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PISCATAWAY, NJ - FEBRUARY 15: Andre Mills #7 of the Maryland Terrapins controls the ball during the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on February 15, 2026 at Jersey Mikes Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Mid-February delivered one of the busiest and most significant weeks of the Rutgers athletics calendar, as winter sports entered championship positioning and multiple spring programs opened their seasons. Wrestling headlined the stretch with a marquee home dual. At the same time, baseball and softball began 2026 with winning weekends, lacrosse returned to Piscataway, gymnastics continued Big Ten competition, and both basketball teams navigated key conference games.
Men’s Basketball Defeats PSU and Maryland
Rutgers men’s basketball swept its week, defeating Maryland at home 68-57 Sunday afternoon before knocking off Penn State on the road 85-72 on Wednesday evening. After a seven-game losing skid, the Knights have won two games in a row, heading to Minnesota on Saturday afternoon. They also currently hold the final spot for the Big Ten Tournament single-bye to Wednesday’s action at 14th in the conference.
The Scarlet Knights forced double-digit turnovers and held Penn State below its season scoring average, but struggled from three-point range and at the rim late. The loss keeps Rutgers in the middle tier of the Big Ten standings entering the final regular-season stretch.
Women’s basketball continued to struggle, falling to Purdue and Illinois on its Midwestern road trip. They led most of the first half against the Boilermakers before faltering in the second half, while an ugly second and third quarter allowed Illinois to separate from the Knights. Rutgers is now 1-14 in Big Ten play and currently last in the Big Ten standings ahead of their home rematch with Penn State.
Wrestling Dominates Three Duals in Crucial February Stretch
#11 Rutgers wrestling delivered one of its strongest weeks of the season, defeating Michigan State 29-9 and Princeton 28-9 at home before adding a 45-3 road win at Hofstra to close the stretch.
After closing its Big Ten dual slate with a dominant win over the Spartans, Rutgers claimed the dual over the Tigers behind multiple ranked-weight victories and bonus-point wins that created early separation. The Scarlet Knights followed with another controlled performance at Hofstra, winning the majority of contested bouts and securing the team result before the final weights.
Several Rutgers starters improved NCAA qualification positioning with the wins, as February duals carry direct impact on conference seeding and at-large résumé strength ahead of the Big Ten Championships.
Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse Secure Victories
Rutgers men’s lacrosse took down Stony Brook on the road 14-11 to improve to 2-1 after falling to #12 Army in their home opener. Colin Kurdyla led the way with four goals, while Greyson Vorgang and Justin Lawler each added hat tricks. Vorgang and Lawler both set new career-highs in goals, while Kurdyla matched his previous career-high in goals and points with six.
Rutgers women’s lacrosse had a dominant week as well, taking down Delaware 12-4 last Friday before returning home and dispatching Monmouth 20-5 on Wednesday evening. The 20 goals were the most in a game for the Knights since RU scored 20 in its 2024 season opener against Manhattan.
This goal from Delaney Sutley was on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays, as she went behind the back to find the net against the Hawks.
The Scarlet Knights built an early lead in both contests and maintained possession advantage throughout, showcasing the veteran defensive core that anchors expectations for another NCAA-caliber season.
Gymnastics Posts Three Season High Scores
Rutgers gymnastics recorded another high Big Ten meet score during a critical National Qualifying Score window, continuing its upward scoring trend entering postseason qualification.
Vault, bars, and floor again paced the Scarlet Knights, with multiple routines reaching season-high territory as lineups stabilize ahead of the Big Ten Championships.
It was not enough to defeat #22 Iowa, which took down Rutgers via a score of 196.725-195.700, but multiple Scarlet Knights dazzled and posted scores of over 9.8.
Top Performers
Vault: Emily Leese (9.875) – 2nd out of 12
Bars: Gabrielle Dildy (9.900) – 1st out of 12
Beam: Rachael Riley (9.825) – T-4th out of 12
Floor: Gabrielle Dildy (9.950) – 1st out of 12
Baseball, Softball Continue Winning Streaks
Rutgers baseball dominated its opening series win at Charleston, taking three of four games after falling in the season opener. Offensive depth and run production again defined the Scarlet Knights’ results.
Softball also added tournament wins at the Mary Nutter Classic to its opening-weekend success, combining effective pitching with timely hitting to extend its early-season positive record.
Baseball: winning week; multi-run offensive games
Softball: multiple tournament wins; team ERA under early-season target range
Swimming & Diving Competes At Big Ten Championships
Rutgers women’s swimming & diving delivered one of its strongest championship performances of the week on Day 2 of the Big Ten Championships, producing three podium finishes and four finalists in Minneapolis.
Anna Vlachou highlighted the session by breaking her own school record in the 100 butterfly and advancing to the A final. Meanwhile, divers Bailee Sturgill (7th) and Katerina Hoffman (8th) both reached the 1-meter final, securing Rutgers podium placements. Ana Hazlehurst added a B-final appearance in the 400 IM, giving Rutgers multiple scoring swims across events as the Scarlet Knights continued championship competition.
Football Continues To Make Moves
Rutgers football landed South Dakota transfer DB Mikey Munn to add to its cornerback room. Munn played under new DC Travis Johansen at South Dakota and new cornerbacks coach Eric Finney during their shared time with the Coyotes. He joins Maryland transfer Kevyn Humes, Villanova transfer Zahmir Dawud, and The Citadel transfer Bradlee Jones and provides necessary depth and reinforcement.
The Scarlet Knights have also added Minnesota’s Dennis Dottin-Carter as the team’s new defensive line coach. He has a lot of Northeast connections, having coached at Maine, Delaware, UConn, and Yale. He also spent the past three seasons with the Golden Gophers, being elevated from defensive analyst to defensive line coach in 2025.
Minnesota recorded the 11th most sacks in the country last season and posted a top 30 run defense as well, both things that Rutgers struggled with on the defensive front. Dottin-Carter also played a role in developing star DE Anthony Smith, who led the Big Ten in sacks (12.5) last season and ranked 12th nationally in tackles for loss.
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, Feb. 20
- Women’s Swimming & Diving — Big Ten Championships (Minneapolis)
- Baseball at Virginia Tech — Blacksburg, Va.
- Softball — tournament play (multiple games)
Saturday, Feb. 21
- Women’s Swimming & Diving — Big Ten Championships (Minneapolis)
- Men’s Basketball at Minnesota (12 PM, BTN)
- Women’s Basketball vs Penn State (4 PM, BTN)
- Gymnastics at #9 Michigan
- Baseball at Virginia Tech
- Softball — tournament games
- Women’s Tennis vs Army
- Women’s Lacrosse at Villanova
- Men’s Lacrosse vs Villanova
Sunday, Feb. 22
- Women’s Golf- Westbrook Invitational
- Baseball at Virginia Tech
- Women’s Soccer- spring scrimmage vs FDU
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