Thursday, March 16
St. Louis, MO
12 pm
Indiana University
vs
Session I
It’s Here! NCAA Wrestling Championships Begin Tomorrow
3/15/2017 3:18:00 PM | Wrestling
Four Hoosiers enter the greatest weekend of the wrestling season
ST. LOUIS – The best weekend in college wrestling is nearly upon us.
The Hoosiers enter four wrestlers to this year's installment at the Scottrade Center. Nate Jackson (184) leads the pack as Indiana's lone senior in the championships. Sophomore Elijah Oliver (125) joins Jackson for the second year running, as he was his travel partner from last season. Jake Danishek (157) and Devin Skatzka (174) double Indiana's travel party as first-time qualifiers this year.
The weekend is, as always, bound to be jam-packed with thrilling matchups, stunning upsets, and ultimately, 10 sets of hands raised as NCAA Champions. Let's see what the weekend has in store for the Hoosier wrestlers.
2017 NCAA Championships
March 16-18 • St. Louis, Mo. • Scottrade Center
First Round Matchups
125: Elijah Oliver (Indiana) vs. (8) Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State)
157: (Pigtail): Jake Danishek (Indiana) vs. (2) Michael Kemerer (Iowa)
174: Devin Skatzka (Indiana) vs. (2) Brian Realbuto (Cornell)
184: (8) Nate Jackson (Indiana) vs. Alex DeCiantis (Drexel)
Last Time: Four Punch NCAA Tickets
The Hoosiers took advantage of a grand opportunity, hosting the Big Ten Championships at Indiana's Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, by qualifying four wrestlers to the ensuing NCAA Championships. Leading the way for Indiana were Nate Jackson (184) and Elijah Oliver (125), who took sixth-place finishes after reaching the championship semifinals.
Devin Skatzka (174) put on a show in the Carnegie Hall of college basketball. His seventh-place finish included a trio of wins and a near-upset of No. 3 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) in the quarterfinals.
The last to join the party was Jake Danishek (157) who secured two wins in his last two matches to take the final qualifying spot at his weight, winning the ninth-place match over Jake Ryan (Ohio State).
One More Chance
The Hoosier fans have eyes fixated on Nate Jackson's final NCAA tournament run, the third of his career. After a 3-2 showing as a sophomore, Jackson took the mat last season and made a marauding run to the semifinals, giving up zero takedowns in his first three bouts. A last-second takedown pushed No. 2 Bo Nickal (Penn State) past Jackson, who eventually finished in fifth-place with his first All-American Honors.
This year, Jackson is just one state removed from his hometown of Crete, Illinois, and will leave it all on the mat. He begins with Alex DeCiantis (Drexel). With a win, he would likely meet No. 8 Jack Dechow (ODU) for a possible spot against Hodge front-runner Gabe Dean (Cornell) in the championship quarterfinals.
Welcome to the NCAAs
Jake Danishek (157) and Devin Skatzka (174) will receive anything but a warm welcome in their first NCAA Championships. Both randomly drew into a first-round matchup against the second-seeded wrestler in their respective brackets.
For Skatzka, that's a showdown with No. 2 Brian Realbuto (Cornell). Realbuto is a two-time All-American and a finalist at 157 lbs. in 2014, but Skatzka hasn't wavered against top competition this season. It'll be his highest-ranked opponent of the season; recently, he faced No. 3 Bo Jordan and pushed the Buckeye to a 10-7 decision in Jordan's favor.
Danishek faces a rematch with No. 2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa), whose only two losses came from top-ranked Jason Nolf (Penn State). Kemerer won the last meeting in Bloomington with a 2:26 fall.
Back in Action
The Hoosiers' exciting lightweight, Elijah Oliver (125), makes his second appearance at the NCAA Championships as a sophomore. Last year, he cut his postseason teeth with a No. 16 seed, eventually bowing out with losses to No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) and Freddie Rodriguez (SIUE).
This year, he enters unseeded and draws No. 8 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State). Piccininni was one of the Cowboys' eight Big XII Champions and posted a 22-6 record in his first freshman season.
Watch Live with the Worldwide Leader
Once again, all of the NCAA Championships action will air live on the ESPN family of networks. The afternoon sessions (I, III, & V) will air live on ESPNU; the primetime sessions (II, IV, & VI) will be broadcast live on ESPN.
Additionally, every individual mat will stream live on ESPN3 and WatchESPN. Check the season schedule on IUHoosiers.com for links.
Back Points…
• Head coach Duane Goldman has now brought at least one wrestler to the NCAA Championships in all 25 seasons with Indiana. He has led 53 of those grapplers to 80 All-American honors.
• Nate Jackson leads the Hoosiers in total takedowns (130), riding time points awarded (14), and bonus point wins (18).
• Devin Skatzka (174) has a commanding team lead for the most pins this season with 10. He's scored two wins by fall against Big Ten grapplers.
• Indiana's NCAA Qualifiers by state: Illinois (Jackson, Oliver), Michigan (Skatzka), Ohio (Danishek).
• Four Hoosier alumni will be in St. Louis as coaches: Roger Chandler (Michigan State), Ryan LeBlanc (ast. Appalachian State), Joe Dubuque (ast. Princeton), and Angel Escobedo (ast. Iowa State).
The Hoosiers enter four wrestlers to this year's installment at the Scottrade Center. Nate Jackson (184) leads the pack as Indiana's lone senior in the championships. Sophomore Elijah Oliver (125) joins Jackson for the second year running, as he was his travel partner from last season. Jake Danishek (157) and Devin Skatzka (174) double Indiana's travel party as first-time qualifiers this year.
The weekend is, as always, bound to be jam-packed with thrilling matchups, stunning upsets, and ultimately, 10 sets of hands raised as NCAA Champions. Let's see what the weekend has in store for the Hoosier wrestlers.
2017 NCAA Championships
March 16-18 • St. Louis, Mo. • Scottrade Center
First Round Matchups
125: Elijah Oliver (Indiana) vs. (8) Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State)
157: (Pigtail): Jake Danishek (Indiana) vs. (2) Michael Kemerer (Iowa)
174: Devin Skatzka (Indiana) vs. (2) Brian Realbuto (Cornell)
184: (8) Nate Jackson (Indiana) vs. Alex DeCiantis (Drexel)
Last Time: Four Punch NCAA Tickets
The Hoosiers took advantage of a grand opportunity, hosting the Big Ten Championships at Indiana's Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, by qualifying four wrestlers to the ensuing NCAA Championships. Leading the way for Indiana were Nate Jackson (184) and Elijah Oliver (125), who took sixth-place finishes after reaching the championship semifinals.
Devin Skatzka (174) put on a show in the Carnegie Hall of college basketball. His seventh-place finish included a trio of wins and a near-upset of No. 3 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) in the quarterfinals.
The last to join the party was Jake Danishek (157) who secured two wins in his last two matches to take the final qualifying spot at his weight, winning the ninth-place match over Jake Ryan (Ohio State).
One More Chance
The Hoosier fans have eyes fixated on Nate Jackson's final NCAA tournament run, the third of his career. After a 3-2 showing as a sophomore, Jackson took the mat last season and made a marauding run to the semifinals, giving up zero takedowns in his first three bouts. A last-second takedown pushed No. 2 Bo Nickal (Penn State) past Jackson, who eventually finished in fifth-place with his first All-American Honors.
This year, Jackson is just one state removed from his hometown of Crete, Illinois, and will leave it all on the mat. He begins with Alex DeCiantis (Drexel). With a win, he would likely meet No. 8 Jack Dechow (ODU) for a possible spot against Hodge front-runner Gabe Dean (Cornell) in the championship quarterfinals.
Welcome to the NCAAs
Jake Danishek (157) and Devin Skatzka (174) will receive anything but a warm welcome in their first NCAA Championships. Both randomly drew into a first-round matchup against the second-seeded wrestler in their respective brackets.
For Skatzka, that's a showdown with No. 2 Brian Realbuto (Cornell). Realbuto is a two-time All-American and a finalist at 157 lbs. in 2014, but Skatzka hasn't wavered against top competition this season. It'll be his highest-ranked opponent of the season; recently, he faced No. 3 Bo Jordan and pushed the Buckeye to a 10-7 decision in Jordan's favor.
Danishek faces a rematch with No. 2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa), whose only two losses came from top-ranked Jason Nolf (Penn State). Kemerer won the last meeting in Bloomington with a 2:26 fall.
Back in Action
The Hoosiers' exciting lightweight, Elijah Oliver (125), makes his second appearance at the NCAA Championships as a sophomore. Last year, he cut his postseason teeth with a No. 16 seed, eventually bowing out with losses to No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) and Freddie Rodriguez (SIUE).
This year, he enters unseeded and draws No. 8 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State). Piccininni was one of the Cowboys' eight Big XII Champions and posted a 22-6 record in his first freshman season.
Watch Live with the Worldwide Leader
Once again, all of the NCAA Championships action will air live on the ESPN family of networks. The afternoon sessions (I, III, & V) will air live on ESPNU; the primetime sessions (II, IV, & VI) will be broadcast live on ESPN.
Additionally, every individual mat will stream live on ESPN3 and WatchESPN. Check the season schedule on IUHoosiers.com for links.
Back Points…
• Head coach Duane Goldman has now brought at least one wrestler to the NCAA Championships in all 25 seasons with Indiana. He has led 53 of those grapplers to 80 All-American honors.
• Nate Jackson leads the Hoosiers in total takedowns (130), riding time points awarded (14), and bonus point wins (18).
• Devin Skatzka (174) has a commanding team lead for the most pins this season with 10. He's scored two wins by fall against Big Ten grapplers.
• Indiana's NCAA Qualifiers by state: Illinois (Jackson, Oliver), Michigan (Skatzka), Ohio (Danishek).
• Four Hoosier alumni will be in St. Louis as coaches: Roger Chandler (Michigan State), Ryan LeBlanc (ast. Appalachian State), Joe Dubuque (ast. Princeton), and Angel Escobedo (ast. Iowa State).
Players Mentioned
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Monday, September 15
FB: Under The Hood - Week 3 (Indiana State)
Thursday, September 11
FB: Elijah Sarratt Media Availability (9/9/25)
Tuesday, September 09
FB: Roman Hemby Media Availability (9/9/25)
Tuesday, September 09