• Big Ten Championships Day 1 Results

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Two Wisconsin wrestlers earned consecutive wins in their first two matches to reach the semifinals of the Big Ten Championships on Saturday night in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
 
No. 6 Ryan Taylor met second-seeded 133-pounder Cory Clark of Iowa, while top-seeded 165-pounder Isaac Jordan faced Rutgers' No. 4 seed, Anthony Perrotti.
 
In the 165-pound semifinal, Jordan earned two takedowns in the first period before winning by medical forfeit.
 
The win gave him 25-straight victories dating back to last season and extended his undefeated record to 24-0 in 2015-16.
 
Jordan looks to defend his Big Ten title against his cousin, second-seeded Bo Jordan of Ohio State, as the championship will be a rematch of last year's final. Isaac previously defeated Bo, 6-4, on Feb. 12.
 
The first round of the 133-pound semifinal was scoreless.
 
Clark tallied an escape, reversal and takedown compared to Taylor's takedown and escape in the second to lead, 5-3.
 
UW's competitor knotted the score at five apiece with a takedown 16 seconds into the third. Clark regained his lead with an escape seven seconds later but Taylor responded with another takedown at the 49-second mark to lead, 7-6.
 
An escape, takedown and stalling point to end the match sealed the deal for Clark, as he won, 10-7.
 
After dropping his quarterfinal match, Johnny Jimenez responded with a 4-1 win over Steven Polakowski of rival Minnesota in the second consolation round.
 
He dropped a 5-1 decision to Michigan's seventh-seeded Conor Youtsey later.
 
At 141 pounds, Gabe Grahek got in the win column in the first consolation round by shutting out Illinois' Mousa Jodeh, 2-0. Grahek's two points came by escape and riding time.
 
The sophomore had a tough test in his next consolation match, as he met No. 1 seed Micah Jordan of Ohio State. Unfortunately Grahek was only able to muster two escapes in an 11-2 major decision defeat.
 
In the 149-pound bracket, seventh-seeded Andrew Crone received a bye in the first consolation round before meeting Minnesota's eighth-seeded Jake Short in the second round. The Gophers wrestler won by pin at the 1:06 mark of the match.
 
Like Crone, 157-pounder TJ Ruschell had a bye through consolation Round 1.
 
In his second-round matchup he faced Brandon Kingsley of Minnesota.
 
Ruschell got out to an early lead and never looked back. After the first two periods he was on top, 4-2.
 
Kingsley matched Wisconsin's grappler in the third, as they each went for three points but Ruschell's work at the beginning of the match proved to be enough. He took the 7-5 decision to earn his first win of the weekend.
 
In the third consolation round, Ruschell fell to fourth-seeded Jake Ryan, 8-3.
 
Following a tight 2-0 loss to ninth-seeded 174-pounder Phil Bakuckas of Rutgers earlier in the day, No. 8 Ricky Robertson had a bye through the first consolation round.
 
He matched up with Minnesota's seven seed Nick Wanzek in the second round and came out on the positive side of a 6-5 decision.
 
The first two rounds were scoreless but Robertson exploded for a four-point nearfall 41 seconds into the third period which was later followed by an escape. Wanzek went for a reversal, takedown and riding time point but it just was not enough to topple Wisconsin's 174-pound wrestler.
 
In consolation Round 3, Robertson lost by major decision, 17-5, to Nebraska's six seed, Micah Barnes.
 
Ryan Christensen beat Mark Colabucci of Maryland in the second consolation round of the 184-pound bracket in an 8-2 decision.
 
He met fifth-seeded Nick Gravina of RU in the third consolation round, losing 4-0.
 
At 197 pounds, Eric Peissig received a bye in the first consolation round before losing by major decision, 14-3, to Michigan's fourth-seeded Max Huntley in the second round.
 
Brock Horwath narrowly took down Northwestern's Conan Jennings in the second consolation round. It was a 2-0 decision, as he recorded his points by escape and riding time.
 
Battling the Scarlet Knights' fourth-seeded Billy Smith in the third consolation round, Horwath lost, 7-3.
 
Through two periods, Wisconsin's heavyweight trailed, 2-1, but he knotted the score with an escape 33 seconds into the third.
 
Smith responded with two takedowns compared to just an escape from Horrwath to earn the victory.
 
Jimenez, Ruschell, Robertson, Christensen and Horwath will all compete for seventh place on Sunday, while Taylor can still earn the third-place crown.
 
Consolation semifinals and seventh-place matches get underway at 12 p.m. on Sunday, while first-, third- and fifth-place matches begin at 3 p.m. Fans can view championship-round action on the Big Ten Network.