The AU wrestling team dropped a 31-6 dual meet to No. 24 Wisconsin on the annual Bender Blue Out Nov. 21.
The Eagles were heavily outmatched in their home opener, losing 31-6. The only victory the Eagles came away with was through a forfeit.
The Badgers touted five InterMatWrestle.com ranked wrestlers, three of which are in the top 10 of their respective weight class compared to the Eagles featured just two ranked grapplers of their own, seniors No. 12 Daniel Mitchell and No. 14 Blake Herrin.
AU’s 133-pound sophomore grappler Esteban Gomez-Rivera held his own against Wisconsin’s No. 2 Tyler Graff for the first two periods of his match. As the match went on Graff gained momentum and earned a technical fall 22-7 win.
Wisconsin would extend its overall lead 10-0 in when No. 18 Jesse Thielke earned a technical fall against sophomore Matt Crockett in a brisk 1:45. The Badgers would go on to win five decisions in a row.
There were close matchups throughout the meet:
AU’s 165 lb sophomore Marcos Peralta was defeated by only two points in the 5-3 decision versus Ben Cox.
Sophomore 157 lb John Boyle was defeated by three points in his 7-4 loss to No.6 Isaac Jordan.
The Eagles’ 174 pound representative senior Keithen Cast lead in his match versus Wisconsin. Not until the third period was Cast continuously taken down which lead to a 12-7 loss.
The Eagles were often overpowered by the Badgers and rarely attacked. Staying in the defensive cost AU.
The six points AU earned was gained through a forfeit. Wisconsin’s Timmy McCall was slated to wrestle senior No. 12 Daniel Mitchell, arguably AU’s top wrestler, but forfeited before the match began.
The last two matches drew excitement from the crowd. Many thought the main event was going to be heavyweight matchup senior Eagle No.14 Blake Harrin versus No. 6 Connor Medbery. The match was evenly fought until Harrin had to take an injury timeout. After the stoppage Harrin lost steam and lost the match 28-6.
Bender Arena drew a large crowd for the Eagles’ home opener. Hundreds of spectators gathered for the Bender Takedown, the audience even featured a sitting U.S. Congressman. Representative Jim Jordan was in the bleachers cheering on his son Wisconsin’s No. 6 157-pound grappler Isaac Jordan.
The Eagles will look to bounce back in the Keystone Classic in Philadelphia Pa. on Nov. 24.
