Tigers to Close Out Regular Season at #1 Penn State, Patriot Last Chance

Friday, February 20

University Park, Pa.

7:00 PM

Princeton University

Penn State

Eligh Rivera and Ty Whalen Captains - Rutgers 2026

Photo by: Lisa Elfstrum

Tigers to Close Out Regular Season at #1 Penn State, Patriot Last Chance

February 19, 2026 | Wrestling

Princeton (4-10) vs. #1 Penn State (14-0)
Fri., Feb. 20 | University Park, Pa. | 7:00 p.m.
B1G+

PRINCETON, N.J. – Coming off a weekend that saw the Tigers take down Penn and pick up some big individual victories, the Princeton wrestling team will close out the regular season this Friday with a dual at #1 Penn State.

Several Tigers will also split for the Patriot Last Chance Open, hosted by George Mason on Sunday.

Probable Lineup - Princeton
125: #12 Marc-Anthony McGowan
133: Ethan Rivera
141: Matthew Martino
149: #10 Eligh Rivera
157: Rocco Camillaci OR Gavin Hawk
165: #17 Ty Whalen
174: Holden Garcia OR Cody Tavoso
184: Xavier Giles
197: Conor McCloskey OR Anderson Olcott
285: Sebastian Garibaldi
*Intermat rankings

About the Tigers

Princeton closed its home slate on Saturday with a big 23-14 win over Penn, marking the Tigers' first victory over the Quakers since 2020.
At 141, first-year Matthew Martino picked up his third ranked win of the season with a pin over #8 CJ Composto.
Sophomore Ethan Rivera also tallied an upset victory at 133, winning a 5-3 decision over #12 Evan Mougalian.
Holden Garcia, Marc-Anthony McGowan and Ty Whalen all added major decisions to the tally, while Xavier Giles contributed three team points of his own to secure the Tiger victory.
The Tigers most recently fell on the road at Rutgers, 28-9, as Rivera tallied another upset victory over #24 Dylan Shawver for two ranked wins in three days.
Garcia (15-8) also tallied an upset over #17 Lenny Pinto with a win in OT.
McGowan (12-5) was the third Tiger to tally a decision against the Scarlet Knights as he took down #24 Ayden Smith.
Princeton is now 4-10 overall and 2-3 in the Ivy League
In the second NCAA coaches' rankings, released last Thursday, three Tigers were ranked with #12 McGowan, #15 Rivera and #21 Whalen. Martino (141) and Garcia (174) were also ranked 28th and 27th, respectively, in their weight classes in the RPI.
Four of the Tigers' losses have been to ranked opponents, including #14 Rutgers, #19 Pitt, #20 Lehigh and #22 WVU.
Each having strong seasons, Eligh Rivera (11-6) and Whalen (19-5) showcased their talent as they tallied podium finishes at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas invite in December, with Rivera taking silver in the 149 class and Whalen taking bronze at 165.
En route to the final match, Rivera had two straight top-5 wins as he took down #3 Lachlan McNeil in the quarterfinal before downing #4 Jacob Frost in the semifinal.
Princeton boasted five NCAA qualifiers in 2025, with three still competing this season in McGowan, Rivera and Whalen.
The Tigers are led by Head Coach Joe Dubuque, in his third year at the helm. The former national champion from Indiana is joined by fellow national champions Cody Brewer, head assistant coach, and Anthony Ashnault, assistant coach, both in their second year with the Tigers. Assistant Coach Ryan Wolfe, in his first year at Princeton, rounds out the Tiger corner.