Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, January 16
Madison, Wis.
7 p.m. CT
Northwestern
at
Wisconsin
Photo by: Henry Frieman/Northwestern Athletics
Wrestling Visits No. 18 Wisconsin, Hosts No. 1 Penn State in Weekend Split
1/15/2026 7:03:00 PM | Wrestling
MADISON, Wis. - Northwestern wrestling (3-1, 1-0 B1G) continues its Big Ten slate this weekend with a pair of duals against NWCA Top-25 teams, first visiting No. 18 Wisconsin (9-1, 1-1 B1G) on Friday at 7 p.m. CT, then hosting the top-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions (7-0, 1-0 B1G) on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT. Both matches will be streamed on B1G+.
LAST TIME OUT
The 'Cats opened conference action last Friday, when they hosted Maryland at Welsh-Ryan Arena in both teams' Big Ten opener. Northwestern took the lead early in the dual and never surrendered it, rolling to a 27-12 victory over the visiting Terrapins. Seven wrestlers picked up victories for the Wildcats, including a pair of technical falls and a pair of major decisions.
No. 32 Eddie Enright continued his dominant season with a 19-3 victory by technical fall at 174 lbs, improving to 3-1 in dual matches this year. Earlier on, Gunnar Myers collected his first technical fall in a dual match as well, blanking his opponent 15-0 at 157 lbs.
Headlining the results sheet was No. 24 Sean Spidle, who upset the then-No. 12 wrestler in the nation at 133 lbs, Braxton Brown, by 4-2 decision. A late takedown with less than a minute left in the bout secured the win for Spidle, who improved to 4-0 in dual matches with his first top-15 victory of the season.
Also in the win column were J.D. Perez (184 lbs) and Gabe Christenson (285 lbs), who both won major decisions, as well as No. 26 Dedrick Navarro (125 lbs) and No. 32 Billy Dekraker (141 lbs), who built the 'Cats' lead early with wins of their own.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
The Badgers are also coming off a victory over Maryland, 28-13, in the second of two duals last weekend. After taking its first loss of the season to Iowa last Friday, 23-12, Wisconsin bounced back to even up its Big Ten record. Prior to the conference opener in Iowa City, the Badgers had won eight straight duals to open their season. Including the match against Maryland, Wisconsin is now 5-0 at home this year.
In the most recent rankings, InterMat ranked seven Badgers in the top 33 at their weight classes, including three in the top 15: No. 11 Nicolar Rivera (125 lbs), No. 13 Zan Fugitt (133 lbs), No. 16 Joe Zargo (149 lbs), No. 26 Luke Mechler (157 lbs), No. 26 Cody Goebel (165 lbs), No. 28 Wyatt Ingham (197 lbs) and No. 9 Braxton Amos (285 lbs).
Wisconsin leads the all-time series against Northwestern, which dates back to 1916, 64-36-2. However, the 'Cats have won five of the last seven, including a victory in the most recent meeting last February. Last time Northwestern visited Madison, in 2024, the Badgers won a 30-12 matchup.
SCOUTING PENN STATE
No. 1 Penn State enters this weekend undefeated, at a perfect 7-0, after blanking Rutgers in the Big Ten opener last weekend, 46-0. The dual win was their NCAA-record 78th straight - a streak that dates back to February of 2020. The reigning National Champions boast a ranked wrestler in every weight class, including eight in the top five and four number ones. According to InterMat, the Nittany Lions top the charts at 149 lbs (Shayne Van Ness), 165 lbs (Mitchell Mesenbrink), 174 lbs (Levi Haines) and 197 lbs (Josh Barr).
The Nittany Lions are 18-1 against the 'Cats since the teams' first meeting in 1983. Northwestern's only victory over Penn State came on December 9, 1995 - a 19-14 win in Evanston.
PROBABLES
NORTHWESTERN
125: #26 Dedrick Navarro
133: #24 Sean Spidle OR Luis Bazan
141: #32 Billy Dekraker OR Giosue Hickman
149: Sam Cartella OR August Hibler
157: Gunnar Myers
165: Jacob Bostelman
174: #32 Eddie Enright
184: J.D. Perez
197: Alex Smith
HWT: Gabe Christenson OR Dirk Morley
#18 WISCONSIN
125: #11 Nicolar Rivera
133: #13 Zan Fugitt
141: Carson Exferd
149: #16 Joe Zargo
157: #26 Luke Mechler
165: #26 Cody Goebel
174: Luke Condon
184: Caleb Dennee OR David Malin
197: #28 Wyatt Ingham
285: #9 Braxton Amos
#1 PENN STATE
125: #2 Luke Lilledahl
133: #4 Marcus Blaze
141: #7 Braeden Davis
149: #1 Shayne Van Ness
157: #3 PJ Duke
165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink
174: #1 Levi Haines
184: #4 Rocco Welsh
197: #1 Josh Barr
285: #13 Cole Mirasola
* All individual rankings courtesy of InterMat (January 13)
LAST TIME OUT
The 'Cats opened conference action last Friday, when they hosted Maryland at Welsh-Ryan Arena in both teams' Big Ten opener. Northwestern took the lead early in the dual and never surrendered it, rolling to a 27-12 victory over the visiting Terrapins. Seven wrestlers picked up victories for the Wildcats, including a pair of technical falls and a pair of major decisions.
No. 32 Eddie Enright continued his dominant season with a 19-3 victory by technical fall at 174 lbs, improving to 3-1 in dual matches this year. Earlier on, Gunnar Myers collected his first technical fall in a dual match as well, blanking his opponent 15-0 at 157 lbs.
Headlining the results sheet was No. 24 Sean Spidle, who upset the then-No. 12 wrestler in the nation at 133 lbs, Braxton Brown, by 4-2 decision. A late takedown with less than a minute left in the bout secured the win for Spidle, who improved to 4-0 in dual matches with his first top-15 victory of the season.
Also in the win column were J.D. Perez (184 lbs) and Gabe Christenson (285 lbs), who both won major decisions, as well as No. 26 Dedrick Navarro (125 lbs) and No. 32 Billy Dekraker (141 lbs), who built the 'Cats' lead early with wins of their own.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
The Badgers are also coming off a victory over Maryland, 28-13, in the second of two duals last weekend. After taking its first loss of the season to Iowa last Friday, 23-12, Wisconsin bounced back to even up its Big Ten record. Prior to the conference opener in Iowa City, the Badgers had won eight straight duals to open their season. Including the match against Maryland, Wisconsin is now 5-0 at home this year.
In the most recent rankings, InterMat ranked seven Badgers in the top 33 at their weight classes, including three in the top 15: No. 11 Nicolar Rivera (125 lbs), No. 13 Zan Fugitt (133 lbs), No. 16 Joe Zargo (149 lbs), No. 26 Luke Mechler (157 lbs), No. 26 Cody Goebel (165 lbs), No. 28 Wyatt Ingham (197 lbs) and No. 9 Braxton Amos (285 lbs).
Wisconsin leads the all-time series against Northwestern, which dates back to 1916, 64-36-2. However, the 'Cats have won five of the last seven, including a victory in the most recent meeting last February. Last time Northwestern visited Madison, in 2024, the Badgers won a 30-12 matchup.
SCOUTING PENN STATE
No. 1 Penn State enters this weekend undefeated, at a perfect 7-0, after blanking Rutgers in the Big Ten opener last weekend, 46-0. The dual win was their NCAA-record 78th straight - a streak that dates back to February of 2020. The reigning National Champions boast a ranked wrestler in every weight class, including eight in the top five and four number ones. According to InterMat, the Nittany Lions top the charts at 149 lbs (Shayne Van Ness), 165 lbs (Mitchell Mesenbrink), 174 lbs (Levi Haines) and 197 lbs (Josh Barr).
The Nittany Lions are 18-1 against the 'Cats since the teams' first meeting in 1983. Northwestern's only victory over Penn State came on December 9, 1995 - a 19-14 win in Evanston.
PROBABLES
NORTHWESTERN
125: #26 Dedrick Navarro
133: #24 Sean Spidle OR Luis Bazan
141: #32 Billy Dekraker OR Giosue Hickman
149: Sam Cartella OR August Hibler
157: Gunnar Myers
165: Jacob Bostelman
174: #32 Eddie Enright
184: J.D. Perez
197: Alex Smith
HWT: Gabe Christenson OR Dirk Morley
#18 WISCONSIN
125: #11 Nicolar Rivera
133: #13 Zan Fugitt
141: Carson Exferd
149: #16 Joe Zargo
157: #26 Luke Mechler
165: #26 Cody Goebel
174: Luke Condon
184: Caleb Dennee OR David Malin
197: #28 Wyatt Ingham
285: #9 Braxton Amos
#1 PENN STATE
125: #2 Luke Lilledahl
133: #4 Marcus Blaze
141: #7 Braeden Davis
149: #1 Shayne Van Ness
157: #3 PJ Duke
165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink
174: #1 Levi Haines
184: #4 Rocco Welsh
197: #1 Josh Barr
285: #13 Cole Mirasola
* All individual rankings courtesy of InterMat (January 13)
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Wrestling - Seven 'Cats Claim Victory in 27-12 Win Over Michigan State (2/8/25)
Saturday, February 08
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