Hoosiers Split Indiana Duals

Sunday, December 18

Bloomington, IN

1 PM

Indiana University

Buffalo

12/18/2016 10:02:00 PM | Wrestling

Dual Results (PDF)Track: IU vs. Buffalo Track: IU vs. Tech Photo Gallery

Jackson remains undefeated; Skatzka gains team pin lead

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The IU wrestling team hosted the annual Indiana Duals at University Gymnasium Sunday afternoon, taking the mat against the Buffalo Bulls and the Indiana Tech Warriors. The Hoosiers (7-3) split their dual results, suffering a 21-16 defeat to Buffalo (2-2) before securing a 35-9 win over Indiana Tech (8-3).

The Bulls took the first match with Colt Cotton's 4-1 decision win against Chris Perez (149), but the Hoosiers rattled off wins in the next four bouts. Jake Danishek (157) dropped Alex Smythe 3 times a 6-3 decision, and Bryce Martin (165) used an aggressive finish to earn a 5-1 decision win.

Devin Skatzka (174) shortened the dual with a 96-second win by fall to double IU's team score. #6 Nate Jackson (184) followed with a 16-6 major decision comprised of 7 takedowns.

After that, the Bulls wrested control of the dual by taking the final five bouts. #17 James Benjamin pinned Jake Hinz to bring Buffalo back into the meet, followed by Kyle Akins' upset against #20 Elijah Oliver (125) with a 3-1 decision. #17 Bryan Lantry gave Buffalo the lead with a tight decision win over Garrett Pepple (133), and Jason Estevez sealed the win by one point, a 2-1 decision over Cole Weaver (141).

The Hoosiers have been through growing pains in the first five weeks of the season. With 8 of their 10 starters in their first or second varsity year, Indiana is looking to build consistency through their lineup. Consistency, according to coach Duane Goldman, will yield more separation in dual meets and improved tournament results. The loss to Buffalo, Indiana's first defeat without tiebreaker criteria this year, is a setback the Hoosiers believe they'll overcome.

"Having a young team is tough to try to take big sweeping things away from results, other than the fact that we're really talented," said Jackson, Indiana's senior team captain. "A lot of the inconsistencies have a lot to do with the youth. How many redshirts freshmen do we have in the lineup? I remember being there, and it's one of those things where if it starts clicking, things start going right. It's a process, and we're in that area where things are a little consistent right now."

Following Buffalo's tight 19-16 neutral dual win over Indiana Tech, the Hoosiers began that process with a 35-9 win over the Warriors. Luke Blanton (149) made an emphatic return to the mat with an 8-0 major decision win, his second shutout of the season. Danishek (13-4) earned a 4:42 pin to extend his winning streak to 6 matches.

Skatzka returned to his pinning ways with another sub-two minute win by fall, pushing the freshman into the team pin lead with 7 this year. The wins are a sign of Skatzka's (12-3) growing comfort with the challenges of collegiate wrestling.

"I'm definitely seeing improvement throughout the year," Skatzka said. "I'm getting used to wrestling at dual meets, so I learned some lessons in the first couple meets. I'm feeling good."

Jackson pushed his perfect start to 15-0 with his 14^th bonus point win this year, an 18-6 major decision, this time scoring 8 takedowns to extend his team lead. Hinz (8-7) pulled away in the second period and held strong for a 4-2 decision victory.

"That's me," Jackson said when asked about his aggressive performances in Sunday's dual action. "That's how I want to be remembered as an IU wrestler. That's how we go in practice; it's reflective of the program. Duane wants us pushing the pace and scoring points, and I like doing that, so it goes hand-in-hand."

The Warriors entered the scoreboard with Swayer Miller's 9-3 decision over Liam Cronin (125), and gained 6 points when IU forfeited the 133 lbs. bout. Weaver finished the meet with a 5-2 decision over 2016 NAIA Champion Mitch Pawlak, scoring takedowns in the first two periods.

Up Next: 54^th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships • Thurs.-Fri., December 29-30
BTN Plus Mat Links (Session 1): Mat 1 • Mat 2 • Mat 3 • Mat 4 • Mat 5 • Mat 6 • Mat 7
Mat 8 • Mat 9 • Mat 10 | Championships on Big Ten Network
Welsh-Ryan Arena • Evanston, Ill.

The Hoosiers will take a two-week break from competition before making their first trip to Evanston this season as part of the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. The action at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Thursday morning, December 29, and conclude with the championships on Friday, December 30 at 8:00 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network.

Several Hoosiers will be looking to make their mark at one of the biggest regular season tournaments of the year. Skatzka, for one, came one bout away from the podium as a redshirt last season, highlighted by a pin over #16 Matt Reed (Oklahoma).

"Last year as a redshirt, I wasn't really expecting too much and there wasn't much pressure on me," said Skatzka. "This year I want to go and place, since I was one match away last year. It'd be pretty big to get on the podium and knock off some ranked guys."

Jackson looks to preserve his 16-match winning streak, dating back to his 5^th-place bout at last year's NCAA Championships, but he'll have to do so against his toughest competition of the year. The senior isn't worried about maintaining perfection, but that doesn't mean he's expecting to slip. Jackson is just open to use this experience as a litmus test for where he is regarding his ultimate goal of a national title.

"This is an opportunity to get some quality competition and overcome adversity," Jackson said. "I don't plan on taking any steps backwards, but the ultimate goal is not Midlands; I'm welcome to learning lessons then if I have to rather than NCAAs. It's a great opportunity to learn about people up and down the lineup."