Full results
EAST LANSING, Mich.-The competition of the Big Ten Championships never disappoints and neither did Wisconsin wrestling as it placed 6th of the 14 teams within the conference. Projected to place ninth, the Badgers finished sixth with 67 team points, improving from eighth a year ago. All 10 wrestlers placed above their seed, with Wisconsin having the highest differential of any Big Ten program with +9 above the given seed. UW also has seven automatic qualifiers, with two third placers, a sixth, two sevenths, and a ninth place finisher.
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"Cleveland has been the goal since day one," Head Coach
Barry Davis told the team after the tournament. "We wanted 10, but we got seven, but the road isn't over for any of us. We have to keep on going, keep being a good teammate and keep getting better. This was some of our best wrestling all year and it showed in the standings. Keep fighting, keep working and we'll find the podium at NCAA's."
Andrew Crone received a medical forfeit from Iowa's Michael Kemerer in his opening action on Sunday to advance to the third place match, where he would face Nebraska's Tyler Berger for the second time this season. In their first matchup, Crone took the victory, defeating Berger by an 11-3 major decision. In the third place match, neither wrestler gave any major ground until the third period when Crone elected to go neutral in the third down 1-0. He would score two takedowns and a two point near-fall on Berger in route to a 6-2 decision victory and third place on the podium.
Hunter Ritter was the other Badger along with teammate
Andrew Crone to receive a medal, as he placed third at 197 pounds. He entered Sunday 3-1 in the 2018 Big Ten Championships, facing Christian Brunner of Purdue who had tarnished Ritter's bid at an undefeated Big Ten Dual season. Ritter would avenge that loss, as he would record a four point near-fall in the third to secure a 6-3 victory. Advancing to the third-place match, the sophomore would meet All-American Kevin Beazley for the fourth time this season and second time in the weekend. The match was deadlocked early in the second period before Beazley suffered an arm injury that caused him to medically forfeit, giving Ritter third place in his weight class.
Evan Wick advanced to the third place match after his third meeting with Michigan's Logan Massa. The two had split the two matches prior to the Big Ten Championships, with Massa taking the first victory at the MSU Open in November and Wick taking the second at the Cliff Keen Invitational by an 8-4 decision. This match was the most entertaining of the three, with lead changes from both wrestlers that never surpassed one point. What made the difference was a Wick takedown early in the third that gave him a 2-1 lead. With just over a minute-and-a-half of riding time, the freshman defended a 3-3 tie after Massa scored a reversal and locked in the point for a 4-3 decision victory. The freshman would then go on to medically forfeit the third-place match, giving him fourth in the tournament at 165 pounds.
On Sunday
Eli Stickley already found himself automatically qualifying for his first NCAA tournament at 141 pounds, but he had the opportunity to earn more team points for the Badgers. In his first action, he fell to Nate Limmex of Purdue by a 3-2 decision, sending the Badger to the fifth place match. There, he met Vince Turk of Iowa, whom he lost to in the opening championship round by a 6-0 decision. Stickley was able to close the gap with his Hawkeye opponent, but fell in a 4-1 decision.
Ricky Robertson entered the third session of the conference championships 2-2 after wins against Niko Cappello of Maryland and Mitch Sliga of Northwestern, but a loss against Nebraska's Taylor Venz in the consolation quarterfinals put the senior in the seventh place matchup against Mitch Bowman of Iowa. Robertson was hot right away, getting a takedown and a two point near-fall in the first half of the initial period. He would follow with another takedown and two escapes, contributing to a 9-4 decision victory.
Ryan Christensen faced Indiana's Devin Skatzka in the seventh place match at 174 pounds after going after going 2-2 in the first two sessions Saturday. Avenging a 9-1 major decision loss to Skatzka in the dual against the Hoosiers earlier this season, Christensen came back to defeat Skatzka by a 10-7 decision to take seventh, while also giving the junior his third NCAA qualification.
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Final Team Standings
1. Ohio State             164.5
2. Penn State            148
3. Michigan               118
4. Iowa                       90.5
5. Nebraska               72.5
6. Wisconsin              67
7. Minnesota             66.5
8. Illinois                    62.5
9. Purdue                  59.5
10. Northwestern   55.5
11. Rutgers               42.5
12. Maryland       30.5
13. Indiana         10
14. Michigan State   9.5
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