LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider wrestling team claimed four bouts against No. 16 Rutgers but came up just short, falling 21-12 on Saturday evening in front of a packed crowd inside Alumni Gym.

The dual opened at 125 pounds with No. 15 Tyler Klinsky facing No. 27 Ayden Smith. Klinsky struck first with a slick single-leg takedown to jump out to a 3-0 lead. Smith earned an escape to make it 3-1 after one. Klinsky added another takedown coming out of a scramble in the second period to extend the lead to 6-2, then escaped early in the third to go up 7-2. Smith cut the margin with a misdirection outside high-c, but Klinsky held strong down the stretch to secure an 8-5 decision and put the Broncs on the board.

At 133 pounds, Will Betancourt battled returning NCAA qualifier No. 27 Dylan Shawver in a tight match. Betancourt held a 1-0 lead after two periods, but a pair of escapes tied the bout late in the third. Neither wrestler could score in regulation, sending the match to overtime. Betancourt nearly finished a takedown in a scramble, but Shawver stayed aggressive and earned a late score for a 4-1 overtime decision to even the dual.

No. 19 Elijah Griffin got things started early on at 141 pounds against Mason Gibson, striking first with an quick takedown. Gibson answered with an escape and a quick lateral drop to briefly take the lead, but Griffin responded immediately with an escape and another takedown to regain control. As the first period wound down, Gibson tried another lat drop, but Griffin countered and came out on top, taking a 10-6 lead into the second. Griffin continued to dictate the pace in the middle frame, earning two stall points after a tough ride to push the advantage to 12-6. He added an escape in the third period to closed out the bout securing a 13-6 decision.

Rider regained momentum at 149 pounds as Dylan Layton faced No. 31 Andrew Clark. Layton wasted no time, scoring off a knee pick just seconds into the bout. Holding a 3-1 lead entering the second, Layton surrendered only an escape before sealing the match in the third with a strong double-leg takedown to earn a 6-3 decision and give Rider a 9-3 lead.

Rutgers responded with wins from 157 through 184 pounds, including two bonus-point victories, to move in front 18-9 with three bouts remaining.

A top-20 showdown followed at 197 pounds between No. 20 Brock Zurawski and No. 17 Remy Cotton. Zurawski opened the scoring with a high-c and stayed aggressive. After a back-and-forth first period, Zurawski broke the match open in the second with another deep high-c to add another takedown.. He added insurance points late, capped by a Jonesy tilt, to earn a 13-7 decision and pull the Broncs within six at 18-12.

Rutgers closed the night with a decision at heavyweight to secure the 21-12 victory.

Match Results
Rutgers 21, Rider 12
125: #15 Tyler Klinsky (Rider) over #27 Ayden Smith (Rutgers) (Dec 8-5)
133: #27 Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) over Will Betancourt (Rider) (SV-1 4-1)
141: #19 Elijah Griffin (Rider) over Mason Gibson (Rutgers) (Dec 13-6)
149: Dylan Layton (Rider) over #31 Andrew Clark (Rutgers) (Dec 6-3)
157: #26 Anthony White (Rutgers) over Gianni Maldonado (Rider) (Dec 5-0)
165: #22 Andrew Barbosa (Rutgers) over Brendon Abdon (Rider) (MD 13-4)
174: Ryan Ford (Rutgers) over #33 Enrique Munguia (Rider) (Dec 6-4)
184: #15 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (Rutgers) over Giovanni Alejandro (Rider) (TF 21-5 6:36)
197: #20 Brock Zurawski (Rider) over #17 Remy Cotton (Rutgers) (Dec 14-7)
285: #18 Hunter Catka (Rutgers) over Hogan Swenski (Rider) (Dec 8-3)
*Rankings according to NCAA Coaches' Poll*

Quotes and Notes
"I thought we let a couple matches slip away at 133 and 174. Overall, I thought we wrestled well in a losing effort, but at the end of the day, that doesn't get you anything.

Tyler and Brock are really on point right now. Both of them are developing in the middle of the season, which is hard to do, and that's a credit to their discipline, focus, and hunger. They're doing all the right things, and it's showing out there.

One of these days we're going to turn this thing around and get the score where it needs to be. Performances like this show that we know what we're doing and that we can develop wrestlers at a national level.

Next week we've got a tough, Lock Haven team coming in on Friday with the MAC East title on the line. They're wrestling well right now, but so are we. It's going to be a dogfight. Between now and then, the goal is to get five percent better andfind something to improve so that when you step on the mat, you're harder to beat." - Rider Head Coach John Hangey

Up Next
The Broncs return to the mat on Feb. 6, hosting Lock Haven on Senior Night with the MAC East Division title on the line.
First whistle is set for 7 p.m.