The No. 1 ranked — and undefeated — Wisconsin volleyball team is off to an excellent start this season. We here at Badger Notes want to get you up to speed with the four-time defending Big Ten champions as they get ready to start their conference campaign on Friday night at Northwestern on B1G+.

First things first, here are the results of Wisconsin’s difficult non-conference slate, which, as you may remember, they survived unscathed.

Season Recap (9-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten)

• (W) 3-1; No. 15 Baylor Bears; Minneapolis, Minn.
• (W) 3-0; TCU Horned Frogs; Minneapolis, Minn.
• (W) 3-2; No. 21 Arkansas Razorbacks; Fayetteville, Ark.
• (W) 3-0; No. 21 Arkansas Razorbacks; Fayetteville, Ark.
• (W) 3-2; No. 24 Tennessee Volunteers; Madison, Wis.
• (W) 3-0; Arizona Wildcats; Madison, Wis.
• (W) 3-0; Miami (Fla.) Hurricanes; Madison, Wis.
• (W) 3-1; Marquette Golden Eagles; Milwaukee, Wis.
• (W) 3-2; No. 3 Florida Gators; Gainesville, Fla.

You may have noticed that they played Arkansas twice and thought “huh, Drew made a typo there, especially since the scores are different.” Well, you’d be wrong! I NEVER MAKE TYPOS! The Badgers played the Razorbacks twice because a different team in the area backed out of playing UW at the last minute, and Arkansas kindly offered to play twice so Wisconsin didn’t feel like they were wasting a trip down south.

The Badgers also played Marquette at Fiserv Forum and set the indoor regular season record for attendance at a volleyball match as well as being the most attended women’s sporting event in Wisconsin state history. UW also boasts five ranked victories on the season and has shown a penchant for thrilling comebacks and five-set heart-stoppers.

17,037 reasons last night was epic. pic.twitter.com/UFyIE60oU2

— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) September 14, 2023

In their first match against Arkansas, the Badgers dropped the first set and then were down 13-8 in the second set before storming back and evening the score at one set apiece. In the third set the Badgers were, at separate times, down 14-7 and then 24-19, but fought off five (!!!!!) set points and won the third set 26-24. Arkansas won the fourth set and then a back-and-forth fifth set (featuring 10 lead changes) saw the Badgers emerge victorious. Against Tennessee at the Field House, UW won the first two sets before the Vols took the next two to set up a decisive fifth frame. The Badgers ended up winning that set 15-13 but Tennessee battled until the final hit.

UW’s most impressive win, by far imo, of the season was their most recent one. Heading down to Gainesville to take on the undefeated No. 3 ranked Florida Gators is not something many teams would choose to do, but the Badgers had revenge on their minds. Last year, Florida came into the Kohl Center and beat Wisconsin in front of the largest (at the time) crowd to ever watch an NCAA volleyball match. On Sunday afternoon, the Gators had a program record crowd (10,323) at the O’Connell Center and were looking to beat UW for the second straight year.

After the first two sets it looked like the Gators were not only going to win, but win in dominating fashion. UW lost the first set 25-15 and the second set 25-22 but, per usual, never seemed down and out. The Badgers came out scorching hot in the third set and took a 13-4 lead, before holding on for a 25-21 win. They won the fourth set 25-22 and everything came down to the fifth set. It was two of the best teams in the country and it just so happened to be televised by ESPN. Really a perfect scenario for a neutral fan, but a terrifying, nail-biting proposition for Gators and Badgers fans.

Set five had seven ties and four lead changes and when Kelly Sheffield called a timeout after UF’s Gabbi Essix hammered down a kill to give the Gators a 10-8 lead…I’ll admit I was resigned to a heartbreaking defeat. Thank God that I wasn’t in that huddle because the Badgers came out of the timeout and won five straight points to take a 13-10 lead (shoutout MJ Hammill’s serve) before winning 15-13 thanks to two massive Anna Smrek kills.

A reverse sweep, on the road, against the No. 3 team in the nation is, quite possibly, the best way to enter the meat grinder that is Big Ten volleyball conference play. While I am writing this on Monday morning before the new AVCA rankings come out, I am 100% positive that the Badgers will remain the top team in the country.

CORE MEMORY CREATED 🤩#NCAAWVB x @BadgerVB pic.twitter.com/q9NTyQE3Vl

— NCAA Women’s Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) September 17, 2023

One of the more interesting things about their fantastic run to start the season is how balanced the team has been. Through the first three weeks of the year, zero Badgers have won a weekly Big Ten award while eight other schools have had players recognized. Looking at the conference statistical leaders won’t find you many Badgers either. The depth of talent on this squad is incredible and most likely incomparable around the country.

Let’s take a peek at some of the stats for the team and individual players after nine matches. I’ll only be posting their B1G rankings because the NCAA stats page hasn’t been updated to include Sunday’s match as of me writing this sentence.

Team Stats

• Hitting Percentage: .295 (482 kills/133 errors/1183 total attacks); No. 2 Big Ten
• Assists: 12.89 per set (35 sets, 451 assists); No. 1 Big Ten
• Kills: 13.77 per set (35 sets, 482 kills); No. 1 Big Ten
• Blocks: 2.66 per set (35 sets, 14 block solo, 158 block assist, 93 total); No. 4 Big Ten
• Service Aces: 1.26 per set (35 sets, 44 aces); No. 11 Big Ten
• Digs: 14.26 per set (35 sets, 499 digs); No. 4 Big Ten
• Opp. Hitting Percentage: .165 (402 kills/203 errors/1204 total attacks); No. 6 Big Ten
• Opp. Assists: 11.03 per set (35 sets, 386 assists); No. 9 Big Ten
• Opp. Kills: 11.49 per set (35 sets, 402 kills); No. 7 Big Ten
• Opp. Blocks: 1.49 per set (35 sets, 4 block solo, 96 block assist, 52 total); No. 1 Big Ten
• Opp. Service Aces: 1.54 per set (35 sets, 54 aces); No. 9 Big Ten
• Opp. Digs: 13.91 per set (35 sets, 487 digs); No. 11 Big Ten

OUR ACE QUEEN! 🥰 @izzyashburn2 breaks the record for career aces! pic.twitter.com/TEIIBYBrF5

— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) September 14, 2023

Individual Stats Leaders

• Total Kills: Sarah Franklin, 123 
• Kills per Set: Sarah Franklin, 3.73 (No. 5 Big Ten)
• Hitting Percentage: Carter Booth, .439 (62 kills/8 errors/123 total attacks; No. 5 Big Ten)
• Total Assists: Izzy Ashburn, 206
• Assists per Set: Izzy Ashburn, 5.89
• Service Aces: Julia Orzol, 0.29 per set (10 total)
• Block Solo: Carter Booth, 4
• Block Assist: Carter Booth, 44
• Block Total: Carter Booth: 48
• Blocks per Set: Carter Booth, 1.37 (No. 4 Big Ten)
• Total Digs: Julia Orzol, 117
• Digs per Set: Julia Orzol, 3.34

These stats don’t even quantify the all around brilliance of grad transfer Temi Thomas-Ailara or the imposing dominance of Anna Smrek at the net or Devyn Robinson being a lethal scorer or Gulce Guctekin’s infectious positivity even when getting drilled in the face by a Florida kill or Joslyn Boyer’s ability to deliver a timely ace off the bench after not playing all match against the Gators or MJ Hammill’s accurate serving or Caroline Crawford’s stout defense all over the floor.

If it isn’t abundantly clear now that this team has so many players who can go out and win a match by themselves, I don’t know what else to tell you. Get on board this train as it barrels towards another conference (and hopefully national) title, or get out of the way!

Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Drew Hamm on Twitter @DrewHamm5

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Wisconsin wrestling Head Coach Chris Bono is back to lead the Badgers. Coach Bono, the 1996 NCAA National Champion at 150 pounds, four-time freestyle National Champion, and three-time All-American at Iowa State is in his sixth year leading the Badgers. As the head coach of Wisconsin wrestling, Coach Bono and his staff have led six Wisconsin Badgers wrestlers to All-American status and two Big Ten Champions – Dean Hamiti in 2023 and Austin Gomez in 2022.

Wisconsin Associate Head Coach Jon Reader also returns for his sixth season. Coach Reader, the 2011 NCAA Champion at 174 pounds, three-time All-American at Iowa State, and the Pan-American Silver Medalist in 2009, has built quite a resume working alongside Coach Bono.  Coach Reader is credited for coaching 32 NCAA qualifiers, 11 All-Americans, and a NCAA National Champion at South Dakota State.

Part of that aforementioned South Dakota State legacy came to Wisconsin in 2019. The 2018 NCAA National Champion at 133-pounds and three-time All-American, Seth Gross transferred to Wisconsin and was poised to bring home a NCAA National Championship at 133-pounds for the Badgers.  Gross finished third in the Big Ten Championships in his final season and was ready to make a run at the NCAA Wrestling Championships.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 NCAA Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota was never held.  After that season Gross transitioned into a coaching role with Wisconsin. Coach Gross is very active in the Wisconsin Regional Training Center and continues to chase his international and Olympic dreams while being a coaching resource for Wisconsin wrestling.

If there is a common theme to be found – the Wisconsin wrestling staff are all highly decorated wrestlers and bring immense value and leadership to the Badgers wrestling program.

2023-24 Wisconsin Wrestling Roster Overview

Those within the Wisconsin Badgers wrestling program are led by the motto “Hustle. Effort. Attitude”. This team optimizes that and is led by a returning All-American, thee alpha dawg, junior Dean Hamiti. The Wisconsin Wrestling roster is loaded with talent and will be an absolute dogfight to see who established themselves as the leader of their weight class.  Let’s take a look at the weight classes and who can be in the mix to get their coveted spot at the top and earn their “seven minutes of hell” this season.

125-pounds

Eric Barnett, the senior from Hortonville comes into the season the 5^th ranked wrestler at 125-pounds according to InterMat. Barnett, the two-time All-American looks to build onto his impressive resume as he finished last season 3-2 at the NCAA Championships and a 5^th place finish at the Big Ten Championships. Added to this room is Simon Kruse, a true freshman from Minnesota. Kruse finished his final prep season 37-2 at 120-pounds in the Minnesota State 1A tournament.

133-pounds

This weight class is loaded with youth and will be exciting to see who rises from the top. Nicolar Rivera, the redshirt freshman from Stoughton seems to be the man to beat for the lead role. Having finished 8-7 last season, the door may be open for another freshman to try and seize the role. Three-time Missouri State Champion Zan Fugitt, redshirt freshman Dylan Coy, and Brock Bobzien are all accomplished wrestlers and could be in the mix at 133-pounds.

141-pounds

The battle of North Jersey. Bergen Catholic vs. St. Peters Prep. South River, NJ vs. Clark, NJ. From the shadows of New York City to the greatest college town in America. Joe Zargo returns to Madison the 13^th ranked wrestler at 141-pounds according to InterMat. Zargo, the Bergen Catholic standout, is a two-time NCAA qualifier and 7th-place finisher at the Big Ten Championships and returns to chase All-American status.

Standing in his way could be Felix Lettini – the redshirt freshman from St. Peters Prep. Lettini returns to Wisconsin wrestling looking to build upon his spot starts last season in which he finished 7-10 overall as a true freshman. Like many fans, I am excited to see how this one unfolds and who can seize the lead spot. This is going to be a great battle at 141-pounds.

149-pounds

This may be one of the more interesting classes on the roster. Gone is the All-American stalwart. The 2022 Big Ten Champion. The Wisconsin wrestling Co-Captain, Mexican Grand Prix All-Star Champion (70-kilograms), and certified dawg, Austin Gomez. I don’t have enough time to highlight his achievements in the Wisconsin (or Mexico) singlet – but his departure leaves a void in the center of the roster. Gomez, the Illinois native finished his career 63-12 and 29-5 in duals. He decided to forgo his senior year and is chasing Olympic gold for as a member of the Mexican World Team.

Who takes that coveted 149-pound starter spot will be anyone’s guess. Thankfully, Coach Bono won’t be light on options. The weight class is loaded with hungry and talented wrestlers looking to seize that role. In the mix is Aidan Medora, Cody Goebel, Danny Sheen, Julian George and Royce Nilo.

Medora, the senior from Brookfield Academy is the veteran of the room. Medora completed the 2022-2023 season 7-12 and owns a career record of 10-20 overall and 4-9 in Big Ten matches.

Goebel, the redshirt freshman is legit competitor after finishing his 2022-2023 true freshman season 10-14.

Sheen, the transfer from Indiana University, was a 2019 Junior Freestyle National Champion at 100-pounds. The redshirt freshman has experience after finishing 11-3 overall last season for the Hoosiers.

George, the Christian Brothers Academy product, and 5^th place finisher for Team Puerto Rico in the U-20 World Championships and owns a prep record of 123-18.  George has all the tools to compete early.

In a loaded room don’t sleep on true freshman Royce Nilo. The Milton native cannot be taken lightly as he finished his final prep season 46-5 and had a 3^rd place finish in the Wisconsin State tournament.

I’m fascinated to see who emerges from the mix of Adrian Medora, Cody Goebel, Danny Sheen, Julian George, and Royce Nilo as they battle it out.

157-pounds

This appears to be a two-man battle for Wisconsin wrestling to see who the lead guy will be. Redshirt freshman Cale Anderson goes toe-to-toe with redshirt sophomore Luke Mechler for the starter role. Anderson, the Viroqua native was a two-time Wisconsin state champion and finished 5^th at the Harold Nichols Iowa State Cyclone Open last season. He finished off his true freshman season 3-6 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten competition.

Mechler, the Stoughton native, is also looking to capitalize on his experience last season. Mechler, by way of transfer from Oklahoma State University, posted a 14-4 record last year and went 9-0 in his true freshman campaign with the Cowboys.

165-pounds

This class is a party of one – Dean Hamiti. He is, the reigning, defending, undisputed 2023 Big Ten Champion!  Sure, that was probably a horrible attempt at a Bruce Buffer impersonation – but you get the point. It’s simply Dean’s throne right now. He is an absolute unit on the mat and is a dawg in the way he wrestles. He is never out of gas and always ready for any and all battles. There is no match you think he’s out of – a must watch for all young wrestlers.

There isn’t anyone currently listed at 165-pounds on the roster so it’s his time to dominate. The junior from Joliet Catholic, and 3^rd ranked wrestler according to InterMat, is a two-time All-American and the defending 2023 Big Ten Champion. The Big Ten was put on notice last year. Better buckle up your head gear – Dean is coming for all the hardware.

174-pounds

This class, like the 149-pound class seems like it’s going to be a war to get the top spot. Josh Otto returns to the Badgers looking to try and lock down a spot as starter.  Otto will certainly have competition as Gavin Model, Graham Calhoun, Luke Condon, and Max Maylor sort out that weight class.

Otto, the redshirt junior, was Wisconsin’s regular starter at 174-pounds. He owns a career record of 25-31 so he is not short on experience.  He is tough, reliable and will give it all he has in the circle.

Model, the redshirt sophomore, returns after going 12-7 in the 165-pound class a year ago. Bumping up to a loaded room will be interesting to play out. He certainly has the speed and length to compete.

Calhoun, a redshirt sophomore from Indiana, returns after going 19-8 last season and 4-0 against Big Ten opponents. He holds a career record of 32-18 and 5-4 in Big Ten competition.

Condon, a California native, comes to Wisconsin as a two-time California State Champion at 172-pounds. He finished 4^th overall in 2023 U.S. Open at 79 kilograms and was a qualifier for the World Team Trials.

We also cannot forget about the newly minted Badger, Max Maylor. Ranked 27^th at 174-pounds according to InterMat. Maylor, originally from Highland, WI comes to the program as a graduate transfer from the University of Michigan.

Safe to say that the Wisconsin wrestling coaching staff has their hands full trying to evaluate who to start.

184-pounds

Shane Liegel seems to be a lock for this starter spot as Wisconsin wrestling doesn’t currently have another 184-pound wrestler on the roster. Liegel, a Loras College Graduate transfer, is the 2021 Division III National Champion and four-time Division III All-American.

Combining his graduate status and the depth of the room, I would be curious to what Coach Bono has up his sleeve. I wonder if this is a spot that he and the coaching staff evaluate and bump up someone from the 174-pound class for depth and the future of the class.

197-pounds

One of the fans favorite wrestlers on the team calls the 197-pound class his home and this country roads signing, West Virginia dawg, has been very good for Wisconsin. Braxton Amos, the two-time NCAA qualifier, Jr. World Champion in freestyle (97 kilogram) and a 2021 Jr. World Bronze Medalist in Greco-Roman returns for his junior season. Last year didn’t end the way Amos wanted as he was unable to finish the NCAA tournament with a dislocated shoulder – but like a true wrestling warrior – he wanted to go out on his shield at the NCAA National Championships.

Now, with all that said – don’t be so quick to write off the redshirt freshman, Michael Talshahar.

Talshahar, the Florida native, is a 2021 Florida State champion and went 6-12 last season in limited action. While that record may not blow you away, Talshahar has the pedigree and the resume to give Amos a run for the starting spot.

285-pounds

Gone is Trent Hillger and those long flowing blond locks. No doubt that “Thor” was a mainstay in the heavyweight division and quite frankly – an electric factory. Hillger’s absence will undoubtedly be felt. Hillger is Wisconsin’s only four-time All-American from the heavyweight division. He was a five-time NCAA Championships qualifier. No wrestling team can lose a guy like that and be better for it.

Wisconsin did its best to reload at the 285-pound class to help ease the loss of Hillger. The Badgers have six guys that could be in the mix for that role. The Badgers return five men from last year and have added two new faces from the prep ranks. Returning to Madison are Peter Christensen, Brooks Empey, Gannon Rosenfeld, and Jonah Schmidtke – all looking to secure that top heavyweight spot.

Christensen, the redshirt junior, returns after posting a 4-1 record last season. The Illinois native went 4-0 vs Big Ten competition last season and owns a career record of 21-20 overall and 11-10 in Big Ten matches.

Empey, the redshirt sophomore, returns after a 9-9 campaign last season. The Stoughton native owns a career record of 10-11 and 4-4 in Big Ten battles.

Rosenfeld, the redshirt freshman, is back after going 15-5 last year. The Minnesota product made an impact during his freshman season that includes 8-3 vs Big Ten foes.

Schmidtke, the redshirt sophomore, posted a 13-18 record last season and owns a career 16-23 record overall and 1-8 in Big Ten matches.

Wisconsin also added to that room in the offseason when they brought in two new faces. Former Rice University football player, Isaac Klarkowski, joins the Badgers as a he Graduate transfer. He is joined by the true freshman – Dylan Russo.

Klarkowski has a unique story. Originally from the Dairy State, the 3^rd placed Wisconsin state wrestling champion and Valedictorian from Green Bay Southwest found himself on the Owls football team over the last four years. Beginning as a walk-on, Klarkowski carved out a roll on the defense – starting all five games in the Covid shortened 2020-21 season. While it appears, he hasn’t wrestled since his prep days, he comes to Wisconsin wrestling with 2 years of wrestling eligibility.

Dylan Russo, from Columbus, Ohio comes to Wisconsin as decorated as any prep wrestler can be. Russo holds a 150-18 career prep record and arrives in Madison as a three-time Ohio State Division 1 Wrestling Champion.

The heavyweight room is filled with the depth and experience. This will be one of the more intriguing to races to see who comes out in this weight class. Will it be experience, youth, or a committee approach to the 2023-24 season. Only time will tell.

What’s next for Wisconsin?

Stay locked in with BadgerNotes as we will bring you the full Wisconsin wrestling 2023-24 schedule upon its release.

Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers Wrestling sports news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Ryan Eilers on Twitter @ryanbeilers

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Welcome to Wisconsin Badgers Wrestling!

We are almost there Wisconsin Badgers wrestling fans – the new season is almost upon us! Badger Notes is committed to bringing you comprehensive coverage of the Wisconsin wrestling program. BadgerNotes will be expanding their Wisconsin sports coverage and will include a focus on the outstanding athletes and coaches within the Wisconsin wrestling program.

During this inaugural season of our Wisconsin wrestling coverage we encourage you to interact with us to help guide the conversation of the Wisconsin Badgers wrestling program.  Let us know what interests you in and around the program. Our goal is to share the results from the matches and the stories of the people who make up the program.  We are excited to start this coverage and we would be honored if you accompanied us on this maiden voyage.

2022-2023  Championship Season Recap

It has been six months since Wisconsin Badgers wrestling took to the mats for the 2023 NCAA Division 1 Wrestling Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma where Wisconsin Head Coach Chris Bono sent nine qualifiers to compete for wrestling glory.

After some hard-fought battles – only two men retuned to Madison as NCAA All-Americans.  Dean Hamiti placed 6^th at 165 pounds and Trent Hillger placed 8^th at 285 pounds.  Congratulations to Dean Hamiti and Trent Hillger on joining the ranks of NCAA wrestling immortality.

2022-2023 Regular Season Recap

First things first! How did we get here? Before we can dive into the 2022-2023 regular season recap, we have to acknowledge the gauntlet that is Big Ten wrestling.

The Big Ten Conference is arguably the best conference in all of Division 1 wrestling.  According to InterMat rankings, a preeminent source for national wrestling rankings, the Big Ten faced 13 teams ranked in the InterMat Top 30!  For those keeping up with conference realignment in college athletics – the Big Ten currently has 14 wrestling programs.

This is an important notation to make while analyzing the Wisconsin Badgers wrestling season of 2022-2023. Wisconsin wrestling program closed the regular season 8 – 8 overall and 1 – 7 in Big Ten duals.  On its face – that could be labeled a bad season. It doesn’t take long in review of those eight losses to see a common thread. All eight losses during the duals season came to InterMat Top 30 programs. In the Big Ten, its fair to say that not all 8 – 8 seasons are created equal. If 93% of your opponents are one of the top 30 program in the country – its going to be a bloodbath for team victories.

Upcoming 2023-2024 Wisconsin Wrestling – what’s next?

The finalized Wisconsin wrestling regular season schedule has not been released.  Unquestionably, I am most intrigued to know the tournaments. Those are excellent opportunities for the younger guys to get their feet wet with collegiate competition.

The Wisconsin wrestling programs official Instagram recently released the Big Ten home and away duals for the program. Wisconsin wrestling has announced their home duals include Illinois, Nebraska, Northwestern and Ohio State.  The away duals include Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan State and Purdue. Full non-conference schedule, tournament entries and date/time of all contests will be announced soon.

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Stay locked in with BadgerNotes as we bring you the 2023-2024 Wisconsin wrestling roster overview.

Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers Wrestling sports news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Ryan Eilers on Twitter @ryanbeilers

Follow this link and use promo code: BADGERNOTES for 25% off your next True Classic order.

Join the Badger Notes watch party and stream Wisconsin Badgers games by following this link.

*Subscribe to BadgerNotes After Dark on Youtube and wherever you find podcasts, the official Wisconsin Badgers podcast of the Big Banter Sports Network.