PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 12 Rutgers wrestling (13-5, 5-3) defeated Michigan State (4-8, 0-7), 28-7, on Friday night in front of 3,523 fans at Jersey Mike’s Arena. The Scarlet Knights won eight out of 10 against the Spartans, including three victories from true freshmen – No. 29 Conner Harer (157), Ayden Smith (125) and Ryan Ford (165).
The win over MSU secured the program’s first winning season in the Big Ten Conference since 2018-19 and just its fourth since joining the league in 2014-15. RU’s 13 wins are the most in a dual season since 2021-22, when it produced 16.
No. 13 Joseph Olivieri (141) muscled a tech fall, No. 10 Dylan Shawver (133) and No. 27 Jackson Turley (174) turned in major decisions, while No. 17 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (184) and No. 19 Andrew Clark (149) added decisions.
“It was good to see some freshman come out and win some bouts there for us,” said head coach Scott Goodale. “We know we still have a lot to improve on but we did some really good things during the Big Ten regular season.”
Smith earned the start at 125 pounds against Caleb Weiand, forcing the Spartan into overtime tied 1-1. With 45 seconds left in sudden victory, Smith swung around on Weiand, finishing with a takedown for a 4-1 win in his Jersey Mike’s Arena debut.
Shawver was relentless in his match against Andrew Hampton, landing four takedowns in the opening period for a quick 12-3 lead. Shawver added two more takedowns down the stretch to secure an 18-7 major decision, putting Rutgers up 7-0 through the first two bouts of the night.
Olivieri was in full control in his match against Sean Larkin, contributing six takedowns in the first three minutes of the match before leaving with a 22-5 tech fall. Clark followed against Clayton Jones and muscled back to a 14-10 decision after trail 8-3 early. The comeback decision put the Scarlet Knights up 15-0.
Harer faced Braden Stauffenberg in the final match before intermission, forcing Stauffenberg into sudden victory after a strong rideout in the third period. Harer then used a single-leg takedown to produce his 5-2 decision to provide RU with an 18-0 lead at the midpoint.
Ford earned his first home dual start of his collegiate career against Jay Nivison, a 2022 NCAA qualifier at Buffalo. Ford landed a takedown in the first period and dictated the pace through to produce a 4-0 decision. Turley followed against Ceasar Garza and outscored the Spartan, 14-0, for the major decision, putting the dual away in the process with a 25-0 team score with three matches to go.
Cartagena-Walsh earned the final win of the night, securing a 6-2 decision over Marty Larkin. Loses from No. 18 John Poznanski (197) and John O’Donnell (HWT) to ranked foes made it a 28-7 final.
Up Next
Rutgers closes the regular season with Penn on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at Jersey Mike’s Arena. The dual is set for a 6 p.m. start and will stream on Big Ten Plus. The match serves as Senior Night, with the group honored prior to the dual.
Box Score
No. 12 Rutgers 28, Michigan State 7
125: Ayden Smith (RU) over Caleb Weland (MSU) by SV1, 4-1; RU leads, 3-0
133: 10/10 Dylan Shawver (RU) over Andrew Hampton (MSU) by MD, 18-7; RU leads, 7-0
141: 13/15 Joseph Olivieri (RU) over Sean Larkin (MSU) by TF, 22-5 (3:46); RU leads, 12-0
149: 19/24 Andrew Clark (RU) over Clayton Jones (MSU) by dec., 14-10; RU leads, 15-0
157: 29/26 Conner Harer (RU) over Braden Stauffenberg by SV1, 5-2; RU leads, 18-0
165: Ryan Ford (RU) over Jay Nivison (MSU) by dec., 4-0; RU leads, 21-0
174: 27/26 Jackson Turley (RU) over Ceasar Garza (MSU) by MD, 14-0; RU leads, 25-0
184: 17/16 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (RU) over Marty Larkin (MSU) by dec., 6-2; RU leads, 28-0
197: 26/28 Remy Cotton (MSU) over 18/18 John Poznanski (RU) by MD, 11-2; RU leads, 28-4
HWT: NR/33 Max Vanadia (MSU) over John O’Donnell (RU) by dec., 1-0; RU wins, 28-7
Rankings Intermat/Flo
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