ST. LOUIS — Wisconsin wrestlers
Trent Hillger and
Eric Barnett finished sixth and eighth respectively at the 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championships on Saturday in the medal round.
Wisconsin finished with 18.5 team points to finish 23rd overall. Iowa clinched first place in the team standings with 129 points. Penn State finished second (113.5). See full list of final NCAA team standings here.
Both Badgers earned All-America honors on Friday during the blood rounds and closed their national tournaments with podium-worthy finishes in stacked weight classes.
"What can I say about Trent?" said Wisconsin head coach Chris Bono. "Everyone wrote him off early, he needs to heal up! He competed with such grit this weekend, I could not be more proud of him.
"A three-time All-American, placing sixth this year, his highest placing ever in this tournament. He is a leader on this team! I can't wait for next year with Trent."
Redshirt junior Hillger, now a three-time All-American, saw his highest UW career finish in sixth place. Hillger finished 4-3 at NCAAs and 10-6 overall in the shortened season. The Linden, Michigan native lost his consolation semifinal match to Iowa's Tony Cassioppi with an 8-0 major decision. Hillger then lost a narrow 4-0 decision to Iowa State's Gannon Gremmel to finish sixth.
Sophomore Barnett earned his first All-America honor on Friday, a notable rally from his 10th-place finish at the Big Ten Championships. The national committee saw his season's potential and awarded him a wild-card selection for the tournament.
Wrestling on Saturday morning in the consolation bracket, Barnett wrapped his national tournament run with a 12-7 decision loss to West Virginia's Killian Cardinale. Barnett tallied a 4-3 record at NCAAs and 11-7 overall record for the Badgers in 2021.
"What a NCAA tournament!" shared Bono on Barnett. "To come from a non-qualifier last year, a wild-card selection into the tourney this year and becoming an All-American from the 19th seed is amazing.
"I am so proud of Eric! This guy was one of our first recruits when we got the job (coaching at Wisconsin). He represented his home state of Wisconsin this weekend. He is a leader on and off the mat!"
Wisconsin teammate Kyle Burwick completed his first NCAA appearance at 133 pounds with a narrow 4-3 decision loss to Devan Turner (Oregon State) in the consolation bracket on Friday morning. Burwick had finished Thursday's opening rounds with a 1-1 record, including collecting a pin in his first match against Mosha Schwartz of Northern Colorado. Burwick finished his season with a 7-8 overall record (1-2 at the NCAA Championships) and had earned an automatic qualification after placing fifth at the Big Ten Championships.
"Kyle Burwick is one of the most improved guys on the team," Bono said. "He really did not hit his stride until the Big Ten tourney! I really believe that if we had a full year, Kyle would have been an All-American! This guy is a tireless worker."
Badgers senior Chris Weiler ended his NCAA Championship on Thursday with two losses in the opening round. A graduate transfer from Lehigh, Weiler was a top performer for the Badgers all season at 184 pounds. He finished 6-6 overalland earned a fifth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships to earn an automatic qualification.
"Chris had a disappointing NCAA tourney this year, but has the potential and talent to be an All-American," said Bono. "He needs to heal up and get ready to make a run at it next year. He has been a great addition to the team this year."
NCAA Day 2 Results: Barnett, Hillger earn All-American honors
NCAA Day 1 Results: Hillger advances to NCAA quarterfinals
COMPLETE RESULTS
- 8th Place, All-American
- 19th Seed
- Record: 4-3 at NCAA Championships (11-7 overall in 2021)
- Round 1: WIN - Decision 6-3 vs. Jaret Lane (Lehigh)
- Round 2: LOSS - Decision 9-7 vs. Brandon Courtney (ASU)
- Consolation: WIN - Major Decision 10-2 Jake Ferri (Kent State)
- Consolation: WIN - Decision 7-3 vs. Trevor Mastrogiovanni (Oklahoma State)
- Blood Round: WIN - Decision 5-4 vs. Devin Schroder (Purdue) - ALL-AMERICAN HONORS
- Consolation Quarterfinals: LOSS - Fall 6:06 vs. Patrick McKee (Minnesota)
- 7th-Place Match: LOSS - Decision 12-7 Killian Cardinale (West Virginia)
- 18th Seed
- Record: 1-2 at NCAA Championships (7-8 overall in 2021)
- Round 1: WIN - Fall 4:38 vs. Mosha Schwartz (UNCO)
- Round 2: LOSS - Major Decision 11-3 vs. Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State)
- Consolation: LOSS - Decision 4-3 vs. Devan Turner (Oregon State)
- 13th Seed
- Record: 0-2 at NCAA Championships (6-6 overall in 2021)
- Round 1: LOSS - Fall 5:48 vs. David Key (NAVY)
- Consolation: LOSS - Major Decision 12-4 vs. Samuel Colbray (Iowa State)
- 6th Place, All-American
- 14th Seed
- Record: 4-3 at NCAA Championships (10-6 overall in 2021)
- Round 1: WIN - Decision 5-1 vs. Josh Heindselman (OU)
- Round 2: WIN - Decision 2-1 vs. Matt Stencel (CMU)
- Quarterfinals: LOSS - Decision 2-1 (SV-1) vs. Gannon Gremel (Iowa State)
- Blood Round: WIN - Decision 6-3 vs. Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force)
- Consolation Quarterfinals: WIN - Decision 3-1 vs. Tate Orndorff (Ohio State) - ALL-AMERICAN HONORS
- Consolation Semifinals: LOSS - Major Decision 8-0 vs. Tony Cassioppi (Iowa)
- Fifth-Place Match: LOSS - Decision 4-0 vs. Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State)
See all NCAA results here - https://www.ncaa.com/championships/wrestling/d1
