Coming off recent wins against Indiana and Ohio State, Wisconsin (9-3-2 overall, 2-3-1 Big Ten) will look to keep the ball rolling with two big matches this weekend. The Badgers have a long weekend ahead of them, facing two tough conference opponents in three days. Tonight, the wrestlers take on No. 10 Minnesota at home before heading to Evanston, Ill., for a Sunday afternoon showdown with the No. 18 Northwestern Wildcats. This weekend’s contests give the UW wrestling team a chance to finish above .500 in a conference that head coach Barry Davis has been hailing as “one of the toughest” all season long.
“This weekend is huge,” captain Tyler Turner said.
“Seeding-wise, our wins or losses this weekend are going to determine where we stand in the [Big Ten] tournament in a few weeks.” Junior Tom Clum agreed, adding that the conference “is wide open.”
Looking to gain momentum before traveling to Iowa for the Big Ten Tournament in March, the Badgers feel confident about their chances for a 2-0 weekend.
“Building momentum with these next two matches is really important to us,” Clum said. “Other teams know when you are wrestling well, and we want that psychological edge going into the Big Ten tournament. So we’re expecting to win them both.”
Tonight’s matchup, pitting the No. 10 Minnesota Gophers against No. 11 Wisconsin, should certainly be hard fought. Aside from the obvious border rivalry between the two teams, tonight’s match will mark the last appearance at the UW Field House for the team’s seniors.
Of the farewell performances, one to watch will be that of Brady Reinke, the only undefeated wrestler on the Wisconsin squad. No. 8 in the national rankings in the 184-pound weight class, Reinke squares off against the Golden Gopher’s sixth-ranked Roger Kish.
Another marquee pairing will be at 133 pounds, as Wisconsin’s seventh-ranked Clum (19-3) faces off against Minnesota’s Mack Reiter, third in the standings. As they aim to defeat the Golden Gophers in their final home match, the Badgers will receive a little help from a special guest: Landon, a star of MTV’s current season of “the Real World.”
Serving as an honorary wrestling coach, the former UW student and avid Badger wrestling fan will join head coach Barry Davis and assistant coaches Bart Chelesvig and Cory Wallman on the mats.
Not that the Badgers need much help: seven of the 10 weight classes are filled with guys ranked in the top 20 nationally. This depth, the Badgers hope, will carry them through the weekend.
“While we are going to have to wrestle well, and there are going to be some tight matches, I’m expecting us to win seven out of 10, in both matches,” junior captain Ryan Flaherty said.
Sunday will bring some tough competition when the Badgers travel to Evanston, Ill., to face the Northwestern Wildcats, another Big Ten conference rival.
“Northwestern has really come out and surprised a lot of people with the way they have been wrestling,” Clum said. “We can’t be overconfident with them.”
However cautious the wrestlers are about the unexpected success of the Northwestern squad, junior captain Kelly Flaherty believes his squad still holds the upper hand.
“We’ve really picked up the intensity this past week,” he said. “We had the last weekend off, which really gave us some time to prepare for these guys.”
According to Turner, if all goes according to plan, look for the Badgers to go 2-0 this weekend.
“We’ve definitely got the talent to win these both,” Turner said. “We’ve been preparing the last two weeks for this. We’re ready.”
