Rutgers wrestling can make history this weekend at Michigan State and Michigan

The Rutgers University wrestling team has a chance this weekend to do two things it has never done, when it wrestles at Michigan State Friday night and Michigan on Sunday.

With a win at Michigan State, the Scarlet Knights can move to 3-0 in Big Ten Conference matches for the first time they joined the league for the 2014-15 season. Rutgers (9-1, 2-0) is 2-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

A win on Sunday over Michigan (4-1, 2-0) would give Rutgers its first ever win over the Wolverines. Michigan is 8-0 against the Scarlet Knights, 7-0 since Rutgers joined the Big Ten.

The Michigan State match will be streamed live on Big Ten Plus Friday at 6:30 p.m. Big Ten Plus will also have the Michigan match live at 1 p.m. Sunday.

How Rutgers matches up with Michigan State

Rutgers. ranked No. 13 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association, would appear to be favored over Michigan State (7-1, 0-1), if it wrestles its best lineup.

Neither unbeaten 141-pounder Mitch Moore (10-0), ranked No. 11 in the country by both intermatwrestle.com and flowrestling.org, and starting 157-pounder Andrew Clark, weighed in for the Scarlet Knights' wins over Indiana and Purdue last weekend. Both are listed Rutgers to wrestle this weekend.

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Michigan State would become favored at 141, if Moore does not wrestle. The Spartans are probably favored at 157 with two-time NCAA qualifier Chase Saldate if Clark wrestles, but they would become a solid favorite there if Clark does not.

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Rutgers is favored at 125, with Dean Peterson (7-2), 133 with the surging Dylan Shawver (16-3) 149, with Michael Cetta, 174 with the red-hot and Big Ten Wrestler of the Week Jackson Turley (6-2) and 197 and heavyweight with John Poznanski (10-0) and Yaraslau Slavikouski (12-0). Michigan State is favored at 165, with returning NCAA quarterfinalist Caleb Fish (16-4).

Fish, who advanced to the national quarterfinals as the No. 29 seed, is coming off a dramatic come-from-behind win 6-4 win over Michigan's three-time All-American Cameron Amine on a takedown with three seconds left.

A fascinating bout will be at 184 between the Scarlet Knights' Brian Soldano (10-4) and four-time NCAA qualifier Layne Malczewski (5-3).

The two split bouts last season, Malczewski majored Soldano 14-6 during the Scarlet Knights' 16-15 win in a dual meet at Jersey Mike's Arena. Soldano pinned Malczewski in a NCAA Tournament first-round bout. Malczewski also pinned Poznanski during the Spartans' 20-17 win over Rutgers in 2022 at Michigan State.

Last year's match had a bizarre moment at 174, when the Michigan State coaching staff was deducted a team point for unsportsmanlike-conduct after the 174-pound bout.

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Probable lineups for Rutgers vs. Michigan State.

Rutgers wrestlers listed first.

Rankings from intermatwrestle.com and flowrestling.org.

125. 13/19 Dean Peterson (7-2) vs. Tristan Lujan (12-6)

133: 8-/11 Dylan Shawver (16-3) vs. Andy Hampton (4-12)

141: 11/11 Mitch Moore (10-0) or Devon Britton vs. 33/33 Jordan Hamdan (14-4)

149: Michael Cetta (9-4) vs Braden Stauffenberg (6-10)

157: NR/29 Andrew Clark (6-4) or Al Desantis (5-7) vs. 21/19 Chase Saldate (14-3)

`165: Anthony White (9-8) vs. 10/10 Caleb Fish (16-4)

174: 19/17 Jackson Turley (6-2) or Shane Cartagena-Walsh (8-3) vs. D.J. Shannon (9-9) or Marty Larkin (9-9)

184: 20/25 Brian Soldano (10-4) vs. 22/19 Layne Malczewski (5-3)

197: 9/11 John Poznanski (10-0) vs. 29/31 Karl Wisler (21-8) or Luke Daly (10-7).

HWT: 7/7 Yarasalu Slavikouski (12-0) vs. Josh Terrill (23-6).

Michigan is a tough matchup for Rutgers

Michigan, ranked No. 11 in the NWCA Poll, is favored over Rutgers, if it wrestles its best lineup. The Wolverines do host No. 1 Penn State Friday night.

The Wolverines have six past NCAA All-Americans in its lineup, including 2021 165-pound national champion Shane Griffith. They have four past multiple All-Americans in Griffith, Amine and Lucas Davison and Will Lewan.

Michigan also heavily fortified itself in the offseason in the transfer portal. Griffith, Davison, Gomez and Michael DeAugustino are all graduate student transfers.

Griffith, the former Bergen Catholic three-time NJSIAA champion, a two-time NCAA finalist and three-time national top five finisher, transferred from Stanford. Griffith is up a weight this year to 174. Davison and DeAugustino from Northwestern and Gomez from Wisconsin. Gomez was also previously at Iowa State.

Chris Cannon, an Oceanport native and two-time NCAA seventh-place finisher when he was at Northwestern, is another graduate transfer for the Wolverines. He has not wrestled since he injury defaulted at Columbia on Nov. 17.

Michigan has a wrestler ranked at each of the 10 weights, with seven ranked in the top 10.

Key bouts

There are a several potentially interesting bouts.

At 125, Peterson and DeAugustino are expected to meet. DeAugustino, who was fourth in the NCAA Tournament at 125 in 2022, defeated Peterson 3-2 during Northwestern's 28-6 win over Rutgers last season at Jersey Mike's Arena.

Michigan's three-time NCAA qualifier and unbeaten Dylan Ragusin (133) defeated Shawver 4-1 in the Midlands final on Dec. 30. That is Shawver's lone defeat in his last 13 bouts.

Heavyweight could see Davison meet Slavikouski.

Davison, who was the NCAA fifth-place finisher last year at heavyweight and sixth in the country at heavyweight in 2022, defeated Slavikouski 4-2 in sudden victory, when Slavikouski was at Harvard, last year in a NCAA Tournament round of 12 bout.

Turley and Griffith could meet at 174, which could be an indicator if Turley, who has won six straight bouts, including five with bonus points, is among the very best at the weight.

Probable lineups for Rutgers vs. Michigan

Rutgers wrestlers listed first.

Rankings from intermatwrestle.com and flowrestling.org.

125. 13/19 Dean Peterson (7-2) vs. 5/17 Michael DeAugustino (6-1)

133: 8-/11 Dylan Shawver (16-3) vs. 6/6 Dylan Ragusin (16-0)

141: 11/11 Mitch Moore (10-0) or Devon Britton vs. 25/24 Sergio Lemley (11-3)

149: Michael Cetta (9-4) vs 6/6 Austin Gomez (3-0) or Dylan Gilcher (10-8) or Fidel Mayora (0-0)

157: NR/29 Andrew Clark (6-4) or Al Desantis (5-7) vs. 9/12 Will Lewan (5-3) or Zack Mattin (10-6)

`165: Anthony White (9-8) vs. 7/7 Cameron Amine (7-3)

174: 19/17 Jackson Turley (6-2) or Shane Cartagena-Walsh (8-3) vs. 4/3 Shane Griffith (8-2)

184: 20/25 Brian Soldano (10-4) vs. 15/14 Jaden Bullock (12-5)

197: 9/11 John Poznanski (10-0) vs. 32/NR Bobby Striggow (5-5) or Brendin Yatooma (2-3)

HWT: 7/7 Yarasalu Slavikouski (12-0) vs. 4/4 Lucas Davison (9-1)

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Rutgers wrestling: Scarlet Knights seeking to make history