Rutgers wrestling looking to get back on track against improving Maryland

PISCATAWAY - The Rutgers University wrestling team finally gets away from the powers in the Big Ten Conference Friday night when it hosts Maryland at Jersey Mike’s Arena in its final Big Ten match of the season.

The match will be streamed live on Big Ten Plus beginning at 7 p.m.

During the match, Rutgers will honor Frankie Edgar and Sebastian Rivera. Both of them have ties to Rutgers.

Edgar, who was an assistant coach at Rutgers during the 2008-09 season and is a former UFC lightweight champion, will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame later this year.

More: 'Back to my hometown': UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar aims for MMA gym in Toms River

Rivera earned the last two of his five All-American medals at Rutgers in 2021 and 2022. He will wrestle for Puerto Rico this summer at 65 kg in the Olympics in Paris.

Rutgers has been a level above Maryland

Rutgers (10-5, 3-4), ranked No. 14 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Poll, was defeated by Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State and powerful Penn State in its last four matches. Those four are part of the Big Ten’s traditional “Big Five’’ power schools

Maryland (4-6, 2-5) is a program that has struggled big-time since, it, like Rutgers, joined the Big Ten prior to the 2014-15 season. The Terrapins are 4-81 all-time in the Big Ten. They are 0-8 against Rutgers since the two joined the Big Ten, with everyone of the matches being decided by 13 points or more.

So for everyone who is frustrated over Rutgers’ inability to beat one of the Big Ten powers, the Scarlet Knights are right now a level above Maryland.

However, Maryland, in head coach Alex Clemsen’s fifth season, has clearly made progress. It has doubled its all-time conference wins total with victories over Northwestern (0-7, 0-6) and Michigan State (9-5, 2-5). The Terrapins defeated Michigan State 28-15 last Sunday. Rutgers defeated Michigan State 22-13 on Jan. 19.

Maryland also has six wrestlers, with at least one national ranking, including Jaxon Smith, who is ranked in the top four at 197. Four of those ranked wrestlers are returning NCAA qualifiers.

How they match up

Rutgers, if it fields its best lineup, is favored.

But, in the 35-3 defeat to Penn State this past Monday night in Penn State’s yearly match at its Bryce Jordan Center, the Scarlet Knights wrestled without starters Mitch Moore (141), Brian Soldano (184) and John Poznanski (197) due to illness.

More: Rutgers wrestling had some positives in defeat to No. 1 Penn State

Moore and Soldano are listed as probable starters Friday night. Poznanski is listed along with two alternatives at 197.

Intriguing bouts are 197, 133, 141 and 149.

If Poznanski wrestles, 197 will be the marquee bout.

Poznanski, who has lost his last two bouts by a combined four points and did not record a takedown in either bout, was the NCAA fourth-place finisher at 184 in 2021. Smith went 2-2 in last year’s NCAA Tournament and has a win this season over South Dakota State University’s returning national runner-up Tanner Sloan.

If Poznanski wrestles and wins, it will be a big boost for him in seeding for the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.

The 133-pound bout will be another big bout for Rutgers’ Dylan Shawver, who has recorded big-time wins over Ohio State’s Nic Bouzakis and Penn State’s Aaron Nagao in his last two bouts. Maryland’s Braxton Brown was an NCAA qualifier at 125 last year.

Moore, who is just 1-3 in Big Ten bouts, will meet returning NCAA qualifier Kai Miller.

At 149, Rutgers’ Michael Cetta, who is now ranked by both intermatwrestle.com and flowrestling,org, will meet Maryland’s higher-ranked Ethen Miller.

The heavyweight bout could also be intriguing if former Penn State wrestler Seth Nevills wrestles for Maryland.

Rutgers' Yaraslau Slavikouski has lost three of his last four and was defeated soundly 8-3 by Penn State's Lucas Cochran, who is a backup and was wrestling up a weight, this past Monday night.

The Scarlet Knights will close the dual-meet portion of their schedule Wednesday night against Bloomsburg at Jersey Mike’s Arena.

Possible matchups (Rutgers wrestlers listed first)

Rankings are from intermatwrestle.com and flowrestling.org

125: 19/18 Dean Peterson (9-5) vs. Tommy Capul (4-9).

133: 9/7 Dylan Shawver (19-5) vs. 16/14 Braxton Brown (15-6) or Conner Quinn (2-6).

141: 21/16 Mitch Moore (11-3) vs. 28/21 Kai Miller (11-5).

149: 25/33 Michael Cetta (12-6) vs. 12/18 Ethen Miller (13-5).

157: Al Desantis (5-10) or Dylan Weaver (6-6) vs. NR/32 Michael North (12-11) or Kevin Schork (2-5).

165: Anthony White (9-11) or Luke Gayer (9-9) vs. Gaven Bell (2-10) or A.J. Rodrigues (7-11).

174: 14/16 Jackson Turley (9-4) or Shane Cartagena-Walsh (9-6) vs. Dom Solis (6-6).

184: 19/22 Brian Soldano (11-7) vs. Chase Mielnik (6-14) or Kevin Makosy (8-4).

197: 22/19 John Poznanski (12-2) or Michael Toranzo (3-3) or Hadyn Packer (11-8) vs. 4/3 Jaxon Smith (13-3).

HWT: 10/10 Yaraslau Slavikouski (14-3) vs. 26/32 Seth Nevills (11-6) or Sam O’Brien (1-6).

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Rutgers wrestling vs. Maryland: Scarlet Knights get back on track?