No. 16 Rutgers wrestling lineup questions answered following Midlands, ahead of Big Ten opener against No. 24 Indiana
It’s been 24 days since the Rutgers wrestling team last hit the mat for a dual match. Although the Scarlet Knights (8-2, 0-0) have not competed since Dec. 14, 2024, the holiday season was full of wrestling.
No. 16 Rutgers sent its entire lineup to the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships on Dec. 29, 2024, and Dec. 30, 2024. The Knights finished second with 147 team points via a program-record nine place winners and senior 125-pounder Dean Peterson's individual title. It’s the most team points scored at Midlands in program history and its best result since 2017.
“We really wanted to win that tournament – we left a lot of matches out there,” said head coach Scott Goodale. “My thought process is closing out matches up and down the lineup is something we have to be better at.”
Peterson, who has now won his last 11 bouts after suffering an injury against NC State in November, used a different approach en route to winning his Midlands title.
“It was really just about slowing the matches in my mind and not thinking about it too much,” Peterson said. “I was having an issue where I think I was thinking too much about how I was gonna set up my moves, how I was gonna get up to my attacks and I kind of just let it fly this weekend. I slowed the match down and got to my points and when I stayed on my offense, I scored. I’m gonna keep that going into the season.”
With Midlands in the rearview mirror, the season is now in full swing. Rutgers will begin Big Ten play against Indiana on Friday night at Wilkinson Hall. The Hoosiers (4-1, 0-1) lost their conference opener 34-3 to Illinois in early December after starting the season 4-0. No. 24 Indiana may have fell flat in its last match, but it boasts a strong lineup with five ranked wrestlers.
The Knights, on the other hand, have won their last five matches and have finally figured out their starting lineup, except for one weight class: 184 pounds.
Junior 184-pounder Brian Soldano and sophomore 184-pounder Shane Cartagena-Walsh placed fourth and second at Midlands, respectively. They both lost to Reece Heller of Pittsburgh, making Goodale’s decision on who will be the starter even harder.
“They both lost to the same guy so nothing really got solved on my end,” he said. “(Cartagena-Walsh), we’re winning that match, got to figure out a way to close that out and that’ll come with maturity, he’s a redshirt freshman. I liked the way he competed all weekend long and he was really motivated.”
As for the rest of the lineup, senior 149-pounder Michael Cetta has now moved up to the 157-pound weight class, giving senior 149-pounder Andrew Clark the starting role at 149 pounds and freshman 149-pounder Alex Nini the backup spot when called upon.
“(Cetta’s) really gotta work himself into that weight, it’s kind of new, and he needs more mat time up at that weight,” Goodale said.
Goodale revealed that freshman 157-pounder Conner Harer will remain the starter at 157 pounds. Harer has a 10-4 record thus far in his rookie season and has one ranked win.
Senior 165-pounder Anthony White – a 2023 NCAA qualifier – will retain his starting spot at 165 pounds for the second straight season. The backup to White will be freshman 165-pounder Andrew Barbosa, who made his collegiate debut in the Toms River duals in November, impressed that day with two wins, one of them being against a ranked opponent.
After Friday’s dual, Rutgers will have a tough matchup against Ohio State on Sunday evening. The Buckeyes (8-0, 0-0) are the second-best team in the Big Ten and will be the Knights’ toughest opponent yet this season.
With Rutgers determined to take the next step as a program this season, a win against No. 5 Ohio State would be a huge stepping stone. The Knights have not defeated a top-10 team since 2019 and are winless against the Buckeyes in 11 meetings.
The dual against Indiana will begin at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus, while Sunday’s match against Ohio State will start at 6 p.m. and be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
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