PITTSBURGH -- Anthony Ashnault has grabbed another piece of Rutgers history. The 149-pound hammer came to the NCAA Championships to capture a national title, and he remains on pace to get it after downing Iowa State’s Jarrett Degen, 10-3, in the quarterfinal round on Friday morning at PPG Paints Arena. NCAAS 2019 COMPLETE COVERAGE: Brackets, photos and much more But his win over Degen also makes him the first four-time All-American in Rutgers history. Ashnault discussed that accomplishment, his looming showdown with Princeton’s Matt Kolodzik and more in the video above after beating Degen. This will be the sixth meeting between Ashnault and Kolodzik, who beat Missouri’s Brock Mauller, 5-3, in his quarterfinal bout. Ashnault leads the series 3-2 and has won the last two encounters, including a stunning 10-2 major decision pasting of Kolodzik on Super Bowl Sunday that nearly blew the roof off the RAC during the Scarlet Knights’ thrilling dual meet win over the Tigers. Ashnault, a four-time undefeated state champion at South Plainfield before coming to Rutgers, was simply dominant during his first two bouts of the tournament on Thursday. He ran up over eight minutes of riding time in lopsided wins over Michigan’s Malik Amine and Oklahoma’s Davion Jeffries in the first and pre-quarterfinal rounds, respectively. Ashnault also beat Kolodzik in the NCAA quarterfinal round in 2017. Ashnault, a four-time undefeated state champion at South Plainfield before coming to Rutgers, was simply dominant during his first two bouts of the tournament on Thursday. He ran up over eight minutes of riding time in lopsided wins over Michigan’s Malik Amine and Oklahoma’s Davion Jeffries in the first and pre-quarterfinal rounds, respectively. James Kratch may be reached at jkratch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JamesKratch. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.<doc-sep>Anthony Ashnault accomplished a lifelong wrestling goal by becoming a national champion. He will waste little time continuing his push for another - Olympic gold. The Rutgers hammer plans to compete in freestyle at the Pan-American Championships in mid-April, he said after winning the 149-pound title at the NCAA Championships in Pittsburgh on Saturday, as he turns toward his international career. “My goal as a little kid was to be Olympic champ, national champ,” Ashnault said, “and now I got [the national] part done.” The Pan-Am Championships will be held April 18-21 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Ashnault also indicated he is open to competing at USA Wrestling’s “Beat The Streets” event at Madison Square Garden on May 6, which will feature matchups between NCAA champions and Team USA members. Also on the docket: Ashnault will stay at Rutgers to train and be part of the coaching staff next season - something he and head coach Scott Goodale have both alluded to and Goodale confirmed to NJ Advance Media on Sunday. But Ashnault’s role going forward has yet to be determined with many details still to be ironed out. Early indications are Ashnault would not have a title that would allow him to recruit for the program in a full-fledged capacity. “I’m going to give him a bunch of time,” Goodale said, “and then we’re going to decide what we’re going to do.” James Kratch may be reached at jkratch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JamesKratch. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.<doc-sep>PITTSBURGH -- Anthony Ashnault is three wins away from concluding his Rutgers career with a national title. The 149-pound hammer is through to the quarterfinal round at the NCAA Championships after posting a 7-1 victory over Oklahoma’s Davion Jeffries in the tournament’s second round on Thursday night at PPG Paints Arena. Ashnault, the top seed at his weight, will face Iowa State’s eighth-seeded Jarrett Degen in Friday’s quarterfinal round. Wrestling resumes at 11 a.m. Eastern with the third session of the tournament. Ashnault (and 133-pound teammate Nick Suriano) is bidding to win Rutgers’ first individual national championship in 13 years. Fencer Alexis Jemal was the Scarlet Knights’ last NCAA titlist when she won the sabre championship in 2003. Ashnault has not wrestled Degen in his college career. When it comes to common opponents, Ashnault is 11-0 to Degen’s 8-4, according to WrestleStat. Those numbers were compiled prior to the start of Session 2 on Thursday night. This is Ashnault’s fourth quarterfinal round appearance in four trips to the national tournament. He lost to four-time Ohio State national champion Logan Stieber in the quarters as a redshirt freshman in 2015; he won and advanced to the semifinal round at the 2016 and ’17 tournaments. Ashnault has yet to reach a national final in his career. Ashnault improved to 29-0 this season with his win. The four-time undefeated state champion at South Plainfield is now 120-18 in his Rutgers career, the most victories of any competitor in program history. Jeffries, the 16th-seed, falls to 24-11 on the year. He remains alive to finish as high as third place in the consolation bracket. James Kratch may be reached at jkratch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JamesKratch. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.<doc-sep>He came, he saw, he conquered. Anthony Ashnault saw a mountain in Piscataway, New Jersey and decided to make the most daring climb of his life. He said no to traditional wrestling powers Penn State, Michigan, Iowa, Ohio State, and more to stay right in his own backyard and build a legacy. His legacy. A New Jersey legacy. The former South Plainfield High School product went 170-0 to become the first 4x undefeated state champion in NJ history so it was no surprise he was one of the most sought after recruits in the nation. Why Rutgers? Because you can do IT at Rutgers. He capped off his storied career with a National Title at 149 pounds in 2019, so let’s take a look back at the last six years. Redshirt Campaign: The Beginning A guy like this can surely start right away on the varsity level, but head coach Scott Goodale and staff thought otherwise and decided to develop Ashnault for the collegiate level by giving him a redshirt year to compete in opens. Well, he didn’t disappoint. Ashnault finished 15-3 as an unattached wrestler, including first place at the National Collegiate Open, the final tournament for redshirts and unattached wrestlers. It was time. Redshirt Freshman: 2014-15 Ah yes, the first year in the Big Ten. Ashnault was rolling right along as a starter at 141 pounds, already ranked within the Top 20 across the rankings services, and then this happened: Then No. 11, Ashnault scored a big upset in the first home Big Ten dual meet at the RAC vs. No. 1 Iowa as he took out No. 6 Josh Dziewa at the buzzer. Tiger style had arrived. A national audience saw that one. Look at that hair by the way! Talk about a throwback. Ashnault would qualify for NCAA’s for the first time in his career and this would be the only time he’d be in the wrestle back rounds before reaching the semi-finals. The weight class was dominated by Ohio State’s Logan Stieber and Ashnault found himself in the blood round vs. Lehigh’s Randy Cruz. A quick victory later, Ashnault clinched a spot on the podium but had to medically forfeit after suffering an injury vs. Oklahoma State’s Dean Heil in the consolation semi-finals. He would finish eighth and that name would be quite familiar. Redshirt Sophomore: 2015-16 Back and healthy, Ashnault had his sights on gold this time around. With no clear front runner in the weight class in the Big Ten after Stieber’s graduation, it was Ashnault’s time to shine. Seeded 3rd at the Big Ten Tournament, Ashnault went on a tear and took on Penn State’s Jimmy Gulibon in the finals. He was looking to become Rutgers first ever Big Ten Champion. Something special was brewing. Ashnault emerged as a National Title contender. There was no clear favorite. After rolling through the bracket, Ashnault came face to face with his new nemesis Heil in the 2016 semi-finals. Ashnault was already the first semi-finalist since 1960 for Rutgers and he was looking to become the first finalist in program history. He could not break through. Another loss to Heil, this time 8-3 dropped Ashnault to wrestle-back rounds but he had a shot to finish third, which would be the highest finish in program history. Then that 3rd place match came. Joey McKenna, then at Stanford as a true freshman, burst onto the scene and edged Ashnault 7-6 in the third place match. There was worry in the air. Now what? Ashnault lost to his rival and was just beaten by the new kid. When was it to be his time? To put it in perspective, Ashnault finished the year 32-4 and was already a 2x All-American and 2016 Big Ten Champion. That’s pretty good isn’t it? For Ashnault, it wasn’t enough. Redshirt Junior: 2016-17 - New Rival, More History Ashnault was pegged as a title contender again to start the year. Rutgers Wrestling was starting to rise in the Big Ten and also nationally. They put on a show early in the year with the “Battle at the Birthplace,” an outdoor wrestling match at High Point dot Com Stadium with in-state rival Princeton. While the Scarlet Knights would win the bout, all eyes were on Ashnault and a redshirt freshman named Matt Kolodzik. These two had split meetings the previous season at the Midlands Tournament, but now Kolodzik was in the varsity lineup, trying to take what Ashnault wanted. A 4-3 loss to Kolodzik, after giving up a takedown at the buzzer sent shockwaves through the country. Another challenger to Ashnault, his first and only home loss of his career, and questions about later that season. New threats would not stop coming. First Heil, then McKenna, now Kolodzik. It seemed Ashnault was up against it. That’s of course, until he ran through another Big Ten bracket, won his second conference title, and stormed to the semi-finals once again in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. He quarterfinal opponent to clinch All-American status? Kolodzik. With a 6-2 win, Ashnault conquered his foe and evened up their series 2-2. Ashnault became the first 3x All-American in program history, but he had his Achilles heel next: Heil. This one was closer, but Ashnault could not seal the deal to get to the finals once again. A 4-2 decision and two losses later, Ashnault found himself in 6th place at 141, two places below 2016. He finished with a 30-6 record and was already one of the most accomplished wrestlers in school history, but that elusive national title felt even further away. No one quite realized how far though. 2017-18: Where’s Shnaulty? This season will ultimately be remember for Nick Suriano transferring in from Penn State and eventually going on a run to become the first national finalist in school history, before losing to Iowa’s Spencer Lee to finish 2nd at 125 pounds. But where was Jersey’s favorite son? There was news of Ashnault’s offseason knee and shoulder surgeries, but to miss a whole season? His final season? Say it ain’t so! No way. Well, yes way.<doc-sep>
PITTSBURGH -- Anthony Ashnault is two steps from a national title. The first will come against his greatest rival. The Rutgers star continued his tear through the 149-pound bracket at the NCAA Championships, posting a 10-3 win over Iowa State’s Jarrett Degen in the quarterfinal round on Friday morning at PPG Paints Arena to advance to the national semifinal round for the third time in his career. Ashnault is now the first four-time All-American in Rutgers history. He will now face Princeton’s Matt Kolodzik in the semifinal round on Friday night, aiming to finally break through in his last college season and get to Saturday night’s national final. Ashnault beat Kolodzik in the NCAA quarterfinal round in 2017. NCAAS 2019 COMPLETE COVERAGE: Brackets, photos and much more This will be the sixth meeting between Ashnault and Kolodzik, who beat Missouri’s Brock Mauller, 5-3, in his quarterfinal bout. Ashnault leads the series 3-2 and has won the last two encounters, including a stunning 10-2 major decision pasting of Kolodzik on Super Bowl Sunday that nearly blew the roof off the RAC during the Scarlet Knights’ thrilling dual meet win over the Tigers. Ashnault, a four-time undefeated state champion at South Plainfield before coming to Rutgers, was simply dominant during his first two bouts of the tournament on Thursday. He ran up over eight minutes of riding time in lopsided wins over Michigan’s Malik Amine and Oklahoma’s Davion Jeffries in the first and pre-quarterfinal rounds, respectively. “I felt great. I felt like I could have scored more, but I got dominant wins and I was moving well the whole time,” Ashnault said on Thursday. “It’s the national tournament. If you’ve got to ride the guy out, you ride him. It’s not an experimental time out there,” he added. “If the guy doesn’t want to get off the bottom at this point, I’ll make him look like an idiot on bottom.” James Kratch may be reached at jkratch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JamesKratch. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.