The Rutgers University wrestling team will need the same attribute it showed Friday night in its tougher than the score indicates 28-6 win at Indiana in its Big Ten Conference opener Sunday night at No. 4 ranked nationally Ohio State – the ability to win tough bouts late.
The match will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network beginning at 6 p.m.
Rutgers (9-2, 1-0), ranked No. 16 nationally, will be attempting to stop some streaks against the Buckeyes (9-0, 1-0).
The Scarlet Knights are 0-10-1 all-time against Buckeyes, have lost 20 straight matches against top 10 teams since a 17-16 win over No. 10 Wisconsin on Jan. 11, 2019. They are also 0-55-1 all-time – 0-33 since they joined the Big Ten prior to the 2014-15 season – against the Big Ten’s Big Five of Penn State, Iowa, Ohio State, Minnesota and Michigan.
How Rutgers matches up
Against No. 24 Indiana, Rutgers won five bouts by two points or less. Three of those wins came on takedowns in the third period, which were the only takedowns in those bouts. Another win came on escape with two seconds remaining and the fifth of those wins came in tie-breaker period No. 1.
More:Rutgers wrestling grinds its way to impressive win over Indiana in Big Ten opener
The Scarlet Knights also avenged two defeats from the Midlands on Dec. 30 in the Indiana match.
It is likely there will be several close bouts against Ohio State, beginning with 125 and 133.
At 125, Rutgers’ two-time NCAA qualifier Dean Peterson, who has won 12 straight bouts, will meet Brendan McCrone. The two split two meetings last season.
McCrone recorded a 7-1 win in Ohio State’s 22-12 win in the dual-meet between the two teams at Jersey Mike’s Arena. Peterson recorded a 3-2 win in a first-round Big Ten Tournament bout.
Rutgers’ Dylan Shawver, the NCAA seventh-place finisher and defending Big Ten champion at 133 last season, defeated Nic Bouzakis 5-4 in last year’s dual-meet on an escape in the final second. Bouzakis was defeated 8-5 in sudden victory Friday night by Illinois’ three-time national top five finisher Lucas Byrd in the Buckeyes’ 24-9 win over the No. 10 ranked Fightling Illini.
Another key bout will be at heavyweight where Rutgers Yaraslau Slavikouski, the NCAA seventh-place finisher last year, will meet returning national fifth-place finisher Nick Feldman. Feldman defeated Slavikouski 4-2 in last year’s dual meet.
Ohio State is favored at 141 with defending national champion Jesse Mendez; At 174 with 2022 national 165-pound seventh-place finisher Carson Kharchia and at 157 with Paddy Gallagher.
The Buckeyes are also probably favored at 149 with 2023 NCAA 141-pound eighth-place finisher Dylan D’Emilio. However, D’Emilio’s 12-0 defeat in sudden victory to Michael Cetta in last year’s dual-meet has to have Rutgers’ thinking Andrew Clark has a chance there.
Ohio State has made an interesting lineup move at 157 and 165 with the decision to drop Sammy Sasso, down to 157. Sasso was the national runner-up at 149 in both 2021 and 2023.
Sasso, who had a long recovery from severe injuries sustained in a shooting on Aug. 18, 2023, had been wrestling at 165 before he wrestled at 157 Friday in the Franklin & Marshall Open. Sasso finished second in that tournament.
With Sasso dropping down a weight, it means Ohio State will likely go with either freshman e’Thank Birden or redshirt senior Bryce Hepner at 165.
Birden defeated Illinois’ No. 10 ranked Braeden Scoles 9-4 Friday night.
Another interesting bout will be at 184. Rutgers’ redshirt freshman Shane Cartagena-Walsh recorded a tough 3-2 win over Indiana’s three-time NCAA qualifier D.J. Washington Friday night on a third-period takedown. It was Cartagena-Walsh’s fifth win over a ranked wrestler this season.
Ohio State has explosive Ryder Rogotzke at 184. He split two bouts with Rutgers’ Brian Soldano last season. Soldano, who is also explosive pinned Rogotzke in the dual-meet. Rogotzke majored Soldano 15-3 in the Big Ten Tournament fifth-place bout. Rogotzke was defeated 7-3 by Illinois’ 2024 NCAA seventh-place finisher and Big Ten 174-pound champion Edmond Ruth Friday night
Rutgers may be a slight favorite at 197 with John Poznanski, but Ohio State’s unranked Seth Shumate defeated Illinois’ No. 11 ranked and four-time NCAA qualifier Zac Braunagel 11-9 Friday night.
POSSIBLE LINEUPS
Rutgers wrestlers listed first
Rankings are from intermatwrestle.com and flowrestling.org
125: 16/15 Dean Peterson (13-2) or Ayden Smith (4-4) vs. 10/11 Brendan McCrone (16-3)
133: 17/14 Dylan Shawver (12-3) vs. 9/7 Nic Bouzakis (16-3)
141: 16/14 Joey Olivieri (11-3) or Max Hermes (5-7) vs. 1/2 Jesse Mendez (16-0)
149: 24/26 Andrew Clark (16-6) vs. 12/12 Dylan D’Emilo (11-1)
157: 31/NR Conner Harer (11-4) vs. 9/7 Paddy Gallagher (10-4) or Sammy Sasso (11-4)
165: 26/29 Anthony White (11-5) or Andrew Barbosa (4-3) vs. e/Than Birden (9-4) or Bryce Hepner (5-1)
174: 23/22 Jackson Turley (12-4) vs. 9/8 Carson Kharchia (5-0)
184: 27/NR Shane Cartagena-Walsh (15-5) or NR/18 Brian Soldano (16-6) vs. 14/15 Ryder Rogotzke (3-2)
197: 18/22 John Poznanski (9-4) or P.J. Casale (7-8) vs. Seth Shumate (8-6)
HWT: 8/10 Yaraslau Slavikouski (11-2) or John O’Donnell (7-3) vs. 7/7 Nick Feldman (10-1)
