Tag: Scott Goodale

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.

Rutgers wrestling – Shane Cartagena-Walsh wins Sam Cali Award

Shane Cartagena-Walsh wins top freshman award for Rutgers wrestling.

After entering the 2023 campaign with high expectations, Rutgers wrestling did not disappoint with a 12-5 overall record. While the Scarlet Knights got contributions from everyone on the roster, one player who stood out was Shane Cartagena-Walsh. On Wednesday, he received recognition for his stellar play when he won the Sam Cali Award given to the top freshman.

In his first season with Rutgers, Cartagena-Walsh finished with a 4-1 record. The New Jersey native also added one bonus point win to his resume. In the 174 weight class he posted a 8-5 record. For head coach Scott Goodale, the performance of Cartagena-Walsh was a welcome sign.

As Goodale shifts his focus to next season, Cartagena-Walsh is expected to have an important role. He showed last season that he could hold his own in the in the 174 and 184 weight class and should see more opportunities. 

Our Sam Cali Award for Top Freshman goes to Shane Cartagena-Walsh!

#RelentlessPursuit | #GoRU pic.twitter.com/ZdADsZ8HfH

— Rutgers Wrestling (@RUWrestling) May 1, 2024

While Cartagena-Walsh’s career is just getting started, he has joined impressive company. The 2022-2023 Sam Cali Award winner was Michael Crete, who added to his trophy case this week. The New Jersey native was named Rutgers’ Most Improved Wrestler on Wednesday night. 

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With Cartagena Walsh in the mix, Rutgers wrestling has a bright future.

Boom! Rutgers wrestling lands a commitment from Mason Gibson

Mason Gibson commits to Rutgers wrestling.

Scott Goodale built on the momentum of this past season with a recruiting class that is among the best in the nation. And on Monday afternoon, Rutgers wrestling landed a huge piece with the commitment of Mason Gibson.

Gibson, formerly committed to Penn State, posted on social media that he is committed to Rutgers. He joins the class of 2024 which is shaping up to be a solid group for Rutgers.

Earlier in his recruitment, Gibson was committed to Cornell. Then in June of 2022, he flipped to Penn State.

Two weeks ago, he de-committed from Penn State and now is with Rutgers.

Gibson is No. 13 in the nation at 132 pounds according to Flo Wrestling.

He is an outstanding addition for Rutgers, having competed at a very high level including the national stage.

 

Last season was a strong bounce-back for Rutgers wrestling as they finished 12-5 overall and 4-4 in the Big Ten.

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Rutgers placed two All-Americans at the NCAA Tournament as they finished the season No. 14 in the nation.

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).

Rutgers athletics continues impressive start to February

Over the last few weeks, fans of Rutgers athletics have had plenty to be excited about

Over the last few weeks, fans of Rutgers athletics have had plenty to be excited about. Men’s basketball has looked like a different team, while women’s basketball has looked more competitive and added a few conference wins to their resume. However, they are not the only teams having success.

Baseball season is officially underway and the Scarlet Knights won their first series of the season. Tony Maria was vital to their success with seven RBI in his first two games. Rutgers softball has also gotten off to an impressive start with a 6-4 record in their first ten games.

 

While February is already halfway over, Rutgers athletics have shown no signs of slowing down. After a winter full of ups and downs, their recent success has been a welcomed change of pace. Over the next few weeks, their success should continue.

Scroll down and check out how Rutgers sports have been doing lately!

Flip! Rutgers wrestling lands a significant commitment from Ayden Smith

Rutgers wrestling got a bigtime commitment on Wednesday.

It was a big-time Wednesday for Rutgers wrestling, who landed a commitment from Ayden Smith. One of the top prospects in the nation, Smith flipped from Cornell to Rutgers.

A Pennslyvania state champion last year after going 47-3, Smith is currently 20-2. He wrestles at 113 pounds for Notre Dame-Green Pond (Easton, Pennsylvania) and is ranked No. 3 in the nation in his weight class by MatScouts.

In all likelihood, Smith will start his college career at 125 pounds. He is quick and agile with good feet.

He originally committed to Cornell in October.

On Wednesday morning, Rutgers head coach [autotag]Scott Goodale[/autotag] teased the flip from Smith. The commitment went on social media a couple of hours later.

 

Rutgers is currently 7-1 on the season. Over the weekend, Goodale’s team beat No. 20 UPenn on the road and then Rider at home.

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This weekend, they host No. 21 Indiana for their Big Ten opener on Friday at Jersey Mike’s Arena. On Sunday, they wrestle at Purdue.

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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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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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.”

 

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.