Scott Goodale – Coach

Since taking over the program on July 31, 2007, head coach Scott Goodale has made Rutgers wrestling into one of the most relevant teams in the country. With the help of associate head coach Donny Pritzlaff, assistant coach John Leonardis and director of operations Joe Pollard, the Scarlet Knights have produced eight All-Americans in the past five seasons, and since 2009, have earned two top-10 finishes and seven top-25 finishes in the USA Today/ NWCA Division I Coaches Poll.

Under Goodale’s watch, RU has had a national finalist, eight All-Americans, three conference champions (two Big Ten, one EIWA), 64 NCAA Championship bids, 23 Big Ten Conference Championships placewinners and 42 placewinners at the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championships. The program has tallied an impressive 161-62-1 dual meet record during his 11 years “On the Banks.”

The 2017-18 season was arguably the most notable under Goodale, as Rutgers produced the best team finish in program history at the 2018 NCAA Championships in Cleveland. Six Scarlet Knights combined for 19 victories and 42.5 team points en route to an 11th-place result at nationals, which included the program’s first national finalist in Nick Suriano, as well as a sixth-place finisher in Scott DelVecchio.

The program earned multiple All-Americans for the third consecutive year this past season. During the dual campaign, RU collected eight wins, including victories over four ranked foes, and added its best finish at the Midlands Championships in its history with its second-place result. Rutgers finished 2017-18 ranked 19th in the final coaches’ poll, while six Scarlet Knights closed out the season ranked in their respective weight classes by FloWrestling.

The Rutgers faithful have taken notice of what Goodale and his staff have created, as the Scarlet Knights finished fourth nationally in average home attendance for the 2017-18 season with 5,070 for its six home duals at the RAC. In total, 32,764 fans watched RU wrestle in Piscataway this past season, which included the first RAC sellout in program history when Rutgers hosted Penn State in front of 8,321 fans on Jan. 28.

It was the third consecutive season the Scarlet Knights finished within the top-5 in home attendance, as the team sold more than 2,000 season ticket packages for this past year’s campaign – the third-straight year RU sold the most season tickets in its history.

The investment in the winning culture Goodale and company have set is also evident. Rutgers is one year away from opening the RWJBarnabas Health Athletic Performance Center, which will be the new home for the program. The state-of-the-art facility on the Livingston Campus will feature three regulation practice mats, a 30-person team locker room as well as offices for coaches and support staff.

All-Americans under Goodale

Past Accomplishments
During the 2016-17 season, Anthony Ashnault (141) became the first three time All-American in program history when he finished sixth at the 2017 national championships in St. Louis. Ken Theobold also appeared on the podium at 149 in 2017, giving the program back-to-back seasons with two or more All-Americans for the first time ever.

In 2014, the program earned its first All-American since 2002, as 157-pounder Anthony Perrotti finished eighth at NCAAs. Perrotti closed his career on the national podium at 165 pounds in 2016 in front of a local crowd at MSG, becoming the third two-time All-American in RU history.

The Scarlet Knights finished the 2016-17 dual campaign with a 12-5 record, which included an undefeated home slate (6-0) and 6-3 mark in Big Ten Conference action. The six conference wins were the most since Rutgers joined the league in 2014, while RU concluded its dual season ranked within the top-25 for the sixth time during Goodale’s tenure.

Rutgers also hosted the historic “Battle at the Birthplace” this past season, in which it defeated rival Princeton, 19-16, in front of 16,178 fans at High Point Solutions Stadium on Nov. 19, 2016. The event drew the second-highest crowd in NCAA dual history.

The 2015-16 season was undeniably the most successful in Rutgers wrestling history. The Scarlet Knights sent all 10 weight classes to the NCAA Championships for the first time and finished 15^th in the nation. Ashnault won the Big Ten title at 141 pounds to become Rutgers’ first ever Big Ten champ, as the squad wrestled to a fifth-place finish at the 2016 Big Ten Championships.

RU (16-5) closed the dual season ranked No. 10 in the final USA Today/ NWCA Coaches Poll, defeating seven ranked opponents and three in the top-10, culminating with an 18-15 win over No. 7 Lehigh in the NWCA National Duals Championship Series.

Rutgers’ national prominence soared to new heights in 2014-15 in its first season in the Big Ten Conference. The Scarlet Knights tallied a new single-season attendance mark and posted the sixth-best attendance total (18,877) and average (2,697) in the nation, according to a report released Roby Publishing.

RU ended its inaugural Big Ten Conference campaign No. 21 in the nation in the USA Today/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll after a 14-7 campaign that featured a pair of ranked wins and five NCAA Championships selections.

Goodale had his first grappler breakthrough on the national scene in 2013-14, as 157-pounder Anthony Perrotti became the program’s first All-American wrestler since 2002 by placing eighth at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City. Perrotti made NCAA Championships history on his consolation run, recording the second-fastest win by fall all-time at the national tournament with a 10-second pin over Oregon State’s Roger Pena.

After dropping his first match of the tournament, Perrotti rattled off four consecutive victories, including three in a row against top-15 opponents.

In RU’s (11-5, 7-2) final season in the EIWA before joining the Big Ten Conference, the squad finished third with 91 points at the 2014 EIWA Championships in Philadelphia. Three Scarlet Knights received automatic bids to nationals, while an additional at-large selection gave Goodale at least four NCAA qualifiers in five of his first seven seasons “On the Banks.”

The 2012-13 campaign was a successful one for Goodale and Co., as the Scarlet Knights returned to the national spotlight by ending the year ranked No. 25 in the NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll courtesy of a 16-4 dual record. RU saw eight grapplers finish in the top eight at the EIWA Championships and sent seven wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.

The 2011-12 season was marked by the NCAA success of senior Billy Ashnault, who finished one win shy of All-America status at 141 pounds. In total, five Scarlet Knights represented RU at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo. Rutgers additionally played host to one of four regional sites of the 2012 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, continuing to boost the Scarlet Knight grapplers’ national prominence.

In 2010-11, RU reached new heights as a program, finishing the year as a top-10 program, ranking ninth in the NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll after posting a school-record 21 victories against only two defeats. Rutgers continued its strong season at the 107th EIWA Championships where it placed third as a team, tying the best finish ever for the program. Additionally, the Scarlet Knights saw nine wrestlers place at the EIWA Championships, including Scott Winston who took home the 165-pound bracket crown to become the first RU wrestler to capture an EIWA championship since Tom Tanis in 2001.  By virtue of the strong EIWA and regular season, RU qualifed a school-record tying eight individuals for the NCAA Championship.

Rutgers finished at No. 22 in the final 2009-10 NWCA/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll after posting a 19-5-1 record. Seven Scarlet Knights earned NCAA bids. The No. 22 ranking was the highest in school history at that point. The Goodale-led squad put together a 15-match unbeaten streak from early December to late February which was the longest streak in school history.

In 2008-09, Rutgers broke the then-school record for victories in a single season with a 20-7 mark in dual action. Three Scarlet Knights earned NCAA Championships bids, which at the time was the most for RU since 2004.

The Scarlet Knights tallied an 11-7 overall record and 5-3 mark in Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) action in 2007-08. Two wrestlers reached the NCAA Championships. Goodale maximized his strong high school coaching background and brought in a recruiting class ranked nationally by W.I.N. Magazine (No. 3) and InterMat (No. 4).

Goodale’s first recruiting class included InterMat’s No. 2 overall senior recruit in Scott Winston, InterMat’s 17th-best recruit in Trevor Melde and USA Wrestling’s 19th-best 171-pound wrestler in Dan Rinaldi. Goodale was a three-time New Jersey “Coach of the Year” at Jackson Memorial High School in Jackson, N.J., before becoming the sixth coach in Rutgers wrestling history.

The Jackson, N.J., native took over the Rutgers program following an impressive seven-year stint as head coach at his alma mater, Jackson Memorial High School. In seven seasons, Goodale compiled an overall record of 155-16, leading his squad to the top ranking in the state in 2006 and 2007.

The legendary Jersey high school wrestling coach was inducted into the South Jersey Wrestling Hall of Fame on Nov. 7, 2009.

Goodale was named the New Jersey State Coach of the Year three times, while also earning District 21 and Region VI Coach of the Year accolades three times during his tenure with the Jaguars. Goodale coached four New Jersey State Champions and five New Jersey State runner-ups, along with 16 additional state placewinners. In total, he has coached a total of 41 District 21 Champions and 10 Region VI Champions. Goodale led his teams to two Group IV State Championships, as well as four Central Jersey Group IV Sectional titles. Each season Goodale spent with Jackson Memorial, the Jaguars were crowned District 21 Team Champions, as well as winning four Class A-South Shore Conference titles. During the 2005-06 season, the Jaguars finished ranked No. 10 in the country. The following year, Goodale and the Jaguars improved that performance, finishing the year ranked seventh nationally. In every year Goodale was at Jackson Memorial, he led his team to a top-10 finish in the New Jersey wrestling polls.

Prior to being named head coach at Jackson Memorial, Goodale served as a top assistant for the wrestling program, while also working as the offensive coordinator for the football team. During his time with the Jaguars football squad, he was a part of three state championship teams.

On a national level, he spent 12 years as the Junior and Cadet State Team Coach for national wrestling tournaments held in Fargo, N.D. Following the 2005-06 season, he served as the head coach for Team New Jersey at the Junior National Duals.

Goodale wrestled for Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, earning his bachelor’s degree in Health and Physical Education in 1995. He then went to New Jersey City University where he earned a certification in Special Education in 1997. As a collegiate wrestler, Goodale made three trips to the NCAA Championships, as well as placing second at the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) Tournament twice in his career. During his time with the Bald Eagles, the team was ranked as high as ninth in the country. Goodale finished with 99 wins at Lock Haven. Goodale and his wife Lisa are the parents of Shelby and Zachary, and reside in Toms River.

SCOTT GOODALE YEAR-BY-YEAR COACHING RECORD

Follow Coach Goodale on Twitter