Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Virginia Duals (First Round/Quarters)
Hoosiers Cruise into Semifinal Bout at Virginia Duals
1/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 14, 2006
NORFOLK, Va. - The Indiana wrestling team opened the 26th-Annual Virginia Duals with impressive wins over Virginia Tech, 40-13, followed by a dominating victory over Bloomsburg, 42-(-1), on Jan .13. With the victories, the Hoosiers improve to 7-0 on the season in dual action and advance to the semifinal bout to face Chattanooga.
Defending national champion Joe Dubuque cleaned up the 125-pound division for the Hoosiers, defeating Justin Staylor (Virginia Tech) by fall at the 4:06 mark, followed by a forfeit victory over Bloomsburg. Top-ranked Dubuque moves to 10-0 on the season and 6-0 in dual competition.
At 133, redshirt freshman Andrae Hernandez dominated his competition, pinning Sheridan Moran (Virginia Tech) at the 4:37 mark before disposing of Rick Donald (Bloomsburg) by a 17-1 technical fall. Hernandez continued his unbeaten streak in dual action at 7-0 and improved to 19-3 overall.
David Hoffman (Virginia Tech), ranked 13th in the country, took a 17-0 major decision over IU's freshman Scott Kelley at 141 pounds in the Hoosiers opening dual. Senior Nick Spatola, however, regained Indiana's winning stature in the 141 weight class with a 3-2 decision over Brad Forbes (Bloomsburg). Kelley fell to 5-11 overall and 1-2 in dual action while Spatola improved 8-6 on the season and 3-1 in dual competition.
Junior Matt Cooper claimed a pair of victories with a forfeit win over Virginia Tech followed by a 5-3 decision over Bloomsburg's George Hickman at 149 pounds. Cooper now boasts a 10-3 record and a 3-2 ledger in dual contests.
All-American Brandon Becker notched his sixth fall of the season after pinning Tech's Dave Kiley at 5:48, and wrapped up a perfect day on the map after a 5-0 decision over Bloomsburg's Aric Furham. Becker, ranked sixth in the nation, is now 13-2 on the season and 7-0 in dual matches.
Sophomore Max Dean (165) tallied two wins with a 16-1 technical fall over Virginia Tech's Mark Czarny and an 11-1 major decision against Jason Crawford (Bloomsburg). Dean improved to 16-6 overall and 6-0 in dual action.
Sophomores Marc Bennett (174) and Justin Curran (184) helped continue the Hoosiers dominance of its first- and quarter-round opponents, contributing three victories at the duals. Bennett fell early by a 13-8 decision to Tech's Steven Ratley before rebounding to claim his fifth fall of the year over Frank Beasley (Bloomsburg) at the 1:28 mark. Curran followed with two more dual victories, claiming a forfeit win against Virginia Tech and a 5-2 decision over Andrew Jordan of Bloomsburg.
Bennett currently stands at 9-7 overall and 4-2 in dual action, while Curran improved to 18-4 overall and 6-0 in dual competition.
Rounding out the Hoosier contingent were senior Brady Richardson (197) and sophomore Dave Herman (285). Richardson swept his competition carding an 18-0 technical fall against Virginia Tech's Matt Woods and a fall over Jesse Hasserman of Bloomsburg. Indiana forfeited its first heavy weight match against Virginia Tech, but displayed Herman in its second dual against Bloomsburg where the sophomore took a 5-2 decision against Mike Spaid.
Richardson, ranked sixth in the country, is 18-2 overall and 6-0 in dual action, while Herman stands at 19-7 and 5-1 in duals.
Against the Chattanooga Mocs, the Hoosiers will be challenged at multiple weight classes and will need a strong performance against a squad that is currently receiving votes in the coach's poll. The semifinal bout features multiple ranked opponents headlined by IU's undefeated Dubuque, Becker who boasts an untainted dual record and two-time NCAA qualifier in Richardson.
For Chattanooga, the Mocs feature sixth-ranked Matt Keller at 133 pounds as their lone grappler in the polls.
The semifinal match will take place tomorrow, Jan. 13 at 2 p.m. (EST), with the finals to follow at 8:30 p.m. For dual meet results, visit IUHOOSIERS.com following the conclusion of the finals or consolation finals.
Players Mentioned
