Rutgers University
Maryland
No. 16 Wrestling Hosts Maryland, at Rider for Weekend Action
Jan 28 | Wrestling
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 16 Rutgers wrestling (8-5, 2-3) competes in two matches this weekend, hosting Maryland (4-6, 0-5) on Friday at Jersey Mike's Arena before traveling to face Rider (8-4, 3-0) on Saturday in Lawrenceville.
Friday's match with the Terrapins is set for a 7 p.m. start and will stream on Big Ten Plus, with Nick Kosko and Matt Howe on the call. Saturday's bout with the Broncs takes place at 7 p.m. and streams on ESPN+.
Friday is Youth Wrestling Night, with foam fingers distributed while supplies last. The Scarlet Knights compete just three more times at Jersey Mike's Arena this season, also hosting No. 9 Minnesota (Feb. 6) and Princeton (Feb. 16).
| Projected Lineups |
No. 16 Rutgers (8-5, 2-3)
125: 28/28 Ayden Smith (11-5)
133: 27/33 Dylan Shawver (13-7)
141: Tahir Parkins (6-8) -OR- Mason Gibson (12-7)
149: 29/33 Andrew Clark (10-6) -OR- Devon Magro (7-5)
157: 29/32 Anthony White (9-6)
165: 20/26 Andrew Barbosa (11-4) -OR- Ryan Ford (12-3)
174: 16/20 Lenny Pinto (7-6)
184: 21/18 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (16-5)
197: 17/13 Remy Cotton (10-3) -OR- PJ Casale (9-5)
HWT: 19/19 Hunter Catka (14-6)
Rankings Intermat/Flo
Maryland
125: Abram Cline (11-9) -OR- Presden Sanchez (0-4)
133: 15/22 Braxton Brown (13-5)
141: Dario Lemus (12-8) -OR- Ryan Kennedy (8-6)
149: Michael Pizzuto (8-8) -OR- 7/9 Carter Young (8-2)
157: Mekhi Neal (5-11) -OR- Nathan Perry (1-7)
165: Alex Uryniak (7-10) -OR- AJ Rodrigues (9-8)
174: Dom Solis (6-7) -OR- Seth Digby (2-8)
184: Sepanta Ahanj-Elias (9-6)
197: 13/17 Branson John (19-4)
HWT: Oscar Williams (11-7)-OR- Joey Schneck (5-6)
Rankings Intermat/Flo
Rider
125: 19/22 Tyler Klinsky (16-3) -OR- Alex Esposito (1-4)
133: Will Betancourt (13-6)
141: 14/21 Eli Griffin (17-5) -OR- D'Amani Almodovar (1-0)
149: Dylan Layton (13-7)
157: Gianni Maldonado (8-8)
165: Brendon Abdon (10-11) -OR- Liam Scrivinach (3-6)
174: Enrique Munguia (10-9)
184: Giovanni Alejandro (3-10) -OR- JP Hangey (2-7)
197: 20/21 Brock Zurawski (12-4)
285: Hogan Swenski (8-4) -OR- James Lynch (3-3)
Rankings Intermat/Flo
| Last Time Out |
• Rutgers split its Big Ten road matches this past weekend, downing Northwestern, 30-10, on Friday in Evanston before losing on criteria, 17-16, at No. 12 Illinois on Saturday in Champaign.
• The Scarlet Knights worked a 7-3 match split with the Wildcats, including bonus-point victories from No. 14 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (184), No. 16 Remy Cotton (197), No. 20 Andrew Barbosa (165) and No. 27 Dylan Shawver (133).
• Despite a 5-5 match split and a 16-16 tie score at the end of their dual with the Fighting Illini, the Scarlet Knights lost on Criteria C – total match points – by a 46-42 margin.
• Wrestling up a weight, Ryan Ford (174) delivered a ranked major decision over No. 25 Colin Kelly. No. 16 Remy Cotton (197), No. 19 Hunter Catka (HWT), No. 31 Andrew Clark (149) and Tahir Parkins (141) all secured decisions.
| In the Rankings |
• Rutgers moved up to No. 16 in this week's NWCA Coaches Poll. The program is ranked within the top 20 by Intermat (16), WIN Magazine (17) and The Open Mat (19).
• All 10 starters are ranked by both Intermat and FloWrestling ahead of weekend action.
• Joseph Olivieri (141) owns a consensus top 10 ranking, appearing as high as No. 6 nationally by Intermat, The Open Mat and WIN Magazine.
| Wrestler | Intermat | FloWrestling | The Open Mat | WIN |
| Ayden Smith (125) | 28 | 28 | --- | --- |
| Dylan Shawver (133) | 27 | 33 | --- | --- |
| Joseph Olivieri (141) | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 |
| Andrew Clark (149) | 29 | 33 | --- | --- |
| Anthony White (157) | 29 | 32 | --- | --- |
| Andrew Barbosa (165) | 20 | 26 | 17 | --- |
| Lenny Pinto (174) | 16 | 20 | -- | -- |
| Shane Cartagena-Walsh (184) | 21 | 18 | 17 | 18 |
| Remy Cotton (197) | 17 | 13 | 14 | 16 |
| Hunter Catka (HWT) | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 |
| Series vs. Maryland |
• Rutgers leads the all-time series with Maryland, 16-5-1. The Scarlet Knights have won all 10 matchups against the Terrapins since both programs joined the Big Ten during the 2014-15 season.
• RU defeated Maryland, 21-20, on Feb. 7, 2025 in College Park in their last meeting. Despite a five-five match split, the Scarlet Knights used three tech falls to secure their 10th consecutive victory over the Terrapins, with current wrestlers Joseph Olivieri (141), Andrew Clark (149) and Andrew Barbosa (165) all earning wins.
| Series vs. Rider |
• Rutgers and Rider are tied, 12-12, in the all-time series that dates back to 1995. The Scarlet Knights have won the past 10 meetings with the Broncs dating back to 2009.
• RU defeated Rider, 31-5, on Jan. 7, 2024 at Jersey Mike's Arena in their last meeting. RU won eight out of 10 bouts, including decisions from current wrestlers Dylan Shawver (133) and Anthony White (165).
| Up Next |
• Rutgers hosts No. 9 Minnesota on Friday, Feb. 6 at Jersey Mike's Arena. The dual is set for a 7 p.m. start and will stream on Big Ten Plus.
Players Mentioned
