After falling 26-12 to Minnesota in early February, the Wisconsin wrestling team's Big Ten record dropped to 2-3. As the Badgers head to Bloomington, Ind., for the conference tournament this weekend, that slump seems like decades ago.
No. 19 Wisconsin (9-5-1 overall, 4-3-1 Big Ten) enters the Big Ten Tournament having gone 2-0-1 in its last three matches. Members of the team are thrilled to be getting into a groove at the right time.
The way we see it is that we're peaking at the right time,\ sophomore Craig Henning said. ""We're in better shape and we're hitting our moves sharper. We're feeling real good going into the tournament.""
Henning is the highest seed for the Badgers, at No. 2 in the 157 lb. weight class. Last year he placed second in the conference tournament before heading to the NCAA tournament and upsetting No. 18 Rayes Gonzales of Boston University 13-11.
For Henning, the leadership role is something new, but he embraces the responsibility of tutoring with open arms.
""It's kind of weird being so young and people looking up to you already,"" Henning said. ""It's also a real good feeling having those people that don't have quite as much experience as you do looking up to you and looking for pointers.""
Henning's main competition is the talk of tournament. Illinois senior Alex Tirapelle, a two-time defending conference champion, enters the tournament at 25-1.
Junior captain Tyler Turner, who finished seventh last year at the Big Ten Tournament, has a tough road ahead of him as a sixth seed in the 149 lb. class. However, Turner looks at the rough road as a challenge.
""Everybody that beat me, beat me by two points,"" Turner said. ""This is going to be a set of great, close matches. Just stay focused the whole match and I'll be right there with them. I'm expecting to be in the championships.""
Other Badgers wrestling are senior Tom Clum, seeded fourth at 133 lbs.; senior Ed Gutnik, eighth at 141; sophomore Jake Donar, sixth at 165; and senior Lee Kraemer, sixth at heavyweight.
The Big Ten is possibly the strongest it has been in recent memory, placing nine teams in the top 20 nationally.
""It's a real tough field with a bunch of people returning,"" Henning said. ""We got National Champions and All-Americans at every weight. It's going to be real tough, but everybody seems to be up for the challenge to compete.""
But the Badgers said they look at the strength of the competition as an opportunity to get their name out.
""It's just a great opportunity to get our name out, as a team and individually,"" Turner said. ""We just take it as a great opportunity to show what Wisconsin wrestling is all about.""
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