Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Notches Top-10 Preseason Ranking
10/19/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Oct. 19, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana wrestling team garnered its first preseason ranking of No. 10 in Amateur Wrestling News' Top-20 Preseason tournament teams poll, announced the magazine in its October edition. The Hoosiers, who finished ninth at the national tournament a year ago, look to remain in the upper tier of the nation's top wrestling programs with another great showing in 2006.
"We are a young team this year, but there is no reason that we cannot be even better than last year's squad," head coach Duane Goldman said. "This team will continue to get better and mature as the year progresses."
The Hoosiers join the defending national champions Oklahoma State (No. 1), Oklahoma (No. 2), Michigan (No. 3), Illinois (No. 4), Minnesota (No. 5), Iowa (No. 6), Iowa State (No. 7), Lehigh (No. 8) and Cornell (No. 9) in the top-10 of the preseason poll.
In addition to the team ranking, two Hoosiers garnered individual nods as well. Two All-Americans from a year ago anchor the Hoosier grapplers, with senior 125-pound national champion and All-American Joe Dubuque and All-American Brandon Becker leading the squad into the 2006 season. Amateur Wrestling News ranks the IU grapplers first and fifth, respectively.
Indiana is one of only two schools in the preseason top-20 poll to garner a top-10 ranking with just two All-Americans returning. The top-10 ranking goes to not only honor Indiana's returning strength, but also the strength of its under classmen that includes a recruiting class that also garnered a top-10 ranking in the nation.
The Hoosiers have a tough road ahead of them with a talented Big Ten Conference in the heart of its regular season schedule. Indiana is set to face four teams in the top-10 preseason poll (No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Illinois, No. 5 Minnesota, No. 6 Iowa), along with four others that round out the top 20 (No. 12 Northwestern, No. 13 Penn State, No. 15 Wisconsin, No. 18 Michigan State). IU also is set to host the 2006 Big Ten Championships March 4-5 in Bloomington, at Assembly Hall.
The Hoosiers begin the 2005-06 season with a trip to the Missouri Open Sunday, Nov.20, in Columbia, Mo.
