Indiana University Athletics
Richardson Grapples to Title, IU Places Seven
11/21/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Nov. 21, 2005
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Two-time NCAA qualifier Brady Richardson paced the Indiana wrestling team this weekend with his first title of season at the Missouri Open in Columbia, Mo. Overall, Indiana placed seven grapplers in the top six at the season-opening event that hosted five teams ranked in the top 25 and 12 individual grapplers ranked in the top five in their respective weights.
With Indiana's best finish at the tournament, senior Richardson took the crown going 3-0 in Columbia. Richardson dethroned two ranked opponents and posted one fall on his way to the gold finish, with his best bout coming against No. 2-seeded Tyrone Byrd (Illinois). Byrd, ranked 12th nationally, kept the match close but fell 3-1 in the end to the determined Richardson.
Redshirt freshman Jose Escobedo started Indiana off in the 125-pound division finishing third for his first top-five outing of the year. Jose Escobedo took on the top-seeded Ricky Deubel (Edinboro) in the first round, falling 7-3. The loss did not slow down the Griffith, Ind., native, who went on to take his final three bouts. Jose Escobedo posted a major decision in the consolation final to claim the bronze finish over No. 6-seeded Billy Exline (UNA), 13-5.
At 133, Indiana competed two grapplers in the 133-pound bracket with redshirt freshman Andrae Hernandez and freshman Angel Escobedo representing IU. Angel Escobedo competed unattached and claimed fourth at the event, while Hernandez grappled to a bronze finish.
Hernandez fell early in a tight 3-1 decision to No. 4-seeded Gabe Flores (Illinois), before rattling off five consecutive wins en route to the third-place performance. One of Hernandez's best bouts came against nationally-ranked Michael Martin (Old Dominion) in the semifinals of the consolation bracket, defeating the nation's 16th-ranked grappler, 9-4. In the finals, Hernandez would have faced fellow teammate Angel Escobedo, who pulled out due to injury.
After taking the Michigan State title a week ago, No. 3 seeded Angel Escobedo looked strong winning his first two matches by a fall (3:50) and decision (2-1), respectively. In the semifinals, Angel Escobedo drew No. 2-seeded and 18th-ranked Tyler McCormick (Missouri) as his next opponent. McCormick did not overpower the freshman and former four-time Indiana high school state champion, but just edged the Hoosier, 4-3, to advance. Angel Escobedo took his next match over Jason Morerio (Lindenwood) before pulling out of the consolation final due to injury, resulting in the automatic fourth-place finish.
Senior Nick Spatola grappled to a sixth-place finish at the open, going 3-3 en route to the top performance. Spatola claimed an early victory over No. 5 seeded Wade Kilgore (CMSU), 6-4, in the first round before falling to No. 4 seeded Shanon Slack (Old Dominion), 6-5. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native bounced back to post a major decision and a 2-2 record on his way to the sixth-place finish at the Open.
At 149, sophomore Matt Cooper posted the sixth-place finish going 3-1 at the event. Cooper opened the tournament going 3-0 with wins over the No. 3-seeded and No. 6-seeded Troy Tirapelle (Illinois) and Jed Lewis (Missouri), respectively. In the semifinal bout, Cooper lost a narrow match 4-3 to No. 2-seeded Will Rowe (Oklahoma) to deny him his first appearance in an open final. Cooper would forfeit his final two matches due to injury, but his tournament performance thus far earned him the automatic sixth-place finish. Junior NCAA qualifier Isaac Knable also saw action at the Missouri Open posting a 0-2 performance.
No. 2-seeded Matt Coughlin at 157 pounds, competing unattached, has now posted back-to-back fifth-place finishes in his last two events. After finishing fifth at the Michigan State Open (Nov. 12-13), Coughlin, a freshman, earned the second seed at the Missouri Open to setup the former Indiana high school state champion for another top-five performance. Coughlin opened the event 3-0 before falling in the semifinals to Mike Chandler (Missouri), 5-3. Coughlin recovered to win his final bout in the fifth-place match up over Jerome Featherston (Oklahoma), 5-2. Sophomore Max Dean had a tough weekend going 1-2 at 165 pounds. Dean claimed his win in commanding fashion with the major decision over Andrew Tsensee (UNA), 13-2.
Sophomore Marc Bennett and freshman No. 6-seeded Trevor Perry (unattached) both had solid performances in the 174-pound division. Perry posted a 1-2 performance with a technical fall, 20-5, victory over O'Sung Kim of Oklahoma, while Bennett recorded a 2-2 performance at the Open with a pin (2:43) against Sean McAleney (Chattanooga). Bennett's draw looked tough early, falling to the No. 3-seeded Donny Reynolds (Illinois), who ranks 16th nationally, 9-2 in the first round. Bennett recovered to post a win over No. 6-seeded Josh Johnston in his second match, 3-1.
At 184, junior Justin Curran looked impressive in his first matches at the weight after competing at 197 a year ago. Curran went 4-1 on the day, with his sole loss coming against 11th-ranked Alex Clemson (Edinboro) in the semifinals, 8-3. Curran posted two pins, with his first coming against the No. 4-seeded Corey Johnson (Lindenwood), en route to the third-place finish. Sophomore Heath Vandeventer went 0-2 at the Open with both of his losses coming against fierce competition in the No. 3 and No. 4-seeded grapplers in the weight class.
Sophomore Dave Herman wrapped up the Hoosier contingent at the open finishing second. It is the Fort Wayne, Ind., native's second runner-up finish and third overall top-five finish of the year. The unseeded Herman almost completed his sweep of the top-three seeds taking down No. 2-seeded Austin David (Missouri), 8-3, in the first round before he advanced over Koel Davia (Edinboro), 7-2 in his quarterfinal match-up. In the semifinal bout, Herman remained composed as he claimed the narrow victory over the No. 3-seeded Chase Gormley (Lindenwood), 8-7, before falling to No. 1-seeded and 5th-ranked Jake Hager (Oklahoma) in the finals. Hager proved too much for the sophomore, taking the decision 10-3 to drop Herman to 10-4 on the year.
Freshman Maurice Gunn claimed a fourth-place finish in the freshman/sophomore division, going 5-2 in the heavyweight class. Gunn posted three falls en route to his best collegiate performance.
Also seeing action were freshmen Wesley Fike (125 pounds, 1-2 overall), Blane Culp (125 pounds, 2-2), Scott Kelley (133 pounds, 0-2) and Hunter Hughes (165 pounds, 1-2).
The Hoosiers continue their open part of the 2005-06 schedule as they travel to Lock Haven, Pa., for the Mat Town Invitational Nov. 26.
