PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The New Jersey City University Gothic Knights kicked off their first-ever full men's wrestling season on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 7, with a quad meet against a trio of Division I programs in nationally ranked Rutgers University (#11), Binghamton University and Cleveland State University. This was a huge test for the squad as the Knights were the only Division III team at the quad. The Green and Gold came up short in all three matches, however, the overall experience at the Rutgers Athletic Center was a foundational day for the young NJCU program moving forward.

To kick off the Quad, Jersey City was tasked with a matchup against #11 Rutgers. The Scarlett Knights controlled the match throughout and won by an overall score of 48-0. Junior Jeff Johnson (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex) was highly competitive for his squad at 165 pounds, but ultimately fell in a 11-3 decision. Johnson trailed Gerard Angelo by two points before Angelo took control in the final round. Also, senior captain Kyle Hillermeier (Howell, N.J./Freehold Township) held his own against Kyle Epperly with a respectable 8-3 decision defeat at 197 pounds.

Even with the loss, Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale was very impressed with the performance of the Gothic Knights and the direction that head coach Harry Turner is leading.

"Harry is the perfect guy for that job," said Goodale. "You can see the hustle and the passion on that team. He is going to be ultra successful at NJCU. It was nice to have him back and hopefully we can make this an every year thing. This will help his program going forward and I am extremely proud of everything that Harry is doing."

In the second match of the afternoon, the Knights faced-off against the Binghamton Bearcats. NJCU saw similar results against Rutgers, falling by an overall score of 53-0. The squad lost each match by fall, until rookie heavyweight Jace Macfie (Hilldale, N.J./Pascack Valley) competed in his second match of the day. The freshman competed and was very physical against Bobcat sophomore Michael Tyrrell, but ended up falling 12-1.

To end the afternoon, NJCU squared off against the Cleveland State Vikings. The Knights got on the board for their first victory of the season after junior Enrique Cuevas (New Brunswick, N.J./New Brunswick) won his 141 pound weight class matchup due to an injury during the match. Also, freshman Andre Ruiz (Little Ferry, N.J./Ridgefield Park) turned heads in his third match of the day. Ruiz and Viking sophomore Jake Manley went back and forth, but after a few costly mistakes, Manley won the match 7-0. The squad fell to the Vikings with an overall score of 45-6.

Up Next:
The Gothic Knights look to bounce back as they return to mat for Division III competition on Saturday, Nov. 13, for the Racich Rumble hosted by Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa. The Rumble is slated to be a full-day tournament.