Rutgers wrestling readies for two dual meets in Michigan this weekend
For the Rutgers wrestling team, the Big Ten dual meet season is filled with ranked opponents.
After having to face two nationally ranked teams in a span of 48 hours last weekend, the No. 14 Scarlet Knights (12-2, 2-2) are looking at another challenging weekend, hitting the road to take on Michigan State on Friday night and Michigan on Sunday afternoon.
Rutgers will see former national champion and former Knight Nick Suriano in the lineup for the No. 3 Wolverines (5-0, 1-0). The matchup marks the first time that Rutgers has seen Suriano, who is currently the No. 1 wrestler at 125 pounds. Suriano left the program via the transfer portal last summer.
Suriano is just one part of a lineup that is among the deepest in the country, let alone the Big Ten. Seven of Michigan’s 10 starters in its last dual meet against Ohio State are ranked in the top 10, with 184-pounder Myles Amine and heavyweight Mason Parris both ranked second.
The two highest-ranked matchups of this dual meet will be at 141 pounds and 184 pounds. First, graduate student 141-pounder Sebastian Rivera, who is ranked third in the country, will face his highest-ranked opponent of the season in fourth-ranked Stevan Micic. At 184 pounds, fifth-ranked freshman John Poznanski will square off against second-ranked Amine.
Sixth-ranked graduate student 197-pounder Greg Bulsak will also face a top 10 matchup, as he is projected to face eighth-ranked Patrick Brucki.
For the Knights, the dual meet against the Wolverines offers another opportunity to prove themselves against a top-five opponent after a 27-11 loss to No. 1 Penn State in State College, Pennsylvania, last Sunday.
With that said, before the program faces Michigan, they will have to contend with the Spartans (7-1, 2-1), a team that is moving up in the Big Ten. This week, Michigan State became nationally ranked for the first time this season, coming in at No. 21 in the NWCA rankings after back-to-back conference road wins against Indiana and No. 12 Purdue.
Leading the way for the Spartans this season is Rayvon Foley, an All-American who has been ranked as high as No. 11 in the country this season.
The two-match road trip marks the final road trip of the season for Rutgers, as it wraps up the regular season with five consecutive dual meets at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Livingston campus.
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