The 2009-'10 season was the best for Wisconsin wrestling in recent history. It was a season that saw the team earn a fourth place finish at last year's NCAA Wrestling Championships, tying for the best finish in school history. The team was honored with four All-Americans, including undefeated NCAA National Champion sophomore Andrew Howe (165 pounds). In addition to that, head coach Barry Davis was named National Wrestling Coaches Association Coach of the Year.
So, this season one might say, is one of the most anticipated seasons in school history, with six starters, including three returning All-Americans, returning, and head coach Barry Davis still at the helm. The rest of the nation saw this as a big year for the Badgers as well, ranking them No. 5 in the 2010 NWCA/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll.
The Wisconsin wrestling team opened up with a win at UNC-Greensboro and three wins in the ACC Challenge.
The Badgers next competed in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. UW faired very well, with Howe winning the 165 pound weight class and the team finishing second behind No. 1 Cornell.
The team then won its first home match against Northern Iowa 23-14 and afterward wrestled at the Midlands Championships. This was another second place finish for the Badgers, with redshirt sophomore Tyler Graff (133 pounds) and junior Travis Rutt (184 pounds) winning their respective weight classes.
Wisconsin's next competition was at the NWCA National Duals. The Badgers won their first two duals against South Dakota State and American, 42-3 and 23-16 respectively. They were upended in the semifinals, however, losing to No. 12 Virginia Tech, 20-19. UW finished third at the Duals by defeating No. 5 Minnesota, 19-17. Five Badger wrestlers finished undefeated at the Duals, including Graff, redshirt sophomore Cole Schmitt (149 pounds), Howe, junior Travis Rutt (184 pounds) and redshirt freshman Derrick Borlie (197 pounds).
The Badgers then officially opened up Big Ten wrestling when they faced No. 15 Illinois. UW was forced to forfeit the 149 pound match and lost Howe to an injury in the 165 pound match, giving away 12 costly points. They were once down 15-3, but won five straight matches to go ahead 19-15. The last match of the night was the 141 pound match between Wisconsin's redshirt freshman Danny Arnel and Illinois' Daryl Thomas. Thomas won the match by four-point tech fall and the match ended in a tie. The tie dropped the Badgers from No. 3 overall to No. 4.
Wisconsin then shifted its focus to non-conference, soon to be Big Ten foe, No. 16 Nebraska. The first match of the night was won by redshirt freshman Kalvin York (157 pounds) with a pin at 3:32. Howe could not wrestle due to injury, so the Badgers had to forfeit the match, evening the score at six a piece. With the score 12-6 Wisconsin, redshirt senior Eric Bugenhagen (heavyweight) got his biggest win of the season by beating No. 10 Tucker Lane in the second tiebreaker after no points were scored in overtime. Graff and redshirt sophomore Shawn Perry (149 pounds) won two of the final four matches to allow the Badgers to escape with a 22-15 victory.
The win against Nebraska showed the true depth of the Badgers' roster, as the team competed Friday night without three of their ranked wrestlers, including No. 2 Howe, No. 2 redshirt senior Trevor Brandvold (197 pounds) and No. 7 Schmitt.
""[The team's progress] has been great, different guys have stepped up. They're doing a great job. You gotta figure we beat Minnesota with a couple guys out, that's a great team,"" Davis said. ""We just beat Nebraska, and we tied Illinois, so good things are going on,"" head coach Barry Davis said.
Davis was not entirely sure when Howe would be back, but his best guess was by the Big Ten Championships. The rest of the Badgers will have to continue to step up in the meantime.
""Guys are believing and they're all pulling together. We're just having a great time. We're doing all the little things right, and that's the key. You do all the little things right and good things will come out on the mat,"" David said.
The No. 4 Badgers (0-0-1 Big Ten, 9-1-1 overall) will travel to No. 5 Minnesota for their second Big Ten dual Jan. 30.
