No. 13 Rutgers wrestling looks to bounce back against Edinboro
The Rutgers wrestling team will go on the road to take on Edinboro on Friday. The Scarlet Knights (2-1, 0-0) are coming off a 19-12 defeat to Virginia Tech in their home opener.
The Fighting Scots (0-1, 0-0) are coming into this match off the back of a crushing 53-0 defeat to Ohio State in their first dual of the season.
Edinboro struggled last season, as it won 2 out of its 13 duals and only had one wrestler, Ryan Burgos, qualify for the NCAA Championships. He lost his two matches and did not secure a placement in the tournament. This season, Burgos has not wrestled yet, but he could face No. 29 graduate student 149-pounder Jacob Butler on Friday.
Jared McGill had an overall record of 16-4 last season and is likely going to face off against No. 27 senior 174-pounder Jackson Turley. Turley is winless this season but will look to bounce back against McGill.
Nick Lodato finished in sixth place at the Navy Classic earlier this season and can wrestle in weight classes of both 197 pounds and 285 pounds. Lodato could face off against No. 7 junior 197-pounder John Poznanski or No. 6 graduate student 285-pounder Yaraslau Slavikouski this weekend.
Jacob Brenneman also placed sixth at the Navy Classic and could be a tough test for No. 16 graduate student 141-pounder Mitch Moore. Brenneman is a freshman but had an impressive high school campaign, as he had a career record of 143-3 and was the Maryland state champion four times.
No. 13 Rutgers had select wrestlers compete at the Black Knight Invitational on November 19. Slavikouski and freshman 174-pounder Shane Cartagena-Walsh both earned individual titles, while No. 18 junior 133-pounder Dylan Shawver finished in third place. Butler, No. 23 junior 165-pounder Anthony White, redshirt junior 133-pounder Devon Britton and junior 157-pounder Al DeSantis all placed fourth. These wrestlers should build off their recent strong performances on Friday.
Slavikouski was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week and will look to continue his 7-0 start to the season.
The Knights have not wrestled in a dual meet since November 17, but they have the talent in their lineup to defeat the Fighting Scots and return to the win column.
The match between Rutgers and Edinboro will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday at the McComb Fieldhouse in Edinboro, Pennsylvania.
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