Nick Suriano had a close call against Sebastian Rivera at the Midlands Championship in late December.
It wasn't nearly as close on Friday night.
Suriano, the nation's No. 1-ranked 125-pounder, posted an impressive 4-1 victory over Rivera, ranked 10th, in the opening bout of No. 19 Rutgers' xxxxx at Patten Gym in Evanston, Illinois.
The win snaps a two-match losing streak for Rutgers (6-5 overall, 2-4 Big Ten). The Scarlet Knights also halted a four-match skid against conference foes. Northwestern falls to 8-3 overall and 3-3 in the league. Rutgers will wrestle at No.