, it can only help. I'm not a big fan of tri- and quad- meets at the high school level, but a Rider / Princeton / Rutgers tri-meet would be worth paying for, and it can rotate around to each school every year, just like the Garden State Hardwood Classic.

I grew up during a time when nearly every school had a program - Seton Hall did, and I nearly wrestled for them (long story). After I graduated, they had 3 All Americans, one was the top seed in 1995 (Joe Burke at 158) - all obliterated because of Title IX and the lack of revenue / interest in wrestling, which disgusts me.

It angers me when I see the PSU folks ripping on Rutgers, and vice-versa. Penn State might survive the apocalypse, but it wouldn't be any fun if you couldn't wrestle anybody else. That may sound ridiculous, but I can see a future of it. The whole push for freestyle isn't helping either, and while I'm happy that international wrestling is on the upswing, it shouldn't come at the expense of folkstyle / scholastic wrestling.

Cherish Rider, cherish Princeton. In a blink of an eye, they could be gone, just like Seton Hall. Be thankful that Goodale has come in and run a program like a CEO, because if there were more Goodale / Scott Moore / Pat Popolizio types, maybe wrestling wouldn't be going south.

/RANT

Agree with everything .

We need/want NJ's wrestling value to increase - it does little to be the best among an average group of competitors. The most sustainable path to growth is a gradual one, so that means rutgers must dominate the state first, then region (Cornell, Lehigh, etc) , and then finally take on the national elite (osu, psu, Iowa).

 

[Leonard23]

Why? That's very short sighted, let me explain.

I'm a Seton Hall grad, and I've discussed with at least one of my Rutgers buddies that in order for Seton Hall to return to prominence, they NEED Rutgers and St. John's to be good. One of the best things that has happened to both schools is the Garden State Hardwood Classic. And while it pained me to see Seton Hall lose, it made me happy that Rutgers won. It builds BOTH programs. We NEED the local kids to stay home. Just look at UNC / Duke, Penn State / tOSU, Michigan / Michigan State, etc. - the kids see this.

I graduated Seton Hall in 1990. While I was there, both Rutgers and Seton Hall had strong soccer programs. One year (I think 1988), both teams were ranked in the top 10, and we played each other at Rutgers. I remember it being absolutely frigid, but there had to be 5,000 people there (I'm not kidding) - it was a big deal for soccer and a big deal for our programs (Seton Hall won that game, I think 1-0).

I'm not sure how many here have wrestled, or how long you've followed it. It's a dying sport - programs are under attack everywhere, even those that are self sustaining. Add in that any promotion you might get from TV is killed by pay-for services like FloWrestling or Intermat. You don't want to be insulated from the problem - the community is WAY TOO SMALL.

We NEED a strong Rutgers, Princeton, AND Rider to ensure that NJ kids want to stay home. Even more so, we need rivalries to promote and drive interest of the sport. NJ is wrestling crazy, it can only help. I'm not a big fan of tri- and quad- meets at the high school level, but a Rider / Princeton / Rutgers tri-meet would be worth paying for, and it can rotate around to each school every year, just like the Garden State Hardwood Classic.

I grew up during a time when nearly every school had a program - Seton Hall did, and I nearly wrestled for them (long story). After I graduated, they had 3 All Americans, one was the top seed in 1995 (Joe Burke at 158) - all obliterated because of Title IX and the lack of revenue / interest in wrestling, which disgusts me.

It angers me when I see the PSU folks ripping on Rutgers, and vice-versa. Penn State might survive the apocalypse, but it wouldn't be any fun if you couldn't wrestle anybody else. That may sound ridiculous, but I can see a future of it. The whole push for freestyle isn't helping either, and while I'm happy that international wrestling is on the upswing, it shouldn't come at the expense of folkstyle / scholastic wrestling.

Cherish Rider, cherish Princeton. In a blink of an eye, they could be gone, just like Seton Hall. Be thankful that Goodale has come in and run a program like a CEO, because if there were more Goodale / Scott Moore / Pat Popolizio types, maybe wrestling wouldn't be going south.

/RANT

We don't need Rider for anything, certainly not for more fan support or to energize NJ fans, and Princeton isn't going anywhere. Rutgers and Princeton are fine by me and work well together and have mutual respect and interests. Rider coaches have been assholes, because they're jealous that we passed them by when we finally started supporting and investing in wrestling and hired good coaches.

As for what's good for wrestling in general, I certainly don't want to see any more college programs go the way of EMU or Boise St, but Rider wrestling Rutgers and Princeton each year will have no bearing on whether Rider ultimately drops wrestling. Instead, those are pure multimillion dollar budget decisions.

 

[ChasRC69]

The outdoor match does a ton to boost our average attendance and interest in our program. I’d do it vs a local team each year to boost attendance even more. Maybe even two matches at once.

I enjoyed last year's match against MD and would welcome another at HPSS. However, we've been lucky with the weather both years. I'd hate to see a match in 30 or 40 degree cloudy weather. So long as there's an option to move it to the RAC if bad weather, I'd support it.

 

[ro89ru]

We don't need Rider for anything, certainly not for more fan support or to energize NJ fans, and Princeton isn't going anywhere. Rutgers and Princeton are fine by me and work well together and have mutual respect and interests. Rider coaches have been assholes, because they're jealous that we passed them by when we finally started supporting and investing in wrestling and hired good coaches.

As for what's good for wrestling in general, I certainly don't want to see any more college programs go the way of EMU or Boise St, but Rider wrestling Rutgers and Princeton each year will have no bearing on whether Rider ultimately drops wrestling. Instead, those are pure multimillion dollar budget decisions.

I don't know about the prior history but current Rider head coach Hangey is a good guy, would be great to see Rider on the schedule.

 

[belushijo]

I don't know about the prior history but current Rider head coach Hangey is a good guy, would be great to see Rider on the schedule.

Gary Taylor, the previous head-coach was also a classy guy. And I agree. Would enjoy seeing Rider on the schedule, as they've had teams in the recent past that would have given Rutgers one heck of a competitive match.

 

[rutgers0423]

I would like to see rider on the schedule.

 

[rdefabri]

We don't need Rider for anything, certainly not for more fan support or to energize NJ fans, and Princeton isn't going anywhere. Rutgers and Princeton are fine by me and work well together and have mutual respect and interests. Rider coaches have been assholes, because they're jealous that we passed them by when we finally started supporting and investing in wrestling and hired good coaches.

As for what's good for wrestling in general, I certainly don't want to see any more college programs go the way of EMU or Boise St, but Rider wrestling Rutgers and Princeton each year will have no bearing on whether Rider ultimately drops wrestling. Instead, those are pure multimillion dollar budget decisions.

You missed my point. Rider certainly isn't getting rid of wrestling. Believe me, Rutgers was way closer to dropping it than Rider ever will be. Judging by your comments, I'm not sure you understand and appreciate Rider wrestling, that program is like gold over there.

I'm talking the sport of WRESTLING. If people continue to be parochial, you can all but guarantee the sport will go by way of badminton or croquet.