PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers wrestling competes at the 2021 Big Ten Wrestling Championships from March 6-7 in University Park, Pennsylvania. Sessions I & II take place on Saturday, while Session III will be held on Sunday morning, followed by championship bouts on Sunday afternoon. For the first time, all four sessions of the championships will air on Big Ten Network and will also be available via BTNPlus.
 
The Scarlet Knights appear in almost all national tournament rankings, which includes No. 12 by FloWrestling, No. 14 by TrackWrestling, No. 15 by WIN Magazine and No. 18 by Intermat. RU earned five top-eight pre-seeds for the championships - No. 3 Sammy Alvarez (133), No. 3 Sebastian Rivera (141), No. 5 John Poznanski (184), No. 7 Jackson Turley (174) and No. 8 Michael VanBrill (149). These seeds will be finalized by the coaches on Friday.
 
Rutgers Big Ten Lineup
125: Dylan Shawver (2-0)
133: Sammy Alvarez (3-0) *
141: Sebastian Rivera (4-0) ***
149: Michael VanBrill (1-3) **
157: NO ENTRY %
165: Brett Donner (0-3) *
174: Jackson Turley (3-1)
184: John Poznanski (3-1)
197: Billy Janzer (2-2) *
HWT: Christian Colucci (0-2) *
 
* denotes past Big Ten Championships experience
 
% Rutgers will not enter a 157-pounder this week for the Big Ten Championships. With a 1-3 record, starter Robert Kanniard is still eligible for an at-large selection to the NCAA Championships later this month.
 
What to Know
• As the No. 3 pre-seed at 141 pounds, Rivera looks to become the 60th three-time conference champion in Big Ten history, third individual Big Ten champion in Rutgers history and the first student-athlete to earn a Big Ten individual title at two different schools. With a Big Ten title, Rivera will join Anthony Ashnault (2016-17, 2019) and Nick Suriano (2019) as Big Ten Champions for Rutgers. Rivera went 4-0 during the abbreviated dual season.
• With his 3-0 record this season, Alvarez also earned a No. 3 pre-seed for the Big Ten Championships. This weekend will be his second appearance at the conference tournament, as he also competed as a rookie last year at the RAC when he finished sixth.
• In just four dual matches, Poznanski showed why he is one of the top 184-pounders in the country as a true freshman. The Colonia, New Jersey, native finished the regular season 3-1, which included wins over No. 11 Rocky Jordan (Ohio State) and No. 12 Max Lyon (Purdue).
• Rutgers will look to qualify five or more wrestlers for nationals for the seventh consecutive season. Nicolas Aguilar (125), Sammy Alvarez (133), Michael VanBrill (157), Billy Janzer (184) and Jordan Pagano (197) all earned spots at the 2020 NCAA Championships last March before the tournament was cancelled.
• Rutgers has placed at least two individuals on the Big Ten podium since it joined the league in 2015. The most placewinners for the Scarlet Knights came in 2016, when all 10 participants earned top-eight finishes. RU finished fifth that season, its highest finished at the conference tournament in its history.
• Six Scarlet Knights are ranked by FloWrestling - No. 1 Sebastian Rivera (141), No. 6 Sammy Alvarez (133), No. 9 John Poznanski (184), No. 17 Michael VanBrill (149), No. 20 Jackson Turley (174) and No. 24 Robert Kanniard (157).
• Rutgers went 0-4 in its abbreviated dual season and has not wrestled since it hosted Minnesota and Purdue on Jan. 31 at the RAC. The Scarlet Knights have missed five dual matches due to COVID-19-related protocols
 
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers wrestling, follow the program on Twitter (@RUWrestling) and Instagram (@RUWrestling). Fans can receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on our social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com. For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.