Dean Hamiti wins Big Ten title, leads contingent of seven Wisconsin wrestlers who gain NCAA berths

Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·2 min read
The Badgers' Dean Hamiti wrestles Iowa's Patrick Kennedy in the 165-pound title match in the Big Ten championships Sunday in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The Badgers' Dean Hamiti wrestles Iowa's Patrick Kennedy in the 165-pound title match in the Big Ten championships Sunday in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Wisconsin’s Dean Hamiti finished third last season in his first Big Ten championships appearance. This year he took second to no one.

The sophomore wrestler put together an impressive weekend on the way to capturing the 165-pound title Sunday at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Hamiti, who is ranked No. 6 in the NCAA Coaches ranking of the weight class, defeated eighth-ranked Patrick Kennedy of Iowa, 9-6, in the final. Hamiti reached the final by scoring major decisions Saturday over No. 28 Andrew Sparks of Minnesota and No. 13 Carson Kharchia of Ohio State in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively.

Hamiti led UW to an eighth-place finish at the championships and gave the program a conference champion for the second straight year – Austin Gomez won last season at 149. That had not happened since 2015 and ’16, when Isaac Jordan won back-to-back title at 165.

Penn State, this season’s dual meet champion, was the tournament champion with 147 points. Iowa (134.5) took second.

As tournament champion, Hamiti earned an automatic berth to the NCAA championships, which will be held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from March 16-18.

Six other Badgers earned NCAA berths:

* Senior Eric Barnett, who finished fifth at 125 pounds

* Sophomore Joseph Zargo, the seventh-place finisher at 141

* Sophomore Braxton Amos, the seventh-place finisher at 187

* Senior 285-pounder Trent Hillger, who finished sixth

* Seniors Taylor LaMont (133) and Garrett Model (157) scored wins Sunday in the ninth-place bracket to gain automatic NCAA berths.

Notably absent from those qualifiers is Gomez, the NCAA runner-up last season. Visibly hobbled due to a leg injury, he lost in the quarterfinals and then in the consolation bracket Saturday before forfeiting his matches Sunday.

Gomez and senior Tyler Dow (184) can still receive at-large berth for the NCAA championships. Those will be announced later this week.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Dean Hamiti wins Big Ten title; 7 Wisconsin wrestlers gain NCAA berths