Ex-Rutgers wrestler Sammy Alvarez finds new home
Sammy #Sammy
Sammy Alvarez, who left the Rutgers program last week, has transferred to Oklahoma State.
Alvarez’s Rutgers career took a turn for the worse after three seasons where weight-cutting became unsustainable. Looking for a fresh start, the redshirt junior put his name in the NCAA transfer portal last week.
Alvarez has already moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma, enrolled in classes and plans to compete at either 141 or 149 pounds for the 2023-2024 season, he told NJ Advance Media.
The timing came quickly. The deadline to transfer and enroll was Tuesday, according to Alvarez. He’ll have two season of eligibility and an available redshirt year to use.
“I had a decision to stay and retire or transfer and wrestle. It was pretty night-and-day type of decision,” Alvarez said. “I decided I would regret it when I’m older and I don’t want to live with regret or question marks. I went into the portal, and Oklahoma State was a no-brainer.”
Alvarez was seen by the Rutgers coaching staff as a wrestler who could beat anyone if he attacked the season with discipline.
That discipline faded when Alvarez failed to make weight for a match at Rider on Jan. 8. Alvarez did not compete at the Big Ten Championships last season after his weight cut to 133 pounds was deemed unsustainable. Given a chance to make weight this season at 141, Alvarez failed to do so and said his decision to part ways with Rutgers was mutual.
“There’s no hate,” Alvarez said last week. “I left on a good note. I don’t have a negative thing to say about the program, the guys, the staff — they’ve always done right by me. I always wrestled with the ‘Block R’ with integrity and loved every second of it. It’s something I’ll definitely miss.”
Alvarez was the highest finisher for the Scarlet Knights at the Midlands Championships three weeks ago in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. After a shaky start, the former state champion from St. Joseph Regional in Montvale reached the semifinals and finished third. The Garfield native was 13-2 overall after Midlands and ranked No. 12 in the country by Intermat.
As a true freshman during the 2019-2020, Alvarez won a title at the Southern Scuffle and drew the No. 10 seed at the NCAA Championships before the event was canceled due to the pandemic. He finished his breakout campaign, wrestling at 133 pounds, with a 26-10 record and was named an honorary Second Team All-American by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
Joey Olivieri, a sophomore, replaced Alvarez in the lineup for Rutgers’ first two Big Ten dual meets. The former three-time state champion from Hanover Park won both of his matches, including an upset of Ohio State’s Dylan D’Emilio. With the win, Olivieri shot up to No. 17 in Intermat’s national rankings.
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.
Patrick Lanni may be reached at planni@njadvancemedia.com.
©2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit nj.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.