Jackson Wins Big Over Brunson, Moves to Quarterfinals

Thursday, March 17

New York, N.Y.

7 PM

Indiana University

NCAA Championships - Second Round

Jackson Wins Big Over Brunson, Moves to Quarterfinals

3/18/2016 12:05:00 AM | Wrestling

Oliver aims for strong run in consolation rounds

NEW YORK – Both of Indiana's NCAA qualifiers keep their podium hopes alive after the first day of the NCAA Championships at Madison Square Garden. Nate Jackson (174) secured a spot in the quarterfinals after a 10-1 major decision against fifth-seed Zach Brunson (Illinois). Elijah Oliver (125) slides into the consolation bracket after a loss at the hands of No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State).

"I just wrestled hard the whole time, and I made him work," Jackson said about his win. "I got into a couple of positions that I didn't want to be in, but I made sure that I fought through those positions and I got my leg down."

NCAA Wrestling Championships: Round 2
Bout 181
No. 1 Nathan Tomasello, Ohio State (24-0) maj. dec. No. 16 Elijah Oliver, Indiana (32-9) 11-2
Oliver: [1^st] E1 | [2^nd] E1
Tomasello: [1^st] T2, T2 | [2^nd] S1, T2 | [3^rd] E1, T2, RT

Oliver executed a dominating 8-2 decision win against Rutgers' Sean McCabe, but he would face the test of his career against top-ranked, unbeaten Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State). In their last meeting in Bloomington, Tomasello won a 17-5 major decision.

Tomasello executed the bout's first takedown, but Oliver was quick to the escape. A late takedown from the Buckeye resulted in a 4-1 deficit at the end of the first. In the second period, Oliver broke Tomasello's hold for a mid-period escape, making it 4-2, but Tomasello widened the gap with a stall point and a takedown with 10 seconds left in the period.

The third period was a 4-0 shutout in favor of the defending national champion, but it didn't come easily. Oliver rode Tomasello for the first 45 seconds before he broke out of the hold. Tomasello's fourth takedown came with just 33 seconds left in the bout. And, Tomasello's riding time point wasn't locked until the final seconds of the period.

Oliver is now 32-9 in his first collegiate season, with five of his losses coming against wrestlers ranked in the top-five nationally.

NCAA Wrestling Championships: Round 2
Bout 231
No. 12 Nate Jackson, Indiana (32-7) vs. No. 5 Zach Brunson, Illinois (21-3)
Jackson: [2^nd] E1, T2 | [3^rd] T2, N4, RT
Brunson: [3^rd] E1

On two separate occasions in the first period, Brunson had Jackson in an adverse situation: up on one leg, fighting to stay upright. The Hoosier junior has escaped this position a countless number of times this season, and in both instances tonight he was able to fight off a potential takedown.

"I'm confident in my defensive ability," Jackson said. "But the coaches and I have been working on not getting in those positions, but fortunately I was able to fend those off. Being on the attack is where I score points, and that was the reason that I won the match."

After a scoreless first period, Jackson started down in the second. He quickly escaped and took a 3-0 lead with the bout's first takedown. The lead looked like it could hold in a match between two highly defensive grapplers, but the match was far from settled heading into the final period.

Brunson broke out of Jackson's hold at the start of the final period to cut Jackson's lead to two points. Jackson followed with his second takedown, after which he refused to let Brunson return to his feet.

Jackson shut the door with a four-point nearfall in the final ten seconds, and the riding time point gave him his second major decision in as many matches.

"That was a crucial win," Goldman said. "It's not just that he was able to get the major decision, but for the fact that he was able to get a big win and advance. It's a good confidence builder for him, hopefully he'll wrestle well tomorrow."

Up Next: Round 3 of the NCAA Wrestling Championships
Friday, March 18, 2016 • 11:00 a.m. ET • ESPNU/ESPN 3

No. 16 Elijah Oliver, Indiana (32-9) vs. Alfredo Rodriguez, SIU-Edwardsville (16-2)
Oliver will begin tomorrow's consolation round with one of the toughest unseeded wrestlers in his bracket, SIU-Edwardsville's Alfredo Rodriguez. The Oklahoma transfer has lost just two matches since his debut at the Roger Denker Open (1/24), with bonus points in half of his wins.

At this stage in the tournament, according to coach Goldman, Oliver will need to continue wrestling like he has all season in order to find success through the consolation bracket.

"You just have to get ready to go again," Goldman said. The time for learning is over, now it's time to see how you perform."

No. 12 Nate Jackson, Indiana (33-7) vs. Jadaen Bernstein, Navy (36-11)
Jackson's next test will be Jadaen Bernstein, Navy's third-place finisher at the EIWA Championships. Holding a solid 32-11 record this season, Bernstein has served as one of the bracket busters in the 174 lbs. class this weekend. The sophomore opened the tournament with a 13-8 upset decision over No. 4 Ethan Ramos (North Carolina), followed by a 15-4 major decision over fellow bracket buster Gordon Wolf (Lehigh).

Although Bernstein is unseeded, the season records were thrown aside once the 330 wrestlers entered Madison Square Garden. The best wrestlers this weekend are those still in the championship bracket, so Jackson will have all he can handle in his quarterfinals match.

"All the records are out the window," Goldman said. "Everyone entered this tournament with a 0-0 record, and all that matters is what you do now. It's a match he has to be ready for and he has to be ready to perform."

The winner of the bout between Jackson and Bernstein will move into the national semifinal against the winner between No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) and No. 9 Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State).