Six Hoosiers Take Podium Finishes at EMU Open

Saturday, November 7

Ypsilanti, Mich.

All Day

Indiana University

EMU Open

11/7/2015 11:35:00 PM | Wrestling

Three of Indiana’s true freshman earned top-three finishes in the Hoosiers’ first competition of the season

YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Indiana wrestling team opened the 2015-16 season on Saturday with their first open tournament, the EMU Open hosted by Eastern Michigan University. Indiana's 22 entrants displayed a strong showing, which included top-three finishes for three of IU's freshmen.

"I felt like there were a lot of bright spots, a young guys performing well," Indiana head coach Duane Goldman said in his opening remarks. "It gave us a lot to work with and work on, and we hope to make some improvements going forward. We're still trying to shape our team, and this tournament gave us some looks at different weight classes."

Eastern Michigan Open | Saturday, November 7, 2015

Hoosier Podium Finishes:
Elijah Oliver – 125 lbs. – 2^nd Place
Devin Skatzka – 165 lbs. – 2^nd Place
Nate Jackson – 174 lbs. – 2^nd Place
Norman Conley – 174 lbs. – 3^rd Place
Cole Weaver – 141 lbs. – 7^th Place
Garret Goldman – HWT – 7^th Place

First among Indiana's tournament finalists was freshman Elijah Oliver (125). Oliver opened his collegiate career with a dominating run to the final match, recording three major decisions in his first three bouts. Oliver's tournament run came to an end in the championship, where he lost a narrow 5-2 decision to Noah Gonser (Eastern Michigan).

"He looked good, but he got a little tired as the day went on," Goldman said. "I think he could have performed better in the championship, but he lost a close bout. It was a great performance for a freshman in his first collegiate competition."

Devin Skatzka (165) was another freshman with a finals run in his first tournament as a Hoosier. Skatzka opened his day with a pin in 5:42 over Zebulan Beam (Ashland), followed by an 11-3 major decisison over Alonzo Turner (Findlay). In the quarterfinals, Skatzka recorded his second pin of the day in 1:43 against Seth Williams (Ohio State), then won a 14-9 decision in the semifinals. Skatzka took second place after dropping a decision to Logan Massa (Michigan).

No. 15/17 Nate Jackson (174) returns from a sophomore season in which he qualified for the NCAA Wrestling Championships. He begins his junior year with a second-place finish at the EMU open. Jackson won his first round match, 7-0, over Domenic Prezzia (Ohio State), and then followed with a 15-7 major decision over Dean Sherry (Rider). Jackson continued his campaign through the quarterfinals and semifinals with an 11-4 decision and a pin in 4:45 to advance to the championship. Jackson battled hard in his final match, but lost a tight 7-5 decision to Myles Martin (Ohio State).

Jackson's loss in the final wasn't the result he hoped for, but his coach believes that it was a good opportunity to take his mental toughness to the next level.

"He just needs to be more resilient in that adversity," Goldman said, referring to a penalty called against Jackson in the championship bout. "Things don't always go the way you expect them to go, and you need to find the success in spite of it. Hopefully, this will be a learning experience for him for his next time out."

Norman Conley (174) was one of the highlights of the day for the Indiana wrestling team. Conley, a walk-on freshman for the Hoosiers this season, battled his way to a 4-1 tournament record and a third place finish as an unattached contestant. Conley won 3-2, 11-6, and 4-2 decisions on his way to the semifinals, where he lost to Myles Martin (Ohio State). He finished his day with a win in the third place match for his first podium of his collegiate career.

"Buddy did a great job. He's a walk-on for us, but he's a really hard worker," Goldman said. "He's been a great addition to our room, and we were pleasantly surprised to see him compete this well in his first time out."

The Hoosiers had strong performances from seventh-place finishers Cole Weaver (141) and Garret Goldman (HWT). Weaver won his first two bouts, then dropped his quarterfinal match in a close 6-3 decision. He finished strongly with two wins, including a 6-3 decision over Nate Hagan (Edinboro) for seventh. Goldman won his first two rounds as well, then lost in the quarterfinals to enter the consolation bracket. The Bloomington native concluded the day on a positive note with two more wins, including a decision over Caleb Gossett (Northern Illinois) in his final match of the day.

Other notable performances for Indiana include Bryce Martin (165), who went 3-2 on the day and recorded a tech fall in his third match. Trevor Moody (149) and Alonzo Shepard (125) both went 3-2 and earned a major decision. Freshman Garrett Pepple wrestled unattached and went 3-2 in his first collegiate tournament, including one pin and two major decisions. Pepple also faced his first nationally-ranked competition in a second round bout against No. 5/No. 7 Johnni DiJulius (Ohio State).

Pepple's performance stood out to coach Goldman. The freshman is making a major weight transition in his first year in the college ranks. In high school, Pepple wrestled in a weight class 20 pounds lighter than his current class.

"Pepple did a really nice job, going 3-2 on a day that included wrestling against the fifth-ranked man in his weight class," Goldman said. "He's still trying to grow into that weight class. In high school, he wrestled at 113, and now he's up to 133."

The Hoosiers had an impressive outing as a team in their first tournament play of the season. Although there is no official team score, Indiana ranked second in total points (511), behind only defending NCAA Champions Ohio State. Their winning percentage of .565 was sixth amongst all teams (min. 30 matches), and they ranked sixth in total pins and tech falls.

"We find that encouraging," coach Goldman said after hearing their statistical rankings for the first time. "It shows that we're out there competing with everyone at this early stage in the season."

Up Next: Keystone Classic | November 22 | Philadelphia, Pa. | The Palestra

The Hoosiers have two full weeks to train and prepare for their next tournament, the Keystone Classic, hosted by the University of Pennsylvania. The Keystone Classic features entrants from 12 universities, including Big Ten foe Northwestern. Tickets and other tournament info can be found here.