Rutgers University announced on Feb. 14 that its No. 14 ranked wrestling team will conclude its home schedule against Princeton at Jersey Mike’s Arena. The match is scheduled for Monday at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
The event marks Senior Night, with ten Scarlet Knights wrestlers set to be recognized before the dual. Rutgers and Princeton are meeting for the 88th time in their long-standing in-state rivalry, with Rutgers having won the last four encounters and 28 of the past 29 since 1993.
Last season, Rutgers defeated Princeton by a score of 32-7 at Jadwin Gym, retaining the B1G-IVY Trophy. The Scarlet Knights enter this matchup after a recent victory over Michigan State, which secured them a winning record in Big Ten Conference play for the second consecutive year under head coach Scott Goodale.
Ayden Smith was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week following his win over then-No. 10 Jore Volk, marking the first time a Rutgers wrestler has received this honor from the conference. All ten starters from Rutgers appear in the latest NCAA coaches’ rankings, with eight also holding Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) placements.
Rutgers has climbed three spots to No. 14 in this week’s NWCA Coaches Poll, its highest ranking since week six of the season. Six Scarlet Knights are currently ranked within the top twenty nationally in their respective weight classes according to Intermat.
After facing Princeton, Rutgers will close out its regular season at Hofstra on Feb. 18.