LINCOLN, Neb. – No. 23 Rutgers wrestling (10-7, 2-6) lost to No. 10 Nebraska (11-3, 7-1), 27-10, on Sunday afternoon in Lincoln. No. 15 Joe Heilmann (133), No. 21 Boone McDermott (HWT) and Tony White (149) all secured wins against the Cornhuskers, as the Scarlet Knights wrapped up their 2022-23 dual campaign ahead of the postseason.
 
RU finished the season wrestling seven consecutive teams either ranked or receiving votes in the latest NWCA Coaches Poll, including four in the top 10 – No. 1 Penn State, No. 3 Michigan, No. 7 Ohio State and No. 10 Nebraska. With its 10 dual victories, Rutgers produced 10 or more dual wins in a season for the 14th time under head coach Scott Goodale – the program's all-time wins leader with 209 victories in 16 seasons 'On the Banks'.
 
With the match starting at 197 pounds, Billy Janzer wrestled tough but suffered a 6-0 loss to No. 10 Silas Allred. But McDermott followed with a dominant major decision over Cale Davidson, landing two takedowns in the opening period en route to bonus points and a 4-3 team lead.
 
No. 16 Dena Peterson (125) also wrestled well in his ranked-vs.-ranked matchup with No. 5 Liam Cronin, with the two tied 1-1 in the third period. However, Cronin would land a takedown in the closing seconds for a 3-1 victory.
 
Heilmann faced Boo Dryden and was tied 3-3 with the Cornhusker before he muscled two takedowns for a 6-3 win. The decision gave Rutgers a 7-6 lead through four bouts. After a loss at 141 pounds by tech fall, White followed with a matchup against Dayne Morton. After a strong rideout in the second period, White landed a takedown in the third en route to a 5-3 decision.
 
RU would lose the final four bouts of the day, but not without a strong performance from Jackson Turley (174) against No. 2 Mikey Labriola. Turley trailed the four-time All-American by just a 3-2 margin in the third period and nearly landed a crucial takedown before Labriola finished off the scramble for the win.
 
Box Score
No. 10 Nebraska 27, No. 23 Rutgers 10
197: 10/10 Silas Allred (NEB) over NR/HM Billy Janzer (RU) by dec., 6-0; NEB leads, 3-0
HWT: 21/21 Boone McDermott (RU) over Cale Davidson (NEB) by MD, 12-3; RU leads, 4-3
125: 5/3 Liam Cronin (NEB) over 16/18 Dean Peterson (RU) by dec., 3-1; NEB leads, 6-4
133: 15/14 Joe Heilmann (RU) over Boo Dryden (NEB) by dec., 6-3; RU leads, 7-6
141: 5/4 Brock Hardy (NEB) over Devon Britton (RU) by TF, 18-3 (5:37); NEB leads, 11-7
149: NR/HM Tony White (RU) over Dayne Morton (NEB) by dec., 5-3; NEB leads, 11-10
157: 1/1 Peyton Robb (NEB) over NR/HM Andrew Clark (RU) by MD, 11-3; NEB leads, 15-10
165: NR/HM Bubba Wilson (NEB) over Al DeSantis (RU) by dec., 6-3; NEB leads, 18-10
174: 2/2 Mikey Labriola (NEB) over Jackson Turley (RU) by dec., 6-2; NEB leads, 21-10
184: 15/14 Lenny Pinto (NEB) by forfeit; NEB wins, 27-10
Rankings Intermat/FloWrestling
 
Up Next

• Rutgers heads to the 2023 Big Ten Wrestling Championships from March 4-5 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.