The NCAA Division 1 Wrestling Tournament has arrived at a critical junction where every team will have to compete fiercely. This stands true for both the low-ranking teams and the top-ranking ones, including Penn State. The defending champs are currently cruising on an unbeaten campaign. But, their next match against the Michigan Wolverines is sure to make them sweat.

The Michigan Wolverines are currently the 11th-ranked team in the NCAA and are going strong in the season so far. The Wolverines square off against Penn State Wrestling in their next match, which is a great opportunity for them to rank up. Michigan’s Dylan Ragusin even expressed his excitement for the upcoming dual in a recent social media post.

Dylan Ragusin on why the Michigan Wolverines shine brighter

133-pound grappler Dylan Ragusin recently appeared in the latest podcast episode of FloWrestling. A section of his interview was uploaded to Instagram, wherein he spoke about his mindset for the upcoming match against Penn State Wrestling. He said, “People should be excited. It’s a top-five duel. We’re competing for a trophy team, Penn State’s the team to beat right now.”

Ragusin further added, “We’re going to go out there and compete hard. And I think you see a lot of teams lay down for guys like Penn State, but that’s not going to be us. We’re going to go out there, we’re going to fight hard. We’re going to compete hard. We’re going to ride hard.” While PSU is currently on top of the charts, Ragusin expressed why people like the Michigan Wolverines more.

He mentioned, “That’s why I think people like Michigan wrestling, because it’s hard-nosed, it’s gritty, it’s tough wrestling. These are the duels you remember.” Although the young wrestler seems very confident, his team has a very demanding task up ahead. They will have to surpass a wall that they have failed to breach since 2009.

Cracking the code to a one-side rivalry

The Michigan Wolverines may be doing great this season, but PSU isn’t an easy opponent to beat. Moreover, the Wolverines have only won once against Penn State in 14 appearances, and are on an 11-match losing streak. Not to mention, the Nittany Lions are currently on their way to a championship threepeat after two successful fourpeats in the last 12 years.

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The Michigan Wolverines are pumped about their upcoming matchup against Penn State and have Ragusin as well as Shane Griffith on their side. However, the Nittany Lions also have a starry lineup, with all their starters ranking in the top 15. Will 19th January bring an end to Michigan’s losing streak, or will Cael Sanderson’s boys have things their way once again?

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