The No. 8 Wisconsin wrestling team has opened its season with an unblemished 3-0 record and is set for a pair of matchups this weekend that will play a key role in preparing for the Badgers' rigorous Big Ten schedule, which resumes Jan. 20.
UW travels to No. 20 Northern Iowa Saturday before returning for their home opener against No. 24 Northern Illinois Sunday afternoon.
"We've got two ranked teams coming up, and things are going very well right now," UW head coach Barry Davis said.
This weekend will also give the Wisconsin coaching staff one last chance to see the athletes perform as the Badgers close out the first half of their season.
"After [this weekend], us coaches will get together and evaluate things, and they have to evaluate themselves and get there as a team and individuals … everybody at one time before the second half of the season," Davis said. "So we can't afford to let down now, but obviously things get a lot tougher starting in January with Big Ten competition coming up."
Underclassmen stepping up: Part of the Badgers' early-season success is thanks to some of the younger grapplers stepping up.
Included in this group are sophomore Craig Henning (157-pound weight class), redshirt freshman heavyweight Kyle Massey and redshirt freshman Dallas Herbst (197 pounds).
"The class from two years ago is doing very good. They've stepped up well for us," Davis said. "Craig Henning and Dallas Herbst as well as Kyle Massey, actually all three of those guys are ranked. And I think two of them are ranked in the Top 10 right now. So they've done a very good job and it's created a lot more competition … and it shows the way we're competing right now."
The three have not only been a spark in meets so far this season, but also in Badger practices.
With three young wrestlers competing well, it means the others at those weight classes are having to work just that much harder to try and work their way into the lineup.
"You know, they're very competitive and they're trying to find a way in the lineup that way, and that just creates more competition," Davis said. "You've got a guy like Henning and Dallas Herbst and Kyle Massey doing so well, other guys see that and they want to be in the lineup as well too. So, yeah, it's created more competition all the way around for us. So it's been a positive."
