Big Ten Lineup Look: Rutgers Returns Experience & Youthful Depth

Coach Scott Goodale is tired of being just a top 20 team with a bunch of NCAA qualifiers. Both Goodale and his team want more this year and with 12 wrestlers who have experience wrestling at the national tournament – two of which are returning All-Americans – the Scarlett Knights are poised to do exactly that. With this year’s #4-ranked recruiting class, it won’t just be experience rocking the block “R”, it’s also youthful depth that will be carrying the squad as well.
 
Potential Lineup
125: Dean Peterson
133: Dylan Shawver
141: Joe Olivieri
149: Andrew Clarke or Michael Cetta
157: Connor Harer or Andrew Barbosa
165: Tony White, Luke Gayer or Al DeSantis
174: Jackson Turley
184: Brian Soldano
197: John Poznanski
285: Yaraslau Slavikouski
 
Listen to Rutgers Head Coach Scott Goodale discuss this year’s team and season:

 
Biggest Duals
11/17/24 – vs NC State
11/22/24 – at Virginia Tech
1/19/25 – at Ohio State
1/24/25 – vs Penn State
1/26/25 – vs Illinois
2/2/25 – at Minnesota
 
Here is a look at the key losses, returners and newcomers we will see in the Scarlett Knights’ lineup this season.
 
Key Losses
149: Mitch Moore – 5x NCAA qualifier
 
Summary: Mitch Moore came in last season as a graduate transfer and added a veteran presence. He finished his career with a 17-8 record along with making his fifth trip to the NCAA tournament.
 
New Lineup Additions
149: Alex Nini
157: Connor Harer, Andrew Barbosa
165: Luke Gayer
 
Summary: The middle of the lineup is going to have a potential youth movement. Freshman Connor Harer and Andrew Barbosa could see time at 157 this year. Barbosa could also be in the lineup at 165 as well. Luke Gayer, who has wrestled in five duals over the last two years and along with competing in open tournaments can get into the lineup as well from time to time. Coach Goodale mentioned that Barbosa will be starting in a redshirt and using the five allotted dates to gain experience along with Alex Nini who competed for Italy at this year’s U20  World Championships.
 
Key Returners
125: Dean Peterson
133: Dylan Shawver
141: Joey Olivieri
149: Andrew Clark, Michael Cetta
165: Tony White, Al DeSantis
174: Jackson Turley
184: Brian Soldano
197: John Poznanski
285: Yaraslau Slavikouski
 
Summary: Despite the youthful depth, the entire lineup consists of high-level experience from top to bottom. 12 guys return this season with experience wrestling the NCAA tournament at some point during their career with four guys being All-Americans during that timespan. At 141 Joey Oliveri is returning, but Joe Fongaro and Max Hermes can get into the action as well. Andrew Clark will look to get back into the mix at 149 after an injury ended his season in 2024. Returning NCAA qualifier Michael Cetta will battle with Clark for the spot at 149 as well. At 165 NCAA qualifier Tony White returns as well along with Al DeSantis, who is up from 157 last season. Returning All-Americans Dylan Shawver (133), who was also the Big Ten Champion last year, and Yaraslau Slavikouski (285) are back and looking for more hardware. In addition, Jackson Turley (174) and John Poznanski (197), who have both made the podium in 2021 but haven’t since, are hungry to get back to where they were with AA finishes. And lastly, Dean Peterson (125), who Coach Goodale named the “best athlete on the team” is poised to make a big impact on the team in a weight class that is ripe for the picking.