The Roadrunner wrestling team had one major goal entering this weekend's NWCA National Duals in Louisville -- prove they can wrestle with the top competition in the country. Mission accomplished!
Coach Dan Antonelli saw plenty of progress that may help the team continue its path toward national prominence in the coming weeks. The Runners finished in fifth place in the team competition, turning in a 2-1 record with a close loss to Rochester C & TC (25-18) and easy victories over Minnesota West C & TC (56-0) and Northland C & TC (47-6). Rochester C & TC, No. 13 in the latest NJCAA national rankings, advanced to the championship round of the tournament.
The Runners earned a fifth place showing with the triumph over Northland.
Photo Galleries: Day 1 | Day 2
"The kids wrestled well this weekend," Antonelli said. "Rochester match was tighter than the score and we gave up some bonus in areas that you cannot do in big matches. But we came back today and we were aggressive on our feet and attacked on top.
"The team came together this weekend and we're looking forward to getting better as a unit. We're proud of how the kids wrestled and more importantly represented RC wrestling!"
Several Roadrunner wrestlers enjoyed outstanding tournaments, as follows:
Nick DiGiacomo, 125 pounds, 3-0 record tournament
CJ Mazzarelli, 133 pounds, 2-1 tournament, 9-7 overall
Mike Rubino 141 pounds, 3-0 tournament, 13-8 overall
Atlee Cullison, 149 pounds, 3-0 tournament, 12-3 overall
Jared Carr, 157 pounds, 2-1 tournament, 10-8 overall
Dylan Fischer, 165 pounds, 2-1 tournament, 16-1 overall
Tyler Baer, 174 pounds, 2-0 tournament, 16-2 overall
Riley Onorato, 174 and 184 pounds, 2-1 tournament, 13-5 overall
Curtis Thomas, 197 pounds, 2-1 tournament, 14-6 overall
"This weekend really showed that our program belongs alongside the best in the nation!" commented Roadrunner AD Brian Rowan. "We are all very proud of our student-athletes and coaches for their committment and dedication and think this will be a springboard to future success. If you are a NJ wrestler looking for somewhere to compete at the college level, this is the place."
In the opening round, the No. 6 seed Runners won three of the first four bouts against No. 3 seed Rochester before suffering the close defeat.
"It was extremely intense -- we had a real chance against Rochester," said 141-pounder Mike Rubino. "But we came back and handled the rest of the teams well and showed we deserve to be here with these teams. We learned a lot here, and we are definitely coming out of this a better team."
Also wrestling well throughout the tournament was 149-pounder Atlee Cullison, a former Kingsway Regional standout, who went 3-0 with three pins to improve his overall record to 12-3.
"Atlee wrestled well with three pins and dominating in the top position," Antonelli noted.
Results of all three RCSJ matches are below.
NJCAA - Rowan College at Gloucester County
5th place
Match #1 Quarterfinal
Rochester C&TC defeated Rowan College at Gloucester County 25-16
125 - Nick Digiacomo (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Francis Fuenffinger (Rochester C&TC) Dec 6-4
133 - Parker Dobrocky (Rochester C&TC) over CJ Mazzarelli (Rowan College at Gloucester County) TF 20-5
141 - Mike Rubino (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Matt Frost (Rochester C&TC) Maj 8-0
149 - Atlee Cullison (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Brandon Kidd (Rochester C&TC) Fall 4:28
157 - Alex Lloyd (Rochester C&TC) over Jared Carr (Rowan College at Gloucester County) Dec 7-6
165 - Seth Brossard (Rochester C&TC) over Dylan Fischer (Rowan College at Gloucester County) Fall 4:35
174 - Tyler Beare (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Jeremiah Colon (Rochester C&TC) Dec 15-12
184 - Gavin Christoffersen (Rochester C&TC) over Riley Onorato (Rowan College at Gloucester County) Dec 4-0
197 - Richie Hammonds (Rochester C&TC) over Curtis Thomas (Rowan College at Gloucester County) Dec 12-7
285 - John Noll (Rochester C&TC) over John Fountain (Rowan College at Gloucester County) Fall 1:05
Rochester C&TC's team score was adjusted by -1.0 for unsportsmanlike conduct
Match #2 Cons. Semi
Rowan College at Gloucester County defeated Minnesota West Comm & Tech 56-0
125 - Nick Digiacomo (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Chris Romero (Minnesota West Comm & Tech) TF 16-0
133 - CJ Mazzarelli (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
141 - Mike Rubino (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
149 - Atlee Cullison (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Chase Dorman (Minnesota West Comm & Tech) Fall 1:21
157 - Jared Carr (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Zachary Thomas (Minnesota West Comm & Tech) Fall 0:46
165 - Dylan Fischer (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Braydon Johnson (Minnesota West Comm & Tech) Dec 6-2
174 - Riley Onorato (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Shane McGraw (Minnesota West Comm & Tech) Fall 3:50
184 - Brandon Johnson (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Bryce Bickerstaff (Minnesota West Comm & Tech) Inj 1:48
197 - Curtis Thomas (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
285 - John Fountain (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
Match #3 5th Place Match
Rowan College at Gloucester County defeated Northland Community & Technical College 47-6
125 - Nick Digiacomo (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Austin Thompson (Northland Community & Technical College) Fall 4:03
133 - CJ Mazzarelli (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Payton Jackson (Northland Community & Technical College) Dec 8-2
141 - Mike Rubino (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Isaiah Arredondo (Northland Community & Technical College) TF 16-1
149 - Atlee Cullison (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Jerimiah Pierre (Northland Community & Technical College) Fall 1:30
157 - Jared Carr (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
165 - Dylan Fischer (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Kaven Blazek (Northland Community & Technical College) Fall 4:56
174 - Tyler Beare (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Ben Stevens (Northland Community & Technical College) TF 15-0
184 - Riley Onorato (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Dale Grindahl (Northland Community & Technical College) Maj 13-0
197 - Curtis Thomas (Rowan College at Gloucester County) over Shawn Rodriguez (Northland Community & Technical College) Fall 3:44
285 - Micah Butler (Northland Community & Technical College) over Matthew Cruz (Rowan College at Gloucester County) Fall 4:01
Weekend Updates
UPDATE DAY 2: Roadrunners defeat Minnesota West Tech 56-0 in a dominant performance at the NuWay NWCA National Duals in Louisville, Kentucky. The Roadrunners will take on Northland CTC at 1:00pm in the 5th place match.
UPDATE: Roadrunner wrestling led halfway through their quarterfinal match with #3-seed Rochester Tech but fell 25-16 in a disappointing end to Day 1 at the NuWay NWCA National Duals. RCTC went on to defeat #2 seed Harper College and advance to the Championship. The Roadrunners return to action on Saturday against #7-seed Minnesota West Tech on Mat 15 at 9am.
Atlee Cullison scored the biggest win of the day for the Roadrunners with his win by Fall at 141 pounds. Nick DiGiacomo, Jared Carr, and Mike Rubino also scored wins for the Runners.
Event Schedule:
January 10 - 11, 2020
Louisville, KY
Kentucky Exposition Center
Schedule web site (Click Here)
WHAT: 2020 U.S. Marine Corps NWCA Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships presented by ARMS Software and Defense Soap hosted by NUWAY
WHERE: Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville, Kentucky
WHEN: January 10-11, 2020
WATCH: Trackwrestling.com (PPV)
NuWay NWCA National Duals Preview:
The RCSJ Gloucester Wrestling Team will be among a record 92 college teams participating in Mat Mayhem this coming weekend at the Kentucky Exposition Center at the NWCA's annual National Duals. The 2020 U.S. Marine Corps NWCA Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships take place January 10-11 with Louisville as the host for the second straight year.
Of the 92 teams, 65 are nationally ranked, including the top-ranked teams in five of the six Divisions. Of the 92 squads competing, 12 different schools will have both their men's and women's wrestling teams in action. Team and individual competition will take place throughout the tournament.
"This tournament will provide us with a lot of insight as to where we stand on a national and regional level," said Runners' head coach Dan Antonelli. "There are no easy matches here, and that's what we want as we look ahead to our conference and district championships."
Top Roadrunner wrestlers and records include:
Luke Souder, 125 pounds, 3-1
Nick DiGiacomo, 123 pounds
C.J. Mazzarelli, 133 pounds, 7-6
Mike Rubino, 141 pounds, 10-8
Atlee Cullison, 149 pounds, 9-3
Jared Carr, 157 pounds, 8-7
Dylan Fischer, 165 pounds, 14-0
Tyler Baer, 174 and 184 pounds, 14-2
Riley Onorato, 174 and 184 pounds, 11-4
Curtis Thomas, 197 pounds, 12-5
Matt Cruz, 285 pounds
Austin Mooney, 285 pounds
In the NJCAA bracket, five different programs have claimed championships through the years. Seven of the eight teams in this year's field have not won titles. Top-seeded Niagara Community College (N.Y.) will open up with Northland (Minn.). Niagara's top finish came in 2013 when they finished fourth. Second-seeded Harper (Ill.) has a strong tradition and has placed 13 times in the event, placing third on three different occasions. Harper will open with Minnesota West.
The Roadrunners will open with third-seeded Rochester (Minn.), which finished seventh in 2014. Fourth-seeded Nassau, the only school in the field with an NJCAA National Duals title, will open with Joliet Junior College, a school steeped in tradition which recently restarted its wrestling program. Nassau won the first two NJCAA National Duals titles in 2004 and 2005.
"We're working as a team and our chemistry is good -- we have a lot of good wrestlers in the lineup," said sophomore Jared Carr. "This is very big for us. These will be our first matches in awhile since the winter break, and we're going to see some great teams."
Sophomore 149-pounder Atlee Cullison is also hoping to perform well. The former Kingsway Regional standout returned to wrestling this winter following a lengthy layoff, and has adjusted quickly with a 9-3 overall record.
"It took awhile to get back in wrestling shape, and the speed and intensity at the college level has been amazing," he said. "These matches will be a huge test for us and will really prepare us for all of the tournament coming in February and March."
"This event is one of the premier wrestling events in the country on an annual basis so we are very proud to represent our region and the New Jersey," commented Roadrunner AD Brian Rowan. "Coach Antonelli and his coaching staff and the entire Roadrunner Athletics staff has worked really hard these past two years to get the program to this point where we are invited to top national events. It really means a lot of us to be back in the national spotlight in this sport where we have won six national championships."
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Event Schedule:
January 10 - 11, 2020
Louisville, KY
Kentucky Exposition Center
Schedule web site (Click Here)
WHAT: 2020 U.S. Marine Corps NWCA Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships presented by ARMS Software and Defense Soap hosted by NUWAY
WHERE: Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville, Kentucky
WHEN: January 10-11, 2020
WATCH: Trackwrestling.com (PPV)
All-session adult passes are available at the door for $45, while student tickets are $30. A weekend corner pass is also available for $55. Single day tickets are $25 for adults, $17 for students and $32 for a corner pass.