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Nick Suriano excited to start Rutgers career

At the start of each new season, there seems to be more and more buzz about the Rutgers wrestling team. Heading into the start of the 2017-18 season, New Jersey native Nick Suriano has enhanced the buzz surrounding No.12-ranked Scarlet Knights.

The sophomore spent last year at Penn State where he posted a 16-3 record, although two of those losses came by forfeit. An injury prevented him from participating in the NCAA championships and shortly after the end of the season, he pursued a plan to transfer to Rutgers.

That plan did not unfold smoothly as there were a few bumps in the road. Suriano, who competes in the 125-pound division, had to get his transfer approved so he could compete immediately.

“It reminded me of high school, getting recruited all over again. But this was my decision to come here,” said Suriano, a graduate of Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, N.J. “This is where I am happy, this is where I want to be and I have been supported with this decision by my team, my coaches, my family. It was a grueling process, I had to answer to some people. I had to wait for some people to decide on my future. But it’s all good. I am healthy, I am positive, everything is great. This is where I want to be and November 4th I am going to be representing Rutgers wrestling.”

Suriano came home to a lot of fanfare as there were a wealth of Rutgers fans and wrestling fans excited about his return to New Jersey.

“It’s awesome,” Suriano said. “It’s humbling and it is inspiring to have so many fans on the internet and behind me here in New Jersey. I am well supported but I guess I have earned that. This was no easy road for me. I went out there and achieved what I did with hard work. But it is humbling.”

Suriano never lost a match during his high school career and become known throughout the wrestling world for his laser-sharp focus. He talked about how he was able to develop that focus.

“I think from a young age, I have had high goals and I loved hard work. I am very focused on what I do and I take it very seriously. I am open minded and I have a lot of interests outside the sport, but when it comes to lacing up your shoes and getting ready, I love training. I love the physical part of training and fighting a little bit. I love going in and competing for what I want.”

Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale remarked on how Suriano’s focus is already impacting the rest of the team.

“His preparation, his work ethic, his focus every day, day in and day out. We have guys that are tremendously focused. Nick is tremendously focused,” Goodale said. “It’s every part of his life, it’s the way he lives his life; his diet, his sleep habits. His preparation has affected our program, there is no question about it.”

And how has it been working with Goodale thus far?

“It has been great. The communication is through the roof,” Suriano said. “We communicate clearly, there are no misunderstandings. We are on the same page. Communication is something I don’t take for granted. Coach is very passionate. He takes this very seriously and I am thriving from it. These are my kind of people here.”

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