The Wisconsin wrestling team’s Zan Fugitt and Nicolar Rivera have entered the transfer portal for the upcoming wrestling season. Both wrestlers had solidified their places on the team with several wins and NCAA appearances.
Fugitt was last seen on the mat during the 2026 NCAA Championships, where he entered as a high seed in the 133 lbs but suffered a loss to Gardner-Webb’s TK Davis in the opening round. The latter claimed a 4-1 victory. Fugitt bounced back after winning a consolation match against Oklahoma’s C. Schmidt with a 5-4 decision; however, his journey ended after a 10-7 loss against Stanford’s Tyler Knox in another consolation round.
Fugitt also competed at the Big Ten Championships, where he secured a fourth-place overall finish. Similarly, Rivera also wrapped up his 2025-26 season after competing at the national championships, where he competed at 125 lbs. He entered the tournament as the No. 23 seed and faced No. 10 Marc-Anthony McGowan in the first round, and was defeated by fall in 5:35.
Before this, he also competed at the Big Ten Championships, where he secured a 10th-place finish. After competing for the Badgers for three years, both wrestlers have now entered the transfer portal, giving the team a big blow. A wrestling insider posted this news on X, writing:
“A big blow to Wisconsin’s lightweights as Nicolar Rivera (125 lbs) and Zan Fugitt (133 lbs) both hit the Transfer Portal this year. Zan placed 4th as a redshirt freshman in 2025 but failed to make the podium this past season. Rivera is also a 2x NCAA Qualifier. Will be interesting to see where they land.”
Zan Fugitt delivered an impressive performance at the 2025 NCAA Championships, where he advanced to the Final Four after besting Connor McGonagle.
When Zan Fugitt opened up about advancing to the NCAA Semifinals
Zan Fugitt solidified his place in the wrestling world after his performance at the 2025 NCAA Championships. After a series of dominant performances, he met Virginia Tech’s No. 6 Connor McGonagle for a semifinal spot and secured his place by winning with a fall at the 2:30 mark. Along with advancing to the Final Four, he earned an All-American with this victory.
Following this feat, he spoke to the media, where he made his feelings known about his performance at the nationals. Talking about the finishing sequence of the showdown, he said:
“So kind of got in an upper body position, which I’m very comfortable there. So, I just kind of like my coaches told me, just let it fly and go have fun. It’s the last tournament of the year, so I just went out there and just let it fly. And ended up going my way, so that’s good.”
Talking about becoming an All-American for the first time, he said:
“I mean, it means the world, right? I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a little kid. So, I know I just need to have one good tournament and prepare right, and work hard all season. And they got me here. Had ups and downs, but just need to have one good tournament, and that was what matters.”
Zan Fugitt further revealed the mindset that helped him prepare for the NCAA Championships’ environment.
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