PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 14 Rutgers wrestling (9-3, 1-1) returns to Piscataway to host Wisconsin (4-5, 0-1) on Sunday at Jersey Mike's Arena. The Big Ten Conference dual is set for a 1 p.m. start on
Big Ten Plus, with Nick Kosko and Matt Howe on the call.
Sunday serves as the program's 'Blackout' match, with fans encouraged to wear black to the dual. Fans will receive a complimentary black shirt while supplies last. $1 popcorn will also be available for purchase.
This weekend's matchup with the Badgers is the first of three consecutive home matches for the Scarlet Knights, as RU hosts No. 1 Penn State (Friday, Jan. 24) and No. 9 Illinois (Sunday, Jan. 26) during the homestand.
White's Leadership Reflects Program's Culture
By Bradly Derechailo
Down 11-6 at No. 4 Ohio State, Rutgers wrestling head coach
Scott Goodale huddled with his staff during intermission to discuss their strategy at 165 pounds.
The Scarlet Knights weighed in two standouts –
Andrew Barbosa and
Anthony White. White entered the weekend as the program's starter with 11 victories and a No. 26 ranking on the season. Barbosa burst onto the scene back in November as a true freshman with a 2-0 weekend down in Toms River, which included a win over No. 20 Derek Fields (NC State).
With two-time Ohio state champion and standout rookie e'Than Birden across the mat, Goodale elected to go with Barbosa strictly from a matchup perspective, pulling White to the side to inform him of his decision.
In a sport where the team aspect of it sometimes gets lost, White's selfless response showed just how valuable he is to the program both on and off the mat.
"No problem, coach," White said. "Let me know if you need me to warm up Shane [Cartagena-Walsh] before his match"
Barbosa delivered a 2-1 overtime win against Birden, sparking a comeback that gave RU a chance to defeat the Buckeyes ahead of the dual's final bout. Whenever Big Ten Network panned to the Rutgers' bench during the second half rally, it was White who could be seen cheering the loudest.
"Obviously I wanted to wrestle in that spot, but at this point in the season, it's bigger than me," White said. "We've been so close to beating programs like Ohio State and were so close to breaking through there in those spots. We train so hard and compete so hard against one another, but that's to make sure we put the best version of Rutgers wrestling out there. Even though we lost, it was a huge spot for our program."
Having a team-first mentality is nothing new for White, who grew up in South Plainfield and competed for one of the best public school programs in the state. As a senior in 2021, White became the 14th individual Tiger to earn an individual NJSIAA state title when he defeated Delbarton top-seeded sophomore Simon Ruiz to close out his high school career.
His unselfishness has translated into success on the mat during his collegiate career. White has tallied 35 collegiate wins heading into Sunday's 'Blackout' match with Wisconsin (1 p.m., Big Ten Plus). As a redshirt freshman during the 2022-23 campaign, White muscled 14 wins and became an NCAA qualifier at 149 pounds.
Now in his third season as a starter, Goodale knows just how valuable White's experience and leadership are to get the most out of his program in the depths of the Big Ten dual season.
"He's the most unselfish guy I have ever coached," Goodale said. "He's a team guy that provides us with a lunch-pail mentality that is infectious. He shows up to work every day and goes about his business like a true professional. He's everything you want in a student-athlete."
Describing White as a standout student-athlete is an understatement. A two-time NWCA Academic All-American and two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, White will finish his undergraduate degree in accounting this year from the Rutgers Business School and begin working towards his master's this spring. He will continue in the master's program when he returns for his final year of eligibility during the 2025-26 season.
White also lined up a prestigious internship this summer with KPMG in Short Hills, one of the 'Big 4' accounting firms in the world.
For White, being successful both on the mat and in the classroom is all about prioritizing your time.
"I made a decision early on to major in accounting in the business school, so I understood what that entailed," White said. "Once I made that decision, I made some sacrifices to be successful in the classroom. It's tough, but it's just like anything else that's worth doing. I'm working towards something bigger."
The sky is the limit for White once he graduates. But in the short term, he is focused on helping the team achieve its goals of breaking into the top 10 at the national tournament and defeating a top 10 program for the first time since 2019.
"We're just so into the team aspect of this season," White said. "In that dual at Ohio State, our bench had some of the loudest people on it in the whole arena. We showed so much fight and knowing that that is what we're capable of is inspiring. It gets you fired up."
No. 14 Rutgers (9-3, 1-1)
125: 10/10
Dean Peterson (14-2) -OR-
Ayden Smith (4-4)
133: 9/9
Dylan Shawver (13-3)
141: 15/13
Joseph Olivieri (11-3) -OR-
Joe Fongaro (4-4)
149: 21/26
Andrew Clark (16-7)
157: 32/NR
Conner Harer (11-5)
165: 25/27
Anthony White (11-5) -OR-
Andrew Barbosa (5-3)
174: 22/23
Jackson Turley (12-5)
184: 18/19
Shane Cartagena-Walsh (16-5)
197: 16/17
John Poznanski (10-4) -OR-
PJ Casale (7-8)
HWT: 8/10
Yaraslau Slavikouski (11-3) -OR-
John O'Donnell (7-3)
Rankings Intermat/Flo
Wisconsin (4-5, 0-1)
125: 29/29 Nicolar Rivera (11-1)
133: 24/30 Zan Fugitt (9-3)
141: Brock Bobzien (4-8)
149: Royce Nilo (1-7) -OR- Elliott Biba (1-3)
157: Luke Mechler (7-8)
165: Cale Anderson (4-4) -OR- Gavin Model (1-3)
174: 32/NR Luke Condon (9-6)
184: Dylan Russo (3-6)
197: Niccolo Colucci (1-8)
HWT: Gannon Rosenfeld (6-3)
Rankings Intermat/Flo
- Rutgers split its Big Ten Conference road matches last weekend. The Scarlet Knights defeated No. 24 Indiana, 28-6, in Bloomington before suffering a tough 17-15 loss at No. 4 Ohio State in Columbus. RU won 13 out of 20 matches across the two duals, including eight victories over ranked individuals.
- In its Big Ten Conference opener, Rutgers delivered a 28-6 victory over No. 24 Indiana on Jan. 10 in Bloomington. The Scarlet Knights won eight out of 10 bouts against the Hoosiers, which included five ranked victories and a fall from No. 23 Jackson Turley (174).
- The win marked RU's first win over a ranked opponent this season and second consecutive victory over Indiana in the all-time series. The dual win was the 230th of head coach Scott Goodale's career.
- In a back-and-forth dual meet, Rutgers lost to No. 4 Ohio State, 17-15, on Jan. 12 in Columbus. The Scarlet Knights delivered five individual wins over the Buckeyes and led 15-14 heading into the final bout before OSU held on for the win. Eight out of 10 matches in the dual were decided by three points or less.
- No. 16 Dean Peterson (125) and No. 17 Dylan Shawver (133) delivered back-to-back wins over top 10 opponents, while No. 27 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (184) worked a decision over No. 14 Ryder Rogotzke. No. 18 John Poznanski (184) and Andrew Barbosa (165) added crucial decisions to allow the dual to be decided in its final match at the Covelli Center.
"It's very important to have someone like him in our program. He's a glue guy that you can absolutely count on day in and day out." – Head coach
Scott Goodale on the importance of
Anthony White.
- Rutgers jumped two spots to No. 14 in this week's NWCA Coaches poll – its highest ranking in the poll this season. The Scarlet Knights are one of 9 Big Ten programs ranked by the coaches this week, joining No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Iowa, No. 4 Ohio State, No. 7 Nebraska, No. 8 Minnesota, No. 9 Illinois, No. 15 Michigan and No. 25 Indiana.
- Eleven individuals appear in at least one poll this week. No. 8 Yaraslau Slavikouski (HWT), No. 9 Shawver and No. 10 Peterson are all ranked within the top 10 of their respective weights by Intermat. Thanks to back-to-back wins over ranked opponents, Cartagena-Walsh jump nine spots to No. 18 at 184 pounds by Intermat.
- Rutgers is 2-4 all-time against Wisconsin. The Badgers won the last matchup, 19-14, on Jan. 9, 2022 in Madison. Poznanski and Joseph Oliveri both delivered wins over ranked foes in the dual.
- The Scarlet Knights defeated then-No. 10 Wisconsin, 17-16, on Jan. 11, 2019 in Piscataway. The win was the last over a top 10 opponent, as RU used a 56-50 advantage in total match points to defeat the Badgers by criteria, 17-16.
- Rutgers continues its three-match homestand against No. 1 Penn State on Friday, Jan. 24 at Jersey Mike's Arena. The dual is set for an 8 p.m. national broadcast on Big Ten Network. The Scarlet Knights then host No. 9 Illinois on Sunday, Jan. 26 for a 1 p.m. dual in Piscataway.
