PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers wrestling checks in at No. 15 in the preseason NWCA Coaches Poll, released on Wednesday. The Scarlet Knights are one of eight Big Ten programs in the preseason rankings, joining No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Iowa, No. 4 Nebraska, No. 5 Ohio State, No. 10 Michigan, No. 13 Minnesota and No. 17 Illinois.
RU is set to face six preseason ranked opponents, including back-to-back meetings with No. 7 Virginia Tech and No. 8 NC State. The Wolfpack visit New Jersey next month to compete in the inaugural
Journeymen Jersey Jostle and will face the Scarlet Knights at 4 p.m. ET at RWJBarnabas Health Arena in Toms River. Tickets for the event, which is not affiliated with Rutgers and not a part of the team's season ticket package, can be purchased
here.
The Scarlet Knights open their dual season Saturday, November 9 against Duke (2 p.m.) and Franklin & Marshall (4 p.m.) at Journeymen WrangleMania in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll
| Rank |
Team (First) |
| 1 |
Penn State (16)* |
| 2 |
Iowa |
| 3 |
Oklahoma State |
| 4 |
Nebraska |
| 5 |
Ohio State* |
| 6 |
Iowa State |
| 7 |
Virginia Tech* |
| 8 |
NC State* |
| 9 |
Missouri |
| 10 |
Michigan |
| 11 |
Cornell |
| 12 |
South Dakota State |
| 13 |
Minnesota* |
| 14 |
Northern Iowa |
| 15 |
RUTGERS |
| 16 |
Lehigh |
| 17 |
Illinois* |
| 18 |
Arizona State |
| 19 |
West Virginia |
| 20 |
Little Rock |
| 21 |
Stanford |
| 22 |
Oklahoma |
| 23 |
Oregon State |
| 24 |
North Carolina |
| 25 |
Pittsburgh |
*denotes 2024-25 opponent
In addition, eight Scarlet Knights are ranked by at least on preseason publication, including consensus top 10 appearances from 2024 NCAA All-Americans
Dylan Shawver (133) and
Yaraslau Slavikouski (HWT). Slavikouski appears as high as No. 5 nationally, while Shawver ranks No. 6 by five publications.
2024-25 Individual Preseason Rankings
Rutgers returns nine of its 10 starters from last season, including 2024 All-Americans
Dylan Shawver (133) and
Yaraslau Slavikouski (HWT). Eleven Scarlet Knights on the roster have competed at nationals and eight appear in Intermat's preseason rankings.
Rutgers finished 12-5 during last year's dual season and earned a final No. 14 ranking in the NWCA Coaches Poll - its 12th top 25 finish in the poll under head coach
Scott Goodale. Eight Scarlet Knights qualified for nationals, the most since all 10 starters qualified in 2016. RU also finished sixth at the 2024 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, which included an individual title from Shawver, seven conference place winners and 87.5 team points - its best team result since 2016.
