Wrestling Weekend Ahead: Veteran Clark Thrives at Lighter Weight

Friday, February 7

College Park, Md.

7:30 PM

Rutgers University

Maryland

Photo by: Tom Gilbert

Wrestling Weekend Ahead: Veteran Clark Thrives at Lighter Weight

Feb 05 | Wrestling

Big Ten Plus

By: Bradly Derechailo

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 12 Rutgers wrestling (11-5, 3-3) faces Maryland (8-7, 3-2) on Friday night in College Park. The dual is set for a 7:30 p.m. start from the XFINITY Center Pavilion and will stream on Big Ten Plus.

Friday marks the final road dual of the season for the Scarlet Knights, as they look to secure 12 or more dual wins for the third time in four seasons.

From the Wrestling Room

Clark Shines Competing at 149 Pounds
By Bradly Derechailo

Whenever Andrew Clark has a chance to get home to Collingswood, he takes a second to look at the Philadelphia Skyline just miles away.

The 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships will be held March 20-22 at the Wells Fargo Center, and Clark's goal is to become an All-American in an arena a stone's throw away from where he grew up.

"Every time I get in my car to drive up from home to Rutgers, I look over there and I'm reminded of my goals of getting on top of that podium."

Clark's resume sets him up nicely for a return to the national tournament this March. Ranked as high as No. 19 in the country this season with an 18-8 record, Clark leads Rutgers wrestling in wins, accounting for eight dual victories and 24 team points. Clark owns three ranked wins this winter, including a 9-7 decision over No. 25 Drew Roberts this past weekend in the Scarlet Knights' road dual at No. 8 Minnesota.

Clark has competed as high as 165 pounds during his collegiate career and qualified for nationals at 157 pounds two seasons ago. It is at 149 pounds that Clark seems to have found his most success ahead of the postseason.

"I feel good at the weight and I'm excited going forward. I think that this is a weight that's good for me," Clark said. "I've wrestled 165, 157 and then 149, so I'm kind of used to wrestling bigger guys. Now I'm wrestling guys smaller and yeah, it's cutting a lot of weight, but I feel good, I feel I've done it right. The coaching staff has been on me, and at the beginning of year I took some losses I probably shouldn't have because maybe I wasn't cutting weight, right, or, you know, doing it right. Now, I feel like I'm doing good, now I'm used to it, I'm wrestling well."

A 2022 NCAA qualifier and winner of 59 career matches, the road to success has not always been easy for Clark thanks to a prolonged back injury.

Clark first injured his back in practice during the 2021-22 season, and it only got worse as the years progressed. Despite the challenge, Clark managed to complete a full season in 2022-23, finishing with 21 victories and a trip to NCAAs at 157 pounds.

However, six matches into last season, Clark knew something needed to be done.

"After the Rider match last year, I remember I was in our training room, and I couldn't stand up fully straight. My back was in such a bad way that I couldn't stand up all the way," Clark said. "I couldn't even bend over and touch my knees. I was stuck in this hunched over position. It got to the point where it wasn't just impacting wrestling, but it was having a negative effect on my quality of life. I felt like I was 80 years old in a 20-something-year-old body."

Clark shut it down for the rest of the season, undergoing back surgery last March during the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. After his recovery process, Clark was cleared in time for the start of this season.

Some athletes might have called it a career after the type of injury Clark battled for years. But Clark believed he had more to accomplish on the mat.

"For me, I think that I always wanted to find a way back to wrestling," Clark said. "I love this sport, and I know I love this team. I just knew I was going to do anything in my willpower to get back on that mat, and I think that time off really helped me reflect too on what I wanted to do with this sport. The whole process helped me reevaluate my career, too.

That reevaluation process has resulted in Clark having arguably his best season as a collegiate wrestler. The former NJSIAA state champion has more to add to his mantel, and that includes accomplishing a dream every wrestler has when they compete at the highest level.

"I have a goal of becoming an All-American," Clark said. "It's why I came here. I have full complete trust in our coaches, and I think they put me in a great position to achieve that goal. They believe in me, and I have 100 percent belief in them. My goal is to be an All-American by the time I leave here, and I think I have the ability to do that."

Projected Lineups

No. 12 Rutgers (11-5, 3-3)
125: 10/12 Dean Peterson (17-3) -OR- Ayden Smith (4-4)
133: 9/9 Dylan Shawver (15-5)
141: 13/15 Joseph Olivieri (13-5) -OR- Joe Fongaro (4-7)
149: 19/25 Andrew Clark (18-8)
157: 29/27 Conner Harer (13-7)
165: 24/28 Anthony White (12-8) -OR- Andrew Barbosa (5-3)
174: 23/22 Jackson Turley (13-7)
184: 18/16 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (17-8)
197: 17/17 John Poznanski (11-6) -OR- PJ Casale (7-9)
HWT: 7/9 Yaraslau Slavikouski (13-5) -OR- John O'Donnell (7-3)
Rankings Intermat/Flo

Maryland (8-7, 3-2)
125: Tyler Garvin (4-14) -OR- Presden Sanchez (4-6)
133: 11/11 Braxton Brown (16-2)
141: Dario Lemus (7-10) -OR- Michael Pizzuto (5-6)
149: 32/32 Kal Miller (16-5)
157: 6/6 Ethen Miller (17-0)
165: Alex Uryniak (2-9) -OR- Sammy Gautreau (1-6)
174: Branson John (9-12)
184: 11/10 Jaxon Smith (14-4)
197: Chase Mielnik (10-11)
285: 12/12 Seth Nevills (13-3) -OR- Sam O'Brian
Rankings Intermat/Flo

Last Time Out

Rutgers lost at No. 8 Minnesota, 28-9, on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis. No. 9 Dylan Shawver (133) and No. 20 Andrew Clark (149) each picked up a ranked win, while No. 10 Dean Peterson (125) added a decision in front of 2,909 fans at Maturi Pavilion.
After the Scarlet Knights won their first bout at 149 pounds, the Gophers earned victories in their next six matches, including four wins by bonus, to secure the dual. Sunday marked RU's fifth match against a top 25 foe in its last six appearances and its sixth against a top 10 opponent this season.

Quote of the Week

"I can literally see the Philadelphia Skyline from my house, so getting [to nationals] is always on my mind. My goal is to be on top of that podium." – 149-pounder Andrew Clark on his postseason goals.

In the Rankings

Rutgers remained at No. 12 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. 3 Iowa, No. 4 Ohio State, No. 7 Nebraska, No. 8 Minnesota, No. 13 Illinois, No. 19 Michigan and No. 22 Indiana. Maryland also received votes in this week's poll.
Eleven Scarlet Knights remained ranked in at least on poll heading into the final month of the regular season. No. 7 Yaraslau Slavikouski (HWT), No. 9 Dylan Shawver (133) and No. 10 Dean Peterson (125) are all ranked within the top 10 of their respective weight classes, according to Intermat.

Wrestler	Intermat	FloWrestling	The Open Mat	AWN	WIN
Dean Peterson (125)	10	12	13	11	11
Dylan Shawver (133)	9	9	7	8	9
Joseph Olivieri (141)	13	15	13	13	14
Andrew Clark (149)	19	25	20	NR	NR
Conner Harer (157)	29	27	NR	NR	19
Anthony White (165)	24	28	NR	NR	NR
Jackson Turley (174)	23	22	NR	NR	NR
Shane Cartagena-Walsh (184)	18	16	18	14	NR
Brian Soldano (184)	NR	NR	NR	NR	16
John Poznanski (197)	17	17	15	15	16
Yaraslau Slavikouski (HWT)	7	9	10	10	6

Against Maryland

Rutgers is 15-5-1 all-time against Maryland and has won all nine matchups against the Terrapins since both began Big Ten competition in 2014-15.
The Scarlet Knights defeated UMD, 27-12, last season at Jersey Mike's Arena in their last matchup.

Up Next

Rutgers returns home for its final two matches of the season, beginning with Michigan State on Friday, Feb. 14 at Jersey Mike's Arena. The Scarlet Knights also host Penn on Wednesday, Feb. 19 to close the regular season.