Wisconsin Badgers
2023 Midlands Championships
Six to Pin: Midlands
December 27, 2023 | Wrestling
17 Badgers wrestle at premier winter tournament
A small break for finals and the holidays, then we’re heading to @MidlandsChamps on Friday, Dec. 29 and Saturday, Dec. 30
— Wisconsin Wrestling (@BadgerWrestling) December 18, 2023
Visit https://t.co/XlcG8gsYGk for schedule, teams and tickets. Watch it all live on every mat on @BigTenPlus pic.twitter.com/ItvBH9Slp4
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – No. 24 Wisconsin travels to the 2023 Midlands Championships hosted by Northwestern at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois on Friday, Dec. 29 and Saturday, Dec. 30.
Considered one of the nation’s premier wrestling tournaments, Midlands will feature four sessions over two days streamed live on B1G+.
Eric Barnett is the reigning @MidlandsChamps 125 pound champion. He’s looking for his second ?? this Friday and Saturday pic.twitter.com/MAKt3mWBR6
— Wisconsin Wrestling (@BadgerWrestling) December 26, 2023
Here’s six more notes to pin:
1. Last Time Out:
Last Time Out: In back-to-back duals on the road on Saturday, Dec. 9, No. 26 Wisconsin wrestling knocked down Rider to earn a 22-16 victory followed by a 26-11 win at Drexel. Read the recap here.
Six Badgers each earned two individual wins in the duals, including Eric Barnett (125 pounds) and Nicolar Rivera (133) securing major decisions in both duals.
Joseph Zargo (149) tallied an upset decision against Rider and a major decision. Zargo earned a key victory of 12th-ranked Quinn Kinner at 149 with a gritty 7-1 decision. Scoreless after the first period, Zargo scored two takedowns and contained Kinner to earn the extra point for riding time.
Dean Hamiti (165) earned a major decision and a tech fall. Max Maylor (184) turned in two gutsy wins with one earned in sudden victory against Rider and a come-from-behind victory against Drexel.
2. 2022 Midlands:
Eric Barnett led UW to a fourth-place finish at the 2022 Midlands after winning title at 125, along with five teammates on the podium.
After leading the team standings in first place through three sessions, UW narrowly dropped down to fourth with 114.5 team points.
Among four Badgers in the finals, Barnett won the team’s lone crown after defeating Arizona State’s Brandon Courtney in a 6-2 decision.
Wisconsin’s Drew Scharenbrock (157), Dean Hamiti (165) and Braxton Amos (197) all finished second in their respective weight classes and first appearances in the Midland finals.
Scharenbrock dropped an 8-0 loss to Northwestern’s Trevor Chumbley. Hamiti lost in a tight 4-3 decision to Princeton’s Quincy Monday. Amos went into multiple overtimes before losing 2-1 to Illinois’ Zac Braunagel, easily the tournament’s longest bout.
3. Tourney Time:
The Midlands Championship will be Wisconsin's second major wrestling tournament of the season, as head coach Chris Bono aims to provide more competitive days of events for the Badgers.
Wisconsin saw 22 Badgers compete at the Michigan State Open in November and four wrestlers earned titles — Eric Barnett (125) , Luke Condon (174, Freshman/Sophomore Division), Dean Hamiti (165) and Nico Rivera (133, Fr./So.).
4. In the polls
Four Badgers continue to earn national rankings in the latest Intermat poll, while the team earned a No. 24 team ranking by Intermat. The Badgers are receiving votes in this week's poll for the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
- No. 6 – Dean Hamiti, 165
- No. 9 – Eric Barnett, 125
- No. 12 – Joseph Zargo, 149
- No. 27 – Max Maylor, 174
Four Badgers maintain or climb in @InterMat latest poll
— Wisconsin Wrestling (@BadgerWrestling) December 26, 2023
9?? @ericbarnett1117 125
1??2?? @joseph_zargo 149
6?? @HamitiDean 165
2??7?? @max_maylor10 174
2??4?? Wisconsin pic.twitter.com/wwmIfNv31G
5. B1G Matches Ahead
Wisconsin will begin the Big Ten dual match season at home on Sunday, June 21 at 2 p.m. at the UW Field House against Ohio State. The Badgers also celebrate Team Youth Day!
?? #Midlands59 Seeds Are ???????? ??
— The Midlands (@MidlandsChamps) December 29, 2023
Top-5? seeds in each weight class listed ??
6. Lineup
No. 24 Wisconsin (4-1, 0-0 B1G) at Midlands Championships
- 125: #9 Eric Barnett (7-1) Seeded #3
- 133: Zan Fugitt (4-1) and Nicolar Rivera (6-2) Seeded #10
- 141: Felix Lettini (2-6)
- 149: Julian George (0-0), Danny Sheen (6-4) and #12 Joseph Zargo (7-2) Seeded #4
- 157: Luke Mechler (4-5), Gavin Model (6-5) and Royce Nilo (3-2)
- 165: #6 Dean Hamiti (8-1) Seeded #1
- 174: Cale Anderson (3-2) and #27 Max Maylor (3-0) Seeded #8
- 184: Shane Liegel (6-4) Seeded #12
- 197: Michael Talshahar (6-4)
- 285: Peter Christensen (0-3) or Gannon Rosenfeld (1-4)
Head Coach: Chris Bono
Record at Wisconsin: 45-29 (6th)
Overall Record: 148-87 (15th)
Associate Head Coach: Jon Reader
Assistant Coach: Seth Gross
Coach (RTC): Garrett Model
