Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Michigan State
Hoosiers Bring Spartans to Bloomington
1/18/2018 7:11:00 PM | Wrestling
Head coach Goldman set to face former wrestler Chandler on sidelines
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After two weeks away from the U-Gym, wrestling is back in Bloomington. The Hoosiers continue a dual meet slate with 5-of-7 matches at home in 2018 on Friday evening when they meet Michigan State. Points will come at a premium as both teams are chomping at the bit for their first conference win.
Leading the way for Indiana are a pair of Michiganders, Cole Weaver (141) and Devin Skatzka (174), who host the Spartans for the first time in their careers. Weaver, ranked as high as 16th, is set to enter the bout of the evening against No. 20 Javier Gasca with Weaver seeking his first win over the fifth-year Spartan.
On the sidelines, Indiana head coach Duane Goldman will clash with one of his former wrestlers, MSU head coach Roger Chandler, for the first time in Goldman's storied career.
Big Ten Wrestling
Indiana (6-4, 0-3) vs. Michigan State (4-5, 0-3)
Friday, January 19 • 6:00 p.m. ET • Big Ten Network • TrackWrestling
University Gymnasium • Bloomington, Indiana
Projected Starters (Rankings provided by FloWrestling):
125: Elijah Oliver (IU) vs. Rayvon Foley (MSU)
133: Garrett Pepple (IU) vs. Matt Santos (MSU)
141: No. 16 Cole Weaver (IU) vs. No. 20 Javier Gasca (MSU)
149: Davey Tunon (IU) vs. Jwan Britton /or/ Austin Eicher (MSU)
157: Austin Holmes (IU) vs. Jake Tucker (MSU)
165: Dillon Hoey /or/ Logan Herrera (IU) vs. Austin Hiles (MSU)
174: No. 19 Devin Skatzka (IU) vs. Logan Ritchie
184: Norman Conley (IU) vs. Shwan Shadaia /or/ Danny Kruse (MSU)
197: Jake Kleimola (IU) /or/ Spencer Irick (IU) vs. Nick May (MSU)
285: Fletcher Miller (IU) vs. Christian Rebottaro /or/ Matt Lloyd (MSU)
New Year, New Challenges
The Hoosiers turn their attention to the second act of the 2017-18 season with the start of a new calendar year. And with a series of injury setbacks came a shift in the lineup as Indiana builds their roster for the upcoming Big Ten Championships in East Lansing.
For Indiana, 2018 began with a tough outing and a shutout loss at home to No. 8 Michigan, their third top-10 dual opponent in as many meets. Several Hoosiers came close to big wins, including Devin Skatzka's one-point loss to No. 5 Myles Amine and Cole Weaver's narrow defeat to Sal Profaci. Two additional Hoosiers--Brandon James (157) and Austin Holmes (165), made their home dual meet debuts.
Weaver Fever
The most captivating storyline of Indiana's 2017-18 season has been junior Cole Weaver (141), who's wrestling better than ever in a career burdened by a pair of injury setbacks. Weaver (19-6) made his debut in the national rankings with a strong third-place showing at the Navy Classic (11/18) and has since broken personal records for single-season wins, pins (6), and tournament podium finishes.
Weaver had his freshman year shortened by a season-ending injury, followed by a limited sophomore season due to a second injury sustained before the start of the year.
Series History: Hoosiers vs Spartans
Indiana and Michigan State will meet on the mat for the 74th time on Friday evening. The Spartans lead the overall series, 47-23-3, but the Hoosiers won the most recent meet in East Lansing during the 2015-16 season. It's been a back-and-forth battle for series supremacy in recent history. Since their 20-20 tie in 1999, the Hoosiers and Spartans have split 12 matches evenly at 6-6.
Cole Weaver (141) and Elijah Oliver (125) are the only returning starters from Indiana's 2016 dual meet at Michigan State, while the Spartans expect encores from Javier Gasca (141) and Shwan Shadaia (184). Gasca won that bout over Weaver by decision, 7-0.
Although Duane Goldman has met many former wrestlers in the coaching world over the years, this will be his first dual meet against a head coach who wrestled for him at IU. Both Goldman and Roger Chandler have each been with their respective programs for over 20 years.
Interstate Encounters
Friday's meet against the Spartans will pit a pair of Michiganders against a conference team from their home state for the second consecutive week: Cole Weaver (141) and Devin Skatzka (174). The duo combined for seven Michigan state championships in their prep careers.
Conversely, Michigan freshman Jake Tucker (157) will make his first dual meet start in his home state. Tucker, a native of Lowell, Indiana, graduated from Mount Carmel (Ill.), alma mater of IU freshmen Dillon Hoey (165) and David Devine (141).
Up Next: Hoosiers Head West
After the Spartans, Indiana will finish the regular season with five consecutive meets against top-25 competition. That begins with next weekend's away double at No. 21 Wisconsin (1/26) and at No. 18 Nebraska (1/28). That meet with the Huskers will be Indiana's first--and only--trip west of the Mississippi River this season.
Indiana's clash with Wisconsin could be a fun one given how last year's meet unfolded. The Badgers came to Bloomington and left with a 19-18 win on tiebreaker criteria.
Back Points...
• Devin Skatzka's team-leading six pins have occurred in 15:14 aggregate time. The sophomore set a career best with a fall in 0:47 against Northern Illinois (12/2).
• Junior Elijah Oliver (125) remains unbeaten in Big Ten dual meets this season, at 2-0. Oliver also leads the team in dual meet team points, picking up 28 this year in the 125 lbs. spot.
