Wisconsin @ Bucknell

Wisconsin beat Bucknell 23-15 in Lewisburg, PA on December 7, 2024, picking up a road dual at Bucknell University. The result came down to a series of bonus-point finishes that broke the match open for the Badgers.

Nicolar Rivera’s 13-1 major decision at 125 and Zan Fugitt’s 11-2 major at 133 combined for eight team points and gave Wisconsin a clear scoring edge in the middle weights. Cale Anderson’s fall at 165 was the biggest single swing, a six-point bonus that extended Wisconsin’s lead and proved decisive in the final math.

Bucknell fought back in the upper weights, with Dillon Bechtold answering with a 21-5 technical fall at 197 to keep the hosts within striking distance and add five crucial team points. Even with Bucknell’s late surge, Wisconsin’s accumulation of majors and the pin ultimately created an insurmountable gap.

The dual was determined by bonus-point finishes more than close decisions. Wisconsin’s three bonus wins, highlighted by Anderson’s pin, supplied the extra points that Bucknell couldn’t fully erase despite Bechtold’s dominant showing. The 23-15 final reflects a meeting where a handful of high-value results decided the outcome.