INSIDE WRESTLING
BY RYAN EVANS
@Badger_Wrestle
SCHEDULE (7-5, 4-3)
Last Week
Jan. 25 Indiana
Jan. 28 vs. #22 Purdue
Coming Up
Feb. 10 #4 Minnesota
Badgers have produced
impressive turnaround
Wisconsin has come a long way since last year
W
atching this season, you probably
wouldn't be able to guess
that Wisconsin went winless
through Big Ten competition just a season ago.
Head coach Barry Davis
and his staff have engineered
an impressive turnaround
for the program this season
thank to a "buying in" men50 ยป VARSITY
JANUA RY 31, 2013
tality that has the Badgers
sitting with a 7-5 overall record, including 4-3 in the
Big Ten. This a season after
UW finished at 5-12 overall
and 0-8 in conference.
But, Davis will be the first
to tell you that his team isn't
quite where it wants to be yet.
"Our guys are believing,"
Davis said. "But, we still
W, 26-9
L, 14-22
1 p.m.
have to work on a few things and
continue to move forward."
The Badgers' renaissance season
has included three wins over ranked
opponents, including two top-15 Big
Ten teams in Nebraska and Michigan. This year has seen Wisconsin
earn its first Big Ten dual win and its
first win over a top-10 ranked opponent since the 2010-11 season. The
Badgers' current No. 19 team ranking
in the NWCA/USA Today Coaches
Poll is also the team's highest since
finishing at No. 15 in the final 201011 season poll.
UW's turnaround has, in part, been
fueled by wrestlers like 197 lbs. starter Jackson Hein, who has improved
in his own right this season.
Compared to a season ago, this
year Hein has already upped his
overall wins by six, his duals wins by
one and increased his wins against
Big Ten competition by four. Hein
also earned the first national ranking
of his career this year, and currently
stands No. 17 at 197 lbs.
"He's improving, he's moving forward and it's great to see," Davis
said of Hein.
With those turnarounds, both
Hein and the Badgers as a whole,
have set themselves up well for continued success as the season enters
its stretch run.
