No. 17 Rutgers wrestling set for busy weekend against Lock Haven, Princeton
A week after its last dual, the Rutgers wrestling team is back on the Banks for its home opener against Lock Haven on Friday night. Two days later, the Scarlet Knights (3-2, 0-0) will wrestle Princeton at the Jadwin Gymnasium, looking to retain the B1G-IVY Trophy for the fourth straight season in the 87th installment of this New Jersey rivalry.
The match against the Bald Eagles (1-0, 1-0) will be special for head coach Scott Goodale, who previously wrestled for the program from 1990 to 1995 and was inducted into the Lock Haven Athletics Hall of Fame in September.
"I'm looking forward to it more because we have a chance to wrestle at home. It's been a while," Goodale said. "Obviously, it's my alma mater, so that's pretty cool, but the last time we went there they beat us. So yeah, this is exciting, and they are really good, so it'll be interesting. I'm just looking forward to wrestling at home."
The Tigers (2-2, 0-0) will be on short rest for Sunday's dual, as they wrestle Iowa in St. Louis, Missouri, while No. 17 Rutgers wrestles Lock Haven. The Knights have won their three matches against Princeton and 27 of the previous 28 overall — the last loss to the Tigers came in February 2020.
With all that said, here are some projected bouts to look out for in both duals this weekend.
133 pounds: No. 5 Dylan Shawver versus No. 14 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven)
Senior 133-pounder Dylan Shawver will face his toughest opponent yet this season against Anthony Noto, a three-time national qualifier who finished third at the NCAA Championships last season. Noto is 8-1 this season and 95-11 overall in his career.
Shawver is undefeated this season and has looked dominant on the mat in every match.
149 pounds: No. 31 Andrew Clark or Michael Cetta versus No. 9 Ty Whalen (Princeton)
The battle for the starting spot at 149 pounds is still ongoing, but whoever gets the starting nod from Goodale on Sunday will go up against Ty Whalen, who is undefeated this season with nine wins.
Senior 149-pounder Andrew Clark has appeared in two duals this season and won both bouts with a combined score of 19-7. Clark actually wrestled Whalen earlier this season at the Princeton Open but lost an 8-2 decision.
Senior 149-pounder Michael Cetta has struggled at times this season, amassing a 4-4 overall record, and is yet to win a dual bout since the 37-3 win against LIU on November 17.
197 pounds: No. 14 John Poznanski versus No. 18 Luke Stout (Princeton)
The most thrilling bout from last year's match against Princeton: senior 197-pounder John Poznanski versus Luke Stout. Poznanski, ranked No. 8 at the time, won 8-4 against then-No. 10 Stout.
Poznanski suffered his first defeat of the season against Virginia Tech, losing 4-3 to then-No. 13 Andy Smith. But Poznanski is still the favorite again against Stout, but it won't be easy against the three-time NCAA qualifier.
Friday's match will begin at 7 p.m. at Jersey Mike's Arena on Livingston campus and will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus and 88.7 WRSU-FM. Sunday's dual will start at noon and will be broadcast on 88.7 WRSU-FM.
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