"It was a great chance to get back on the mat," head coach Duane Goldman said. "I was pleased with our performance and it gets us started off on a good foot."
The Hoosiers dropped only two bouts on the day to dominate the Hoosier Dual competition. As a team, IU posted three pins, three technical falls, three major decisions, one forfeit and 11 decisions.
Defending national champion and top-rated Joe Dubuque remained unbeaten on the year posting two wins. Senior Dubuque first pinned Cortney Robert of Gardner-Webb in his first bout of the morning followed by a victory by forfeit against Eastern Illinois. Dubuque is 6-0 on the season.
At 133, sophomore Andrae Hernandez saw action in his first dual meet bouts of his career, going 2-0 on the day. IU first-year starter posted a technical fall against Eastern Illinois' Tony Metzger, 23-6, after taking the close decision against Josh Pniewski (Gardner-Webb), 5-4. Hernandez stands at 10-2 on the season.
Senior Nick Spatola (141) started slow in his first bout against A.J. Renteria (EIU) before running away with a victory, posting a technical fall, 18-2. Spatola followed the performance with a decision over Casey Carrino (Gardner-Webb), 8-2. The Cincinnati, Ohio native stands at 7-5 on the season.
Junior Matt Cooper (149) fell to Daniel Elliot of Gardner-Webb, 3-2, in a close battle, but rebounded in his next match to claim a sudden victory win against Chris Smith (EIU), 4-1. On the season, Cooper holds an 8-2 record.
At 157, All-American Brandon Becker continues to return to his NCAA form from a year ago, this time disposing of Eastern Illinois' Tyler Williams by fall at the 0:32 mark. The IU sophomore then took a commanding 6-0 decision over Adam Glaser (Gardner-Webb). On the season, Becker remains unbeaten with a record of 5-0.
In an impressive start to the dual season, NCAA qualifier Max Dean (165) posted a fall and major decision in his two bouts of the Hoosier Duals. Against Andy Mangiaguerra (EIU), Dean cruised to a major, 22-9, victory before pinning Dave Pelsang (Gardner-Webb) at the 5:03 mark to complete the performance. Sophomore Dean improved to 7-3 on the season with the effort.
Facing a tough competitor in Eastern Illinois' Kenny Robertson, sophomore Marc Bennett (174) battled to a 4-1 loss to the 11th-ranked grappler in the country. Bennett kept with one of the nations best through two periods before Robertson sealed the deal in the third. However, Bennett did not walk away empty-handed, defeating Chad Davis (Gardner-Webb) by a decision of 7-4. Bennett's performance moved him to 5-4 on the season.
Starting at the 184-pound division, sophomore Justin Curran (184) went 2-0 defeating Greg Perz and Brandon Beach in consecutive bouts. Against Perz, Curran used a combination of defense and offense to overcome the Panther grappler, 10-8. In a much heated battle, Curran needed extra periods, three to be exact, to seal the win against Davis (Gardner-Webb), 7-4. Curran is currently 9-2 on the young season.
Two-time NCAA qualifier Brady Richardson (197) went undefeated on the day to extend his senior-season record to 11-2. Richardson opened the day with a decision over Terron Williams of Eastern Illinois, before grappling to a major decision over Brent Blackwell (Gardner-Webb), 13-5.
Rounding out the Hoosier competitors at 285, sophomore Dave Herman looked sharp against Danny Perez (EIU), taking the match 5-2. Herman seemed to just be warming up, following the low scoring bout with a major decision over Brandon Schweitzer, 12-3. Herman improved to 14-4 on the season.
The Hoosiers return to action on Sunday, Dec. 18, at the FITE Duals at Rich East High School in Park Forrest, Ill. Action is set to get underway at 11 a.m.
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