The University of Wisconsin wrestling team (5-10, 1-6 Big Ten) faced off against the Michigan State Spartans Sunday at the UW Field House (4-7, 0-6) as the only two Big Ten squads remaining winless in conference competition.
The Badgers emerged victorious by a final score of 25-12. The teams swapped positions at the bottom of the Big Ten standings, with Wisconsin moving from No. 14 to No. 13. This is a much-needed boost, as Wisconsin is coming off six straight conference dual losses.
Seven of the ten weight-class matchups were claimed by the Badgers, who kept the Spartans from coming near Wisconsin’s lead. A few of the seven Badger winners are familiar to the Spartans, having participated in the Michigan State Open earlier this season.
This past November, a trio of redshirt freshmen, Nicolar Rivera (125 lbs), Zan Fugitt (133 lbs) and Luke Condon (174 lbs), all started their seasons on a high note with open podium finishes in East Lansing, Michigan, finishing first, second and third respectively.
These three had influential victories in the conference dual win, wrestling at the same weight as they did in the Michigan State Open. Rivera earned a major decision (4 points), Fugitt earned a technical fall (5 points) and Condon won by decision (3 points).
Nicolar Rivera, ranked No. 19 at 125 lbs, opened the afternoon with a relentless effort against Caleb Weiand, pulling ahead to a 9-4 lead after the first period. Continuing to dominate, he secured a riding time advantage in the third period. His 14-4 major decision at the 125-lbs class secured four team points for the Badgers and improved his conference dual record to 4-3 on the season.
.sno-67af5d8c4ae57 {
background-color: #ffffff;border: 5px solid #888888;box-shadow: -1px 0 2px 0 rgb(0 0 0 / 12%), 1px 0 2px 0 rgb(0 0 0 / 12%), 0 1px 1px 0 rgb(0 0 0 / 24%);width: calc(100% – 40px); margin: 30px auto !important; float: none;}
.sno-67af5d8c4ae57 h5 {
color: #000000;
}
Zan Fugitt, ranked No. 19 at 133 lbs, kept the party going, opening his match against Andy Hampton with four takedowns and ending the first period ahead 14-3. The match concluded early, as Fugitt achieved a 21-5 technical fall, earning five points at the 133-pound level, raising the Badgers’ lead to 9-0. He also improved his personal conference dual record to 4-3.
At the 141-pound level, redshirt freshman Brock Bobzien secured his first Big Ten dual victory with a 4-1 decision over Jaden Crumpler. While no points were exchanged through the first two periods, Bobzien captured a significant riding time advantage. In the final period, Bobzien executed a double-leg takedown to cement the Badgers’ 12-0 overall lead.
The Spartans came marching back as redshirt freshman Clayton Jones clinched a fall over redshirt senior Aidan Medora in the 141-pound class. The fall came after a referee timeout, with Jones sweeping Medora’s leg and bringing him down to the mat. This 6-point grab cut the Badgers’ lead in half to a modest 12-6.
This change in momentum did not last long, as redshirt junior Luke Mechler improved his conference dual record to 2-5 on the season. Through quick attacks, Mechler tallied up four unanswered takedowns against Michigan State’s Jack Conley. The margin of 12-4 meant that Mechler won by a major decision, and the Badgers padded their overall lead to 16-6.
Having wrestled two duals at 157 pounds last season, redshirt sophomore Cody Goebel was moved up to the 165-pound class for the 2024-25 season. This match against Jay Nivison was Goebel’s first conference dual at this weight class, and he sneaked out a sudden victory.
A balanced fight through regulation, Goebel and Nivison each recorded one escape. With the score locked at 1-1 and 12 seconds remaining in the sudden victory period, Goebel landed a takedown to seal the deal, raising the Badgers’ team score by three, to 19-6.
Condon, who placed third at the Michigan State Open earlier this season, defeated Michigan State’s Ceasar Garza on his way to the podium. The two faced off again in conference dual play, and Condon was able to improve his conference dual record to 3-4 for the season.
Through an early takedown, Condon was able to manage his lead through the third period, capturing a 5-0 decision at the 174-lbs class and giving the Badgers a 22-6 lead with three matches to go.
Wisconsin was preparing to conserve this cushion of a lead through the home stretch. With true freshman Matthew Jens making his second conference dual appearance, his opponent, Cory Thomas, happened to be another true freshman looking for a first conference dual win himself.
The two exchanged takedowns, with Thomas leading 11-9 after the second period. Jens could not overcome a near fall and a final takedown from Thomas, and the match ended 19-13, with Michigan State getting three points. Suddenly, the Spartans were within striking distance, as the match score became 22-9, Wisconsin.
Badger fans were pleased to see another true freshman in the mix, with Wyatt Ingham stepping up at the 197-lbs class. A two-time WIAA state champion at Amery (2023-182, 2024-190) Ingham faced No. 24 Remy Cotton in his second-ever conference dual match.
.sno-67af5d8c4b669 {
background-color: #ffffff;border: 5px solid #888888;box-shadow: -1px 0 2px 0 rgb(0 0 0 / 12%), 1px 0 2px 0 rgb(0 0 0 / 12%), 0 1px 1px 0 rgb(0 0 0 / 24%);width: calc(100% – 40px); margin: 30px auto !important; float: none;}
.sno-67af5d8c4b669 h5 {
color: #000000;
}
While Cotton came out hot with two takedowns in the first period, Ingham responded with a takedown near the end of the second period, closing the deficit to 10-5. The third period opened with two quick takedowns from Ingham, matched with escapes from Cotton, bringing the score to 12-11, Cotton.
A final takedown with 33 seconds left completed Ingham’s comeback, and he rode the 14-12 lead to victory. This decision put the Badgers out of reach for Michigan State, 25-9, en route to their first conference dual victory of the season.
Closing out the action-packed meet was the heavyweight matchup, consisting of redshirt sophomore Gannon Rosenfeld and Max Vanadia. Rosenfeld opened with a takedown, but Vanadia matched to close the first period ahead 4-3. With another takedown as the second period closed, Vanadia could comfortably see out the third period, along with his victory, 11-4.
While the Spartans picked up some points in the latter matches, head coach Chris Bono and the Badgers ultimately survived by a final score of 25-12. This team’s dual victory redirects momentum as they travel to Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois this Friday, Feb. 14, to close out Big Ten conference dual competition against Northwestern.
Following a home non-conference duel against Northern Iowa on Friday, Feb. 21, the Badgers will shift gears for the Big Ten Conference Championships March 8 and 9. Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois will host the conference championships this year.
While they are not competing to solidify seeding as a team, the Badgers are competing for individual slots across brackets by weight class. We can expect the best available wrestlers to be shoehorned into unnatural weight classes, as conference championship results determine national championship qualification.
Wisconsin’s program is always aiming to place competitors on the national championship stage, though, it also seems focused on developing its new youth. Ingham’s stellar performance should be seen as a promising indicator of what head coach Chris Bono and his staff have been implementing at the UW Field House.