Nicolar Rivera secures podium at Big Ten wrestling championships

Wisconsin’s lone Top 8 finisher was Nicolar Rivera at Big Ten championships

Wisconsin's Nicolar Rivera earned a spot on the podium at the Big Ten Championships. | X/Wisconsin Wrestling

Nicolar Rivera represented the Wisconsin wrestling team on the podium Sunday at the Big Ten Championships.

Rivera was the lone Badger to place in the Top 8, finishing fourth at 125 pounds.

He will be one of three Wisconsin wrestlers headed to the upcoming NCAA Championships alongside Zan Fugitt and Cody Goebel as automatic qualifiers. The full list ill be announced on Tuesday night by the NCAA.

After falling to Matt Ramos of Purdue in the quarterfinals, Rivera reeled off two major decisions and earned a medical forfeit to earn a rematch with Ramos, He suffered an 8-5 decision loss in the third-place match after being pinned earlier in the tournament.

Fugitt, Goebel and Luke Mechler each picked up a win.

Penn State won its third straight league title, crowning five individual champions. Nebraska was second followed by Iowa as Wisconsin placed 13th overall.