Hoosiers Win Close Battles With North Dakota State, SIU-Edwardsville

Sunday, December 4

Edwardsville, Ill.

2 PM

Indiana University

North Dakota State

Hoosiers Win Close Battles With North Dakota State, SIU-Edwardsville

12/4/2016 8:15:00 PM | Wrestling

Dual Results (PDF)Box Score vs. NDSU Box Score vs. SIUE

Jackson improves to 10-0; IU-NDSU results flipped on criteria

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The Indiana wrestling team emerged with a pair of close victories in Sunday's tri dual with SIU-Edwardsville and North Dakota State. The Hoosiers (4-1) left the mat against the Bison (3-2) feeling as if they lost the match, 18-17 on tiebreaker criteria, before officials flipped the result upon further review to give IU the 18-17 victory on team points (65-59). After that, the Hoosiers came back with wins in the 9^th and 10^th bouts to gain a 21-16 win over the Cougars (0-2).

"They were tough victories, so we're glad we came away with them," said Indiana head coach Duane Goldman. "Different guys are doing great things at different times, but we're still working on the consistency and getting everyone on the same page. We were also missing Elijah Oliver this weekend, which would've definitely affected the team scores."

#6 Nate Jackson (184) continues his unbeaten run through the 2016-17 season with another set of wins with bonus points, picking up a 12-2 major decision against Tyler McNutt (NDSU) before earning a 90-second win by fall over Jake Godinez (SIUE). Jackson (10-0) is on an 11-match winning streak, and all 10 of his wins this season have come with bonus points.

"He has a lot more energy," Goldman said. "He feels better than he did down at 174 lbs., especially in dual meet situations. Now, he's wrestling the way we see day-to-day in practice. He feels good and can really wrestle with a lot of energy while doing the things he's able to do. His match with McNutt (NDSU) was challenging, so that was good to have someone to create situations he needed to work on."

The 141 lbs. bouts were 9^th in the order today, giving sophomore Cole Weaver (3-3) opportunities for wins which benefitted the team as much as the individual. Weaver's 5-0 decision over Taylor Nein (NDSU) gave IU a crucial 17-14 lead over the Bison, while his 7-4 decision win against Trevor Feagans (SIUE) regained an 18-16 lead for IU. The bouts were also Weaver's first dual wins of the year.

"I was really happy for Cole, he's getting better every match," Goldman said. "He's had a difficult road back from injury, but he's really coming around. We're glad to see it, because we need him."

Senior transfer Chris Perez (149) gave everything for his new Indiana teammates in the final bouts on Sunday afternoon, splitting the results but doing his part to preserve the team wins. Perez's match against Kyle Gliva was his first competitive bout since February 7, 2016, and although he dropped the decision he held the score in place for the tiebreaker. Against Tyshawn Williams, Perez (1-1) needed a win in order to keep SIU-Edwardsville from slipping ahead in the team score, and he delivered with a 4-0 shutout decision.

"He basically won the dual for us, being the last match against both teams," said Goldman. "He's a great competitor, and we're in a situation where we have two great competitors at that weight with him and Luke Blanton. We're smitten to have a situation where both are on our team, but it's also difficult because they're both hard working, deserving guys."

A few other Hoosiers provided critical bonus point wins in today's matches. Garrett Pepple (7-3) earned a 16-2 major decision win at 133 lbs., tying the dual to set up Weaver's lead-taking decision. Jake Danishek (8-4) opened the SIU-Edwardsville dual with a 15-3 major decision before Bryce Martin (7-2) won a 25-10 tech fall in 5:57.

Freshmen Devin Skatzka (174) and Jake Hinz (197) put IU on the scoreboard against North Dakota State after trailing 6-0 two matches into the meet. Skatzka (8-2) grabbed an 8-2 decision before Jackson's major decision, and Hinz (6-4) won 11-5 in his decision.

In addition to Perez, true freshman Liam Cronin (125) made his first career starts in relief of #18 Elijah Oliver. Cronin (4-6) had the toughest slate of the day, facing off against #5 Josh Rodriguez (NDSU) and #11 Freddie Rodriguez (SIUE), but did well to hold his own against Freddie in the dual with the Cougars.

Up Next: #29 Indiana (4-1) vs. #11 Wisconsin (1-0)
Friday, December 9 • 7 p.m. ET • Watch: BTN Plus • TrackWrestling
University Gymnasium • Bloomington, Ind.

The Hoosiers will make their home debut of the 2016-17 season next Friday, December 9 at University Gymnasium against the Wisconsin Badgers (1-0). The meet serves as the Big Ten opener for both teams, who will take the mat against one another for their 57^th meeting. The bouts are set to begin at 7:00 p.m. ET, and will stream live on BTN Plus.

"Consistency," Goldman said on the plans for the room this week. "Especially when we wrestle that many matches in a weekend, we need our guys to feel good and be consistent. It starts with fixing some of the mistakes they've made, and continues with improvement from there."