No. 14 Rutgers wrestling set to compete at Big Ten Championships
The Rutgers wrestling team will hit the road to College Park, Maryland, for the Big Ten Championships this weekend. The Scarlet Knights (12-5, 4-4) have six wrestlers ranked in the top eight seeds ahead of the tournament.
There are 14 seeds for each weight class, as every Big Ten team has one wrestler qualify. The seeds will be finalized and put into bracket form on Friday, meaning that some wrestlers may receive a higher or lower ranking ahead of the conference tournament.
125 pounds: No. 9 seed Dean Peterson
Junior 125-pounder Dean Peterson will be the No. 9 seed. Last season, Peterson was the eighth seed and finished seventh for No. 14 Rutgers.
Peterson is ranked higher than some opponents he has already defeated, such as Tristan Lujan and Tommy Capul. Peterson earned a 6-4 decision win over No. 4 seed Patrick McKee in January but will have a tough task against Matt Ramos and Michael DeAugustino, the other top seeds who dominate the weight class.
133 pounds: No. 2 seed Dylan Shawver
Junior 133-pounder Dylan Shawver was named the No. 2 seed, the highest pre-seed rank for a Knight since Anthony Ashnault was the No. 1 seed in 2019. Ashnault then went on to secure an individual title at the Big Ten Championships and was named a national champion at the NCAA Championships.
Shawver has been on a tear all season for Rutgers, as he has defeated six ranked opponents and ended the regular season on a three-match winning streak against ranked Big Ten foes. Dylan Ragusin is the only wrestler seeded above Shawver, and the two have faced off against each other twice. Ragusin won both by 3 points each.
Shawver is in a prime spot to compete for the title in the 133-pound weight class.
141 pounds: No. 7 Mitch Moore
Graduate student 141-pounder Mitch Moore is making his first appearance at the Big Ten Championships and was named the No. 7 seed. Moore has plenty of experience competing at tournaments, though, as he has qualified for the NCAA Championships four times throughout his five-year collegiate career.
If Moore advances to Session II or III, he will likely have a rematch against Jesse Mendez, an opponent he lost to 5-0 earlier this season. Moore has defeated four ranked opponents this season.
149 pounds: No. 10 Michael Cetta
Junior 149-pounder Michael Cetta has made a name for himself this season and earned his spot in the starting lineup after graduate student 149-pounder Jacob Butler was injured.
Cetta is the No. 10 seed for his first appearance at the postseason tournament. In February, Cetta upset Ohio State’s Dylan D’Emilio, who was ranked No. 9 in the nation at the time. Cetta finished the season with a 13-8 record and could make some noise this weekend.
157 pounds: No. 11 Al DeSantis
Junior 157-pounder Al DeSantis is another wrestler who worked his way into the starting lineup this season. DeSantis has filled in for the injured junior 157-pounder Andrew Clark.
DeSantis is the No. 11 seed and finished the season with two wins against conference foes.
165 pounds: No. 13 Anthony White
Junior 165-pounder Anthony White was named the No. 13 seed and finished the season with a 10-11 record.
White did not place at the Big Ten Championships last season.
174 pounds: No. 6 Jackson Turley
Senior 174-pounder Jackson Turley is the No. 6 seed.
Turley has had a dominant season on the mat, landing three pins and securing a technical fall over Donnell Washington, who was ranked No. 9 in the country at the time.
Turley finished seventh at the Big Ten Championships last season but will look to make a strong run this time around.
184 pounds: No. 8 Brian Soldano
It is only sophomore 184-pounder Brian Soldano’s second season on the Banks, but he is prepared for the task at hand. Soldano, the No. 8 seed, finished with a 13-7 record and has faced several ranked opponents this season.
Soldano placed sixth at the Big Ten Championships last season but has the potential to build off of that this year.
197 pounds: No. 7 John Poznanski
Junior 197-pounder John Poznanski was one of the most impressive Knights this season. He went on a 12-match winning streak before falling in his last two bouts and suffering an injury.
Despite the injury, Poznanski is the No. 7 seed and is good to go for the tournament, and finished as high as third in 2021.
Heavyweight: No. 4 Yaraslau Slavikouski
Like Moore, it is also graduate student 285-pounder Yaraslau Slavikouski’s first appearance at the Big Ten Championships. The Harvard transfer finished last season with a 30-6 record and advanced to the Blood Round of the NCAA Championships.
Nick Feldman and Lucas Davison are opponents that Slavikouski lost to this season and are seeded above him, but Slavikouski still has the opportunity to become a Big Ten champion as the No. 4 seed if he can strike even with Feldman or Davison.
Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale thinks his team is just as good as its opponents and will need some big wins to find major success.
“I think from a team standpoint we’re probably middle of the pack, think that’s fair,” Goodale said. “We’re gonna have to upset some guys to make that semifinal and final round for sure, but we do have some guys in some pretty good spots.”
The Big Ten championships will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the XFINITY Center in College Park, Maryland. The tournament will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus, the Big Ten Network and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
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