In a public statement hours after news surfaced that Sam Cali and his friend, Leo Vagias, were killed in an early Sunday morning car accident on I-287 in Mahwah, Rutgers wrestling coach Scott Goodale called Cali a beloved "teammate.''
"Sam was a great young man who everyone on the team truly loved being around,'' Goodale said. "He loved wrestling and being part of our Rutgers family. Anytime you lose a teammate it hurts, and this hurts really bad. We send our prayers to the families and will keep Sam a part of everything that we do.