Three Scarlet Knights Ranked in Preseason Wrestling Poll

The first edition of the Flo Wrestling weight by weight rankings have been released.

The service has expanded to a Top 25 ranking system (previous was Top 20).

With the graduation of guys like Anthony Ashnault and John Van Brill (a national champ and a perennial NCAA qualifier) Rutgers has some questions in the lineup that will have to be answered through wrestle offs and decisions throughout the preseason. However, three returning Scarlet Knights, with the exception of Nick Suriano, who is taking a redshirt to prepare for the Olympics, are ranked in the Top 25 of their respective weight classes.

No. 24 Pete Lipari (RS Sr.) - 141 lbs.

Lipari makes his debut in the rankings for the upcoming 2019-20 season and this would all but confirm that he is going to be the guy at 141 pounds for Rutgers. Freshman JoJo Aragona, who comes in with high expectations, could battle for the spot, bump up and challenge for 149, or ultimately redshirt and gear up for an All-American run in 2020-21.

Last season, Lipari finished 13-14 on the season, finishing 9th in the Big Ten Tournament and earned a 1-2 record at the 2019 NCAA Tournament. That included a hard fought loss to eventual National Champion Yianni Diakomihalis, 10-5. Lipari currently sits at 9th out of 14 in the Big Ten. The Top 25 in the country includes 10 ranked Big Ten wrestlers.

No. 17 Joe Grello (RS Jr.) - 174 lbs.

Grello had his been varsity season in 2018-19 as he finished 18-11, including a 2-2 record at NCAA’s before dropping to eventual 5th place winner David McFadden of Virginia Tech. We have seen steady improvement from Grello each season and he finally showed flashes last year of what made him a blue chip recruit.

This preseason ranking indicates Grello definitely has a shot at All-American status this season. Right now, he is 8th in just the Big Ten! While it may seem a little low, Grello will have an opportunity to make his mark around the country with some big wins in conference duals. He currently boasts a 32-19 career record.

No. 22 Christian Colucci (RS Sr.) - 285 lbs.

Colucci enters his second season on the Banks after transferring from Lehigh. He finished last season with a 15-13 record, 1-2 in the Big Ten Tournament, and earned a match clinching win over Princeton with a major decision in the final bout.

Colucci is also ranked 8th in the Big Ten based on the Top 25 overall rankings so he will have opportunity to move up the ladder as the season progresses. Expect Colucci to be fighting for an NCAA berth in Minneapolis in March 2020.

Rutgers begins the 2019-20 regular season with a quad meet at home at the RAC on November 2nd, taking on Centenary. Long Island University, and Pitt-Johnstown.