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NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP

March 23, 2019

Anthony Ashnault

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

149 pounds

THE MODERATOR: Anthony Ashnault, national champion, what does that mean to you, being a national champ?

ANTHONY ASHNAULT: I don't know, it's everything that I've worked for up to this point. I try not to idolize wrestling, but a big part of my life was focused on getting a national title.

Extremely blessed to get a sixth year. Man, I can't put it into words right now, but I'm just excited. And I just want to go hug my family and be with them and just bask in it for a little bit.

Q. How close were you to not coming back for your sixth year?
ANTHONY ASHNAULT: I had two surgeries, I was out for about six months, not wrestling at all. And at a time when I was going through it I didn't know if this was in my cards. Did a lot of soul searching. And at the end of the day I know I loved wrestling.

And it was just a chance to get out there and compete again. It wasn't about winning the title at the time. It was just like being a little kid again, and enjoying the sport and falling back in love with it.

Q. Anthony, you were the first four-time, undefeated New Jersey champion. You were the first Rutgers four-time All-American, and I'll give you tied for first even though Nick technically --
ANTHONY ASHNAULT: Nah, he's first. I had three chances. I didn't get it done.

Q. You've been a trailblazer in your career. Is that a role that you like? And can you say "mobbin" for us?
ANTHONY ASHNAULT: Schnaulty B Mobbin (phonetic). And I came to Rutgers to do that kind of thing, to get more recruits, like I said after the semis. To be honest, I was a little nervous. Once Nick won I could be free out there and let it fly.

So I'm grateful for him; he pushed me a lot. He could be one of the reasons why I finally jumped to get in here. He transferred, another workout partner. He's an awesome kid. I'm so freakin' happy. Rutgers got a chance, and we broke through that wall. And it's going to be uphill from now.

Q. What's it mean to break through that wall? No one can say you can't do it at Rutgers?
ANTHONY ASHNAULT: It means, I'm going to be coaching next year and going to kids, saying, hey, we got it done. I know what I did and I know what Nick did, the steps along the way. The proof's in the pudding.

It's a lot easier to set the table for a high school kid looking to come to school for Rutgers. We're not just producing All-Americans and national finalists and Big Ten champs now. We're taking top 10 in the country as a team and now we're national champs.

Q. I know you enjoy freestyle and have goals in that. Do you take a little time off or do you just start working on your gut wrenches? And secondly, will you wrestle in the Garden when they invite you to wrestle the No. 1 guy in freestyle in May?
ANTHONY ASHNAULT: Heck, yeah, man I'm going to Pan Am Games with the senior level guys about April 20th. I think, I compete in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I'll be with a lot of the starting guys. That's where I want to be. My goal as a little kid was to be Olympic champ, national champ, and now I got that part done.

I thought it would be a little more satisfying, but I just realized that my potential still has a little bit more to go. And, you know, this was a stressful time. College is stressful. You've got goals for yourself. I had six years, but usually you only get four years to do it. And when you don't accomplish it so many times in a row, you start getting down on yourself. And it took a lot of soul searching to prove to myself that I am worth it, and the grind is worth it, and it's going to happen one day. And it happened.

Q. I remember seeing you warm up and getting ready for your matches with that SpongeBob shirt. What does it mean on this day, wearing that Rutgers singlet? And what does this mean to you and your family and the program that you're wrestling for?
ANTHONY ASHNAULT: This goes beyond just Rutgers. Grew up in a small community, South Plainsville, New Jersey, and I deleted my Twitter and Instagram this year, but the older people on Facebook, they're popping off. And they're putting me in their stories and just showing me all their love.

And that motivated me a lot for tonight. And I knew I had an army behind me. One of my old coaches, Steve Veres, Sebastian Veres' dad, 125 pounder, he always said it takes an army for us to go compete out there.

Man, if you look up at the Rutgers crowd, they're an army. They're chanting, they're nervous, they're into it. And that's what this tournament is about. And I'm just excited and blessed. I don't mean to cut anyone off, I just want to go see my family a little bit.

Q. Speaking of your family, you obviously haven't seen the tape of the match, but your mother did not watch most of it.
ANTHONY ASHNAULT: Most of my matches.

Q. Is that a superstition?
ANTHONY ASHNAULT: I told her -- they asked if my family wanted to sit next to the mat side. My first reaction was, like, my mom is super superstitious. If she sits in one seat the first session of the tournament and I win and I look good, it's the same seat, the same shirt, the same scarf, the same position she watches it. Everything is the same.

Back to the SpongeBob shirt. I'm just happy that senior on my team ripped it when he did because my superstitions aren't like that at all.

And the most superstitious thing I have is just my thoughts and controlling them. So I look at her, though, when she is doing that and to me it means she loves me and she cares so much about me that she doesn't want to see me hurt or she wants to see me accomplish my goals. Honestly, I love it. I don't mind seeing her like that, because that's been my whole life and that's how I know she really cares about me.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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