Wrestling to Begin Big Ten With Buckeye Battle

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana's wrestling team is on the cusp of a 30-day gauntlet, a schedule that sees the Hoosiers (6-1) face three top-10 dual meet teams with a trip to the 55th annual Midlands Championships over the semester break.

That stretch starts with Sunday's trip to Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio for a neutral meet against second-ranked Ohio State. The Buckeyes (3-0) are among the toughest teams in the land, boasting a lineup fully stocked with grapplers ranked inside the top-10 of their respective weight classes.

A pair of Hoosiers are expected to make their Big Ten debuts, while the rest hope to leave the mat with a big conference win. IU's day one Big Ten lineup faces a sold-out crowd at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, the alma mater of 2015 NCAA champ and current Buckeye Nathan Tomasello.

Big Ten Wrestling
Indiana (6-1) vs. #2/2 Ohio State (3-0)
Sunday, December 10 • 12:00 p.m. ET • Facebook Live • TrackWrestling
Tim Beyerle Memorial Gymnasium • Cuyahoga Valley, Ohio

Projected Starters:
125: Elijah Oliver (IU) vs. Brakan Mead (OSU)
133: Garrett Pepple (IU) vs. #4 Luke Pletcher (OSU)
141: #13 Cole Weaver (IU) vs. #6 Joey McKenna (OSU)
149: Davey Tunon (IU) vs. #5 Ke-Shawn Hayes (OSU)
157: Jake Danishek (IU) vs. #5 Micah Jordan (OSU)
165: Bryce Martin (IU) vs. Cody Burcher (OSU)
174: Devin Skatzka (IU) vs. #3 Bo Jordan (OSU) / Fritz Schierl (OSU)
184: Norman Conley (IU) / Spencer Irick (IU) vs. #2 Myles Martin (OSU)
197: Jake Kleimola (IU) vs. #1 Kollin Moore (OSU)
285: Fletcher Miller (IU) vs. Kevin Snyder (OSU)
* InterMat rankings 12/5

Last Time: Sweeping Hoosier Duals
The Hoosiers put the finishing touches on their non-conference dual meet schedule with last Saturday's Hoosier Duals, earning three decisive wins over Northern Illinois, SIU Edwardsville, and Cleveland State by outscoring their opponents 110-19 on the team tallies.

Devin Skatzka (174) led the six Hoosiers with unblemished marks on the day, scoring 18 team points in just 4:09 on the mat (2 pins, 1 forfeit).

Hoosiers get two at IU Duals
Indiana began their home schedule last weekend against Eastern Michigan, Binghamton, and Indianapolis in the IU Duals. The Hoosiers went 2-1 on the day, picking up decisive wins over the Eagles and Greyhounds with a loss to Binghamton in between.

Cole Weaver (141) continued a surging start to his season with a 3-0 day, including a pin in his final match. Jake Danishek (157) made an emphatic return to the mat with three wins in his first three matches of the year, scoring two pins.

IU Wrestling in the Rankings
Currently the Hoosiers have two wrestlers in the national rankings. Junior Cole Weaver (141) remained at No. 12 (Open Mat) and climbed to No. 13 in the latest InterMat polls. Weaver also rose to No. 24 (Track) and No. 19 (Amateur Wrestling News) after completing a perfect 7-0 record in non-conference duals.

Devin Skatzka (174) held his No. 18 ranking (The Open Mat) while picking up another No. 18 spot from Amateur Wrestling News. Both Skatzka and Weaver face matches against ranked opponents this weekend.

Hello Again
Sunday's action will feature three sets of matches against familiar foes, a common occurence when Big Ten teams collide. Most notable is the 174 lbs. bout with Devin Skatzka (174) and #3 Bo Jordan, who met in the Big Ten Championships quarterfinals last season. Jordan won an exciting 10-8 decision.

Jake Danishek (157) faces his third career encounter against #5 Micah Jordan but his first in three seasons, as both previous matches came when they wrestled as true freshman. Jordan won both matches by one-point decisions.

Norman Conley (184) will once again take the mat against #2 Myles Martin, yet it will be their first clash as varsity wrestlers. The pair met in the 2015 season as unattached grapplers at the Eastern Michigan Open, where Martin took a win by major decision. Martin achieved varsity status later that season and went on to win the NCAA Championship at 174 lbs.

Up Next: Into the Lion's Den
Indiana will have a week between their battle against the #2 Buckeyes and their next dual meet, at #1 Penn State on Sunday, December 17. The visit to Rec Hall will be Indiana's first since the 2014-15 season, when the Nittany Lions took 9-of-10 bouts. The encounter will be Indiana's 16th against the Nittany Lions since 1970, their 15th as Big Ten foes.

Back Points...
• Cole Weaver (7-0), Jake Danishek (6-0), and Devin Skatzka (4-0) are off to unbeaten starts in dual meets this season. Weaver has a +33 team point differential in IU's dual meets.

• The Hoosiers are unbeaten (5-0) in dual meets when junior Elijah Oliver (125) starts the bout order and earns a win. Oliver leads Indiana with 10 bonus point wins this season.

• Devin Skatzka (174) has earned six wins by fall in 15:14 aggregate time this season. Last weekend he set a career best with a fall in 0:47 against Northern Illinois (12/2).

• Indiana's meet at No. 2 Ohio State begins a stretch of three straight dual meets against top 10 programs. After facing the Buckeyes, the Hoosiers wrestle at No. 1 Penn State (12/17), and return after the New Year to host No. 9 Michigan (1/5).

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