In their first match of the afternoon, the Scarlet Knights earned 12 early points off of forfeits in the 125 and 133-pound weight classes. With the early advantage, the Scarlet Knights pulled away and pummeled the Delaware State Hornets, 39-6.
In the second match of the day, the Scarlet Knights squared off against fellow EIWA team Franklin & Marshall, but it was clear from the beginning that the Scarlet Knights were prepared for everything F&M had to offer. RU won eight of the 10 matches, including major decisions by 141-pound junior Steve Adamcsik (Chester, NJ), 174-pound freshman Mike Whalen (Lake Hiawatha, NJ), 184-pound senior Rudy Medini (Colonia, NJ) and 197-pound freshman Lamar Brown (Red Bank, NJ). The Scarlet Knights beat the Diplomats running away, 36-9.
In its final match of the day, the Rutgers wrestling team breezed past Wagner College by a 44-12 count, earning victories in eight of the 10 matches, including four by forfeit and two by way of major decisions. 125-pound sophomore Kyle Milanese (Delran, NJ) earned an 8-0 major decision by defeating Rich Englehardt and in the final match of the day, 157-pound sophomore Jamie Lijo (Hopatcong, NJ) tech-falled Justin Ensign of Wagner at 7:00.
While the Scarlet Knights remain unbeaten in their last four matches, the story of the first half of the season revolves around Adamcsik. After losing his first two dual-meet matches of the season, Adamcsik has rebounded to win 11 straight matches, including five at the Wilkes Open on Dec. 28 and four with wins against Princeton, Wagner, Delaware State and Franklin & Marshall. Adamcsik is 16-3 on the season, including a 6-1 mark in dual meets.
Head coach John Sacchi was pleased with the way his team performed after a mentally and physically strenuous match-up against Princeton on Friday evening.
"The Princeton match was tough and I thought our guys would be a little drained, but they weren't," Sacchi said. "We came out strong today and we really got after it."
As far as Adamcsik goes, Sacchi explained that the junior has improved by leaps and bounds over last season and he deserves all of the success he is currently experiencing.
Adamcsik is well aware of his current streak and credits his hard work and conditioning to his early season success.
"I have been making weight the right way and that has helped my conditioning," Adamcsik said. "I'm not getting gassed in the middle of matches and it shows. Credit has to go to coach Sacchi and the wrestling staff."
The Scarlet Knights improved to 5-2 overall with their wins on Saturday and improved their EIWA record to 2-2. RU will continue its home-stand on Wednesday, Jan. 11 when it plays host to EIWA opponent East Stroudsburg University.
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