December marks a transitional period of sorts when it comes to collegiate sports.
Some sports like football and soccer have seen their last action until 2025. Women’s volleyball is competing in the NCAA tournament, and the hockey and basketball season is starting to pick up as we head into the new year.
While there is plenty to look forward to in the new year, it’s worthwhile to reminisce on a handful of achievements that Bucky gave us in 2024.
Men’s soccer and their early season spark
The Wisconsin Badgers men’s soccer team provided an exciting start to their season that hadn’t been seen in quite some time.
With no votes in the national preseason poll before regular season play began, the Badgers would go on to prove that they deserved much more attention than anyone initially gave them.
The Badgers ended September with a 6-1-1 record and were ranked No. 8 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 NCAA poll off the back of a youth movement happening in Madison.
Freshman forward Dean Boltz exploded onto the national scene during the Badgers’ hot start. Boltz totaled eight goals and three assists in the first eight games of the Badgers season, giving him serious consideration for Freshman of the Year honors.
But this blazing start wouldn’t last long, as the team would go 1-4-2 in the games following the start of October. This lackluster finish to the season narrowly denied a Big Ten Tournament bid for the Wisconsin Badgers.
Despite the heartbreaking end of the season, there is much to be confident about when thinking about the overall picture. Boltz ended up being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and landed on the All-Big Ten Second team.
Wisconsin now has the key goal of trying to maintain the components of this season to build on in 2025. If the early start showed us anything, this team has the pieces to be a real threat to the Big Ten and the entire nation if they can put it all together.
Women’s soccer’s NCAA tournament run
The 2024 Wisconsin Badgers women’s soccer program saw a continuation of the foundations laid in its 2023 season.
Posting a 10-6-5 record in the regular season, the Badgers turned their game up in the last five games of the season, winning four of their last five.
Similar to the men’s soccer team, the women’s soccer team had a prolific goal scorer who helped propel them to postseason success.
Graduate student Aryssa Mahrt scored 10 goals alongside four assists on the season. On top of the Mahrt’s scoring boost, four other teammates had multiple goals on the season. Even if Mahrt stood out as the lead goal scorer, there were plenty of options for the team when looking for a goal.
Although they lost in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament against Ohio State, the Badgers pushed on toward the fifth seed in the NCAA soccer tournament.
Wisconsin jumped to a 2-0 lead over Maine in the first three minutes of their first-round matchup thanks to goals from Mahrt and senior Ashely Martinez. It would be smooth sailing from there, leaving with a 3-1 win when the final whistle blew.
Next was a trip to Irvine, California, to face off against the No. 4 Virginia Cavaliers. The game was a tense one, with the two squads having to conduct a shootout to crown a winner after a stalemate in overtime. The Badgers made each of their four shots, and after the Cavaliers missed their second shot out of four, Wisconsin sealed the upset win. The Wisconsin Badgers were going to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2021.
In the Sweet Sixteen, the Badgers faced the No. 1 USC Trojans. Unfortunately for the team, this would be the end of their season. USC jumped out to a 3-0 lead, and despite a late goal from midfielder Dara Andringa, the game ended 3-1 for the Trojans.
Aside from the sour end, the women’s program has much to appreciate when thinking about the 2024 season. They’ll have to retool a bit next year, but another NCAA Tournament run shouldn’t be out of the picture for this team.
Men’s basketball beats Purdue in Big Ten Semifinal
To round off the list, we’ve got an iconic game in Wisconsin men’s basketball lore.
Before heading into the Big Ten Tournament in the 2023-24 season, the Badgers were on the brink of collapse. Losing eight of their last 11 games of the regular season, the hot start they saw to begin the year started to fade.
And then the Big Ten Tournament started.
A convincing win against Maryland in the first round set them up for a second-round matchup against the fourth-seed Northwestern Wildcats. After breaking away with a 70-61 win, it was time for the semifinal against a familiar foe.
Wisconsin played Purdue twice in the regular season, both contests ending in close fashion. A combined 14-point differential in both games showed that the Badgers could keep up with the top-ranked Boilermakers.
This matchup proved to be no different, as both teams posted the same number of points in each half. With the score tied at 70 apiece, the two went to overtime.
After two made free throws by NBA lottery pick Zach Edey, Purdue was up by three with 46 seconds to go in overtime. The Badgers would have to rally quickly if they wanted to be in the Big Ten Championship.
And rally they did.
A Chucky Hepburn layup and an offensive foul committed by Purdue gave the Badgers the chance to take the lead with 22 seconds left. With the score being 75-74 Purdue, it was time for someone to make their moment.
Junior Max Klesmit made the play of his life, hitting a floater with 4.8 seconds left in overtime to give the Badgers the lead. The clutch bucket proved to be enough, as Purdue simply didn’t have enough time to respond. The Badgers were moving on to the Big Ten Championship.
After a shaky end to the regular season, The Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team showed resilience in the Big Ten Tournament that everyone had to respect. After their hot start this season, one could point to this game as the moment the Badgers really stepped into their own as a unit.
