EVANSTON, ILL. — No. 15 Wisconsin faced off against No. 9 Northwestern on Friday for a Big Ten dual match at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois and saw a valiant rally by the Badgers fall short after injury dealt the team a tough challenge. The Badgers and the Wildcats split bouts 5-5 throughout the night, but Wisconsin's late rally fell short in the final match as Northwestern won 18-17.
At 125 pounds, No. 8 Eric Barnett started the night off with a gritty 4-3 decision win over No. 6 Michael DeAugstino. Returning to winning form with a nice upset, Barnett scored an early takedown to claim the lead and scored an escape before riding out DeAugustino for the victory and early 3-0 team lead for the Badgers.
Wisconsin dropped their next three bouts however, including a costly injury default due to a lower-body injury in the highly-anticipated 149-pound bout between No. 2 Austin Gomez and No. 4 Yahya Thomas. Wisconsin now trailed Northwestern 12-3 entering the 157-pound bout.
Garrett Model, Wisconsin wrestling, earns a major decision victory against Aiden Vanderbush, Northwestern wrestling, during the Badgers' Big Ten dual match against the Wildcats on Friday, January 27, 2023 in Evanston, Illinois.
Two of the Badgers' team captains, Garrett Model and Dean Hamiti started Wisconsin's rally with two major decisions in a row by to fight back from the deficit. Model earned an assertive 13-4 bonus-point win over Aiden Vandenbush at 157 pounds, scoring five takedowns in the victory. Hamiti controlled the mat with a 14-2 major decision over No. 18 Max Mayfield after he scored four takedowns against the Wildcat, capping the win with four nearfall points after turning Mayfield in the closing seconds.
Wisconsin and Northwestern split the final four bouts and swapped lead changes, but it wasn't enought to overcome the early deficit. Down 4-2 with time ticking off the clock in the third period, Tyler Dow fought back at 184 pounds to score a last-second takedown and drive his bout into sudden victory, then scored first to win a 6-4 decision in overtime. Teammate Braxton Amos helped the Badgers re-take the team lead then 17-15 with a 4-1 decision over Andrew Davison at 197 pounds.
Northwestern retook the final lead for the go-ahead score after Lucas Davison defeated Trent Hillger, 4-1, at heavyweight.
The Badgers turn their attention to Sunday as the team travels to No. 5 Nebraska. The Big Ten dual will be streamed live on B1G+ at 2 p.m. CT.
Results
Jan. 27, 2023 - #15 Wisconsin 17, #9 Northwestern 18 (Evanston, Ill.) | WIS - NW
125: #8 Eric Barnett (WIS) over #6 Michael DeAugustino (NW), Dec. 4-3 | 3-0
133: #13 Chris Cannon (NW) over #29 Taylor Lamont (WIS), Dec. 4-1 | 3-3
141: #11 Frankie Tal Shahar (NW) over #24 Joseph Zargo (WIS), Dec. 3-2 | 3-6
149: #4 Yahya Thomas (NW) over #2 Austin Gomez (WIS), Injury Default 3:19 | 3-12
157: #18 Garrett Model (WIS) over Aiden Vandenbush (NW), Major Decision 13-4 | 7-12
165: #7 Dean Hamiti (WIS) over #18 Maxx Mayfield (NW), Major Decision 14-2 | 11-12
174: #19 Troy Fisher (NW) over Josh Otto (WIS), Dec. 4-2 | 11-15
184: Tyler Dow (WIS) over Evan Bates (NW), Dec. 6-4 (SV-1) | 14-15
197: #12 Braxton Amos (WIS) over #28 Andrew Davison (NW), Dec. 4-1 | 17-15
285: #4 Lucas Davison (NW) over #11 Trent Hillger (WIS), Dec. 4-1, 17-18
All rankings Intermat for Jan. 24, 2023
