Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Projected 13th by TheWrestlingMall.com
10/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Oct. 24, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana wrestling team has garnered another top-20 preseason ranking, clocking in at No. 13 on TheWrestlingMall.com's team rankings. Additionally, six individual wrestlers have been ranked in the top 20 of their individual weight classes, led by two-time All-American Brandon Becker, who is projected third in the 157-pound division.
Dave Herman (heavyweight) was the only other Hoosier ranked in the "Elite Eight" at his weight class, as he was projected eighth in the nation. Returning NCAA qualifiers Andrae Hernandez (13th, 133 pounds) and Max Dean (14th, 165 pounds) were ranked in the top 20, while redshirt freshmen Angel Escobedo (15th, 125 pounds) and Matt Coughlin (12th, 149 pounds) also gained recognition.
The Hoosiers were one of eight Big Ten teams ranked in the top 20, led by preseason favorite Minnesota, which has been ranked No. 1 by a number of publications heading into the 2006-07 season. Michigan (fifth), Iowa (sixth), Penn State (seventh) and Northwestern (11th) were also ranked ahead of the Hoosiers, while Michigan State (14th) and Ohio State (16th) made the top 20.
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.
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.
Hernandez followed up a brilliant redshirt campaign by blasting onto the scene as a redshirt freshman in 2005-06. Hernandez finished the season with a 28-11 record, including a 7-1 mark in the Big Ten. He finished seventh at the Big Ten Championship.
Dean earned his second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament a year ago after going 26-16 in his sophomore campaign. He turned in his second straight fifth-place finish at Big Tens after posting a 10-6 dual mark on the season.
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.
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.
