Big Ten Championships Session I: Peterson, Shawver Advance to Semifinals
Mar 08 | Wrestling
EVANSTON, Ill. – No. 3 seed Dean Peterson (125) and No. 5 seed Dylan Shawver (133) earned spots in their respective Big Ten Championships semifinal bouts after Session I of the conference tournament on Saturday in Evanston, Illinois. All 10 starters for No. 11 Rutgers wrestling will compete during tonight's second session, which begins at 6 p.m. ET on Big Ten Plus. Tonight's semifinals will air at 8 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
Peterson faces No. 2 seed Caleb Smith (Nebraska), while Shawver wrestles No. 1 seed Drake Ayala (Iowa) for a chance to advance to his second consecutive Big Ten title match. With their two wins during the morning session, Peterson and Shawver secured automatic bids to the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships, held March 20-22 in Philadelphia.
No. 6 seed Joseph Olivieri (141), No. 6 seed Andrew Clark (149), No. 6 seed Yaraslau Slavikouski (HWT), No. 7 seed Shane Cartagena-Walsh (184) and No. 10 seed Anthony White (165) all won their opening-round matches before losing in the quarterfinals. No. 6 seed Jackson Turley (174) and No. 10 seed Conner Harer (157) are also alive on the backside of the bracket, while No. 13 seed PJ Casale (197) will be re-drown into a new bracket with 10 allocations at his weight class for nationals.
After Session I, Rutgers is ninth in the team standings with 24.5 points.
Peterson muscled a 6-3 decision over No. 14 seed Tyler Garvin (Maryland) in the opening round to secure a rematch with No. 6 Jacob Moran (Indiana) in the quarterfinals. After a scoreless first period, Peterson landed takedowns in the second and third periods en route to an 8-0 major decision. The bonus-point victory secured Peterson's second consecutive appearance in the Big Ten semifinals after he defeated then-No. 1 Matt Ramos (Purdue) in the quarterfinals of last year's championships.
After a 10-0 major decision against No. 12 seed Massey Odiotti (Northwestern), Shawver faced No. 4 seed Braeden Davis in the quarterfinals. Davis earned an escape point in the third after back-to-back scoreless periods for an 1-0 lead on Shawver, who lost to Davis in January by 2-1 decision at Jersey Mike's Arena. Shawver took control of the remainder of the match, working shots until he landed his match-sealing takedown with 10 seconds to go for a 3-1 final. The win moved Shawver to his second consecutive Big Ten semifinal, as the reigning 133-pound Big Ten Champion looks to defend his title.
The opening round featured several notable results, including an overtime win from White over No. 7 seed Tyler Lillard (Indiana). Lillard held a 3-2 lead with 18 seconds left in Tiebreaker two before White worked a reversal for a 4-3 decision. The win was White's first over Lillard, who defeated the Scarlet Knight in two previous meetings this season.
Cartagena-Walsh, Clark, Olivieri and Slavikouski all earned wins over lower seeds in the opening round, with Clark picking up a 13-2 major decision over No. 11 seed Isaac Ruble (Purdue). After an opening-round win over No. 11 seed Harley Andrews (Nebraska), Slavikouski forced No. 3 seed Joshua Heindselman (Michigan) into overtime before losing 2-1 in sudden victory.
125: (3) Dean Peterson (2-0)
133: (5) Dylan Shawver (2-0)
141: (6) Joseph Olivieri (1-1)
149: (6) Andrew Clark (1-1)
157: (10) Conner Harer (0-1)
165: (10) Anthony White (1-1)
174: (6) Jackson Turley (1-1)
184: (7) Shane Cartagena-Walsh (1-1)
197: (13) PJ Casale (0-2)
HWT: (6) Yaraslau Slavikouski (1-1)
Peterson faces No. 2 seed Caleb Smith (Nebraska), while Shawver wrestles No. 1 seed Drake Ayala (Iowa) for a chance to advance to his second consecutive Big Ten title match. With their two wins during the morning session, Peterson and Shawver secured automatic bids to the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships, held March 20-22 in Philadelphia.
No. 6 seed Joseph Olivieri (141), No. 6 seed Andrew Clark (149), No. 6 seed Yaraslau Slavikouski (HWT), No. 7 seed Shane Cartagena-Walsh (184) and No. 10 seed Anthony White (165) all won their opening-round matches before losing in the quarterfinals. No. 6 seed Jackson Turley (174) and No. 10 seed Conner Harer (157) are also alive on the backside of the bracket, while No. 13 seed PJ Casale (197) will be re-drown into a new bracket with 10 allocations at his weight class for nationals.
After Session I, Rutgers is ninth in the team standings with 24.5 points.
Peterson muscled a 6-3 decision over No. 14 seed Tyler Garvin (Maryland) in the opening round to secure a rematch with No. 6 Jacob Moran (Indiana) in the quarterfinals. After a scoreless first period, Peterson landed takedowns in the second and third periods en route to an 8-0 major decision. The bonus-point victory secured Peterson's second consecutive appearance in the Big Ten semifinals after he defeated then-No. 1 Matt Ramos (Purdue) in the quarterfinals of last year's championships.
After a 10-0 major decision against No. 12 seed Massey Odiotti (Northwestern), Shawver faced No. 4 seed Braeden Davis in the quarterfinals. Davis earned an escape point in the third after back-to-back scoreless periods for an 1-0 lead on Shawver, who lost to Davis in January by 2-1 decision at Jersey Mike's Arena. Shawver took control of the remainder of the match, working shots until he landed his match-sealing takedown with 10 seconds to go for a 3-1 final. The win moved Shawver to his second consecutive Big Ten semifinal, as the reigning 133-pound Big Ten Champion looks to defend his title.
The opening round featured several notable results, including an overtime win from White over No. 7 seed Tyler Lillard (Indiana). Lillard held a 3-2 lead with 18 seconds left in Tiebreaker two before White worked a reversal for a 4-3 decision. The win was White's first over Lillard, who defeated the Scarlet Knight in two previous meetings this season.
Cartagena-Walsh, Clark, Olivieri and Slavikouski all earned wins over lower seeds in the opening round, with Clark picking up a 13-2 major decision over No. 11 seed Isaac Ruble (Purdue). After an opening-round win over No. 11 seed Harley Andrews (Nebraska), Slavikouski forced No. 3 seed Joshua Heindselman (Michigan) into overtime before losing 2-1 in sudden victory.
125: (3) Dean Peterson (2-0)
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| Round 1 | (14) Tyler Garvin (Maryland) | W-D, 6-3 |
| Quarterfinals | (6) Jacob Moran (Indiana) | W-MD, 8-0 |
| Semifinals | (2) Caleb Smith (Nebraska) | Saturday, 8 p.m. |
133: (5) Dylan Shawver (2-0)
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| Round 1 | (12) Massey Odiotti (Northwestern) | W-MD, 10-0 |
| Quarterfinals | (4) Braeden Davis (Penn State) | W-D, 3-1 |
| Semifinals | (1) Drake Ayala (Iowa) | Saturday, 8 p.m. |
141: (6) Joseph Olivieri (1-1)
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| Round 1 | (11) Cullan Schriever (Iowa) | W-D, 4-2 |
| Quarterfinals | (3) Brock Hardy (Nebraska) | L-MD, 11-1 |
| Conso. Rd. 2 | (12) Dario Lemus (Maryland) | Saturday, 6 p.m. |
149: (6) Andrew Clark (1-1)
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| Round 1 | (11) Isaac Ruble (Purdue) | W-MD, 13-2 |
| Quarterfinals | (3) Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) | L-MD, 13-2 |
| Conso. Rd. 2 | (13) Joey Buttler (Indiana) | Saturday, 6 p.m. |
157: (10) Conner Harer (0-1)
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| Round 1 | (7) Trevor Chumbley (Indiana) | L-D, 7-0 |
| Conso. Rd. 1 | Bye | |
| Conso. Rd. 2 | (1) Ethan Miller (Maryland) | Saturday, 6 p.m. |
165: (10) Anthony White (1-1)
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| Round 1 | (7) Tyler Lillard (Indiana) | W-TB2, 4-3 |
| Quarterfinals | (2) Mike Caliendo (Iowa) | L-TF, 20-4 (4:49) |
| Conso. Rd. 2 | (8) Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern) | Saturday, 6 p.m. |
174: (6) Jackson Turley (1-1)
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| Round 1 | (11) Joseph Walker (Michigan) | L-D, 10-4 |
| Conso. Rd. 1 | (14) Aiden Vandenbush (Northwestern) | |
| Conso. Rd. 2 | (12) Branson John (Maryland) | Saturday, 6 p.m. |
184: (7) Shane Cartagena-Walsh (1-1)
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| Round 1 | (10) Jaden Bullock (Michigan) | W-D, 8-5 |
| Quarterfinals | (2) Max McEnelly (Minnesota) | L-TF, 22-6 (6:48) |
| Conso. Rd. 2 | (8) Ryder Rogotzke (Ohio State) | Saturday, 6 p.m. |
197: (13) PJ Casale (0-2)
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| Round 1 | (4) Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) | L-D, 8-6 |
| Conso. Rd. 1 | (12) Chase Mielnik (Maryland) | L-Fall (4:58) |
HWT: (6) Yaraslau Slavikouski (1-1)
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| Round 1 | (11) Harley Andrews (Nebraska) | W-D, 6-4 |
| Quarterfinals | (3) Joshua Heindselman (Michigan) | L-SV1, 2-1 |
| Conso. Rd. 2 | (12) Max Vanadia (Michigan State) | Saturday, 6 p.m. |
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