Indiana University Athletics
Big Ten Championships Brackets Released
3/4/2010 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 4, 2010
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The conference office released the official Big Ten Wrestling Championships brackets Friday (March 5) afternoon...
Complete Release in PDF Format 
The wrestling action will start at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Follow along with the IUHoosiers.com live blog by clicking here.
The No. 13 Indiana University wrestling team (16-3, 5-3) begins the post-season journey this weekend, heading to Ann Arbor, Mich., for the Big Ten Championships. The action is set to start at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 6 inside Crisler Arena and conclude on Sunday with the Championship round, which will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network, scheduled for 2:05 p.m. EST.
INDIANA'S LINE-UP FOR THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
125 lbs.- Angel Escobedo, r-Sr. (30-0 overall, 8-0 Big Ten)
133 lbs.- Matt Ortega, r-So. (10-16, 1-6)
141 lbs.- Geno Capezio, r-Fr. (5-7, 0-1)
149 lbs.- Matt Coughlin, r-Sr. (16-14, 1-7)
157 lbs.- Kurt Kinser, r-Jr. (23-5, 6-2)
165 lbs.- Paul Young, r-Jr. (30-6, 6-2)
174 lbs.- Nick Avery, r-Jr. (7-6, 0-3)
184 lbs.- Eric Cameron, r-Jr. (21-12, 4-4)
197 lbs.- Matt Powless, r-So. (27-11, 5-3)
285 lbs.- Nate Everhart, Sr. (32-0, 8-0)
Top-seeded Angel Escobedo is looking to make it a three-peat this weekend after winning back-to-back Big Ten Championships the past two seasons. If he were to do so, he would become the first three-time conference champion in school history. Heavyweight Nate Everhart is also the No. 1 seed in his weight class (heavyweight).
Additional IU seeds for the Big Ten Championships include Kurt Kinser (No. 4, 157 lbs.), Paul Young (No. 5, 165 lbs.), Eric Cameron (No. 6, 184 lbs.) and Matt Powless (No. 6, 197 lbs.).
IUHoosiers.com will be running a live blog for both days of the tournament.
The official brackets will be posted right here at IUHoosiers.com on Friday following the coaches meeting.
BIG TEN BAROMETER
Several Hoosiers can be found in the Big Ten's statistical rankings for total wins and falls. Nate Everhart leads the way with his 32 wins, good for second-most in the conference and 13th in all of Division-I wrestling. Angel Escobedo and Paul Young are just two wins back and tied for third in the Big Ten with 30 victories. Matt Powless is hot on their trail with 27 W's, giving him a share of 13th place.
In the falls category, Young is tops on the team and fourth in the conference with 13 pins (10th nationally). Escobedo ranks fifth with his nine sticks while Max Ortega owns an eight-pin total, good for a share of ninth place. Kurt Kinser and Trevor Perry are tied for 12th at seven falls each.
BOOKENDS HOLDING STRONG
The top and bottom of the line-up have been flawless thus far for IU. Heavyweight Nate Everhart paces the Hoosiers with 32 wins compared to zero defeats while 125-pounder Angel Escobedo is also undefeated with his 30-0 season record.
In addition, true freshman Ryan LeBlanc won the first 19 matches of his season while wrestling unattached, before finally dropping his first decision. He is 20-2 during his redshirt year.
AMONGST NATION'S ELITE
Five of Indiana's 10 regular starters are ranked in the latest Intermat national rankings. Seven different IU grapplers have cracked the top-20 at some point this season. Those currently ranked are:
Angel Escobedo- #1 at 125 lbs.
Nate Everhart- #2 at 285 lbs.
Kurt Kinser- #8 at 157 lbs.
Paul Young- #12 at 165 lbs.
Matt Powless- #14 at 197 lbs.
As a team, Indiana is ranked 13th nationally.
FLAT TO THE MAT
A trio of current Hoosiers have each placed themselves into the top-10 for career pins in school history. Angel Escobedo is tied for second all-time with 40 falls while Trevor Perry's 31 pins and Kurt Kinser's 30 sticks are eighth and ninth, respectively.
Meanwhile, Paul Young is just two pins shy of cracking the top-10 as well. His 13 falls this year alone are the 10th-most for a single season in school history. The all-time IU record is 19.
Players Mentioned
