Wisconsin
Wisconsin placed in the top 25 at the NCAA Championships for the 5th straight year getting 27 points/21st place. The Badgers qualified six wrestlers into the NCAA Championships with two becoming All-Americans (E.Wick and Hillger). Wisconsin went 9-6 in duals with their biggest wins coming against Nebraska and Princeton. Their biggest loss was a 35-2 shellacking versus Iowa. Wisconsin placed 4th at the Cyclone Open, 4th at Midlands and 7th at the Big 10 Championships.
“Turbulent” comes to mind in describing Wisconsin’s lineup over the course of last season and heading into this season. They lose two NCAA qualifiers but gain a former champion and a former qualifier from transfer and could have as many as six new starters this season. The Badgers are also adding in a lot of freshman talent. If Gross comes back to pre-injury form, Wisconsin should significantly add to their points this season at the NCAA Championships. Wisconsin has not yet released their 19/20 schedule.
125
Ethan Rotondo (Jr) <Union, WA>
Eric Barnett <Hortonville, WI>
Rotondo went 18-10 on the season but became the Badger starter late in the season after Connor Brown was injured and left the team. (I couldn’t find any info on where, if anywhere yet, Brown is at now.) Rotondo went 0-3 in Big Ten duals and received the 14th seed at the conference championships. He fell just short of qualifying for the NCAAs, losing to Heinselman (tOSU) in the 9th place match. <Bonus: 21.4%, RPI: .552>
Incoming freshman Eric Barnett could forgo a redshirt and start immediately. He was a three-time Wisconsin state champion and finished his last three seasons undefeated. Barnett also defeated Kurt McHenry at the 2018 Who’s #1. He’s ranked #3 at 126 by Intermat.
133
Seth Gross (Sr) <Apple Valley, MN>
Gross’s journey across the Midwest college landscape will be concluding in Wisconsin this season. He’s hopefully going to regain his form, coming back from a season ending injury to add to an already very deep 133 weight class. Gross is a three-time qualifier, placing 2nd in 2017 and winning the championship at SDSU in 2018.
Last season, outgoing senior Jens Lantz went 14-16. He was the 11 seed at the Big Ten Championships and didn’t place in the top 10.
141
Tristan Moran (Sr) <Stillwater, OK>
Moran, after escaping being buried in OSU’s depth chart, became the starter for Wisconsin last season and qualified for his first NCAA championships. He went 26-11 and finished 6th at the Big Ten Championships which earned him the 11 seed at the NCAAs. After a first round upset to (22)Max Murin (Iowa), Moran won three straight in the wrestlebacks before losing a close match to Mitch McKee (Minny) in the round of 12. <Bonus: 40.5%, RPI: .645>
149
Cole Martin (Sr) <Lancaster, WI>
Martin is entering his final season with the Badgers and should finish his career as a 4-time NCAA qualifier. He went 21-13 last season and finished 4th at the Big Ten Championships. From the 19 seed at the NCAA Championships he upset (14)Requir van der Merwe (Stan) in the first round but then lost his next two matches. <Bonus: 29.4%, RPI: .623>
157
Garrett Model (So) < Stoughton, WI>
Devin Bahr (So) <West Salem, WI>
Model went 10-14 last season becoming the starter after Zander Wick was injured. He was the 13 seed and the Big Ten Championships and did not place in the top 10. Bahr also got some starts at 157 last season and went 13-11. Neither Bahr or Model had any wins against NCAA qualifiers.
Zander Wick began the season as the starter but his season was cut short again by injury. Unfortunately, due to his series of injuries, Wick had to announce his retirement from wrestling.
165
Evan Wick (Jr) <San Marino, CA>
Wick will be looking to reach the finals for the first time in his third season for the Badgers. He had another strong season in the 165 meat grinder, compiling a 32-6 record, finishing 4th at the Big Ten Championships and then finishing 4th at the NCAA Championships. Wick advanced to the championship semis with a pin of (5)Chance Marsteller (LHU) before losing 5-2 to eventual champion Mekhi Lewis (VT). Wick defeated (7)Isaiah White (Neb) in the wrestlebacks before losing a close match to Marsteller in the 3rd place match. Wick defeated Marsteller for 3rd place in 2018. <Bonus: 55.3%, RPI: .693>
174
Tyler Dow (Fr) <Stoughton, WI>
Dow went 20-4 mostly at 165 last season. He finished the year with four matches at 174. Dow didn’t wrestle any 2019 NCAA qualifiers. His losses were to Anthony Valencia (ASU), Nelson Brands (Iowa), Emil Soehnlen (Pur) and Ryan Thomas (Minny).
Last season, Ryan Christensen finished his career as a 4-time NCAA qualifier. He went 18-10 overall and placed 8th at the Big Ten Championships (8 allocations). Christensen was the 15 seed at the NCAA Championships and went 1-2 after being upset by (33)Devin Kane (UNC) in the wrestlebacks. (Kane went all the way to the round of 12.)
184
Johnny Sebastian (Sr) <Bergen Catholic, NJ>
Sebastian received a 6th year after his season was cut short due to injury last season at Northwestern. He was a two-time NCAA qualifier for Northwestern, going 2-2 in 2018 and 0-2 in 2017.
Last season, Mason Reinhardt qualified for the NCAAs for the first time. He went 21-16 and placed 8th at the Big Ten Championships (8 allocations). Reinhardt was the 22 seed at the NCAA Championships and went 1-2. {Anyone know where Reinhardt went? He’s not listed on Wisconsin’s roster and has one year of eligibility left.}
197
Taylor Watkins (Sr) <Columbus, KA>
Peter Christensen <Montini Catholic, IL>
Watkins transferred in from Missouri where he went 17-10 mostly in opens last season. Another incoming freshman that might see the starting lineup this season is Peter Christensen. Christensen is a two-time 3A Wisconsin state champion. He’s ranked 2nd at 195 by Intermat.
Last season, Nebraska transfer Beau Breske (Jr) went 13-10 last season and placed 6th at the Big Ten Championships, one spot short of qualifying for the NCAAs. Breske became the starter midway through the season (moving up from 174), replacing true freshman Andrew Salemme who went 4-13 and had no dual wins. {Anyone know where Breske went? He’s also not listed on Wisconsin’s roster and has two years left.}
Heavy
Trent Hillger (So) <Lake Fenton, MI>
Hillger had a successful season as a first-year starting going 24-9 and placing 4th at the Big Ten Championships. After losing to the Champion, Anthony Cassar, in the quarterfinals Hillger won his first match in the wrestlebacks against (20) Zach Elam (Mizz) to secure a spot on the podium. He lost his next two and finished in 8th place. <Bonus: 21.2%, RPI: .671>
New Faces
Chris Bono is bringing in quite a haul of recruits to Wisconsin this year. The Badgers have four top-15, three of which are ranked in the top-3, in weight class incoming freshmen:
Eric Barnett <Hortonville, WI>
Listed under 125 above.
Kyle Burwick <Hettinger, ND>
Burwick is a 5-time North Dakota state champion. He finished 4th at the 2019 Junior Freestyle Nationals @126. Burwick is ranked #1 at 126 by Intermat and is expected to wrestle at 133 for Wisconsin.
Joshua Otto <Arrowhead, WI>
Otto is a two-time Wisconsin state champion and the 2019 USAW Junior Folkstyle Nationals champion @170. He is ranked 14th at 170 by Intermat and is expected to wrestle at 165 for Wisconsin.
Peter Christensen <Montini Catholic, IL>
Listed under 197 above.
Wisconsin placed in the top 25 at the NCAA Championships for the 5th straight year getting 27 points/21st place. The Badgers qualified six wrestlers into the NCAA Championships with two becoming All-Americans (E.Wick and Hillger). Wisconsin went 9-6 in duals with their biggest wins coming against Nebraska and Princeton. Their biggest loss was a 35-2 shellacking versus Iowa. Wisconsin placed 4th at the Cyclone Open, 4th at Midlands and 7th at the Big 10 Championships.
“Turbulent” comes to mind in describing Wisconsin’s lineup over the course of last season and heading into this season. They lose two NCAA qualifiers but gain a former champion and a former qualifier from transfer and could have as many as six new starters this season. The Badgers are also adding in a lot of freshman talent. If Gross comes back to pre-injury form, Wisconsin should significantly add to their points this season at the NCAA Championships. Wisconsin has not yet released their 19/20 schedule.
125
Ethan Rotondo (Jr) <Union, WA>
Eric Barnett <Hortonville, WI>
Rotondo went 18-10 on the season but became the Badger starter late in the season after Connor Brown was injured and left the team. (I couldn’t find any info on where, if anywhere yet, Brown is at now.) Rotondo went 0-3 in Big Ten duals and received the 14th seed at the conference championships. He fell just short of qualifying for the NCAAs, losing to Heinselman (tOSU) in the 9th place match. <Bonus: 21.4%, RPI: .552>
Incoming freshman Eric Barnett could forgo a redshirt and start immediately. He was a three-time Wisconsin state champion and finished his last three seasons undefeated. Barnett also defeated Kurt McHenry at the 2018 Who’s #1. He’s ranked #3 at 126 by Intermat.
133
Seth Gross (Sr) <Apple Valley, MN>
Gross’s journey across the Midwest college landscape will be concluding in Wisconsin this season. He’s hopefully going to regain his form, coming back from a season ending injury to add to an already very deep 133 weight class. Gross is a three-time qualifier, placing 2nd in 2017 and winning the championship at SDSU in 2018.
Last season, outgoing senior Jens Lantz went 14-16. He was the 11 seed at the Big Ten Championships and didn’t place in the top 10.
141
Tristan Moran (Sr) <Stillwater, OK>
Moran, after escaping being buried in OSU’s depth chart, became the starter for Wisconsin last season and qualified for his first NCAA championships. He went 26-11 and finished 6th at the Big Ten Championships which earned him the 11 seed at the NCAAs. After a first round upset to (22)Max Murin (Iowa), Moran won three straight in the wrestlebacks before losing a close match to Mitch McKee (Minny) in the round of 12. <Bonus: 40.5%, RPI: .645>
149
Cole Martin (Sr) <Lancaster, WI>
Martin is entering his final season with the Badgers and should finish his career as a 4-time NCAA qualifier. He went 21-13 last season and finished 4th at the Big Ten Championships. From the 19 seed at the NCAA Championships he upset (14)Requir van der Merwe (Stan) in the first round but then lost his next two matches. <Bonus: 29.4%, RPI: .623>
157
Garrett Model (So) < Stoughton, WI>
Devin Bahr (So) <West Salem, WI>
Model went 10-14 last season becoming the starter after Zander Wick was injured. He was the 13 seed and the Big Ten Championships and did not place in the top 10. Bahr also got some starts at 157 last season and went 13-11. Neither Bahr or Model had any wins against NCAA qualifiers.
Zander Wick began the season as the starter but his season was cut short again by injury. Unfortunately, due to his series of injuries, Wick had to announce his retirement from wrestling.
165
Evan Wick (Jr) <San Marino, CA>
Wick will be looking to reach the finals for the first time in his third season for the Badgers. He had another strong season in the 165 meat grinder, compiling a 32-6 record, finishing 4th at the Big Ten Championships and then finishing 4th at the NCAA Championships. Wick advanced to the championship semis with a pin of (5)Chance Marsteller (LHU) before losing 5-2 to eventual champion Mekhi Lewis (VT). Wick defeated (7)Isaiah White (Neb) in the wrestlebacks before losing a close match to Marsteller in the 3rd place match. Wick defeated Marsteller for 3rd place in 2018. <Bonus: 55.3%, RPI: .693>
174
Tyler Dow (Fr) <Stoughton, WI>
Dow went 20-4 mostly at 165 last season. He finished the year with four matches at 174. Dow didn’t wrestle any 2019 NCAA qualifiers. His losses were to Anthony Valencia (ASU), Nelson Brands (Iowa), Emil Soehnlen (Pur) and Ryan Thomas (Minny).
Last season, Ryan Christensen finished his career as a 4-time NCAA qualifier. He went 18-10 overall and placed 8th at the Big Ten Championships (8 allocations). Christensen was the 15 seed at the NCAA Championships and went 1-2 after being upset by (33)Devin Kane (UNC) in the wrestlebacks. (Kane went all the way to the round of 12.)
184
Johnny Sebastian (Sr) <Bergen Catholic, NJ>
Sebastian received a 6th year after his season was cut short due to injury last season at Northwestern. He was a two-time NCAA qualifier for Northwestern, going 2-2 in 2018 and 0-2 in 2017.
Last season, Mason Reinhardt qualified for the NCAAs for the first time. He went 21-16 and placed 8th at the Big Ten Championships (8 allocations). Reinhardt was the 22 seed at the NCAA Championships and went 1-2. {Anyone know where Reinhardt went? He’s not listed on Wisconsin’s roster and has one year of eligibility left.}
197
Taylor Watkins (Sr) <Columbus, KA>
Peter Christensen <Montini Catholic, IL>
Watkins transferred in from Missouri where he went 17-10 mostly in opens last season. Another incoming freshman that might see the starting lineup this season is Peter Christensen. Christensen is a two-time 3A Wisconsin state champion. He’s ranked 2nd at 195 by Intermat.
Last season, Nebraska transfer Beau Breske (Jr) went 13-10 last season and placed 6th at the Big Ten Championships, one spot short of qualifying for the NCAAs. Breske became the starter midway through the season (moving up from 174), replacing true freshman Andrew Salemme who went 4-13 and had no dual wins. {Anyone know where Breske went? He’s also not listed on Wisconsin’s roster and has two years left.}
Heavy
Trent Hillger (So) <Lake Fenton, MI>
Hillger had a successful season as a first-year starting going 24-9 and placing 4th at the Big Ten Championships. After losing to the Champion, Anthony Cassar, in the quarterfinals Hillger won his first match in the wrestlebacks against (20) Zach Elam (Mizz) to secure a spot on the podium. He lost his next two and finished in 8th place. <Bonus: 21.2%, RPI: .671>
New Faces
Chris Bono is bringing in quite a haul of recruits to Wisconsin this year. The Badgers have four top-15, three of which are ranked in the top-3, in weight class incoming freshmen:
Eric Barnett <Hortonville, WI>
Listed under 125 above.
Kyle Burwick <Hettinger, ND>
Burwick is a 5-time North Dakota state champion. He finished 4th at the 2019 Junior Freestyle Nationals @126. Burwick is ranked #1 at 126 by Intermat and is expected to wrestle at 133 for Wisconsin.
Joshua Otto <Arrowhead, WI>
Otto is a two-time Wisconsin state champion and the 2019 USAW Junior Folkstyle Nationals champion @170. He is ranked 14th at 170 by Intermat and is expected to wrestle at 165 for Wisconsin.
Peter Christensen <Montini Catholic, IL>
Listed under 197 above.
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