PISCATAWAY — In a dominant display of wrestling prowess, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights overwhelmed Michigan State by a score of 28-7 at Jersey Mike's Arena on December 31, 1969. The event drew a crowd of 3523 fans. The Scarlet Knights controlled the action from start to finish in this key conference matchup.

Early Scarlet Knights Momentum

The action began at 125 pounds where Ayden Smith (Rutgers) earned a decision (4-1) to give the home team an early lead at Rutgers 3, Michigan State 0. The 133-pound bout saw Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) earned a major decision (18-7), extending the home team's advantage at Rutgers 7, Michigan State 0. The 141-pound bout saw Joseph Olivieri (Rutgers) won by technical fall in 4:46 (22-5), extending the home team's advantage at Rutgers 12, Michigan State 0.

Key Middle Bouts

The momentum firmly shifted to Scarlet Knights beginning at 125 pounds, as the home team put together a crucial streak of 8 consecutive victories. At 125 pounds, Ayden Smith earned a decision, followed by Dylan Shawver with a major decision at 133 pounds, followed by Joseph Olivieri with a technical fall at 141 pounds, followed by Andrew Clark with a decision at 149 pounds, followed by Conner Harer with a decision at 157 pounds, followed by Ryan Ford with a decision at 165 pounds, followed by Jackson Turley with a major decision at 174 pounds, and at 184 pounds, Shane Cartagena-Walsh capped the run with a decision, pushing the score to Rutgers 28, Michigan State 0.

Sealing the Victory

With the team victory already secured for Rutgers, at 184 pounds, Shane Cartagena-Walsh (Rutgers) prevailed by decision (6-2), followed by Remy Cotton at 197 pounds who secured a major decision (11-2), In the final bout at 285 pounds, Max Vanadia prevailed by decision (1-0), making the final score Rutgers 28, Michigan State 7.

Takedown Statistics

In the takedown battle, Rutgers led with a 17 takedown advantage. Overall, Rutgers finished with 22 takedowns to Michigan State's 5. Joseph Olivieri (Rutgers) led all wrestlers with 7 takedowns, followed by Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) with 5 takedowns and Andrew Clark (Rutgers) with 3 takedowns.

Bout-by-Bout Analysis