The match got underway at 125 lbs., where No. 2 Mark McKnight of Penn State defeated Collin Cudd (River Falls, Wis.) 10-4. The dual-meet loss was Cudd's first of the season, while McKnight improved to 16-1.
However, sophomore Zach Tanelli (Milburn, N.J.) would answer with an upset over No. 6 Jake Strayer at 133 lbs. The match was tight, with the score tied at 5-5 following the second period. Then Strayer, who had accumulated over a minute of riding time, attempted an illegal maneuver, giving Tanelli a 6-5 advantage with 30 seconds remaining.
Tanelli did not stop there, earning an escape, a takedown and a three-point near fall in the final 25 seconds to win his first Big Ten match 12-6. The Badger is now 15-0 in dual competition and 15-2 overall.
No. 16 Kyle Ruschell (Crittenden, Ky.) and No. 6 Tyler Turner (Spring Valley, Wis.) added decision victories of their own at 141 lbs. and 149 lbs., respectively.
With the score 9-3 in favor of the Badgers, Henning won what would be the deciding match at 157 lbs. A native of Chippewa Falls, Wis., Henning dominate Jenkins from the start, tallying a 15-1 lead at the end of the second. He eventually earned the tech fall at 6:32 into the match, putting Wisconsin ahead 14-9.
Nevertheless, Penn State would not back down, earning a win at 165 lbs., as Dave Rella edged Jake Donar (Cuba City, Wis.) 6-4. No. 5 James Yonushonis added to Penn State's points with a 13-4 major decision over Mike Felling (Hutchinson, Minn.) at 174 lbs.
Freshman Trevor Brandvold (River Falls, Wis.) got the Badgers back on track, defeating PSU's Phil Bomberger 10-5. No. 15 Brandvold is now 14-3 overall and 9-1 in dual meets.
No. 11 Dallas Herbst (Winneconne, Wis.) faced familiar foe Phil Davis at 197 lbs. It was a match that the Nittany Lions knew they had to win to remain in contention for a dual victory. Herbst led 4-2 after the first, but the national-runner up proved to be too strong, winning the bout 11-2.
Penn State had pulled within four with only one match remaining, Kyle Massey (Champlin, Minn.) against No. 12 Aaron Anspach at heavyweight. Even is Massey lost, Wisconsin would win the bout as long as Penn State did not earn any bonus points. Massey fell behind 2-1 after the first, and 6-3 after the second. No. 12 Anspach came away with the 8-5 victory, but Massey prevented Penn State from earning crucial bonus points, that could have given PSU the win.
Wisconsin upset Penn State for the second consecutive year 17-16. The Badgers now have the second most wins in school history, despite only being halfway through the season.
UW is next in action on Jan. 26 as it heads to Evanston, Ill., to face Northwestern. Match time is set for 7 p.m. Check uwbadgers.com for the latest updates and scores.
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