Rutgers wrestling will kick off their 2022-2023 schedule this weekend when they host Clarion tomorrow night. It is the start of what should be a tough season for Rutgers.
After their match on Friday, No. 21 Rutgers will head to Bethlehem, PA to face Sacred Heart and No. 6 Arizona State in the Journeymen’s WrangleMania. The match will take place on Saturday at Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. No one is more excited than head coach Scott Goodale. Coach Goodale, coaching in his 16th season, is eager to get these matches underway, as this year’s team is talented in all ten weight classes.
Projected 2022-2023 Rutgers’ lineup:
| Weight class 125: Dylan Shawver or Dean Peterson |
| Weight class 133: Joe Heilmann |
| Weight class 141: Sammy Alvarez or Joesph Olivieri |
| Weight class 149: Tony White |
| Weight class 157: Andrew Clark or Al DeSantis |
| Weight class 165: Connor O’Neill |
| Weight class 174: Jackson Turley |
| Weight class 184: John Poznaski or Biran Soldano |
| Weight class 197: Billy Janzer or Kyle Epperly |
| Weight class HWT: Boone McDermott |
In recent years, the Rutgers wrestling program has been extremely talented but just can’t find a way to get over the hump.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve picked somebody off. I think it’s what this group is missing, we need a signature win,” Goodale said.
“We’re trying to get over the hump. To be sitting at No. 12, 14, in the country at the end of the year doesn’t sit right with our program, and that’s our mentality every single day.”
Rutgers is hungry and is on the verge of becoming a national powerhouse. Will this be the year that Rutgers gets over the hump?
It sure can be, especially since Rutgers added a few new faces from last year. The Scarlet Knights added true freshman, Brian Soldano at 184 pounds, out of High Point High School in New Jersey. While attending High Point, Soldano was a 3x NJSIAA State Champion. The Jersey-born freshman is excited to wrestle in front of his home crowd fans. Soldano wasn’t the only new wrestler to join the squad this year, as a four-year graduate transfer, Joe Heilman, leaves North Carolina to come back home. The Jersey native from South Plainfield will wrestle at 133 pounds, moving junior Sammy Alvarez and sophomore Joseph Olivieri up to the 141-weight class. Heilman has some extra motivation this year since he gets to wrestle for his home state.
#Rutgers Wrestling Announces full 2022-23 Schedule@CoachLexKnapp || @TKRPodcast pic.twitter.com/HMJfo8cLjp
— Rutgers Scarlet Knights | TheKnightReport.Net (@RutgersRivals) October 5, 2022
Rutgers will certainly have some opportunities to knock off ranked opponents, as they face four top 10 ranked teams in No. 1 Penn State, No. 4 Ohio State, No. 5 Michigan, and No. 6 Arizona State. Also on their schedule, is No. 11 Nebraska, No. 15 Michigan State, No. 20 Northwestern, No. 18 UPenn, and No. 22 Princeton. Coach Goodale and his Scarlet Knights will be put to the test this season. With their balanced line-up, let’s see if this determined Rutgers squad can finally get over the hump and crack the top-10 NCAA Division I rankings.
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