No. 18 Wrestling Drops Big Ten Opener at RV Indiana

Friday, January 13

Bloomington, Ind.

7 PM

Rutgers

Indiana

No. 18 Wrestling Drops Big Ten Opener at RV Indiana

Jan 13 | Wrestling

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – No. 18 Rutgers wrestling (8-2, 0-1) lost to RV Indiana (6-1, 2-1), 24-16, on Friday night inside Wilkinson Hall. The Scarlet Knights worked four wins against the Hoosiers, which included a pin from No. 14 Brian Soldano (184) and a major decision from No. 29 Joseph Olivieri (141), but IU used a fall at 165 pounds and wins in six of its final matches of the night for the win.

No. 13 Dean Peterson (125) and No. 14 Joe Heilmann (133) worked decisions against Indiana, as RU jumped out to a 10-0 lead in Bloomington. Soldano's first-period fall then tied the dual at 16-16 before the Hoosiers won their final two bouts for the 24-16 final.

How it Happened

Rutgers started hot with wins in its first three bouts of the night. Peterson faced Jacob Moran, hitting a reversal in the third and adding over three minutes of riding time for the 8-4 final.
Heilmann earned a ranked win against No. 31 Porter - his team-leading fourth of the season. Heilmann hit a double-leg in the first, rode out Porter and forced him into two stall calls in the second and finished with a takedown in the third for a 6-1 final.
Making his varsity season debut after beginning the season in redshirt, Olivieri faced 2021 NCAA qualifier Cayden Rooks. Olivieri hit a four-point near fall in the opening peirod and tacked on four more takedowns en route to a 15-2 major decision. Olivieri's bonus points gave RU a 10-0 lead through three bouts.
Tony White (149) lost to No. 33 Graham Rooks, while Andrew Clark (157) lost a tough 5-3 decision to No. 18 Derek Gilcher after forcing sudden victory. Rutgers took a 10-6 lead into intermission.
The Scarlet Knights lost their next two bouts out of the break, but Soldano's first-period fall of Clayton Fielden tied the dual up at 16-16.
Billy Janzer (197) followed and lost a tough 2-1 decision to Nick Willham, while John O'Donnell made his Big Ten debut in a loss to No. 31 Jacob Bullock. Bullock's tech fall secured the 24-16 win for the Hoosiers, their first over Rutgers since the Scarlet Knights joined the conference in 2014-15.

Up Next

Rutgers wrestles at No. 7 Ohio State on Sunday in Columbus. The dual is slated for a 1 p.m. start on Big Ten Plus.

Box Score
RV Indiana 24, No. 18 Rutgers 16
125: 13/15 Dean Peterson (RU) over Jacob Moran (IU) by dec., 8-4; RU leads, 3-0
133: 14/14 Joe Heilmann (RU) over 31/NR Henry Porter (IU) by dec., 6-1; RU leads, 6-0
141: 29/NR Joseph Olivieri (RU) over Cayden Rooks (IU) by MD; 15-2; RU leads, 10-0
149: 33/HM Graham Rooks (IU) over NR/HM Tony White (RU) by dec., 7-1; RU leads, 10-3
157: 18/18 Derek Gilcher (IU) over NR/23 Andrew Clark (RU) by SV1, 5-3; RU leads, 10-6
165: Nick South (IU) over Robert Kanniard by fall (5:42); IU leads, 12-10
174: 18/18 DJ Washington (IU) over Jackson Turley (RU) by MD, 14-5; IU leads, 16-10
184: 14/16 Brian Soldano (RU) over Clayton Fielden (IU) by fall (1:45); Dual tied, 16-16
197: Nick Willham (IU) over Billy Janzer (RU) by dec., 2-1; IU leads, 19-16
HWT: 31/17 Jacob Bullock (IU) over John O'Donnell (RU) by TF, 15-0 (5:22); IU wins, 24-16

Extra Match
184: Drayton Harris (IU) over Michael Toranzo (RU) by dec., 2-1