Indiana Drops Final Big Ten Dual, 30-9, to Rutgers

Friday, February 12

Bloomington, Ind.

7:00 PM

Indiana University

Rutgers

Indiana Drops Final Big Ten Dual, 30-9, to Rutgers

2/12/2016 11:59:00 PM | Wrestling

Ranked Hoosiers Jackson and Oliver secure bout wins

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana wrestling team hosted Rutgers on Friday evening in front of an animated Senior Night crowd at University Gymnasium. Indiana's ranked grapplers locked up bout wins, both improving to 6-3 in Big Ten dual action, but the Scarlet Knights picked up bonus points in four-of-10 bouts for the 30-9 win.

"We've been through a pretty tough stretch with the teams we've competed against, and the young guys are having a tough time coming back," said Indiana head coach Duane Goldman. "Our seniors didn't come away with wins, yet they competed hard. But I felt like our younger guys didn't compete at the level we've seen this year."

Official Results: No. 15 Rutgers 30, No. 22 Indiana 9
Friday, February 12, 2015 • 7:00 p.m. ET
University Gymnasium • Bloomington, Ind.

165: #8 Anthony Perrotti (RU) maj. dec. Bryce Martin (IU), 10-0 // RU, 4-0
174: #11 Nate Jackson (IU) dec. Phil Bakuckas (RU), 6-5 // RU, 4-3
184: #20 Nicholas Gravina (RU) dec. Matt Irick (IU), 4-3 // RU, 7-3
197: Hayden Hrymack (RU) dec. Jake Masengale (IU), SV-1 6-4 // RU, 10-3
285: #13 Billy Smith (RU) pinned Garret Goldman (IU), Fall 2:03 // RU, 16-3
125: #19 Elijah Oliver (IU) pinned Josh Patrick (RU), Fall 2:56 // RU, 16-9
133: #19 Anthony Giraldo (RU) maj. dec. Alonzo Shepherd (IU), 12-3 // RU, 20-9
141: Nicholas Ottaviano (RU) dec. Tommy Cash (IU), 8-3 // RU, 23-9
149: Tyson Dippery (RU) dec. Trevor Moody (IU), 6-2 // RU, 26-9
157: #12 Richie Lewis (RU) maj. dec. Jake Danishek (IU), 13-4 // RU, 30-9

Junior Nate Jackson (174) added another win to his record with a hard-earned 6-5 decision against Rutgers' Phil Bakuckas in the second bout of the evening. Points were a rare commodity for both wrestlers in the first five minutes, but Jackson held a 2-1 lead after the first period. He picked up an escape at the start of the second, which turned out to be the only point of the period.

The bout opened up in the final period. Bakuckas escaped soon after the opening whistle, but Jackson returned him to the mat with a minute to go. The Rutgers junior escaped again and followed with a takedown on the edge to tie the bout, 5-5. Jackson escaped Bakuckas' hold, and a potential sudden-victory period, with a point in the final seconds.

Elijah Oliver (125) scored the Hoosiers' sole bonus-point victory with a pin in the evening's sixth bout. Oliver shot out of a cannon with two takedowns in the first minute of the bout. It wasn't long until the Hoosier true freshman had his opponent, Rutgers sophomore Josh Patrick, right where he wanted him. Oliver secured his fifth pin of the season in the closing seconds of the first period.

For Oliver, the decisive victory was a result of him refocusing his pre-bout preparation.

"I felt good and I felt hungry," Oliver said when asked about his performance. "I utilized some of those past matches where I lost to top-ranked guys, but I felt like I could've beaten them. My preparation wasn't what I wanted it to be. This time, I changed some things and I felt better out there today."

Jackson and Oliver both have 26 wins this season, with six wins coming in Big Ten dual competition. They, along with sophomore Luke Blanton (149), are currently in position to qualify for the 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships in March.

Their head coach, who has a knack for leading wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, knows what it takes to succeed at that level. He believes that they have what it takes to contend, but they'll need to make some adjustments in the closing weeks of the season.

"I still think they haven't hit their stride yet, but I'm confident that they will when the time is right," Goldman said. "The dual meet season gets long and it's a little different than the tournament season. I think they have better matches ahead of them."

Although the main event of NCAA wrestling looms on the horizon, the Hoosiers' work isn't finished. As a team, they still have their NWCA Dual Series competition and the upcoming Big Ten Wrestling Championships in Iowa City.

"We'll talk to them, watch some film, and focus not on the mistakes they're making but what they need to do and wrestle their style," Goldman said, when asked about their preparation for the postseason. "Sometimes, your mind focuses on what you need to fix when you really just need to work on doing what you do best."

Up Next:
NWCA Division I National Championship Dual Series
No. 22 Indiana (6-6, 3-6 Big Ten): vs. TBD
Sunday, February 21, 2016 • 1:00 p.m. ET • Bloomington, Ind.

The Hoosiers will close their 2015-16 home schedule with a one-of-a-kind event, the NWCA Division I National Championship Dual Series. The event pits the top eight Big Ten schools, who will serve has hosts, against six dual champions from other Division I conferences and two at-large opponents. Indiana's opponent will be determined on Sunday, February 14 as the regular season comes to a close.

It's the first time in program history that the Hoosiers have been selected to compete in this event. The Hoosiers hope that, for this final dual, they can return to their early-season form.

"It's nice that we got selected to take part in this series," Goldman said. "I hope that we can get out there and compete a littler harder, regardless of what happens, and get back to what got us here in the first place. For us, that was being feisty and competitive, and we just need to get back on track."