Anthony Ashnault
Anthony James Ashnault (born June 25, 1995)[1] is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler. In freestyle, he is a two-time Pan American Champion, having won the titles in 2019 and 2020.[2] In folkstyle, he is an NCAA Division I Champion, four-time All-American and three-time Big Ten Champion. He was also a four-time undefeated NJSIAA title holder as a high schooler.[3]
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Anthony James Ashnault | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | South Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S | June 25, 1995||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 70 kg (154 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Wrestling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | Freestyle and folkstyle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club | Scarlet Knight WC NJRTC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coached by | Scott Goodale | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Folkstyle career
High school
Ashnault was born in Paramus, New Jersey and attended South Plainfield High School. He remained undefeated all four years of varsity with a record of 170 wins and no losses and went on to win four NJSIAA state titles at four different weight classes (103, 112, 126 & 138).[4]
University
After graduating, Ashnault committed to wrestle as a Scarlet Knight at Rutgers University, where he competed at 141-pounds all years but his senior year, competing at 149 instead.[3][5] As a redshirt athlete, he compiled a record of 15-3 while wrestling unattached in open tournaments.
As a freshman, he finished the season with 29 wins and 8 losses. Post-season, he placed fifth at the Big Ten Championships, becoming the highest-placing Scarlet Knight at his first tournament.[6] At the 15' NCAA's, he placed eight, earning All-American honors.[7]
As a sophomore, he compiled a 33–5 record through season. Brought Rutgers their first individual Big Ten title ever.[8] He placed fourth at the 16' NCAA's to become the first two-time All-American in the history of the program.[9]
In his junior season, he posted a record of 30–6, became a three-time All-American with a sixth-place finish at the 17' NCAA Championships[10] and won his second straight Big Ten championship.[11] Ashnault was initially unable to compete as a senior and missed the whole season due to an injury.[12]
The NCAA granted Ashnault a sixth year of eligibility for the 2018–19 season.[12] He compiled an undefeated 32–0 record through the season, in which he competed at 149-pounds unlike his previous seasons. He won his third-consecutive Big Ten Championship[13] and also won the prestigious 19' NCAA Championship, becoming the second Scarlet Knight to do so after his teammate Nick Suriano, who won the individual title in his weight class earlier in the tournament.[14]
Ashnault graduated that year with a record of 139–22.[15]
Freestyle career
Previous to competing as a senior, Ashnault had already competed multiple times in freestyle wrestling as a junior in competitions such as the FILA (UWW) Nationals and World Trials.[16]
2014
Ashnault won the University Nationals at 65 kilograms,[17] and was scheduled to compete at a best-of-three qualifier for the World University Championship against Jordan Oliver,[18] but Oliver missed weight and was pulled out of the event.[19] This earned Ashnault the spot.[20] He placed tenth at the world-level tournament.[21]
2019
Ashnault competed at the Pan American Championships on April 18. He defeated every opponent he faced in the bracket at 70 kilograms, winning the championship.[22]
Ashnault went on to compete at an exhibition bout at the annual Beat The Streets against 2017 World Championship runner-up James Green. He lost the contest by points (4-8).[23]
Ashnault competed at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in an attempt to qualify for the World Championships. He won his first two bouts to reach the finals, in which he faced James Green in a rematch. When Green was rolling Ashnault's legs to get back exposure points, Ashnault suffered a knee injury which led him to a 0-10 technical fall loss and was forced to medical forfeit the second bout, awarding Green the next victory he needed to win the best-of-three.[24][25]
2020
After recovering from the injury, the defending champion competed at the Pan American Championships in his first competition of the year. Last year's results were repeated as Ashnault defeated every opponent he faced to become a two-time Pan American Champion. This outcome qualified him for the US Olympic Trials.[26]
Ashnault was scheduled to compete at the Olympic Trials Challenge Tournament on April, at State College, Pennsylvania, however, the event was postponed until 2021 due to the coronavirus outbreak, along with the Olympics.[27] Ashnault announced that he would attempt to make the team at 65 kilograms, and will do so in 2021.[28] After the Olympic Trials were postponed for next year, Ashnault had been slated to compete against Luke Pletcher on July 25 at FloWrestling: Dake vs. Chamizo.[29] However, he was forced to pull out of the event on July 6 due to injury.[30]
Ashnault was scheduled to wrestle Austin O'Connor at the THWC Open I, on December 4,[31] but was unable to compete due to conflicts with FloWrestling.[32] Instead, he came back at the Flo Eight-Man Challenge: 150 pounds, on December 18.[33] After a close criteria win over '20 US National finalist Evan Henderson, Ashnault was soundly defeated by three-time World Championship medalist Bajrang Punia and '20 Cerro Pelado International champion Alec Pantaleo.[34]
2021
To start off the year, Ashnault wrestled the 2020 Pan American champion (65 kg) Yianni Diakomihalis on January 8, at the SCRTC I.[35] After getting scored on with two two-point takedowns and a step-out, Diakomihalis scored a five-point slam, driving Ashnault to a technical fall.[36]
Major results
Year | Tournament | Location | Result | Event |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Pan American Wrestling Championships | Buenos Aires, Argentina | 1st | Freestyle 70 kg |
2020 | Pan American Wrestling Championships | Ottawa, Canada | 1st | Freestyle 70 kg |
Freestyle record
Senior Freestyle Matches | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Res. | Record | Opponent | Score | Date | Event | Location |
Loss | 25-9 | Yianni Diakomihalis | TF 0-10 | January 8, 2021 | SCRTC I | |
Flo 8-Man Challenge 4th at 150 lbs | ||||||
Loss | 25-8 | Alec Pantaleo | 1-8 | December 18, 2020 | Flo 8-Man Challenge: 150 lbs | |
Loss | 25-7 | Bajrang Punia | 0-9 | |||
Win | 25-6 | Evan Henderson | 6-6 | |||
2020 Pan American Championship at 70 kg | ||||||
Win | 24-6 | Hugo Leonardo De Lima Viana De Souza | Fall | March 8, 2020 | 2020 Pan American Wrestling Championships | |
Win | 23-6 | Cruiz Manning | TF 12-2 | |||
Win | 22-6 | Brandon Díaz | Fall | |||
Win | 21-6 | Ranico Howard | Fall | |||
2019 US World Team Trials at 70 kg | ||||||
Loss | 20-6 | James Green | TF 0-10 | May 18-19, 2019 | 2019 US World Team Trials Challenge Tournament | |
Win | 20-5 | Jason Chamberlain | 2-1 | |||
Win | 19-5 | Hayden Hidlay | 5-4 | |||
Loss | 18-5 | James Green | 4-8 | May 6, 2019 | 2019 Beat The Streets: Grapple at the Garden | |
2019 Pan American Championship at 70 kg | ||||||
Win | 18-4 | Cristian Andres Karlikowski | TF 10-0 | April 19-21, 2019 | 2019 Pan American Wrestling Championships | |
Win | 17-4 | Hugo Leonardo De Lima Viana De Souza | TF 10-0 | |||
Win | 16-4 | Mitchel Edson Taipe Duanama | Fall | |||
Win | 15-4 | Nicholas Rowe | TF 12-2 | |||
2018 US Open at 65 kg | ||||||
Loss | 14-4 | Logan Stieber | Fall | April 24-28, 2018 | 2018 US Open National Championships | |
Win | 14-3 | Freddy Eckles | TF 10-0 | |||
Win | 13-3 | Dylan Thurston | TF 13-2 | |||
Loss | 12-3 | Nick Dardanes | 7-8 | |||
2017 US University Nationals at 65 kg | ||||||
Win | 12-2 | Kevin Budock | TF 12-1 | June 2-4, 2017 | 2017 ASICS University Nat - FS | |
Win | 11-2 | Collin Purinton | 11-9 | |||
Win | 10-2 | Anthony Rubino | TF 10-0 | |||
2014 World University Championships 10th at 65 kg | ||||||
Loss | 9-2 | Mihai Sava | 1-4 | July 8-12, 2014 | 2014 World University Championships | |
2014 US University Nationals at 65 kg | ||||||
Win | 9-1 | Michael Mangrum | 6-0 | May 22-25, 2014 | 2014 ASICS University Nat - FS | |
Win | 8-1 | Michael Mangrum | 5-4 | |||
Win | 7-1 | Jason Tsirtsis | 8-7 | |||
Win | 6-1 | Steven Keith | 6-4 | |||
Win | 5-1 | Christopher Araoz | TF 10-0 | |||
Win | 4-1 | Andrew Cosper | TF 11-0 | |||
Win | 3-1 | Ben Polkowske | 18-9 | |||
2014 NE Regionals at 70 kg | ||||||
Loss | 2-1 | Josh Demas | 6-7 | May 2-4, 2014 | 2014 Phil Portuese NE Regional - FS | |
Win | 2-0 | Matt Cimato | TF 12-1 | |||
Win | 1-0 | Shane Roggie | TF 10-0 |
NCAA record
NCAA Championships Matches | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Res. | Record | Opponent | Score | Date | Event | ||
2019 NCAA Championships at 149 lbs | |||||||
Win | 15-8 | Micah Jordan | 9-4 | March 20–22, 2019 | 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships | ||
Win | 14-8 | Matthew Kolodzik | 2-0 | ||||
Win | 13-8 | Jarrett Degen | 10-3 | ||||
Win | 12-8 | Davion Jeffries | 7-1 | ||||
Win | 11-8 | Malik Amine | MD 10-2 | ||||
2017 NCAA Championships 6th at 141 lbs | |||||||
Loss | 10-8 | Jaydin Eierman | 2-4 | March 15–17, 2017 | 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships | ||
Loss | 10-7 | Kevin Jack | 1-3 | ||||
Loss | 10-6 | Dean Heil | 2-4 | ||||
Win | 10-5 | Matthew Kolodzik | 6-2 | ||||
Win | 9-5 | Luke Pletcher | 8-7 | ||||
Win | 8-5 | Mason Smith | 8-3 | ||||
2016 NCAA Championships 4th at 141 lbs | |||||||
Loss | 7-5 | Joey McKenna | 6-7 | March 16–18, 2016 | 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships | ||
Win | 7-4 | Solomon Chishko | MD 11-3 | ||||
Loss | 6-4 | Dean Heil | 3-8 | ||||
Win | 6-3 | Chris Mecate | 5-4 | ||||
Win | 5-3 | Seth Gross | MD 15-2 | ||||
Win | 4-3 | Jamel Hudson | TF 16-0 | ||||
2015 NCAA Championships 8th at 141 lbs | |||||||
Loss | 3-2 | Dean Heil | 4-9 | March 18–20, 2015 | 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships | ||
Win | 3-1 | Randy Cruz | 3-2 | ||||
Loss | 2-1 | Mitchell Port | 4-9 | ||||
Win | 2–0 | Zachary Horan | 6-3 | ||||
Win | 1-0 | Mike Longo | 9-2 |
Stats
Season | Year | School | Rank | Weigh Class | Record | Win | Bonus |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Senior | Rutgers University | #1 (1st) | 149 | 32-0 | 100.00% | 59.38% |
2017 | Junior | #3 (6th) | 141 | 30-6 | 83.33% | 52.78% | |
2016 | Sophomore | #2 (4th) | 33-5 | 86.84% | 47.37% | ||
2015 | Freshman | #18 (8th) | 29-8 | 78.38% | 32.43% | ||
Career | 124-19 | 86.84% | 47.99% |
References
- Abbott, Gary (May 19, 2019). "Mens freestyle World Team Trials Challenge Tournament finalist bios". Team USA.
- Kratch, James (March 9, 2020). "Rutgers national champion Anthony Ashnault wins 2nd Pan-Am Championships title, qualifies for 2020 Olympic Trials". NJ.com. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- "Anthony Ashnault - Wrestling". Rutgers University Athletics. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
-
Falk, Steven (April 6, 2018). ""Rutgers wrestling: Anthony Ashnault granted sixth year of eligibility"". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
Rutgers University redshirt senior Anthony Ashnault has been given a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA, it was announced today. The three-time All-American and former South Plainfield High School star will be eligible to wrestle for Rutgers in the 2018-19 season
- LLC, ACS. "Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) Profile". www.wrestlestat.com. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- "Big Ten Conference" (PDF). bigten.org. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- "2015 NCAA D1 Brackets" (PDF). Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- Logan, Scott (March 8, 2016). "Rutgers Wrestler Becomes First Big Ten Champion in Program History". New Brunswick Today. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- Badders, Bob. "Rutgers' Anthony Perrotti Becomes a Two-Time NCAA All-American". Shore Sports Network. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- Trentonian, John Bilinski For The. "Anthony Ashnault becomes Rutgers wrestling's first three-time All-American". The Trentonian. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- NJ.com, Ryan Dunleavy | NJ Advance Media for (March 6, 2017). "RU's Ashnault, 2x B1G champion, wants to 'set a legacy'". nj. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- "Ashnault Granted Sixth Year of Eligibility for Wrestling". Rutgers University Athletics. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- NJ.com, James Kratch | NJ Advance Media for (March 10, 2019). "Rutgers' Anthony Ashnault wins historic 3rd title at Big Ten Championships, has one last hill to climb". nj. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- Cooper, Darren. "Anthony Ashnault finishes his Rutgers wrestling career with national title". North Jersey. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- Kosko, Nick (March 25, 2019). "Anthony Ashnault: A Career Retrospective". On the Banks. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- "Anthony Ashnault (South Plainfield, NJ) | Trackwrestling Profile". Trackwrestling. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- "2014 ASICS University Nat - FS". www.trackwrestling.com. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- Star-Ledger, Joe Kania/ For The (June 10, 2014). "Wrestling: Anthony Ashnault to wrestle-off Jordan Oliver for University World Team spot". nj. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- Express-Times, Ryan Holmes | The (June 22, 2014). "Jordan Oliver fails to make weight, will not contend for spot on U.S. Freestyle University World Team". lehighvalleylive. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- NJ.com, Ryan Dunleavy | NJ Advance Media for (November 15, 2016). "One match could steal show of RU, Princeton wrestling". nj. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- "Rutgers wrestler Anthony Ashnault competed for USA". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- "Ashnault Captures Gold for Team USA at Pan Am Championships". Rutgers University Athletics. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- "Beat The Streets Results". USA Wrestling. May 6, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- "See the results for the 2019 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament wrestling event on FloWrestling.org". www.flowrestling.org. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- NJ.com, James Kratch | NJ Advance Media for (May 19, 2019). "Anthony Ashnault's world championships bid derailed by injury; NJRTC's Pat Downey, Tyler Graff advance to Final X". nj. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- NJ.com, James Kratch | NJ Advance Media for (March 9, 2020). "Rutgers national champion Anthony Ashnault wins 2nd Pan-Am Championships title, qualifies for 2020 Olympic Trials". nj. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- "Alumni Spotlight: Ashnault's Olympic Goal Continues Despite Postponement". Rutgers University Athletics. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- "#FreestyleFriday: Anthony Ashnault back from injury and ready to compete". Team USA. February 7, 2020.
- "FloWrestling to host Dake-Chamizo; Taylor-Downey; Ashnault-Pletcher on July 25 in Austin". Team USA. June 19, 2020.
- "Breaking: Due to Injury Anthony Ashnault is out of his match against Luke Pletcher on our July 25th card. We are currently looking for a replacement to compete against Luke Pletcher". Twitter. July 6, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
- "Tar Heel Wrestling Club on Twitter: BIG NEWS O'Connor vs Ashnault. December 4th". Twitter. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- "Tar Heel Wrestling Club on Twitter: "Due to a conflict with FloWrestling, Anthony Ashnault will not be able to compete on our December 4 card."". Twitter. November 16, 2020.
- Duckworth, Seth (October 4, 2020). "Jordan Oliver to Wrestle in $25,000 Tournament on FloWrestling". Pistols Firing. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
- "Bajrang tops Green to win Flo 8-Man Challenge at 150 pounds". InterMat. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- "Spartan Combat RTC Throwing Down On Jan 8!". www.flowrestling.org. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
- "Dake, Diakomihalis, Dean, Arujau win Main Card bouts on Spartan Combat Wrestling I". Team USA. January 8, 2021.