Rutgers Wrestling Battles, But Falls to Michigan in Gritty Big Ten Showdown
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Friday night at Jersey Mike’s Arena had all the makings of a classic Big Ten wrestling battle - ranked matchups, milestone moments, and a crowd of over 4,000 bringing the energy. But despite a gritty effort, No.
17 Rutgers couldn’t quite close the gap, falling 21-12 to No. 13 Michigan in a dual that was tighter than the final score might suggest.
The Scarlet Knights got strong performances from several of their veterans, including Dylan Shawver, who etched his name into Rutgers history with his 100th career win, becoming just the 18th wrestler in program history to hit the century mark. Shawver, a 2024 All-American and Big Ten Champion, delivered a composed 4-1 decision over Gauge Botero at 133 pounds, continuing a standout final season that now sits at 12-5.
“I thought we wrestled tough tonight,” head coach Scott Goodale said post-match. “Michigan’s a really good team, but we battled. We just have to clean up a few spots, and I think we’ll get there.”
The dual started at 157 pounds, and Michigan came out swinging. Anthony White, ranked No. 33, ran into a buzzsaw in Cameron Catrabone, dropping a 13-3 major decision that gave the Wolverines an early 4-0 lead. But Andrew Barbosa answered back at 165 with a solid 6-2 decision over Justin Gates, using takedowns in the first and third periods to keep Rutgers within striking distance at 4-3.
Michigan, though, flexed its depth in the middleweights. At 174 and 184, the Mantanona brothers - Beau and Brock - picked up back-to-back major decisions over Lenny Pinto and Shane Cartagena-Walsh, pushing the Wolverines out to a 12-3 lead. That’s when Remy Cotton stepped up.
Cotton, ranked No. 18 at 197, faced off against No. 20 Hayden Walters in a tight, tactical match.
With the score tied 1-1 and less than a minute on the clock, Cotton countered a single-leg attempt and worked around for a match-sealing takedown. His 4-1 decision gave Rutgers a much-needed jolt heading into the heavyweight bout.
At HWT, Hunter Catka nearly pulled off the upset of the night. Facing No.
8 Taye Ghadiali, Catka trailed but managed a late takedown to make things interesting. Ultimately, Ghadiali held on for a 7-5 decision, and Michigan carried a 15-6 lead into the break.
Rutgers came out of halftime swinging. At 125, Ayden Smith - ranked No. 27 - delivered the biggest win of his young career, taking down No.
19 Diego Sotelo with a clutch third-period double leg to secure a 3-1 decision. That momentum carried into Shawver’s milestone win at 133, and suddenly it was a 15-12 match with two bouts to go.
Freshman Mason Gibson made his Big Ten debut at 141 against two-time All-American Dylan Ragusin, and the young Knight didn’t flinch. Gibson landed a big throw early for a takedown and led deep into the third period, but Ragusin’s experience showed late as he rallied for a 6-4 win. That sealed the dual for Michigan, but Rutgers wasn’t done fighting.
At 149, Andrew Clark faced No. 13 Lachlan McNeil and held his own, dropping a close 4-2 decision in the final bout of the night. While the scoreboard read 21-12 in favor of the Wolverines, the effort from Rutgers told a deeper story - one of a team that’s close, but still looking to put all the pieces together.
Next up, Rutgers will look to bounce back quickly as they host Purdue on Sunday at Jersey Mike’s Arena. That dual is set for 1 p.m. and will stream on Big Ten Plus.
Dual Summary: No. 13 Michigan 21, No. 17 Rutgers 12
- 157: Cameron Catrabone (Michigan) def. Anthony White (Rutgers), MD 13-3
- 165: Andrew Barbosa (Rutgers) def. Justin Gates (Michigan), Dec.
6-2
- 174: Beau Mantanona (Michigan) def.
Lenny Pinto (Rutgers), MD 11-3
- 184: Brock Mantanona (Michigan) def.
Shane Cartagena-Walsh (Rutgers), MD 17-3
- 197: Remy Cotton (Rutgers) def.
Hayden Walters (Michigan), Dec. 4-1
- HWT: Taye Ghadiali (Michigan) def. Hunter Catka (Rutgers), Dec.
7-5
- 125: Ayden Smith (Rutgers) def.
Diego Sotelo (Michigan), Dec. 3-1
- 133: Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) def. Gauge Botero (Michigan), Dec.
4-1
- 141: Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) def.
Mason Gibson (Rutgers), Dec. 6-4
- 149: Lachlan McNeil (Michigan) def. Andrew Clark (Rutgers), Dec.
4-2
Final Score: Michigan 21, Rutgers 12
The Scarlet Knights showed they can hang with the Big Ten’s best. Now it’s about turning close matches into wins - and Sunday’s clash with Purdue is the next opportunity to do just that.