Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Intra-Squad Scrimmage
100 Fans Come Out to See Hoosier Scrimmage
11/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Nov. 15, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana wrestling team hosted its annual intra-squad scrimmage tonight in front of more than 100 fans at Assembly Hall. The event featured NCAA qualifiers, a national champion and several former high school state champions throughout the 12-match event.
"I think the event served its purpose," head coach Duane Goldman said. "It was a chance to get these guys in front a of crowd and replicate a real match situation. It was good to see so many fans come out despite the location change."
Sophomore Blane Culp and freshman Wesley Fike opened the night at 125, with Culp taking the match 11-4 over the former semi-state qualifier. Culp, who saw limited action last season, is wrestling in his third event of 2005 after competing at both the Eastern Michigan and Michigan State Opens for the Hoosiers.
Defending national champion senior Joe Dubuque (125) followed with his match against redshirt freshman Jose Escobedo (125). Escobedo tested the Bloomfield, N.J., native until the end, but fell 6-3 to the two-time NCAA qualifier.
Redshirt freshman Andrae Hernandez (133) then took to the mat for his match against freshman Scott Kelley (133). The two Hoosiers, both former Indiana high school state champions, battled back-and-forth through two periods before Hernandez went on a run to win the match, 15-5.
In an upper-classmen battle, senior Nick Spatola and junior Ian Campbell hit the mat in the 141-pound division. The match ended in Spatola's favor, who used suffocating holds to keep Campbell scoreless in the 8-0 loss.
Junior Isaac Knable, an NCAA qualifier in 2004, took on fellow junior Matt Cooper in the 149-pound weight class. Cooper, plagued by injuries a season ago, showed poise and quickness in his commanding 15-3 defeat over Knable.
Freshman Matt Coughlin (157), a two-time Indiana high state champion, showed his ability to bring his experience into the college arena with his defeat of 2004 All-American Brandon Becker. Becker took the early lead at 2-1 in the close match, but Coughlin surged to force a late escape and takedown to take the match, 4-2.
2004 NCAA qualifier Max Dean, however, held his own against freshman Hunter Hughes wining 12-4 in their match at 165 pounds.
Sophomore Marc Bennett then took on freshman Trevor Perry at 174. Perry, who already claimed his first collegiate title at the Eastern Michigan Open on Nov. 5, fell just short against Bennett who finished the match 6-2 over the former Michigan high school state champion.
In a match that proved competitive throughout the entire three periods, sophomore Justin Curran defeated junior Josh Buuck, 6-5, in their match at 184 pounds in the following match.
Senior Brady Richardson, who made his debut at 197 in the Michigan State Open on Nov. 12-13, looked to settle into the weight as he took on Bloomington, Ind., native Heath Vandeventer in the next pairing. Redshirt freshman Vandeventer kept strong and used quick moves to post four escapes in the match, but Richardson's experience propelled the two-time NCAA qualifier to the 7-4 victory.
In the heavyweight division, sophomore Dave Herman posted the night's first fall (6:14) over freshman Maurice Green. The two battled into the third period before Herman, who owned a 10-0 lead at the time, completed the pin over the former two-time Indiana high school state placer.
In the final match of the evening, freshman Angel Escobedo took on Kelley at 133 pounds. Escobedo, who recently took the tournament crown at the Michigan State Open and is a former four-time Indiana high school state champion, proved too much for his fellow freshman competitor. Kelly, who wrestled earlier against Hernandez, fought until the end but fell short as Escobedo posted the technical fall and the victory, 26-11.
The Hoosiers take to the mat again in their first team event of the season at the Missouri Open on Sunday Nov. 20, in Columbia, Mo.
"I think this was a real eye opener for some of these guys who were not happy with their results tonight," Goldman said. "While this was not an official competition, the road to a national championship begins here. For many of these guys, tonight was a chance to see where they are and where the need to be to compete in the upcoming season."
Players Mentioned
