When the UW wrestling team knocked off the Minnesota Gophers recently, it marked the end of an ugly streak.
Tonight the Badgers will have a chance to win two in a row when they battle the No. 8 Iowa Hawkeyes at 7 p.m. at the Field House. Energized by young talent, UW is looking to avenge last year’s 3-34 loss in Iowa.
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The match is critical to both teams’ conference hopes, as Iowa (9-3, 4-1) remains half a match behind Big Ten leader Illinois while Wisconsin remains 1.5 matches back with a 3-2 conference record.
The matchup of the night will come at 125 pounds, when No. 6 Tom Clum of Wisconsin faces No. 2 Luke Eustice. Clum has comes into the match with a 22-3 record and no losses in more than two months. In the past two weeks, Clum has defeated the Nos. 3, 8, and 11 wrestlers in the country. The matchup could be a prelude to the 125-pound Big Ten finals match.
At 141 pounds, Wisconsin’s Tyler Laudon hopes to continue his recent success in the Big Ten when he takes on No. 5 Cliff Moore. Laudon is 2-3 in the Big Ten, but all three losses have been close, and Coach Davis believes Laudon should have won two of them. Laudon was up late in the second period in a match against highly ranked Coyte Cooper of Iowa before surrendering late-period points that proved too much for Laudon to overcome.
At 157 pounds, freshman phenom Tyler Turner (20-7) will look to improve his Big Ten record against Iowa’s No. 8 Joe Johnston. The matchup should be intriguing because Johnston is 2-2 in his last four duels, losing to Brad Harper of Purdue and Ryan Burtin of Michigan. Last week, Turner defeated Harper 3-1.
Iowa’s other No. 2-ranked man is 174-pounder Tyler Nixt. Wisconsin’s tri-captain is also on a hot streak, having defeated No. 4 Ryan Lange of Purdue 5-1 just a week ago.
At 184 pounds, No. 20 Brady Reinke will face No. 12 Paul Bradley. Reinke has been wrestling tough lately and recently broke into the rankings. Bradley was recently the feature of an article in the Daily Iowan about his tendency for injuries and lack of two front teeth. Reinke will look to add more pain to Bradley’s life in a must-win match for the Badgers.
Wisconsin will need to win the close ones and earn some upsets if it wishes to earn its first win against Iowa since the 1965-66 season, when the Badgers defeated the Hawkeyes 18-12. Wisconsin has lost 31 straight to the Hawkeyes, with two consecutive 17-17 ties coming in the 1972-73 and 1973-74 seasons.
After the Badgers take on Iowa, they will travel to Ann Arbor Sunday to face the Big Ten-leading Michigan Wolverines. Michigan (14-3, 4-1 Big Ten) is led by No. 2 Foley Dowd at 133 pounds.
