John Van Brill and Nick Gravina have been close to becoming All-Americans before. Van Brill fell in the blood round in 2018, Gravina in 2017. They are back and better than ever.
They became the third and fourth wrestlers for Rutgers that are ranked in the preseason Top 20 in their respective weight classes. Anthony Ashnault and Nick Suriano are ranked No. 2 and No. 3 respectively.
Gravina, who was granted a sixth season, will have one more shot at 184 pounds to claim All-American status for the first time in his career. Van Brill, who lost to Arizona State’s Josh Shields in the round of 12 last season, will look to build upon his best finish.