Wisconsin shocks Michigan in upset victory

Sunday, February 15

Madison, WI

1:00 PM

Wisconsin Badgers

Michigan

Wisconsin shocks Michigan in upset victory

February 15, 2026 | Wrestling

Badgers edge Wolverines, 19-17, in Field House thriller

By: Aliza Manekia

MADISON, Wis. - No. 22 Wisconsin wrestling delivered a statement win Sunday afternoon, knocking off No. 10 Michigan, 19-17, in the final home match of the season at the UW Field House. The victory marks the Badgers' first top-10 upset since the '22-'23 season and their first Big Ten top-ten victory since the '19-'20 campaign. Wisconsin improves to 12–4 overall and 7-1 at home this season.

Wyatt Ingham opened the dual with one of his strongest performances of the year, scoring early and sealing the win with a last-second takedown in the third period to put Wisconsin on the board. Nicolar Rivera followed with a hard-fought decision over Diego Sotelo, battling through three tough periods to keep the Badgers in front.

At 133 pounds, Zan Fugitt built momentum with a dominant showing, piling up multiple takedowns en route to a major decision and key bonus points. Joseph Zargo added to the lead with a late takedown in the final seconds of the third period. Despite a Michigan challenge, the call stood, pushing the Badgers' team score higher midway through the dual.

Luke Mechler delivered one of the biggest moments of the afternoon, fighting through regulation and overtime before securing riding time and winning a tightly contested 4-3 decision in tiebreakers. Cody Goebel closed out the scoring for Wisconsin with a steady decision victory, helping the Badgers hold off the Wolverines for the 19-17 upset win.

Results
Wisconsin 19, Michigan 17
No.29 Wyatt Ingham def. No.19 Hayden Walters, Dec 7-1
No.5 Hayden Walters def. No.9 Braxton Amos, SV-1 2-1
No.18 Nicolar Rivera def. No.27 Diego Sotelo, Dec 7-6
No.7 Zan Fugitt def. Gauge Botero, Major Dec. 17-5
No. 26 Dylan Ragusin def. Carson Exferd, Tech. Fall 19-3
No.14 Joseph Zargo def. No.15 Lachlan McNeil, Dec 4-1
No.27 Luke Mechler def. No. 13 Cameron Catrabone, TB-1 4-3
No.27 Cody Goebel def. Justin Gates, Dec. 8-1
No.11 Beau Mantanona def. Luke Condon, Major Dec. 14-4
No.7 Brock Mantanona def. Matthew Jens, Tech. Fall 20-5

Up Next: The Badgers conclude the regular season with a road match at No. 15 Northern Iowa, taking on the Panthers Sunday, Feb.22 at 1 p.m. CT.