Like most everybody else on campus, the UW wrestling team will enjoy a week of rest and relaxation during Spring Break. Unlike most students on campus, eight Badger grapplers will head to St. Louis, Mo., March 20-22, with hopes of bringing championship hardware back to Madison.
Following a sixth-place finish at the Big Ten Championship meet, eight grapplers qualified for national competition and extended their season for one last competition.
Two Badger seniors will finish their careers in the national spotlight, as both Jake Donar and Dan Clum qualified. Donar, who heads into next weekend’s competition with a 12-14 overall record, will make his second appearance. Meanwhile, Clum will enjoy his third NCAA Tournament on the heels of his seventh-place finish in the 174-pound class.
The highest-ranked Badger to qualify, junior Dallas Herbst, will participate in his third straight championship meet, where he hopes to improve upon his 28-4 overall record. Last season in the NCAA Tournament, Herbst tallied two falls but failed to place en route to finishing the year 31-8 overall.
Sophomore Trevor Brandvold will participate in his second-straight NCAA meet after finishing fourth at the conference championships last weekend. Brandvold will enter the competition with an 18-12 overall mark.
Badger junior Kyle Massey qualified for the national meet for the second time in the past three seasons. Boasting a 27-7 record in the heavyweight division, Massey will look to have another strong showing on the national stage.
The 125-pound class has been solid for UW all season long, and much of that credit belongs to senior Collin Cudd. Every year he has wrestled as a Badger, Cudd has qualified for the NCAA Championships. This year is no different, as the 20-10 veteran will make his fourth and final appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the cardinal and white.
Junior Zach Tanelli earned his second trip to the NCAA meet after finishing fifth in the 133-pound class in the Big Ten Championships. Tanelli has been no stranger to victory as he has finished 25-10 on the season, his second 20-win season in as many years.
Sophomore Kyle Ruschell will appear in the NCAA finals for the second time in a row, following his sixth-place finish in the conference match. Ruschell’s injury forced him to forfeit his third and fifth-place matches, but he qualified nonetheless. He will head to St. Louis with a 25-8 overall record.
Noticeably missing from the list of Badgers headed for the national meet is senior Craig Henning. The three-time national participant and last season’s third-place finisher at 157 pounds failed to win a match in the Big Ten Championships and did not qualify for the NCAA Championships. The two-time All-American finished his Badger career with a 22-5 season record.
