No. 15 Hoosiers Set to Host No. 9 Penn State

2/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling

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Feb. 7, 2006

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The 15th-ranked Indiana wrestling team continues its Big Ten schedule on Feb. 10 as it hosts No. 9 Penn State at 7 p.m. at University Gymnasium. The Hoosiers (11-3, 2-3 Big Ten) look to have a solid performance against the Nittany ions (10-4, 2-3 Big Ten) in its final home dual of the season.

PENN STATE PREVIEW
While only ranked ninth coaches poll, Penn State packs quite a lineup with nine grapplers ranked in the top 20. The Nittany Lions recently defeated then-No. 7 Iowa, 21-12, for their second Big Ten win of the season and first over a higher-ranked opponent.

Penn State is 2-3 in conference action with wins over then-No. 18 Michigan State (1/27) and then-No. 7 Iowa (2/3). The Nittany Lions are 10-4 overall and are led by No. 1 Eric Bradley (184) and No. 6 Philip Davis (197). Also garnering national recognition are No. 9 Jake Strayer (133), No. 10 DeWitt Driscoll (141), No. 11 James Woodall (149), No. 11 James Yonushonis (174), No. 12 David Erwin (165), No. 14 Nathan Galloway (157) and No. 18 Joel Edwards (heavyweight).

Penn State leads the overall series 7-0 over Indiana, winning the last meeting in University Park, 21-12, on Jan. 28, 2005. IU's closest chance came in 1999 when it fell just short, 20-19, in University Park.

The Nittany Lions finished 23rd in last year's NCAA Championships and finished seventh in last year's Big Ten Championships. Penn State returns two All-Americans from last year's top-25 squad.

HOOSIERS AT A GLANCE
The Indiana wrestling team is off to an 11-3 start on the year. IU opened the season with 11 straight wins, the best start since the 1995-96 campaign when it won 12 straight. The 11-0 start also marked 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 (1/27), then-No. 7 Iowa (1/29) and then-No. 1 Minnesota (2/5).

ORDERS UP
With a win over Penn State, the Hoosiers would garner their third Big Ten victory of the season, their first win over Penn State in the history of the series and would return to .500 on the season in Big Ten affairs. The feat also would mark Indiana's first win over a higher-ranked opponent this season.

CLEAN AS A WHISTLE
With a perfect season in the making, senior Joe Dubuque stands at 17-0 overall and 5-0 in Big Ten contests. In the history of the IU program, only two Hoosiers have posted undefeated seasons, including Richard Boliva (12-0) in 1934 and Chris Traicoff (10-0) in 1939.

Since 1950, only one Hoosier has come close to achieving a perfect season. Brian Dolph (150) tallied an untainted regular-season slate in 1989 en route to a third-place finish at NCAAs. Should Dubuque wrestle his way to a second national championship and a perfect regular season record, he would become the second Hoosier to claim an undefeated regular-season mark in the Modern Era (1950-on) and the first Hoosier in over 65 years (third overall) to go without a single loss en route to a NCAA crown.

SWEEPING THE BIG TEN
So far in Big Ten action, two IU grapplers are undefeated going into the Penn State meet on Feb. 10. Senior Joe Dubuque (17-0 overall and 5-0 Big Ten) and redshirt freshman Andrae Hernandez (24-5 overall and 5-0 Big Ten) carry the torch for the Hoosiers at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively.

In 2004-05, senior All-American Pat DeGain finished 5-0 in conference duals to be the only Hoosier to grapple to an undefeated Big Ten record a season ago. DeGain, however, did not start in every Big Ten matchup.

Should Dubuque and Hernandez continue to start in IU's remaining three duals and win, the two would be the first Hoosier wrestlers to post undefeated conference records since Viktor Sveda (8-0) in 1999. Only three Hoosiers in the Modern Era (1950-on) have reached the feat in Big Ten duals. Other Hoosier grapplers to go undefeated in conference action since 1950 include Roger Chandler (1997) at 142 pounds and Mark Galyan (1981) at 134 pounds with 7-0 and 8-0 records, respectively.

DOUBLE DIPPING
In the history of IU wrestling, only seven Hoosiers have claimed both a Big Ten and NCAA Championships crown in the same year. Joe Roman and Chris Traicoff, in 1939, were the first IU grapplers to post the feat, while Eddie Belshaw at 135 pounds (1932), Pat Devine at 135 pounds (1933), Richard Boliva at 174 pounds (1934), Charlie McDaniel at heavyweight (1938) and Brian Dolph at 150 pounds (1989) each captured both titles.

Senior Joe Dubuque fell short of the honor in 2004, finishing third at the Big Ten Championships before grappling to a NCAA title at 125 pounds. On the year, four Hoosiers are ranked in the top 20 nationally and all 10 grapplers are looking to become the first IU wrestlers in the Modern Era (1950-on) to capture both crowns in a single season.

1-2 PUNCH
The combination of defending national champion Joe Dubuque at 125 pounds, followed by an up-and-coming 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 five conference duals, the combo has given IU an average point total 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, then-No. 7 Iowa on Jan. 29 and then-No. 1 Minnesota on Feb. 5.

Despite the outcome of the match, you can rest assured that Indiana will come out of the starting blocks with a solid lead. In Indiana's last outing, Dubuque posted a major decision victory followed by a fall from Hernandez to bring Indiana within three, 13-10, against the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, Minnesota.

ROARING 20s
Half of Indiana's starting lineup has already reached 20 wins on the season. Senior Brady Richardson (197) and redshirt freshman Andrae Hernandez (133) lead the charge with 24, followed by sophomores Dave Herman (23), Max Dean (21) and sophomore Justin Curran (20).

Three more Hoosiers are not far behind, as senior Joe Dubuque has tallied 17, followed by sophomore Brandon Becker (157) with 16 on the season and sophomore Marc Bennett (174) with 12.