'We want to wrestle really, really well': Scott Goodale previews NCAA Championships
After finishing sixth at the Big Ten Championships, the Rutgers wrestling team will travel to Kansas City, Missouri, for the NCAA Championships from March 21 to March 23. The Scarlet Knights (12-5, 4-4) will have eight wrestlers compete, the most since 2016.
Here is a rundown of everyone competing for No. 14 Rutgers, their seeds and who they will face in the first round.
125 pounds: No. 16 seed Dean Peterson
Fresh off his highest-ever finish at the Big Ten Championships, No. 16 seed junior 125-pounder Dean Peterson will take on No. 17 seed Brett Ungar of Cornell. Peterson earned wins over Brendan McCrone and Matt Ramos before falling to Patrick McKee in the semifinals.
Peterson defeated Michael DeAugustino for the first time to finish fifth at the Big Ten Championships. Ungar finished second at the EIWA Championships and will be a tough test for Peterson.
"This has been the best Dean Peterson I've ever been around," said head coach Scott Goodale. "I truly believe Dean can beat anybody in the bracket … I just love the way he's preparing and feeling about this tournament."
133 pounds: No. 4 seed Dylan Shawver
No. 4 seed junior 133-pounder Dylan Shawver is coming into the NCAA Championships with momentum after winning a Big Ten title, the Knights' first since 2019. Shawver battled for wins against Braxton Brown and Brody Teske before dominating Dylan Ragusin in the title match. Shawver will wrestle against No. 29 seed Jace Koelzer of Oklahoma.
"(Shawver's) really trained well, I really think he wants this tournament," Goodale said. "I truly believe, he believes he thinks he can win this tournament. So, that's our job, and that's really, really important."
141 pounds: No. 15 seed Mitch Moore
No. 15 seed graduate student 141-pounder Mitch Moore had an up-and-down performance at the Big Ten Championships. Moore pinned two opponents but was also pinned twice to go 3-3 on the weekend and finish sixth.
Moore will take on No. 18 seed Cole Matthews, who finished as the runner-up for his respective weight class at the ACC Championships. Moore defeated Matthews in 2020 when Virginia Tech, one of Moore's former teams, went up against Pittsburgh in a dual match.
"I hope (Moore) wrestles extremely dangerous because when he does that, good things happen for him," Goodale said. "He's a pinner, he's also been pinned … He's been to this tournament three other times, so there's experience there."
149 pounds: No. 33 seed Michael Cetta
No. 33 seed junior 149-pounder Michael Cetta did not qualify for the NCAA Championships the traditional way but instead earned an at-large bid after his impressive performances throughout the season. Cetta defeated then-No. 9 Dylan D'Emilio and three-time NCAA qualifier Quinn Kinner in dual matches. Cetta will have a tight bout against a closely-seeded opponent in Jeffrey Boyd, the No. 32 seed.
"Right now, it's trying to win whatever you can win and get some really, really good experience out of it," Goodale said on Cetta's expectations at the tournament.
174 pounds: No. 16 seed Jackson Turley
No. 16 seed senior 174-pounder Jackson Turley placed fourth at the Big Ten Championships. Turley edged out a 10-9 win over Andrew Sparks in the consolation semifinals before falling to Rocco Welsh in the third-place match to finish fourth.
Turley placed eighth at the NCAA Championships in 2021 to become an All-American and will start this year's national tournament against No. 17 seed Max Maylor, an opponent he pinned at the Big Ten Championships earlier this month.
184 pounds: No. 21 seed Brian Soldano
No. 21 seed sophomore 184-pounder Brian Soldano will also match up against a conference foe in his first bout. Soldano will wrestle No. 12 seed Jaden Bullock, who defeated Soldano by a 12-4 major decision in the consolation semifinals at the Big Ten Championships. Bullock also emerged victorious over Soldano when Rutgers took on Michigan in January. Soldano will look to prevent the strikeout against Bullock this weekend.
197 pounds: No. 14 seed John Poznanski
No. 14 seed junior 197-pounder John Poznanski had a stellar postseason performance in 2021, finishing third at the Big Ten Championships and fourth at the NCAA Championships to earn All-American honors. This year, Poznanski placed seventh at the Big Ten Championships and will take on No. 19 seed Wyatt Voelker on Thursday.
"There's gonna have to be a little bit of want, a little bit of dig down deep and want and fight to find a way in some of these matches," Goodale said on how Poznanski can get over the line. "Got to figure out a way to win a close match, and I think that can get the ball rolling for (Poznanski)."
Heavyweight: No. 13 seed Yaraslau Slavikouski
No. 13 seed graduate student 285-pounder Yaraslau Slavikouski fell to Lucas Davison to finish fourth at the Big Ten Championships. Slavikouski could make a deep run, as a matchup with No. 20 seed Daniel Bucknavich awaits him in the first round.
"I think Yara can use some speed and his conditioning," Goodale said on how Slavikouski can find success. "This is an opportunity really to use his conditioning, and hopefully, that becomes a factor, he's gotta make that become a factor."
The Knights are 1 of 17 programs with eight or more wrestlers at the NCAA Championships. The tournament will start on Thursday at noon and conclude on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. It will be broadcast on ESPN, ESPN+ and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
"I think we've done a really good job of setting ourselves up through the Big Ten Tournament," Goodale said. "I think we're in a really, really good spot in a lot of cases to do well at this tournament … We want to wrestle really, really well."
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