Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Ranked 14th by RevWrestling.com
10/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Oct. 10, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana wrestling team has been ranked 14th in the nation by RevWrestling.com in the publication's 2006-07 season preview. Four Hoosiers were ranked in the top 15 of their respective weight classes, led by two-time all-American Brandon Becker, who was rated fourth at 157 pounds.
In addition to Becker's top-five ranking, redshirt freshman Matt Coughlin has been projected as the fifth-best wrestler in the nation at 149 pounds. Fellow redshirt Angel Escobedo is ranked at No. 10 in the 125-pound division, while 2006 NCAA qualifier Dave Herman is ranked ninth at heavyweight.
The Hoosiers are one of 10 Big Ten squads ranked in the top 20 nationally, with Minnesota taking the No. 1 spot in the nation. Michigan, Northwestern, Iowa, Penn State and Ohio State are all rated in the top 10.
Becker brought home his second straight all-America selection in 2006, finishing in seventh place at the NCAA Tournament. He posted a 28-9 record overall and a 13-4 record in dual meets for the Hoosiers a year ago.
Coughlin was one of the top high school wrestlers in the country before coming to IU a season ago. In his redshirt campaign, the Evansville, Ind., native went 19-7 for the year, including a first-place finish at the Cleveland State Open.
Escobedo will step in for two-time NCAA champion Joe Dubuque this season after putting together an incredibly strong redshirt year. The Griffith, Ind., native went 20-3 a year ago, with two of his three losses on the season coming to NCAA qualifiers.
Herman qualified for his first NCAA championship in 2006 after turning in a seventh-place finish for the Hoosiers at Big Tens. The junior went 28-16 on the season for IU, with a 10-6 dual meet record and a 3-5 mark in Big Ten duals.
Indiana will begin its 2005-06 campaign on Saturday, Nov. 5, with intra-squad wrestle-offs at Brown County High School in Nashville, Ind. The Hoosiers begin intercollegiate competition the following week in East Lansing, Mich., at the Michigan State Open.
