The crowd was on their feet at the UW Field House after senior wrestler Isaac Jordan tied up the score at 4-4 in the final seconds of the third period of his match. In the extra period, Jordan took down Penn State freshman Vincenzo Joseph to get a 6-4 decision and gave the Badgers fans something more to cheer about.
But despite the jubilation, that would be one of the few moments of joy for Badgers fans. The No. 2 Penn State Nittany Lions (6-0 Big Ten, 10-0 overall) dominated the mat en route to a 33-11 win over Wisconsin (1-4, 3-4) to stay unbeaten for the season. It was always going to be difficult for the Badgers; Penn State is looking to repeat as national champions, and nine of its ten wrestlers are ranked in their weight class.
After a first round pin from the Nittany Lions earned them an early 6-0 lead, Jordan gave the Badgers some momentum with his victory, and he closed the gap to 6-4. However, the Badgers lost the next three rounds, often in blowout fashion. Penn State’s asserted its dominance early and had 10 takedowns while Wisconsin had just one at the half.
The heavyweight match was another highlight for Badger fans and a milestone moment for Connor Medbery. The senior from Loveland, Colo., won his 100th match at Wisconsin to stay unbeaten on the year. After an early takedown by Penn State’s Nick Nevills to make the score 2-0, Medbery fought back with two escapes to level the match. After an escape by Nevills to get to 3-2, Medbery scored a takedown in the final period to take the score to 4-3, clinching his milestone win.
