DETROIT — Two Badgers remain on a path to the the NCAA Championship after the first day of competition at the 2022 NCAA Championships. The Badgers highest-seeded wrestlers stayed true to form as Austin Gomez (149 pounds) and Dean Hamiti (165) both earned two victories on Thursday in Sessions I and II, now advancing to Friday's quarterfinal rounds.

After suffering losses in the opening rounds, four Badgers - Eric Barnett (125), Joseph Zargo (141), Braxton Amos (197) and Trent Hillger (285) - are still in the fight in the NCAA's consolation brackets and remain on viable paths towards at least third place in their respective weight classes.

In the team standings, Wisconsin finished 13th after the two sessions with 12.5 team points.

Gomez, the 2022 Big Ten Champion, earned back-to-back major decisions in his first two bouts to advance to round three. He shutout Princeton's Marshall Keller 12-0 in his opening round, then later defeated Duke's Josh Finesilver 19-7 to advance further. Gomez will face Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) on Friday.

True freshman Dean Hamiti opened up his bracket with a pin in 4:19 of Andrew Nicholson (Chattanooga). Down 9-3 to start the second period of his next bout, the Big Ten's Freshman of the Year battled back to earn a 15-11 decision victory over Cornell's Julian Ramirez. Hamiti controlled the remainder of the match with his rally, outscoring Ramirez 11-2 in the last two periods and earning riding time. Hamiti will wrestle Stanford's Shane Griffith, the 2021 NCAA Champion, on Friday in round three.

Barnett defeated Illinois' Justin Cardani in his first bout for a 9-0 major decision. The 2021 All-American suffered a 9-3 decision loss to Oregon State's Brandon Kaylor in round two. Barnett will wrestle Ohio State's Malik Heinselman next on Friday in the consolation brackets.

Zargo rallied back from an opening-round loss to clinch a gritty 9-8 decision against Campbell's Shannon Hanna, a bout that saw several lead changes and drew cheers from the crowd as it was featured on the arena's jumbotron. True freshman Zargo wrestles Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) tomorrow.

The Badgers' big men both opened the tournament with losses, but Amos and Hillger redeemed their records with victories on Thursday evening. Amos picked up a 2-0 victory over Big Ten foe Michial Foy (Minnesota) after riding out his opponent. Amos will wrestle Michigan State's Cameron Caffey next.

Hillger collected a 8-0 major decision over Tyrell Gordon (Northern Iowa) to advance. The Badgers' three-time All-American next wrestles Cornell's Lewis Fernandes, who he defeated a few weeks ago in a UW dual, 6-2.

Three of the Badgers nine qualifiers saw their seasons end after two losses a piece on Thursday. Wisconsin's Kyle Burwick (133), Garrett Model (157) and Chris Weiler (184) all bow out of the tournament after Thursday's competition.

Session III begins on Friday morning at 10 a.m. CT. Full results are available below.

Read the full preview here: 5 Things to Know: 2022 NCAA Championships

Follow live team updates: @BadgerWrestling on Twitter.

RESULTS

Team Scoring:
Session 1: 11th place (7.0 points)
Session 2: 13th place (12.5 points)

Eric Barnett - 125 pounds (6th seed)
Champ. Round 1: Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) over Justin Cardani (Illinois)  •  MD 9-0
Champ. Round 2: Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) over Eric Barnett (Wisconsin)  •  Dec 9-3
Next: Cons. Round 2: Malik Heinselman (Ohio State) vs Eric Barnett (Wisconsin)  •  Bout 383

Kyle Burwick - 133 pounds (31st seed)
Champ. Round 1: Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) over Kyle Burwick (Wisconsin)  •  MD 20-8
Cons. Round 1: Joseph Heilmann (North Carolina) over Kyle Burwick (Wisconsin)  •  Dec 6-2

Joseph Zargo - 141 pounds (27th seed)
Champ. Round 1: Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh) over Joseph Zargo (Wisconsin)  •  Dec 12-8
Cons. Round 1: Joseph Zargo (Wisconsin) over Shannon Hanna (Campbell)  •  Dec 9-8
Next: Cons. Round 2: Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) vs Joseph Zargo (Wisconsin)  •  Bout 402

Austin Gomez - 149 pounds (3rd seed) - Advances to NCAA Quarterfinals
Champ. Round 1: Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) over Marshall Keller (Princeton)  •  MD 12-0
Champ. Round 2: Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) over Josh Finesilver (Duke)  •  MD 19-7
Next: Quarterfinal: Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) vs Austin Gomez (Wisconsin)  •  Bout 355

Garrett Model - 157 pounds (27th seed)
Champ. Round 1: Jared Franek (North Dakota State) over Garrett Model (Wisconsin)  •  MD 10-0
Cons. Round 1: Austin O`Connor (North Carolina) over Garrett Model (Wisconsin)  •  Dec 5-2

Dean Hamiti - 165 pounds (4th seed) - Advances to NCAA Quarterfinals
Champ. Round 1: Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) over Andrew Nicholson (Chattanooga)  •  Fall 4:19
Champ. Round 2: Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) over Julian Ramirez (Cornell)  •  Dec 15-11
Next: Quarterfinal: Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) vs Shane Griffith (Stanford)  •  Bout 362

Chris Weiler - 184 pounds (29th seed)
Champ. Round 1: Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) over Christopher Weiler (Wisconsin)  •  MD 13-4
Cons. Round 1: John Poznanski (Rutgers) over Christopher Weiler (Wisconsin)  •  Dec 6-1

Braxton Amos - 197 pounds (23rd seed)
Champ. Round 1: Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) over Braxton Amos (Wisconsin)  •  Dec 3-2
Cons. Round 1: Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) over Michial Foy (Minnesota)  •  Dec 2-0
Next: Cons. Round 2: Cameron Caffey (Michigan State) vs Braxton Amos (Wisconsin)  •  Bout 451

Trent Hillger - 285 pounds (17th seed)
Champ. Round 1: Zach Elam (Missouri) over Trent Hillger (Wisconsin)  •  Dec 5-4
Cons. Round 1: Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) over Tyrell Gordon (Northern Iowa)  •  MD 8-0
Next: Cons. Round 2: Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) vs Lewis Fernandes (Cornell)  •  Bout 453