In the University of Wisconsin wrestling team’s (11-5, 4-5 Big Ten) last Big Ten dual of the year, they welcomed the No. 17 Michigan Wolverines (6-6, 5-4) to the UW Field House. The Badgers were looking to bounce back after dropping an upset to unranked Michigan State last Sunday.
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After Eric Barnett lost an 8–3 decision at 125 to open the dual, No. 1 Seth Gross got the Badgers back on track. Gross picked up an 18–0 tech fall, which is the largest difference in score possible in an NCAA wrestling match. Gross dominated the match via three sets of four-point near-falls.
In No. 4 Tristan Moran’s return to competition, he looked shaky. Moran did manage to win 5–4 over unranked Michigan grappler Cole Mattin.
No. 15 Cole Martin got the UW Field House jumping around with a thrilling double-overtime 9–8 win over Michigan’s Ben Lamantia. Martin scored a reversal as the final seconds of regulation ticked away to tie the match and send it to overtime.
Garrett Model gave an encouraging effort at 157 for the Badgers. He faced cadet world champion and one of the nation’s top 157’s in No. 8 Will Lewan. Model lost 5–3 decision to make the team score 11–6 Badgers heading into the halfway point of the dual.
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No. 4 Evan Wick wrestled a competitive match against Michigan’s Reece Hughes. Wick poured it on late with two third-period takedowns to end the match with a 9–5 victory.
In a matchup of Wisconsin high school state champs, Tyler Dow defeated Michigan’s Max Maylor 4–3. It was also Dow’s first home victory in the UW Field House as a college wrestler.
No. 22 Johnny Sebastian got his season back on track with a dominant-ranked win over Michigan’s No. 21 Jelani Embree, 5–2. Sebastian clinched the dual for the Badgers as they were up 20–6 heading into the final two bouts of the afternoon.
Taylor Watkins dropped a 7–3 decision at 197 for the Badgers. The 197 weight class continues to be a problem for the Badgers, who need production at all weight classes to be competitive on a team level heading into the postseason.
In the matchup of the meet, heavyweight No. 5 Trent Hillger for the Badgers faced junior world champion and No. 2, Mason Parris, from Michigan. In a heavyweight match with many scrambles resembling those of lighter weight classes, Parris showed why he’s ranked so high with a 3–1 decision victory over Hillger.
The No. 4 Badgers came out with a 20–12 victory over the No. 17 Wolverines. The Badger’s final competition before the postseason is against a competitive No. 16 Northern Iowa team Thursday at the UW Field House. Catch the action in person at 8 p.m. or on the Big Ten Network.
