MADISON, Wis. - No. 13 Wisconsin wrestling took down No. 16 Northern Iowa, 23-17, on Saturday at the UW Field House.
Wisconsin head coach Chris Bono rallied the team to "Do it for the seniors" and the Badgers delivered to end the dual-match season on a high note at home. Prior to the dual, UW celebrated departing seniors Dom Dentino, Tyler Dow, Trent Hillger, Taylor LaMont, Kevin Meicher, Garrett Model and Drew Scharenbrock.
Wisconsin wrestling seniors and coaches - Chris Bono, Seth Gross, Garrett Model, Kevin Meicher, Dominic Dentino, Drew Scharenbrock, Tyler Dow, Trent Hillger, Taylor LaMont and Jon Reader - with Bucky Badger on Saturday, February 18, 2023 prior to the Badgers dual match against Northern Iowa at the UW Field House in Madison, Wisconsin.
Senior Eric Barnett, currently No. 6 in the country by Intermat at 125 pounds, made quick work of his opponent Kyle Gollhofer to open the dual match with a pin in only 30 seconds. The quick fall gave the Badgers a 6-0 lead on the scoreboard.
LaMont earned a hard-fought 3-1 victory in overtime against Northern Iowa's No. 14 Kyle Biscoglia. Tied 1-1 with an escape a piece after regulation, LaMont won the upset decision with a takedown in the first sudden-victory period.
UNI rallied back at 141 and 149 pounds, as No. 8 Cael Happel pinned Joseph Zargo and Adam Allard earned a 7-3 decision against Felix Lettini to tie up the team score 9-9.
No. 18 Model brought the crowd energy back up with a gritty 5-2 decision win at 157 pounds against UNI's No. 20 Derek Holschlag. Model scored two escapes and a takedown to lead 4-2 after two periods, then secured the victory with riding time during the third period.
No. 6 Dean Hamiti secured a key major decision victory at 165 pounds, winning 13-2 over No. 14 Austin Yant. Hamiti scored four takedowns against Yant and turned him for an additional two nearfall points in the win to put the Badgers up 12-9.
UNI rallied again at 174 and 184 with a decision and a tech fall win to reclaim the lead, 17-16.
Wisconsin's big mean then won the final two bouts to ensure the dual match win. Braxton Amos scored the go-ahead win with a 10-2 major decision against Northern Iowa's Noah Glaser to put the Badgers up 20-17. In his last-ever dual match as a Badger, heavyweight and No. 11 Hillger put a dagger in the Panthers' hopes with a 2-1 decision against No. 13 Tyrell Gordon.
RESULTS
Feb. 18, 2023 - #13 Wisconsin 23, #16 Northern Iowa 17 (Madison, Wis.) | WIS-UNI
125: #6 Eric Barnett (WIS) over Kyle Gollhofer (UNI) (Fall 0:30) | 6-0
133: Taylor Lamont (WIS) over #14 Kyle Biscoglia (UNI) (SV-1 3-1) | 9-0
141: Cael Happel (UNI) over #29 Joseph Zargo (WIS) (Fall 3:25) | 9-6
149: Adam Allard (UNI) over Felix Lettini (WIS) (Dec 7-3) | 9-9
157: #18 Garrett Model (WIS) over #20 Derek Holschlag (UNI) (Dec 5-2) | 12-9
165: #6 Dean Hamiti (WIS) over #14 Austin Yant (UNI) (MD 13-2) | 16-9
174: #26 Lance Runyon (UNI) over Josh Otto (WIS) (Dec 6-2) | 16-12
184: #2 Parker Keckeisen (UNI) over Drew Scharenbrock (WIS) (TF 22-6 6:37) | 16-17
197: #20 Braxton Amos (WIS) over Noah Glaser (UNI) (MD 10-2) | 20-17
285: #10 Trent Hillger (WIS) over #13 Tyrell Gordon (UNI) (Dec 2-1) | 23-17
Attendance: 1,410
All rankings are Intermat for Feb. 14, 2023
