Victory Bell Rings
Fansided

Big Ten Wrestling power rankings: Can anyone derail Penn State train?

By Chris Snyder

STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA - FEBRUARY 04: Fans wait in their seats prior to a match between Penn State Nittany Lions and Ohio State Buckeyes at Bryce Jordan Center on February 04, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA - FEBRUARY 04: Fans wait in their seats prior to a match between Penn State Nittany Lions and Ohio State Buckeyes at Bryce Jordan Center on February 04, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
9 of 14
Next
Big Ten Wrestling
Wisconsin’s Eric Barnett has his hand raised after scoring a decision during a NCAA Big Ten Conference wrestling dual against Iowa, Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.220205 Wisc Iowa Wr 009 Jpg /

Badgers . 6. team. 809. . . Previous: 9th

Dual Rank: 13
Record: 9-2 (5-2 B1G)
Ranked Wrestlers: 5
125 No. 6 Eric Barnett
149 No. 7 Austin Gomez
165 No. 6 Dean Hamiti
197 No. 22 Braxton Amos
285 No. 11 Trent Hillger

As the record and the jump in the power rankings reflect, the Badgers have had an excellent season so far this year. The only two blemishes on their record came at the hands of Nebraska (22-12) and Iowa (29-6).

And the reason for their rise in the rankings can be easily summed up by the performances of both Austin Gomez and Dean Hamiti. Both Gomez and Hamiti were fringe top 25 grapplers to begin the 2021-2022 season however they have compiled a combined 30-2 record on the season.

The rise of these two wrestlers, along with the steady performances of Eric Barnett and Trent Hillger is the main reason the Badgers have cracked the top six in the Big Ten. And with some of the top 10 talent Wisconsin has, they may be a force to reckon with when the Big Ten Championships roll around in March.

Next on the schedule for Wisconsin is a home dual against Illinois this Friday (2/11) at 7:00 p.m.

Home/Penn State Wrestling