Rutgers wrestling finishes with one of the top recruiting classes in the nation

On Wednesday, InterMat named the Scarlet Knights’ 2024 recruiting class the fourth-best in the country

Things are certainly trending right for Rutgers wrestling.

On Wednesday, InterMat named the Scarlet Knights’ 2024 recruiting class the fourth-best in the country. That is welcome news for the Scarlet Knights as they look to build on their 12-5 record.

When Rutgers returns to action for the 2024-2025 campaign, there will be a few new faces. That includes Andrew Barbosa, Nate Blanchette, Ryan Ford, Conner Harer, and Alex Nini. Three members of that group, Harer, Nini, and Blanchette, are ranked in the top 100 nationally.

It is a huge recruiting class for Rutgers as they look to move up in the Big Ten standings. The Big Ten, the unquestioned toughest conference in the sport, is stacked from top-to-bottom.

Four of the top six programs in the nation are from the Big Ten.

A class like this should be able to help head coach Scott Goodale make some noise in the Big Ten.

.@RUWrestling officially locks up its highest-rated rookie class since 2008! https://t.co/XOYeHvSv5E

— Bradly Derechailo (@Bradly_D) June 12, 2024

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While Rutgers freshmen will be looking to make their mark, they will also have plenty of veterans to rely on, including Yaraslau Slavikouski, who will be using his final year of eligibility. He is regarded as one of the top heavyweights in the country.

 

Seven incoming Rutgers wrestlers are top 25 in their weight class

Rutgers wrestling has a tremendous incoming recruiting class.

This incoming class of freshmen for Rutgers wrestling is absolutely loaded and might represent the best class in program history.

Head coach [autotag]Scott Goodale[/autotag] managed to land seven incoming Rutgers wrestlers who nationally are ranked top-25 in their respective weight class. That is a seriously good haul for Goodale and his staff.

For those who don’t follow wrestling recruiting closely, the clearest comparison would be that Goodale has landed seven (if not eight) incoming freshmen who would be four-star recruits in the football world. That’s some impressive recruiting.

MatScouts ranks Rutgers with five freshmen ranked in the top 55 of all recruits, regardless of weight class. Individually, four of the verbals are top-10 nationally in their weight class.

Seven of the eight are among the top-200 recruits in the nation. This is a top-tier Big Ten recruiting class:

 

Rutgers is coming off a season where they had two All-Americans. They finished the season 12-5 (4-4 Big Ten) and with an impressive 6-3 record at home.

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All five of their losses on the season were against ranked opponents.

Yuge boom! Rutgers wrestling Yaraslau Slavikouski is coming back for one more ride

Yaraslau Slavikouski is returning to Rutgers wrestling.

Yaraslau Slavikouski isn’t going anywhere but will return to Rutgers wrestling.

A transfer portal addition last spring, Slavikouski had a strong first season at Rutgers. He compiled a 22-8 record on his way to All-American honors.

Following the season, Slavikouski entered the transfer portal. His return gives Rutgers a potential top-10 team heading into next season.

Slavikouski joined Rutgers last year from Harvard, instantly filling a pressing need at heavyweight.

In a statement on the Rutgers athletics website, Slavikouski underscored his commitment to the program and his return to the Scarlet Knights.

“I am really excited to use my final year of eligibility here at Rutgers,” Slavikouski said in a statement. “We had an awesome finish to the season, and I look forward to getting back after it with my coaches and the rest of our team.”

 

He was one of two Rutgers wrestlers to earn All-American honors, joining Dylan Shawver at 133 pounds.

Last year, Rutgers finished the season 12-5 and with a 4-4 record in the Big Ten. The Big Ten is considered the toughest conference in the country for wrestling.

Rutgers wrestling head coach Scott Goodale on Big Ten champ Dylan Shawver: ‘He believes he can win this tournament’

Dylan Shawver won the Big Ten Tournament at 133 pounds and now goes into the NCAA Wrestling Championships as a favorite.

Fresh off a successful Big Ten Tournament where seven from his team outright qualified for the NCAA Tournament, Rutgers wrestling head coach Scott Goodale has the task to center and focus his squad on a bigger task ahead.

With the NCAA Wrestling Championships kicking off this week, Rutgers has the legitimate chance to place several wrestlers as All-Americans. But the attention will be the brightest on Dylan Shawver.

Shawver is the fourth-seed at 133 pounds and is fresh off taking the title at the Big Ten Tournament. He is one of eight wrestlers from Rutgers who qualified for the NCAA championships but his situation heading into this week is unique.

As a conference champion, Shawver must now his turn his focus back to once again competing. As the Big Ten Tournament champion at 133 pounds, he enters the NCAA championships with a target on his back.

“The biggest thing for me from a staff standpoint is getting off that high,” Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale said on a conference call this week.

“It’s one of the harder things we have to deal with is getting off the highs with the Big Ten Tournament and getting right back in the mindset of  ‘Let’s get ready for the national tournament’ because the Big Ten is over .Of course, it’s great when there’s momentum when you’ve wrestled well, and you’re training well,

“He’s (Shawver) done that – he’s really, really trained well. I really think he wants the tournament….he believes he can win this tournament. So that’s that’s our job and that’s really, really important.

“But at the end of the day, it all starts over around. 11 o’clock Thursday morning. He’s got a very difficult match. So that’s the way we got to move on and that’s the way to approach it. And he’s super confident but you got to get off of what happened two weeks ago and really lock in on to what’s about to take place. These next – I shouldn’t say these next three days but the three days Thursday, Friday, Saturday – nothing can happen unless you get the first one.”

Shawver is 22-5 on the season and looks very comfortable at 133 pounds. He will start the NCAA Wrestling Championships against No. 29 Jace Koelzer (Oklahoma).

How to watch the 2024 Big Ten wresting championships

Check out the five of the country’s top-10 ranked wrestling teams this weekend at the Big Ten championships.

Get ready for collegiate wrestling action on Saturday, Mar. 9, and Sunday, Mar. 10 at the 2023-24 Big Ten Tournament, headlined by the No. 1 Penn State Nittany Lions and No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes 

The annual Big Ten Wrestling Championships, set to take place at Xfinity Center in College Park, Maryland, will include competitors from 10 ranked teams in the NWCA top 25 including No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Nebraska, No. 6 Ohio State, and No. 9 Michigan. 

If you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place. All action will be airing on BTN and B1G+.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Big Ten Wrestling Championship session 1″ link=”http://bit.ly/WR24Sesh1″]

Last year the Nittany Lions took home the conference championship competing in the toughest wrestling conference in the country. With a lot of their roster returning from last season, Penn State is the likely favorite once again.

Big Ten Wrestling Sessions

Date Session Broadcast Time (ET) Stream
Mar. 9 Session 1 – First Round, Quarterfinals, Wrestlebacks BTN 10 a.m. Click here
Mar. 9 Session 2 – Consolation Matches, Wrestlebacks B1G+ 5 p.m. Click here
Mar. 9 Session 2 – Semifinals BTN 7 p.m. Click here
Mar. 10 Session 3 – Consolation Semifinals, 7th Place Matches B1G+ Noon Click here
Mar. 10 Session 4 – Championship, 3rd and 5th-Place Matches BTN 4:30 p.m. Click here

Get more Big Ten coverage from our network of team sites

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Big Ten Wrestling Championships Quaterfinals” link=”http://bit.ly/WR24Sesh1″]

How to watch the 2024 Big Ten wresting championships

Check out the five of the country’s top-10 ranked wrestling teams this weekend at the Big Ten championships.

Get ready for collegiate wrestling action on Saturday, Mar. 9, and Sunday, Mar. 10 at the 2023-24 Big Ten Tournament, headlined by the No. 1 Penn State Nittany Lions and No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes 

The annual Big Ten Wrestling Championships, set to take place at Xfinity Center in College Park, Maryland, will include competitors from 10 ranked teams in the NWCA top 25 including No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Nebraska, No. 6 Ohio State, and No. 9 Michigan. 

If you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place. All action will be airing on BTN and B1G+.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Big Ten Wrestling Championship session 1″ link=”http://bit.ly/WR24Sesh1″]

Last year the Nittany Lions took home the conference championship competing in the toughest wrestling conference in the country. With a lot of their roster returning from last season, Penn State is the likely favorite once again.

Big Ten Wrestling Sessions

Date Session Broadcast Time (ET) Stream
Mar. 9 Session 1 – First Round, Quarterfinals, Wrestlebacks BTN 10 a.m. Click here
Mar. 9 Session 2 – Consolation Matches, Wrestlebacks B1G+ 5 p.m. Click here
Mar. 9 Session 2 – Semifinals BTN 7 p.m. Click here
Mar. 10 Session 3 – Consolation Semifinals, 7th Place Matches B1G+ Noon Click here
Mar. 10 Session 4 – Championship, 3rd and 5th-Place Matches BTN 4:30 p.m. Click here

Get more Big Ten coverage from our network of team sites

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Big Ten Wrestling Championships Quaterfinals” link=”http://bit.ly/WR24Sesh1″]

How to watch the 2024 Big Ten wresting championships

Check out the five of the country’s top-10 ranked wrestling teams this weekend at the Big Ten championships.

Get ready for collegiate wrestling action on Saturday, Mar. 9, and Sunday, Mar. 10 at the 2023-24 Big Ten Tournament, headlined by the No. 1 Penn State Nittany Lions and No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes 

The annual Big Ten Wrestling Championships, set to take place at Xfinity Center in College Park, Maryland, will include competitors from 10 ranked teams in the NWCA top 25 including No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Nebraska, No. 6 Ohio State, and No. 9 Michigan. 

If you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place. All action will be airing on BTN and B1G+.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Big Ten Wrestling Championship session 1″ link=”http://bit.ly/WR24Sesh1″]

Last year the Nittany Lions took home the conference championship competing in the toughest wrestling conference in the country. With a lot of their roster returning from last season, Penn State is the likely favorite once again.

Big Ten Wrestling Sessions

Date Session Broadcast Time (ET) Stream
Mar. 9 Session 1 – First Round, Quarterfinals, Wrestlebacks BTN 10 a.m. Click here
Mar. 9 Session 2 – Consolation Matches, Wrestlebacks B1G+ 5 p.m. Click here
Mar. 9 Session 2 – Semifinals BTN 7 p.m. Click here
Mar. 10 Session 3 – Consolation Semifinals, 7th Place Matches B1G+ Noon Click here
Mar. 10 Session 4 – Championship, 3rd and 5th-Place Matches BTN 4:30 p.m. Click here

Get more Big Ten coverage from our network of team sites

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Big Ten Wrestling Championships Quaterfinals” link=”http://bit.ly/WR24Sesh1″]

How to watch the 2024 Big Ten wresting championships

Check out the five of the country’s top-10 ranked wrestling teams this weekend at the Big Ten championships.

Get ready for collegiate wrestling action on Saturday, Mar. 9, and Sunday, Mar. 10 at the 2023-24 Big Ten Tournament, headlined by the No. 1 Penn State Nittany Lions and No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes 

The annual Big Ten Wrestling Championships, set to take place at Xfinity Center in College Park, Maryland, will include competitors from 10 ranked teams in the NWCA top 25 including No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Nebraska, No. 6 Ohio State, and No. 9 Michigan. 

If you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place. All action will be airing on BTN and B1G+.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Big Ten Wrestling Championship session 1″ link=”http://bit.ly/WR24Sesh1″]

Last year the Nittany Lions took home the conference championship competing in the toughest wrestling conference in the country. With a lot of their roster returning from last season, Penn State is the likely favorite once again.

Big Ten Wrestling Sessions

Date Session Broadcast Time (ET) Stream
Mar. 9 Session 1 – First Round, Quarterfinals, Wrestlebacks BTN 10 a.m. Click here
Mar. 9 Session 2 – Consolation Matches, Wrestlebacks B1G+ 5 p.m. Click here
Mar. 9 Session 2 – Semifinals BTN 7 p.m. Click here
Mar. 10 Session 3 – Consolation Semifinals, 7th Place Matches B1G+ Noon Click here
Mar. 10 Session 4 – Championship, 3rd and 5th-Place Matches BTN 4:30 p.m. Click here

Get more Big Ten coverage from our network of team sites

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Big Ten Wrestling Championships Quaterfinals” link=”http://bit.ly/WR24Sesh1″]

How to watch the 2024 Big Ten wresting championships

Check out the five of the country’s top-10 ranked wrestling teams this weekend at the Big Ten championships.

Get ready for collegiate wrestling action on Saturday, Mar. 9, and Sunday, Mar. 10 at the 2023-24 Big Ten Tournament, headlined by the No. 1 Penn State Nittany Lions and No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes 

The annual Big Ten Wrestling Championships, set to take place at Xfinity Center in College Park, Maryland, will include competitors from 10 ranked teams in the NWCA top 25 including No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Nebraska, No. 6 Ohio State, and No. 9 Michigan. 

If you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place. All action will be airing on BTN and B1G+.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Big Ten Wrestling Championship session 1″ link=”http://bit.ly/WR24Sesh1″]

Last year the Nittany Lions took home the conference championship competing in the toughest wrestling conference in the country. With a lot of their roster returning from last season, Penn State is the likely favorite once again.

Big Ten Wrestling Sessions

Date Session Broadcast Time (ET) Stream
Mar. 9 Session 1 – First Round, Quarterfinals, Wrestlebacks BTN 10 a.m. Click here
Mar. 9 Session 2 – Consolation Matches, Wrestlebacks B1G+ 5 p.m. Click here
Mar. 9 Session 2 – Semifinals BTN 7 p.m. Click here
Mar. 10 Session 3 – Consolation Semifinals, 7th Place Matches B1G+ Noon Click here
Mar. 10 Session 4 – Championship, 3rd and 5th-Place Matches BTN 4:30 p.m. Click here

Get more Big Ten coverage from our network of team sites

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Big Ten Wrestling Championships Quaterfinals” link=”http://bit.ly/WR24Sesh1″]

How to watch the 2024 Big Ten wresting championships

Check out the five of the country’s top-10 ranked wrestling teams this weekend at the Big Ten championships.

Get ready for collegiate wrestling action on Saturday, Mar. 9, and Sunday, Mar. 10 at the 2023-24 Big Ten Tournament, headlined by the No. 1 Penn State Nittany Lions and No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes 

The annual Big Ten Wrestling Championships, set to take place at Xfinity Center in College Park, Maryland, will include competitors from 10 ranked teams in the NWCA top 25 including No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Nebraska, No. 6 Ohio State, and No. 9 Michigan. 

If you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place. All action will be airing on BTN and B1G+.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Big Ten Wrestling Championship session 1″ link=”http://bit.ly/WR24Sesh1″]

Last year the Nittany Lions took home the conference championship competing in the toughest wrestling conference in the country. With a lot of their roster returning from last season, Penn State is the likely favorite once again.

Big Ten Wrestling Sessions

Date Session Broadcast Time (ET) Stream
Mar. 9 Session 1 – First Round, Quarterfinals, Wrestlebacks BTN 10 a.m. Click here
Mar. 9 Session 2 – Consolation Matches, Wrestlebacks B1G+ 5 p.m. Click here
Mar. 9 Session 2 – Semifinals BTN 7 p.m. Click here
Mar. 10 Session 3 – Consolation Semifinals, 7th Place Matches B1G+ Noon Click here
Mar. 10 Session 4 – Championship, 3rd and 5th-Place Matches BTN 4:30 p.m. Click here

Get more Big Ten coverage from our network of team sites

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Big Ten Wrestling Championships Quaterfinals” link=”http://bit.ly/WR24Sesh1″]