The Hoosiers (2-1) responded emphatically, earning five wins with bonus points on the way to a 35-6 victory over the Patriots (0-1).
"I thought they responded really well. They came in with a good attitude and wrestled a lot harder, with a little more resiliency in situations," Goldman said. "A lot of young guys like Jake Hinz, Garrett Pepple, and Fletcher Miller had some nice wins that they needed to get. It was a good result."
Much of Indiana's success against the Patriots came from the spark in the first two bouts. No. 12 Elijah Oliver (3-0) opened the dual at 125 lbs. with a 72-second pin, his second of the season and his third win with bonus points. Immediately following in the 133 lbs. match, Garrett Pepple (2-1) sealed the deal against Lio Quezzada (0-1) before the end of the first period. Pepple grabbed a takedown and four back points before securing the win by fall in 2:51.
"That's always huge anytime you can start a dual meet with a fall, and even better with two," said Goldman. "It definitely gets the ball rolling for anyone else coming up behind them, so that was a really important start for us. It's one we needed coming into this match."
Indiana returned to the win column at 157 lbs., when Jake Danishek (2-1) tallied seven takedowns for a 16-6 major decision against Matthew Raines (0-1). It sparked a dominating closing stretch, as the Hoosiers won the final seven bouts.
Bryce Martin (1-1) saw his hand raised for the first time this season after grinding out a 10-5 decision over Garrett Tingen (0-1). Devin Skatzka (3-0) did more of the same at 174 lbs., remaining unbeaten on the year with a 6-3 decision win.
No. 6 Nate Jackson (3-0) continued his unblemished start to the 2016-17 season at 184 lbs. with his third pin at 3:22. Jackson racked up five takedowns in the first period alone, followed by two takedowns and the eventual win by fall.
"He looked a lot better, started to get back in his form today," Goldman said regarding his returning All-American. "Even on the California trip, he dominated the matches but wasn't quite in his rhythm yet. Today he looked like he was getting back in sync."
Redshirt freshman Jake Hinz (1-1) earned his first career varsity win, an imposing 20-7 major decision over Andrew Thomas (0-1) in the penultimate 197 lbs. bout. Hinz led 9-2 after two periods, with 2:33 in riding time, before pouring on five takedowns in the final two minutes.
Fletcher Miller (2-1) outlasted reigning UWW Greco Roman University National Champion Matt Voss (0-1) in the heavyweight bout, claiming a 3-2 decision win. An escape by Voss tied the contest early in the third period, but Miller struck with a takedown midway through the final round. Miller rode away the riding time point, and contained Voss long enough to prevent a comeback attempt.
Junior Luke Blanton (2-1) suffered his first loss of the year in the 149 lbs. match, 10-3, to George Mason's senior captain, Sahid Kargbo. Blanton scored on an escape in the first and a reversal in the second.
The Hoosiers also saw a promising performance in the 141 lbs. bout from sophomore Cole Weaver (0-1). Although Weaver fell in sudden victory, 3-1, he wrestled his first match since suffering a season-ending injury on January 29, 2016 in a dual versus Ohio State. "Even though he lost, it was important for him to get out there and break the ice," Goldman said.
Results:
125 #12 Elijah Oliver (3-0) pins Trevor Mello (0-1) 1:12 IU 6, GMU 0
133 Garrett Pepple (2-1) pins Lio Quezzada (0-1) 2:51 IU 12, GMU 0
141 Tejon Anthony (1-0) dec. Cole Weaver (0-1) SV-1 3-1 IU 12, GMU 3
149 Sahid Kargbo(1-0) dec. Luke Blanton (2-1) 10-3 IU 12, GMU 6
157 Jake Danishek (2-1) maj. dec. Matthew Raines (0-1) 16-6 IU 16, GMU 6
165 Bryce Martin (1-1) dec. Garrett Tingen (0-1) 10-5 IU 19, GMU 6
174 Devin Skatzka (3-0) dec. Patrick Davis (0-1) 6-3 IU 22, GMU 6
184 #6 Nate Jackson (3-0) pins Austin Harrison (0-1) 3:22 IU 28, GMU 6
197 Jake Hinz (1-1) maj. dec. Andrew Thomas (0-1) 20-7 IU 32, GMU 6
285 Fletcher Miller (2-1) dec. Matthew Voss (0-1) 3-2 IU 35, GMU 6
Up Next: Indiana (2-1) at the Navy Classic
Saturday, November 19 • Prelims 10:00 a.m. • Finals 5:00 p.m. • Follow on FloArena
Wesley A. Brown Fieldhouse • Annapolis, Md.
Indiana will remain in the Washington, D.C. metro area this weekend for their first tournament of the season, the 2016 Navy Classic at the United States Naval Academy. The Hoosiers join 11 other teams, including George Mason, in setting up a tournament with tantalizing potential matchups in all 10 brackets.
"We haven't looked forward too much, but they'll get a night to sleep on it," Goldman said on the upcoming tournament. "We'll get back in the room tomorrow and train a little bit, go over some things, and get refocused for the weekend."
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now