Michigan
Rutgers
Fast Start, Bonus Points Key Wolverine Win at No. 17 Rutgers
1/16/2026 10:54:00 PM | Wrestling
» No. 12 Michigan claimed six bouts, including bonus in three of the first four, before closing the dual with back-to-back wins en route to a 21-12 win at No. 17 Rutgers.
» Beau Mantanona (174 pounds) scored a takedown, reversal and four back points in an 11-3 major decision against No. 10 Lenny Pinto for his highest-ranked win of the season.
» Cameron Catrabone (157) and Brock Mantanona (184) also earned major decisions over ranked opponents.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- The No. 13-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team took advantage of a strong start, earning three major decisions in the opening four bouts, and closed with back-to-back wins in its 21-12 road victory at No. 17 Rutgers on Friday night (Jan. 16) at the Scarlet Knights' Jersey Mike's Arena.
Redshirt freshman Cameron Catrabone kicked off the dual, which started at 157 pounds, with a 13-3 win against 33rd-ranked Anthony White. Catrabone, ranked 14th, scored on counter scrambles in the first and third periods and broke the bout open with a six-point Peterson roll, reversing White to his back, in the second. It was Catrabone's ninth bonus win -- on 10 total wins this season.
Redshirt sophomore Beau Mantanona, ranked 12th at 174 pounds, scored the Wolverines' biggest win of the evening, knocking off 10th-ranked Lenny Pinto 11-3 for his highest-ranked win of the season. Pinto scored the first takedown out of an early flurry, but Mantanona scored the immediate reversal, then put the Scarlet Knight on his back with a four-point leg turk. Mantanona scrambled to finish a single leg in the waning seconds of the third period to secure the major after adding his 2:27 in riding-time advantage. He improved to 12-2 with eight bonus wins.
Redshirt freshman Brock Mantanona, ranked eighth at 184 pounds, followed suit with a dominant 16-3 major decision over 15th-ranked Shane Cartagena-Walsh in the next bout. Mantanona scored five total takedowns, including three in the first period, and tacked on another on the edge late in the third -- with Cartagena-Walsh trying to pull a single leg back in bounds, Mantanona leapt to avoid giving up his other ankle and came around to score himself. He is 11-2 with seven bonus wins this season.
Rutgers eked out decisions on late scores at 197 and 125 pounds to narrow the team score, but between the two, graduate student heavyweight Taye Ghadiali earned a 7-5 decision against 20th-ranked Hunter Catka to help keep the Wolverines in front. Ghadiali, ranked eighth, scored twice in the second period with high-crotch and go-behind takedowns. He improved to 13-2 with his sixth ranked win this season.
Graduate student Dylan Ragusin rallied from an initial deficit to top Mason Gibson, 6-4, at 141 pounds and all but clinch the Wolverine win. Ragusin, ranked 27th after returning to the lineup for the first time in a year last week, trailed by two early in the third when he hit a clutch double leg and rode out the bout, finishing with 1:23 in advantage time. Graduate student Lachlan McNeil, ranked 13th at 149 pounds, closed out the dual with a 4-2 decision against 30th-ranked Andrew Clark, scrambling for a counter takedown in the first period and riding out the entirety of the second.
The Wolverines (6-2, 2-0 Big Ten) will close out the weekend at home on Sunday (Jan. 18) when they host No. 11 Illinois at 2 p.m. at Crisler Center. Tickets are still available through the U-M Ticket Office, and the dual will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
No. 13 Michigan 21, No. 17 Rutgers 12
Individual rankings by InterMat
157 -- #14 Cameron Catrabone (U-M) major dec. #33 Anthony White, 13-3 -- U-M, 4-0
165 -- #21 Andrew Barbosa (RU) dec. Justin Gates, 6-2 -- U-M, 4-3
174 -- #13 Beau Mantanona (U-M) major dec. #10 Lenny Pinto, 11-3 -- U-M, 8-3
184 -- #8 Brock Mantanona (U-M) major dec. #15 Shane Cartagena-Walsh, 16-3 -- U-M, 12-3
197 -- #18 Remy Cotton (RU) dec. #20 Hayden Walters, 4-1 -- U-M, 12-6
Hwt -- #8 Taye Ghadiali (U-M) dec. #20 Hunter Catka, 7-5 -- U-M, 15-6
125 -- #27 Ayden Smith (RU) dec. #19 Diego Sotelo, 4-1 -- U-M, 15-9
133 -- #27 Dylan Shawver (RU) dec. Gauge Botero, 4-1 -- U-M, 15-12
141 -- #27 Dylan Ragusin (U-M) dec. Mason Gibson, 6-4 -- U-M, 18-12
149 -- #13 Lachlan McNeil (U-M) dec. #20 Andrew Clark, 4-2 -- U-M, 21-12
Players Mentioned
