Pop quiz, name the only undefeated team on the University of Wisconsin campus. Men's basketball? Try again. How about women's hockey? Nope. If you said wrestling, then you guessed correctly ... and luckily. While most of us spent winter break catching up on our sleep, the only undefeated team on this campus has been compiling an 8-0 record and a No. 17 ranking, according to the wrestling publication, InterMat.
Head Coach Barry Davis' squad is led by senior all-American Kevin Black and nationally-ranked junior Ralph DeNisco. In fact, out of ten weight classes, Davis currently has four top-20 wrestlers. At 125 pounds, senior Tony Black is currently ranked eighth in the nation, while his brother Kevin is ranked fourth in the 133 pound category. DeNisco is 10th at 184 pounds, and heavyweight senior Justin Staebler is 13th. Both of the Blacks believe the strong start is due to a stronger sense of unity and a lack of complacency in a competitive conference.
\Everybody believes in what [Head Coach] Barry [Davis] has to offer,"" Kevin Black said.
""In the past, people seemed to be content with ninth place in the Big Ten ... where now, there's a lot of people who really don't like losing,"" Tony Black added.
Helping the Badgers is the fact that they are a young team. There are twice as many underclassmen as juniors and seniors, and Davis sees the added depth and overall team improvement as results of the overall youthful team.
""I think we've got some really good young kids ... that have made everybody really step up and push the pace,"" Davis said.
Despite its success, many people consider Wisconsin's record a fluke. According to a January poll conducted by W.I.N. Magazine, Wisconsin is ranked 24th, eight spots behind Northern Iowa, a team they dispatched earlier this season. However, freshman Ed Gutnik says that if teams come in and underestimate this year's Badgers, they will be in for a long night.
""Last year, we didn't get that much respect that we deserved,"" Gutnik said. ""People are sleeping on us, and they shouldn't be because we'll come up pretty quick on them.""
While the Badgers are flying high as the sole undefeated team in the Big Ten, the real test begins in a couple of weeks, as the team travels to Ames for a battle with the Iowa Hawkeyes. This is merely the start of a conference schedule in the toughest conference in the country.
Out of the 11 Big Ten teams, nine are in the top 25, five are in the top 10, and a Big Ten wrestler is ranked in the top two in all but three weight classes. However, the Badgers will hold an advantage down the stretch, as they host their last four dual meets and the Big Ten championships. As they begin the second half of their season, the Badgers are confident that conference and national titles are within their reach.
""Our goal is to win a national title,"" Kevin Black said. ""There's no reason why we shouldn't. Somebody has got to.""
A national title this year might seem like a tought climb for a team that only managed to finish ninth in their conference last year, but with the way this season is going, Black might end up being correct.
