BLACKSBURG, Va. – No. 17 Rutgers wrestling (3-2) lost to No. 7 Virginia Tech (3-0), 26-11, on Friday night at the Moss Arts Center in Blacksburg.
Shane Cartagena-Walsh delivered a win over a 2024 All-American, No. 9 Yaraslau Slavikouski produced an overtime win over a ranked foe and No. 6 Dylan Shawver added his second tech fall of the season to highlight action for the Scarlet Knights against the Hokies.
True freshmen Ayden Smith (125), Conner Harer (157) and Andrew Barbosa (165) all wrestled in the dual, the first time RU featured three or more true freshmen in a starting lineup since January 26, 2020, against No. 13 Purdue in Piscataway.
Smith opened the dual against No. 12 Eddie Ventresca and wrestled tough in a 13-0 major decision loss, his first dual match of his collegiate career. But Shawver wasted no time in his bout with Franky Medina, jumping to a quick 7-0 lead after the first period. Shawver then landed four takedowns in a span of 1:56 to secure a 19-3 tech fall. His second tech fall of the season gave Rutgers its first lead at 5-4.
No. 22 Joseph Olivieri (141) followed with another hard-fought match against No. 16 Sam Latona, holding a 1-0 lead in the third period. With both scrambling down the stretch, Latona was able to get the takedown in the final 15 seconds for a 4-1 win.
Virginia Tech won its next four matches, but not without effort from Rutgers. No. 33 Michael Cetta (149) muscled several mat returns in a loss to reigning NCAA Champion Caleb Henson, Harer held No. 24 Rafael Hipolito, Jr., to a 7-3 decision, while Barbosa landed two takedowns and took Mac Church to the wire in a 10-8 loss.
Cartagena-Walsh earned the start against Thomas Stewart, Jr., a NCAA All-American last season and No. 12 in the country by Intermat. After a scoreless opening period, Cartagena-Walsh landed a takedown midway through the second period for a 3-1 lead. With 1:26 of riding time, Cartagena-Walsh muscled a quick escape and held Stewart off the board for the 5-1 final.
After a tough 4-3 loss from No. 12 John Poznanski (197) to No. 13 Andy Smith, Slavikouski closed the dual against No. 16 Jimmy Mullen. Both added escapes points to force sudden victory before Slavikouski caught Mullen with a double leg takedown for the win in overtime.
Up Next
Rutgers gets a week off before it hosts its first home match of the season on Friday, December 6 against Lock Haven. The dual is set for 7 p.m. and will stream on Big Ten Plus.
Box Score
No. 7 Virginia Tech 26, No. 17 Rutgers 11
125: 12/13 Eddie Ventresca (VT) over Ayden Smith (RU) by MD, 13-0; VT leads, 4-0
133: 6/6 Dylan Shawver (RU) over Franky Medina (VT) by TF, 19-3 (4:56); RU leads, 5-4
141: 16/16 Sam Latona (VT) over 22/29 Joseph Olivieri (RU) by dec., 4-1; VT leads, 7-5
149: 1/1 Caleb Henson (VT) over 33/NR Michael Cetta (RU) by MD, 11-1; VT leads, 11-5
157: 24/21 Rafael Hipolito, Jr. (VT) over Conner Harer (RU) by dec., 7-3; VT leads, 14-5
165: Mac Church (VT) over Andrew Barbosa (RU) by dec., 10-8; VT leads, 17-5
174: 4/7 Lennox Wolak (VT) over 18/19 Jackson Turley (RU) by fall (4:21); VT leads, 23-5
184: Shane Cartagena-Walsh (RU) over 12/9 Thomas Stewart, Jr. (VT) by dec., 5-1; VT leads, 23-8
197: 13/11 Andy Smith (VT) over 12/17 John Poznanski (RU) by dec., 4-3; VT leads, 26-8
HWT: 9/6 Yaraslau Slavikouski (RU) over 16/15 Jimmy Mullen (VT) by SV1, 4-1; VT wins, 26-11
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