Rutgers University
Michigan State
No. 14 Wrestling Closes Big Ten Season Friday at Michigan State
Feb 11 | Wrestling
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 14 Rutgers wrestling (11-5, 4-3) wraps up its Big Ten Conference dual schedule at Michigan State (4-7, 1-5) on Friday in East Lansing. The match from Jenison Field House is set for a 6:30 p.m. start and will stream on Big Ten Plus.
The Scarlet Knights enter Friday after a signature 23-15 win over then-No. 6 Minnesota last Friday at Jersey Mike's Arena. The victory was the first over the Golden Gophers in program history and the biggest since RU downed No. 4 Nebraska, 17-16, on Dec. 12, 2015 in Piscataway.
With a win Friday over the Spartans, Rutgers will secure a winning league record for the second consecutive season and fifth time under head coach Scott Goodale. Depending on how matches shake out during the final full weekend of Big Ten duals, the Scarlet Knights can finish as high as tied for third in the conference – a program first.
No. 16 Remy Cotton (197), who locked up RU's win last week against Minnesota with an overtime pin, wrestled for two seasons at Michigan State from 2023-25 and was an NCAA Qualifier for the Spartans last year. Rutgers letterwinner Connor O'Neill is MSU's starter at 174 pounds. The Green Brook native spent five seasons 'On the Banks' from 2020-25, qualifying for the national tournament in 2022.
| Projected Lineups |
Projected Lineup
No. 14 Rutgers (11-5, 4-3)
125: 24/22 Ayden Smith (13-6)
133: 24/32 Dylan Shawver (15-8)
141: Mason Gibson (12-10) -OR- Tahir Parkins (6-8)
149: 29/-- Andrew Clark (11-8) -OR- Devon Magro (7-5)
157: 26/27 Anthony White (12-6)
165: 19/24 Andrew Barbosa (13-5) -OR- Ryan Ford (14-3)
174: 17/20 Lenny Pinto (8-6)
184: 20/18 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (18-6)
197: 16/16 Remy Cotton (12-4) -OR- PJ Casale (9-5)
HWT: 19/19 Hunter Catka (15-7)
Rankings Intermat/Flo
Projected Lineup
Michigan State (4-7, 1-5)
125: Nick Corday (9-10)
133: NR/30 Caleb Weiand (12-9) -OR- Andy Hampton (4-11)
141: Jaden Crumpler (6-7) -OR- Sean Larkin (2-6)
149: Clayton Jones (9-10)
157: Darius Marines (16-9) -OR- Braden Stauffenberg (3-6)
165: Jack Conley (5-10) -OR- DJ Shannon (5-9)
174: Connor O'Neill (10-11) -OR- Owen Segorski (10-9)
184: Ryan Boucher (9-12)
197: 23/23 Kael Wisler (20-6)
285: Josh Terrill (13-8)
Rankings Intermat/Flo
| Last Time Out |
• Rutgers delivered its marquee win of the season, downing No. 6 Minnesota, 23-15, last Friday night in front of 3,702 fans at Jersey Mike's Arena.
• Up 17-12 with two matches to go, Cotton pinned No. 25 Gavin Nelson in overtime to secure the Scarlet Knights' first win over the Golden Gophers since they joined the Big Ten Conference in 2014-15.
• Cotton's fall was just an exclamation point at the end of RU's team effort. No. 28 Ayden Smith (125) picked off 2024 All-American No. 10 Jore Volk, No. 16 Lenny Pinto (174) and No. 27 Dylan Shawver (133) contributed bonus points and No. 29 Andrew Clark (149) and No. 29 Anthony White (165) both secured decisions over top 20 opponents in the 6-4 match split against Minnesota.
| First Coaches' Rank |
• The NCAA announced the first coaches' ranking for the 2026 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. All 10 starters from Rutgers appear in the initial coaches' ranking, including five within in the top 20 – No. 8 Joseph Olivieri (141), No. 15 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (184), No. 17 Lenny Pinto (174), No. 17 Remy Cotton (197) and No. 18 Hunter Catka (HWT).
| In the Rankings |
• Rutgers jumped three spots to No. 14 in this week's NWCA Coaches Poll – its highest rank since it was 12th in week six. The program is ranked within the top 20 by Intermat (14), WIN Magazine (16) and The Open Mat (18).
• Ten Scarlet Knights are ranked in at least one national poll, with all 10 weights ranked by Intermat.
• Six Scarlet Knights – No. 6 Joseph Olivieri (141), No. 16 Remy Cotton (197), No. 17 Lenny Pinto (174), No. 19 Andrew Barbosa (165), No. 19 Hunter Catka (HWT) and No. 20 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (184) – are ranked within the top 20 of their respective weight classes, according to Intermat.
| Wrestler | Intermat | FloWrestling | The Open Mat | AWN |
| Ayden Smith (125) | 24 | 22 | --- | 19 |
| Dylan Shawver (133) | 24 | 32 | --- | --- |
| Joseph Olivieri (141) | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| Andrew Clark (149) | 29 | --- | --- | --- |
| Anthony White (157) | 26 | 27 | --- | --- |
| Andrew Barbosa (165) | 19 | 24 | 17 | 15 |
| Lenny Pinto (174) | 17 | 20 | --- | 19 |
| Shane Cartagena-Walsh (184) | 20 | 18 | 19 | 17 |
| Remy Cotton (197) | 16 | 16 | 15 | 18 |
| Hunter Catka (HWT) | 19 | 19 | 19 | --- |
| Series vs. Michigan State |
• Rutgers leads the all-time series with Michigan State, 8-1-1. The Scarlet Knights have won the past three meetings with the Spartans and seven of the eight matchups between the two schools since RU joined the Big Ten Conference in 2014-15.
• Rutgers defeated Michigan State, 28-7, on Feb. 14, 2025 in front of 3,523 fans at Jersey Mike's Arena in the last meeting. The Scarlet Knights won eight out of 10 against the Spartans, including three victories from true freshmen – No. 29 Conner Harer (157), Ayden Smith (125) and Ryan Ford (165).
| Up Next |
• Rutgers closes out its dual season with a home match against Princeton on Feb. 16 and a road match at Hofstra on Feb. 18. The Scarlet Knights' dual with the Tigers is set for a 7 p.m. start at Jersey Mike's Arena and will stream on Big Ten Plus.
Players Mentioned
