When it comes to strength of schedule, few Wisconsin wrestlers have had a more challenging slate this season than Ryan Christensen.
Christensen, the Badgers’ starter at 184 pounds, has had a team-high nine matches against opponents who were ranked by InterMat, winning three of them..
To put those numbers into perspective, no Wisconsin wrestler has had more than six matches against ranked foes this season and the of Christensen’s teammates have combined for just five wins against ranked competition.
The fact that almost half of his matches have come against some of the nation’s top wrestlers is not lost on the redshirt freshman.
“It dawns on me. I know who I’m wrestling,” Christensen said. “They’re tough. Everybody is tough. I know who the top guys at my weight are and I know who I’ll be competing against at the end of the year for the big tournaments.”
Like any wrestler worth their salt, Christensen prefers to keep his focus internal, regardless of who he is up against.
“I try to have the same mentality going into every match no matter who my opponent is,” Christensen said. “Obviously, there’s a little bit of game planning on how I want to wrestle that guy, how I want to attack them. But I don’t think too much about where they are ranked. It’s honestly more of an afterthought.”
The Woodinville, Wash. native wrestled unattached last season, going 11-4. But the competition he faced a season ago was nothing compared to what he has been up against this season. Christensen is appreciative of the opportunity that these high-level matches provide.
“I think that’s one of the things I kind of missed out on last year. I think it’s been a great benefit for me, having these tough guys at the beginning of the year. Just to see what level I need to be at and to see how I compare with that,” Christensen said. “It honestly gives me a little confidence, win or lose, to know I can compete with these guys.”
Though his positive attitude in the face of adversity will take him a long way, it is Christensen’s drive to improve that will be instrumental in his improvement.
“There’s always something I can work on after every match,” Christensen said. “It’s great to get into the room the next couple of days and just working on that. The goal is to not get beat the same way over and over again. I continue to improve where I’m weak and become an all-around, solid wrestler.”
The road won’t get any easier for Christensen who is scheduled to take on No.8 Sammy Brooks when Wisconsin faces No.2 Iowa at the Kohl Center on Friday. Brooks is one of five Big Ten wrestlers that are currently ranked by InterMat at 184 pounds.
That matchup will certainly be a tall order, but matches like that are part of the gig when you have goals as high as Christensen.
“This season, I want to be an All-American,” Christensen said. “I know some may say that it’s kind of a lofty goal, but maybe it’s not. That’s just where I feel I can get to. It’s going to be get tough, but I can get there if I push myself and stay on track.”
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