Indiana University Athletics
No. 15 Indiana Travels to No. 1 Minnesota
1/31/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
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Jan. 31, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind.- - The 15th-ranked Indiana wrestling team continues its Big Ten schedule on Feb. 5 as it travels to Minneapolis, Minn., to take on the No. 1 Minnesota Golden Gophers at 2 p.m. at the Sport Pavilion. The Hoosiers (12-0, 2-2 Big Ten) look to have a solid performance against the nation's top team in a heated conference showdown.
MINNESOTA PREVIEW
Minnesota is having one of its best seasons in the history of the program, recently defeating defending national champion then-No. 1 Oklahoma State, 21-14, on Jan. 15 to become the first No. 1 team in the nation other than Oklahoma State in the last three years.
Minnesota is 4-0 in conference action with wins over Northwestern (1/20), Iowa (1/22), Ohio State (1/27) and Penn State (1/29). The Golden Gophers boast a lineup that features eight ranked grapplers, two of which are tabbed No. 1 in the country and another three in the top 10. Leading the pack is No. 1 Dustin Schlatter (149), No. 1 Cole Konrad (Heavyweight), No. 3 Mack Reiter (133), No. 4 C.P. Schlatter (157), No. 10 Matt Nagel (165), No. 10 Roger Kish (184), No. 14 Manuel Rivera (141) and No. 15 Gabriel Dretsch (174).
Minnesota leads the overall series 39-4-1 over Indiana, winning the last meeting in Bloomington 32-7 on Feb. 24, 2005. Indiana's last win over the Golden Gophers came on Jan. 26, 1968 in Bloomington, when the Hoosiers downed Minnesota 20-8 in Bloomington.
Minnesota finished fifth in last year's NCAA Championships and finished runner-up in last year's Big Ten Championships. The Golden Gophers return three All-Americans from last year's top-five squad and placed four overall in the top eight at NCAAs a year ago.
HOOSIERS AT A GLANCE
The Indiana wrestling team is off to an 11-2 start to the season. IU opened the season with 11 straight wins, the best start since the 1995-96 season when it won 12 straight. The 11-0 start also marks the second-best start for head coach Duane Goldman since he took over the program in 1991.
In the Hoosiers' 11 victories, they have defeated their opponents by an average of 25 points. Indiana's most lopsided victory came against Bloomsburg on Jan. 14, in a 42-(-1) defeat. Indiana disposed of two ranked foes during its non-conference slate, dominating then-No. 21 Northern Illinois, 28-9, in its first ranked matchup on Dec. 18, followed by overcoming then-No. 25 Penn, 18-15, on Jan. 14 to claim its second team title of the season at the Virginia Duals.
The Hoosiers have claimed two team titles this season, their first coming at the Mat Town Invitational where they edged second-place finishers Oregon and Buffalo by 40.5-points. Indiana's second title came by way of a 4-0 win streak at the Virginia Duals where IU defeated Penn in the finals to claim the overall crown.
IU's only losses on the season came against top-10 programs in then-No. 3 Illinois and then-No. 7 Iowa.
1-2 PUNCH
The combination of defending national champion Joe Dubuque at 125 pounds, followed by an up and rising star at 133 pounds in redshirt freshman Andrae Hernandez, the Hoosiers have been able to start off every Big Ten dual with a lead.
In Indiana's four conference duals, the combo have given IU an average lead of eight points and helped propel the Hoosiers to two conference wins. IU's only losses came at the hands of then No. 3 Illinois on Jan. 27 and then-No. 7 Iowa on Jan. 29.
Despite the outcome of the match, you can rest assured that Indiana will come out of the starting blocks with a solid lead.
ROARING 20s
Half of Indiana's starting lineup has already reached 20-win seasons. Senior Brady Richardson (197), sophomore Dave Herman (285) and redshirt freshman Andrae Hernandez (133) lead the charge with 23, followed by sophomores Max Dean (21) and sophomore Justin Curran (20).
Three more Hoosiers are not far behind, as sophomore Brandon Becker (157) and senior Joe Dubuque (125) each has tallied with 16 on the season, while sophomore Marc Bennett (174) has 12.
OVER THE HILL
Sophomore heavyweight Dave Herman, with his two wins in dual matches against Ohio State and Purdue, has reached the mark of 50 career victories. The Fort Wayne, Ind., native becomes the 13th Hoosier in the history of the program to reach the feat during their sophomore seasons. In Herman's freshman year, he tallied 28 victories followed by his team-leading 23 wins in 2005.
Two more IU wrestlers are currently on the road to claiming their 50th career victory. Sophomore Brandon Becker (157) stands at 49-16, while sophomore Max Dean (165) is knocking on the door at 46-21.
2 UP, 2 DOWN
The Indiana wrestling squad entered two team competitions in its non-conference slate and walked away the overall champion on both occasions. In IU's latest challenge, it went 4-0 on Jan. 13-14 to claim the 26th-Annual Virginia Duals crown. Indiana posted wins over Virginia Tech (40-13), Bloomsburg (42-(-1)), RV Chattanooga (29-11) and then-No. 25 Penn (18-15) en route to its second crown of the season.
In the Hoosiers' first test, Indiana dominated the 2006 Mat Town Invitational field, wining the overall event by a margin of 40.5 points over second-place Oregon and Buffalo.
THE "RICH" GET RICHER
Richardson continues to impress the 197-pound field, opening the Big Ten season with a pair of commanding victories. Richardson followed the feat with a 1-1 weekend with a loss to No. 9 Tyrone Byrd of Illinois before disposing of Dan Erekson of Iowa.
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 is tabbed ninth. Overall, Richardson is 23-4 on the season and 3-1 in Big Ten action.
REMEMBER THE TIME
The last time 125-pound defending national champion Joe Dubuque walked away from a mat without his hand being raised as the victor came at the 2005 Big Ten Championships. Dubuque lost in the second round of the event (3/5-6) before finishing third. Since March 6, 2005, the Glenn Ridge, N.J., native has gone on to win 23 straight, including his 2005-06 mark of 16-0 (12-0 dual, 4-0 Big Ten).
ANDRAE WATCH
After a solid weekend against No. 3 Illinois and No. 7 Iowa, redshirt freshman Andrae Hernandez protected his undefeated conference record at 4-0 with back-to-back wins. Hernandez defeated Gabe Flores (Illinois), 4-0, before handling Iowa's No. 21 Daniel Dennis, 11-0, to earn his first national ranking of No. 18 in the recent NWCA poll.
Hernandez is making his first start for the Hoosiers this season and has taken the reins of the weight class with force. The Griffith, Ind., native has posted a 23-5 record overall and owns a 6-2 mark against ranked opponents. Hernandez's most recent victory came over nationally-ranked Dennis. In dominating fashion, Hernandez took an 11-0 major decision over the Hawkeye to five Indiana an 8-0 lead against the No. 7 team in the nation.
Hernandez opened the Big Ten season with a pair of upsets. Against Ohio State, Hernandez downed Reece Humphrey 8-7 in extra periods before drawing a default win against sixth-ranked Chris Fleeger of Purdue. During the match against the Boilermakers, Hernandez suffered an injury due to an illegal hold by Fleeger. Ruled unfit to finish the match, Hernandez was awarded the default victory per NCAA rules.
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 four falls away from entering the all-time Indiana list for most pins in a career, while Richardson is 13 away from an appearance in the history book. Dubuque and Richardson currently stand at 20 and 11 falls, respectively, in 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 a 102-17 career record. Dubuque falls just three wins outside of the top 10 all-time most wins in a career record book. Should Dubuque garner three more 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 92 wins in his career, 13 wins out of the top-10 record book. Viktor Sveda (1997-2002) currently holds the all-time record with 149.
HOOSIERS IN THE RANKINGS
Four 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 remained at the top spot of the 125-pound division for the 12th straight week. Dubuque currently stands at 16-0 on the season and boasts a 4-0 Big Ten dual mark.
Indiana's most recent addition to the national spotlight is redshirt freshman Andrae Hernandez (133). The Griffith, Ind., native currently boasts a 6-2 ledger against ranked opponents, and with his defeat of No. 21 Daniel Dennis (Iowa) on Jan. 29, Hernandez entered the polls at No. 18. The feat is Hernandez's first national ranking in the NWCA poll.
Sophomore All-American Brandon Becker (157) fell in back-to-back bouts over the weekend with losses to No. 1 Alex Tirapelle (Illinois) and No. 8 Joe Johnson (Iowa). Becker now stands at eighth in the polls and has extended his stay in the top 10 to 12 straight weeks. The Mickleton, N.J., native is 16-5 on the season and 2-2 in Big Ten competition.
Wrapping up the Hoosiers in the rankings is senior two-time NCAA qualifier Brady Richardson. Richardson opened recently dropped a close match against then-No. 9 Tyrone Byrd before disposing of Iowa's Dan Erekson. Richardson currently holds the ninth-place spot in the rankings and has extended his appearance in the top 10 to eight straight weeks.
