Indiana University Athletics
Hoosier Wrestlers Knocking Off Strong Opposition
12/11/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Dec. 11, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Through four events in the 2006-07 wrestling season, Indiana University grapplers are already making waves on the national scene. Members of the Hoosier team have totaled 16 victories over opponents ranked in the top 20 of their weight classes, and four IU grapplers have used those victories to vault into the top 10.
Redshirt freshman Angel Escobedo has had a stellar debut season for Indiana, putting together a 14-2 record with five pins, including a third-place finish at the Michigan State Open and a second-place finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Escobedo topped a pair of ranked wrestlers in Las Vegas, defeating No. 19 Pat Castillo of Northern Illinois and No. 4 Tanner Gardner of Stanford to advance to the championship match. There, Escobedo was bested by No. 11 Paul Donahoe of Nebraska, and his only other loss was to No. 7 Obe Blanc of Lock Haven. Escobedo is currently ranked eighth in the nation at 125 by The Wrestling Mall.
At 149 pounds, a pair of Hoosiers have teamed up to record seven victories over adversaries ranked in the top 20. Redshirt freshman Matt Coughlin has a 15-2 record on the year, notching third-place finishes at both Michigan State and Las Vegas. Coughlin defeated No. 19 Jason Johnstone of Ohio State at the MSU Open, then knocked off a trio of ranked grapplers at the CKLV Invite. Coughlin recorded a 2-1 win over No. 4 Tyler Turner of Wisconsin, a fall of No. 5 Jordan Leen of Cornell and a 4-2 decision over No. 11 Jermain Thompson of Eastern Michigan. With the victories, Coughlin has jumped into the top five at 149, as he is ranked fifth by both Wrestling International Newsmagazine and the National Wrestling Coaches Association/Intermat.
Bloomington native Kurt Kinser has competed unattached in every event so far in 2006, but that hasn't stopped the prized recruit from making his name known on the national scene. Kinser pinned No. 16 Josh Wagner of Missouri in the opening round of the Missouri Open on Nov. 19, and cruised all the way to the title, finishing off the event by defeating No. 11 Aaron Martin of Chattanooga 2-1. On Dec. 3 at Penn State, Kinser posted a third-place finish, going 5-1, including a 13-2 major decision over No. 7 John Cox of Navy. Kinser is now 15-4 with six pins in his first season with the Hoosiers.
Team captains Brandon Becker and Max Dean have also posted victories over tough competition this year, at 157 and 165 pounds, respectively. Becker has a 14-2 record on the year, and at the CKLV Invite on Dec. 2, he posted a second-place finish. In the semifinals of the event, Becker took a 4-2 decision over No. 3 Craig Henning of Wisconsin. He faced No. 2 Brian Stith of Arizona State in the tourney finals, but Stith took a 2-1 decision. Becker is currently ranked third by three different publications.
Dean has a 12-4 record on the season, and has recorded a pair of victories over top-20 competition. Dean took third place at the Michigan State Open on Nov. 12, earning third with a 3-2 decision over No. 18 Rocky Cozart. At the Hoosier Duals on Nov. 25, Dean bested No. 17 Andy Rendos of Bucknell with a 3-2 victory. Dean is currently ranked 12th in the NWCA/Intermat poll.
One of the biggest surprises in the nation this year has been 184-pounder Marc Bennett. The junior has moved up this year from 174 to 184, and has already knocked off four wrestlers in the top 20. In marching to the title at the Michigan State Open, Bennett topped No. 14 Joe Williams of Michigan State and No. 3 Alex Clemsen of Edinboro. On Dec. 2 in Las Vegas, Bennett suffered a first-round loss, but went 7-1 in the wrestleback bracket to finish fifth, pinning No. 17 Rocco Caponi of Virginia and posting a 4-3 decision over Raymond Jordan of Missouri in the process. The Martinsville, Ind., native's 17-2 record has propelled him all the way to No. 8 in the nation in the latest NWCA/Intermat poll.
The 17th-ranked Hoosiers are back in action on Sunday, Dec. 17, for the F.I.T.E. Duals. IU will face Eastern Michigan and Southern Illinois-Carbondale at the event, which will take place at Rich East High School in Park Forrest, Ill.
