PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Princeton wrestling team dropped its match against No. 13 Rutgers Friday evening, 24-9. The Tigers had three bout winners totaling for 9 points, Eligh Rivera at 149, Blaine Bergey at 165, and Matt Cover at 285.

The Tigers dropped the first three bouts of the night. Drew Heethuis kicked off the in-state rivalry at 125 against No. 7 Dean Peterson from Rutgers. Peterson secured two takedowns and an escape, sealing a 7-2 victory to give Rutgers an early 3-0 lead.  Following the defeat at 125, Pierson faced No. 26 Dylan Shawver at 133. After allowing him to score only six points in two periods, Pierson yielded to four takedowns in the third period, resulting in a major decision loss, 24-9.

In his match at 141, Tyler Vazquez, the third Tiger to concede, suffered a major decision defeat against No. 16 Mitch Moore, with a score of 13-2. Vazquez managed to earn two points for a near fall in the second period, but Moore increased his lead to 10 with a four-point near fall in the final 30 seconds of the period. After three matches, Rutgers held a commanding 11-0 lead.

Things started to look up for the Tigers as Eligh Rivera faced Michael Cetta at 149. The match remained scoreless in the first period, but Rivera took the lead early in the second period with an escape. With the score tied at one after the third period, Rivera and Cetta entered overtime. In a decisive move, Rivera secured a winning takedown with 0:46 remaining in extra time, clinching a sudden victory win by decision with a score of 3-1. Despite the Tigers trailing 11-3, Rivera's victory added a positive turn to their overall performance.

Following Rivera's performance, Rocco Camillaci was able to score on a takedown and an escape but ultimately fell to No. 24 Andrew Clark by decision 9-4. The score at intermission was 14-3 in favor of Rutgers.

Blaine Bergey faced off against No. 25 Anthony White at 165. Bergey secured a three-point takedown at the conclusion of the second period, gaining a 4-3 lead. White evened the score with an escape in the third and it remained tied at 4-4 through 7 minutes, leading the Tigers into overtime once more. In overtime, a stalling penalty against Rutgers' White resulted in Bergey being awarded 1 point. With this, Princeton secured its second victory of the night as Bergey won by decision, clinching a 5-4 sudden victory.

Rutgers went on a three-bout winning streak to extend their lead. At 174, Jackson Turley secured a 17-6 major decision over Mikey Squires. Moving to 184 pounds, No. 12 Brian Soldano narrowly defeated No. 28 Nate Dugan 5-4 and in the 197-pound bout, No. 8 John Poznanski from Rutgers won by an 8-5 decision against No. 10 Luke Stout , furthering Rutgers to a 24-6 lead.

In the concluding bout of the night, Cover managed to lift the Tigers' spirits. Trailing by one in the third period, Cover executed a reversal with 35 seconds remaining and earned an additional riding time point, securing a 3-1 victory over John O'Donnell. The dual concluded with a final score of 24-9.

Scoring Breakdown

125: No. 7 Dean Peterson (Rutgers) DEC Drew Heethuis (Princeton) 7-3; Rutgers leads 3-0
133: No. 7 Dean Shawver (Rutgers) MD Sean Pierson (Princeton) 19-6; Rutgers leads, 7-0
141: No. 16 Mitch Moore (Rutgers) MD Tyler Vazquez (Princeton) 13-2; Rutgers leads, 11-0
149: Eligh Rivera (Princeton) DEC Michael Cetta (Rutgers) 4-1 (SV); Rutgers leads, 11-3
157: No. 24 Andrew Clark (RU) DEC Rocco Camillaci (Princeton) 9-4; Rutgers leads, 14-3
165: Blaine Bergey (Princeton) DEC No. 25 Anthony White (SV) 5-4; Rutgers leads, 14-6
174: Jackson Turley (Rutgers) MD Mikey Squires (Princeton) 17-6; Rutgers leads, 18-6
184: No. 12 B Brian Soldano (Rutgers) DEC No. 28 Nate Dugan (Princeton) 5-4; Rutgers leads, 21-6
197: No. 8 John Poznanski (Rutgers) DEC No. 10 Luke Stout (Princeton) 8-5; Rutgers leads, 24-6
285: Matt Cover (Princeton) DEC John O'Donnell (Rutgers) 3-1; Rutgers wins 24-9
 

Up Next

The Princeton wrestling squad will travel to Midlands and compete from December 29h to the 30th hosted by Northwestern.