Tag: Scott Goodale

Rutgers wrestling off to 2-0 start

Rutgers wrestling is off to a strong start.

With the first week of the college wrestling season in the books, Rutgers is off to an impressive start. The Scarlet Knights won their first two matches and outscored Duke and Cal Poly 78-10. After beginning the 2023 campaign in California, they will return to Piscataway for their next match, which is against Virginia Tech on Nov. 17.

While starting the season on the road is no easy task, the Scarlet Knights were up to the challenge. What stood out to Rutgers coach Scott Goodale was how his team performed in hostile environments.

On Saturday morning Goodale said on Twitter, ” Respect for what @JonSioredas and his staff have built at @CalPolyWrestle we were there in is first dual in front of 50 fans way back then, to a great atmosphere last night with fans on the floor, hostile/ fun environment and his boys wrestle hard. @callUSAwrestling be proud.”

 

Over the weekend, Rutgers won 17 of their first 20 matches. In their season opener, Rutgers began their match against Duke with back-to-back pins and quickly opened up a 12-0 lead. One of Rutgers most memorable moments came when Cartagena-Walsh recorded a win in his collegiate debut over Duke’s Jack Zimmer.

Following their win over Duke, Rutgers turned their attention to a Cal Poly team with high expectations. Cal Poly received votes in this week’s initial NWCA Coaches Poll, but Rutgers again got off to a 12-0 start. The Mustangs were unable to recover as Rutgers won in dominating fashion 31-10.

After playing in front of two loud crowds in California, the Scarlet Knights will enjoy the comforts of home and an exciting home crowd in 12 days.

No. 15 Rutgers wrestling opens the season with wins over Duke and Cal Poly

On Friday, No. 15 Rutgers wrestling (2-0, 0-0) delivered strong wins over Duke, 47-0, and RV Cal Poly, 31-10, to open the season. 

On Friday, No. 15 Rutgers wrestling (2-0) 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 their first dual, the Scarlet Knights swept the Blue Devils. Rutgers 125-pounder No. 6 Dean Peterson set the tone for the Scarlet Knights, defeating Duke Logan Agin by fall, giving Rutgers an early 6-0 lead. In all weight classes, Rutgers delivered convincing victories, leaving no doubt.

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Along with 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.

 

In their second dual against Cal Poly, who received votes in this week’s initial NWCA Coaches Poll, the Scarlet Knights opened the match with three consecutive wins. The Mustangs fought back with wins at 149 and 157 pounds, bringing Cal Poly within five. Rutgers No. 24 165 pounds Anthony White flipped the script for the Scarlet Knights, defeating Cal Poly Michael Goldfeder by technical fall, giving Rutgers a 17-7 lead.

After White’s victory, the Scarlet Knights won the next 3 of 4 matches to secure their victory. Rutgers No. 10 Brian Soldano (184), John Poznanski, and No. 6 Yaraslau Slavik (HWT) produced victories against their opponents to give Rutgers wrestling their second victory.

The Scarlet Knights are back in action to open its 2023-24 home schedule on Friday, November 17, against No. 4 Virginia Tech.

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Preview: Can Rutgers wrestling compete on a national level in 2023-24?

Rutgers kicks off their 2023-24 season on the West coast, when they face Duke and Cal Poly. Can RU compete on a national level in 2023-24?

Rutgers wrestling will start their season in California when they face Duke and Cal Poly on the road. Those two matches will set a very important tone for the program moving forward.

After their West Coast dual, head coach Scott Goodale and the Scarlet Knights will return home to begin its nine-match home schedule on Friday, November 17, against No. 4 Virginia Tech.

Heading into the 2023-24 season, the Scarlet Knights are ranked No. 14 in the preseason dual rankings by Intermat and are one of seven programs with student-athletes ranked at all ten weight classes. Also, according to Intermat, the Scarlet Knights are ranked No. 13 in tournament rankings after finishing the 2022-23 season at No. 34.

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The Scarlet Knights are coming off a 2022-23 season where they finished No. 22 in the NWCA Coaches Poll, the 10th final top-25 finish under Goodale. Also, the Scarlet Knights produced seven NCAA qualifiers for the second consecutive season and qualified five or more student-athletes to the national tournament for the ninth season.

Goodale has four wrestlers throughout his program this season (No. 6 Dean Peterson, No. 6 Yaraslau Slavikouski, No. 10 Brian Soldano, and No. 12 John Poznanski) who are ranked top-12 in the nation.

Weight Class (lbs) Name National Ranking Class
125 Dean Peterson No. 6 Sophomore
133 Dylan Shawver No. 16 Sophomore
141 Mitch Moore No. 7 Senior
149 Jacob Butler No. 25 Junior
157 Andrew Clark No. 21 Junior
165 Anthony White No. 24 Sophomore
174 Jackson Turley No. 28 Senior
184 Brian Soldano No. 10 Sophomore
197 John Poznanski No. 12 Sophomore
HWT Yaraslau Slavikouski No. 6 Senior

National rankings are according to Intermat 

The 2023-24 season shouldn’t be much different from last season for the Scarlet Knights, with nine NCAA qualifiers and two All-Americans (Jackson Turley and John Poznanski) returning to this season’s lineup.

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Also, the Scarlet Knights have added three experienced wrestlers to their program, with Jacob Bulter (Oklahoma), Mitch Moore (Oklahoma), and Yaraslau Slavikouski (Harvard) transferring to Rutgers. Moore and Slavikouski competed at last year’s NCAA Championships, with Slavikouski advancing to the Round of 12 at heavyweight for the Crimson.

 

Yaraslau Slavikouski opens up on committing to Rutgers wrestling

Yaraslau Slavikouski details why he committed to Rutgers wrestling in the spring.

Yaraslau Slavikouski was one of the big additions for Rutgers wrestling out of the transfer portal. The former Harvard heavyweight gives the Scarlet Knights a truly elite caliber grappler.

In three years at Harvard, Slavikouski held a record of 64-15 and twice qualified for the NCAA Tournament at 285 pounds. At Harvard, he was the team captain in 2022.

He committed to Rutgers on April 7.

In speaking to ScarletKnights.com, Slavikouski outlined what stood out to him about Rutgers and why the heavyweight ended up committing to the program.

“All the coaches here are great to me in terms of recruiting, talking, and explaining what the program was about. That was the biggest factor in my decision process,” Slavikouski said in the interview with ScarletKnights.com.

“You’re surrounded by people who have been there, who have done that. Who have achieved great things in wrestling. The general expectations for the team is a lot higher. The standard is a lot higher so you’re surrounded by people who are pushing you who also are working harder. I’m excited to spend this time here at Rutgers.”

Slavikouski said that his older brother introduced him to wrestling.

Last season, Slavikouski was one win away in the NCAA Tournament from All-American.status.

He is a member of the Belarus national team. In describing himself, Slavikouski said that despite his size he is light on his feet and quick.

“The ultimate goal is always to be the champions, always to win the matches,” Slavikouski said. “That’s what pushes me forward.”

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Rutgers wrestling appointed Steve Mytych to assistant coach

Rutgers wrestling head coach Scott Goodale appointed Steve Mytych to assistant coach after serving two seasons with the Scarlet Knights. 

On Wednesday, Rutgers wrestling head coach Scott Goodale appointed Steve Mytych to assistant coach after serving two seasons with the Scarlet Knights as the program’s director of operations in 2022-23.

Mytych got recognized as one of the top up-and-coming recruiters in the country by Matscouts, with strong ties to the Pennsylvania region. Before joining the Scarlet Knights, he spent two seasons on the staff at Binghamton (2020-22).

From 2020 to 2022, Mytych was an assistant at Binghamton, qualifying eight Bearcats for the national tournament during those two seasons. Before joining the Bearcats, the northeast Pennsylvania native was an assistant coach at Bloomsburg. Mytych helped the Huskies earn two qualifiers for the national tournament in 2019.

Mytych has head coaching experience, serving as the head coach at Keystone College from 2016 to 2019.

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He has an extensive wrestling background, achieving NCAA Division I national qualifier four times while at Drexel (2005-2010). He was the Dragons’ all-time leader in career wins with 137. While at Drexel, Mytych achieved Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Rookie of the Year honors in 2006 and became the first Drexel wrestler to earn this award.

After Drexel, Mytych continued his wrestling career on the Olympic Freestyle Circuit. He finished fourth at the World Team Trials in 2013, representing Team USA on tours to Russia and Cuba that same year. Mytych finished fourth at the Sunkist International Open and seventh at the U.S. Open.

In 2011, the former Dragon got crowned the University Freestyle National Champion while representing the Lehigh Valley A.C. / Team USA on the Olympic Freestyle Circuit.

While with Rutgers, Mytych guided the Scarlet Knights to the No. 22 ranking in the final 2022-23 NWCA Coaches Poll in his first season on the staff. Also, he helped capture the 10th final top-25 finish for the Scarlet Knights under head coach Goodale. The Scarlet Knights produced seven NCAA qualifiers for the second consecutive season and had five or more wrestlers advance to the national tournament for the ninth season.

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Rutgers Wrestling will face Minnesota and Purdue in Big Ten Crossovers

Big Ten Wrestling confirmed crossover matchups for Rutgers on Monday, with the Scarlet Knights hosting Minnesota and traveling to Purdue.

Big Ten Wrestling confirmed crossover matchups for Rutgers wrestling on Monday, with the Scarlet Knights hosting Minnesota and traveling to Purdue. Rutgers will host the Golden Gophers at Jersey Mikes Arena and travel to take on the Boilermakers, with the dates coming later.

Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale confirmed the announcement on his Twitter account.

Minnesota finished the season with a 12-3 (5-3 Big Ten) record in 2022-23, finishing No. 5 in the Big Ten Conference standings. Heading into this upcoming season, the Golden Gophers are ranked No. 4 in the 2024 NCAA Recruiting Class Rankings, according to Flowrestling. Minnesota has four 2024 recruits committed to their program, one ranking in the top-25 and three in the top 100.

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On the other hand, the Boilermakers finished the 2022-23 season with a 4-11 (0-8 Big Ten) record, finishing last in the Big Ten Conference. Purdue is ranked No. 18 in the 2024 NCAA Recruiting Class Rankings, according to Flowrestling. The Boilermakers have two commitments to their 2024 recruiting class, ranking in the top 100.

In 2022-23, the Scarlet Knights finished the season with a 10-7 (2-6 Big Ten), finishing No. 11 in the Big Ten Conference. Rutgers wrestling received four commitments for their 2024 class, ranking No. 10 in the 2024 NCAA Recruiting Class Rankings. Goodale received a commitment from one 2024 prospect ranked in the top-25 and three recruits ranked in the top 100, a positive sign heading into the 2023-24 season.

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How big is the new commitment of Yaraslau Slavikouski for Rutgers wrestling? Pretty, pretty, pretty big news

Rutgers wrestling got a big transfer portal addition on Friday.

Rutgers wrestling landed a massive victory on Friday night with the commitment of Yaraslau Slavikouski via the transfer portal. The former Harvard heavyweight brings experience and a strong record to a weight class where he will step in right away with an eye toward being an All-American.

In three years at Harvard, Slavikouski went 64-15 and twice qualified for the NCAA Tournament at 285 pounds. He was the team captain last year for the Crimson.

In addition, he is a member of the Belarus national team.

This offseason is a rebuilding one for Rutgers as they look to improve on a 10-7 record (2-6 Big Ten). Adding a heavyweight like Slavikouski will be a big step toward being viable once again in the Big Ten.

Last season, Slavikouski was one win away in the NCAA Tournament from All-American honors.

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Following the end of his team’s season, head coach Scott Goodale said that changes were coming to his program. Adding a talent like Slavikouski certainly is a major domino to fall for Rutgers.

“Excited to rebuild it, to get it back to where we were, and have on the last day three or four guys wrestling and that’s what we’re going to do,” Goodale told reporters in March.

“I’m pretty honest with myself and our staff and where we’re at and what we need to do and we might need a little bit of an overhaul right now.  Not total – we have some pretty guys back at home. Shawver (Dylan Shawver) and Poznianski (John Poznanski) have won some matches here. Obviously Poz is an All-America

“We’re going to bring some guys in, we’re going to get after it. I’m sure it will be a little bit of a different look. We’re excited to do that and start that whole process. But we do have a core of guys who can compete so we’ll go from there.

“We got to get better, we got to get better.”

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Scott Goodale: Rutgers wrestling set ‘for a little bit of an overhaul right now’

Rutgers wrestling is ready for an offseason of changes.

By the rather lofty standards of Rutgers wrestling, this season fell a bit short and, according to head coach Scott Goodale, it is time for this program to begin the rebuilding process

Rutgers got shut out of the podium at the NCAA Tournament this week. The Scarlet Knights finished the season 10-7 and 2-6 in the Big Ten.

They had some notable results including beating a ranked Princeton, UPenn and Michigan State.

In speaking with the media on Friday, Goodale laid out what a crucial offseason this is for the program. An offseason of what is likely to see significant change for Rutgers.

“Excited to rebuild it, to get it back to where we were, and have on the last day three or four guys wrestling and that’s what we’re going to do,” Goodale told reporters.

“I’m pretty honest with myself and our staff and where we’re at and what we need to do and we might need a little bit of an overhaul right now.  Not total – we have some pretty guys back at home. Shawver (Dylan Shawver) and Poznianski (John Poznanski) have won some matches here. Obviously Poz is an All-America

“We’re going to bring some guys in, we’re going to get after it. I’m sure it will be a little bit of a different look. We’re excited to do that and start that whole process. But we do have a core of guys who can compete so we’ll go from there.

“We got to get better, we got to get better.”

Last year, Rutgers finished the season ranked No. 14 in the nation following a win where they had 16 wins.

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Here is the full video of Goodale talking with the media via Nick Kosko:

 

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Season Preview: 2022-2023 Rutgers Wrestling

The No. 21 ranked Scarlet Knights will kick off their 2022-2023 season Friday night, as they look to become a top-10 ranked DI wrestling program.

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 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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Rutgers wrestling head coach Scott Goodale: ‘I think this could be our best team’

Rutgers wrestling head coach Scott Goodale believes his program is ready to take a step forward this year.

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Scott Goodale believes in his Rutgers wrestling program and that the program could be poised for their best season yet. And given the success of the Scarlet Knights in recent years on the mat, that’s saying something.

Rutgers comes into the season ranked as the No. 14 dual team in the nation by InterMat (and the No. 15 tournament team) with FloWrestling pegging Rutgers as No. 14 in the nation. Five wrestlers come into the season ranked with Sebastian Rivera (133/141) and John Poznanski (184) each earning consensus top-five rankings.

So of course, it was understandable that the first question during Goodale’s media availability this week was if this was the best team he’s had since taking over Rutgers in 2007.

“I mean, on paper, right? On paper, we’ve always had some really good teams with some incredible credentials. And we actually started I think my second year we had the No. 3 recruiting class in the country, right? So, on paper, there’s always been some really good teams and I just think the reason why I think this could be our best team, is because there’s a lot of belief of what can happen at the National Tournament,” Goodale told reporters this week.

“It’s no longer ‘I want to make the National Tournament.’ It’s no longer ‘I hope to make the starting lineup….I want to have a really good season, I can’t wait to wrestle in front of the RAC crowd’… it’s not about that. It is about winning matches at the National Tournament and getting on the podium and placing as high as possible. That’s what it’s about from an individual standpoint with our guys, and then there’s a lot more focus on the team. What can we do for this program? So that’s maybe my reason for the optimism. And I’ve seen them train all summer long, so it’s kind of why I feel that way.”

Rutgers opens the season with a home quad that features Binghamton, Cleveland State and New Jersey City University. The quad will be held at the Rutgers Athletic Center on Nov. 7.