The stories of Rutgers and Princeton wrestling are truly special. Not too long ago, neither of these teams were respected. Both programs were not just looked at as mediocre amongst the rest of the country, but within their conference as well.
When Rutgers was in Princeton’s conference, the EIWA, Leigh and Cornell ran the show. Rutgers sat around the middle of the pack, as Princeton was closer to the bottom of the barrel. There was no sight of a marquee showdown between the two schools in the near future.
Fast forward to 2020…
Head coach for Princeton, Chris Ayers, has put together one of the best teams in Princeton wresting history. His mottos of “Get In” and “Burn the Ships” have inspired his team to have a chip on their shoulder, with an “us against the world” mentality.
Rutgers, on the other hand, is following up on a season that gave them their first two national champions in program history, along with an NCAA tournament best finish at 9th place. They have a state-of-the-art facility to train in, and are no longer a target for solely New Jersey high school recruits. Talented kids across the country have a legitimate interest in Rutgers.
As both programs blossomed into where they are now, the two schools developed a partnership in the New Jersey Regional Training Center (NJRTC). The NJRTC has allowed both Rutgers and Princeton student-athletes to train with Olympic hopefuls, providing world-class training partners and coaches for both schools. It has been quite interesting to see two in-state rivals partner up for the greater good, as both programs have benefited from this joint venture.
Despite their friendship, neither school wants to lose this battle. The Big-Ivy trophy will be on the line, once again. Since its inception, the award is something Princeton has never been able to capture. But unlike this year, Rutgers was always the favorite in this dual meet in recent time. This year, Princeton is a considerable favorite over the Scarlet Knights.
TKR has broken down the Big-Ivy rivalry, predicting who will take home the trophy. Can Scott Goodale pull of the upset, keeping the trophy home on the banks? Or will Chris Ayers finally raise the wooden prize over his head, in front of his home crowd? Let’s take a look!
125-POUNDS: No. 25 NIC AGUILAR vs. No. 3 PATRICK GLORY
THE SKINNY: Nic Aguilar has seen many tough opponents this season, but he may not have come across a better wrestler than Pat Glory. Glory has been on a tear from the day he stepped foot on the Princeton campus. Glory is notorious for scoring a lot of points, and, in-fact, he has found bonus in almost 75% of his wins. Aguilar is not push over, so Glory is not going to have an easy time with Aguilar. If Aguilar wins, it is obviously huge for Rutgers, but his job here is to give up no more than three bonus points.
RESULT: Princeton via major decision
TEAM SCORE: 4-0 Princeton leads
133-POUNDS: NO. 10 SAMMY ALVAREZ vs. TY AGAISSE
THE SKINNY: Sammy Alvarez has be one of Rutgers most dependable wrestlers this season, but as of late, he has not been quite as dominant. Nonetheless, Alvarez will be heavily favorited in this match against Princeton’s Ty Agaisse. Agaissehad a great high school career at Delbarton, NJ, and is the leader of this Tiger team. Like Nic Aguilar, Agaisse’s job for Princeton is to avoid a bonus point loss. That really all depends on how quickly Alvarez can strike. In matches that Alvarez scores a lot of points, he usually scores fairly early in the bout. If Agaisse can weather the storm, it may be a tight win for Alvarez down the stretch.
RESULT: Rutgers via Major Decision
TEAM SCORE: 4-4 TIED
141-POUNDS: JOJO ARAGONA vs. MARSHALL KELLER
THE SKINNY: The bout at 141-lbs might be the most crucial match in this dual. Rutgers’ prized recruit, Jojo Aragona, has had some growing pains as a true freshman. Despite Aragona’sstruggles, he has a winnable match against Marshall Keller. Keller holds a 15 – 13 record, though he has not seen nearly as difficult of a schedule that Aragona has seen. Fans did see JojoAragona rise to the occasion against Rider, when he defeated Peter Lipari in overtime. Can Aragona help uplift Rutgers over another in-state rival? If so, it can be a huge boost to Rutgers. If not, this will be a tough dual meet for the Scarlet Knights to win.
RESULT: Rutgers via decision
TEAM SCORE: 7-4 Rutgers leads
149-POUNDS: GERARD ANGELO vs. No. 4 MATTHEW KOLODZIK
THE SKINNY: There was a giant sigh of disappointment out of New Brunswick, New Jersey when Matthew Kolodzik came out of Olympic redshirt. Kolodzik is powerful, fast, and very technically sound. He has thrown a wrench into the national scene at 149-lbs, and also this dual meet. Gerard Angelo has a dangerous cradle that can catch most people. However, Matthew Kolodzik is not most people. You can guarantee Kolodzik is coming into this dual with a chip on his shoulder after Anthony Ashnault embarrassed him in a highly anticipated showdown just a year ago. Avoiding bonus is usually the job for most overmatched wrestlers, but Angelo is probably better off trying to give up a major decision, over a technical fall or pin.
RESULT: Princeton via pin / falll
TEAM SCORE: 10-7 Princeton leads
157-POUNDS: MIKE VAN BRILL vs. No. 4 QUINCY MONDAY
THE SKINNY: Mike Van Brill seems to have a unique way of wrestling to his opposition’s ability. Van Brill may wrestle poorly against a lesser opponent, but then will hold a tight match against a highly ranked foe. When Rutgers took on Rider, Van Brill was able to hold No. 7 Jesse Dellavecchia to a decision. That would be great for Rutgers if he can do it again here. Quincy Monday is the son of legendary Olympic gold medalist, Kenny Monday. Monday has really found his way this season, being ranked inside the top five of every major poll. With only three losses on the year, Monday has seen many ranked opponents, most of whom he has beaten. The x-factor in this match is Monday’s speed. He is incredibly explosive, so Van Brill must slow the match down in order to keep this one close.
RESULT: Princeton via major decision
TEAM SCORE: 14-7 Princeton leads
165-POUNDS: BRETT DONNER vs. No. 21 GRANT CUOMO
THE SKINNY: A lot of fans were not high on Brett Donner coming into this season. In fact, most were rooting for true freshman Jackson Turley to win the spot at 165-lbs. Donner secured the starting job, and really has gotten better by the week. He has a ways to go before he is amongst the top middleweights in the Big Ten, but he has been quite serviceable this year. This is a huge match for Donner, as he can really elevate himself towards the top 25 with a win over Grant Cuomo. Cuomo does not have a ton of big wins this year, but his best one this season was over NC State’s Thomas Bullard. Donner is not going to light up the score board, but his funk roll creates a tricky defense for his opponents. That will not be enough, though, as Donner will need a takedown or two to come out on top in this one.
RESULT: Princeton via decision
TEAM SCORE: 17-7 Princeton leads
WILLIE SCOTT or JOE GRELLO vs. KEVIN PARKER
THE SKINNY: This weight class is the giant question mark in the dual meet. Joe Grello is questionable for Sunday. If Grello is able to go, it could be huge for Rutgers. They will go from an underdog to a favorite at this weight. But then the question is, how good is Grello going to be, as he has hardly wrestled this season? Will his gas tank be ready for seven minutes? Will his technique be sloppy and poorly timed? Those questions will only be answered once the whistle blows. For the sake of the dual, as Rutgers almost needs Grello to wrestle, TKR is going to give him the go in this prediction. Grello will take on one of the few seniors in this lineup in Kevin Parker. Parker is not necessarily a hole in Princeton’s lineup, but he certainly is more of a role guy. His job is to beat the guys he should, andminimize bonus when he is overmatched. With so many variables, it is hard to say what happens here. If Grello gets the nod, he must rise to the occasion for his team, or Rutgers will not have much of a shot.
RESULT: Rutgers (with Grello) via decision
TEAM SCORE: 17-10 Princeton leads
184-POUNDS: No. 12 BILLY JANZER vs. No. 25 TRAVOS STEFANIK
THE SKINNY: There was something very obvious in the match between Rutgers and Rider: the gas tank, the toughness, the ability is just simply better in a Big Ten team. That is a stigma Travis Stefanik is going to attempt to break. Unfortunately for Stefanik, he takes on the toughest kid Rutgers wrestling has, Billy Janzer. When Janzer takes the mat with that scowl on his face, opponents know they are in for a war. Stefanik is no stranger to Big Ten battles, as he did beat Iowa’s Nelson Brands. The Princeton crowd may give Stefanik a slight edge, but Billy Janzer loves to carry the weight of his team. Both teams could desperately need a win here, so it will be interesting to see who steps up for their squad.
RESULT: Rutgers via decision
TEAM SCORE: 17-13 Princeton leads
197-POUNDS: NO. 19 JORDAN PAGANO vs. No. 3 PAT BRUCKI
THE SKINNY: If all holds, Rutgers will need Jordan Pagano to pull off the upset in order to have a chance to win the dual meet at heavyweight. Granted, there is a chance this match does not start at 125, so that may not be the case. Regardless, if Pagano can defeat No. 3 Pat Brucki, it would turn this whole dual around. Brucki looks like the blueprint for a successful division one wrestler. He is very well built, has crisp technique, and is very explosive. This is going to be a tall order for Pagano, but in his defense, there is one or two more winnable toss-ups that Rutgers should be relying on. If Pagano can hold the match to a decision, and the rest of the team does their job, it is a much more probable path to victory.
RESULT: Princeton via decision
TEAM SCORE: 20-13 Princeton leads
HWT: ALEX ESPOSITO vs. AIDAN CONNER
THE SKINNY: Alex Esposito has had a solid couple weeks, as he had a big pin against Northwestern, and an upset win at Rider. Espo can cap off his little streak with a win over the 8 – 16 Aidan Conner. As a true freshman, Conner has had struggled this season being Princeton’s anchor. That is probably why Princeton will want to draw a starting weight, as there is plenty of other weight classes they would feel comfortable winning in a must-win situation. Espo was in danger against the 0 – 12 Jack Heybo, before he found a second period fall. So, there is no guarantee that Espo is a surefire pick over Conner. However, if you are a betting man or woman, your money is most likely with Espo.
RESULT: Rutgers via decision
TEAM SCORE: 20-16 Princeton wins
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