Completed Event: Wrestling versus NCAA Championship on March 20, 2025 , , NTS
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Wrestling
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Duke Welcomes No. 18 Wisconsin for Home Opener
11/17/2016 9:30:00 AM | Wrestling
ACC Network Extra | Live Scoring | Twitter
DURHAM, N.C.—The Duke wrestling team opens its home schedule Friday night with another top-20 opponent when it welcomes No. 18 Wisconsin. The Blue Devils and Badgers will dual at 7 p.m., in Card Gymnasium with the match being broadcast by ACC Network Extra.
About the Dual
Duke will be wrestling in its second dual of the year while the matchup with the Blue Devils will be the first for the Badgers. The first bout will begin at 7 p.m., in Card Gymnasium and all of the action can be seen on ACC Network Extra on ESPN3. A link will be available on GoDuke.com. Admission is free of charge and parking is available in the Whitford and Frank Bassett lots and the Science Drive Parking Deck.
Matches to Watch
Friday's match has a host of exciting bouts on top. Perhaps the best of the 10 will come at heavyweight with returning All-American and No. 2 Connor Medbery of Wisconsin battling No. 16 and new to the weight class Jacob Kasper. Both are undefeated on the year and have ranked wins under their belts. The match at 174 will feature NCAA hopeful Connor Bass of Duke and returning NCAA qualifier at 184 pounds Ryan Christensen. The start for Christensen will be his first at that weight and the second for Bass, who bumped up from 157. Meanwhile at 133 pounds, Cole Baumgartner will be making his fourth career start and second for Duke, while Eli Stickley is suiting up for his first dual.
Scouting the Blue Devils
The Blue Devils are 0-1 in duals after suffering a narrow 22-20 setback to No. 15 Oregon State. Duke got wins from Cole Baumgartner, Connor Bass, Alex Belaia-Martiniouk and Jacob Kasper. Both Bass and Kasper scored bonus points for Duke with a technical fall and pin, while Baumgartner scored his first dual win in a Blue Devil singlet. The duo of Bass and Kasper also are undefeated and ranked in both the Open Mat and FloWrestling polls. Zach Finesilver and Alec Schenk's losses came against ranked foes from Oregon State.
Probable Lineup
125 – Thayer Atkins (4-2)
133 – Cole Baumgartner (4-2)
141 – Zach Finesilver (2-3)
149 – Xaviel Ramos (2-3)
157 – Joey Abbate (0-3)
165 – Michael Wright (0-3)
174 – Connor Bass (6-0)
184 – Alec Schenk (1-3)
197 – Alex Belaia-Martiniouk (1-2)
285 – No. 16 Jacob Kasper (6-0)
Scouting the Badgers
Wisconsin brings a young lineup to Durham Friday night for its first dual of the year. The Badgers are looking to build off of a strong showing at the Journeyman Classic where they captured four titles, including two from freshmen Mason Reinhardt and Hunter Ritter. Senior heavyweight Connor Medbery owns three top-five wins to start the season and is ranked second nationally. Senior Isaac Jordan also sits in the No. 2 spot nationally at 165 pounds and joins Medbery as a returning All-American. Overall, 60 percent of the Wisconsin lineup features underclassmen and it will be the first dual start for four Badgers.
125: Jens Lantz 133: Eli Stickley 141: Cole Martin
149: Andrew Crone 157: Izaec Quintanilla 165: No. 2 Isaac Jordan
174: Ryan Christensen 184: Hunter Ritter
197: Ricky Robertson
HWT: No. 2 Connor Medbery
Duke in the Rankings
A trio of Blue Devils remained in the second week of the national polls with two of them listed among the top 20 in all three of the lists. Connor Bass (174) and Jacob Kasper (HWT) both remained in the top 20 this week after convincing victories against Oregon State. Jake Faust, wrestling unattached this first semester, remained steady at 15th and 16th in the 165-pound division.
| Jake Faust | Week | InterMat | Open Mat | FloWrestling | NCAA |
| Preseason | 14 | NR | 8 | N/A | |
| November 8 | 15 | 10 | 8 | N/A | |
| November 15 | 16 | 11 | 8 | N/A | |
| Jacob Kasper | Preseason | NR | NR | NR | N/A |
| November 8 | 15 | 14 | 16 | N/A | |
| November 15 | 16 | 15 | 16 | N/A | |
| Connor Bass | Preseason | NR | NR | NR | N/A |
| November 8 | NR | 15 | 17 | N/A | |
| November 15 | NR | 16 | 18 | N/A |
Up Next
Duke will wrestle for the final time in 2016 Sunday at the Wolfpack Open at Carmichael Gym on the campus of NC State. The Blue Devils will take six weeks off for the end of the semester before returning to the mat at the Southern Scuffle.
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
133
/ Wrestling
125
/ Wrestling
149
/ Wrestling
133
/ Wrestling
184
/ Wrestling
149
/ Wrestling
141
/ Wrestling
184
/ Wrestling
141
/ Wrestling
184
/ Wrestling
165
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