It was an historic first for a Rutgers wrestler when Nick Suriano made it to the finals of the 125 pound weight class at this year’s NCAA Championships at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
The dream of a national title will remain on hold, though, as Suriano dropped a 5-1 match to Iowa’s freshman Spencer Lee. Both Lee, the third seed, and Suriano beat higher seeds to reach the final.
The four time NJSIAA wrestling champion from Bergen Catholic had a spectacular run from the outset of the NCAA tournament. Seeded fourth, his first three matches were wins by tech fall, fall, and major decision.