Tag: Rutgers Wrestling

No. 12 Rutgers wrestling will participate in two opens during the Holiday Season

No. 12 Rutgers wrestling will participate in the 59th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships and the 2023 Sheridan Tournament.

No. 12 Rutgers wrestling will participate in the 59th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships from December 29th to 30th.

But first, things start on Friday with the 2023 Sheridan Tournament on Friday.

Ken Kraft Midlands Championships Coverage

As the wrestling season gets underway, a season-long wrestling pass is available for $69.99 on B1G+, with the ability to access both the Midlands Championships and the second annual Soldier Salute, 80 additional non-televised Big Ten wrestling events, 2024 Big Ten Wrestling Championships coverage and on-demand replays of televised duals. Also, On BIG+, you can watch four live streams simultaneously on one screen at bigtenplus.com or with Apple TV.

As for coverage of the Midlands Championships, Big Ten Network wrestling broadcasters Shane Sparks and Jim Gibbons will follow the tournament throughout the two-day event.

Wrestlers from ten Big Ten programs will participate in both events, including several schools ranking in Intermat’s top 30. The list includes No. 2 Iowa, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 10 Michigan, No. 12 Minnesota, No. 14 Rutgers, No. 23 Illinois, No. 30 Wisconsin, Michigan State, Northwestern, and Purdue.

The 2023 Sheridan Tournament

As for the Scarlet Knights, the Midlands Championships is not the only event Rutgers wrestling will participate in over the Holiday Season. The Sheridan Tournament is one of two opens Rutgers will participate in during the Holiday break.

Six Scarlet Knights will compete at the Midlands Championships, while another six will wrestle in the 2023 Sheridan Tournament, hosted by Lehigh on Friday.

  1. Brandan Chletsos (125)
  2. Devon Britton (133)
  3. Joe Fongaro (141)
  4. Mitch Moore (141)
  5. Al DeSantis (157)
  6. Luke Gayer (165)

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Rutgers’ John Poznanski received Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honor

On Tuesday, the Big Ten Conference announced No. 8 Rutgers’ John Poznanski (197) received the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week Award.

The Big Ten Conference announced Rutgers’ John Poznanski (197) received the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week Award. The two-time NCAA qualifier (2021 & 2022) went 2-0 in dual victories over Princeton and Buffalo last weekend, improving to 6-0 on the season.

Through the season’s first month, Poznanski is a perfect 6-0, with four wins coming via bonus. The 2021 NCAA All-American has two ranked wins and is ranked No. 8 in the country by Intermat.

Last Friday, Poznanski earned an 8-4 decision over No. 10 Luke Stout, guiding the Scarlet Knights to a 24-9 victory over Princeton. Stout, a two-time NCAA qualifier and 2023 second-team All-Ivy wrestler, finished with a 21-10 record last season.

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On Sunday, the Colonia, New Jersey, native followed his Friday’s victory with an 18-4 major decision over Buffalo’s Sam Mitchell. Poznanski helped the Scarlet Knights earn their third shutout on the season.

This is Poznanski’s first weekly conference award and is the second Scarlet Knight to receive this Big Ten award. Rutgers’ No. 7 Yaraslau Slavikouski (HWT) received the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week Award on November 22, only two weeks into the season.

Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale will send several wrestlers to the 59th edition of the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in Hoffmann Estates, Illinois, at the end of the month (December 29-30) as the Scarlet Knights next dual is not till January 6 against Penn.

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Rutgers wrestling moves up in latest InterMat Rankings

Rutgers wrestling makes a move in the InterMat rankings.

Rutgers wrestling, fresh off a weekend sweep of opponents, has moved up in the latest InterMat Rankings.

On Friday night, Rutgers thoroughly defeated Princeton. The Scarlet Knights followed that up on Sunday with a 40-0 win over Buffalo. With the wins, Rutgers improved to 5-1 on the season.

Those results helped Rutgers move to No. 14 nationally in InterMat’s dual rankings and tied at No. 17 for their tournament rankings.

Each ranking represents a move up for one spot from the week before for Rutgers.

Since a loss to Virginia Tech three weeks ago, Rutgers has won three straight. They are now in a break until they go at UPenn on Jan. 6.

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The Big Ten, as is usual, is well-represented in this week’s rankings with four teams ranked in the top 10. Penn State is atop the rankings followed by No. 4 Nebraska and No. 6 Iowa and No. 9 Iowa.

Rutgers’ lone loss of the season came against No. 10 Virginia Tech.

No. 13 Rutgers wrestling picked up two victories over the weekend

No. 13 Rutgers wrestling finished the weekend strong, defeating Buffalo 40-0, to capture their fifth victory of the season.

No. 13 Rutgers wrestling (5-1, 0-0) finished the weekend with a 40-0 victory over Buffalo (6-7)  to finish the weekend on an impressive note.

On Friday night, the Scarlet Knights started the weekend strong by dominating their in-state rival, the Princeton Tigers (0-2), 24-9 to secure the B1G-IVY Trophy. Rutgers picked up rank wins on Friday from No. 8 John Poznanski (197), No. 12 Brian Soldano (184), No. 16 Mitch Moore (141), No. 26 Dylan Schawver (134), and No. 29 Jackson Turley (174).

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Rutgers No. 7 Dean Peterson (125) opened Friday’s match against the Tigers by defeating No. 9 Drew Heethuis, 7-3, in a decision to give Rutgers a 3-0 lead. Peterson’s victory kept the Scarlet Knight undefeated and gave Rutgers a quick 3-0 lead over Princeton. The Scarlet Knights secured their 47th victory against the Tigers, winning their 25th in the last 26 matches against the Tigers.

 

Rutgers carried their winning effort from Friday into their match against Buffalo on Sunday.

Sunday’s match marked the third shutout for the Scarlet Knights this season (Duke, Edinboro, and Buffalo). No. 12 Soldano (184) and No. 16 Moore (141) completed the weekend strong, picking up falls against the Bulls to capture their second victory of the weekend.

The Scarlet Knights secured five bonus-point victories in a winning effort, with John O’Donnell (HWT) earning his first career-dual victory. Also, Rutgers’ Brandon Chletsos (125) captured a victory in his first home appearance.

Rutgers will send several wrestlers to the 59th edition of the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in Hoffmann Estates, Illinois, at the end of the month (December 29-30) as the Scarlet Knights’ next dual is not till January 6 against Penn.

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Rutgers wrestling: John Poznanski secured a big Friday night result

John Poznanski got a big win on Friday night for Rutgers wrestling.

It was an important Friday night for John Poznanski, as the Rutgers wrestler took away an important victory against an in-state rival.

No. 13 Rutgers rolled to a 24-9 win over Princeton, improving their record to 4-1.

Poznanski (No. 8/No. 13) took down No. 10 Luke Stout in what was a 24-9 win for Rutgers over Princeton. It was the second win over a ranked opponent this season for Poznanski.

Two weeks ago, he defeated No. 16/No. 18 Andy Smith (Virginia Tech).

An early takedown put Poznanski behind early, but the Rutgers star rebounded.

“Right off the bat I was a little slow. He got the takedown there,” Poznanaksi told reporters after the match.

“But I knew if I kept my pressure on him, kept pulling on his head and kept moving forward. I feel really good.”

For head coach Scott Goodale, the result from Friday night was impressive and needed. Ahead of a grueling Big Ten schedule, Rutgers needed this type of result – and the style points that came with it.

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“I knew if (Poznanski) got to a single wrist, he was gonna ride him out and when you ride a guy out for a minute and twenty even though we didn’t get riding time, it takes a toll on the rest of the match and you only have 40 seconds to score on him so that was a huge huge ride,” Goodale said in his press conference following the win.

“Little things like that win big matches and I think it’s very important. I think that guy Stout is a hell of a competitor. I think that whole team (Princeton) competes hard. I have nothing but respect for that program. There’s a lot of respect for that program. But those guys wrestle really, really hard.”

Rutgers wrestling: Scott Goodale’s College Football Playoff tweets were better than Saturday’s games

Rutgers wrestling head coach Scott Goodale talks College Football Playoff rankings.

Let’s be honest, Scott Goodale may be eyeing a transition to the broadcasting booth, and it may not be to cover wrestling. The Rutgers wrestling coach made some very salient points on Saturday night about the College Football Playoff.

And in doing so, in one Saturday night, he’s made more sense than ESPN’s Desmond Howard has made over the past two seasons.

Alabama beating No. 1 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game has set a certain amount of chaos into motion with regard to the College Football Playoff. Adding to the confusion is what to do with Florida State, who despite being undefeated and the ACC champions, are without their starting quarterback.

The Rutgers wrestling head coach waded into the depths of social media on Saturday night…and into Sunday morning…to make his arguments about the CFP.

And, in particular, that he believes that Alabama should be one of the four teams selected by the committee.

 

 

 

 

Rutgers (3-1) is coming off a convincing 49-0 win at Edinboro on Friday night. They return to the mat this week with a fixture against Princeton on Friday night.

For Rutgers wrestling, loss to Virginia Tech is all about March

Rutgers wrestling believes Friday’s result is valuable for the Big Ten program.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The caution from Rutgers wrestling head coach Scott Goodale on Friday night was not to read too much into his team’s loss to Virginia Tech. Lessons will be learned from his Big Ten program that will be valuable for later this year.

Rutgers lost 19-12 on Friday night, with Virginia Tech sparked by two upsets in matches that Rutgers was projected to win.

At 165 pounds, unranked Rafael Hipolito beat No. 22 Anthony White (13-7). Then No. 9 Brian Soldano, in what was the biggest surprise of the night, was upended 10-9 by No. 21 Sam Fisher.

But for a Rutgers team that has ambitions of cracking the top 10 this season, the loss hurts. But, Goodale said after the match, the hurt can be valuable with lessons learned.

“I love these matchups. You know, we were fortunate to get this matchup and we’ll go back there next year,” Goodale said after the loss.

“It’s a good measuring stick. But these matches matter. These matches down the road are going to matter. I think of Soldano right off the bat, right? He’s ranked maybe eighth (No. 9) in the country that kid is may be twentieth (No. 21) in the country. That’s a huge win for that guy. So now we got to make up some ground, we got to beat somebody.”

Rutgers has ambitions of improving on their record from last year where they went 10-7 overall and won two of eight matches in the Big Ten.

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This is a program that has the talent to take the next step and be top 10 nationally and place some wrestlers on the podium this spring. That’s why Rutgers scheduled an opponent that was preseason top five in the nation.

“So they matter – these matches are really really important. Again, it’s not the end of the world. We like to get our hand raised and so that part’s frustrating, but they matter,” Goodale said.

“They matter – they matter for seeding. You know, if you’re fortunate enough to pick off one of those All-Americans…next thing you know, you’re a top-five guy. We weren’t able to do that tonight. So they’re important,. They matter. Again, like we told the team, it’s not the end of the world. It’s November 17. This is a great test for us against a well-coached team, conditioned team and this will prepare us to be prepared for the Big Ten.”

 

Is Rutgers wrestling ready to take the next step in the Big Ten? Shane Sparks weighs in

Shane Sparks sees Rutgers wrestling as having the potential to take the next step this season in the Big Ten.

The best match-up of the college wrestling weekend might well be at Rutgers and Jersey Mike’s Arena on Friday night. With a top-10 team in Virginia Tech rolling into town, it is certainly a measuring stick moment for Rutgers.

No. 8 Virginia Tech comes into Friday night a bit battered following a loss last weekend at Ohio State. With Rutgers having two weeks rest after their 2-0 start to the season (wins over Duke and Cal Poly), it certainly makes for an intriguing early-season meeting.

A win would certainly show that Rutgers has the potential to break into a very tough Big Ten pecking order. Big Ten Network analyst Shane Sparks believes that Rutgers could be ready to take that proverbial next step starting with this weekend.

Rutgers has been consistently solid in the Big Ten in recent years, but their path upward is made more difficult by the fact that the conference is easily the toughest in the sport.

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“The Big Ten is so tricky because the dual meet schedules are not balanced,  so you can have that 3-5 season in the Big Ten because…I’m just looking at the rankings, right now. I’m gonna go to the to meet rankings but you got Penn State’s at one, you got four of the top seven, five of the top nine,” Sparks told Rutgers Wire about the current national rankings.

“I think for Rutgers. This year, if they can get in that top half – that’d be a huge step for them. Because the reality is that it’s tough. They’ll need to find a way to finish, say seventh at the Big Ten Tournament.

“I mean, the six teams ahead of them are basically all in the top 10 or close to it so if they can find a way to crack that top path, I would say it is a very successful season for them. That’s taking the next step because the bottom line is, you know, the Big Ten gives you nothing. I mean, you got to earn it. So a lot of good things potentially but they got to stay healthy because they don’t have that big point scorer.”

In this week’s NWCA poll, Penn State is the consensus top team in the nation followed by North Carolina State and Iowa.

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Sparks said that the atmosphere on Friday night at Jersey Mike’s Arena has the potential to be special.

No. 13 Rutgers Wrestling will host No. 8 Virginia Tech in their home opener

No. 13 Rutgers wrestling (2-0, 0-0) will open their 2023-24 home schedule on Friday as they host No. 8 Virginia Tech (1-1, 0-0).

No. 13 Rutgers wrestling (2-0, 0-0) will open their 2023-24 home schedule on Friday as they host No. 8 Virginia Tech (1-1, 0-0). The out-of-conference dual will mark the third non-conference match in the early season, with the Scarlet Knights defeating Duke and Cal Poly last week.

The last time out, the Scarlet Knights delivered strong wins over Duke, 47-0, and Cal Poly, 31-10, to open the season. In their two-match sweep, the Scarlet Knights won 17 out of 20 matches on Friday (13 victories by bonus).

In the season opener, No. 6 Dean Peterson, No. 10 Brian Soldano (184), No. 16 Dylan Shawver (133), and No. 17 Mitch Moore (141) recorded falls in San Luis Obispo, California. Also, Moore, No. 6 Yaraslau Slavik (HWT), No. 25 Jacob Butler (149), Joe Fongaro (141), and Shane Cartagena-Walsh (174) delivered wins in their Rutgers debuts.

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As for Virginia Tech, the Hokies opened their season against No. 6 Ohio State as the Buckeyes defeated Virginia Tech 24-12. In their second match of the season, Virginia Tech would bounce against American University, 39-4, to capture their first victory of the 2023-24 season.

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Virginia Tech sophomore No. 4 Caleb Henson is a wrestler to watch on VT’s roster in the 149-pound weight class. Henson was the 2023 ACC Freshman of the Year and the ACC Champion last season. Also, the Cartersville, Georgia, native placed 5th in the NCAA Tournament last season.

 

Shane Sparks expects a special atmosphere for Rutgers wrestling against Virginia Tech: ‘Jersey is a different place!’

Jersey Mike’s Arena is going to be a good atmosphere for Virginia Tech at Rutgers wrestling.

Friday night has the potential to be a special atmosphere at Jersey Mike’s Arena, with No. 13 Rutgers set to host No. 8 Virginia Tech. It is an advantage in the stands that Big Ten Network wrestling analyst Shane Sparks says is one of the very best in the nation.

Rutgers comes into this match off wins against Duke and Cal Poly to start the season. This could well be one of the top matches of the weekend, featuring two programs ranked top 15 in the nation.

It should be a big crowd for Rutgers at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Friday night, making for a special and intense atmosphere. Sparks, a former collegiate wrestler, is one of the top voices of the sport.

As such, his ability to travel around the nation covering wrestling has given him some insight into what the environment will be like at Rutgers this weekend.

“I live in Wisconsin. I’ve been to every Big Ten venue and for lack of a better way to say it – it’s just Jersey. Like it’s different. I mean, it’s tough. I mean, I’ve said this oftentimes Jersey is a different place! And I mean that with the utmost respect!” Sparks told Rutgers Wire.

“They are tough, they are gritty. They are blue collar, they are passionate – like they want to come and see a fight. These people want to come and see a fight! That’s what they want to see. So that’s how they are there. I love it. I love that place because it’s going to get…there will be plenty of tension in that arena. And, you know, I’m sure Virginia Tech is well aware. I mean, they were at Ohio State and that’s a really good environment.

“But I would say from a national standpoint, Jersey Mike’s Arena is one of my favorite places because it is go time – it’s go time.”

Last week, Virginia Tech lost at Ohio State in a result that was largely seen as an upset. Saying that Virginia Tech is going to ‘look to right the wrong,’ Sparks sees the Hokies as coming into Friday night with a point to prove.

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This is a big early-season test for both programs.

“So you got a Virginia Tech team that is kind of a wounded dog. I mean, those guys gonna be hungry. Tony Robie has done a great job with one of the best teams in the country. I mean, they want to right the wrong,” Sparks said.

“They just lost to the Buckeyes so I think they’re going to come in hungry. Probably very focused. I think against Ohio State, they probably  – it was kind of a little bit of a wake-up call.

“Rutgers, last week -they did a really good job, but this is a different level. They understand that. So I just think it’s a very even matchup. You got ranked matchups up and down. And then in wrestling, we call them toss-up matches where it’s like they’re toss-ups. where you could see them going either way.”