Dec. 11, 2014
MADISON, Wis.-- The No. 19 Wisconsin wrestling program met up with Big Ten opponent Indiana at the UW Field House Thursday night. The feat gives the Badgers a 4-1 record, leaving Indiana 0-1 after its first dual of the season.
The Badgers gave up no offensive points on the night by not allowing a single takedown or reversal. The win gives Wisconsin a 30-24 lead over Indiana in the two school's all-time series.
| Fast Facts | | • Wisconsin marks first D1 shutout in 11 years | | • No. 7 Isaac Jordan beats #3 ranked opponent | | • No. 5 Medbery remains undefeated, 13-0 | |
No. 18 Ryan Taylor wrestled the first match in bold fashion. Taylor held a strong 7-1 lead over Alonzo Shepard late into the third period. At 6:19 Taylor pinned Shepard, giving Wisconsin the start to its untouched lead, at 6-0.
At 141 lbs., Jesse Thielke came out strong over Joe Duca. Thielke ramped up his lead to 12-1 by the end of the second period. A takedown stopped the match at 6:16 in the third period giving Thielke the victory by tech fall, 16-1.
At 149 lbs., Rylan Lubeck only allowed Trevor Moody two escapes and ended the bout with a 7-2 decision. Jarod Donar went 3-1 in three periods and collected an extra point from riding time to mark a 4-1 decision.
The showdown of the night came in the 165 lbs. weight class. Wisconsin All-American Isaac Jordan's stellar performance was a fan favorite and, by far, the highlight of the dual. The seventh-ranked sophomore entered a top ten dual with Indiana's No. 3 Taylor Walsh. Jordan got fired up after a scoreless first round. At 1:11 in the second period, Jordan logged three near fall points over Walsh. Walsh managed an escape soon after, but was unable to put up any more points. Another scoreless period meant Jordan left the mat victorious with a 3-1 decision and his third win against a ranked opponent this season.
"I wrestled him before so I kind of knew what he was going to do," Jordan said. "I watched a lot of tape on him so I worked on a few things. A win is always good.
"He is a pretty funky wrestler. He has a lot of big moves. He pins a lot of guys so I had to be smart and pay attention."
Frank Cousins posted a 14-5 major decision over Wyatt Wilson. He controlled the match with six takedowns and had 1:36 riding time. No. 20 Ricky Robertson claimed victory by injury default over Matt Irick.
Timmy McCall marked a takedown right away in the first period to put him ahead of Luke Sheridan. The No. 16 senior made an escape in the third to secure a 3-2 decision.
No. 5 heavyweight Connor Medbery improved his untarnished season record to an impressive 13-0. Medbery was leading 4-1 in the first period before he pinned Gavan Jolley-Little at 2:36. With only an Indiana forfeit at 125 lbs. to follow, Medbery's victory sealed the deal for Wisconsin.
Tonight's victory marked the Badgers' first shutout over a Division I school in eleven years. Wisconsin recorded another shutout over Indiana in 1983.
"What it says is that every single one of our guys wrestled complete matches," Wisconsin assistant coach Kyle Ruschell said. "We came in here knowing that it is our second home dual and we don't have too many of them, so our guys came in ready to go. That is what happens when every single guy wrestles every single minute of the match."
The Badgers take on Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebraska this Saturday at 6 p.m.
