Rutgers wrestling fans wait no more: B1G matches, No. 1 Iowa on tap

• Rutgers (9-0) will face No. 1 Iowa at 8 p.m. Friday in its first ever Big Ten wrestling match
• The biggest crowd for a Rutgers home match is 5,011 and that could be in jeopardy this year
• Ohio State transfer Andrew Campolattano is ready to make his Rutgers debut against Iowa
• Rutgers has sold more than 3,760 tickets and the match will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network

PISCATAWAY – Anthony Ashnault was a part of the biggest crowd in Rutgers wrestling history, and now he is one of the many reasons that record number of 5,011 soon could be in jeopardy.

The moment wrestling-crazed New Jersey has waited two years for finally arrives at 8 p.m. Friday when No. 23 Rutgers hosts its first Big Ten wrestling match. To further excitement, Iowa, which is ranked No. 1 in National Wrestling Coaches Association poll, is the first visitor to the Louis Brown Athletic Center.

“I’m sure from a fan’s standpoint there is quite a bit of buzz, but from our guys it’s been business as usual,” coach Scott Goodale said. “I think we’re excited for the Big Ten, for this type of match and this type of atmosphere. There has been so much hype and talk. You can’t hide from it.”

The Big Ten has 10 of its 14 teams ranked in the Top 25 and Rutgers will face seven of them during the next five weeks, including No. 1, No. 2 (Minnesota), No. 4 (Penn State) and No. 7 (Ohio State) at home.

But Iowa is the cream of a very rich crop, with 23 national championships and nine of 10 starters ranked in the Top 10 nationally within their weight class by Intermat – a distinction no other program currently can claim.

“There is an Iowa style of wrestling. It’s in your face, constantly pushing, getting back to the center,” Goodale said. “They’re not going to out-condition us, I’ll tell you that. But their mantra is going to be to push pace and get after you and try to break you. Our guys have heard about it and read about it. You need to be in great shape if you are wrestling them. We need to accept that challenge.”

Since Goodale’s arrival eight years ago, Rutgers has had several shining moments, including Anthony Perrotti’s run last March to become the program’s first All-American since 2002, a victory against then-No. 3 Virginia Tech in 2011 and the record-setting crowd on hand against Lehigh in 2011.

Rutgers sold 3,760 tickets as of Tuesday, before a push that included selling out the student section and leaving only general admission seats available. Big Ten Network will broadcast the match live.

“I’ve never been a part of something this special,” said Ashnault, whose older brother Billy starred at Rutgers and now is part of the coaching staff. “I was at all those big ones. A lot of emotions for me are cemented into Rutgers wrestling. It’s pretty cool to be a part of it now and making my own memories.”

Surviving the gauntlet ahead required Rutgers to raise its efforts across the board, which it has by recruiting top talent, hiring a well-respected assistant coach (Donny Pritzlaff) away from Michigan and drumming up fan interest.

“Everyone is really buying in to what we’re doing,” said Ashnault, the state’s only undefeated four-time high school state champion from South Plainfield. “Everyone is doing the right things. Everyone wants to win here. We can’t afford to have people on the team right now who aren’t ready for this and aren’t excited to wrestle Iowa at home because it’s one of the biggest things that’s happened for this program in a while.”

Ashnault is 13-2 at 141 pounds, 149-pounder Ken Theobold is 13-3, Perrotti is 12-3 at 157 pounds, 174-pounder Phillip Bakuckas is 15-3 and senior heavyweight Billy Smith is 8-0, but Rutgers’ lineup is about to get even stronger as Ohio State transfer Andrew Campolattano is ready to make his debut.

Rutgers went 9-0 with an upset of traditional power Oklahoma in duals without Campolattano.

“This is the first taste of Big Ten wrestling that we’re going to get, so I think we’re looking to show what we’re made of,” said Campolattano, a Bound Brook native. “It’s definitely going to be a learning process, but I think everyone is excited to compete. We know these teams are going to be tough. That’s what it’s about, though. We want to wrestle the best guys because that’s how you become better.”

Goodale isn’t just pushing the team to be better, however. He wants more from the crowds, too.

“That place needs to be packed,” Goodale said of the RAC. “What a great chance not only to see us but to see them. You are going to see throughout the course of the year the best guys on the best rosters in the country. The best coaches in the country. The best programs in the country. We need to get that to 7,000.”

Staff Writer Ryan Dunleavy: rdunleav@gannett.com