The Rutgers-Lehigh wrestling series finally is becoming a full-fledged border rivalry.
For the second straight year, a matchup between the programs was added at the end of the regular-season schedule as part of the NWCA national duals, which pits eight Big Ten teams against eight other highly ranked teams in a bowl-style postseason format.
No. 11 Rutgers will visit No. 14 Lehigh at 7 p.m. Friday, the NCAA announced Monday morning. All Big Ten teams are on the road this season after collectively hosting last year.
Rutgers’ Cioffi running 4.3 40-yard dash
Rutgers has won the last two meetings against Lehigh — in 2013 and 2015 — after going 63 years without defeating its former EIWA conference rival. The Mountain Hawks hold a 42-3 edge in the all-time series dating to 1941.
In both of those wins at the Rutgers Athletic Center, then-heavyweight Billy Smith prevailed in a winner-take-all heavyweight bout. If that wasn’t thrill enough, the bout — and the match — wasn’t decided last season until Smith scored a two-point reversal 25 seconds into the second overtime.
Smith is gone and Rutgers has rapidly improving second-chancer Razohnn Gross at heavyweight in his place.
Gross earned his third extra-time win in his last six matches Sunday when Rutgers closed its Big Ten schedule by beating Northwestern on Senior Day. The Scarlet Knights have improved from 2-7 to 5-4 to 6-3 in Big Ten duals in each of their first three seasons in the conference.
Rutgers runs the table at the RAC
“I’m just proud of those seniors,” coach Scott Goodale said. “When we recruit those guys, we’re in the EIWA and those are the guys we recruit who can compete.
“Next thing you know, we’re thrust into the Big Ten. Not that they can’t compete — there’s a bunch of them who are national qualifiers. But they stuck through it. It’s a hard thing to do: Five years of this sport, especially if you are not always the guy. To all of them, great appreciation.”
The Big Ten Championships are set for March 4-5 in Bloomington, but Rutgers will have no problem getting juiced for one more dual before then. Especially looking to prove it can beat a top opponent on the road, after falling at No. 2 Penn State, No. 4 Ohio State and No. 13 Michigan.
“I’m going to take this and fuel myself for the upcoming month that we have,” 149-pounder Ken Theobald said. “I want to finish strong, where I think I could finish.”
Tickets can be purchased at lehighsports.com.
Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook
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