Indiana University Athletics
Escobedo Named IU Athlete of the Week
1/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | General
Jan. 3, 2007
On a weekly basis, IUHOOSIERS.com will recognize the top performance in Hoosier Athletics by selecting an IU Athlete of the Week. For the week ending Dec. 30, redshirt freshman Angel Escobedo of the wrestling team was the winner. It was his first selection of the season and the first for the wrestling squad on the year.
Escobedo took the 125-pound title at the 44th Midlands Championships on Saturday, Dec. 30. It marked Escobedo's first tournament title of the season to go along with a pair of third-place finishes. Escobedo is the Hoosiers' first Midlands champion since Pat DeGain won the heavyweight division in 2004. The Hoosiers finished fifth out of 56 teams competing at Midlands with 96.0 points.
The Griffith, Ind., native won his first three matches of the tourney to advance to the semifinals, including a pair of falls and a major decision. Escobedo, the highest-ranked wrestler remaining in the tournament, then topped seventh seed Pat Castillo of Northern Illinois with a 3-1 decision to face Nick Fanthorpe of Iowa State in the finals. The redshirt freshman won the championship match with his second consecutive 3-1 decision. Escobedo is now 22-2 on the year with a team-leading 10 pins.
Indiana is back in action on Saturday, Dec. 13, as it travels to Charleston, Ill., for a matchup with Eastern Illinois. The Hoosiers (8-0-0) are 16-6-0 all-time against the Panthers in dual meets, including wins in the last 12 matchups. IU defeated Eastern 36-3 a year ago in Bloomington.
Also turning in a solid performance in the IU athletic community was Sarah McKay of the women's basketball team.
Sarah McKay
6-7 - C - Sr. - Victoria, B.C., Canada - Stelly's Secondary
Senior Sarah McKay netted a game-high 23 points as the Hoosiers picked up their first Big Ten win of the season in a 71-58 victory over Michigan on Dec. 31. McKay sank 11-of-16 from the field and added seven rebounds and two blocked shots. In Indiana's first league game of the year, McKay tallied six rebounds, an assist, a steal and a blocked shot in IU's 74-49 loss at No. 20/21 Michigan State. On the week, McKay shot 57.1 percent from the field and averaged 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
