Wisconsin Badgers wrestler Eli Stickley dies in car crash
Wisconsin Badgers wrestler Eli Stickley died Thursday night in a car crash in Illinois. He was 21.
Stickley was driving a 2004 Nissan Frontier when it left the roadway on Interstate 74 at 8:19 p.m. local time, running into the right ditch before overcorrecting and rolling, per Illinois State Police via the Wisconsin State Journal.
Stickley and a passenger — who was not identified and whose status is unknown — were taken to Illini Hospital, per the Rock Island Dispatch-Argus. Stickley was pronounced dead there.
Stickley was a starter for the Badgers this past season in the 141-pound weight class and qualified for the NCAA Championships. In 2016-17 he finished with a 20-19 overall record and in 2015-16's unattached campaign he went 20-9.
Stickley arrived at Wisconsin via his native Ohio, where he won a Division II high school championship in 2014.
Stickley's uncle, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, won two national championships at Wisconsin and was a three-time All-American — and remains the school's all-time wins leader. Jordan's son, Isaac, wrapped up his own All-American career in 2017 wrestling alongside cousin Stickley.