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Wisconsin Badgers Wrestling Finds Success at Virginia Duals

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3 months ago

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Wisconsin Badgers wrestling coach Chris Bono
Wisconsin head coach Chris Bono reacts during the third session of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Friday, March 17, 2023, at BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. 230317 Ncaa S3 Wr 035 Jpg

No. 17 Wisconsin Badgers Wrestling program had another successful trip out East!

Wisconsin participated in the Virginia Duals and competed against the No. 21 Oklahoma Sooners and the Virginia Cavaliers.

‘Sooners’ or later – you have the wrestle the heart of the Wisconsin lineup and the Badgers proved to be too much for No. 21 Oklahoma as they won six of the ten matches on their way to a 22–16 on Friday afternoon.

But that wasn’t enough winning for Coach Bono and the boys.

Wisconsin came out on Saturday fresh off of a ranked victory over No. 21 Oklahoma and looking to pick up where they left off.

Led by pins from No. 22 Joseph Zargo and No. 16 Shane Liegel – the Badgers finished Virginia fairly quickly in the 27–13 win.

Once Wisconsin got to the law firm of ‘Hamiti, Maylor, and Liegel’ – these Cavaliers were destroyed faster than when LeBron left Cleveland the first time.

Let’s take a look at each weight class and see how the Badgers performed at the Virginia Duals.

125 pounds

No. 4 Eric Barnett is getting to the point where I am going to wonder about him when he’s NOT eviscerating his opponents.

Barnett, one of the best 125 pound wrestlers in the country, finished the Virginia Duals 2–0 with a 14–2 major decision vs Henriksen (OU), and a 11–1 major decision vs Montaperto (UVA).

Recently, Barnett caught up with Shane Sparks of the Big Ten Network and said he felt like was the best 125 pounder on the planet.

The best part? He is – I agree with him and will stand on business to support that take.

133 pounds 

Nicolar Rivera came out and exorcised some of the demons that have been around him the last few matches.  After having a disappointing Midland Championships, he came out and took that frustration out on his opponents.

Rivera ran through Koelzer (OU) by 16–3 major decision and grinded out a tough match vs Porter (UVA) by a 10–7 decision.

This was a welcome sight for the Michigan State Open Champion who had a tough Midlands.

141 pounds

Felix Lettini did not wrestle up to his ability during the Virginia Duals.  Falling to 0–2 on the weekend, Lettini was defeated 10–3 by Schmidt (OU), and 4–1 by Buchannon (UVA).

I won’t pretend to know the Wisconsin Badgers coaching staff thought process, but seeing them stick with Lettini in these spots shows me that they have faith in him to get this turned around.

Lettini is immensely talented and just needs to get one to go his way so he can get back on the good side of these results.

149 pounds

No. 22 Joseph Zargo had a good weekend and wrapped up the Virginia Duals with a 2–0 record.

After winning a 2–1 rock fight with No. 30 McDougald (OU), he got right to business and finished Roberts (UVA) by fall.

Zargo had a tough few weeks as he fell from No. 12 to No. 22 but he’s made up of the right stuff and he will ascend again.

I’ll continue to bang this drum – when Zargo is wrestling like he did at the Virginia Duals – he is a tough guy to beat.

He’s a dawg and his opponents know it.

157 pounds

Luke Mechler had a tough go in these duals. Mechler who has impressed of late fell 0–2 on the weekend with a 7–3 defeat to No. 33 Hill (OU), and 13–6 to Sanko (UVA).

The Stoughton native is battle tested and will be ready for the Big Ten season.

165 pounds

Dean Hamiti dominating his opponents? No way –  didn’t see that coming!

No. 6 Dean Hamiti continues his excellent start to the season as he rolls through his opponents.

On this episode of “Dean HIMity’s Welcome to the Thunderdome” he throttles No. 29 Carlson (OU) in a 19–5 major decision and Murphy (UVA) in a 20–5 technical fall.

Same dawg – different dominant day!

174 pounds

No. 18 Max Maylor was challenged in the Virginia Duals. Maylor was the only Badgers wrestler who was faced with ranked opponents in both of his matches.

SPOILER ALERT: it didn’t matter!

Maylor continued his hot start for the Wisconsin Badgers and defeated No. 29 Picklo (OU) by 12–1 major decision, and No. 13 McCoy (UVA) in a 2–1 sudden victory.

184 pounds

No. 16 Shane Liegel shows up over, and over, and over again. Liegel continues to display the type of wrestler he is with two impressive wins at the Virginia Duals.

After a tough match against Hoose (OU) that was decided by a 6–3 decision – he came out and make quick work of Newsome (UVA) and finished him by pin!

Liegel continues to reward Coach Bono, and the team, all while becoming a stalwart in the 184 pound class.

197 pounds

Mikey Talshahar competed in the first dual vs No. 2 Buchanan (OU) but fell by 6–3 decision.  This was valuable experience for him after a disappointing performance at Midlands.

He is getting close to breaking out!

Josh Otto competed in the second dual vs Kinsey (UVA) but fell 5–0. Otto just couldn’t get the offense rolling.

This 197 pound class will be interesting to follow to see who gets the consistent run at the class as we enter the Big Ten season.

285 pounds

Wisconsin is still searching for consistency from the heavyweight division.

In the Oklahoma dual, Brooks Empey fell to Heindselman by technical fall, 21–4.

In the Virginia dual, Gannon Rosenfeld fell to Catka (UVA) by a 10–0 major decison.

With Big Ten season starting Sunday at the UW Field House against No. 6 Ohio State – Coach Bono needs someone to step up and seize this role.

What’s Next for Wisconsin Badgers Wrestling?

The Badgers are set to open the Big Ten regular season on Sunday against the No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes at the UW Field House!

Wisconsin has been very successful in the early portion of tournament and their non-conference schedule – but now it’s go time!

Lights will be bright and the biggest programs in the country are on the docket but I have confidence that the boys will be ready for the challenge.

BIG TEN SEASON IS HERE! Buckle up!

Stay tuned to Badger Notes for coverage of the Wisconsin Badgers wrestling program and their upcoming competitions!

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Ryan Eilers covers the Wisconsin Badgers football and wrestling programs for BadgerNotes.com and has had his work published on Bleacher Report. He also makes up 1/4 of the BadgerNotes After Dark podcast crew.

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