RU erased an early 9-3 deficit by winning five consecutive bouts from heavyweight through 149 pounds. No. 1 Anthony Ashnault (149) pinned for the eighth time this season, No. 4 Nick Suriano (133) earned his ninth major decision and fourth win against a ranked individual, while Nicholas Gravina (184), Christian Colucci (HWT), Shane Metzler (125) and Peter Lipari (141) all secured decisions against Purdue.
RU has now won three consecutive dual wins dating back to last weekend's thriller over No. 20 Princeton.
"What a way to sweep the weekend," said head coach Scott Goodale. "We piece things together and find a way to win these dual meets. It's a long weekend, so I'm proud of our guys. We're banged up and we just keep fighting through it."
How it Happened
• With the match starting at 174 pounds, Joseph Grello suffered a tough 4-3 loss to No. 11 Dylan Lydy. Grello trailed by just one point in the third period and had multiple shots on Lydy's legs, but could not complete the comeback.
• Gravina followed against Max Lyon and earned a point for unnecessary roughness for an immediate 1-0 lead to start the match. Lyon was again hit for a penalty in the second period to give Gravina a 2-1 lead with two minutes to go, while a late escape by Gravina earned him a 3-2 decision.
• Matthew Correnti (197) was pinned in the third period of his match with No. 12 Christian Brunner, as Rutgers trailed 9-3 through three match. Colucci helped Rutgers regain its momentum with his 3-2 overtime win against Jacob Aven, riding him out in TB1 and then escaping in TB2 for his third conference win of the season.
• Metzler tied up the team score with his 4-1 decision against Marshall Craig, adding the takedown in the third period to make it a 9-9 dual at intermission.
• Suriano was once again dominant in his match, this one against No. 14 Ben Thornton. Suriano had two takedowns and 1:17 of riding time in the first period, added an escape and takedown in period two and closed the bout two takedowns in the final 1:20 of action for the 12-4 major decision.
• Lipari wrestled tough in his bout with Nate Limmex. Trailing 3-2 with just under 15 seconds left, Lipari escaped to force sudden victory. Then in TB2, Lipari worked a reversal for a 5-4 final, his second consecutive win of the weekend.
• Ashnault clinched the dual with his pin of Parker Filius, needing just 2:22 to get his opponent on his back for the fall. That put the match out of reach, as Rutgers led 22-9 with two matches to go.
Notables
• The win over No. 20 Purdue was the third over a ranked foe, as the Scarlet Knights also secured victories against No. 10 Wisconsin (Jan. 11) and No. 20 Princeton (Feb. 3).
• Ashnault collected his eighth pin of the season and first since Dec. 16 against Rider. The graduate student, now 21-0, leads the program with 77 dual points in 2018-19.
• Ashnault has won 15 matches by bonus, including eight falls, four tech falls and three major decision.
• Ashnault now owns 112 career victories, good for fourth in program history. Ashnault needs just sic more wins to become the school's all-time wins leader.
• Suriano is on a five-match winning streak, and has outscored his opponents, 89-26, during that span.
• Suriano collected his team-leading ninth major of the season and is now 19-2 with 17 wins by bonus, including nine majors, four tech falls, three pins, and a medical forfeit. His 17 wins by bonus leads the team while he is second with 67 dual points this season.
Results:
174: No. 11 Dylan Lydy (PU) over Joseph Grello (RU) (D 4-3)
184: Nicholas Gravina (RU) over Max Lyon (PU) (D 3-2)
197: No. 12 Christian Brunner (PU) over Matthew Correnti (RU) (Fall 6:19)
285: Christian Colucci (RU) over Jacob Aven (PU) (TB2 3-2)
125: Shane Metzler (RU) over Marshall Craig (PU) (D 4-1)
133: No. 4 Nick Suriano (RU) over No. 14 Ben Thornton (PU) (MD 12-4)
141: Peter Lipari (RU) over Nate Limmex (PU) (TB2 5-4)
149: No. 1 Anthony Ashnault (RU) over Parker Filius (PU) (Fall 2:24)
157: No. 13 Griffin Parriott (PU) over No. 14 John Van Brill (RU) (D 3-2)
165: Cole Wysocki (PU) over Jake Benner (RU) (D 8-1)
UP NEXT
Rutgers will wrestle its final home match of the 2018-19 season when it hosts No. 3 Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 17.
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