Wisconsin Defeats Iowa for First Time in 42 Years!

MADISON, Wis.- For the first time since 1965, the No. 9 Wisconsin wrestling team
(16-1-0, 2-1-0) defeated fifth-ranked Iowa 21-14 Saturday in Iowa
City. UW took six of eight bouts, including a pin by No. 13 Dallas
Herbst that sealed the Badgers' win. Wisconsin's victory is its first
in 42 matches against the Hawkeyes.

The action got started at 125 lbs., as Collin Cudd (River Falls, Wis.)
faced 13th-ranked Charlie Falck. Falck notched a takedown 10 seconds
into the match and never let down, defeating Cudd 12-9 after riding
time.

The Badgers evened the score at 133 lbs., as No. 16 Zach Tanelli
(Milburn, N.J.) upset No. 15 Mario Galanakis. As expected, the match
was tight and the scoring stingy, as Galanakis led 3-0 in the third
period. With 1:06 remaining, Tanelli notched a takedown followed by a
three-point nearfall to take the lead 5-3.

Galanakis, who had over a minute of riding time, responded with an
escape to tighten the score. However, Tanelli answered with a takedown
at 19 seconds to win the match 7-5 and put the Badgers on the board.

The upset wins continued for Wisconsin, as freshman Kyle Ruschell
defeated sixth-ranked Alex Tsirtsis at 141 lbs. Tsirtsis was up 4-1 in
the second period before Ruschell tallied a penalty point, an escape,
and a takedown in the final 45 seconds to lead 5-4. The Crittedent,
Ky., native added an escape in the third to win 6-4. Ruschell remained
undefeated in Big Ten action and improved to 22-4 on the season.

At 149 lbs., Senior Tyler Turner (Spring Valley, Wis.) extended the
Badger lead with an 8-2 decision over Iowa's Alex Grunder. Turner went
up 4-1 after scoring two takedowns in the first period. In the second,
No. 6 Turner tallied three unanswered points to lead 7-1 after two.
Grunder notched an escape in the third, but Turner would go on to win
7-2.

With Wisconsin leading 9-3, No. 3 Craig Henning (Chippewa Falls, Wis.)
defeated 12th-ranked Ryan Morningstar at 157 lbs. Henning's escape in
the third period was the only scoring of the match, as Henning won 2-0
after riding time.

Nevertheless, the Hawkeyes fought back, notching five team points
after No. 3 Mark Perry earned a tech fall over Jake Donar (Cuba City,
Wis.) at 165 lbs. At 174 lbs., Mike Felling (Hutchinson, Minn) put up
a tough fight against No. 2 Eric Luedke. After a scoreless first
period, Luedke earned an escape and a takedown in the second to lead
3-0 and eventually won 5-0 after a stalling point and riding time.

UW held a narrow 12-11 lead going into the battle at 184 lbs., between
No. 15 Trevor Brandvold and Iowa's Phillip Keddy. Keddy scored first
with a takedown in the opening period, but Brandvold responded with
two escapes and two takedowns to win 6-2 and give Wisconsin a
four-point lead.

Then, at 197 lbs., Herbst did what he does best, pinning Rick Loera at
49 seconds to put Wisconsin up 21-11 and secure the Badger win. Herbst
now has 13 pins on the season and is 19-4 overall. Wisconsin fell in
the heavyweight bout, but won the match 21-14.

The Badgers continue their road stretch as they head to Purdue on Feb.
2, followed by Michigan on Feb. 4. Check uwbadgers.com for the latest
updates and scores.