PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Sebastian Rivera continues to compete on the international level when he wrestles at the 2021 Senior World Championships from Oct. 3-4 in Oslo, Norway. Rivera will wrestle freestyle at 65 kg for Team Puerto Rico.
The preliminary rounds begin Sunday from 4:30-8:30 a.m. ET, followed by the semifinals from 10:45-11:45 a.m. Repechage matches will take place from 4:30-8:30 a.m. on Monday, with the men’s freestyle finals to appear between 12-3 p.m. All matches will stream on FloWrestling.
Rivera wrestled at both the World OG qualifier and the 2021 Pan-American Championships this past summer. A four-time All-American (three NCAA, one NWCA), Rivera wrapped up his first season “On the Banks” fourth in the country at 141 pounds at last year’s NCAA Championships. The two-time Big Ten Champion finished 12-3 during the abbreviated 2021 campaign and led the Scarlet Knights with a perfect 4-0 mark and team-high 15 points in dual action. Rivera has produced 84 victories during his collegiate career.
Pegged the preseason No. 14 team in the country by Intermat, Rutgers features ranked wrestlers in eight weights, including top-10 rankings for No. 3 Rivera (133), No. 5 John Poznanski (184) and No. 8 Jackson Turley (174). No. 13 Sammy Alvarez (141), No. 15 Greg Bulsak (197), No. 27 Michael VanBrill (149), No. 31 Dylan Shawver (125), and No. 33 Robert Kanniard (157) also earned recognition in their respective weight classes.
Under the guidance of head coach Scott Goodale, Rutgers closed the 2021 season with three All-Americans in the same year for the first time in program history. Along with two-time NCAA qualifiers VanBrill and Billy Janzer (197), the Scarlet Knights produced 13 victories at nationals en route to a 13th-place finish with 37.5 team points. RU also welcomes one of the top freshmen class in the country this fall, which includes New Jersey standouts Michael Cetta, Joseph Olivieri, Dean Peterson, Dylan Weaver and Tony White.
