JoJo Aragona (149), Michael VanBrill (157), No. 20 Billy Janzer (184) and No. 20 Jordan Pagano (197) also added decisions to help RU to its third Big Ten Conference victory of the season and fifth in the all-time series with the Hoosiers.
"Every win is important, especially in this conference. I'm fired up about it," said head coach Scott Goodale. "After our first few bouts, we kind of got on a roll which was great to see here in front of our home crowd. Our attention now turns to Sunday's dual against a really good Purdue team."
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The dual got off to a slow start for Rutgers, as No. 15 Nicolas Aguilar (125) dropped a tight 4-2 decision to Indiana's Liam Cronin. With the score tied 1-1 in the final period, Aguilar conceded a takedown as Cronin added the riding time point to give the Hoosiers a 3-0 lead to begin the dual. The setback halted Aguilar's win streak, as he entered Friday the winner of six consecutive matches.
• The Scarlet Knights then took control, winning their next five bouts of the night. Falling behind early in his match and leading just 5-4 at after two periods, Alvarez went to work against Cayden Rooks with two takedowns and a four-point tilt for the 14-5 major.
• Aragona also wasted no time in his match with Eddie Bolivar, as his takedown in the closing seconds of the first period gave him a 3-2 lead. Aragona added a huge double at the end of the second period and closed out his bout with a takedown for the 8-4 final.
• The biggest result of the night came from Angelo against Graham Rooks, the reigning Big Ten Wrestler of the Week after back-to-back ranked wins last weekend. Angelo was the aggressor throughout, landing the first takedown of the match at the 2:23 mark in the first and nearly locking up the cradle. He then added another takedown and two back points for a 6-2 lead after one.
• 149: Angelo got right to work against Graham Rooks, who entered Friday as the reigning Big Ten Wrestler of the Week after he picked up back-to-back ranked wins this past weekend. Angelo caught Rooks with another takedown by the scorer's table at the end of the second and through Rooks on his back in the closing seconds of the third period for the 13-7 final. It was Angelo's second victory over a ranked foe this season and third conference win in 2019-20.
• VanBrill's second-period takedown of Fernie Silva gave him a 3-0 decision and RU a 13-3 lead over Indiana at Intermission.
• Donner followed the break with arguably his most impressive dual win of the season. Donner landed two first-period takedowns on Davey Tunon, one in the third and finished his 12-3 major decision with two single-leg scores and the riding time point.
• After a tough 11-3 loss from Willie Scott (174) against 2019 NCAA qualifier Jake Covaciu, Janzer faced Jake Hinz with the team score at 17-7. Any hopes of an IU comeback were extinguished in the final minute of Janzer's match. With riding time not a factor, Janzer cut Hinz to give his opponent a 4-3 lead with 1:52 to go in the match. As both traded bars, Janzer evaded a Hinz shot and finished an inside trip at the 47 second mark in the final period for the 5-4 final.
• Pagano faced Nick Willham in his bout and landed two takedowns in the first period for a quick 4-0 lead. Pagano added an escape and the riding time point for the 6-0 final, as Pagano was in total control with several opportunities to pin his opponent.
• Correnti bumped up heavyweight for just the second time this season to face Jake Kleimola. After Kleimola scored the early takedown, Correnti countered and the reversal, then locked up the cradle for his third fall of the season.
Results:
125: Liam Cronin (IU) over 15/14/13 Nicolas Aguilar (RU) by decision, 4-2; IU leads 3-0
133: 9/10/9 Sammy Alvarez (RU) over Cayden Rooks (IU) by major decision, 14-5; RU leads 4-3
141: JoJo Aragona (RU) over Eddie Bolivar (IU) by decision, 8-4; RU leads 7-3
149: Gerard Angelo (RU) over 16/22/19 Graham Rooks by decision, 13-7; RU leads 10-3
157: Michael VanBrill (RU) over Fernie Silva (IU) by decision, 3-0; RU leads 13-3
165: Brett Donner (RU) over Davey Tunon (IU) by major decision, 12-3; RU leads 17-3
174: NR/25/27 Jake Covaciu (IU) over Willie Scott (RU) by major decision, 11-3; RU leads 17-7
184: 20/22/26 Billy Janzer (RU) over Jake Hinz (IU) by decision, 5-4; RU leads 20-7
197: 20/18/22 Jordan Pagano (RU) over Nick Willham (IU) by decision, 7-0; RU leads 23-7
285: Matthew Correnti (RU) over Jake Kleimola (IU) by fall (1:26); RU wins 29-7
UP NEXT
Rutgers hosts No. 13 Purdue on Sunday for a 1 p.m. match at the RAC.
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