THE TOURNAMENT: The 73rd Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Individual Wrestling Championship Tournament will be held Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 25-27, 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 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.
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. 25
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. 26
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. 27
Session 4:
Division 1 Consolation Wrestlebacks at 11 a.m. on mats 1 & 2
Division 2 Consolation Wrestlebacks at 11 a.m. on mats 3 & 4
Division 3 Consolation Wrestlebacks at 11 a.m. on mats 5 & 6
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 6 p.m. on mat 1
Division 2 Championships at 6 p.m. on mat 2
Division 3 Championships at 6 p.m. on mat 3
FINALS ON FS WISCONSIN ALTERNATE CHANNEL: The championship finals will be aired live on FS Wisconsin Alternate Channel. Please check local cable listings for the FS Wisconsin Alternate Channel in your area, or visit the FS Wisconsin Alternate Channel website for the channel on your system:
http://www.foxsports.com/wisconsin/story/fox-sports-wisconsin-alternate-channel-information-121713
ALL MATCHES STREAMED LIVE: The broadcast of the finals will be streamed on FoxSportsGo.com with authentication of your cable service provider. In addition, all six mats of the pre-finals and the three matches of the finals will be streamed live on the FoxSportsGo.com without the requirement of authentication.
2016 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 217 programs represented at this year’s individual championships, including 89 from Division 1, and 66 in Division 2 and 62 in Division 3.
MORE NUMBERS: Kaukauna has qualified the most wrestlers to the field in Division 1 with nine. Hortonville, Oak Creek and Stoughton are next in line with seven. Ellsworth and Wisconsin Lutheran have the distinction of having qualified the most individuals in Division 2 with nine. Amery, Lomira, Luxemburg-Casco and Two Rivers each have six. In Division 3, Stratford claims the most qualifiers with 11. Spring Valley/Elmwood is next with 10, and Random Lake has eight qualifiers. There are 26 former champions in the tournament field this year and 19 seeking to defend the title they won last year.
TOTAL TITLES BY SCHOOLS: Mineral Point has produced the most individual championships with 50. Stoughton and Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln are next with 44, and then Milwaukee South with 39. Others with significant totals are Luxemburg-Casco with 35, Athens with 32 and Coleman with 29.
TRACKING THE CHAMPIONS–DIVISION 1: In Division 1, nine former champions, including six of last year’s champions, return to the tournament in pursuit of another crown. Junior Brandon Kline of Stoughton moves up a weight class to 113 after winning the title at 106 last season. He enters the tournament with a 49-3 mark. Senior Tyus White of West Allis Central will compete at 120, looking for a second State title. He won at 106 in 2014 and finished runner-up at 113 last year. He has posted a 37-2 record this season. Senior Justin Folley of Wauwatosa West/East is in pursuit of a second straight title at 126. He has lost only once this season with a 45-1 tally. Senior Nathan Smith of Mukwonago moves up two weight classes to 132 after winning the 120 championship last season. He has accumulated a 28-3 record this season. Two former champions are in the 145-pound weight class. Senior Collin Kraus of Stoughton moves up a class this season after finishing third last season at 138. He won the championship at 126 in 2014. Kraus enters action this week with a 47-2 record. Junior Jaden Winchel of Sparta captured gold at 132 last year in Division 2. He transitions to 145 in Division 1 this season with a 37-3 record. Senior Brock Benitz of Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln won the 152-pound class last season. He moves up a weight to 160 this year. He has posted a 40-3 mark this season entering the State Tournament. Senior Beau Breske of Hartford is a two-time champion looking to win a third title by qualifying at 182. He won the 152 crown in 2013 and the 170 championship in 2014 prior to finishing runner-up at 170 a year ago. He has yet to lose this season with a 47-0 record. Senior Mason Stokke of Menomonie is also undefeated this season with a 27-0 mark at 220. He has his sights on his second championship after winning the gold medal at 195 last season to cap an undefeated campaign at 44-0.
TRACKING THE CHAMPIONS–DIVISION 2: The Division 2 field includes eight former champions and two multiple champions. Senior Hunter Marko of Amery seeks to become the 14th wrestler in State Tournament history to win four championships. He moves up a weight class to contend for the title at 138 after claiming the crown at 126 last season, at 113 in 2014 and at 106 in 2013. He has compiled a 33-0 record to this point of the season. Senior Paul Bianchi of Two Rivers seeks his third crown. He qualifies at 120 with a 49-0 tally. He went undefeated last season at 51-0 to win the 113 title after winning at 106 in 2014. Junior Brock Bergelin of Denmark moves up a weight to 113 with a 40-1 record after earning the gold at 106 last season. Sophomore Sam Stuhl of Prescott moves up a weight class to 126 this season after winning the title at 120 last season. He enters the tournament with a 38-5 record. Junior Devin Bahr of West Salem/Bangor was the champion at 132 in 2014. He qualifies this year with sights on contending for the 152 title with a 47-0 record. Senior Bennett Paulson of Amery seeks a second championship after claiming the 182 title last season. He moves up to 195 this season with a 40-2 mark. Senior Dane Borchardt of Tomahawk will attempt to defend the title he won at 220 last year. He enters the State Tournament with a 42-2 record. Senior Cole Warzynski of Almond-Bancroft/Pacelli transitions to Division 2 after winning the Division 3 title at 285 last year. He qualifies this year riding a 45-1 record.
TRACKING THE CHAMPIONS–DIVISION 3: There are nine former champions and six wrestlers defending titles they won last year in the Division 3 field. Senior Riley Lull of Fennimore makes another attempt at the 113 crown following last season’s third-place finish. He won the title at 106 for Riverdale in 2014. He enters the tournament with a 40-5 record this season. Four Stratford wrestlers return in their quest for repeat championships. Sophomore AJ Schoenfuss won the 106-pound crown last season. He moves up to contend for the title at 120 this season with a 45-3 record. Sophomore Jeremy Schoenherr moves up two weight classes after claiming the title at 113 a year ago. He enters action at 126 this year with a 38-0 mark. Junior Mason Kauffman will move up four classes to 152 after capturing the gold at 126 in 2015. He has compiled an undefeated 48-0 tally thus far this season after his 49-0 campaign last year. Junior Kamren Bornbach will attempt to retain the title he won at 182 last season. He enters competition with a 45-2 mark on the season. Senior Hunter Dischler of Weston/Ithaca is a two-time champion seeking to return to the victory stand. He moves up two weight classes to 132 after placing runner-up at 120 last season. Dischler won the 106 title in 2013 and the 113 championship in 2014. Entering competition this week, he has compiled a 43-1 record on the year. Sophomore Alston Nutter of Fennimore, who defeated Dischler in the 120 title match a year ago, moves up to 126 with a 39-5 record this season to give that class, with Schoenherr moving up from 113, two returning champions. Senior Wilder Wichman of Johnson Creek won the 138 title last season at 43-0. He moves up to 145 this year with a 41-0 record in pursuit of back-to-back championships. Junior Micah Johnson of Boyceville won the championship at 138 in 2014. Last year, he moved up to 152 and placed third last year. This season, he qualifies at 170 with a 20-2 record.
UNBLEMISHED MARKS: There are 22 wrestlers who enter the State Tournament this weekend undefeated, including 12 in Division 1, six in Division 2 and four in Division 3. The 12 Division 1 wrestlers entering the State Tournament with perfect records are junior Dylan Koontz of Stevens Point (40-0) at 113; sophomore Drew Scharenbrock of Sun Prairie (47-0) at 120; senior Fritz Schierl of Stevens Point (40-0) and junior Jose Acosta of Manitowoc Lincoln at 160; seniors Sawyer Massie of Hudson (43-0) and Blair Mulholland of Kimberly (41-0), and sophomore Jared Krattiger of Waterford (46-0) at 170; seniors Beau Breske of Hartford (47-0) and Dylan Anderson of Hudson (43-0) at 182; junior Jacob Raschka of Pewaukee (49-0) at 195; and seniors Mason Stokke of Menomonie (27-0) and Jacob Simar of Kenosha Indian Trail (39-0) at 220. Among the ranks of the unbeaten in Division 2 are senior Paul Bianchi of Two Rivers (49-0) at 120; senior Hunter Marko of Amery (33-0) at 138; junior Nate Trepanier of Oconto Falls (44-0) at 145; junior Devin Bahr of West Salem/Bangor (47-0) at 152; senior August Peplinski of Wittenberg-Birnamwood (46-0) at 195; and senior Brady Wetter of Dodgeville (26-0) at 220. In Division 3, those still without a loss heading into the State Tournament are sophomore Jeremy Schoenherr of Stratford (38-0) at 126; senior Wilder Wichman of Johnson Creek (41-0) at 145; junior Mason Kauffman of Stratford (48-0) at 152; and senior Henry Fielding of Shiocton (42-0) at 195. There are an additional 32 wrestlers in the meet that have suffered defeat only once this season.
HISTORY OF CHAMPIONS: For a complete list of all-time individual wrestling champions, 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 on the WIAA website or by accessing the TrackWrestling 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.