No. 16 Rutgers wrestling opened its Big Ten dual season with a victory at No. 24 Indiana and a tough 17-15 loss at No. 4 Ohio State over the weekend. The Scarlet Knights won 13 matches across the two duals, including individual victories over nine ranked foes.

MATCH 1: No. 16 Wrestling Downs No. 24 Indiana, 28-6

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – No. 16 Rutgers wrestling (9-2, 1-0) opened Big Ten Conference action with a 28-6 road win at No. 24 Indiana (4-2, 0-2) on Friday night in Bloomington. The Scarlet Knights won eight out of 10 bouts against the Hoosiers, which included five ranked victories and a fall from No. 23 Jackson Turley (174).

No. 8 Yaraslau Slavikouski (HWT), No. 16 Dean Peterson (125), No. 18 John Poznanski (197) and No. 27 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (184) all delivered decisions over ranked foes, with Peterson extending his winning streak to 12. Turley pinned NCAA qualifier Derek Gilcher in 50 seconds for his fourth fall of the season.

Friday marked RU’s first win over a ranked opponent this season and second consecutive victory over Indiana in the all-time series. The dual win was the 230th of head coach Scott Goodale‘s career.

The dual started at 149 pounds, as No. 24 Andrew Clark worked a 12-1 major decision over Matt Hart. Clark landed takedowns in each of his three periods with Hart, adding 1:47 of riding time to give Rutgers a quick 4-0 advantage in the team score.

No. 31 Conner Harer (157) picked up his first career Big Ten dual victory thanks to a comeback win over Ryan Garvick. Down 2-1 with under 45 seconds left, Harer finished a scramble for a takedown to work a 4-2 advantage.

IU picked up its lone win before the break as Tyler Lillard earned a 7-2 decision over No. 26 Anthony White (165). However, Rutgers used back-to-back thrilling wins to take a commanding lead. Turley needed just 50 seconds to pin No. 24 Derek Gilcher, a 2023 NCAA qualifier, for his fourth pin of the season. Cartagena-Walsh followed with a comeback win over No. 32 Donnell Washington, using a takedown in the third period for a 3-2 win.

The back-to-back ranked wins from Cartagena-Walsh and Turley gave the Scarlet Knights a 16-3 lead at intermission.

Poznanski faced No. 23 Gabe Sollars out of the break in a rematch from Midlands. Tied 1-1 in the third period, Poznanski finished a re-attack for the takedown to earn a 4-2 decision. Slavikouski followed with his Midlands rematch against No. 23 Jacob Bullock, taking Bullock to tiebreakers before delivering a 3-2 decision.

Peterson put the dual out of reach thanks to his ranked win over No. 23 Jacob Moran, hitting a reversal and takedown in the second period for the 6-2 decision. Peterson’s second consecutive win over Moran made it 25-3 in favor of the Scarlet Knights with two bouts to go.

No. 17 Dylan Shawver added the final win of the night for RU, holding off Angelo Rini for a 6-5 decision. Max Hermes (141) earned his first start of the season and wrestled tough in a 11-4 loss to Henry Porter. RU exited Wilkinson Hall with a 28-6 dual win.

Up Next
Rutgers wrestles No. 4 Ohio State on Sunday in Columbus. The dual is set for a 6 p.m. start with a national broadcast on Big Ten Network.

Box Score
No. 16 Rutgers 28, No. 24 Indiana 6
149: 24/26 Andrew Clark (RU) over Matt Hart (IU) by MD, 12-1; RU leads, 4-0
157: 31/NR Conner Harer (RU) over Ryan Garvick (IU) by dec., 4-2; RU leads, 7-0
165: NR/16 Tyler Lillard (IU) over 26/29 Anthony White (RU) by dec., 7-2; RU leads, 7-3
174: 23/22 Jackson Turley (RU) over 24/Derek Gilcher (IU) by fall (0:50); RU leads, 13-3
184: 27/NR Shane Cartagena-Walsh (RU) over 32/NR Donnell Washington (IU) by dec., 3-2; RU leads, 16-3
197: 18/22 John Poznanski (RU) over 23/28 Gabe Sollars (IU) by dec., 4-2; RU leads, 19-3
HWT: 8/10 Yaraslau Slavikouski (RU) over 23/24 Jacob Bullock by TB2; 3-2; RU leads, 22-3
125: 16/15 Dean Peterson (RU) over 23/21 Jacob Moran (IU) by dec., 6-2; RU leads, 25-3
133: 17/14 Dylan Shawver (RU) over NR/28 Angelo Rini (IU) by dec., 6-5; RU leads, 28-3
141: Henry Porter (IU) over Max Hermes (RU) by dec., 11-4; RU wins, 28-6

MATCH 2: No. 16 Wrestling Loses Thriller at No. 4 Ohio State

COLUMBUS, Ohio – In a back-and-forth Big Ten Conference dual meet, No. 16 Rutgers wrestling (9-3, 1-1) lost to No. 4 Ohio State (10-0, 2-0), 17-15, on Sunday night in Columbus. The Scarlet Knights delivered five individual wins over the Buckeyes and led 15-14 heading into the final bout before OSU held on for the win.

No. 16 Dean Peterson (125) and No. 17 Dylan Shawver (133) delivered back-to-back wins over top 10 opponents, while No. 27 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (184) worked a decision over No. 14 Ryder Rogotzke. No. 18 John Poznanski (184) and Andrew Barbosa (165) added crucial decisions to allow the dual to be decided in its final match at the Covelli Center.

Eight out of 10 matches in the dual were decided by three points or less, including six one-point bouts and two overtime matches.

“We competed our tails off and we were a takedown away from winning tonight,” said head coach Scott Goodale. “I am so into the effort from our guys and I know how bad they wanted to win that one. There are a lot of good things to take out of tonight. We’re absolutely getting better, and that’s pretty cool to see.”

Peterson wasted no time to open the dual with No. 10 Brendan McCrone, landing three takedowns and two back points for a commanding 11-2 lead in the first period. McCrone registered a strong ride in the third, but Peterson’s lead proved to much en route to an 11-4 decision to give Rutgers a 3-0 lead.

Shawver continued RU’s momentum in his bout with No. 8 Nic Bouzakis. Tied 1-1 with 23 seconds in the match, Shawver finished a scramble for a takedown and a 4-1 lead. Bouzakis added an escape late and forced a stall call, but Shawver held on for the 4-3 decision. Shawver’s best win of the season made it 6-0 in favor of the visitors.

After Max Hermes (141) suffered a loss to reigning national champion Jesse Mendez, No. 24 Andrew Clark (149) faced No. 12 Dylan D’Emilio in a thrilling fourth match. After a takedown for D’Emilio was wiped off the board at the end of the second period to give him just a 1-0 lead, Clark forced overtime with an escape in the third. After a scoreless sudden victory period that featured a back-and-forth scramble, Clark rode out D’Emilio for nine seconds in the first tiebreaker. However, D’Emilio was able to ride out Clark in the second for the 2-1 lead.

No. 31 Conner Harer wrestled tough in his matchup with No. 11 Sammy Sasso, holding the two-time Big Ten Champion to a 3-2 decision as the Buckeyes took an 11-6 advantage into intermission.

Barbosa got the call out of the break against fellow freshman e’Than Birden and responded with a 2-1 win in tiebreakers. After he picked up an escape point in tiebreaker one for a 2-1 lead, Barbosa used several mat returns and a rideout for the victory. Barbosa’s Big Ten dual debut made it just 11-9 Buckeyes with four bouts to go.

A tough 3-2 loss from No. 23 Jackson Turley (174) against No. 8 Carson Kharchla gave Ohio State a 14-9 advantage, but Rutgers never let up. Down 2-0 in the third period against Rogotzke, Cartagena-Walsh muscled back-to-back takedowns for a thrilling 6-4 decision.

Poznanski followed against Seth Shumate and trailed the Buckeye 4-2 with less than 10 seconds remaining. Poznanski attacked Shumate’s lower ankle, taking his opponent down at the buzzer for the 5-2 win. Poznanski’s decision gave Rutgers back the team lead at 15-14.

In a match to decide the dual, No. 8 Yaraslau Slavikouski (HWT) faced No. 7 Nick Feldman. The two were tied 1-1 in the final period before Feldman landed the match-sealing takedown, handing the Buckeyes a 17-15 win.

Up Next
Rutgers returns home for its next three matches, beginning with Wisconsin on Sunday, January 19 at Jersey Mike’s Arena. The Big Ten dual is set for a 1 p.m. ET start on Big Ten Plus.

Box Score
No. 4 Ohio State 17, No. 16 Rutgers 15
125: 16/15 Dean Peterson (RU) over 10/11 Brendan McCrone (OSU) by dec., 11-4; RU leads 3-0
133: 17/14 Dylan Shawver (RU) over 9/7 Nic Bouzakis (OSU) by dec., 4-3; RU leads, 6-0
141: 1/2 Jesse Mendez (OSU) over Max Hermes (RU) by TF, 17-2 (5:05); RU leads, 6-5
149: 12/12 Dylan D’Emilio (OSU) over 24/26 Andrew Clark (RU) by TB2; 2-1; OSU leads, 8-6
157: 11/22 Sammy Sasso (OSU) over 31/NR Conner Harer (RU) by dec., 3-2; OSU leads, 11-6
165: Andrew Barbosa (RU) over e’Than Birden (OSU) by TB2, 2-1; OSU leads, 11-9
174: 9/8 Carson Kharchla (OSU) over 23/22 Jackson Turley (RU) by dec., 3-2; OSU leads, 14-9
184: 27/NR Shane Cartagena-Walsh (RU) over 14/15 Ryder Rogotzke (OSU) by dec., 6-4; OSU leads, 14-12
197: 18/22 John Poznanski (RU) over Seth Shumate (OSU) by dec., 5-4; RU leads, 15-14
HWT: 7/7 Nick Feldman (OSU) over 8/10 Yaraslau Slavikouski (RU) by dec., 4-1; OSU wins, 17-15
Rankings Intermat/Flo