3/8/2021 other sports Edit

RECAP: Rutgers Wrestling Big Ten Tournament Notebook

Lex Knapp • TheKnightReport

Wrestling Analyst

Many wrestling folks proclaim there is no tougher tournament than the Big Ten tournament, and that proved to be true once again this weekend. Rutgers wrestling competed in their conference championship, held in the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State University, where nine Scarlet Knights were vying for automatic bids to the national tournament.

Rutgers wrestling experienced highs and lows throughout the weekend, but ultimately ended up with a very successful final session on Sunday afternoon. The team was led by Sebastian Rivera (141), Mike Van Brill (149), and John Poznanski (184) who all finished third place in their respective weight class. The third-place finish for the three Scarlet Knights secured automatic bids to the NCAA tournament which will be held in St. Louis, Missouri in two weeks.

Sebastian Rivera met Nick Lee on Saturday night for a highly anticipated semi-final bout. Rivera and Lee exchanged scores in a back-and-forth battle, with the match being tied at six at the end of the third period. Lee would take Rivera down with one second remaining in sudden victory, giving Lee the win and sending him to the finals. Rivera would go on to finish third, after defeating Nebraska’s Chad Red 4 -3. It is likely that these seeds follow suit for the NCAA Championships, and Rivera will have a change to avenge his loss to Lee in the semi-finals in St. Louis.

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The biggest surprise of the tournament was Mike Van Brill’s Cinderella run to a third-place finish. After dropping his opening round match, Van Brill ran through the consolation bracket defeating four higher seeded wrestlers. On his way to a bronze medal, Van Brill avenge two of his three losses from the regular season, defeating Kanen Storr of Michigan and Griffin Parriott of Purdue.

John Poznanski continued his stellar freshman campaign, as he was able to also secure a bronze medal in his first Big Ten tournament. Poznanski met Owen Webster of Minnesota in the quarterfinals, who gave Poznanski his lone loss of the season at that point. Poznanski was able to get revenge on Webster, and secured his trip to the national tournament. Following a loss in the semi-finals to the top seeded Aaron Brooks, Poznanski would defeat Layne Malczewski and Nelson Brands to earn the third-place finish.

Dylan Shawver Has “It”

That headline may sound a bit peculiar, considering Dylan Shawver placed outside the top 10 this weekend. Shavwer, despite his 2 – 3 weekend, showed intangibles that are key in the making of a successful wrestling career. Shawver wrestled hard in all three phases, with tremendous hustle and grit. One thing that Shawver possess, which coach Goodale loves to see in his wrestlers, is fight. Whether he was down by one point or seven, Shawver fought the entire seven minutes of each match he was in. His toughness was most evident in his lone win of the weekend, which was a 7 – 6 thrilling upset over the four seed Patrick McKee in the opening round. There is no denying Shawver has improvements to make, but watching him wrestle this weekend, he showed he has that “it” factor to be a very good college wrestler.

John Poznanski is Destined for an Ashnault-like Career

That may be a pretty bold statement, but I am standing by it. John Poznanski is a true freshman, but you would never know it by watching him wrestle. Poz had a tremendous regular season, followed by a great Big Ten tournament, finishing 3rd place at 184-lbs. Of course, there is still work to do, but Poz can potentially have a monumental rookie season with an All-American finish in St. Louis. The idea of Poz being an All-American at the beginning of this season was probably a lofty wish. Now, most would consider it a disappointment if Poznanski did not end up on the NCAA podium this year. He has beaten ranked opponents all season long, and was able to avenge his lone regular season loss in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Even if Poz falls short of All-American status this year, multiple podium appearances, and perhaps even a national title are in this young man’s future.

Van Brilliant

Mike Van Brill looked great during the regular season. Even while losing three of four dual meet matches, there was no doubt that Van Brill had been wrestling the best of his career. He was just one mistake shy of turning a close loss into an upset win. The tides changed for Van Brill this weekend, as he knocked off the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th seeds on his way to a 3rd place finish in the Big Ten tournament. The third-place finish qualified MVB for the national tournament for the second time in his career. Van Brill should find himself seeded towards the middle of the bracket after his stellar weekend, giving him a punchers chance at All-American status. MVB will be an underdog to make the podium, but if he continues to minimize mistakes, keeps matches tight with higher ranked opponents, and continues to wrestle confidently, he will continue to turn heads at the big dance in two weeks.

Despite a Third Place Finish, National Title Hopes Remain Alive for Rivera

Much of the talk going into this tournament surrounded the seeding of the 141-lb weight class. Sebastian Rivera was given the third seed, behind Jaydin Eierman and Nick Lee. Meaning, Rivera and Lee, the two seed, were destined for a collision course in the semi-finals, with the winner likely facing Eierman for the Big Ten title, and eventual number one seed at the national tournament. Rivera and Lee put on arguably the best match of the tournament, with Lee defeating Rivera in sudden victory. Lee would go on to lose to Eierman 6 – 5 in the final. This weekend showed that Sebastian Rivera is very much capable of winning the national title. If there was ever a time for Rivera to get a loss out of his system, it was this weekend. Rivera will go into the NCAA tournament likely as the third seed, and could run into Lee in the semifinals two weeks from now in St. Louis. The winner of that possible rematch will potentially see Eierman coming in from the top half of the bracket into the finals for all the marbles.

The Waiting Game

A handful of Scarlet Knights are eligible for an at-large bid, or at least in contention. Jackson Turley may have the resume to get one at 174-lbs, despite a disappointing performance this weekend. Billy Janzer is going to have a shot at receiving one as well, finishing one spot outside the allotted seven bids. The most intriguing wildcard hopeful is Rob Kanniard, who was unable to compete at the conference tournament. Kanniard, who sits at 1-3 on the year, was stuck in COVID-19 protocol, forcing him to sit out and hope for an at-large bid. Kanniard was competitive in all three of his loses, which were to three wrestlers that secured automatic bids this weekend.