If this weekend’s competition at the Michigan State Open is a predictor of how the new season will go, the Wisconsin wrestling team is in good shape.
In Wisconsin’s first action of 2002-03, the Badgers traveled to East Lansing to kick-start their season in a meet featuring six Big Ten schools. With two first-place finishes by Kevin Black and Ralph DeNisco, in addition to three third-place finishes by Ed Gutnik, Tyler Laudon and Justin Staebler, the Badgers proved this year’s team will be a contender in the conference.
Top-seed Black claimed the title at 133 pounds after defeating Pitt’s Mike May 7-2 and finished the Open with six-straight victories. Also in the 133-pound class, Gutnik knocked off Kent State’s fifth-seeded Jared Opfer 9-3 to finish third, while redshirt freshman Tony Turner placed sixth after an 8-1 loss to Northern Illinois’ Sam Hiatt in the consolation rounds.
DeNisco earned his top finish with a 3-1 win over Northern Illinois’ Ben Hiezer in the 184-pound weight class and joined teammate Black with six-straight victories at the Open.
In the 141-pound consolation competition, Laudon defeated NIU’s Josh Wooten 6-0 to place third and finish the weekend at 5-1 overall.
Heavyweight Staebler dropped into the consolation rounds after a 3-1 loss to Michigan State’s John Wechter before the Wisconsin senior earned four victories, including the 4-3 decision over Michigan’s Greg Wagner to claim third place overall. Teammate Joe Chose pinned Eastern Illinois’ Ryan DeVries in 1:54 in the first round of the heavyweight competition before losing to Ohio State’s Tommy Rowlands in the next round. Rowlands, last year’s NCAA and Big Ten heavyweight champion, claimed the Open’s title this weekend.
Rounding out Wisconsin’s place-winners, redshirt freshman Kelly Flaherty earned a fifth-place finish in the 165-pound weight class on an injury default.
–compiled from staff reports