Michigan
Rutgers
Wolverines to Visit No. 17 Rutgers, Host No. 11 Illinois This Weekend
1/14/2026 12:32:00 PM | Wrestling
Promotions
Jan. 18
• Wrestle N' Roll -- Takedown fan signs will be available to the first 500 fans, while the first 250 kids will receive Rock N' Roll foam fingers. Michigan wrestlers will be in the Hall of Honor on the Crisler Center concourse following the dual to sign autographs. Fans will be limited to one autographed item and must have a wristband to participate.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 13-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team (5-2, 1-0 Big Ten) will face a pair of ranked Big Ten opponents this weekend. U-M will first travel to Piscataway, N.J., to take on No. 17 Rutgers (6-3, 0-1 Big Ten) at 7 p.m. on Friday (Jan. 16) at Jersey Mike's Arena. The Wolverines will then host No. 11 Illinois at 2 p.m. on Sunday (Jan. 18) at Crisler Center.
Notes
• The Wolverines have nine wrestlers ranked nationally at their respective weight classes, including five in the top 15 according to InterMat: No. 13 Lachlan McNeil (149), No. 14 Cameron Catrabone (157), No. 12 Beau Mantanona (174), No. 8 Brock Mantanona (184) and No. 8 Taye Ghadiali (Hwt).
• Michigan opened its Big Ten dual slate with a 43-3 win over in-state rival Michigan State last Friday (Jan. 9), its most lopsided victory over the Spartans in the 104-year history of the series. The Wolverines posted seven bonus wins, with redshirt senior Christian Tanefeu and redshirt freshman Catrabone earning pins at 125 and 157 pounds, respectively.
• Catrabone has earned falls in three of his last five matches and leads the Wolverines with five on the season. He surged to No. 14 at 157 pounds, his highest ranking yet, after claiming fourth place at the CKLV Invitational and owns a 9-4 record this season. Catrabone boasts five ranked wins, including three at CKLV with a first-period fall against Purdue's 19th-ranked Stoney Buell, and eight bonus wins. His father, three-time Michigan All-American Jeff Catrabone (1995-98), graduated as U-M's career pins leader and now ranks second with 55.
• Graduate student Dylan Ragusin made his season dual debut against Michigan State last Friday, earning a 9-3 decision against Jaden Crumpler in his first varsity competition back from last year's season-ending injury suffered in Las Vegas. Ragusin, who placed fifth at the NCAA Championships at 133 pounds in 2024, is a four-time NCAA qualifier and owns an 88-34 career record. He is 3-2 this season after previously taking fourth place at 141 pounds at the Kent State Open last month.
• Redshirt sophomore Beau Mantanona (174) and redshirt freshman Brock Mantanona (184) have combined for a 21-5 record and 13 bonus wins at back-to-back weights in the Wolverine lineup. Beau is 11-3 with four falls, including a wrestleback pin against Iowa State's No. 8 MJ Gaitan en route to a third-place finish at CKLV. Brock, who led U-M with a runner-up showing at CKLV, is 10-2 on the season and owns four ranked wins at 184 pounds, most notably a 10-8 decision over Nebraska's sixth-ranked Silas Allred at the National Duals.
• Redshirt freshman Hayden Walters posted the Wolverines' lone ranked win against Michigan State with a 7-2 decision over No. 29 Kael Wisler at 197 pounds. Walters, who missed the CKLV Invitational with an injury, is 5-2 this season with a pair of bonus wins.
• Graduate student heavyweight Ghadiali leads the team with a 12-2 record and boasts bonus points in 10 of his wins, including six technical falls, three major decisions and a pin. Five of those wins have come against ranked opposition, most notably a 17-2 technical fall against Arizona State's No. 23 David Szuba and a 9-1 major decision over Cal Poly's No. 24 Trevor Tinker.
• Rutgers is 6-3 overall and 0-1 in Big Ten duals after falling on the road to Penn State, 46-0, last Saturday (Jan. 11). Prior to that, the Scarlet Knights captured the team title at the Midlands Championships last month (Dec. 29-30). All 10 Rutgers wrestlers are ranked nationally by InterMat, including two in the top 10 in No. 6 Joey Olivieri (141) and No. 10 Lenny Pinto (174). Michigan leads the all-time series against Rutgers, 9-0, and posted a 23-10 comeback win in the most recent meeting two seasons ago in Ann Arbor.
• Illinois is 7-3 overall and 0-1 in Big Ten action after dropping a 27-9 decision to Minnesota last Saturday (Jan. 10) at home. The Fighting Illini feature eight nationally ranked wrestlers, highlighted by No. 1 Lucas Byrd, the defending NCAA champion at 133 pounds, along with No. 9 Kannon Webster (157) and No. 9 Braeden Scoles (165). Michigan leads the all-time series against Illinois, 44-27-1, dating back to 1924, but has not faced the Illini since 2020, when U-M dropped a 20-13 decision on the road.
• Redshirt freshman Justin Gates earned a 9-0 major decision over Michigan State's DJ Shannon in his varsity debut at 165 pounds. After missing all of last season with an injury, Gates captured the 157-pound freshman/sophomore title at the MSU Open (Nov. 8) and is 7-4 this season following appearances at the Kent State Open and Midlands Championships.
• Gates is the seventh different wrestler to make his debut in the Wolverines' starting lineup this season. The previous six were victorious in U-M's dual opener against VMI (Nov. 9). Freshmen Gauge Botero and Eren Sement made their collegiate debuts at 133 and 141 pounds, respectively, while graduate students Diego Sotelo, McNeil and Ghadiali made their official Michigan debuts. Walters, who opened his career with back-to-back redshirts after arriving injured, made his long-awaited varsity debut at 197 pounds.
• Redshirt sophomore Dylan Gilcher will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season after suffering a knee injury at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 5-6). Gilcher posted a 7-3 record last semester, including a 5-1 mark in dual meets, after bumping up two weights to 165 pounds. He climbed as high as No. 15 in the national rankings and will have three remaining years of eligibility following a medical hardship.
• U-M went 4-2 in dual meet action over the first semester, including dominant home wins against VMI (27-0, Nov. 9) and Virginia (35-3, Nov. 23), claiming 19 of 20 matches across the two meets with 13 bonus wins. Michigan posted four falls in its win against UVA, its most recent dual outing, marking the program's most falls in a dual since tallying five against Sacred Heart in 2015.
Players Mentioned
