Rutgers Wrestling Sends Eight to NCAA Championships After Large Ten Performance

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – The Rutgers wrestling team concluded competition at the 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships on Sunday at the Bryce Jordan Center, securing eight automatic bids to the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Cleveland later this month. Seven Scarlet Knights placed at the conference tournament.

NCAA Qualifiers and Placewinners

Hunter Catka (HWT) earned back-to-back wins on Sunday, culminating in a pin over Josh Terrill (Michigan State) in the ninth-place bout, securing his fourth career trip to the NCAA Championships.

The Scarlet Knights’ eight bids to nationals represent the most since 2024, marking only the fourth time in program history they’ve qualified eight or more wrestlers for NCAAs, joining previous achievements in 2024 (8), 2016 (10), and 2011 (8). This is the most Big Ten Championship qualifiers for Rutgers since sending nine wrestlers to the 2016 tournament in Iowa City.

Dylan Shawver (133) finished ninth and, along with Anthony White (157), will await at-large selections to the NCAA Championships, which will be announced on Tuesday. If both receive bids, Rutgers will send its full lineup to the national tournament for just the second time in school history.

Big Ten Championships Placewinners

• 5th: Joseph Olivieri (141)
• 5th: Shane Cartagena-Walsh (184)
• 6th: Andrew Barbosa (165)
• 6th: Lenny Pinto (174)
• 6th: Remy Cotton (197)
• 7th: Andrew Clark (149)
• 8th: Ayden Smith (125)

Team Standings and Key Victories

Rutgers finished eighth in the team standings with 63.5 points. The Scarlet Knights recorded 27 wins over the weekend, including 18 against ranked opponents, five against top-15 teams, and a notable victory by Andrew Barbosa over 2025 NCAA runner-up Joey Blaze (Purdue) during the quarterfinals.

Coach Goodale’s Perspective

“I’m happy we were able to acquire eight through to the national tournament,” said head coach Scott Goodale. “I didn’t like the way we finished on Sunday, and there are things we need to work on to get prepared for Cleveland. We had some big wins this weekend, and I’m hoping we get a few more at-larges when it’s all said and done.”

Individual Results Recap

• 125: Ayden Smith finished eighth after a series of matches.
• 133: Dylan Shawver secured a ninth-place finish with a sudden victory win over Braxton Brown (Maryland).
• 141: Joseph Olivieri placed fifth, defeating Dario Lemus (Maryland) 5-2.
• 149: Andrew Clark finished seventh.
• 157: Anthony White did not place.
• 165: Andrew Barbosa placed sixth.
• 174: Lenny Pinto placed sixth.
• 184: Shane Cartagena-Walsh placed fifth, receiving a medical forfeit.
• 197: Remy Cotton placed sixth.
• HWT: Hunter Catka secured ninth place with a pin over Josh Terrill (Michigan State).

Saturday’s Action

Rutgers secured seven automatic bids to the national tournament after the first day of the Big Ten Championships. Ayden Smith (125), Joseph Olivieri (141), Andrew Clark (149), Andrew Barbosa (165), Lenny Pinto (174), Shane Cartagena-Walsh (184), and Remy Cotton (197) all qualified for the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships.

Andrew Barbosa’s upset victory over undefeated Joey Blaze (Purdue) in the quarterfinals was a highlight of the day.

Big Ten Championships Coverage

The 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships were covered by Big Ten Network and Big Ten Plus, with live linear and streaming coverage of all four sessions. More information on the championships can be found here.