SKWC Weekend Preview: Rutgers Hosts Rival Princeton & Buffalo

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – There is plenty of action scheduled for the SKWC family this weekend, as No. 13 Rutgers wrestling (3-1, 0-0) hosts in-state rival Princeton on Friday night at Jersey Mike’s Arena. The dual is set for 6 p.m. ET and will stream on Big Ten Plus, with Nick Kosko and Eddie Kalegi on the call. WRSU (88.7 FM) will have the radio broadcast. Friday is ‘Pork Roll versus Taylor Ham’ night, with the first 500 fans inside Jersey Mike’s Arena receiving a free Pork Roll or Taylor Ham t-shirt. The Scarlet Knights also host Buffalo on Sunday for a 2 p.m. dual in Piscataway.

Rutgers Athletics and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) are hosting a toy drive – presented by Hermann Services – to benefit the New Brunswick Public School District early childhood Education pre-schools (kids ages 3-5). Fans who bring a new and unwrapped toy on Friday night will receive two free tickets to Sunday’s match against Buffalo and will also receive a voucher for a free drink (non-alcoholic) at Jersey Mike’s Arena.

LAST TIME OUT

The Scarlet Knights shut out Edinboro, 49-0, last Friday night at McComb Fieldhouse. All 10 wins for RU came via bonus, which included falls from No. 23 Andrew Clark (157) and Joe Fongaro (141). The win marked the second shutout for Rutgers this season, as it opened the dual schedule with a 47-0 win over Duke. In total, the Scarlet Knights produced five tech falls, three major decisions and two falls. Clark, No. 6 Dean Peterson (125), No. 7 John Poznanski (197) and No. 6 Yaraslau Slavikouski all remained undefeated after their bouts against the Fighting Scots.

PROJECTED LINEUPS
No. 13 Rutgers (3-1, 0-0)
125: 7/9 Dean Peterson (4-0)
133: 26/28 Dylan Shawver (6-2)
141: 16/21 Mitch Moore (2-0) -OR- Joe Fongaro (5-2)
149: 32/NR Jacob Butler (3-2) -OR- Michael Cetta (5-2)
157: 24/20 Andrew Clark (1-0) -OR- Al DeSantis (2-4)
165: 25/29 Anthony White (5-3)
174: 29/23 Jackson Turley (1-2) -OR- Shane Cartagena-Walsh (5-0)
184: 12/18 Brian Soldano (3-1)
197: 8/13 John Poznanski (4-0)
HWT: 7/7 Yaraslau Slavikouski (8-0) -OR- John O’Donnell (8-2)

Princeton (0-1, 0-0)
125: Drew Heethuis (6-1)
133: Sean Pierson (3-2) -OR- Nick Kayal (2-2)
141: Tyler Vazquez (3-4) -OR- Chris Martino (3-4)
149: Eligh Rivera (5-4)
157: Rocco Camillaci (4-5)
165: Blaine Bergey (4-5) -OR- Holden Garcia (4-2)
174: Mikey Squires (7-3)
184: 28/29 Nate Dugan (7-1)
197: 10/11 Luke Stout (10-1)
285: Matt Cover (9-2)

WHAT TO KNOW

• Rutgers remained No. 13 in this week’s NWCA Coaches Poll. The Scarlet Knights are one of eight ranked teams from the Big Ten, joining No. 1 Penn State, No. 4 Iowa, No. 5 Ohio State, No. 8 Michigan, No. 9 Nebraska, No. 12 Minnesota, and No. 25 Indiana.
• For the fifth consecutive week, all 10 starters ranked by Intermat. Four wrestlers are ranked within the top 12 of their respective weight classes, which includes No. 7 Dean Peterson (125), No. 7 Yaraslau Slavikouski (HWT), No. 8 John Poznanski (197) and No. 12 Brian Soldano (184). The quartet is a combined 19-1 this season.
• The Scarlet Knights have produced 24 pins this season, which includes seven in dual action. John O’Donnell (HWT) leads the team with four falls.
• After he missed the first month due to injury, Clark made his season debut last Friday at Edinboro with a first-period fall. Clark, who has been ranked as high as No. 18 in the country this season, produced 21 victories last season and qualified for the NCAA Championships.
• Slavikouski leads the team with two ranked victories this season. The Harvard transfer earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Week accolades last month and is a perfect 8-0 with six wins by bonus.

SCOUTING PRINCETON & SERIES HISTORY

• The Tigers enter Friday’s match after they lost, 17-14, to Indiana on Sunday at Jadwin Gymnasium to open their dual schedule. Princeton worked a five-five match split with the Hoosiers, which included an upset victory from 149-pounder true freshman Eligh Rivera over No. 8 Graham Rooks.
• Princeton features two ranked wrestlers – No. 28 Nate Dugan at 184 pounds and No. 10 Luke Stout at 197 pounds. Stout is a two-time NCAA qualifier.
• The Tigers enjoyed an historic outing at last year’s NCAA Championships, which included two national finalist and a national champion in 125-pounder Patrick Glory.
• Princeton is led by first-year head coach Joe Dubuque.
• The longest-running series in program history, Rutgers and Princeton will meet for the 86th time since the 1930-31 season. RU leads the all-time series, 45-34-5, which includes 24 of the past 25 matchups.
• The Scarlet Knights defeated the Tigers, 17-16, last season at Jadwin Gymnasium. Down seven after six bouts, Rutgers delivered wins in three of its final four matchups to finish the dual tied 16-16. Thanks to a 47-43 advantage in total match points, RU captured the dual and held on to the B1G-IVY Trophy.