The Tigers have faced those teams in the same season 18 times since the last sweep, including every year since the sweep through the 1989-90 season, again in the 2005-06 season, and again annually since 2009-10.
Princeton opened with a decision from third-ranked Patrick Glory at 125 but saw Rutgers get the next two to take a 6-3 lead.
Then came the only match of the night that didn't end in a decision, as fourth-ranked Matthew Kolodzik turned in a first-period pin against Gerard Angelo to put Princeton in front, 9-6. Its significance didn't become clearer until later in the match, but it ended up swaying the night Princeton's way.
Kolodzik's win began a three-match win streak for Princeton that included decisions for fourth-ranked Quincy Monday at 157 and Grant Cuomo at 165, with Cuomo's coming by a point, 8-7. That put Princeton ahead 15-6, and after Rutgers' Willie Scott had a decision win at 174, Travis Stefanik, who had the clincher in the Ivy title-winning dual against Cornell two weeks earlier, put Princeton up 18-9 with a 5-2 decision at 184.
Princeton had a scare when third-ranked Patrick Brucki suffered an injury early in his match, but he continued and nearly won, falling 10-9 to limit Rutgers' gain to making it 18-12.
With one match to go, Brucki's outcome was the clincher for Princeton, though the coaching staffs would have had to consult their rule books and do some quick addition to know that. Had Rutgers won by pin at heavyweight, the first criteria, victories, wouldn't have decided it as each team would have five. The second criteria would have been no help either, as each team would have had one pin and four decisions each. The third criteria, though, went Princeton's way by the thinnest of margins, as Princeton racked up 48 points in its non-pin matches to Rutgers' 47.
It didn't come to that. Aidan Conner battled Rutgers' Matthew Correnti to a 6-3 decision, with Correnti's win making it just 18-15.
Princeton will have next weekend off before heading to EIWAs at Lehigh, where the team has finished third each of the last three years behind Lehigh and Cornell in either order, giving Princeton its best finish at the event since its 1978 title.
Results:
125: #3 Patrick Glory (Princeton) wins by decision over #20 Nicolas Aguilar (Rutgers), 10-5
133: #10 Sammy Alvarez (Rutgers) wins by decision over Sean Pierson (Princeton), 7-5
141: Zach Firestone (Rutgers) wins by decision over Marshall Keller (Princeton), 5-2
149: #4 Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton) wins by fall over Gerard Angelo (Rutgers), 2:55
157: #4 Quincy Monday (Princeton) wins by decision over Mike Vanschenkbrill (Rutgers), 8-5
165: Grant Cuomo (Princeton) wins by decision over Brett Donner (Rutgers), 8-7
174: Willie Scott (Rutgers) wins by decision over Nate Dugan (Princeton), 6-1
184: Travis Stefanik (Princeton) wins by decision over #13 Billy Janzer (Rutgers), 5-2
197: #19 Jordan Pagano (Rutgers) wins by decision over #3 Patrick Brucki (Princeton), 10-9
HWT: Matthew Correnti (Rutgers) wins by decision over Aidan Conner (Princeton), 6-3
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