NCAA title contender Nick Suriano is leaving Penn State for Rutgers, and will be eligible to compete immediately, as first reported by NJ.com. The university confirmed that the 125-pound New Jersey native and former Bergen Catholic High School standout has enrolled in classes, and will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Given Penn State's string of NCAA titles under head coach Cael Sanderson, it is unusual to see a presumed starter leave the program. Suriano went 16-3 in his freshman season, but an ankle injury at the NWCA Dual at Oklahoma State ended his campaign in February, prior to both the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. His only non-injury loss of the season was to Iowa standout and defending Big Ten champion Thomas Gilman.
Penn State granted Suriano his release in early August, but told Roar Lions Roar that he would have to sit out a year under Big Ten policy. NCAA rules allow wrestlers to compete immediately if the school they are leaving grants the release, as happened when Ohio State picked up Stanford transfer Joey McKenna earlier this summer.
According to the NJ.com report, Penn State refused a request to allow Suriano to compete immediately, necessitating a ruling on a waiver from the Big Ten Academics and Eligibility subcommittee.
“We are excited that Nick has decided to come back home and join our program,” said head coach Scott Goodale. “This is a young man with an incredible work ethic and drive that doesn’t come around all that often. We are beyond excited that Nick is eligible to compete right away. This is a student-athlete that deserves the opportunity to chase his dream of becoming a national champion in his home state.”
With Suriano out of the picture, the defending NCAA champion Nittany Lions lose a key member of their lineup heading into the season. Penn State is expected to compete strongly for a repeat title in the tournament next March, with Ohio State and Oklahoma State nipping at their heels.
Specific to the 125-pound division, Suriano will compete against 2015 NCAA Champion Nathan Tomasello, as the Buckeye standout is expected to drop down from 133 in search of his second national title. Tomasello tops FloWrestling's latest NCAA rankings at 125, followed by defending national champ Darian Cruz of Lehigh. Suriano came in at #3, with Minnesota's Ethan Lizak and Oklahoma State's Nick Piccininni rounding out the top 5.
