Showcasing the talents of its young roster and its future potential, Wisconsin finished seventh at this weekend’s Big Ten Wrestling Championships held at the Kohl Center.
The seventh-place finish belies the actual performance of the Badgers, who were within striking distance of fourth place on the final day before slipping back to their eventual finish. Eight of the 10 UW wrestlers earned a spot on the podium, indicating a top-eight finish in their weight class.
Redshirt senior Tyler Graff, wrestling at 133 pounds, was Wisconsin’s top wrestler this weekend. Graff, a three-time All-American, dominated his opponents Saturday and earned a spot in the championship match Sunday.
Graff faced Iowa’s Tony Ramos, who was the Big Ten’s runner-up each of the past two seasons. Ramos and Graff were evenly matched but Ramos prevailed, 2-1. He earned the decisive point because of his advantage in riding time, the amount of time a wrestler controls his opponent during the match.
In perhaps the most intense match of the weekend, Wisconsin redshirt freshman Isaac Jordan took on Iowa’s Derek St. John in the 157-pound semifinals. With Wisconsin and Iowa fans making up a large percentage of the crowd, the arena grew loud and created an electric atmosphere.
Though Jordan dominated in riding time, he struggled to earn points and put the match away. Trailing 2-1 with 10 seconds left in the final round, St. John secured a takedown to go ahead 3-2. With Jordan’s riding-time advantage, the match went into its equivalent of overtime.
The stalemate continued there and the bout proceeded to a second tiebreaker, the equivalent of triple overtime. Jordan seemed to have a takedown secured, but St. John escaped to earn a 4-3 victory.
Despite the fatigue from Saturday, Jordan won two sudden-victory bouts Sunday to take home third place in the stacked 157-pound weight class.
Redshirt freshman Ryan Taylor placed third in the 125-pound weight class. He nearly earned a spot in the championship but lost in Saturday’s semifinal because of a riding-time disadvantage. Taylor won each of his consolation matches Sunday with ease.
The other Wisconsin wrestlers to secure places on the podium were redshirt freshman Jesse Thielke (141 pounds), redshirt freshman Rylan Lubeck (149 pounds), senior Scott Liegel (174 pounds), redshirt junior Timmy McCall (197 pounds) and redshirt sophomore Connor Medbery (heavyweight).
Liegel and Lubeck both finished sixth, while McCall, Medbery and Thielke all finished seventh.
Taylor, Graff, Lubeck, Jordan, Liegel, McCall and Medbery all qualified automatically for the NCAA Championships, which will take place March 20-22 in Oklahoma City, Okla. Thielke could still qualify for an at-large bid when selections are announced Monday.
The most encouraging news of the day was the performance of the Badgers’ young wrestlers. Precisely half of the roster is made up of freshmen, and half of Wisconsin’s tournament competitors were either freshmen or sophomores. It is a case study in having both quality and quantity.
“The key is that every guy steps up to the mat and wrestles above his seed,” said Wisconsin head coach Barry Davis at a press conference Friday. “If we do that, we’re headed in the right direction.”
Wisconsin met Davis’ objective. Taylor, Thielke, Lubeck and McCall all placed higher than their seeding. Lubeck’s sixth-place finish was the most impressive, as he was completely unseeded entering the tournament.
This weekend’s tournament was the 100th edition of the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. The Kohl Center did an excellent job of hosting, drawing an average of nearly 10,000 fans for each of the three sessions.
During lulls in the action, video boards displayed the achievements of some of the conference’s most accomplished wrestlers. Additionally, former Big Ten champions were introduced at each weight class’ podium ceremony, and fans had the opportunity to select the Big Ten’s all-time wrestling roster.
While Wisconsin’s youth gives it the ability to win its first conference championship in the next few years, the team still needs to make up a sizable gap. Tournament champion Penn State nearly doubled the Badgers’ score as the Nittany Lions held off pesky Iowa to win their fourth consecutive Big Ten title.
Penn State’s David Taylor, wrestling at 165 pounds, earned his fourth consecutive conference championship and completed his Big Ten career undefeated in the conference. He was named the Wrestler of the Championships for his performance.
Penn State will now look to extend its national dominance as well. The Nittany Lions have won the last three NCAA titles, and a Big Ten school has won it all every year since 2007.
