No. 16 Rutgers wrestling picks up crucial bout wins in Big Ten opener victory against No. 24 Indiana
For the second straight season, the Rutgers wrestling team started its Big Ten slate with a win over Indiana. The Scarlet Knights (9-2, 1-0) defeated the Hoosiers (4-2, 0-2) 28-6 at Wilkinson Hall on Friday night, winning 8 of their 10 bouts.
Here are some takeaways from No. 16 Rutgers’ sixth straight win.
Anthony White falls to Tyler Lillard once again
No. 26 senior 165-pounder Anthony White and Tyler Lillard were not strangers to each other before Friday’s dual. Lillard previously defeated White by sudden victory in the quarterfinals of Midlands in late December before going on to win the individual title at 165 pounds.
But this bout wasn’t as close as the prior one – Lillard won 7-2 and looked completely dominant, handing White his third straight defeat.
Jackson Turley wastes no time
No. 23 graduate student 174-pounder Jackson Turley went up against Derek Gilcher in what was an unexpected bout – Gilcher was ranked No. 24 at 165 pounds heading into the match but made his first start at the 174-pound weight class.
But Gilcher’s debut didn’t go as planned – Turley pinned him in 50 seconds, picking up his fourth fall of the season.
Shane Cartagena-Walsh impresses
Head coach Scott Goodale handed No. 27 sophomore 184-pounder Shane Cartagena-Walsh the starting nod at 184 pounds over junior 184-pounder Brian Soldano. And it paid off.
Cartagena-Walsh earned his fourth-ranked win of the season, narrowly defeating No. 32 Donnell Washington 3-2.
John Poznanski, Yaraslau Slavikouski and Dean Peterson get crucial ranked wins
No. 18 senior 197-pounder John Poznanski was still searching for his first signature win of the season heading into the match against No. 24 Indiana. That search came to an end against No. 23 Gabe Sollars, as Poznanski impressed with a 4-2 victory. Poznanski also avenged himself after falling to Sollars 9-5 in the semifinals of Midlands.
No. 8 graduate student 285-pounder Yaraslau Slavikouski also avenged his previous Midlands semifinal defeat to No. 23 Jacob Bullock. Slavikouski grabbed his second-ranked win of the season, defeating Bullock 2-1 in two tie-breaker periods.
No. 16 senior 125-pounder Dean Peterson, the 125-pound weight class winner at Midlands, faced No. 23 Jacob Moran after defeating him in the semifinals of the tournament. Peterson won 6-2, extending his record against Moran to 3-0 and has now won his last 12 matches.
The Knights will have one day off before they wrestle Ohio State on Sunday. The dual will begin at 6 p.m. and be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
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