INSIDE
WRESTLING
BY ANNA POULTER-HENDRICKSON
@BADGERWRESTLING
SCHEDULE
COMING UP
Friday vs. Cumberland
at Chatanooga
Sunday
Hokie Duals
vs. North Carolina
vs. Virginia
vs. Old Dominion
3 p.m.
6 p.m.
8 a.m.
10 a.m.
Noon
Nov. 15 vs. UW-Parkside
6 p.m.
at UW-Whitewater7:30 p.m.
Badgers relying on youth
at lower weight classes
Four of first five weight classes feature rookies
t is their first year, but not
really. Wisconsin will put
four freshmen on the mat
in its first five weight classes,
but fans should use that term
loosely. Rookies, they are not.
Ryan Taylor (125 lbs.), No.
10 Jesse Thielke (141 lbs.), TJ
Ruschell (149 lbs.) and No. 7
Isaac Jordan (157 lbs.) will get
the action started for the Badgers, with No. 2 Tyler Graff
I
60
//
VARSITY November 7, 2013
sandwiched in at 133 lbs.
Last year, Thielke built his
wrestling resume at the senior
world championships, posting
a 2-1 record in Greco-Roman
at the championship event,
and Jordan finished his year
with a 23-2 record and thirdplace finish at the Midland
Championships. Taylor didn't
compete last season and Ruschell posted a 15-2 record at
open tournaments.
"Jesse Thielke made the world team
last year and wrestled at Midlands," UW
head coach Barry Davis said of the freshman's experience level. "Isaac Jordan
took third at Midlands, so they have a little more experience than the other two.
"I don't really think they are freshmen.
They had a chance to redshirt, they have
been through the program, they understand the system and they have been
around a long time. They can't afford to
look like redshirt freshmen. They have
to come out hard, ready to go. They have
to push the pace, wrestle their style and
move forward."
WISCONSIN IN THE RANKINGS
● The Badgers are ranked No. 20 in this
week's USA Today/NWCA/AWN Division I Coaches Poll, while five wrestlers earned individual rankings in
InterMat College Rankings. No. 2 Tyler Graff holds the Badgers' top ranking at 133 lbs., while fellow senior
Jackson Hein is ranked No. 12 at 184
lbs. 2013 Big Ten Freshman of the
Year Connor Medbery is ranked No.
6 at heavyweight and freshmen Jesse
Thielke and Isaac Jordan have earned
No. 10 and No. 7 rankings at 141 lbs.
and 157 lbs., respectively.
