Warhawks Welcome Wisco
The referee raises sophomore Wilder Wichman’s hand after his 7-2 decision victory over the Badger’s Patrick Spray at 149 pounds. Wichman was the only Warhawks’ wrestler to claim a victory in his match against the UW-Madison wrestling squad.
December 13, 2017
The UW-Whitewater wrestling team (5-3) fell to Division I UW-Madison (38-3) Dec.9 in Kachel Gymnasium.
The Warhawks solo win came from sophomore Wilder Wichman at 149 pounds, winning by a 7-2 decision over UW-Madison’s Patrick Spray.
The Warhawks lost nine of the dual’s 10 matches; two by pin, two by technical fall, one major decision, and four regular decisions. The team recorded its third overall loss of the season, but still remains undefeated in conference (3-0).
Wrestling the Division I Badgers is a unique opportunity for the team and coaching staff alike. This is only the fourth time the two teams have faced each other in a dual meet setting, and they only meet every other year. The Warhawks are now 0-4 against the Badgers; they lost 39-3 in 2011, 27-12 in 2013, 43-0 in 2015 and now 38-3 in 2017.
“We learned a lot about just positional things–their ‘relation strengths’ are what we call them–things that we gotta continue to sure up and continue to work on in the practice room,” head coach Ned Shuck said. “And that’s why we like to wrestle teams like this, we know they’re gonna come at us, they got great position, they’re intense, they’re tough. All those things altogether, we know, they’re gonna exploit a few things on us. So, we’ll be able to use this for the next three weeks to get after our training and use it to prepare for the national duals in January.”
Shuck also said he likes how far the team has come this season.
“[I’m] really excited about the finish and I think we’re doing a good job trying to increase our consistency–and that’s what takes us through the end of the year is being consistent,” Shuck said. “Our training’s gotta continue to get there and our performance will follow. Right now, that’s what we’re seeing is more improvements, and so, I think we’re in a good spot right now to keep building.”
The Warhawks have a long break from competition, returning to action on Jan. 4 at the NWCA National Duals in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Then, they’ll return to the Kachel Gymnasium on Jan.18 to face WIAC opponent UW-La Crosse.
