How have Rutgers, Princeton wrestling both changed from last meeting

PISCATAWAY - It will be two different looking programs from when they last met almost a year ago, when the Rutgers University wrestling team hosts Princeton University Friday night at Jersey Mike's Arena.

Match time is 6 p.m. Big Ten Plus will have a live stream.

Princeton (0-1) has a new head coach in Joe Dubuque. An assistant coach at Princeton the last 10 seasons, Dubuque succeeded Chris Ayres, who resigned in September to become the head coach at Stanford University.

More: Princeton turns to New Jerseyan for new wrestling head coach

The Tigers also lost their two stars from the last two years. Pat Glory, the 2023 NCAA 125-pound champion and 2022 125-pound national runner-up and Quincy Monday, the 2022 NCAA 157-pound runner-up and 2023 NCAA 165-pound third-place finisher, both graduated. Monday is now one of Dubuque's assistant coaches.

Rutgers (3-1), ranked No. 13 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Poll, has new starters at six weights.

More: Rutgers wrestling shows off its depth in rout of Edinboro

Gradaute student transfers Mitch Moore (141), Jacob Butler (149) and Yaraslau Slavikouski (heavyweight) transferred in during the offseason. Dylan Shawver (133), Anthony White (165) and 2021 NCAA 184-pound fourth-place finisher John Poznanski (197) all moved up to new weights.

One thing that is likely not to change is that the match will be intense.

Three of the last four meetings have been decided by three points or less.

The Scarlet Knights won on criteria - most bouts points - 47-43 - last Dec. 11 at Princeton's Jadwin Gymnasium after a 16-16 tie. Rutgers won three of the final four bouts to erase a seven-point deficit. A decision by Boone McDermott at heavyweight in the final bout moved the Scarlet Knights into the tie.

In 2020, Princeton won 18-15 at Jadwin Gym to break a 23-match losing streak to Rutgers that dated back to Dec. 8, 1990.

Rutgers won 19-18 in 2019 at Jersey Mike's Arena on a major decision by heavyweight Christian Colucci in the final bout. The 2019 match also featured a major decision by eventual 149-pound national champion Anthony Ashnault over four-time All-American Matt Kolodzi that almost blew the roof of Jersey Mike's Arena.

Rutgers leads the series 46-34-5.

The Scarlet Knights, who have a ranked wrestler and past NCAA qualifier at every weight, are a solid favorite, if they wrestle their best lineup.

Interesting bouts would appear be 197 and 149.

At 197, Poznanski and Luke Stout are expected to meet.

Stout is a two-time NCAA qualifier. He is the son of former Southern Regional 1992 NJSIAA 189-pound champion and four-time Clarion (Pa.) NCAA All-American Bryan Stout and the nephew of former Southern head coach and 1990 NJSIAA third-place 140-pound champion John Stout.

Butler, a 2022 NCAA qualifier at 141, when he was at Oklahoma, is expected to meet freshman Eligh Rivera. Rivera knocked off Indiana's Graham Rooks 7-4 in sudden victory in the Tigers' 18-15 defeat last Sunday. Rooks was ranked No. 8 in the country.

The match begins a two-match home stand for Rutgers. It will host Buffalo (6-5) Sunday at 2 p.m.

Possible Lineups for Rutgers vs. Princeton

Rutgers wrestlers listed first. Rankings are from intermatwrestle.com and flowrestling.org.

125: 7/9 Dean Peterson (4-0) vs. Drew Heethuis (6-1)

133: 26/28 Dylan Shawver (6-2) vs. Sean Pierson (3-2) or Nick Kayal (2-2)

141: 16/21 Mitch Moore (2-0) or Joe Fongaro (5-2) vs. Tyler Vazquez (3-4) or Chris Martino (3-4)

149: 32/NR Jacob Butler (3-2) or Michael Cetta (5-2) vs. Eligh Rivera (5-4)

157: 24/20 Andrew Clark (1-0) or Al DeSantis (2-4) vs. Rocco Camillaci (4-5)

165: 25/29 Anthony White (5-3) vs. Blaine Bergey (4-5) or Holden Garcia (4-2)

174: 29/23 Jackson Turley (1-2) or Shane Cartagena-Walsh (5-0) vs. Mikey Squires (7-3)

184: 12/18 Brian Soldano (3-1) vs. 28/29 Nate Dugan (7-1)

197: 8/13 John Poznanski 4-0) vs. 10/11 Luke Stout (10-1)

HWT: 7/7 Yaraslau Slavikouski (8-0) or John O'Donnell (8-2) vs. Matt Cover (9-2)

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Rutgers wrestling: Scarlet Knights, Princeton different from last year