Jackson Fourth, Skatzka Fifth at #Midlands54

Friday, December 30

Evanston, Ill.

1 PM

Indiana University

Midlands - Session 3

12/30/2016 11:16:00 PM | Wrestling

Final Results Final Brackets (PDF)TrackWrestling Midlands Hub

Hoosiers take 13th of 42 teams with 46.0 points

EVANSTON, Ill. – A pair of Indiana wrestlers earned podium finishes at the 54^th installment of the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. Senior Nate Jackson (184) tallied a 5-2 record on his way to a fourth-place finish, while freshman Devin Skatzka (174) won fifth-place on a 5-2 showing.

Jackson (20-2) suffered the first two losses of his senior season, but reached his highest career finish at Midlands with five wins, a major decision, and a technical fall. His day began in Session III's championship semifinal, where he dropped a hard fought 10-6 decision to #2 TJ Dudley (Nebraska), the eventual tournament champion.

In the consolation semifinals, Jackson rebounded. He faced fierce competition in third-seeded freshman Pete Renda (NC State). Renda held a lead deep into the second period before Jackson scored a takedown in short time. Renda's escape in the third forced a sudden victory round after a 6-6 tie. Jackson broke it for the win, turning a scramble into the winning takedown.

The third place bout brought a quick rematch with Iowa's #5 Sammy Brooks, Jackson's opponent from the quarterfinals. Jackson trailed by one point after two periods, but held 2:21 in riding time and stood to earn an escape point early in the third. Brooks won the bout on his next attack, scoring a takedown with four back points and eventually taking a 10-5 decision.

Jackson adds this fourth-place finish to his Navy Classic Championship earlier this year. It's the senior's 12^th career tournament podium finish, including a seventh-place result at the 2014 Midlands Championships.

Skatzka (18-5) took the fifth-place mat on the opposite end of Welsh-Ryan arena at the same time as Jackson, and he too faced a rematch with a familiar opponent in Wisconsin's Ryan Christensen. Skatzka and Christensen wrestled in IU's home dual earlier this month, and Christensen took a 7-4 decision win. This time around, Skatzka scored fifth-place with a solid 9-2 decision.

The IU freshman was the initial aggressor, scoring the first takedown before riding out the remainder of the first period. Skatzka extended his lead in the second with another takedown and two back points on the mat's edge. A shutout in the third and riding time nearly gave the Hoosiers bonus points, a 9-2 decision win for Skatzka.

To get to that bout, Skatzka amassed a wrestle back run with four consolation wins, including two in Session III. First, he pinned 9-seed Micah Barnes (Nebraska) in 1:48. After that, Skatzka won an 8-2 decision against Jordan Pagano. Skatzka had a shot at the third place bout if he could upset #4 Alex Meyer (Iowa), but Meyer edged him in a 5-2 decision.

Skatzka now has 9 wins by fall, the most by any Hoosier this year. He picks up his second tournament podium finish of the season, adding to a third-place run at the Navy Classic in November.

Up Next: Indiana Hoosiers (7-3, 0-1) at Purdue Boilermakers (5-2, 0-1)
Thursday, Jan. 13 • 8:00 p.m. ET • Watch: BTN Plus • TrackWrestling • Tickets
Mackey Arena • West Lafayette, Ind.

With the Midlands Championships behind them, Indiana will face the long trek through the bulk of Big Ten dual season in the next two months. The journey resumes on Thursday night, January 13 against in-state rival Purdue. The event, known as Mackey Mayhem, will take on a special setting inside of Mackey Arena.

The meet will stream live on BTN2Go.com; alternatively, fans can follow the action on TrackWrestling and Twitter @IUWrestling. Click here to purchase tickets.