Saturday, November 18
Annapolis, MD
Starts at 10 AM
Indiana University
at
Navy Classic
Indiana Earns Fourth-Place Finish at Navy Classic
11/18/2017 7:35:00 PM | Wrestling
Martin, Skatzka lead five Hoosiers on the podium
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Indiana wrestling team achieved a fourth-place finish at the 2017 Navy Classic, hosted at Wesley A. Brown Fieldhouse by the United States Naval Academy. Two Hoosier wrestlers made their championship matches, five landed on the final podium, and the team accumulated 81.5 points overall. Eight IU grapplers made their respective quarterfinal rounds.
"It was definitely a positive tournament for us," said Indiana head coach Duane Goldman. "The end-of-day matches were rough to see on the result column, but we had a great weekend in terms of the attitude we showed today."
Junior Bryce Martin (165) and sophomore Devin Skatzka (174) led the way with runner-up finishes, each coming up one takedown shy of the championship. Junior Cole Weaver (141) collected third-place honors with an outstanding day on the mat that included two upsets over nationally-ranked opponents.
Junior Elijah Oliver (125) and sophomore Garrett Pepple (133) each earned fourth-place after making swift runs to their championship semifinals. Pepple achieved his first career ranked win in the opening round, while Oliver set a personal career high by scoring 25 points in his round of 16 match.
Martin put a little extra pressure on himself this weekend as he looked to defend his 2016 Navy Classic championship, and nearly did so with an outstanding run on Saturday afternoon. The Bakersfield, California native uncorked a 17-1 (5:48) technical fall in the first round, followed by a two-point decision to reach the quarterfinals. Martin topped Jon Viruet (Brown) in sudden victory to set up a semifinal with No. 15 Jonathan Schleifer (Princeton).
Schleifer held a 2-1 lead after one period, but Martin battled back in the second with a 3-0 run to grab the lead. A takedown with nine seconds left in the third period stamped the decision for Martin, the highest-ranked win of his career. Martin dropped the title bout in sudden victory, 3-1, to Drew Daniels (Navy).
Skatzka flew through the field to land in the title bout. IU's returning NCAA qualifier stuck Kyle Inlander (Bucknell) in 1:04 for his fastest fall of the season in the second round, followed by his fastest technical fall—a blistering 2:47—to enter the final eight. Skatzka continued with a 2:14 pin against No. 19 Tyrel White (Columbia), his first ranked win of the year.
Skatzka met No. 7 Jadaen Bernstein (Navy) in the championship match, hoping to avenge his 6-4 loss to Bernstein at last year's Navy Classic. Skatzka battled but ultimately lost, 5-3, to Bernstein as he took second-place.
Weaver's third-place day on the mat proved how dangerous of a wrestler he can be at full strength. It started with a pair of decision victories, enduring a couple of tiebreaker rounds to upset No. 17 Jack Hathaway, 2-1 in TB-2. After a decision loss to Nicholas Gil (Navy), the eventual champion, Weaver rebounded emphatically with a stunning upset. Weaver's 4:51 stick against No. 10 Tyler Smith (Bucknell) is the highest-ranked win of his career, his first win by fall against a ranked wrestler.
"Cole's going to continue to get better," Goldman commented. "With all the adversity he's faced in his career, he's just starting to come around on a lot of that. He still has a lot more to give, it's just been about him regaining confidence and getting time on the mat. It's a great sign, and we hope he continues to move forward."
Oliver reached the quarterfinals on two bonus point victories, starting with a 14-3 major decision over Logan Treaster (Navy). The junior's 25-10 technical fall against Spencer Good (Columbia) set a personal career best for points scored in a single match. Oliver earned another decision win, 8-3 over Ibrahim Bunduka (George Mason), before falling out of championship contention by a 10-3 decision to Michael McGee (Old Dominion).
Pepple achieved his first career victory over a nationally ranked opponent in the opening round, a 4-2 decision in sudden victory over No. 17 Anthony Tutolo (Kent State). He continued the momentum with a first period pin (1:56) in the round of 16, and a 10-3 decision over Kegan Calkins (Kent State) in the quarterfinals. Pepple's day ended with two major decision defeats, both to top-20 grapplers.
Four additional IU wrestlers finished their campaigns with three wins apiece as three guys came just one bout short of a podium place.
Sophomores Jake Hinz (184) and Norman Conley (184) had nearly identical days on paper. Both exited the championship bracket with quarterfinal losses to nationally ranked wrestlers—Conley dropped a decision to eventual champion No. 13 Michael Coleman (Navy); Hinz lost a decision against No. 21 CJ LaFragola (Brown), the runner-up. And after earning decision wins in the consolation round of four, both grapplers lost in the blood round.
Freshman Davey Tunon saw his name in the quarterfinals of a tournament bracket for the second time in his young varsity career, dropping Koby Reyes (Purdue) 6-4 in sudden victory before winning by a 4:24 fall in the second round. Tunon followed a tough 8-1 quarterfinals loss to No. 4 Matt Kolodzik (Princeton) by topping John Kenyon (Navy) with an 8-1 decision in the wrestle-backs.
Sophomore Gabe Koontz (174) dropped his first match by decision, 10-6, but responded with three consecutive wins on the backside of the bracket. Koontz won a 15-0 tech fall (5:35), IU's only shutout victory of the afternoon, in the round of 16. He rolled onward to win by major decision, 11-1 over Conner Allshouse (American), before a 5-3 win by decision against Frank Guida (Bucknell).
"I was really pleased with the effort given by a lot of the guys throughout the day," Goldman said. "We saw a lot of potential from guys who hadn't previously shown that level on the mat, which was really encouraging. If they continue to apply themselves and keep a good attitude, they'll really improve."
Up Next: Indiana (1-0) hosts the 2017 IU Duals
Sunday, Nov. 26 • Starts at 10:00 a.m. ET • Bloomington, Ind. • University Gymnasium
Live on BTN Plus • Live TrackWrestling
The Hoosiers are excited to start their 2017-18 home schedule next weekend with the IU Duals on Sunday, November 26 at University Gymnasium. Eastern Michigan, Binghamton, and Indianapolis will join Indiana on the mats for the first of IU's two quad meets this season. Indiana will host another quad, the Hoosier Duals, on Saturday, December 2.
The schedule of events for the IU Duals is as follows (all times Eastern):
Mat 1
10 a.m. – Indiana vs. Eastern Michigan
11:30 a.m. – Indiana vs. Binghamton
1 p.m. – Indiana vs. Indianapolis
Mat 2
10 a.m. – Binghamton vs. Indianapolis
11:30 a.m. – Eastern Michigan vs. Indianapolis
1 p.m. – Binghamton vs. Eastern Michigan
Follow Indiana Wrestling on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
#GoIU
"It was definitely a positive tournament for us," said Indiana head coach Duane Goldman. "The end-of-day matches were rough to see on the result column, but we had a great weekend in terms of the attitude we showed today."
Junior Bryce Martin (165) and sophomore Devin Skatzka (174) led the way with runner-up finishes, each coming up one takedown shy of the championship. Junior Cole Weaver (141) collected third-place honors with an outstanding day on the mat that included two upsets over nationally-ranked opponents.
Junior Elijah Oliver (125) and sophomore Garrett Pepple (133) each earned fourth-place after making swift runs to their championship semifinals. Pepple achieved his first career ranked win in the opening round, while Oliver set a personal career high by scoring 25 points in his round of 16 match.
Martin put a little extra pressure on himself this weekend as he looked to defend his 2016 Navy Classic championship, and nearly did so with an outstanding run on Saturday afternoon. The Bakersfield, California native uncorked a 17-1 (5:48) technical fall in the first round, followed by a two-point decision to reach the quarterfinals. Martin topped Jon Viruet (Brown) in sudden victory to set up a semifinal with No. 15 Jonathan Schleifer (Princeton).
Schleifer held a 2-1 lead after one period, but Martin battled back in the second with a 3-0 run to grab the lead. A takedown with nine seconds left in the third period stamped the decision for Martin, the highest-ranked win of his career. Martin dropped the title bout in sudden victory, 3-1, to Drew Daniels (Navy).
Skatzka flew through the field to land in the title bout. IU's returning NCAA qualifier stuck Kyle Inlander (Bucknell) in 1:04 for his fastest fall of the season in the second round, followed by his fastest technical fall—a blistering 2:47—to enter the final eight. Skatzka continued with a 2:14 pin against No. 19 Tyrel White (Columbia), his first ranked win of the year.
Skatzka met No. 7 Jadaen Bernstein (Navy) in the championship match, hoping to avenge his 6-4 loss to Bernstein at last year's Navy Classic. Skatzka battled but ultimately lost, 5-3, to Bernstein as he took second-place.
Weaver's third-place day on the mat proved how dangerous of a wrestler he can be at full strength. It started with a pair of decision victories, enduring a couple of tiebreaker rounds to upset No. 17 Jack Hathaway, 2-1 in TB-2. After a decision loss to Nicholas Gil (Navy), the eventual champion, Weaver rebounded emphatically with a stunning upset. Weaver's 4:51 stick against No. 10 Tyler Smith (Bucknell) is the highest-ranked win of his career, his first win by fall against a ranked wrestler.
"Cole's going to continue to get better," Goldman commented. "With all the adversity he's faced in his career, he's just starting to come around on a lot of that. He still has a lot more to give, it's just been about him regaining confidence and getting time on the mat. It's a great sign, and we hope he continues to move forward."
Oliver reached the quarterfinals on two bonus point victories, starting with a 14-3 major decision over Logan Treaster (Navy). The junior's 25-10 technical fall against Spencer Good (Columbia) set a personal career best for points scored in a single match. Oliver earned another decision win, 8-3 over Ibrahim Bunduka (George Mason), before falling out of championship contention by a 10-3 decision to Michael McGee (Old Dominion).
Pepple achieved his first career victory over a nationally ranked opponent in the opening round, a 4-2 decision in sudden victory over No. 17 Anthony Tutolo (Kent State). He continued the momentum with a first period pin (1:56) in the round of 16, and a 10-3 decision over Kegan Calkins (Kent State) in the quarterfinals. Pepple's day ended with two major decision defeats, both to top-20 grapplers.
Four additional IU wrestlers finished their campaigns with three wins apiece as three guys came just one bout short of a podium place.
Sophomores Jake Hinz (184) and Norman Conley (184) had nearly identical days on paper. Both exited the championship bracket with quarterfinal losses to nationally ranked wrestlers—Conley dropped a decision to eventual champion No. 13 Michael Coleman (Navy); Hinz lost a decision against No. 21 CJ LaFragola (Brown), the runner-up. And after earning decision wins in the consolation round of four, both grapplers lost in the blood round.
Freshman Davey Tunon saw his name in the quarterfinals of a tournament bracket for the second time in his young varsity career, dropping Koby Reyes (Purdue) 6-4 in sudden victory before winning by a 4:24 fall in the second round. Tunon followed a tough 8-1 quarterfinals loss to No. 4 Matt Kolodzik (Princeton) by topping John Kenyon (Navy) with an 8-1 decision in the wrestle-backs.
Sophomore Gabe Koontz (174) dropped his first match by decision, 10-6, but responded with three consecutive wins on the backside of the bracket. Koontz won a 15-0 tech fall (5:35), IU's only shutout victory of the afternoon, in the round of 16. He rolled onward to win by major decision, 11-1 over Conner Allshouse (American), before a 5-3 win by decision against Frank Guida (Bucknell).
"I was really pleased with the effort given by a lot of the guys throughout the day," Goldman said. "We saw a lot of potential from guys who hadn't previously shown that level on the mat, which was really encouraging. If they continue to apply themselves and keep a good attitude, they'll really improve."
Up Next: Indiana (1-0) hosts the 2017 IU Duals
Sunday, Nov. 26 • Starts at 10:00 a.m. ET • Bloomington, Ind. • University Gymnasium
Live on BTN Plus • Live TrackWrestling
The Hoosiers are excited to start their 2017-18 home schedule next weekend with the IU Duals on Sunday, November 26 at University Gymnasium. Eastern Michigan, Binghamton, and Indianapolis will join Indiana on the mats for the first of IU's two quad meets this season. Indiana will host another quad, the Hoosier Duals, on Saturday, December 2.
The schedule of events for the IU Duals is as follows (all times Eastern):
Mat 1
10 a.m. – Indiana vs. Eastern Michigan
11:30 a.m. – Indiana vs. Binghamton
1 p.m. – Indiana vs. Indianapolis
Mat 2
10 a.m. – Binghamton vs. Indianapolis
11:30 a.m. – Eastern Michigan vs. Indianapolis
1 p.m. – Binghamton vs. Eastern Michigan
Follow Indiana Wrestling on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
#GoIU
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