Wisconsin Badgers
Ohio State
Six to Pin: No. 7 Ohio State
January 17, 2024 | Wrestling
No. 17 Wisconsin opens B1G dual season at home
Ready for the @b1gwrestling dual season?
— Wisconsin Wrestling (@BadgerWrestling) January 17, 2024
See you Sunday at the UW Field House. We wrestle Ohio State at 2 pm. Live on @bigtennetwork ??
?? SOCK TOSS: Bring new packaged socks to toss at intermission!
?? YOUTH TEAM DAY: Going to be a big crowd! Come early! pic.twitter.com/JyBXxY4Xtz
HAMPTON, Va. – No. 17 Wisconsin returns home to start the Big Ten dual match season versus No. 7 Ohio State at the UW Field House on Sunday, Jan. 21.
The dual match will be televised live across the nation on Big Ten Network at 2 p.m. CT. Shane Sparks will handle play-by-play and Tim Johnson joins as analyst for BTN.
Sunday’s match will celebrate Youth Team Day and will also feature the Sock Toss with Badgers Give Back at intermission collecting new socks for individuals experiencing homelessness in our area.
Here’s six more notes to pin:
1. Last Time Out:
Wisconsin earned two wins at the Virginia Duals this past weekend, with a 22-16 upset of Oklahoma and a 27-13 win over Virginia to go undefeated at the historic event held at Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Va.
UW won six out of 10 bouts in each dual, led by Eric Barnett (125) and Dean Hamiti (165) with two bonus-point wins.
Max Maylor also had two wins against ranked opponents, including a sudden victory 2-1 decision upset against Virginia’s 13th-ranked Justin McCoy.
Joseph Zargo (149) and Shane Liegel (184) both capped their weekends with pins, while Nicolar Rivera (133) earned a major decision against Oklahoma.
Pins for the win! ????
— Wisconsin Wrestling (@BadgerWrestling) January 13, 2024
Wisconsin knocked down Virgnia 27-13 led by pins from Joe Zargo and Shane Liegel
?? Read the recap https://t.co/UhXPi4OpOw pic.twitter.com/YAa2pm8t9F
2. 150 Wins for Bono
Wisconsin's two wins at the 2024 Virginia Duals improve head coach Chris Bono to 150 career victories all time (150-87) in 15 seasons leading Division I teams.
He holds a 39-17 record at Chattnooga (2006-2009, 3 seasons), 64-41 record at South Dakota State (2012-2018, 6 seasons) and now 47-29 record at Wisconsin (2018 - present, 6 seasons).
2. Scouting the Buckeyes:
Wisconsin leads the all-time series against Ohio State 29-24-1, but the Buckeyes have most recently won the last five duals including the teams’ last contest in 2021 where Ohio State defeated Wisconsin 25-9 on the road at Illinois.
Ohio State opened Big Ten Conference action Jan. 12 at OSU’s Covelli Center and came away with a 36-6 win over visiting Illinois.
The Buckeyes built a quick 16-0 lead behind wins by technical fall from Luke Geog (197) and Nick Feldman (285) and a pin at 125 by Brendan McCrone.
Ohio State won eight of 10 bouts, losing only at 149 and 174. Six of the victories were by bonus point including two pins.
The Buckeyes are 9-1 overall, including 24-12 win over then third-ranked Virginia Tech. The team’s lone loss is a 21-13 defeat at the hands of then 18th-ranked Pitt at home on Dec. 10.
See OSU’s full schedule here.
The Buckeyes will first wrestle Maryland on Friday, Jan. 19 before traveling to face the Badgers on Sunday. Read the match preview.
4. In the polls
Five Badgers continue to earn national rankings in the latest Intermat poll, while the team continues to climb earning a No. 14 team rankings in tournament and No. 17 in duals by Intermat. The Badgers returned to this week's poll for the National Wrestling Coaches Association at No. 22.
- No. 4 – Eric Barnett, 125
- No. 5 – Dean Hamiti, 165
- No. 16 - Shane Liegel, 184
- No. 11 – Max Maylor, 174
- No. 22 – Joseph Zargo, 149
Preparation ?? Opportunity
— Wisconsin Wrestling (@BadgerWrestling) January 16, 2024
5 Badgers ranked & climbed across all polls as a team
4?? @ericbarnett1117 125
2??2?? @joseph_zargo 149
5?? @HamitiDean 165
1??1?? @max_maylor10 174
1??6?? Shane Liegel 184
TEAM:
1??4?? @intermat_wrestle Tournament
1??7?? Intermat Dual
2??2?? @nwcawrestling pic.twitter.com/Vq5lzLq4yV
5. ICYMI: 2nd at Midlands
Led by two champions, Wisconsin wrestling placed second overall to earn its highest finish since 2010 competing in the 2023 Midlands Championships, considered one of the nation's premier collegiate wrestling tournaments.
Badgers Dean Hamiti (165 pounds) and Shane Liegel (184) both won titles, while Eric Barnett finished third at 125 and Max Maylor finished fourth at 174. True freshman Zan Fugitt (133) and Joe Zargo (149) also advanced deep into their brackets.
6. Lineup
No. 17 Wisconsin (6-1, 0-0 B1G) at Virginia Duals
- 125: #4 Eric Barnett (15-2)
- 133: Nicolar Rivera (9-4) and Zan Fugitt (7-3)
- 141: Felix Lettini (3-10)
- 149: #22 Joseph Zargo (12-4)
- 157: Luke Mechler (6-9) and Royce Nilo (4-4)
- 165: #5 Dean Hamiti (15-1) and Gavin Model (8-7)
- 174: #11 Max Maylor (10-2) and Cale Anderson (5-4)
- 184: #16 Shane Liegel (14-4)
- 197: Michael Talshahar (6-7) and Josh Otto (1-4)
- 285: Gannon Rosenfeld (1-7) and Brooks Empey (0-3)
Head Coach: Chris Bono
Record at Wisconsin: 47-29 (6th)
Overall Record: 150-87 (15th)
Associate Head Coach: Jon Reader
Assistant Coach: Seth Gross
Coach (RTC): Garrett Model
No. 7 Ohio State (9-1, 1-0 B1G)
- 125: #24 Brendan McCrone (14-6)
- 133: #12 Nic Bouzakis (17-5)
- 141: #3 Jesse Mendez (16-1)
- 149: #9 Dylan D’Emilio (17-5)
- 157: #33 Isaac Wilcox (11-5)
- 165: #22 Bryce Hepner (7-1)
- 174: #30 Rocco Welsh (12-2)
- 184: Ryder Rogotzke (12-5) or #32 Seth Shumate (4-2)
- 197: #22 Luke Geog (8-5)
- 285: #17 Nick Feldman (16-4)
Head Coach: Tom Ryan
Associate Head Coach: J Jagger
Assistant Coaches: Bo Jordan, Logan Stieber
