JOVELLE ABBEY TAMAYO / PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
W2
NOVEMBER 5, 2010
T ITLE B OUT
JENNIFER KONG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
JENNIFER KONG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Sophomore Mario Mason, black, was the most heralded wrestler that returned to New Jersey, leaving Minnesota to wrestle for the Knights at 149 pounds. Fourth-year head wrestling coach Scott Goodale and his staff made a concentrated effort to bring former New Jersey high school wrestling standouts back to the Garden State.
Coaches convince NJ wrestlers there’s no place like home BY A.J. JANKOWSKI
When Mason decided it was time for a change of scenery, he turned to a longtime friend In order to instill an attitude of whose advice Mason always greatness, sometimes you have to held in high regard. think outside the box. The adviser, fellow Blair For Rutgers wrestling to alum Cor y Cooperman, just achieve national prominence, happened to be an assistant head coach Scott Goodale and coach at Rutgers. his coaching staff had to reach “Off the mat he’s more of a outside of New Jersey to bring friend, but in the room he’s on back some of the state’s high- my back all the time,” said profile wrestlers. Mason of his relationship with Former state champs at the Cooperman. “He’s coming to high school level jumped ship beat me up all practice. It’s just from the Garden State to take because he expects so much their talents to any number of from me that he wants me to programs nationwide. But with work at it.” the rise of the W h e n Scarlet Knights Cooper man “Mario is the type talked to Mason, over the past few years — includhis advice was to of kid that could ing a 20-win seado whatever son in 2009 — go to China and ... made him comthese grapplers f o r t a b l e . eight guys would might not have to Cooperman did travel too far to not beg Mason to be following reach the top. join the Knights, him around.” With the abilibut rather to ty to draw Jersey make the best CORY COOPERMAN talent back in decision for himAssistant Coach state, Rutgers self — the deciboasts a lineup of sion that would former high-prohelp Mason realfile recruits looking to attain ize his full potential. national prominence. “I just said, ‘You’ve got to be The biggest catch reeled comfor table, Mario,’” back took the longest Cooperman said. “If you’re not rope, stretching halfway across comfortable, you’re not going America to the state to be able to wrestle to of Minnesota. your potential. “Mario is the type of kid that *** could go to China and a day later, eight guys would be following Exactly 1,199 miles away him around. He makes lifelong from his hometown of friends right away.” Moorestown, N.J., Mario Mason And what Mason brings on felt out of place. the mat cannot be taught: lightHe was a member of the ning-quick reflexes and a Big Minnesota wrestling team after Ten pedigree. becoming a four-time state “He brings such a different champion at the prestigious style to the table,” Cooperman Blair Academy and was admit- said. “He’s ver y technical and tedly miles away from his com- he’s so slick and fast. One secfort zone. ond he is in the stalemate posi“On the wrestling side of tion and then — boom — he things I was just not happy at all pulls something out and scores. last year,” Mason said. He’s just a ver y dangerous ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
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wrestler and he’s been my brother for the longest time.” Mason decided to come back East and now, less than 50 miles away from where he first got in the circle, the 149-pounder headlines a bevy of former New Jersey transfers returning to the Garden State to join the Knights. “He told me he wishes he would have came here from the get-go,” Cooperman said. “And I didn’t even go to Rutgers. He talks about this place like it’s gold.”
*** Before playing the role of head coach at Rutgers, Goodale spent seven years at the helm of his alma mater, Jackson Memorial High School. During his stint, the Jaguars twice earned the top ranking in the state and churned out 41 district champions. One of them was Dan Hopkins, who pursued a career in football at Rowan before transferring to Middlesex Community College to revive his wrestling career. “I decided to transfer out of Rowan to wrestle at Middlesex and I knew Goodale from high school, so right away it was an automatic, ‘I want to wrestle for him again,’” Hopkins said. “So that’s why I decided to come to Rutgers.” Hopkins comes to Rutgers in the only weight class vacated by a senior from last year’s squad in Lamar Brown. The 197-pounder will have his hands full getting a stranglehold on the starting job due to the emergence of freshman Michael Wagner at Wrestle-Offs, but Goodale knows that Hopkins has what it takes to make an impact. “I have always known him and first and foremost I think he’s a good kid,” Goodale said. “There’s a lot of trust between us because I’ve known him for so long. He needs to realize that this is a different level than [junior college].
“Last winter, I decided that I That’s something that he is going to have to get used to, but the eas- wanted to leave Lehigh,” the iest thing is that he knows what I Green Brook, N.J., native said. expect from my guys. He’s going “I took a couple of visits here and by then, the decision was a to be just fine.” It was his relationship with pretty easy one. I’m literally at Goodale that made Hopkins home here with the coaching leave junior college behind to staff and ever yone.” Caruso is now one of nine pursue a career on the Banks. It with NCAA is a jump with which Hopkins wrestlers feels comfortable because he is Tournament experience — all of making it with a coach who has which are Jersey-raised and now been there through the good representing the State University of New Jersey. and the bad. “This is what we envisioned. “I feel like Goodale and I have a relationship where he is a This is what the state’s university close friend and almost a father should be,” said assistant coach figure,” Hopkins said. “I can go John Leonardis, who came on board with to him with anyGoodale. “This is thing that I “You can come a great university need to talk where you can get about. I just to Rutgers a great education like wrestling and we have some for Goodale.” and still have of the best faciliIt is the dual a shot at attaining ties.” role of coach and With the profriend that has your goal.” gram now wrestlers leaving engrained in the schools to join SCOTT WINSTON New Jersey Goodale at Sophomore Wrestler wrestling commuRutgers. And with nity, wrestlers arguably the best lineup in school histor y, the may start taking the Scott Knights look to buck a trend of Winston route. Winston, the No. 2 recruit in losing to a certain EIWA foe. the nation, received offers from *** programs all over the country, but instead decided to come to The rivalry between Lehigh Rutgers since Day 1. and Rutgers has always been a He is happy to see that other tad one-sided. wrestlers are starting to realize The Mountain Hawks own a the potential that Rutgers has. 39-1 all-time advantage over the “We were very fortunate to Knights, including last year’s 28-3 have these guys coming back,” throttling in Bethlehem, Pa. But Winston said. “It’s showing to this year figures to be the excep- kids on the high school level here tion to the rule. in Jersey that get recruited by the And for one fifth-year senior big schools out West that things who knows the rivalry better than are different out there. anyone else, it is personal. “[Mason] still has the goal of Prior to coming to Rutgers being a national champion. Alex in the offseason, Alex Caruso Caruso still has the goal of being spent four years with the a national champion. You can Lehigh program. Caruso decid- come to Rutgers and still have a ed to forego his final year in shot at attaining your goal of a Pennsylvania and continue his national championship, so why search for a national title back even jump the East and experiin his home state. ment out there?”
T ITLE B OUT
T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
NOVEMBER 5, 2010
W3
Senior enters final year with added weight, experience BY A.J. JANKOWSKI ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
The body of work DJ Russo put together last season can be deemed by most as a successful crusade: champion of the Oklahoma Gold Tournament, runner-up at the EIWA Tournament, a top-10 ranking and his second-straight team MVP honor to boot. But while these accolades certainly put the senior heavyweight on a pedestal, it was an over time loss in the AllAmerican round of the NCAA Tournament that kept Russo of f the podium. And that defeat at the hands of Missouri’s Mark Ellis was all the motivation Russo needed heading into his final season. “He was ver y motivated over the summer,” said head coach Scott Goodale. “[Russo] has to understand that this is it for him. And I think he takes that into the practice room with him ever yday.” The match may have put the capper on Russo’s junior year campaign, but falling to a former national champion in the NCAA Tournament is only going to make him better heading into his final year. “I’m just going to rely on a little extra age, a little extra strength and that experience from that match to take me to the next level and hopefully on top of the podium,” Russo said. The Netcong, N.J., native hit the weight room hard heading into his final year, putting on extra weight given the fact he wrestled the national tournament at 235 pounds against grapplers as heavy as 285 pounds. The extra weight is an asset, but keeping it up is something that Russo has struggled with since arriving to the Banks. “I always star t of f pretty heavy,” he said. “But during the
JENNIFER KONG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Fifth-year senior DJ Russo, top, enters his final year with added weight from years past, hopeful that the added pounds can help in his final attempt at reaching All-American status, which he missed by two points last season in an overtime loss to Missouri’s Mark Ellis. year I usually end up losing 10 or 15 pounds just because of the gr ueling workouts we go through, coupled with the fact that I have a fast metabolism. It’s been hard to keep the weight up.” Goodale brought a new mentality toward dealing with the problem this offseason, putting more pressure on himself and the coaching staff to monitor Russo’s weight. “This is a year when our staff has to do a good job of altering his workout habits … making sure he’s not getting broken down from the constant wrestling,” Goodale said. “We
need to think outside the box when it comes to his training.” Just as Russo and the rest of the Rutgers wrestling team prepared for preseason workouts, the Lenape Valley High School product fell ill with mononucleosis. The illness caused Russo to take almost a month of f from wrestling, something that the coaching staf f feels helps him in terms of sticking with the new weight training regiment. “In some ways getting mono early on in the season — I don’t see it as a negative,” said assistant coach John Leonardis, who deals primarily with the higher weight
classes. “It gave him a little bit of time to stay big.” After his first live action in some time at Tuesday’s Wrestle-Offs, Russo feels that he is well on his way to a full recover y but needs to stay war y of over work. “You can get chronic fatigue syndrome if you don’t let your body recuperate,” Russo said. “I have to have a good balance of staying in shape while not pushing myself to the point where I have a relapse.” Goodale — cognizant of this possibility — would love Russo to be in his lineup night in and night out, but he does not want to push the heavyweight too
early with this being Russo’s final shot at a championship. “He doesn’t need the constant greatness from September all the way to March,” Goodale said. “DJ just has to be great in March.” It all comes back to March, when last year Russo fell just shy of becoming an All-American and where this year he hopes to build off of that and onto the podium in his final year in a Rutgers singlet. “It’s do-or-die time. I’m not going to get a chance to do it over again,” Russo said. “Obviously every senior has that go through his head — it’s just how they respond to it. I have yet to see how I respond.”
KNIGHTS WEIGH IN: LOUIS BROWN ATHLETIC CENTER VS. COLLEGE AVENUE GYM SENIOR DJ RUSSO: “IF WE CAN MAKE A REASONABLE DENT IN THE SEATING, THEN I’D SAY THE RAC. ... I THINK THIS PROGRAM IS GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE WE’VE OUTGROWN THE COLLEGE AVE. GYM. WE FILLED THIS PLACE FOR A TUESDAY NIGHT WRESTLE-OFF, WHICH IS MEANINGLESS. AND WE FILLED IT. THIS PROGRAM IS BIGGER THAN THE COLLEGE AVE. GYM.” SOPHOMORE SCOTT WINSTON: “I’M PERSONALLY A FAN OF THE COLLEGE AVE. GYM. I LOVE WRESTLING AT THE BARN. I LIKE THE FACT THAT EVERYONE IS KIND OF ON TOP OF YOU. I MEAN, [GOODALE] LIKES COMING OVER TO THE RAC AND A BUNCH OF OTHER GUYS GET ALL FIRED UP ABOUT IT.” HEAD COACH SCOTT GOODALE: “OH MAN, I DON’T KNOW. THE RAC IS A SPECIAL PLACE. WE WIN AT THE RAC, SO LET’S KEEP GOING THERE . BUT THE BARN IS A PRETTY COOL ATMOSPHERE.” ASSISTANT COACH JOHN LEONARDIS: “WHEN I USED TO FIELD THIS QUESTION, I’D ALWAYS SAY THAT WHEN [THE BARN] IS PACKED, WE’LL MOVE OVER TO THE RAC. I THINK THE RAC
ANDREW HOWARD / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
GIVES US A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A HOME COURT ADVANTAGE WITH THE BAND AND THE DANCE TEAM AND
5,000
FANS. IT’S KIND OF INTIMIDATING TO
THOSE OTHER SCHOOLS.”
ASSISTANT COACH CORY COOPERMAN: “I’D LIKE TO WRESTLE AT THE RAC PACKED. [THE BARN] IS SUCH A UNIQUE ENVIRONMENT, THOUGH. WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE, THAT’S WHERE I WRESTLED AND I DEFINITELY FELT IT WAS WEIRD BECAUSE EVERYBODY IS SORT OF ON TOP OF YOU.” “EVERYONE IS GOING TO SAY THE RAC BECAUSE IT’S A BIGGER VENUE AND YOU WANT THAT. YOU WANT THAT 10,000 CHEERING AND SCREAMING. WE GET IN PEOPLE’S HEADS WHEN YOU HAVE THE BAND. THAT’S A MATCH. THAT’S WHAT WRESTLING DESERVES.”
ANDREW HOWARD / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
T H E D A I LY TA R G U M
TITLE BOUT
NOVEMBER 5, 2010
PA G E W 4
JENNIFER KONG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Sophomore Scott Winston moves up one weight class after wrestling his freshman year at 157 pounds, where he faced three national champions, a group of AllAmericans and national finalists, making up arguably the toughest weight class the Jackson Memorial High School product could face in his first season at Rutgers.
BALANCING ACT Former freshman standout uses redshirt season to better manage life away from wrestling, where he’s poised for return to dominant form BY A.J. JANKOWSKI ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
After a freshman campaign in 2008-09 in which Scott Winston finished the season ranked 12th in his weight class and won a match at the national tournament, the question was not if he could be an All-American, but how quickly. But for a teenager to have the weight of a program thirsty for success on his shoulders — no matter how broad they may be — the pressure can deteriorate the dual meaning of being a student-athlete. So while suppor ters of the Rutgers wrestling team eagerly awaited Winston’s encore last season, the coaching staff and the grappling phenom from Jackson, N.J., made a taxing decision: Do not wrestle. “It was something that took getting used to from a life
standpoint, not having to compete ever yday, not having to compete ever y week,” said Winston, who led the nation in victories his freshman year with 39, but redshirted the following season. The decision to redshirt not only paid off on the mat for Winston, but the year off also sorted out his life — something he admits was anything but smooth sailing. “My first semester was a little bit rocky, academically. I kind of screwed up,” said the wrestler who went 137-0 during his career at Jackson Memorial High School. “Second semester, I learned my lesson and it taught me how to make a better schedule for myself to help me succeed. The main thing off the mat was just getting my schedule down and sticking by it. [Redshirting] definitely helped me a lot.” Wrapped up in all the hype and expectations that come with
being the No. 2 recruit in the nation coming out of high school is the fact that for student-athletes, just like any other collegebound kid, the freedoms of college can take their toll. After getting a year to figure that out, a different Winston is back in a Scarlet Knights’ singlet. “Forget the wrestling part of it. It’s the preparation part and his daily lifestyle — that has been the difference for Scott Winston,” said head coach Scott Goodale, who also coached Winston at Jackson. “If he has his lifestyle in order then Winston is going to be ver y hard to beat.” Not only did Winston make a complete adjustment in his personal life during his time out of the star ting lineup, but he also bulked up from his freshman weight class of 157 pounds to 165. The extra poundage is no problem for Winston, who ran
the gauntlet of veteran-tested talent in his inaugural season on the Banks. “You’re not going to find a harder weight than my freshman year,” Winston said. “Three national champions were in there, a couple of All-Americans and a couple of national finalists, so I don’t think I’m going to face a weight class in the rest of my college career quite like that one.” Fellow Knights believe that with a new weight class and a full year of nothing but training under his belt, Winston could become the first All-American at Rutgers since Tom Tanis in 2002. “I would be shocked if he was not an All-American,” said senior heavyweight DJ Russo. “Something would have to go wrong for him not to be an All-American.” Nine wrestlers on the squad have experience at the NCAA Tournament, but ever yone can
take a page out of Winston’s book on how to compete in the circle, according to Goodale. “He’s unbelievably explosive,” Goodale said. “He’s constantly thinking about scoring points and that’s why he’s fun to watch. We’ve got to get all of our guys thinking that same way.” A knack for scoring points, coupled with all of the national recognition from his high school and freshman days, and Winston is much more than just a cog in Rutgers’ well-oiled machine. “He’s the face of our program,” Russo said. “I mean he went undefeated in high school. He had a disappointing freshman year, but the fact that making it to nationals and winning a match is disappointing just shows you how talented he is.” The talent has always been there. Now with his collegiate life in check, Winston’s shoulders can bear the load.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
JOSEPH LANGEL 125 pounds
MICHAEL DEMARCO 133 pounds
TREVOR MELDE 141 pounds
MARIO MASON 149 pounds
DARYL COCOZZO 157 pounds
SCOTT WINSTON 165 pounds
ALEX CARUSO 174 pounds
DANIEL RINALDI 184 pounds
DANIEL HOPKINS 197 pounds
DJ RUSSO Heavyweight
Sophomore Howell, N.J.
Sophomore Lyndhurst, N.J.
Junior Hewitt, N.J.
Sophomore Moorestown, N.J.
Senior River Edge, N.J.
Sophomore Jackson, N.J.
Senior Green Brook, N.J.
Sophomore Lodi, N.J.
Junior Jackson, N.J.
Senior Netcong, N.J.