Rutgers Wrestling Starts 2025-26 Season Strong with Quad Meet Sweep

The No. 15 Rutgers wrestling team couldn’t have asked for a better start to its 2025–26 campaign. In front of a lively crowd of 2,275 at Jersey Mike’s Arena, the Scarlet Knights rolled to a commanding quad meet sweep on Sunday. They defeated Bloomsburg (38-2), Centenary (44-0), and Gardner-Webb (37-5). The dominant showing gave Rutgers a perfect 3-0 record to open the dual season and sent a strong message across the college wrestling landscape.

Rutgers' Wrestlers Showed Overwhelming Team Dominance

From start to finish, Rutgers looked sharp, focused, and in control. The Scarlet Knights won 28 out of 30 total matches across the three duals, racking up points with style. Bonus-point victories poured in throughout the day, as Rutgers wrestlers tallied seven technical falls, five pins, and five major decisions. The team’s depth was on full display, with contributions coming from nearly every weight class.

Scarlet Sweep 🧹#RelentlessPursuit | #GoRU pic.twitter.com/E6A6nmCVjv
— Rutgers Wrestling (@RUWrestling) November 2, 2025

No. 13 Joseph Olivieri (141 lbs.) stole the spotlight early, notching back-to-back pins that brought the crowd to its feet. High-impact transfer No. 15 Hunter Catka (HWT) dominated his matchups, recording multiple technical falls in his Scarlet Knights debut. Rutgers also got fall victories from Max Hermes (157 lbs.), Nate Blanchette (174 lbs.), and Damian Weaver (184 lbs.).

Meanwhile, returning stars No. 7 Lenny Pinto (174 lbs.) and No. 8 Dylan Shawver (184 lbs.) demonstrated their grit and leadership. Both competed in the NWCA All-Star Classic the night before, yet returned less than 24 hours later to notch victories for their teammates.

Huskers Showed High-Impact Transfer Debuts

Sunday’s sweep also marked the first official appearance for several key newcomers, and they did not disappoint. Catka, Pinto, No. 20 Remy Cotton (197 lbs.), and Patrick Adams (125 lbs.) all delivered victories in their debuts at Jersey Mike’s Arena. Their early success is a promising sign for Rutgers, which is aiming to build on its strong national reputation this season.

After the event, Head Coach Scott Goodale praised his wrestlers for their poise and preparation. "We took care of business today," Goodale said. "It was good to be down to weight and compete. It was our first time down to weight, so I felt we did good with being prepared today. I really applaud Dylan Shawver and Lenny Pinto, who competed last night and still got on the scale this morning to make weight and compete with their teammates."

The Scarlet Knights will turn their attention to their next challenge, a dual against Navy at the Journeymen WrangleMania event. The matchup will take place Saturday, Nov. 8, at Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET and streaming live on FloWrestling.

More from Rutgers on SI

Stay up to date on the Scarlet Knights by bookmarking Rutgers On SI.