BY KELLI GRASHEL
UW Athletic Communications
MADISON, Wis. — It hasn't been an easy road for the Wisconsin wrestling team after facing the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the country in back-to-back weekends, in addition to three top-15 teams during the two weekends prior.
This high level of competition is what makes the Big Ten arguably the best wrestling conference in the country. There's no shortage of some of the nation's top talent in the conference.
Last week's USA Today Coaches poll saw five of the top 10 teams hailing from the Big Ten. In this week's most recent Intermat rankings — the official individual rankings — the Big Ten has 38 individuals in the top 10 of their respective weight classes.
Despite such a challenging road, the Badgers are ready for the challenge. This fight was evident in some tight losses to third-ranked Iowa on the road last weekend. The Badgers' aggressive performance was highlighted by freshman
Mason Reinhardt, who entered the lineup for the first time last week and dropped a close 3-1 decision to Cash Wilcke. Joining Reinhardt at Carver Hawkeye Arena,
Hunter Ritter,
Jens Lantz,
Eli Stickley,
Cole Martin and
Jared Scharenbrock made their first appearances in the renowned arena, one of the most hostile environments found in college wrestling.
In the popular Harry Potter book series (turn away now for a possible spoiler alert), the heroes strengthen a historic sword with a poisonous venom. Stay with me here. The sword only takes in that which makes it stronger. For fans of wrestling and fictional teenage wizards alike, it's easy to draw a comparison to Wisconsin's current schedule. The Badgers have been dealt the toughest opponents and competed in the most unfriendly environments, but the team continues to focus on only that which will make them stronger.
If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you.
That rings true for the Badgers who can take their experiences and lessons learned against the nation's best to find success in such a crucial point of the season. The conference season is nearly over and March lies ahead. UW's greatest challenges are still to come in the postseason, but Badgers continue to learn and improve.
And so the tough road continues with Purdue on the road Friday night for a 5 p.m. brawl. Wisconsin will then turn right back around to host Michigan at the UW Fieldhouse on Sunday at noon. Michigan and Purdue both hold steady in the middle of the league standings as the Wolverines hold a 4-4-0 Big Ten record and the Boilermakers are 3-5-0 in conference action.
Sunday's dual against Michigan will also serve as the first alumni dual, where all Wisconsin wrestling alumni are invited back and will be recognized during the dual. Alumni are also welcomed to a chalk talk with head coach
Barry Davis, a tour of the facilities and a reception prior to the dual.
Both Friday and Sunday's duals will be streamed live on BTN Plus and live statistics will be available on UWBadgers.com. Fans and media can find live updates on Twitter (@BadgerWrestling).
