Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Iowa
Hernandez Upsets #2 Tsirtsis, IU Falls to Iowa 24-12
2/20/2009 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Feb. 20, 2009
PHOTO GALLERY 
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana senior Andrae Hernandez will likely remember his Senior Night forever as he defeated #2 Alex Tsirtsis Friday in front of a raucous crowd at University Gym. The #1 Hawkeyes came out on top in the team score though, defeating #18 Indiana 24-12.
"As always it's very tough to get a dual win in the Big Ten and tonight was no different," said Head Coach Duane Goldman. "I thought tonight was a good dual match though and some of ours guys just have to keep wrestling through the whistle and not change their approach when on the edge of the mat."
Click here for complete play-by-play of the match.
The night began with the opening match being decided in sudden victory. At 125 lbs., #3 Angel Escobedo and #5 Charlie Falck battled to a 1-1 tie after regulation. Falck was then able to snare a match-winning takedown with just one second left in the sudden victory period.
Two bouts later, Escobedo's cousin, Andrae Hernandez got a little revenge, however, with a victory of his own in extra time. Even more interesting is the fact that Hernandez's opponent, #2 Alex Tsirtsis, was high school teammates with Hernandez and Escobedo at Griffith High School in Griffith, Ind. After Tsirtsis rode Hernandez for the entire second tiebreaker period, rather than play it conservative and attempt to ride Tsirtis for the full 30 seconds and force a third sudden victory period, Hernandez kept it aggressive and turned the Hawkeye over to his back for a two-point near-fall for the 3-1 victory. A crowd of over 1,000 on-lookers erupted when the official began extending his arm and counting the back points.
"Andrae's match was incredible," said Goldman. "He showed great determination in getting the win. It was a big one for him and it meant a lot to him. With it being Senior Night and everything, I couldn't be more happy for Andrae."
Kurt Kinser was also a winner for IU on Friday, posting a 4-1 decision over Matt Ballweg in the 157-pound match. Kinser nearly recorded a fall after just missing out on executing a headlock throw in the first minute of the match. Kinser, ranked 13th nationally, improves 17-4 overall and 5-2 in the Big Ten with the win.
Heavyweight Nate Everhart looks to have a high seed coming at the Big Ten Championships with his 6-1 record in conference matches. Everhart entered Friday night with five wins before taking a forfeit against Iowa to finish off the night.
COMPLETE RESULTS
125 lbs.- #5 Charlie Falck (IOWA) dec. Angel Escobedo (IU) 3-1 (SV)
133 lbs.- #1 Daniel Dennis (IOWA) maj. dec. Matt Ortega (IU) 16-4
141 lbs.- Andrae Hernandez (IU) dec. #2 Alex Tsirtsis (IOWA) 3-1 (2TB)
149 lbs.- #1 Brent Metcalf (IOWA) tech falls Nick Walpole (IU) 19-4
157 lbs.- #13 Kurt Kinser (IU) dec. Matt Ballweg (IOWA) 4-1
165 lbs.- #3 Ryan Morningstar (IOWA) dec. Paul Young (IU) 7-5
174 lbs.- #4 Jay Borschel (IOWA) maj. dec. #15 Trevor Perry (IU) 10-2
184 lbs.- #3 Phillip Keddy (IOWA) dec. Eric Cameron (IU) 11-5
197 lbs.- #15 Chad Beatty(IOWA) dec. Matt Powless (IU) 8-5
285 lbs.- Nate Everhart (IU) wins by forfeit
The Hoosiers conclude the regular season Sunday afternoon with a 3 p.m. EST dual match at Minnesota. The Golden Gophers are ranked 12th in the latest national rankings.
Players Mentioned
