SPORTS

Rutgers wrestling loses to No. 6 Penn State in front of record crowd

Ryan Dunleavy

@rydunleavy

Rutgers has lost three of the top six-ranked teams in the nation at home
141-pounder Anthony Ashnault beat opponents from Iowa, Minnesota and Penn State
149-pounder Ken Theobold earned his third straight win
A record-sized crowd of 6,071 showed up, breaking a mark that stood for two weeks

PISCATAWAY – It gets easier from here for the Rutgers wrestling team. But not much easier.

The Big Ten just won’t allow that kind of drop-off, even as a favor to a newcomer getting integrated to its new demands.

No. 24 Rutgers completed the unenviable task of battling three of the top six teams in the nation over a two-week span by losing 28-6 to No. 6 Penn State in front of a record-sized wrestling crowd of 6,071 Friday night at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. The former attendance record stood for just two weeks.

“I’m dying to give this fan base really something to cheer about through the course of the match,” coach Scott Goodale said.

Since the calendar turned to 2015, No. 1 Iowa and No. 2 Minnesota also visited Piscataway and Rutgers made a trip to No. 9 Illinois, but it’s Penn State (7-1, 3-1) with the four straight national championships.

Rutgers (9-4, 0-4) remains winless in 19 all-time matches against Penn State, but wins by Anthony Ashnault and Ken Theobold at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively, ensured that the result was an improvement over the last meeting, a 34-0 drubbing at the RAC in 2013.

“I don’t believe in moral victories,” Goodale said. “I knew we were up against it. I’m a realist. I understand it. It was good to see those two guys win.”

Rutgers’ best chance for its first Big Ten win is Sunday against unranked Maryland as the second half of the inaugural Big Ten slate includes a sold-out home match against No. 5 Ohio State (Feb. 1) and trips to No. 10 Wisconsin, No. 11 Nebraska and No. 17 Northwestern.

“We really want to take it to Maryland,” Ashnault said. “What’s been happening to us, it’s a chance to turn it around make it happen to Maryland.”

Rutgers was expected to have a 1-2 punch with Ashnault and Andrew Campolattano, who combined to finish 348-1 with eight state championships (four apiece) in high school, but the winning pairing thus far has been the back-to-back duo of Ashnault and Theobold.

After Penn State won the first two matches by major decisions, Ashnault gave the crowd its first taste of excitement by winning a 6-4 decision.

Ashnault, who most New Jersey fans have never seen lose, trailed unranked Kade Moss 4-3 with less than 30 seconds left in the third period. With no sign of nerves, the No. 7-ranked South Plainfield native scored a takedown and then remained in command to add a point via riding time and improve to 16-3.

“I was trying to debate where I should ride him out for the win or get a takedown for the win,” Ashnault said. “I was a little tentative.”

Theobold, a Toms River native, earned his third straight win by prevailing 5-2 in a toss-up match against Zack Beitz. Both Theobold and Beitz were ranked No. 17 in different national polls, but Theobold scored a takedown 30 seconds in and racked up riding time.

Theobold spent the final seconds of his match waving his arms toward to the crowd for more energy, but the teammate most likely to provide it, 2014 All-American Anthony Perrotti, remains sidelined by injury.

“I’m pretty happy with where I’m at, but you can always get better and you can always learn, even from wins,” Theobold said. “The biggest thing with all of us is we just need to attack more in the third period.”

Campolattano, who is still rounding into shape after a two-year layoff, suffered his third straight loss, an 8-2 decision to All-American Morgan McIntosh. The Bound Brook native was ineligible to compete during the first half of the season as a transfer from Ohio State.

“I see someone who is fighting some things, whether it’s a weight issue, whether it’s a conditioning issue, whether it’s fear of failure,” Goodale said. “It’s hard for him. It’s been along time since he competed. It’s not an excuse. It’s not where needs to be and he understands it.”

Heavyweight Billy Smith almost broke a string of five consecutive decisions for Penn State but he lost 5-3 in overtime to Jon Gingrich.

Toms River native Jimmy Lawson, a former Monmouth football player with national title aspirations in his final year as a collegiate wrestler, sat out in his homecoming because it wasn’t his turn in a rotation with Gingrich.

“You’re watching the best teams in the country. There’s no secret to what they’re doing,” Goodale said. “They’re getting to our legs and they’re scoring the first takedown.”

Staff Writer Ryan Dunleavy: rdunleav@gannett.com

No. 5 Penn State 28, No. 22 Rutgers 6

Dual started at 125 pounds

Officials: Joe Bartel and John Hnath

Attendance: 6,071 (program record)

125: No. 8/9/11 Jordan Conaway (PSU) major dec. over Sean McCabe (RU); Penn State leads, 4-0

133: No. 7/7/9 Jimmy Gulibon (PSU) major dec. over No. NR/17/NR Scott DelVecchio (RU), 12-2; Penn State leads, 8-0

141: No. 7/8/9 Anthony Ashnault (RU) dec. over Kade Moss (PSU), 6-4; Penn State leads, 8-3

149: No. NR/NR/17 Ken Theobold (RU) dec. over No. 17/18/11 Zack Beitz (PSU), 5-2; Penn State leads, 8-6

157: No. 7/4/5 Dylan Alton (PSU) major dec. over Dylan Painton (RU), 11-3; Penn State leads, 12-6

165: Garett Hammond (PSU) major dec. over Nick Visicaro (RU), 13-4; Penn State leads, 16-6

174: No. 4/7/4 Matt Brown (PSU) dec. over No. 20/15/18 Phil Bakuckas (RU), 7-1; Penn State leads, 19-6

184: No. 16/16/NR Matt McCutcheon (PSU) dec. over Anthony Pafumi (RU), 10-4; Penn State leads, 22-6

197: No. 6/6/7 Morgan McIntosh (PSU) dec. over No. NR/18/NR Andrew Campolattno (RU); Penn State leads, 25-6

285: No. NR/8/NR Jon Gingrich (PSU) dec. over No. 13/13/14 Billy Smith (RU), 5-3 (SV); Penn State wins, 28-6