SKWC Weekend Preview: Scarlet Knights Trek to Edinboro Friday Night

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – SKWC fans will be able to watch No. 13 Rutgers wrestling (2-1, 0-0) face Edinboro (0-1, 0-0) on Friday night in Edinboro, Pennsylvania. The road dual is set for 7 p.m. ET at McComb Fieldhouse and will stream on FloWrestling.

Last Time Out

• No. 6 Yaraslau Slavikouski (HWT) and Shane Cartagena-Walsh (174) earned individual titles at the Black Knight Invitational on Sunday, November 19 in West Point, New York. In total, 10 Scarlet Knights placed within the top six of their respective weight classes at the tournament.
• RU lost its last dual, 19-12, to No. 8 Virginia Tech on November 17 in front of 5,145 fans at Jersey Mike’s Arena. Rutgers picked up four individual wins against the Hokies, including ranked victories from Slavikouski, No. 6 Dean Peterson (125) and No. 8 John Poznanski (197).
• The Scarlet Knights were tied with Virginia Tech through the first four bouts of the night, which included a top-15 victory for Peterson against a 2023 All-American and a decision from No. 15 Mitch Moore (141) in his Jersey Mike’s Arena debut. The Hokies used wins in their next five matches through 184 pounds to secure the road dual victory.

Projected Lineups

No. 13 Rutgers (2-1, 0-0)
125: 6/7 Dean Peterson (3-0)
133: 19/28 Dylan Shawver (5-2)
141: 16/18 Mitch Moore (2-0) -OR- Joe Fongaro (4-2)
149: 29/30 Jacob Butler (3-2) -OR- Michael Cetta (4-2)
157: 23/18 Andrew Clark (0-0) -OR- Al DeSantis (2-4)
165: 22/28 Anthony White (4-3)
174: 27/24 Jackson Turley (0-2) -OR- Shane Cartagena-Walsh (5-0)
184: 12/17 Brian Soldano (2-1)
197: 7/13 John Poznanski (3-0)
HWT: 6/7 Yaraslau Slavikouski (7-0) -OR- John O’Donnell (8-2)

Rankings Intermat/FloWrestling

What to Know

• Rutgers moved back up to No. 13 in this week’s NWCA Coaches Poll. The Scarlet Knights are one of eight programs ranked in the coaches poll, joining No. 1 Penn State, No. 4 Iowa, No. 5 Ohio State, No. 7 Michigan, No. 9 Nebraska, No. 12 Minnesota and No. 25 Maryland. RU faces all but the Hawkeyes this season.
• For the fourth consecutive week, all 10 starters are ranked for Rutgers by Intermat. That includes three individuals within the top 10 of their respective weight classes – No. 6 Dean Peterson (125), No. 6 Yaraslau Slavikouski (HWT) and No. 7 John Poznanski (197).
• Slavikouski is 7-0 this season, which includes two wins over ranked opponents. The graduate transfer from Harvard earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Week accolades after he went 5-0 two weekends ago en route to a Black Knight individual title. Slavikouski is the first Big Ten weekly winner for Rutgers since All-American Greg Bulsak earned the honors during the 2021-22 season.
• The Scarlet Knights have combined for 22 pins during the first month of the season. John O’Donnell leads the team with four falls while Devon Britton (133) owns three.

Scouting Edinboro & Series History

• This will be the Fighting Scot’s second consecutive dual against a Big Ten foe, as they lost 53-0 to No. 7 Ohio State earlier this month at the Covelli Center.
• Edinboro features No. 22 Ryan Burgos (149), who qualified for nationals last season in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
• The head coach of Edinboro is Matt Hill, who enters his sixth season at the helm of the program.
• Friday will be the second all-time meeting between the two schools Rutgers won the previous matchup, 21-14, on November 22, 1992.

Up Next

• Rutgers hosts back-to-back home duals on Friday, December 8 against Princeton (6 p.m.) and Sunday, December 10 against Buffalo (2 p.m.).