PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 16 Rutgers wrestling (8-2, 0-0) begins Big Ten Conference action this weekend with back-to-back road matches at No. 24 Indiana (4-1, 0-1) in Bloomington and No. 4 Ohio State (8-0, 0-0) in Columbus. The Scarlet Knights' matchup with the Hoosiers is set for Friday at 7 p.m. on
Big Ten Plus. Sunday's dual with the Buckeyes is slated for a 6 p.m. national broadcast on Big Ten Network, with Shane Sparks and Jim Gibbons on the call.
Beginning this weekend, RU faces five ranked programs in its next six matches. The slate includes matchups with No. 1 Penn State (Jan. 24), No. 4 Ohio State (Jan. 12), No. 6 Minnesota (Feb. 2), No. 11 Illinois (Ja. 26) and No. 24 Indiana (Jan. 10).
Rutgers also sends 10 attached and unattached student-athletes to the David H. Lehman '68 F&M Open on Friday in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Fans can watch Friday's action on
FloWrestling.
Peterson takes Midlands Title, Winning Streak into Big Ten Dual Season
By Bradly Derechailo
After suffering an injury and his first losses of the season back in November, 125-pounder
Dean Peterson put his head down and went to work.
The result? A double-digit winning streak and his first collegiate tournament title.
Peterson has won 11 consecutive matches dating back to Dec. 6, a stretch that includes seven bonus-point victories, six tech falls and five straight dual wins. Peterson has outscored his opponents, 150-39, during the winning streak.
"I think it was just about getting my confidence level back up," Peterson said. "As soon as you get one win, then two wins, you can keep it rolling and add more confidence in yourself. I just have more confidence in my offense and my moves right now."
Peterson closed out 2024 with an individual title at the Midlands Championships from Dec. 29-30 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, going 5-0 with back-to-back wins over ranked foes to become the program's first Midlands Champion since Nick Suriano in 2017. Peterson was one of four individual finalists and nine placewinners for No. 16 Rutgers wrestling, helping the Scarlet Knights to a second-place team finish.
Peterson takes that 11-match winning streak into Big Ten action when RU faces No. 24 Indiana (Friday, 7 p.m.) and No. 4 Ohio State (Sunday, 6 p.m.) in back-to-back road conference duals. Peterson is projected to face No. 23 Jacob Moran on Friday night in a rematch from the Midlands semifinals before a matchup with No. 10 Brendan McCrone on Sunday in Columbus.
Peterson is 2-0 all-time against Moran and owns a 1-1 record versus McCrone, defeating the Buckeye by decision, 3-2, at last year's Big Ten Championships.
For Peterson, it's all about building off his first-half start.
"Getting that Midlands title and winning my first college tournament was a big mental step for me," Peterson said. "Finally getting something like that under my belt shows me I can compete with the top guys and that I'm ready to go."
Talent and potential have always surrounded Peterson. The two-time NCAA qualifier has tallied 52 career wins since he arrived "On the Banks" in 2021 and has produced 105 team points in three seasons as the program's 125-pound starter. Peterson advanced to the 'Blood Round' during his first varsity season in 2022, finishing that year with a career-high 25 victories.
Peterson's career resume also includes marquee victories. At last season's Big Ten Championships in College Park, Maryland, Peterson registered one of the biggest wins of the tournament, defeating No. 1 seed and then-reigning NCAA runner-up Matt Ramos of Purdue by 7-1 decision. It was one of five ranked victories for Peterson last season.
Rutgers will rely on Peterson's success as it navigates a stretch of five ranked foes in its next six duals, beginning Friday night in Bloomington. The Barnegat, New Jersey, native is projected to compete against five ranked foes, according to Intermat, during the stretch, which includes No. 5 Cooper Flynn (Minnesota), No. 10 McCrone, No. 12 Luke Lilledahl (Penn State), No. 18 Nicolar Rivera (Wisconsin) and No. 23 Moran.
Peterson lives for these moments to prove he is one of the best in the country.
"The Big Ten schedule is always the most exciting part of the year," Peterson said. "There's always a ranked guy across from you. Those matches against the best guys are always the most fun to wrestle."
As the Scarlet Knights trek into the heart of conference action, Peterson provides the program with a spark at the top of their lineup.
Putting his winning streak and Midlands Championship to the side, Peterson knows how important it is to stack wins together during this portion of the season.
"I'm just ready to test myself against the best competition and stay on my offense," Peterson said."
No. 16 Rutgers (8-2)
125: 16/15
Dean Peterson (12-2) -OR-
Ayden Smith (4-4)
133: 17/14
Dylan Shawver (11-3)
141: 16/14
Joseph Olivieri (11-3) -OR-
Max Hermes (5-6)
149: 24/26
Andrew Clark (15-6)
157: 31/NR
Conner Harer (10-4)
165: 26/29
Anthony White (11-4) -OR-
Andrew Barbosa (4-3)
174: 23/22
Jackson Turley (11-4)
184: NR/18
Brian Soldano (16-6) -OR- 27/NR
Shane Cartagena-Walsh (14-5)
197: 18/22
John Poznanski (8-4) -OR-
PJ Casale (7-8)
HWT: 8/10
Yaraslau Slavikouski (10-2) -OR-
John O'Donnell (7-3)
Rankings Intermat/Flo
No. 24 Indiana (4-1, 0-1)
125: 23/21 Jacob Moran (16-4)
133: NR/28 Angelo Rini (11-5)
141: Henry Porter (9-5)
149: Anthony Bahl (2-7) -OR- Aidan Torres (6-7)
157: Ryan Garvick (5-6)
165: NR/16 Tyler Lillard (14-4)
174: Nick South (4-5) -OR- Roman Rogotzke (5-5)
184: 32/DJ Washington (7-3)
197: 23/28 Gabe Sollars (11-5)
HWT: 23/24 Jacob Bullock (11-5)
Rankings Intermat/Flo
No. 4 Ohio State (8-0, 0-0)
125: 10/11 Brendan McCrone (15-3)
133: 9/7 Nic Bouzakis (16-2)
141: 1/2 Jesse Mendez (15-0)
149: 12/12 Dylan D'Emilio (10-1)
157: 9/7 Paddy Gallagher (10-3)
165: 11/22 Sammy Sasso (6-3) -OR- Bryce Hepner (5-1) -OR- e'Than Birden (8-4)
174: 9/8 Carson Kharchla (4-0)
184: 14/15 Ryder Rogotzke (3-1)
197: Seth Shumate (7-6)
HWT: 7/7 Nick Feldman (9-1)
Rankings Intermat/Flo
Franklin & Marshall Open Lineup – Subject to Change
125: Mason Gibson
141: Joe Fongaro*
149: Alex Nini
149: Nick Villani
157: Michael Cetta*
157: Dagen Condomitti*
157: Sebastiano Nini*
165: Ryan Ford
174: Nate Blanchette*
197: Hadyn Packer*
* Competing attached
- Behind an individual title from No. 18 Dean Peterson (125) and a program-record nine placewinners, No. 16 Rutgers wrestling finished second at the 2024 Ken Kraft Midlands Championships from Dec. 29-30 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
- Peterson was one of four individual finalists at Midlands, along with No. 16 Dylan Shawver (133), No. 20 Joseph Olivieri (141) and No. 29 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (184). No. 5 Yaraslau Slavikouski (HWT) wrestled back to a bronze medal, while No. 33 Andrew Clark (149) and Brian Soldano (184) both finished fourth. No. 22 Jackson Turley (174) placed fifth, and No. 14 John Poznanski (197) finished sixth.
- With their nine placewinners and 147 team points, the Scarlet Knights finished only behind Stanford, who claimed the team trophy with 157 points. Penn finished third with 131. It marked the most team points scored at the championships in school history and matched its best team result recorded in 2017.
"You don't really realize just how much one tournament can impact your season. I feel like it has made a big difference in my game." – 125-pounder
Dean Peterson on winning his Midlands Championship.
- Rutgers remained at No. 16 in this week's NWCA Coaches Poll. The Scarlet Knights are one of nine Big Ten programs ranked this week, joining No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Iowa, No. 4 Ohio State, No. 6 Minnesota, No. 9 Nebraska, No. 10 Michigan, No. 11 Illinois and No. 24 Indiana.
- Eleven Scarlet Knights are ranked through the first half of the season. Slavikouski owns the top individual ranking at No. 8 by Intermat, while Peterson (No. 11, WIN), Shawver (No. 12, The Open Mat), Olivieri (No. 14, FloWrestling) and Poznanski (No. 14, WIN) own top 15 rankings.
- Rutgers is 7-2 all-time against Indiana and 6-1 since joining the Big Ten in 2014.
- The Scarlet Knights defeated the Hoosiers, 30-11, last season at Jersey Mike's Arena. IU won the last matchup in Bloomington - a 24-16 victory on Jan. 13, 2023.
- RU produced four wins over Indiana at Midlands last month, including a 4-0 decision from Peterson against Jacob Moran.
- Rutgers is 0-10-1 all-time against Ohio State.
- The Scarlet Knights lost to the Buckeyes, 22-12, last season at Jersey Mike's Arena. RU picked up three wins over OSU in the dual from Shawver, Brian Soldano (184) and Michael Cetta (149).
- Rutgers returns home for its next three matches, beginning with Wisconsin on Sunday, January 19 at Jersey Mike's Arena. The Big Ten dual is set for a 1 p.m. ET start on Big Ten Plus.
