No. 13 Rutgers wrestling to face Princeton, Buffalo this weekend
The Rutgers wrestling team has a busy weekend ahead and will look to build off its 49-0 win against Edinboro. The Scarlet Knights (3-1, 0-0) will return to Jersey Mike's Arena on Livingston campus to face in-state rival Princeton on Friday and Buffalo on Sunday.
Up first for No. 13 Rutgers is a match against the Tigers (0-1, 0-0). Princeton is coming into this contest off the back of an 18-15 defeat to Indiana. In that dual, Eligh Rivera earned an upset win over No. 14 Graham Rooks with a 7-4 decision.
No. 10 Luke Stout finished third in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships and qualified for the NCAA Championships last season. This season, Stout won the title for his respective weight class in the Navy Classic. He will likely face off against No. 8 junior 197-pounder John Poznanski in a closely-ranked bout.
No. 23 Nate Dugan had an overall record of 18-13 last season and served as an alternate wrestler in the NCAA Championships. Dugan should match up against No. 12 sophomore 184-pounder Brian Soldano this weekend.
The dual will have silverware on the line, as the winner will receive the B1G-Ivy Rivalry Trophy. The Knights will look to keep the trophy, as they won the most recent dual against the Tigers in 2022.
Rutgers will then take on the Bulls (6-5, 1-0) on Sunday. Buffalo has already wrestled 11 duals to begin the season.
Chase Kranitz has an overall record of 8-3 this season and finished second in his respective weight class at the Black Knight Invitational. Kranitz is expected to take on Soldano.
Sam Mitchell has won 50 bouts during his collegiate career and finished third in the Mid-American Conference Championships last season. Poznanski will not have an easy weekend, as he will likely match up against Mitchell.
The Bulls have struggled with consistency, as they have 2 wins in their last 5 duals.
Head coach Scott Goodale crafted his lineup differently in the win against the Fighting Scots (0-2, 0-0), as he started three wrestlers for the first time this season.
No. 24 junior 157-pounder Andrew Clark should remain a starter going forward after returning from an injury, meaning that the Knights could start a fully-ranked lineup per weight class on Friday.
Rutgers will look to continue to find success in its non-conference duals because it will get significantly more difficult once conference action begins. The Big Ten is one of the toughest conferences in wrestling, as 8 of the 14 teams are currently ranked.
Friday's dual against Princeton will begin at 6 p.m. and be broadcast on 88.7 WRSU-FM and Big Ten Plus. Sunday's match against Buffalo will start at 2 p.m. on Sunday and will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.
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