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No. 20 Cavaliers Wrestle Rutgers at 6 p.m. Saturday
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 20 Virginia wrestling team looks to build upon its recent success when it plays host to Rutgers at 6 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Gymnasium. The Cavaliers (7-1) have won five straight duals heading into the weekend.
Live results will be available at VirginiaSports.com.
Admission is free, and free parking is available in the Culbreth Road Garage. Free Virginia Wresting T-Shirts will be available for the first 200 fans in attendance.
Virginia is coming off one of the biggest dual wins in program history, a 22-14 victory over then-No. 13 Maryland last Sunday at Memorial Gym. In handing the Terrapins their first loss of the season, UVa earned a share of the ACC regular-season championship.
The No. 13 Terrapins marked the highest-ranked opponent that UVa has ever defeated. UVa stormed out to a 16-0 lead at the halfway point of the dual, and Jon Fausey (R-So., Dalmatia, Pa.) recorded a pin at 184 to clinch the win for the Cavaliers.
Jedd Moore (R-Jr., Mount Vernon, Ohio) scored a key win for UVa with a 5-3 upset of No. 11 Kyle John at 157 pounds. Moore was honored as the ACC Wrestler of the Week on Tuesday in recognition of the victory.
UVa moved up two spots to No. 20 in the latest NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll. Five Cavaliers hold positions in the InterMat individual rankings this week. Matt Snyder (R-Jr., Lewistown, Pa.) is ranked No. 11 at 125 pounds. Matt Nelson (R-Sr., Pittsburgh, Pa.) re-entered the 133-pound rankings this week at No. 20, while brother Nick Nelson (R-Sr., Pittsburgh, Pa.) moved up to No. 8 at 141. Nick Sulzer (R-Fr., Cleveland, Ohio) stands No. 17 at 165, while Fausey is ranked No. 14 at 184.
Nationally ranked for much of the season, Rutgers holds a 12-5 dual record after a 21-18 loss at home to West Virginia last Sunday. The Scarlet Knights have three wrestlers in the latest InterMat rankings: Mario Mason (No. 5 at 149), Scott Winston (No. 14 at 165) and Greg Zannetti (No. 17 at 174).
UVa and Rutgers have wrestled two common opponents – North Carolina and Campbell. Rutgers downed UNC, 33-9, on Nov. 26, while the Cavaliers defeated the Tar Heels, 24-10, on Jan. 21. Rutgers topped Campbell, 24-21, on Jan. 14, while UVa downed the Camels, 34-12, on Nov. 5.
Virginia and Rutgers have met four times previously, with each school winning twice. They last met in 2010, with the Scarlet Knights scoring a 25-12 win in Piscataway, N.J. UVa and Rutgers were scheduled to wrestle last year in Charlottesville, but the match was cancelled after Rutgers was stuck in inclement weather back in New Jersey.
Virginia hits the road next Saturday (Feb. 11) for a 6:30 p.m. dual at Appalachian State.
Probable Starters
Virginia Cavaliers (7-1)
125: No. 11 Matt Snyder (18-3)
133: No. 20 Matt Nelson (15-3)
141: No. 8 Nick Nelson (19-2)
149: Gus Sako (14-5)
157: Jedd Moore (16-5)
165: No. 17 Nick Sulzer (19-5)
174: Vinny Waldhauser (17-12)
184: No. 14 Jon Fausey (17-3)
197: Ryan Malo (14-10)
285: Derek Papagianopoulos (7-2)
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (12-5)
125: Vincent Dellefave (11-9) or Joe Langel III (2-5)
133: Michael DeMarco (18-9)
141: Billy Ashnault (19-9)
149: No. 5 Mario Mason (16-1) or Anthony Perrotti (16-11)
157: Anthony Volpe (5-13) or Dave Seidenberg (4-10)
165: No. 13 Scott Winston (16-4) or Doug Hamann (5-10)
174: No. 17 Greg Zannetti (22-3)
184: Daniel Seidenberg (11-9) or Evan Brewer (1-7)
197: Daniel Rinaldi (18-4)
285: Daniel Hopkins (6-9) or Carl Buchholz (4-3)
individual rankings according to InterMat