2017-18 Match-by-Match Results
2016-17 Match-by-Match Results
2018-19: Redshirt sophomore ... Wrestling at 125 lbs. ... Boasts a 19-0 record on the campaign ... Ranked #1 in the nation since early January ... Notched a victory by major decision in the opening bout against #6 Ohio State (2/3) ... Won by major decision in the dual match against #4 Iowa (1/27) ... Recorded a tech fall in the dual against #1 Penn State for his seventh of the season (1/11) ... Pinned #12 Zeke Moisey in the first period in the Big Ten opener at Nebraska (1/6) ... Went 5-0 at the Midlands Championships to win the title at his weight class (12/29-30) ... Won each of his first four matches by technical fall to reach the finals ... Defeated #1 Spencer Lee of Iowa in the title bout, taking him down three times and winning via 7-3 decision ... Won all five matches at the CKLV Invitational, including victories over #17 Drew Mattin (Michigan) and #3 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) (11/30-12/1) ... Ranked as high as #2 nationally in pre-season polls.
2017-18: Redshirt first-year ... All-American ... 40th Wildcat wrestler to become an All-American ... Became the first Northwestern All-American since 2015, when assistant coach Mike McMullan and Jason Tsirtsis earned the honors ... He is also the highest-seeded Wildcat (10th) to become an All-American since a 10th-seeded McMullan finished in third place in 2012 ... Wrestled at 125 lbs. ... Led the Wildcats with five technical falls and 12 major decisions ... Combined with Ryan Deakin (149) to notch 63 combined wins, the most for a rookie pair in NU history since Jack Griffin and Mike Funk combined for 70 wins in the 1986-87 season ... Placed sixth at the NCAA Championships (3/15-17) ... His run included wins over #13 Ryan Millhof (Arizona State), #14 Louie Hayes (Virginia), and #10 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) ... Racked up four wins at the Big Ten Championships en route to finishing fifth at 125 (3/3-3/4) ... Won by fall in his bout against Indiana to finish the dual season with a 12-2 mark (2/11) ... Beat #17 Luke Welch in dominant fashion with a 12-1 major decision in the win over #22 Purdue (2/9) ... Recorded his seventh major decision of the campaign with an 11-3 victory in Northwestern's win over #14 Minnesota (1/28) ... Won by major decision to give the team a 10-0 lead over #18 Nebraska (1/19) ... Dominated Wisconsin's Johnny Jimenez via 16-0 tech fall in NU's upset victory of the #16 Badgers (1/12) ... Defeated No. 15 Travis Piotrowski in the dual at Illinois (1/7) for his third ranked win of the season... Won 17 of his first 18 bouts... Placed third at Midlands (12/29-30), including two wins over ranked opponents ... Posted a major decision (15-2) over No. 19 Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) and shut out No. 7 Sean Russell (Edinboro), 6-0 ... Narrowly edged by No. 2 Nick Suriano (Rutgers), 7-6, the eventual champion of the open ... Had gotten off to a 14-0 start ... Ten of his first 14 wins were via fall, tech fall, or major decision.
2016-17: First year ... Redshirt season ... Finished 14-4 on the year … Tied for the team lead with two wins by tech fall … Tied for fourth on the team with three wins by major decision … Beat defending MAC champion Barlow McGhee at the Duhawk Open … Finished 4th at the Midlands Championships, including a win over No. 17 Shakur Laney … Finished 2nd at the Michigan State Open (11/20) ... Finished 4th at the Eastern Michigan Open (11/5) ... Wrestling unattached for Northwestern during his freshman year.
High School: New Jersey state champion ... Two-time New Jersey state place-winner … Member of the All-Shore Team … Super 32 champion … Journeyman Classic champion … Has a 73-12 high school record … Ranked third at 113 lbs. by InterMat … Ranked fifth at 120 lbs. by FloWrestling … High school team is ranked top-20 in New Jersey … Member of Elite Wrestling for 13 years … Earned honors twice at his academy.
Personal: Son of Melissa and Steve Rivera … Dad was a Division III national champion at The College of New Jersey … Competed against current Northwestern wrestler Johnny Sebastian … Major is learning and organizational change.
2016-17 Match-by-Match Results
2018-19: Redshirt sophomore ... Wrestling at 125 lbs. ... Boasts a 19-0 record on the campaign ... Ranked #1 in the nation since early January ... Notched a victory by major decision in the opening bout against #6 Ohio State (2/3) ... Won by major decision in the dual match against #4 Iowa (1/27) ... Recorded a tech fall in the dual against #1 Penn State for his seventh of the season (1/11) ... Pinned #12 Zeke Moisey in the first period in the Big Ten opener at Nebraska (1/6) ... Went 5-0 at the Midlands Championships to win the title at his weight class (12/29-30) ... Won each of his first four matches by technical fall to reach the finals ... Defeated #1 Spencer Lee of Iowa in the title bout, taking him down three times and winning via 7-3 decision ... Won all five matches at the CKLV Invitational, including victories over #17 Drew Mattin (Michigan) and #3 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) (11/30-12/1) ... Ranked as high as #2 nationally in pre-season polls.
2017-18: Redshirt first-year ... All-American ... 40th Wildcat wrestler to become an All-American ... Became the first Northwestern All-American since 2015, when assistant coach Mike McMullan and Jason Tsirtsis earned the honors ... He is also the highest-seeded Wildcat (10th) to become an All-American since a 10th-seeded McMullan finished in third place in 2012 ... Wrestled at 125 lbs. ... Led the Wildcats with five technical falls and 12 major decisions ... Combined with Ryan Deakin (149) to notch 63 combined wins, the most for a rookie pair in NU history since Jack Griffin and Mike Funk combined for 70 wins in the 1986-87 season ... Placed sixth at the NCAA Championships (3/15-17) ... His run included wins over #13 Ryan Millhof (Arizona State), #14 Louie Hayes (Virginia), and #10 Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State) ... Racked up four wins at the Big Ten Championships en route to finishing fifth at 125 (3/3-3/4) ... Won by fall in his bout against Indiana to finish the dual season with a 12-2 mark (2/11) ... Beat #17 Luke Welch in dominant fashion with a 12-1 major decision in the win over #22 Purdue (2/9) ... Recorded his seventh major decision of the campaign with an 11-3 victory in Northwestern's win over #14 Minnesota (1/28) ... Won by major decision to give the team a 10-0 lead over #18 Nebraska (1/19) ... Dominated Wisconsin's Johnny Jimenez via 16-0 tech fall in NU's upset victory of the #16 Badgers (1/12) ... Defeated No. 15 Travis Piotrowski in the dual at Illinois (1/7) for his third ranked win of the season... Won 17 of his first 18 bouts... Placed third at Midlands (12/29-30), including two wins over ranked opponents ... Posted a major decision (15-2) over No. 19 Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) and shut out No. 7 Sean Russell (Edinboro), 6-0 ... Narrowly edged by No. 2 Nick Suriano (Rutgers), 7-6, the eventual champion of the open ... Had gotten off to a 14-0 start ... Ten of his first 14 wins were via fall, tech fall, or major decision.
2016-17: First year ... Redshirt season ... Finished 14-4 on the year … Tied for the team lead with two wins by tech fall … Tied for fourth on the team with three wins by major decision … Beat defending MAC champion Barlow McGhee at the Duhawk Open … Finished 4th at the Midlands Championships, including a win over No. 17 Shakur Laney … Finished 2nd at the Michigan State Open (11/20) ... Finished 4th at the Eastern Michigan Open (11/5) ... Wrestling unattached for Northwestern during his freshman year.
High School: New Jersey state champion ... Two-time New Jersey state place-winner … Member of the All-Shore Team … Super 32 champion … Journeyman Classic champion … Has a 73-12 high school record … Ranked third at 113 lbs. by InterMat … Ranked fifth at 120 lbs. by FloWrestling … High school team is ranked top-20 in New Jersey … Member of Elite Wrestling for 13 years … Earned honors twice at his academy.
Personal: Son of Melissa and Steve Rivera … Dad was a Division III national champion at The College of New Jersey … Competed against current Northwestern wrestler Johnny Sebastian … Major is learning and organizational change.
| Season | Overall W-L | Dual Meet W-L | Big Ten W-L |
Dual Points For-Against | Big Ten Champs. | NCAA Champs |
Pins For-Against | Tech Falls For-Against | Major Dec. For-Against |
| 2016-17* | 14-4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2-0 | 3-0 | 3-0 |
| 2017-18 | 31-8 | 12-2 | 7-2 | 52-6 | 5th | 6th | 5-1 | 5-0 | 12-1 |
| 2018-19 | 22-1 | 12-1 | 8-1 | 59-3 | -- | -- | 2-0 | 8-0 | 6-0 |
| Career | 53-9 | 24-3 | 15-3 | 11-9 | 5th | 6th | 7-1 | 13-0 | 18-1 |
* Wrestling unattached