2016 Battle At The Birthplace

Four Swing Bouts That Could Decide The Battle At The Birthplace

Four Swing Bouts That Could Decide The Battle At The Birthplace

The 2016 Battle at the Birthplace will feature Princeton and Rutgers wrestling at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey.

Nov 15, 2016 by Mike Mal
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The Rutgers University football stadium is referred to as the birthplace of college football, but this Saturday morning it is giving birth to a landmark showcase for wrestling. The Scarlet Knights are hosting rival Princeton in the Battle at the Birthplace -- a dual meet between two up-and-coming programs at the 52,454-seat stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey.

This match has all the makings of a crazy dual. First off, its outside. In November. In New Jersey. That adds the issue of weather into a dual that already has a ton of questions surrounding it that need to answered. Second, Rutgers, which is ranked No. 15 in the country, could possibly lose to the unranked Tigers. Most college duals have one or maybe two swing matches, and the Battle at the Birthplace has four different matches that could conceivably go either way. If Rutgers wins two or three of these four matches, the Scarlet Knights could blow the matchup wide open. 

141: #10 Matthew Kolodzik (PU) vs #4 Anthony Ashnault (RU)

After spending a year going unattached, Princeton's Matthew Kolodzik is ready to make a splash at 141. Rutgers' Anthony Ashnault put together an awesome postseason and placed fourth in NCAAs this past season. The two split last year at the Midlands with Kolodzik winning in the pre-quarters 11-4 and Ashnault winning on the back end of the bracket 3-2.


149: Jordan Laster (PU) vs #12 Ken Theobold (RU) 

Up from 141 last year when he went to 2-2 at NCAAs, Princeton's Jordan Laster has his work cut out for him in the form of Rutgers' Ken Theobold, who is a two-time NCAA qualifier coming off a redshirt season.


174: #19 Jon Schleifer (PU) vs Phil Bakuckas (RU) 

Both wrestlers qualified for NCAAs this past season, and Princeton's Jon Schleifer is up a weight from 165. Schleifer holds a 6-3 win over Rutgers' Phil Bakuckas at last year's dual. 


184: #15 Ian Baker (PU) vs #14 Nick Gravina (RU)

Both of these wrestlers are awesome on top. The biggest win for Rutgers' Nick Gravina came last season when he stunned TJ Dudley 3-2 to give the Scarlet Knights a dual meet win over Big Ten rival Nebraska. Princeton's Ian Baker burst onto the national scene two weeks ago at the Southeast Open where he compiled wins over two ranked opponents, including a pin of Old Dominion's Jack Dechow in the second period. Something tells me that whoever has choice in the second period will defer.

From a technical standpoint, you can look at this dual two different ways. Both teams spend a lot of time drilling and perfecting the top position, so their top wrestling may wind up canceling each other out. The deciding factor may wind up being who can impose their will in the neutral position. On the other hand, it may just come down to falls. As I mentioned, both teams have some serious hammers on top. If one team can outperform on top, it will definitely walk away with the W and bragging rights in the Garden State.