THE TOURNAMENT: The 75th Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Individual Wrestling Tournament will be held Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 22-24, at the Kohl Center on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wis.
TICKET INFORMATION: Ticket prices per tournament session are $8. Tickets are available on-line on the WIAA website with a $2 service fee until two hours prior to any respective session with the printing of the ticket by the purchaser. Tickets are also available at the Kohl Center during the tournament.
GATE SECURITY PROCEDURES: Everyone entering the Kohl Center is subject to pass through metal detectors. Fans and media are encouraged to arrive early to avoid missing the start of each session. For the finals, gates will open 90 minutes prior to the start of competition to accommodate the larger crowds. For all other sessions, doors will open 60 minutes prior to the start of competition.
THE SCHEDULE: Below is the schedule of competition for the individual tournament. All weight classes will be wrestled in consecutive order through the classes on a “next available mat” basis within the mat assignments.
Thursday, Feb. 22
Session 1:
Division 1 Preliminaries - 3 p.m.
Division 1 Quarterfinals - approximately 5:15 p.m.
Divisions 2 & 3 Preliminaries - approximately 7:15 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 23
Session 2:
Division 1 Consolations - 10 a.m.
Divisions 2 & 3 Quarterfinals - approximately 11:15 a.m.
Division 1 Consolation Semifinals - approximately 1:45 p.m.
Divisions 2 & 3 Consolation Semifinals - approx. 2:45 p.m.
Session 3:
Division 1 Semifinals at 7 p.m. on mats 1 & 2
Division 2 Semifinals at 7 p.m. on mats 3 & 4
Division 3 Semifinals at 7 p.m. on mats 5 & 6
Saturday, Feb. 24
Session 4:
Division 1 Consolation Wrestlebacks at 10 a.m. on mats 1 & 2
Division 2 Consolation Wrestlebacks at 10 a.m. on mats 3 & 4
Division 3 Consolation Wrestlebacks at 10 a.m. on mats 5 & 6
Note: Third-place and fifth-place matches will run concurrently by weight class within divisions after all consolation matches are completed.
Session 5:
Division 1 Championships at 5 p.m. on mat 1
Division 2 Championships at 5 p.m. on mat 2
Division 3 Championships at 5 p.m. on mat 3
FINALS ON FS WISCONSIN: The championship finals will be aired live on FS Wisconsin. Please check local cable listings for the FS Wisconsin channel in your area.
ALL MATCHES STREAMED LIVE: The live programming aired on FS Wisconsin will also be streamed on FoxSportsGo.com and the FoxSportsGo app. In addition, all six mats of the pre-finals matches will be streamed live and viewed with a subscription to the NFHS Network. To purchase a subscription to the live programming for only $9.95 per month, log-on to www.wiaa.tv or www.nfhsnetwork.com and click on the subscription image in the middle of the page. Archived streams of the sessions will be available on demand on www.nfhsnetwork.com 72 hours after the tournament without requirement of a subscription.
2018 TOURNAMENT BY THE NUMBERS: There will be champions crowned in 14 weight classes in three divisions. Wrestlers who finished first or second in each weight class at last weekend’s eight Division 1 sectionals qualified for the State Tournament. The top three finishers in each weight class at the four Divisions 2 and 3 sectionals qualify for the tourney. There are 224 qualifiers for the championships in Division 1 and 168 in both Divisions 2 and 3. There are 221 programs represented at this year’s individual championships, including 89 from Division 1, and 70 in Division 2 and 62 in Division 3.
MORE NUMBERS: Burlington has qualified the most wrestlers in the Division 1 field with 11. Holmen is next on the list with 10. Luxemburg-Casco has the distinction of having qualified the most individuals in Division 2 with eight. Freedom has the second-most with seven. In Division 3, Stratford claims the most qualifiers with nine. Fennimore is second with eight. There are 23 former champions in the tournament field this year and 18 seeking to defend the title they won last year.
TOTAL INDIVIDUAL TITLES BY SCHOOL: Mineral Point has produced the most individual championships with 50. Stoughton is next with 48, followed by Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln with 44 and then Milwaukee South with 39. Others with significant totals are Luxemburg-Casco with 38, and Athens, Coleman and Ellsworth with 32.
TRACKING THE CHAMPIONS–DIVISION 1: The Division 1 field features eight former champions, including six of last year’s champions and two champs from 2016 in pursuit of another crown. Junior Eric Barnett of Hortonville moves up a weight class to 113 this season after winning the title last season at 106. He also has a third-place finish at 106 in 2016. Barnett enters action with a 42-0 record. The last time he suffered a defeat was in the State tournament his freshman season. He has a 130-3 mark during his high school career. Senior Drew Scharenbrock of Sun Prairie won the 138 championship in 2017 and has moved up to qualify and contend for the crown at 145 this season. He also has a fourth-place finish at 120 in 2016 on his resume. He possesses a 47-0 record this season, which gives him a combined 146-4 record the past three years. Junior Kevin Meicher of Middleton broke onto the State wrestling scene in 2016 to win the title at 126 as a freshman. He moved up two classes to 138 last season and was the State runner-up. Meicher moves up two classes again this year to the 152-pound weight class to contend for the championship. He advances to the State meet with a 43-0 record this season and a 132-8 mark during his career. A pair of champions headline the 152-pound weight class, including two of last year’s champions. Keegan O'Toole of Arrowhead goes for the title at 132 after winning the championship at 120 pounds last year. He enters the State tournament with a 39-1 record, giving him a 79-2 mark in two seasons. Senior Tyler Dow of Stoughton attempts to defend the title he won last season at 160 after a runner-up finish at 152 in 2016. He has compiled a 49-1 record this season and has a combined 156-9 mark the last three seasons. Standing in his path to a repeat title is senior Peyton Mocco of West Allis Hale. He moves up a weight class after winning the 152-pound title last season and finishing fourth at 113 in 2015. Mocco has lost just once in 50 matches this season, which gives him a 96-4 record over the past two seasons. At 170, senior Hayden Krein of Sparta seeks to regain the title of champion. He finished third last season at 160 after capturing the crown at 152 in 2016. He has a 40-6 tally this season, which gives him a 119-13 record over the past three years. Senior Aric Bohn of Mukwonago is back attempting to defend the title he won at 220 last season. He comes into first-round action of the State tournament with a 39-5 mark on the season. Senior Keaton Kluever of Kaukauna seeks his second consecutive championship at 285. His record stands at 44-2 entering the first round of competition at State, which gives him a 94-5 mark the past two seasons.
TRACKING THE CHAMPIONS–DIVISION 2: The Division 2 field has six former champions, including a pair of multiple-time champions and one from 2016. Senior Sam Stuhl of Ellsworth is a three-time champion attempting to accomplish something only 14 others have done–earn a fourth State championship. He moves up a weight class to 138 this season after winning the title at 132 last year, the 126 championship in 2016, and the 120 crown in 2015 while competing for Prescott. He enters the tournament with a 38-1 record this season and a 164-12 career mark. Junior Bryce Bosman of Luxemburg-Casco began his prep career with a championship at the 106-pound weight class and then moved up last year to capture the title at 113. He returns to the State tournament this season with a 45-2 record at 126, which gives him a 136-11 career mark. Junior Cody Holmes of Two Rivers jumps up two weight classes to 120 this season after earning the title at 106 last season. He has compiled a 43-4 mark this season and 90-7 record over the past two years. Senior Ryan Hannah of Viroqua pursues a return to the championship form he displayed in 2016 when he won the 132-pound title. He moved up to the 138-pound weight class last year and finished runner-up. He has qualified this season at 145 with a 43-2 record. Hannah has a 160-18 career record entering this week’s action. Junior Shane Liegel of River Valley has yet to drop a match this year with a 45-0 record at 170 after winning the 160-pound championship a year ago. His ledger also includes a third-place finish at 152 in 2016. Liegel has compiled a 127-14 tally in his three years of competition and an 88-4 mark the last two seasons. Senior Hunter Luepke of Spencer/Columbus Catholic also is undefeated heading to the tournament with a 46-0 record, which lifts his win-loss mark to 127-9 over the past three seasons. He moves up to 220 this season after winning the 195 crown last season and finishing fifth at 182 in 2016.
TRACKING THE CHAMPIONS–DIVISION 3: There are eight former champions in the division with seven returning to defend the titles they won last year. In addition, there are three multiple-time champs. Remarkably, two Stratford wrestlers return in their quest to win their fourth championship, a feat done by only 14 other wrestlers is State history. Senior A.J. Schoenfuss won the 106-pound crown in 2015, the 120 title in 2016 and again last season. He moves up a weight to 126 this season and has posted a 41-4 to this point of the season, which gives him a 174-14 record for his career. Senior Jeremy Schoenherr attempts to defend the title he won at 138 last season after earning the championship at 126 in 2016 and at 113 in 2015. He enters State tournament action undefeated at 33-0. He hasn’t been defeated since his sophomore season, and has amassed a 136-3 record in his career. Junior Brock Schlough of Boyceville is in pursuit of his third State championship. After winning the 138-pound title in 2016 and the 160-pound crown last season, he moves down a weight to 152 this season. He has yet to lose this season at 44-0, which gives him a 129-5 record in his three years of competition. Senior Ryan Anderson of Clear Lake targets a return to the championship form that earned him the 106-pound title in 2016. He has compiled a 40-0 record this season and a 123-3 tally the last three years. Junior Koltin Grzybowski of Coleman moves up a weight class to 113 this year after winning gold at 106 last season. He has a 42-2 record this year and a 120-10 mark in his three seasons. Junior Caleb Gross of Coleman moves up to 120 after earning the title at 113 last season. He owns a 44-1 record for the season, which gives him an 84-4 mark over the past two seasons. At 132, junior Trevor Wanek of Fennimore is targeting a second title after winning the 126-pound championship last season. He enters competition with a 43-6 mark this year and a 109-30 in his three seasons. Senior Garrett Joles of Boyceville brings a great deal of tournament experience with him this week in an attempt to win his second straight championship at 195. He also has a pair of runner-up finishes, at 170 in 2015 and at 182 in 2016. He’s undefeated this season at 39-0, which gives him a 158-10 record for his career.
UNBLEMISHED MARKS: There are 18 wrestlers who enter the State Tournament this weekend undefeated, including six in Division 1, five in Division 2 and seven in Division 3. The six Division 1 wrestlers entering the State Tournament with perfect records are junior Eric Barnett of Hortonville (42-0) at 113, senior Aaron Schulist of Mukwonago (8-0) at 126, senior Drew Scharenbrock of Sun Prairie (47-0) at 145, junior Kevin Meicher of Middleton (43-0) at 152, junior Parker Keckeisen of Nicolet (28-0) at 170, and senior Beau Yineman of Neenah (41-0) at 195. Among the ranks of the unbeaten in Division 2 are freshman Jared Stricker of Ashland (42-0) at 106, senior Lucas Schevikhoven of Shoreland Lutheran (40-0) at 120, sophomore Aidan Medora of St. John’s NW Military Academy (31-0) at 132, junior Shane Liegel of River Valley (45-0) at 170 and senior Hunter Luepke of Spencer/Columbus Catholic (46-0) at 220. In Division 3, those still without a loss heading into the State Tournament are senior Ryan Anderson of Clear Lake (40-0) at 106, senior Jeremy Schoenherr of Stratford (33-0) at 138, senior Weston Wichman of Johnson Creek (6-0) at 145, junior Brock Schlough of Boyceville (44-0) at 152, junior Ryan Neu of Dodgeland (41-0) at 170, senior Garrett Joles of Boyceville (39-0) at 195 and senior Tanner Weber of Markesan (41-0) at 285. There are an additional 27 wrestlers in the meet that have suffered defeat only once this season.
HISTORY OF CHAMPIONS: For the 75th Anniversary celebration, the WIAA will be recognizing each of the 14 four-time champions in the history of the individual tournament. The champions will be announced, and those attending will be assisting in the awards ceremony. For a complete list of all-time individual wrestling champions and the number of champions by school, access the WIAA website and navigate to the State Results Archive page from the wrestling homepage.
NEED THE QUALIFIERS?: State Tournament brackets and tournament schedule are available in the restricted media area of the WIAA website or by accessing the Trackwrestling.com site at: http://www.trackwrestling.com.
NEED RESULTS?: Access results through the WIAA website by navigating to the wrestling homepage and selecting the Tournament Information option in the right column or by accessing the Trackwrestling.com website.
FOLLOW STATE MEET ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Receive updates of the State Individual Wrestling Tournament on the WIAA State Tournament Twitter account @wiaawistate with the hashtag #wiaawr. Also follow daily recaps on Facebook.