Rutgers University announced on March 5 that its No. 11 ranked wrestling team will compete at the 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, scheduled for March 7-8 in State College, Pennsylvania. The event will be held at the Bryce Jordan Center and broadcast across Big Ten Network and Big Ten Plus.
The tournament is significant as Rutgers brings one of its most experienced lineups to the conference championships, with six graduate student starters and a combined total of 41 career wins at the event. This includes past champions such as Dylan Shawver, who won the Big Ten title in 2024, and Lenny Pinto, who was runner-up in 2025.
All ten Scarlet Knights starters are ranked in both the final coaches’ poll and RPI, making Rutgers one of only two teams nationally to achieve this distinction. The program aims to send its full lineup to the NCAA Championships for just the second time in school history, a feat last accomplished in 2016.
Remy Cotton (197 pounds) enters with Rutgers’ highest pre-seed at No. 3. Other top seeds include Anthony White (157 pounds) at No. 4 and Ayden Smith (125 pounds) at No. 6. Several wrestlers will make their first appearance at the championships, while others like Shawver are set for their fifth showing—a program record.
Rutgers finished the regular season with a six-match win streak and a dual record of 14-5 overall, including a historic victory over No. 6 Minnesota—their first ever against that opponent—and their highest regular season finish (tied for third) in Big Ten history under head coach Scott Goodale.
Last year, Rutgers placed ninth at the conference championships with five placewinners and seven NCAA qualifiers after securing both automatic bids and at-large selections. The team now looks ahead to competing at the NCAA Wrestling Championships from March 19-21 in Cleveland.