PISCATAWAY, N.J. – 14 Rutgers wrestling (16-5) worked a come-from-behind win over Columbia (4-10), 21-17, on Saturday in front of 3,037 fans at Jersey Mike's Arena. With several starters out and down 17-9 with three bouts to go, the Scarlet Knights rattled off three consecutive wins from 184 through heavyweight, as Boone McDermott capped the team victory with his 5-1 decision over Dan Conley.

RU worked a five-five match split with the Lions. No. 11 Greg Bulsak (197) and No.16 Joseph Olivieri (133) delivered first-period falls to go along with decisions from McDermott, No. 11 John Poznanski (184) and No. 27 Dylan Shawver (125). The win secured the most in a dual season (16) for Rutgers since the 2012-13 campaign, while head coach Scott Goodale picked up win No. 199 of his career.

The dual also served as Senior Day, as the program honored Bulsak, Gerard Angelo, Jake Benner, David Campbell, Andrew Gapas, Sebastian Rivera, Malcolm Robinson and Michael VanBrill prior to the match.

"This is an emotional place and today was pretty emotional recognizing all of these guys," Goodale said. "It was good for us to get the win and go out on a high note heading into the postseason. We'll get healthy, train and be ready to go for the Big Ten Tournament in March."
 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Rutgers opened the dual with back-to-back wins over ranked individuals. Shawver took out No. 31 Joe Manchio with a 7-1 decision, while Olivieri caught No. 23 Angelo Rini on his back after a mat return in the first period for the pin. The wins provided RU with a 9-0 early lead.
• With Rivera and VanBrill held out, Gapas and sophomore Asa Garcia (149) wrestled hard off short notice. Gapas held No. 20 Matt Kazimir to just a 7-4 decision. In his RU dual debut, Garcia lost by major, 10-0, to Danny Fongaro, as the loss made it 9-7 Rutgers through the first four bouts.
• The Scarlet Knights lost their next three bouts, as a 2-1 decision by Nick Fine over Connor O'Neill (174) gave Columbia a 17-9 lead with three bouts matches to go.
• Poznanski forced overtime and secured a 3-1 decision over Brian Bonino, which meant Rutgers needed to win its final two bouts to secure the dual. Bulsak left little to chance, as he pinned Sam Wustefeld in the first period to regain the team lead, 18-17.
• McDermott clinched the dual with his 5-1 win over Conly. McDermott landed a takedown in the first period, escaped in the second and added two points in the final two minutes to walk off the Jersey Mike's Arena mat a winner.

NOTABLES

• Rutgers finished the dual season 16-5 with wins over three ranked opponents (No. 14 North Carolina, No. 20 Princeton and No. 21 Illinois). The 16 wins were the most since it went 16-4 in 2012-13.
• Rutgers moved to 37-17 all-time against Columbia.
• Rivera finished the regular season 22-0 with 21 wins by bonus and a nation-high 13 tech falls. Rivera outscored his opponents, 301-54, during the regular season and became the first RU individual to finish the regular season undefeated since Anthony Ashnault went 32-0 in 2019.
• With his two wins over the weekend, Bulsak sits at 95 wins for his career. Bulsak arrived at Rutgers with 77 career wins at Clarion and has produced 18 this season. Bulsak also finished the regular season with a team-high nine ranked wins.
• Campbell, a graduate transfer from Bucknell, picked up a 5-3 win in his extra match with Boris Witmer. Campbell, who has produced nine wins this season as a reserve at 133 and 141 pounds, went public earlier this month with his battle with Crohn's disease.

UP NEXT

• Rutgers heads to the 2022 Big Ten Wrestling Championships from March 5-6 in Lincoln, Nebraska.

BOX SCORE

No. 14 Rutgers 21, Columbia 17
125: 27/HM/NR Dylan Shawver (RU) dec. 31/HM/NR Joe Manchio (CU), 7-1; RU leads, 3-0
133: 16/20/16 Joseph Olivieri (RU) fall (2:38) 23/HM/NR Angelo Rini (CU); RU leads, 9-0
141: 20/21/19 Matt Kazimir (CU) dec. Andrew Gapas (RU), 7-4; RU leads, 9-3
149: Danny Fongaro (CU) MD Asa Garcia (RU), 10-0; RU leads, 9-7
157: Andrew Garr (CU) dec. Al DeSantis (RU), 8-2; Columbia leads, 10-9
165: 19/20/20 Joshua Ogunsanya MD Andrew Clark (RU), 13-4; Columbia leads, 14-9
174: Nick Fine (CU) dec. Connor O'Neill (RU); 2-1; Columbia leads, 17-9
184: 11/11/11 John Poznanski (RU) SV1 Brian Bonino (CU), 3-1; Columbia leads, 17-12
197: 11/9/11 Greg Bulsak (RU) fall (2:43) Sam Wustefeld (CU); RU leads, 18-17
HWT: Boone McDermott (RU) dec. Dan Conley (CU); RU wins, 21-17
 
Extra Matches
133: David Campbell (RU) dec. Boris Witmer (CU), 5-3