It’s March, and while many people associate this time of year with basketball, the college wrestling season is approaching crunch time as well. The dual meet season is over and individual competition is here, starting first with the Big Ten tournament March 5-6 and followed by the NCAA tournament in Detroit, Michigan March 17-19.
As a team, Wisconsin (12-2, 6-2 Big Ten) had a very strong year, losing only to Nebraska and Iowa. With experienced veterans as well as some quickly rising fresh faces, there are several Badgers with serious aspirations to compete and place at nationals in Detroit. Plenty of wrestlers had fantastic seasons, but to reach their long-term goals, success in March is pivotal.
It is difficult to start with anyone other than freshman Dean Hamiti, who has burst on to the collegiate wrestling scene with relative ease. Wrestling at 165 pounds, Hamiti is 20-1 in his inaugural season at UW, with 17 bonus point victories. With his one loss to Iowa’s Alex Marinelli, a sixth-year senior, in a close 8-5 match, Hamiti has gained real attention as a contender at nationals. Most likely as a top-six seed, Hamiti will have his sights set for a top spot on the podium and is the Badger most likely to be named an All-American.
Another newcomer to UW, Austin Gomez, also had an incredible season that has put him back on the national stage. The Iowa State transfer was out of wrestling for two years before his season debut for UW and is now on the verge of completing his comeback story. Gomez, a 2019 NCAA qualifier, is 15-2 on the season with seven bonus point wins. In a very stacked 149 pound bracket at the Big Ten tournament, Gomez will have an opportunity to earn a top-six seed at nationals. While it was unthinkable a year ago, Austin Gomez has a legitimate shot to be an All-American this season.
To have gotten to this point without naming the two 2021 All-Americans on UW is a testament to how strong the program has become under head coach Chris Bono. Both Eric Barnett and Trent Hilliger are back and looking to add to their hardware collection. Their experience last year will be a major help for both of them. Barnett is 13-2 and is expected to be in position for a top-eight finish and an All-American nod. Hilliger has finished strong this season to get to 16-4 and will look to add a second All-American honor to his name in his last year of eligibility.
While those four wrestlers all could be wrestling deep into the NCAA tournament, they will not be the only Badgers represented in Detroit. Based on the results of the Big Ten tournament and how seedings shake up, UW could expect to have around nine wrestlers at the national tournament, give or take. While expectations will vary for all of them, there is an understanding that anything is possible in March. After all, nobody expected Eric Barnett to be an All-American in 2021.
Among the other wrestlers likely to be competing as March progresses is freshman Joe Zargo. Wrestling at 141 pounds, Zargo is 14-8 on the season, including an upset win over Dylan Duncan of Illinois, who was ranked No. 4 at the time of the match. Having shown flashes of brilliance to help the Badgers throughout the season, Zargo is a wrestler to watch for upset victories in March.
Fellow freshman Braxton Amos has also gotten off to a successful start at UW, wrestling at 197 pounds. The former highly-touted recruit is 16-7 this season and without a doubt has the skill to go on a run in March. Amos and Zargo are not widely talked about as contenders at the NCAA tournament, but both have what it takes to string together wins.
While it is just the beginning for the freshman, the Badgers also have a few seniors along with Hilliger who are looking to finish their collegiate careers strong. Garrett Model is one of them, with a 13-10 record at 157 pounds this season. Model was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week Jan. 19 after his upset victory over No. 4 Brayton Lee that helped the Badgers defeat Minnesota on the road. Model will need a win or two of a similar caliber to place at the national tournament, but he will look to finish his UW career off right regardless.
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Along with Model, Chris Weiler and Andrew McNally are seniors who hope to be wrestling in Detroit as their careers come to an end. McNally, a three-time NCAA qualifier for Kent State, is 8-8 at 174 pounds in his first season at UW. Things haven’t gone exactly how he would have liked, but McNally wills attempt to use his postseason experience to prove himself at the Big Ten tournament.
Weiler, a former Lehigh transfer, is also a three-time NCAA qualifier. While his first season for UW in 2021 was a success, it has not been replicated his senior year. Weiler is just 9-11 this season at 184 pounds, but did have a victory over Mayland’s Kyle Cochran, who was ranked 11th at the time. Both Weiler and McNally will look to turn their seasons around and make their fourth trip to the NCAA tournament.
In the stacked Big Ten, all of the UW wrestlers will face challenges in their conference bracket prior to nationals. The results of the conference tournament will determine for some if they make the NCAA tournament and for others answer questions about seeding for the big leagues.
As a team, there is very little doubt that this season has been a success for UW. But when it comes to individual success, it is commonly measured by achievements in March — All-American, All-Conference, NCAA qualifier. The Big Ten and NCAA tournaments will be opportunities for UW wrestlers to go after their individual goals while also providing well-earned exposure for the program’s overall success.
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