No. 16 Wisconsin heads to No. 9 Minnesota for Border Battle

Sunday, January 25

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Wisconsin Badgers

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No. 16 Wisconsin heads to No. 9 Minnesota for Border Battle

January 20, 2026 | Wrestling

Badgers set for ranked road test in Minneapolis

By: Aliza Manekia

MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin wrestling hits the road for the first of three straight away duals, traveling to Minneapolis to take on No. 9 Minnesota in a Border Battle matchup. The Badgers enter the weekend 10–1 overall and 2–1 in Big Ten action as conference play continues.

1. The Last Time Out
Wisconsin is coming off a 28-12 home victory over Northwestern, picking up its second Big Ten win of the season at the UW Field House. The Badgers came out fast, getting a pin at 197 from Wyatt Ingham in under 90 seconds, followed by another fall from Zan Fugitt, who flipped the momentum with a quick takedown and pin early in the second period. Luke Mechler and Cody Goebel added bonus points to the team score, earning a major decision and a technical fall, respectively. The win avenged last season's 27–11 loss to the Wildcats in Evanston.

2. Scouting the Gophers
Minnesota enters the dual coming off a 20-12 loss at Nebraska. Despite the result, the Gophers picked up key wins across the lineup from Jore Volk (125), Vance Vombaur (141), Drew Roberts (149), and Max McEnelly (184). Minnesota holds the edge in the all-time series, 68-37-1, and earned a 39-3 win over Wisconsin last season. The Badgers head into the matchup looking to make a statement in Big Ten road action against the Gophers.

3. In the Rankings
Seven Wisconsin wrestlers remained ranked this week, with the Badgers checking in at No. 19 in the NWCA Coaches Poll.
No. 9 - Braxton Amos, 285
No. 12 - Zan Fugitt, 133
No. 16 - Nicolar Rivera, 125
No. 16 - Joseph Zargo, 149
No. 24 - Cody Goebel, 165
No. 25 - Wyatt Ingham, 197
No. 26 - Luke Mechler, 157

4. Projected Lineups

Wisconsin	Weight	Minnesota
No.16 Nicolar Rivera	125	No. 9 Jore Volk
No.12 Zan Fugitt	133	Brandon Morvari OR Chris Cannon
Carson Exferd	141	No. 9 Vance VomBaur
No.16 Joseph Zargo	149	No. 23 Drew Roberts
No.26 Luke Mechler	157	No. 21 Charlie Millard
No.24 Cody Goebel	165	No. 11 Andrew Sparks OR Blaine Brenner
Luke Condon	174	No. 24 Ethan Riddle OR Clayton Whiting
David Malin or Cale Anderson	184	No. 4 Max McEnelly
No.25 Wyatt Ingham	197	No. 30 Gavin Nelson OR Gabe Nagel
No. 9 Braxton Amos	HWT	No. 10 Koy Hopke OR Bennett Tabor

5. Up Next
Wisconsin stays on the road following the Border Battle, heading to No. 2 Ohio State on Friday, Jan. 30, at 5 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.

* All individual rankings courtesy of InterMat (January 19)