Badgers peaking at right time in Big Ten

BY KELLI GRASHEL
UW Athletic Communications

MADISON, Wis. — If there's a perfect time to turn up the heat and start hitting their stride, the time is now for the Badgers. Finding its groove headed into the final duals of the season, Wisconsin picked up wins over both Purdue and No. 14 Michigan this past weekend. The Badgers will close out the season with home duals against Michigan State on Friday and Central Michigan on Sunday.

The Badgers' 5-5 dual record belies the team's strength and skill this season. Consider this: All five of Wisconsin's losses came at the hands of top-15 teams, while four of the five were to top-10 teams and three were to top-five. The Badgers performed well in each dual and have battled with some of the nation's top wrestlers.

The tough losses have provided plenty of hard-learned lessons. And through those lessons, knowledge has helped the team continue to develop. This cycle continues up to postseason when all that growth and development will truly be put to the test. There's still plenty more to learn, of course, but the Badgers' development so far is strong.

Both of the Badgers' weekend duals promised exciting toss-up matches and both duals could've easily gone the other way, but UW fought back against travel and a quick turnaround to come out on top — 22-12 over Purdue and 19-18 over Michigan.

"We are coming off a weekend where we had two Big Ten dual meet victories," head coach Barry Davis said. "Anytime you win in the big ten there are positives you can take out and build on. On Friday night, we defeated Purdue in West Lafayette but on one hand we came out flat at a few weights, not scoring on all our attacks and not riding like we need to. On the other hand, however, we thought the team did some things we've been working on and started building momentum for the rest of the season. Wins from Jimenez, Crone, Ruschell, Jordan, Ritter and Medbery carried us to victory."

UW took six of 10 matches against Purdue, including two bonus-point wins. It was just the first of two bonus-point victories on the weekend for Connor Medbery, who has been relentless in his race to the top. Medbery's fall against Michigan was just one of two bonus-point wins over UM and one of five total wins for Bucky. TJ Ruschell and Hunter Ritter were the other Badgers to pick up bonus points over the weekend for Wisconsin.

In addition to Medbery, both Ritter and Andrew Crone were the only other Badgers to sweep the weekend. Crone stuck true to his "Comeback Crone" nickname and hammered out two one-point wins to give him 23 total wins on the season. Ritter also had an impressive showing against a tough field, improving his Big Ten record to 3-3.

There were some heartbreakers too, there always will be. Both Johnny Jimenez and Eli Stickley earned close losses due to sudden victory over the weekend against two talented opponents.

Against Michigan, the most highly-anticipated match was between No. 3 Isaac Jordan and No. 2 Logan Massa. A rematch of the 165-pound title match at the Cliff Keen Invitational, Jordan took an early lead with a takedown. Both wrestlers took the lead back and forth, drawing the crowd to its feet. Tied up with only seven seconds on the clock, a Massa escape and riding time gave Michigan the heart-stopping 9-7 decision.

The year hasn't been as easy for Isaac Jordan as his historic junior season was. The wins haven't been easy feats, he's been tested many times. And he's lost twice, which is pretty bizarre to see considering he only had one loss the entire season last year.

Sometimes people are tested not to just display weaknesses but to discover strengths. But here's the thing with Isaac Jordan, he's going to be just fine. There is never a single match that those around him do not have full confidence that Jordan will have his hand raised. Don't get it wrong, there have been plenty of heart-stopping, can't breathe moments in some Isaac Jordan matches through the years. The kid causes blood pressure problems, no doubt. However, Badger fans can expect Jordan to go very far again this season, thanks to his drive, will to win and pure wrestling knowledge.

Both Jordan and Medbery's talents stand out in Wisconsin's history. Many programs won't see talents like both of these wrestlers for many years, let alone in the same class. It's been a spectacle to watch and Badger fans have one last chance to see them in action at the UW Field House on Friday and Sunday.