No. 18 Badgers set for home Big Ten dual against Northwestern

Friday, January 16

Madison, WI

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No. 18 Badgers set for home Big Ten dual against Northwestern

January 14, 2026 | Wrestling

Wisconsin hosts the Wildcats at the UW Field House

By: Aliza Manekia

MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin wrestling returns to the UW Field House this weekend for a Big Ten matchup against Northwestern. The Badgers enter the dual at 9-1 overall after a split weekend to open conference play and now look to carry that momentum into another Big Ten matchup in Madison.

1. The Last Time Out
Wisconsin opened Big Ten play with a split weekend, showing a strong fight on the road before responding at home. In Iowa City, the Badgers dropped a 23–12 match to No. 4 Iowa, but picked up notable wins from Zan Fugitt and Joseph Zargo. The Badgers bounced back at the UW Field House with their first conference win of the season, earning a dual victory over Maryland. Braxton Amos set the tone with a pin at heavyweight, while Luke Mechler and Luke Condon each added tech falls to help Wisconsin secure the win.

2. Scouting the Wildcats
Northwestern enters the matchup coming off a 27–12 win over Maryland in its Big Ten opener. The Wildcats picked up wins across the lineup in the dual, opening conference play with a home victory in Evanston. Wisconsin holds the edge in the all-time series, leading 63-42-2, though Northwestern earned an 27–11 win over the Badgers last season at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The matchup marks another early Big Ten test for the Badgers.

3. In the Rankings
Seven wrestlers earned spots in the most recent InterMat national rankings, with the Badgers checking in at No. 18 in the NWCA rankings.
No. 9 - Braxton Amos, 285
No. 11 - Nicolar Rivera, 125
No. 13 - Zan Fugitt, 133
No. 16 - Joseph Zargo, 149
No. 26 - Luke Mechler, 157
No. 26 - Cody Goebel, 165
No. 28 - Wyatt Ingham, 197

4. Projected Lineups

Wisconsin	Weight	Northwestern
No. 11 Nicolar Rivera	125	No. 26 Dedrick Navarro
No.13 Zan Fugitt	133	No. 24 Sean Spidle or Luis Bazan
Carson Exferd	141	No. 32 Billy Dekraker
No. 16 Joseph Zargo	149	Sam Cartella or August Hibler
No. 26 Luke Mechler	157	Gunnar Myers
No. 26 Cody Goebel	165	Jacob Bostelman
Luke Condon	174	No. 32 Eddie Enright
Caleb Dennee or David Malin	184	J.D. Perez
No. 28 Wyatt Ingham	197	Alex Smith
No. 9 Braxton Amos	HWT	Gabe Christenson OR Dirk Morley

5. Up Next
The Badgers begin a three-match road stretch at Minnesota on Jan. 25 at 1 p.m. on B1G+.

* All individual rankings courtesy of InterMat (January 12)