PISCATAWAY, N.J. – No. 15 Rutgers wrestling opens its 2025-26 season Sunday against Bloomsburg, Centenary and Gardner-Webb at Jersey Mike's Arena. The quad begins at 10 a.m., with the Scarlet Knights set to wrestle three consecutive matches Sunday morning.
All three duals will stream on Big Ten Plus, with Nick Kosko and Matt Howe on the call. WRSU (88.7 FM) will carry the radio broadcast. Tickets for the quad are available
here.
RU is also set to host the 2025 NWCA All-Star Classic on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Piscataway.
Dylan Shawver (133) and
Lenny Pinto (174) will compete in the showcase, which features two reigning NCAA Champions and 10 Division I All-Americans from a season ago.
Tickets for the NWCA All-Star Classic can be found
here. The classic will
stream exclusively on FloWrestling. Shawver faces reigning NCAA Champion Lucas Byrd, while Pinto wrestles 2025 NCAA All-American Simon Ruiz (Cornell).
| Time |
Mat 1 |
Mat 2 |
| 10 a.m. |
Centenary vs. Rutgers (BTN+) |
Bloomsburg vs. Gardner-Webb (BTN+) |
| 11:30 a.m. |
Gardner-Webb vs. Rutgers (BTN+) |
Centenary vs. Bloomsburg (BTN+) |
| 1 p.m. |
Bloomsburg vs. Rutgers (BTN+) |
Gardner-Webb vs. Centenary (BTN+) |
133: No. 7
Dylan Shawver vs. No. 1 Lucas Byrd (Illinois)
174: No. 8
Lenny Pinto vs. No. 3 Simon Ruiz (Cornell)
Flo Rankings
Lenny Pinto: Competing Closer to Home
By Bethany Chen
After a standout collegiate career at Nebraska,
Lenny Pinto is bringing his talents closer to home.
Born and raised in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, Pinto said most of his family are from New Jersey. His father, Dave, hails from Patterson while his mother, Carol, is from Nutley. The majority of his family have roots in the Garden State.
Pinto admitted his family was unable to see him compete a lot in Lincoln, so when the opportunity presented itself to wrestle at Rutgers, he could not pass it up.
"I'm actually super excited that I'm coming home to Jersey for my final year," Pinto said. "I'm just so excited to be able to put on a show for a whole new crowd, back where my roots are from."
A three-time NCAA qualifier with 70 career victories to his ledger, Pinto has already made a name for himself on the mat. Pinto muscled 25 wins last season en route to a runner-up finish at the Big Ten Championships and an appearance in the Blood Round at NCAAs. His three wins at nationals helped the Cornhuskers to a runner-up team result in Philadelphia – their best finish in program history.
He will now have the opportunity to build on that resume for the Scarlet Knights. Pinto enters this season ranked No. 7 at 174 pounds by Intermat and is a favorite to finish on the podium in March.
But one final chance to become an All-American was not the only draw to Piscataway. Pinto is excited to compete at Jersey Mike's Arena, which has become one of the top places to wrestle at in the country. RU finished fifth in national attendance average last season, averaging 4,228 fans per home dual.
"I heard Jersey Mike's Arena is special," Pinto said. "They have very passionate fans, and they get aggressive. I'm used to competing in the Big Ten, but I've heard Jersey Mike's is like no other [arena], so I'm excited to experience it and elevate the room even more."
Pinto gets his first taste of the Jersey crowd on Saturday, when Rutgers plays host to the NWCA All-Star Classic. Along with fellow Scarlet Knight
Dylan Shawver, Pinto will make his NWCA debut and faces No. 3 Simon Ruiz of Cornell in the high-profile exhibition match.
Pinto said he will have plenty of family in the stands on Nov. 1 and cannot wait to put on a show.
"I'm excited to be selected for my first all-star match and to be able to compete so close to home in front of my friends and family," Pinto said. "Our time in this sport is so short, so when these moments come up, you have to be ready for them. I'm excited to put on a show for the fans and introduce myself to the Jersey crowd."
Another selling point for Pinto was a reunion with fellow Cornhusker and current assistant coach
Mikey Labriola. The two were teammates for two seasons at Nebraska, where Labriola finished as a five-time All-American and 2023 national runner up.
"[Mikey] took me under his wing from day one," Pinto said. "He has always pushed me to be better. He leads by example in the practice room."
That bond will help Pinto as he navigates his final collegiate season "On the Banks." It also helps that the rest of family will be right there behind him every step of the way.
"I have so many nieces and nephews that have never even been to a college wrestling event, and now they're all just an hour away," Pinto said. "Really being able to bring my family up here is just massive for me. My mom was at Nebraska maybe once to watch me. Now she is going to be in my corner for every single home match."
No. 15 Rutgers
125: Ayden Smith -OR-
Patrick Adams
133: 8/7
Dylan Shawver -OR-
Billy Townson
141: 13/13
Joseph Olivieri -OR-
Mason Gibson
149: 11/9
Andrew Clark -OR-
Alex Nini
157: 30/27
Conner Harer -OR-
Anthony White
165: 30/28
Andrew Barbosa -OR-
Ryan Ford
174: 7/8
Lenny Pinto -OR-
Nate Blanchette
184: 12/11
Shane Cartagena-Walsh -OR-
Damian Weaver
197: 20/18
Remy Cotton -OR-
PJ Casale
HWT: 15/15
Hunter Catka -OR-
Brandon Toranzo
Bloomsburg
125: Jace Schafer -OR- Zeke Keel
133: Gavin Mundy
141: Tristan Corbin
149: Dustin Elliott -OR- Cael Raines
157: Will Morrow
165: Braidon Woodward -OR- Logan Baker
174: Eric Alderfer
184: Ethan Ducca
197: Wyatt Bush -OR- Coy Raines
285: Kyle Draina -OR- Mason Rebuck
Rankings Intermat/Flo
Centenary
125: Jack Thode
133: Miguel Lopez
141: Daniel Haws
149: Joseph Innamorato
157: Colin Neal
165: Hunter Cleaver
174: Reece Smith -OR- Nicolas Kemmerer
184: Alec Marcado
197: Angelo Piazza
285: Jonathan Martinez
Rankings Intermat/Flo
Gardner-Webb
125: Tyson Lane -OR- Matt Rowland
133: 17/18 TK Davis -OR- Tyler Lamon
141: Ty Edwards -OR- Dominic DiTullio
149: Joey Giordano
157: Drew Pepin -OR- Max Salerno
165: Tucker Cell -OR- Nathan McCartney
174: Andrew Wilson -OR- Isiah Guerrero
184: Hadyn Danals
197: Josh McCutchen -OR- Eddie Flores
285: Mason Blue -OR- Rocky Files
Rankings Intermat/Flo
- Rutgers went 14-5 in dual action last season en route to a No. 11 ranking in the final NWCA Coaches Poll. It marked the program's highest finish in the poll since they closed the 2015-16 campaign No. 10. It also signified RU's 13th top 25 final team ranking under head coach Scott Goodale.
- Rutgers produced seven national qualifiers last season, including three who advanced to the 'Blood Round' – Dylan Shawver (133), Joseph Olivieri (141) and Andrew Clark (149). All three return this season ranked in the top 12 by at least one individual poll.
- Goodale reloaded his lineup in the offseason, adding transfers Patrick Adams (125), Lenny Pinto (174), Remy Cotton (197) and Hunter Catka (HWT). Catka, Cotton and Pinto have combined for seven NCAA Championships appearances, with Catka and Pinto both advancing to the 'Blood Round' during their respective careers.
- The Scarlet Knights are set for another challenging dual schedule in 2025-26, with six opponents ranked in the initial NWCA Coaches Poll. The slate includes top 12 matchups with No. 1 Penn State, No. 7 NC State, No. 9 Minnesota and No. 11 Michigan. The Gophers and Wolverines are both slated to visit Piscataway this season.
- "All eyes will be on Jersey Mike's Arena on Saturday night. The amount of talent that will be on display here along with our built-in fan support will make this an incredible wrestling atmosphere. I'm so glad they decided to host this event here." – Rutgers head coach Scott Goodale on hosting the NWCA All-Star Classic
- Nine out of 10 weights are ranked in their respective weight classes for Rutgers, according to Intermat, including four within the top 12 - No. 7 Pinto, No. 8 Shawver, No. 11 Andrew Clark (149) and No. 12 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (184).
- Rutgers and Bloomsburg are tied in the all-time series, 7-7. The Scarlet Knights have won the previous three meetings, including a 37-8 win at Bloomsburg on Feb. 21, 2024 in their last matchup.
- Rutgers is 4-0 all-time against Centenary. The Scarlet Knights defeated the Cyclones, 38-6, on Nov. 2, 2019 at Jersey Mike's Arena in their last meeting.
- Rutgers is 1-0 all-time against Gardner-Webb, with the two schools meeting last season for the first time – a 32-6 victory for the Scarlet Knights on Dec. 14, 2024 in a tri-meet at Kent State. RU won eight out of 10 matchups against the Bulldogs last season.
- Rutgers faces Navy on Saturday, Nov. 8 as part of the Journeymen WrangleMania event in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The dual at Liberty High School is set for a 3:30 p.m. ET start and will stream on FloWrestling.
