This Week In Rutgers Athletics

SB Nation

Rutgers picked up wins across multiple programs this week while several winter sports started to find their footing. Here’s everything you missed and everything coming up as we roll deeper into November.

Men’s Basketball Improves To 2-0 Behind Freshman Firepower

Rutgers men’s basketball continued to roll, taking down a feisty, hot-shooting Maine Black Bears team 72-60 on Monday evening at Jersey Mike’s Arena.

The win over Maine featured an explosive first half from Denis Badalau, who poured in 19 before the break and hit four threes. Through two games, Rutgers has shown improved pace, length, and balance — all encouraging signs with tougher games looming.

In other men’s hoops news, the program has announced that it will recognize its second Knights of Honor class by inducting Scarlet Knight legends Kelvin Troy (’81), Roy Hinson (’83), and John Battle (’85) later this season.

Steve Pikiell and company have officially locked in their commitment from Imahri Wooten for the 2026-27 season. The #9 recruit from the state of New York signed his national letter of intent this week, making him the first member of the 2026 class.

Wooten described his game in the official release, saying, “I feel like I have elite shooting ability. I play really good defense, I’m a great teammate, and I always try to make the right play. If there’s a better shot, I’m always going to make the extra pass. I’m just a good teammate and a hard worker.”

Rutgers hosts Lehigh on Friday before a two-game stretch next week against American and CCSU, before the Knights head to Las Vegas for the Players Era Tournament to face Tennessee and Notre Dame. Tonight’s game will be broadcast on B1G+, WFAN, and WRSU-FM, with tip-off from Jersey Mike’s Arena at 6:30 PM.

Women’s Basketball Falls To Stony Brook, Takes Down URI

The women’s basketball team fell to Stony Brook on Sunday, 71-54, as the Sea Wolves stunned the Scarlet Knights behind a dominant fourth quarter and excellent rebounding, especially after multiple key Rutgers players were relegated to the bench with four fouls.

However, on Thursday morning, Rutgers bounced back against a strong Rhode Island team, which will be a contender in one of the best mid-major conferences, the Atlantic-10.

Despite the Rams fighting until the final buzzer, the Scarlet Knights led the entire way and kept themselves just out of reach due to strong defense, rebounding, and shooting, as well as a career-best 24 points from Nene Ndiaye.

Andrew and I covered the game live for On The Banks, the first athletic event our site has received media credentials for in a long time. Be sure to check out my recap and Andrew’s takeaways at these links!

Wrestling Climbs to No. 13, Preps for West Point

No. 13 Rutgers wrestling continues its steady rise, moving up again in the NWCA Coaches Poll. The Scarlet Knights head to the Black Knight Open this weekend with a deep group getting early-season reps.

Rutgers improved to 4-0 after defeating Navy 24-12 in Bethlehem, PA, before four Scarlet Knights claimed individual titles at the 2025 Journeymen Collegiate Classic on Sunday.

Among the key entrants: Brandan Chletsos (141), Nick Villani (149), and Max Hermes (157). This stretch will help shape the dual lineup heading into a loaded December slate.

Women’s Swimming & Diving Rolling Into Princeton Test

The women’s swimming & diving team continues to build momentum with two dominant wins already under its belt — 211–87.5 over St. Bonaventure and 218–81 over Fordham.

However, the swim and dive team fell to power conference opponents Miami and Arkansas in their second tri-meet. In addition to a high-powered diving meet against the #2 Hurricanes and #20 Razorbacks, Rutgers swimming had six top-ten times in program history.

A scheduled meet with Queens this past weekend was canceled, but Rutgers now turns its attention to a ranked challenge at No. 25 Princeton on Saturday.

This will be the best early-season benchmark for a group that has looked sharp across the board, as Rutgers will look to claim the sixth annual Battle For The Cannon.

Football’s Antwan Raymond Earns National Recognition

Rutgers running back Antwan Raymond added another milestone to a breakout season, earning Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week after eclipsing 1,000 yards in the win over Maryland.

Raymond had a standout 240 yards on 41 carries against the Terrapins, both of which ranked high up the program’s leaderboards in multiple categories.

He’s just the ninth back in program history to hit the mark — and he still has multiple games left to climb the record books. His performance has been central to the Knights’ offensive identity all year, with strong performances from Athan Kaliakmanis and multiple wide receivers serving as excellent complements.

The football team is on its much-needed second bye week, with a showdown with the #1 Ohio State Buckeyes looming in Columbus. The season finale against Penn State could be for all the marbles with a bowl berth on the line if the Nittany Lions can pick up two wins heading into Piscataway on November 29th.

The Rest From Around Rutgers Athletics

Rutgers volleyball fell in back-to-back five-set matches in their return to New Jersey, with Michigan taking down the Knights in five sets on Friday at JMA before Ohio State avenged their earlier defeat with a 3-2 stunner at the College Ave Gymnasium.

This week, the Scarlet Knights battle a pair of ranked/receiving votes teams on the West Coast in UCLA and USC, before heading to #18 Indiana on Thursday. Rutgers is currently 11-15 and 2-12 in conference play.

Rutgers men’s soccer standouts Joschi Schelb and Braxton Montgomery earned spots on the 2025 Big Ten All-Conference Postseason Awards list, as announced by the league on Thursday afternoon.

Schelb secured a place on the All-Big Ten Second Team, while Montgomery was selected to the All-Freshman Team. In addition, Nestor Cabrera was recognized as Rutgers’ Sportsmanship Award honoree. For women’s soccer, Allie Post won the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award as she wrapped up her Scarlet Knights career.

Rutgers cross country is back in action at the 2025 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, which is taking place this Friday afternoon. The Scarlet Knights are looking to build off strong Big Ten Championship races, with the women running the 6K and the men running a 10K, up from the usual 8K that they have previously ran.

Once again, Micah Lawson on the men’s side, and Kelseigh O’Neill as well as Lorena David on the women’s side have been pacing the Knights all year and are the names to watch for Rutgers in the race. RU looks to have several runners qualify for All-Region and advance to the NCAA Championships on November 22nd on Missouri’s campus in Columbia.

Basketball was not the only program to sign players into their 2026 class, with volleyball and field hockey also securing committments to their programs during the fall signing periods. Check out their social media pages for more information on the newest Scarlet Knights!