Rutgers Wrestling opens 3-0 and preps for Battle at the Birthplace VIDEO UPDATE

3-0. Its a nice way to start your season, especially if you’re the No. 10 Wrestling team in the country.

Rutgers' west coast swing was a very successful kickoff to the 2016-17 season with wins over San Francisco State, CSU Bakersfield, and Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo.

The season started with a first period fall, as Jordan Pagano decked his opponent from San Francisco State in 2:32, starting the 45-0 rout of the home team. The Knights would record eight bonus point victories over the Gators (yes, the San Francisco State Gators) including tech falls by Anthony Ashnault, Ken Theobold, and Phil Bakuckas. Heavyweight Marc McDonald would join Pagano with a fall in the victory.

The second match of the day pitted RU against Cal State Bakersfield, with Rutgers again dominating the contest from the start. Redshirt junir Nick Gravina opened the match with the only Scarlet fall, ending the bout in the first period at 1:33. With successive losses at 197, Heavyweight, and 125, Rutgers fell behind 12-6; it was the only time they would trail the entire weekend.

RU came back with a pair of bonus point wins as Tyson Dippery and Anthony Ashnault won by tech fall and major decision, respectively. After falling into a tie after the 149 pound bout, the Knights reeled off three wins to end the dual and score the victory, 26-15.

Full box score for SF State and CSU Bakersfield here.

The weekend wrapped up in San Luis Obispo as the Knights took on Cal Poly. The string of opening bouts won by fall ended as Sean McCabe scored only a major decision to start the match, winning 10-1. The Knights then proceeded to win the next eight bouts, earning the 38-4 win. En route, Rutgers scored six bonus point victories including falls by Ashnaulkt and Theobold, a tech fall by Tyson Dippery and three majors by McCabe, Willie Scott, and Nick Gravina.

Full box score for Call Poly San Luis Obispo here.

Battle at the Birthplace

It’s time....it’s here.

It must be the sense that there’s something special going on.

Head Coach Scott Goodale said as long as it wasn’t raining or snowing, the long-awaited outdoor match at High Point Solutions Stadium would go on. And just look at the forecast for Saturday is sunny with temps in the 60’s.

We. Are. Wrestling. Outdoors.

The wrestling match is, of course, part of the doubleheader on Saturday with the match followed at night by the Penn State football game at 8:00 pm. Details about parking for the combination ticket holder is below.

Princeton opened its season on Nov. 6 at the Southeast Open, but has not had any dual matches to date. Ian Baker and freshman Matthew Kolodzik (11th at 141 in the preseason InterMat poll) won individual titles for the Tigers in Virginia. They led a Tiger group of seven placewinners, including 174-pound junior and New Jersey native Jonathan Schleifer, who lost his final in sudden victory.

• Match Day Parking Information for Nov. 19 'Battle at the Birthplace' Match

And just for good measure....