Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Wrestling Ready for UNI Open
11/30/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Nov. 30, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The No. 16 Indiana wrestling team continues its season as it travels to Cedar Falls, Iowa, for the UNI Open on Sunday, Dec. 4. Indiana looks to continue its 2005-06 success after taking the Mat Town Invitational team title in dominating fashion. IU led the eight-team field by more than a 40-point margin over second-place Buffalo and Oregon. Defending national champion Joe Dubuque, All-American Brandon Becker and junior Matt Cooper each claimed individual titles to lead the Hoosier effort.
The field, though not a team event, boasts a number of quality squads led by No. 2 Illinois, Indiana, No. 7 Iowa, No. 12 Nebraska and No. 20 Northern Iowa.
For a complete recap of the UNI Open, visit IUHOOSIERS.com upon the conclusion of the tournament for results.
• MAT TOWN INVITATIONAL RECAP •
The No. 16 Indiana wrestling squad medaled 13 grapplers en route to its Mat Town Invitational title in Lock Haven, Pa., on Nov. 26. Defending national champion Joe Dubuque, All-American Brandon Becker and junior Matt Cooper each claimed individual titles to lead the Hoosier effort.
The Hoosiers (179) finished more than 40 points ahead of second-place Buffalo (138.5) and Oregon (138.5). Lock Haven University (4th, 99.5) and Rider University (90) rounded out the top-five team finishers.
Top-ranked senior Dubuque, 125, pinned two wrestlers en route to his first title of the season, getting his season started strong with a 4-0 record. Fifth-ranked sophomore Becker, in his first competition of the year, now owns a 3-0 record after posting one major decision on his way to the 157-pound invitational title. Cooper nabbed his first career title after going 4-0 at Mat Town, extending his season mark to 7-1.
Redshirt freshman Andrae Hernandez (2nd, 133 pounds), sophomore Marc Bennett (2nd, 174 pounds), senior Brady Richardson (2nd, 197 pounds) and sophomore Dave Herman (2nd, 285 pounds) each brought home silver performances against steep competition.
Dubuque dismissed one ranked opponent during the competition, No. 18 Obenson Blanc (Lock Haven), while Hernandez also downed No. 16 Michael Martin (Old Dominion) in the semifinal bout to advance to the finals. Becker held to his top-five national ranking defeating No. 19 Seth Martin (Lock Haven), while No. 11 Richardson's sole loss came against No. 5 ranked Kyle Cerminara (Buffalo) in the championship bout. On his journey to the title match, Richardson notched his third win over a ranked opponent defeating No. 19 Adam Wright of Old Dominion.
Freshman Scott Kelley (8th, 133 pounds), Nick Spatola (4th, 141 pounds), junior Isaac Knable (7th, 149 pounds), sophomore NCAA qualifier Max Dean (3rd, 165 pounds), sophomore Justin Curran (3rd, 184 pounds) and junior Josh Buuck (5th, 184 pounds) also found their way to the placement podium.
• UNI OPEN PREVIEW •
The Indiana wrestling team travels to the UNI Open Saturday, Dec. 3 for its third tournament of the season. After a successful outing at the Mat Town Invitational where IU took home the team title, head coach Duane Goldman looks to use the UNI Open as another test for his young grapplers.
The Hoosiers enter the open as one of many top-25 teams including No. 2 Illinois, No. 7 Iowa, No. 12 Nebraska and No. 20 Northern Iowa.
• TRIPLE CROWN •
Senior Joe Dubuque, sophomore Brandon Becker and junior Matt Cooper brought home a trio of individual crowns at the Mat Town Invitational on Nov. 26. The three Hoosiers also helped lead Indiana to the team title with a commanding performance of more than a 40-point margin over second-place Buffalo and Oregon.
Defending national champion Joe Dubuque took the title after going 4-0 en route to his first season and career tournament title. Dubuque capped off the title run with a decision over 18th-ranked Obenson Blanc (Lock Haven), 3-1. In his first event of the year, Dubuque is off to a 4-0 start in 2005.
All-American Becker went 3-0 on his way to his first season and career title. Becker ended the title run with a decision over 19th-ranked Seth Martin (Lock Haven). With his first event under his belt, the Mickleton, N.J., native is 3-0 on the season.
Cooper rounded out the Hoosiers claiming their first season and career titles with a 4-0 run in the 149-pound division. Currently, Cooper boasts a 7-2 record on the season, posting one fall and a major in the process.
• JERSEY BROTHERS •
Senior Joe Dubuque (Bloomfield, N.J.) and sophomore Brandon Becker (Mickleton, N.J.) might not be brothers in real life, but their wrestling careers at Indiana make this duo some of the leading faces of IU wrestling.
Both grapplers opened the season with a top-five rating (Dubuque, 1st; Becker, 5th) and both are undefeated on the year (Dubuque, 4-0; Becker, 3-0).
Dubuque is looking to make his third appearance in the postseason while Becker seeks his second trip in as many years. Both are out to keep their championships streaks alive as Dubuque, since making his debut at the championships in 2002 has not missed a return trip, and Becker looks to make it two straight showings.
Both IU grapplers garnered All-America honors in their first appearance at the NCAAs, Dubuque finishing eighth as a sophomore in 2002, while Becker claimed fifth as a redshirt freshman in 2005.
In 2005-06, Dubuque and Becker already own individual titles after claiming crowns at the Mat Town Invitational at the 125- and 157-pound weight classes, respectively. The duo capped off their tournament-title runs by decisions over ranked opponents. The titles also mark the first for the season and career for both grapplers.
• THE "RICH" GET RICHER •
Richardson continues to impress the 197-pound field after finishing runner-up at the Mat Town Invitational on Nov. 26. The senior two-time NCAA Qualifier is primed to make a run in the 197-pound weight class after competing at 174 as a sophomore and junior. In the USA Today / NWCA / Intermat NCAA Div I Coaches' Poll, the Vincennes, Ind., native recently moved up the charts entering the top 10 for the first time this season at No. 8. Richardson began the season tabbed 11th.
Richardson began the year by winning his second career title at the Missouri Open on Nov. 20, defeating two ranked opponents en route to the title. Richardson won seven straight matches starting at the Michigan State Open on Nov. 12 and ending Nov. 26. Richardson's streak ended at the hands of fifth-ranked Kyle Cerminara of Buffalo in the championship bout of the Mat Town Invitational. Overall, Richardson is 9-2 on the season.
• HERMAN OR HE-MAN •
Sophomore Dave Herman is looking impressive in his first four tournaments, grabbing four top-five finishes, three of which were just one-win short of the title. Herman has posted an overall record of 10-3, tallying three pins, two technical falls and one major decision in the process.
Herman is a returning letterwinner from last year's team that finished ninth at NCAAs and had seven starts for the Hoosiers behind senior All-American Pat DeGain. With DeGain's graduation, Herman looks to dominate the heavyweight starting position in 2006.
• "JUST" IN TIME •
With his second third-place finish of the season, sophomore Justin Curran continues to groom himself for Big Ten action. In a conference that boasts five teams ranked in the top 10 in the country, Curran hopes to use Indiana's pre-conference slate to prepare for the tough conference opponents that await him and the rest of the Hoosier lineup. With his third-place outing at the Mat Town Invitational, the Chicago, Ill., native posted one decision and a major en route to the bronze medal performance.
Curran wrestles at a weight that has three individuals vying for the position, as Curran, junior Josh Buuck and redshirt freshman Heath Vandeventer are grappling for the starting spot. Buuck has the most college experience between the three, but all three Hoosiers have shown promise throughout their careers. Curran's early success only forecasts a good future for the weight class at Indiana, showing no matter who takes the spot in the lineup, it will be a Hoosier who knows how to win.
• TAKE DOWN KNABLE •
Junior Isaac Knable has had an up-and-down career at Indiana, but there is one thing this Floyd Knobs, Ind., native has had no trouble doing, pinning an opponent. Of Knable's 23 career wins at IU, the 2005 NCAA Qualifier has taken 16 of those matches by falls.
Knable's 16 falls is tied with defending national champion senior Joe Dubuque for the most falls by any current Hoosier grappler, and is eight away from entering the all-time Indiana pins list. Should Knable post eight more pins in 2005-06, the junior will tie Pat Cassidy (1997-2000) on the list at 24. Viktor Sveda (1998-2002) holds the all-time IU record in the category with 47.
As a freshman, Knable posted nine pins followed by five as a sophomore. In 2005-06, Knable already has two at the Mat Town Invitational where he finished seventh.
• NATIONAL EXPOSURE •
The Indiana wrestling squad currently boasts a top-20 ranking in the USA Today / NWCA / Intermat NCAA Div I Coaches' Poll. The Hoosiers stand at 16th. Along with the Hoosiers, seven other Big Ten schools can be found in the top-25 poll. Leading the pack are No. 2 Illinois, No. 3 Michigan and No. 6 Minnesota.
The Indiana Wrestling team opened the season ranked in all four preseason polls, with Amateur Wrestling News tabbing the Hoosiers 10th. The Wrestling Mall and W.I.N. Magazine polls both notched IU in the 11th-place spot, while the USA Today / NWCA / InterMat NCAA Div I Coaches' preseason Poll ranked the Hoosiers 16th.
Indiana returns one national champion, two All-Americans and five NCAA qualifiers from last year's top-10 squad.
• REPEAT PERFORMANCE •
Indiana 125-pound national champion Joe Dubuque returns for his senior season and looks to defend his national championship from a year ago. His journey has already started off on the right foot as Dubuque added his first regular season career tournament title to an already long list of accomplishments during his campaign as a Hoosier. At the Mat Town Invitational on Nov. 26, Dubuque pinned two and registered a major decision to dominate the field and go 4-0 at the invite to claim the title.
The Bloomfield, N.J., native became the first Indiana national champion since Brian Dolph grappled to a title in 1991 and is challenging to become the first Hoosier to achieve back-to-back titles in a career.
Charlie McDaniel (1935-38) is the only Hoosier to win two NCAA crowns (1935 and 1938) during his stint at IU, and one of only three Hoosiers to garner All-American status three times (Millard Duffy, 1935-36,38; Brian Dolph, 1987-90).
Dubuque looks to join the ranks of some of the best Hoosier grapplers ever to don the Cream and Crimson.
• HOOSIERS IN THE RANKINGS •
Three Hoosier grapplers currently have their names etched in the national polls in the latest release of the USA Today / NWCA / InterMat NCAA Div I Coaches' Poll.
Defending national champion Joe Dubuque continues to hold the top spot in the poll after taking the Mat Town Invitational title on Nov. 26 in Lock Haven, Pa. Dubuque is 4-0 on the season.
At 157, sophomore All-American Brandon Becker (Fifth) received a top-five nod from the coaches' poll. Becker began the season ranked fifth, and with his performance at the Mat Town Invitational where he took home the 157-pound tournament crown, the Mickleton, N.J., native wants to remain as one of the nation's best. Becker's top-five preseason ranking and current ranking mark the first time he has received preseason recognition or a top-five regular season rankings, respectively.
Rounding out the preseason accolades is senior Brady Richardson at 197. Richardson, who wrestled at 174 in 2004 and 2005 and qualified for the NCAA Championships in both seasons, is looking to make his mark at his new and stronger weight division. The Vincennes, Ind., native is currently ranked eighth and owns a 9-2 record on the season.
• TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER •
Head coach Duane Goldman named seniors Joe Dubuque and Brady Richardson as the 2005-06 team captains.
Both Hoosiers enter the senior campaign with high goals for not only the team, but have individual expectations.
Dubuque looks to become the first Hoosier to garner back-to-back NCAA titles, the second (Charlie McDaniel, 1935 and 1938) Hoosier to garner two national crowns in a career and only the fifth IU grappler to receive All-American honors three-times during their stint at IU.
Richardson looks to garner his first All-American accolade after qualifying for the postseason the last two years at 174. Goldman says the Vincennes, Ind., native looks stronger and more comfortable in his new weight class and has all the potential to achieve his 2006 goals.
•RECORDS WILL "FALL"•
Seniors Joe Dubuque and Brady Richardson are looking to etch their names in the Hoosier record book this coming season. Dubuque stands just eight falls away from entering the all-time Indiana list for most pins in a career, while Richardson is 15 away from an appearance in the history book. Dubuque and Richardson currently stand at 16 and nine falls, respectively, their careers. Viktor Sveda (1998-2002), one of the program's most decorated wrestlers, owns the record with 47.
The seniors look to be the fourth and fifth graduating seniors in five years to etch their name in the IU career pins record book. Sveda took the top spot in 2002 (47), current IU volunteer coach Coyte Cooper tabbed third on the list in 2004 (37) and last year's All-American Pat DeGain finished in fourth in 2005 (35).
• LOOKING FOR THE "W" •
Senior national champion Joe Dubuque currently stands at an 94-17 career record. Dubuque falls just 15 wins outside of the top 10 all-time most wins in a career record book. Should Dubuque garner 15 wins in his senior campaign, the Hoosier will tie current 10th-ranked IU grapplers Mark Galyan (1978-1982) and Scott Holman (1986-1990) on the list at 105.
Also looking to end his career in record-setting fashion is two-time All-American Brady Richardson. Richardson currently stands at 78 wins in his career, 27 wins out of the top-10 record book. Viktor Sveda (1997-2002) currently holds the all-time record with 149.
• A TALL MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB •
Indiana wrestling is looking at one of its toughest schedules under Duane Goldman's leadership. The Hoosiers, once the Big Ten season starts, open the campaign against currently unranked Ohio State (Jan. 20) and Purdue (Jan. 22). The Hoosiers then take on six straight ranked opponents in No. 2 Illinois (Jan. 27), No. 7 Iowa (Jan. 29), No. 6 Minnesota (Feb. 5), No. 13 Penn State (Feb. 10), No. 14 Northwestern (Feb. 17) and No. 3 Michigan (Feb. 19) to close out the regular season.
• BIG SHOES TO FILL •
Indiana's starting lineup has a few key changes from last year's roster, which leaves the young Hoosier grapplers with some big shoes to fill. Only four of the Hoosiers projected starters are upper classmen, while the remaining six spots are filled with either first time starters or redshirt freshman.
At 133, 2004 starter Brian Dyer left the IU program and has now left the spot open for either another redshirt freshman Andrae Hernandez.
At 141, both seniors Mike Simpson and Cameron Sakon graduated to leave the weight class vacant. Looking to fill the opening will be either junior Ian Campbell or senior Nick Spatola, who is the only one of the two with collegiate experience.
At 174, a weight usually filled by current senior Brady Richardson who moved to 197, is now open for sophomore Marc Bennett, who will be looked upon to carry the load for the Hoosiers.
After an early graduation, Andy Rios vacated the 184-pound starting spot, leaving room for either junior Josh Buuck, sophomore Justin Curran or redshirt freshman Heath Vandeventer.
The final opening poses the greatest to fill in not only talent, but leadership. Senior Pat DeGain, who filled the heavyweight division and achieved All-American status in his senior season, leaves the weight class open for sophomore Dave Herman. Herman had seven starts in 2004-05 behind DeGain, going 6-1 in his appearances on the mat.
