KANSAS CITY — Wisconsin senior Eric Barnett placed fourth overall at 125 pounds and earned his third career NCAA All-America honor at the 2024 NCAA Championships. The highest finish for a Wisconsin wrestler ever at the 125-pound weight class specifically, Barnett placed on the podium after advancing to the national tournament's semifinal match.
View historic list of notables for Barnett's NCAA finish
Barnett split his matches on Friday, winning his quarterfinal and losing narrowly in the semifinal to enter the consolation semifinals. He then split his matches again to finish fourth overall on Saturday.
Wisconsin teammates Joseph Zargo (149 pounds), Dean Hamiti (165), Max Maylor (174) and Shane Liegel (184) all closed their runs at the NCAA Championships due to losses on Friday. Hamiti had also advanced to the quarterfinals, but suffered two losses on Friday in a heartbreaking end to the season.
Wisconsin finished 18th overall in the team standings with 24.5 points. Penn State (172.5), Cornell (72.5) and Michigan (71.0) hold the top three places respectively in the 30-team field. The final team standings are listed below with individual results.
Read the recap of each day of the NCAA Championships:
Barnett, Hamiti advance to NCAA Quarterfinals on Day 1
Sessions 1 & 2 - Thursday, March 21, 2024
Barnett earned an eye-opening pin in just 45 seconds against Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) at 125 pounds during the first session. Barnett scored an early takedown for a 3-0 lead before turning his opponent and also collecting the very first pin of this year's national tournament at the T-Mobile Center. Barnett later defeated Jakob Camacho (NC State) in an 8-2 decision to advance to the quarterfinals. He will wrestle Nebraska's Caleb Smith, a familiar foe he recently defeated with a 17-2 tech fall at the Big Ten Championships.
Hamiti collected the Badgers second pin of the day with a 2:22 win by fall over Chris Moore (Illinois) to open the tournament at 165 pounds. He scored two takedowns and an escape before turning Moore for the pin. Hamiti later earned a 11-0 major decison against Ohio's Garrett Thompson in the second round to advance to Friday's quarterfinals. The two bonus-point victories also improve Hamiti to 24 this season, now with 10 pins, eight tech falls and six major decisions among his 28-2 overall record.
Ranked No. 5 in the nation by Intermat, Hamiti will wrestle Iowa State's David Carr (ranked No. 4), a much-anticipated match-up in the weight class, on Friday morning. This past November, Carr edged Hamiti 2-0 in a road dual and fans are eager to see these two step on the mat again.
Zargo lost his opening match 7-2 to Ohio State's Dylan D'Emilio at 149 pounds, but rallied with a 13-3 major decision over Jude Swisher of Penn. Zargo scored four takedowns and earned riding time for the victory. He advances into the next round of wrestlebacks against Jordan Williams (Oklahoma State) on Friday.
Maylor entered consolations after an opening 7-3 loss to Jackson Turley of Rutgers at 174. However, Maylor battled back in the second round with a 14-9 decision against Cael Valencia (Arizona State). He scored four takedowns and two escapes against his Sun Devil opponent and will next wrestle Benjamin Pasiuk (Army West Point) on Friday.
Seeded 24th, Liegel impressed fans with his opening-round upset of ninth-seeded Bennett Berge (SDSU) thanks to a 9-1 major decision. A former NCAA Champion and four-time qualifier in Division III, Liegel suffered a narrow 4-2 loss to Navy's David Key in the second round and remains in the fight on Friday in the consolation bracket against Dylan Fishback (NC State).
Barnett Advances to NCAA Semifinal, Earns Third All-America Honor
Sessions 3 & 4 - Friday, March 22, 2024
Barnett opened Friday's tournament as the first bout of the day and gave the crowd a nailbiter with a 4-3 victory that extended into an overtime tiebreaker period. The matchup against Nebraska's Caleb Smith at 125 tied up at 3-3 in regulation, despite the officials initially awarding Smith a point for stalling on Barnett, then rescinding it. The lost point allowed Barnett to tie up the bout with his riding time extra point. The match remained tied in sudden victory 3-3, before Barnett scored an escape for a 4-3 lead in the tiebreaker period and held on for the victory after review.
The victory advanced 10th-seeded Barnett to the national semifinal against Drake Ayala (Iowa) on Friday night. Ayala took an early 3-2 lead and Barnett fought to narrow the scoring gap throughout the bout. He scored an escape in the second period and was then awarded a point for a stalling penalty on Ayala in the third period, but time ran out on the Badger. Barnett now enters Saturday's consolation semifinals where he will be wrestling to place third through sixth place on the podium. His opponent will be second-seeded Luke Stanich (Lehigh) in bout 581.
Hamiti lost a 5-0 decision in the quarterfinal of 165 to David Carr (Iowa State). Entering the consolations, Hamiti later lost a heartbreaking 9-6 decison in sudden victory during the blood round to Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State). The UW junior held the lead in the bout into the third period after scoring a takedown and a reversal before Olejnik took a 6-5 lead with a takedown. Hamiti scored an escape to tie the bout 6-6 and send it into overtime. Olejnik then scored a final takedown to end Hamiti's season 9-6.
Hamiti finishes his season 28-4 overall with an impressive 10 pins, eight tech falls and six major decisions for 24 victories by bonus point this season. He made his third appearance at the national tournament. The two-time NCAA All-American (2022 and 2023) improves to 81-14 in his three-year collegiate career.
At 149, Zargo ended his season with a 20-4 loss by tech fall to Jordan Williams (Oklahoma State). Zargo finishes 21-11 overall this season with one pin, two tech falls and eight major decisions, while making his third appearance at the national tournament. He improves to 49-37 in his three-year collegiate career.
At 174, Maylor closed his season as a Badger due to a 11-1 loss by major decision to Benjamin Pasiuk (Army West Point). He finishes 19-9 overall this season, while making his first appearance at the national tournament. He earned one pin, two tech falls and five major decisions at Wisconsin. He improves to 58-45 in his collegiate career at Michigan and now at Wisconsin to close his collegiate career.
At 184, Liegel capped his season as a Badger with a narrow 7-5 loss to Dylan Fishback (NC State). He finishes 20-14 overall this season, while making his first Division I appearance in the national tournament. He earned two pins and six major decisions at Wisconsin. A former NCAA Champion in Division III at Loras, Liegel completes his collegiate wrestling career at 120-24 overall.
Barnett finishes fourth at 125
Sessions 5 & 6 - Friday, March 23, 2024
The lone Badger competing still on Saturday, 10th-seeded Barnett opening scoring against second-seeded Stanich with a takedown for a 3-0 lead in the first period. Barnett was hit with a stalling penalty during the second period to give Stanich one point, but ended the second period with a 9-1 lead thanks to a reversal and a turn for a four-point nearfall. He controlled the third period to clinch the major decision win and advance to the third-place match of the national tournament.
Battling for bronze, Barnett lost a tight 7-3 decision to 12th-seeded Anthony Noto of Lock Haven in the third-place match at 125. Noto scored a takedown for an early 3-0 lead and never relinquished the advantage. Barnett scored three escapes in the bout, but a second takedown for Noto and riding time concluded Barnett's national tournament.
Barnett notables:
- Highest finish ever for a Badger in the 125-pound weight class specifically
- Last Badger before Barnett to place was Tony Black who finished fifth at 125 in 2003
- One of only nine Badgers all time at 118 pounds, 126 or 125 to finish fourth or higher
- The NCAA changed the weight classes from two separate weights — 118 and 126 — to a single weight class — 125 pounds — in 1998
- Highest finish for any UW wrestler since 2022 (Austin Gomez, 4th, 149 pounds) and previously 2019 (Evan Wick, 3rd in 2018, 4th in 2019, 165 pounds)
- Among Badgers' lowest weight classes, Eric Jetton was the last Badger to earn three-time NCAA All-America honors and place high at 126 (3rd twice in 1996 and 1997, second in 1998)
- Finishes season with a 4-2 record at NCAAs, improving to 30-8 overall with 6 pins, 6 tech falls and 8 major decisions
- Completes career with 106-41 career record
- 2021 NCAA All-American
- 2022 NCAA All-American
- 2024 NCAA All-American
- One of only 10 Three-Time All-Americans at Wisconsin and only 16 Three-Time or Four-Time All-Americans since 1929
- This includes both NCAA All-Americans and NWCA All-Americans in 2020 (no national tournament was held due to COVID)
- Here are all Wisconsin placewinners all-time at 118 pounds, 126 and 125:
- 1975 Jack Reinwand 126 4th
- 1976 Jack Reinwand 126 1st
- 1977 Jim Haines 118 1st
- 1978 Jim Hanson 126 4th
- 1980 Mark Zimmer 118 8th
- 1981 John Ianuzzi 126 5th
- 1992 Matt Hanutke 118 7th
- 1992 Dan Flood 126 7th
- 1993 Matt Hanutke 118 6th
- 1994 Matt Hanutke 118 5th
- 1995 Matt Hanutke 118 4th
- 1996 Eric Jetton 126 3rd
- 1997 Eric Jetton 126 3rd
- 1998 Eric Jetton 126 2nd (Weight Class changes by NCAA)
- 2003 Tony Black 125 5th
- 2021 Eric Barnett 125 8th
- 2021 Eric Barnett 125 7th
- 2024 Eric Barnett 125 4th
RESULTS
Sessions 1 - 6 - Thursday, March 21 - Saturday, March 23, 2024
All rankings listed below (# name) are Intermat for March 12, 2024
Final Team Results
1 Penn State (10 wrestlers) 172.5
2 Cornell (9) 72.5
3 Michigan (9) 71.0
4 Iowa State (9) 68.5
5 Iowa (9) 67.0
6 Arizona State (8) 64.5
7 Virginia Tech (10) 64.0
8 Ohio State (9) 62.0
9 Nebraska (9) 60.5
10 Oklahoma State (10) 56.0
11 Missouri (10) 49.5
11 NC State (10) 49.5
13 South Dakota State (8) 48.5
14 Northern Iowa (7) 39.5
15 Lehigh (8) 36.5
16 Stanford (5) 34.0
17 West Virginia (5) 31.5
18 Wisconsin (5) 24.5
19 Little Rock (5) 24.0
20 Rutgers (8) 22.5
21 Air Force (3) 21.5
22 Minnesota (10) 21.0
23 Oklahoma (5) 20.0
23 Oregon State (5) 20.0
25 Ohio (3) 16.0
26 Indiana (6) 13.0
26 Lock Haven (3) 13.0
26 Navy (5) 13.0
26 Pittsburgh (7) 13.0
30 Campbell (6) 12.5
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#10 Eric Barnett - 125 pounds - 10th Seed - 3-1 - 4th Place - 15.5 points
Advanced to NCAA Semifinal
2024 NCAA All-American (3rd Career Honor)
Champ. Round 1: #10 Eric Barnett (10th Seed, Wisconsin) over #24 Tanner Jordan (23rd Seed, South Dakota State), Fall 0:45
Champ. Round 2: #10 Eric Barnett (10th Seed, Wisconsin) over #7 Jakob Camacho (7th Seed, NC State), Dec. 8-2
Quarterfinal: #10 Eric Barnett (#10 Seed, Wisconsin) over #13 Caleb Smith (15th Seed, Nebraska), Dec. 4-3 (TB-1)
Semifinal: #2 Drake Ayala (3rd Seed, Iowa) over #10 Eric Barnett (10th Seed, Wisconsin), Dec. 3-2
Cons. Semi: #10 Eric Barnett (10th Seed, Wisconsin) over #3 Luke Stanich (2nd Seed, Lehigh), Major Dec. 9-1
3rd Place Match: #6 Anthony Noto (12th Seed, Lock Haven) over #10 Eric Barnett (10th Seed, Wisconsin), Dec. 7-3
#16 Joseph Zargo - 149 pounds - 19th Seed - 1-2 - 1.5 points
Champ. Round 1: #12 Dylan D`Emilio (14th Seed, Ohio State) over #16 Joseph Zargo (19th Seed, Wisconsin), Dec. 7-2
Cons. Round 1: #16 Joseph Zargo (19th Seed, Wisconsin) over Jude Swisher (30th Seed, Pennsylvania), Major Dec. 13-3
Cons. Round 2: #18 Jordan Williams (20th Seed, Oklahoma State) over Joseph Zargo (19th Seed, Wisconsin), Tech Fall 20-4 5:54
#5 Dean Hamiti - 165 pounds - 5th Seed - 2-2 - 5.0 points
Advanced to Quarterfinals
Champ. Round 1: #5 Dean Hamiti (5th Seed, Wisconsin) over #30 Chris Moore (28th Seed, Illinois), Fall 2:22
Champ. Round 2: #5 Dean Hamiti (5th Seed, Wisconsin) over #15 Garrett Thompson (12th Seed, Ohio), Major Dec. 11-0
Quarterfinal: #4 David Carr (4th Seed, Iowa State) over #5 Dean Hamiti (5th Seed, Wisconsin), Dec. 5-0
Cons. Round 4: #7 Izzak Olejnik (7th Seed, Oklahoma State) over #5 Dean Hamiti (5th Seed, Wisconsin), Dec. 9-6 (SV-1)
#14 Max Maylor - 174 pounds - 17th Seed - 1-2 - 0.5 points
Champ. Round 1: #11 Jackson Turley (16th Seed, Rutgers) over #14 Max Maylor (17th Seed, Wisconsin), Dec. 7-3
Cons. Round 1: #14 Max Maylor (17th Seed, Wisconsin) over Cael Valencia (33rd Seed, Arizona State), Dec. 14-9
Cons. Round 2: #10 Benjamin Pasiuk (18th Seed, Army West Point) over #14 Max Maylor (17th Seed, Wisconsin), Major Dec. 11-1
#20 Shane Liegel - 184 pounds - 24th Seed - 1-2 - 2.0 points
Champ. Round 1: #20 Shane Liegel (24th Seed, Wisconsin) over #8 Bennett Berge (9th Seed, South Dakota State), Major Dec. 9-1
Champ. Round 2: #23 David Key (25th Seed, Navy) over #20 Shane Liegel (24th Seed, Wisconsin), Dec. 4-2
Cons. Round 2: #11 Dylan Fishback (10th Seed, NC State) over #20 Shane Liegel (24th Seed, Wisconsin), Dec. 7-5
