This Week in Wrestling: Badgers resume Big Ten action
January 08, 2014 | Wrestling
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The Week Ahead
Up Next: A pair of Big Ten contests
No. 23 Wisconsin (8-3) resume dual meet competition on Jan. 10 when they host No. 9 Ohio State in a 7 p.m. match in the UW Field House. The Badgers will then travel to No. 2 Minnesota for a 1 p.m. dual in the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minn.
| Dual 12 | No. 9 Ohio State | |
| Date | Friday, Jan. 10 | 7 p.m. |
| Location | Madison, Wis. | UW Field House |
| Live Stats | TrackWrestling.com |
| Live Coverage | @BadgerWrestling  |
| Watch Live | InsideBadgerSports.com |
| Match Notes | Wisconsin  |
| Dual 13 | at No. 2 Minnesota | |
| Date | Sunday, Jan. 12 | 1 p.m. |
| Location | Minneapolis, Minn. | Sports Pavilion |
| Live Stats | TrackWrestling.com |
| Live Coverage | @BadgerWrestling |
| Watch Live | GopherSports.com |
| Match Notes | Wisconsin |
LAST TIME OUT
The Badgers had four place winners and finished eighth in the team standings at the 51st Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill. Dec. 29-30. Senior Tyler Graff led Wisconsin with a fourth-place finish at 133 lbs., while Issaac Jordan (157 lbs.) and Scott Liegel (174 lbs.) each took sixth in their weight classes. Rylan Lubeck placed eighth at 149 lbs.
BADGERS IN THE POLLS
Wisconsin checked in a No. 23 in the USA Today/NWCA/AWN Division I Coaches Poll this week. Big Ten teams occupy the first three spots in the poll and 10 of the top 25.
Four Badgers have earned a place in the InterMat College Rankings.
• Freshman Ryan Taylor moved up to No. 11 at 125 lbs. this week. Taylor was idle over winter break following an 18-6 major decision over Michigan State's Hermilo Esquivel on Dec. 8.
• Senior Tyler Graff moved up a spot to No. 6 in this week's poll. Graff posted a 5-2 record at Midlands, suffering losses to No. 2 Joe Colon (Northern Iowa) and No. 3 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro).
• Redshirt freshman Isaac Jordan (157) moved up to No. 7 following a sixth-place finish at Midlands.
• 2013 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Connor Medbery remained at No. 10 this week. Medbery was forced to withdraw from the Midlands following an injury.
GRAFF JOINS 20-WIN CLUB
With a 5-2 record and fourth-place finish at this year's Midlands, senior Tyler Graff added his name to a list that includes Dan Gable, Barry Davis and Cael Sanderson. Graff joined the elusive 20-in-4 Club with a career Midlands record of 21-3. Twice, in 2009 and 2010, Graff won the event, with unblemished 5-0 records, while in 2012 he placed third with a 6-1 showing.
LUBECK PINS NATIONAL CHAMP
Wrestling at 149 lbs., redshirt freshman Rylan Lubeck pinned No. 2 seed and 2009 national champion Darrion Caldwell in his second bout of the day at Midlands Dec. 29. Caldwell was a two-time All-American at NC State and named Most Outstanding Wrestler at the 2009 NCAA Championships. Lubeck wrapped up the tournament with a 4-3 record and an eighth-place finish.
GRAFF NAMED BIG TEN WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Six bonus point victories -- including four technical falls and two major decisions -- an unblemished record and Navy Classic title earned Tyler Graff Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors on Nov. 26. It was Graff's first weekly award and the Badgers' first honor since January, 2011.
GRAFF GRAPPLES WITH CAREER RECORD
Senior Tyler Graff's .836 winning percentage (117-23) is ranks 10th on the UW career list. His five wins at Midlands moved him into seventh on the career record list with 117 victories.
Graff recorded his 100th career win on the road at the Hokie Duals with a 15-6 major decision over North Carolina's Tony Heilmann on Nov. 10.
CHASING PERFECTION
Wisconsin opened its season on the road, traveling to Chattanooga for a double dual and the Hokie Duals for three matchups, Nov. 8 -10, and five guys returned home unbeaten. Senior Tyler Graff, freshman Isaac Jordan and sophomore Connor Medbery each posted perfect 5-0 records, while freshman Ryan Taylor finished the weekend 3-0 and Ben Cox and Scott Liegel each posted a 2-0 record. The Badgers then visited UW-Whitewater where Graff, Jordan and Medbery added a pair of victories to improve to 7-0. Three Badgers remained unbeaten after a trip to American (Nov. 21) and the Navy Classic (Nov. 23). Taylor improved to 8-0 with five wins, while Graff and Medbery each moved to 13-0. Medbery pushed his record to 15-0 before falling to No. 11 Mike McClure of Michigan State on Dec. 8.
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MEDBERY MUSCLING
Sophomore Connor Medbery holds an impressive 22-2 career record in dual meet competition. Prior to Sunday's loss to Mike McClure, the 2013 Big Ten Freshman of the Year's only dual meet loss was a 9-2 decision to Minnesota's No. 2-ranked Tony Nelson on Feb. 10, 2013.
FANS ON FACEBOOK
A fan vote on the Badgers' Facebook page determined match order at the Intrasquad Scrimmage and it was a perfect choice. The final bout was at 149 lbs., between TJ Ruschell and Rylan Lubeck. It took two tie-breaks before Ruschell was able to claim a 2-1 decision.
RETURNERS
UW returns eight of 10 starters from last year's squad, including NCAA qualifiers Tyler Graff, Jackson Hein and Connor Medbery.
WELCOME TO WISCONSIN
Wisconsin announced the signing of six student-athletes to National Letters of Intent on Nov. 19. Ryan Christensen (Woodinville, Wash.), Johnny Jimenez (St. Charles, Ill.), Luke Rowh (Hastings, Minn.), Jens Lantz (Ellsworth, Wis.), Jared Scharenbrock (Sun Prairie, Wis.) and Tyler Schmidt (Merrill, Wis.) will join the Badgers in the fall of 2014.
BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Wisconsin will host the 2014 Big Ten Wrestling Championships on March 8-9 in the Kohl Center. It is the sixth time the Badgers have hosted the championship event and the first time in the Kohl Center.
Tickets to the two-day event are available at UWBadgers.com.
FAMILY AFFAIR
The Badgers boast three sets of brothers and a pair of guys with UW family connections on this year's squad. Brothers Scott and Seth Liegel, Brandon and Justin Weber and TJ and assistant coach Kyle Ruschell, along with Isaac Jordan (son of Jim, 1983-86, nephew of Jeff, 1985-88 and brother of Ben, 2009-12) and Jarod Donar (brother of Jake, 2005-08) make up this year's roster.
HULL ADDED TO STAFF
Former UW All-American and Big Ten champion Mitch Hull is back in the Wisconsin wrestling room as a member of the Badgers' administrative staff. Hull joins the UW coaching staff as a volunteer administrative assistant after previously serving as the National Team Director for USA Wrestling.
WATCH THE BADGERS
The Badgers' dual meet at Michigan State Dec. 8 will be aired live on BTN. The network will also air championship Sunday of the 2014 Big Ten Wrestling Championship. Home meets will stream online at InsideBadgerSports.com.
