As the first semester comes to a close, the 21st-ranked Wisconsin (1-3) wrestling team is coming off of two tough losses, both to ranked opponents. The first came at the hands of the No. 24 Hofstra and the second was courtesy of No. 10 Northern Iowa.
In both meets, the Badgers put themselves in a position to win, but could not come up with the wins they needed down the stretch.
“The last two duals against Hofstra and Northern Iowa, we should have won,” said UW head coach Barry Davis. “I didn’t see a lot of fight there. I didn’t see a lot of urgency in certain situations. Going into Dallas, I want to see that.”
Over winter break the Badgers will head down to Dallas to wrestle in the Lonestar Duals. They will be facing the U.S. Naval Academy, whom they defeated last year; Nebraska, whom they lost to last year; and Oklahoma State, whom they did not play last year. The Nebraska squad rounds out the top 15, while Oklahoma State’s team is currently ranked second in the nation, behind the Gophers.
Helping to lead the way for Wisconsin is fifth-ranked Kevin Black and tenth-ranked Tony Black, at 133 lbs. and 125 lbs., respectively. Both of the Black brothers won their matches against Northern Iowa, which makes Tony the lone undefeated wrestler on the team.
Among their opponents in Dallas is top-ranked Johnny Thompson from Oklahoma State.
“Last year I gained some confidence, and I knew that I could run with anybody in the country,” said Kevin Black. “It is just a matter of wanting it bad enough.”
Tony is facing two wrestlers ranked in the top four at 125 lbs. Representing Nebraska is No. 2 Jason Powell and No. 4 Skylar Holman, who hails from Oklahoma State. Last year, Powell defeated Tony Black in a close match, 8-7.
From there, Tony Black is looking to close out the season in better form than he did last year.
“I’ve had a disappointing end to my first two years here,” said Tony. “This year I hope my season goes until the fourth week in March . . . like it should have and not end at the Big Ten Tournament.”
Other Badgers looking to do well are heavyweight Justin Staebler and 13th ranked, 141-pounder Grant Hoerr, who placed fourth at last year’s NCAA championships.
If the Badgers are going to finish the season on a high note, they will have to turn things around in the coming weeks.
“Over Christmas break, we’re going to do some things to work on our intensity and pick up the pace,” said Davis. “Also, some urgency things, and then we’re going to come back on the 25th [against Indiana] and work on those things again.”
