Rutgers Scarlet Knights Wrestling: CKLV Invitational Preview
125-POUND PREVIEW: Right from the get-go, we start off with a LOADED weigh class (DISCLAIMER: This is not the last time you’ll see that phrase). There are a bunch of heavy hitters at 125, including #2 Sebastian Rivera and #3 Ronnie Besser, which, if the seeds hold, could make for one heckuva final. Shane Metzler is the Scarlet Knight representative in the weight. He has his work cut out for him in this tournament if he wants to find a podium spot.
WHAT RUTGERS FANS SHOULD WATCH FOR: The jury is still out on Metzler. He has shown spots of his true potential, but not enough for fans to be forgetting about Nic Agulair on the bench. Rutgers fans should be hoping to see Metzler knock off a ranked guy, or two, and prove that he can be a competitive 125-pounder in the Big Ten.
Top 4 Predictions:
1. Rivera
2. Besser
3. Russell
4. Moisey
133-POUND PREVIEW: This is one of the most anticipated brackets of the tournament. Stevan Micic and Nick Suriano is obviously the marquee match-up that fans want to see, but there’s work to be done before then. Suriano will most likely see the winner of an All-American match up, as Luke Pletcher and Montorie Bridges are on a collision course for the quarter-finals. Micic could have to fend off “the backpack”, Ethan Lizak, or #10 John Erneste in his semi-final as well. This weight-class alone is worth the price of admission.
WHAT RUTGERS FANS SHOULD WATCH FOR: For Nick Suriano to solidify his weight-class jump, and assure the country that he is a threat to Seth Gross, Daton Fix, and the rest of the 133-pound division. Suriano will most likely have to beat Luke Pletcher and Stevan Micic to win this tournament. Those two wins will defuse all doubt of weather-or-not changing weight classes was the right move for Nick Suriano.
Top 4 Predictions:
1. Suriano
2. Micic
3. Pletcher
4. Bridges
141-POUND PREVIEW: This is a really fun weight that features some proven veterans, with some young and promising talent. All eleven seeded wrestlers are ranked in Flowrestling’s Top 20, making this as close as it gets to a national tournament. Dom Demas has been looking stellar in his freshman campaign, and should not be taken lightly in this weight. Joey McKenna and Jayden Eierman are the two favorites to get to the finals here. Eierman had a successful off-season in freestyle, and will be looking to build on his success, working towards a NCAA title. Peter Lipari will make his debut for the Knights this season, looking to take over what has been an iffy spot in the lineup. Lipari will be unseeded, having his work cut out if he wants to find the podium this weekend.
WHAT RUTGERS FANS SHOULD WATCH FOR: For Peter Lipari to give hope to the 141-pound slot for the Knights. Mikey Van Brill has been underperforming thus far, and the staff is looking for someone to be the man for the weight. Coach Goodale has been very high on Lipari’s work this off-season, and is excited for Lipari’s opportunity to etch his name into the lineup.
Top 4 Predictions:
1. Eierman
2. McKenna
3. Carr
4. Alber
149-POUND PREVIEW: Anthony Ashnault is the number one seed here, and will have a tall order on his hands to take home the CKLV Open. However, this is a task Shnaulty is up for. Ashnault could see Max Thomsen of Northern Iowa, or Mitch Finesilver of Duke in the semi’s, both of whom will give Ashnault everything he can handle. On the other side of the bracket, we may see a showdown of the #2 and #4 in the nation, as Micah Jordan and Grant Leeth will have the opportunity to face off in the semi finals.
WHAT RUTGERS FANS SHOULD WATCH FOR:: For Ashnault to keep mobbin’. It's that simple.
Top 4 Predictions:
1. Ashnault
2. Jordan
3. Leeth
4. Thomsen
157-POUND PREVIEW: Eight wrestlers were given seeds at the 157-pound weight class, which looks to be a deep, yet balanced field. Tyler Berger got the one seed here, and could find himself with a tough semi-final in Ke-Shawn Hayes of Ohio State. Ryan Deakin of Northwestern is one to keep an eye on here, as he could possibly see the athletic Kennedy Monday of UNC on the opposite side of the bracket. Johnny Van Brill landed the sixth seed, surprisingly being seeded ahead of two wrestled ranked higher than him, in Hunter Willits and Griffin Parriott. This weight class is absolutely up for grabs, as all of the top eight seeds have the ability to make a run.
WHAT RUTGERS FANS SHOULD WATCH FOR: For JVB to be the old JVB, and come out on the winning side of those 50/50 scrambles he likes to get himself into. If Van Brill wants to be an AA in his final season, he’s going to have to be able to beat highly ranked opponents. This weekend will be the perfect test to see if JVB has what it takes.
Top 4 Predictions:
1. Deakin
2. Berger
3. Monday
4. Hayes
165-POUND PREVIEW: Logan Massa comes in as the top seed, in what is another deep bracket. The U23 World Champion, Mikahi Lewis, comes in at the seven seed, and could be a bracket buster. Lewis will most likely see Branson Ashworth of Wyoming in the semis, who is currently ranked 6th in the country by Flo. Steph Glasgow, Lewis’ high school teammate, will come in unseeded, but can spoil someone’s tournament as well.
WHAT RUTGERS FANS SHOULD WATCH FOR: There’s no doubt that Glasgow is a talented freshman. How talented? That question will be answered this weekend. There’s a whole slew of ranked wrestlers for Glasgow to knock off this weekend. If we can pick up a couple wins over ranked opponents, it would raise the stock of an already promising career.
Top 4 Predictions:
1. Massa
2. Ashworth
3. Steiert
4. Lewis
174-POUND PREVIEW:The top three seeds at 174 are ranked 3rd – 5th in the nation. That tells you just how much of a gauntlet this weight is going to be. Following that comes another group of five ranked wrestlers who were given seeds…just, wow. The winner of this weight will certainly have earned it, as Myles Amine, Daniel Lewis, and David McFadden are most likely the three top dogs in the fight. Mikey Labriola, the fifth seed from Nebraska, has a combination of strength and slickness that could make him dangerous in this bracket.
WHAT RUTGERS FANS SHOULD WATCH FOR: Grello had a year to get adjusted to the collegiate season, now fans want to see progress and results. His work will be cut out for him, but Grello was expected to be in the top 20 mix this season by the staff, and his work thus far has yet to prove it. This weekend, Joe Grello will have the opportunity to show he will AT LEAST be an NCAA qualifier, and maybe win a few bouts in Pittsburgh come March; something the Knights will need to have from Grello if the team wants to be in the hunt for a trophy.
Top 4 Predictions:
1. Amine
2. McFadden
3. Lewis
4. Lujan
184-POUND PREVIEW: This is another weight where the top three seeds are a bit stronger than the rest of the field, but by no means is the field weak. Myles Martin will be a heavy favorite, but could face a dangerous opponent in Taylor Venz or Zack Zavatsky. Max Dean, who put together a nice NCAA tournament last season, will give fits to anyone he has to face, which could be #9 Chip Ness in the quarter finals.
WHAT RUTGERS FANS SHOULD WATCH FOR: Jordan Pagano’s days are numbered at 184-pounds, as Nick Gravina will soon be returning from shoulder surgery. It’d be nice to see Pagano put on a good enough showing to be considered for a bump to the 197-pound slot come March, a weight the Knights have been struggling at. The six through ten seeds are tough, but all beatable, and give Pagano the opportunity to show the coaching staff he belongs in the lineup for the second semester.
Top 4 Predictions:
1. Martin
2. Venz
3. Zavatsky
4. Dean
197-POUND PREVIEW: This weight is Kollin Moore’s to lose. Aside from Moore, the closest ranked opponent is the two seed, #8 Nathan Traxler. Getting the nod for Rutgers will be Matt Correnti, who has the opportunity to show he can return to his NCAA qualifying form. Christian Brunner of Purdue comes in as the five seed, despite being ranked higher than Corey Griego and Stephan Loisseau, who are the respective three and four seeds.
WHAT RUTGERS FANS SHOULD WATCH FOR: Goodale told TKR that “Correnti is our guy”, meaning we will most likely not see Max Wright again anytime soon. Correnti has to start providing results for the staff to boost this young team. There’s no better time for Correnti to prove he is the guy than in Vegas.
Top 4 Predictions:
1. Moore
2. Traxler
3. Griego
4. Brunner
285-POUND PREVIEW:: I am all-aboard the Gable Steveson train. The young big man is the closest thing to Kyle Snyder we will probably ever see. Conan Jennings is the closest thing to a threat Steveson has in the bracket, but the Northwestern heavyweight will probably not be much of a task for Steveson. We could very possibly see Jeramy Sweany of Cornell knock off Jennings in the semis here. Tate Orndorff has also shown some ability in the early season, and is certainly a threat for the podium.
WHAT RUTGERS FANS SHOULD WATCH FOR: Everyone in this bracket, aside from Steveson, is beatable for Colucci. Two of the seeded wrestlers, Tate Orndorff and AJ Nevills, are foes Colucci has seen already and lost to in tight bouts. This is Colucci’s time to avenge a loss or two, and picked up another couple of ranked victories along the way.
Top 4 Predictions:
1. Steveson
2. Sweany
3. Jennings
4. Daniel
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