Wrestling Hosts IU Duals Sunday

Sunday, December 18

Bloomington, Ind.

1 PM

Indiana University

Buffalo

12/16/2016 6:36:00 PM | Wrestling

Weekend Notes (PDF)Watch: IU vs. Buffalo on BTN2Go.com Watch: IU vs. Indiana Tech on BTN2Go.com Track: IU vs. Buffalo http://s200.trackwrestling.com/tw/seasons/LoadBalance.jsp?seasonId=129415076&pageName=DualMatches.jsp&dualId=42681071

Hoosiers set to grapple with Buffalo, Indiana Tech

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The little things can make a big impact in wrestling, and few teams know that better than the Hoosiers. Indiana is two tiebreaker points away from an 8-0 start to the season, most recently in a suspenseful 20-19 defeat against #11 Wisconsin. It was the third time this season that an IU dual came down to tiebreaker criteria, and they followed it by leaving little doubt in their ensuing duals sweep at Eastern Michigan last Sunday.

This weekend, IU rolls out the mat as hosts of their own tri dual. It's the fourth double-header for Indiana this season, only this time they'll take on the Buffalo Bulls and the Indiana Tech Warriors at University Gymnasium. Garrett Pepple (133), coming off of a 3-0 weekend, will meet his first ranked grappler of his varsity career in a bout with Buffalo's #18 Bryan Lantry; Jake Hinz (197) will meet his third ranked wrestler of the year when he faces Buffalo's #17 James Benjamin. Both matches will stream live on BTN2Go.com.

Hoosier Notes

Too Close for Comfort
The Hoosiers began their Big Ten schedule in the same fashion as last season: by putting a top-15 team on the ropes. This year, Indiana evenly split the 10 bouts at home against #11 Wisconsin. The tiebreaker criteria didn't fall in IU's favor this year, however, as Wisconsin won the point with a 69-65 edge in total match points.

Indiana trailed 16-7 with four bouts remaining. A tech fall from Elijah Oliver and a major decision by Garrett Pepple tied things at 16-16. Wisconsin's #14 Cole Martin regained the lead with a decision win, but Chris Perez forced the tiebreaker with an upset over #18 Andrew Crone.

Numbers on the Boards
Indiana's nationally ranked duo of Nate Jackson (184) and Elijah Oliver (125) are a combined 22-2 after their first five weekends of competition. Jackson maintained a #6 (Flo) ranking after an unbeaten start with bonus points in 12-of-13 matches; Oliver slips to #20 (Flo) after dropping a tight decision to #15 Noah Gonser (EMU).

Senior newcomer Chris Perez (149) earned his first rankings of the season, coming in at #20 in the latest Amateur Wrestling News polls. Perez (4-1) made his last appearance in the rankings last season at Princeton, climbing into the top 15.

Back on Track
Along with Jackson's unbeaten season, several Hoosiers regained their form last weekend with perfect 3-0 showings: Garrett Pepple (133), Chris Perez (149), and Jake Danishek (157). Danishek scored three decisions and kicked off the Wisconsin dual with a big 8-7 win vs. T.J. Ruschell. Perez notched his first ranked win of the year before earning two wins by fall at Eastern Michigan. Pepple earned two wins with bonus points, including a major decision in his first-ever Big Ten dual meet.

Running with the Bulls
The Hoosiers' dual against Buffalo will provide one of the tougher challenges out-of-conference this year. They come in with a pair of ranked wrestlers and are certain to provide a similar challenge to Eastern Michigan, their counterpart in the Mid American Conference. Indiana is 3-0 in the all-time series with Buffalo, with their three meetings coming between 2002 and 2004. The dual is Buffalo's first-ever visit to Bloomington.

Hoosier Incoming
Coach Goldman has announced Indiana's first signing for the 2017 calendar year. The Hoosiers retained the talents of Brandon James (141), who will transfer at semester from Old Dominion University.

Brandon hails from Indianapolis, and attended the same high school as current Hoosier Jake Masengale. With the Monarchs, Brandon compiled a 19-12 record as an unattached grappler last season. His tournament accolades included a third place finish at the Clarion Open, and another third place podium at the Cleveland State Open. Brandon placed all four years in the state championships, earning runner-up in 2014.

Up Next: Midlands Championships
The next venture for the Hoosiers will be their last before turning the calendar to 2017, as they head to Evanston for the annual Ken Craft Midlands Championships. This will be Indiana's first trip to Midlands since the 2014-15 season, but several unattached wrestlers made the trip last season.

Devin Skatzka made waves as a redshirt in 2015, pinning #16 Matt Reed (Oklahoma) in the wrestle-backs while coming one bout short of the podium stand.

Back Points…
• As a team, the Hoosiers have an 88-53 record this season with 22 major decisions, 7 tech falls, and 25 wins by fall. They've only conceded 3 pins.
• Nate Jackson has scored 61 takedowns and 22 back points this year; conversely, he's allowed just 2 takedowns and zero back points to his opponents.
• Elijah Oliver (125), Jake Danishek (157), and Nate Jackson (184) haven't conceded back points to their opponents this season.
• Sophomore Bryce Martin (165) ranks second on the team with 44 takedowns, and has allowed 7 takedowns this season.
• Indiana's unattached grapplers return to action this weekend with the Cleveland State Open on Saturday, December 17. Blake Rypel earned the highest finish of any redshirt this season with a runner-up result at the Michigan State Open.
• Sunday's dual with Indiana Tech will see the return of Indiana alumni Alex Gregory, currently an assistant coach with the Warriors.