Jan. 17, 2012
• Current Match Notes 
MADISON, Wis.-- The Wisconsin wrestling team (5-5, 0-3 Big Ten) takes on Purdue in the UW Field House on Friday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m., and then travel to Minneapolis, Minn. to face No. 4 Minnesota at 12 p.m.
Purdue
The Purdue wrestling team (6-7, 1-3 Big Ten) enters the dual coming off of two-straight loses to Big Ten conference opponents, Ohio State and Minnesota. Purdue was most recently blanked by the Gophers, 40-0. The Boilermakers’ squad features three ranked wrestlers, including No. 9 Cash Quiroga (133 lbs.), No. 15 Ivan Lopouchanski (149 lbs.) and No. 18 Brandon Atwood (184 lbs.).
Probables
125: Camden Eppert
133: #9 Cashe Quiroga
141: Nick Lawrence/Brandon Nelsen
149: #15 Ivan Lopouchanski
157: Tommy Churchard
165: Kyle Mosier
174: Drake Stein
184: #18 Braden Atwood
197: Justin Dinius/A.J. Kissel
Hwt.: Roger Vukobratovich
The dual will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
Minnesota
The No. 4 Minnesota wrestling team (7-2, 4-0 Big Ten) features a ranked wrestler at every weight class except 157 lbs. The Gophers are coming off a 40-0 shutout against Purdue and have yet to lose a Big Ten conference dual this season. Their Big Ten wins include an upset over then No. 2-ranked Penn State.
Probables
125: #1 Zach Sanders
133: #7 Chris Dardanes/David Thorn
141: #14 Nick Dardanes
149: #11 Dylan Ness
157: Alec Ortiz
165: #11 Cody Yohn
174: #7 Logan Storley
184: #8 Kevin Steinhaus
197: #6 Sonny Yohn/Scott Schiller
Hwt.: #4 Tony Nelson
Last time out
Wisconsin lost two-straight duals last weekend, falling to Northern Iowa and No. 3 Penn State.
Despite earning four individual victories, UW could not overcome a strong Northern Iowa lineup Friday night, falling 25-15 to the Panthers on the road in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
UNI put together two tech falls, three major decisions and a regular decision to hand the Badgers their third-straight dual loss.
Wrestling without three of its starters, Wisconsin lost to No. 3 Penn State, 43-0, at the UW Field House on Sunday afternoon. The Nittany Lions scored three pins, one tech fall, two major decisions and four decisions in the shutout.
Two ranked Badgers
Redshirt junior Cole Schmitt is the 14th-ranked wrestler at 149 lbs, while senior Ben Jordan fell eight places to the the No. 14-ranked wrestler at 165 lbs.
Schmitt leading the way
Redshirt junior Cole Schmitt holds the team’s best record with a 13-3 record overall and 8-1 dual record. Schmitt’s only dual loss of the season came against Penn State’s No. 1-ranked Frank Molinaro.
Jordan against ranked opponents
After losing his first two matches against ranked opponents, senior Ben Jordan put together a 7-2 record against ranked wrestlers. Five of those wins came against wrestlers with a higher rank at the time, four of which occurred at the 2011 Midlands Championships.
Jordan takes third at Midlands
The Wisconsin wrestling team took 18th place with 40 points at the 49th annual Midlands Championships. Three Badgers placed in the tournament, including senior Ben Jordan (third place) at 165 lbs., redshirt junior Cole Schmitt (seventh place) at 149 lbs., and unattached freshman Connor Medbery (seventh place) at heavyweight. Jordan claimed the third place title at 165 lbs. after defeating four-straight opponents on the final day of competition.
Top recruiting class
The Wisconsin wrestling team signed nine new wrestlers for the class of 2012, marking one of the program's top recruiting classes in UW wrestling history.
The class is composed of seven total ranked wrestlers, including three No. 1-ranked wrestlers, a No. 7, a No. 8, a No. 11 and a No. 20. Davis also recruited multiple wrestlers from three different high schools for this year's class.
2011-12 season outlook
The Badgers returns 10 letterwinners and welcome nine newcomers to its squad in 2011. Head coach Barry Davis returns for his 18th season at the helm of the Wisconsin wrestling program. Davis' staff features three new assistant coaches, Ryan Morningstar, Kyle Ruschell and Trevor Brandvold.
The Badgers return five starters from last year's squad, including NCAA qualifiers No. 16 Cole Schmitt (149 lbs.) and No. 17 Ben Jordan (165 lbs.).
Wisconsin will be without three of its 2011 All-America recipients, Tyler Graff (133 lbs.), Andrew Howe (165 lbs.) and Travis Rutt (184 lbs.), due to Olympic redshirt seasons, but returns two other 2011 NCAA qualifiers in redshirt juniors Cole Schmitt (149 lbs.) and Ben Jordan (165 lbs.).
UW faces a schedule that includes six ranked teams in the NWCA/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll, including top-ranked Penn State, No. 2-ranked Iowa and No. 4-ranked Minnesota. In total, the Badgers host five events at the UW Field House in Madison, Wis., including new Big Ten rival Nebraska on Jan. 29.
After competing in the Badger Duals in early November, the team will travel to Princeton, N.J. on Nov. 18 for its first dual meet against Princeton and Rider. Wisconsin then concludes the weekend on Nov. 20 in Long Island, N.Y., against Hofstra.
The Badgers open the month of December in Las Vegas at the Cliff Keen Invite, an event where in 2010 Howe claimed an individual title. The Badgers then travel to Ann Arbor, Mich. for their first Big Ten Conference dual against No. 7 Michigan on Dec. 11.
Wisconsin hosts its first home dual against No. 19 Northwestern on Jan. 8, and then returns to the UW Field House on Jan. 15 to take on 2011 NCAA Division I champion Penn State after facing Northern Iowa on Jan. 13.
UW concludes regular Big Ten competition in Iowa City, Iowa, with a dual against Iowa on Feb. 5.
The Big Ten Championships are slated for March 3-4 in West Lafayette, Ind., and the 2012 NCAA Championships will take place March 15-17 in St. Louis, Mo.
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