Pair of Hoosiers Punch NCAA Tickets

Sunday, March 6

Iowa City, IA

1 PM

Indiana University

Big Ten Wrestling Championships - Session III

3/7/2016 4:55:00 AM | Wrestling

Jackson, Oliver battle to top-five podium finishes

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Indiana wrestling team closed the lid on their Big Ten Championships weekend with two Hoosiers on the podium stands. Freshman Elijah Oliver earned a fifth-place finish in the 125 lbs. bracket, while junior Nate Jackson finished in fourth at 174 lbs.

Oliver, now 31-8 in his first collegiate season, is no stranger to the tournament format. But after his first trip to the Big Ten Championships, the Hoosier knows what it takes to succeed against the best grapplers in wrestling's toughest conference.

"Competitions like this are always tough, but in this tournament everyone is really good," Oliver said shortly after taking the podium at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. "Everyone knew what they had to do this weekend to get to the NCAA Championships, so everyone was at their best and wrestling at their hardest. The competition was very intense."

Oliver opened the second day with a rematch against the second-seed, No. 2 Thomas Gilman (Iowa), in the consolation semifinal bout. Oliver was in the fray after one round, but a quick strike from Gilman put Oliver in a dangerous situation. The Hawkeye rolled over and picked up the pin, sending Oliver to the fifth-place match.

Despite the sudden loss, Oliver picked himself up and headed into a battle for fifth place against Michigan's Conor Youtsey. Oliver rewarded his resilience in defeat with a 6-3 decision win.

"Usually, when I take losses like that in my first match of the day, I would've lost the next match," Oliver spoke candidly after the bout. "But I told myself, I had to stay strong and finish the day like a champion would, and that's what I did. I put it out of mind, put it in the past, returned to the mat and got the win."

Meanwhile, at 174 lbs. Nate Jackson faced a similar challenge. He had to take the mat against Iowa's Alex Meyer in front of over 10,000 Hawkeye fans. Furthermore, he had to win a match against an opponent who won their last meeting, 8-7, in Iowa City.

Jackson, not one to yield to adversity, lunged out of the start for the first takedown. Meyer quickly broke Jackson's hold, but the Hoosier junior followed with a swift, driving four-point takedown to take a 6-2 lead. After a takedown from Meyer, Jackson held a 7-4 lead after three minutes.

Meyer tried to chip into Jackson's lead, but IU's highest-ranked wrestler kept his distance on the score line. By the third period, the whole arena had fixated on the captivating semifinal bout.

Jackson closed the door with a takedown late in the third, holding on for an 11-7 decision win and a spot in the third-place bout.

In his next match, Jackson reacquainted with Ohio State's Myles Martin. The Buckeye freshman won their fourth meeting, 7-5, to hand Jackson the fourth-place podium. Jackson looked like he'd make a comeback for the win, but an injury in the final minute halted Jackson's momentum.

"Nate wrestled above his seed," said Indiana head coach Duane Goldman. "It looked like he was getting a handle of a tough opponent until he suffered that eye injury. But on the same note, there are a lot of guys coming out of this tournament who aren't 100 percent. He's going to have to work with our trainer, but then move forward, because the season culminates in a few weeks. It doesn't matter if you're at full health or not, you have to go out there and try to get it done."

Coach's Closing Thoughts: Big Ten Successes

At the end of the day, the Hoosiers improved from last season with an 11^th-place finish in the team score and a more balanced effort through their lineup. It's a sign of encouragement, according to coach Goldman, as the Hoosiers will aim for a strong showing when the Big Ten Championships return to Bloomington in the 2016-17 season.

"When you look at our performance a year ago, we had a decent team score but it only came from three wrestlers," Goldman noted. "This year, eight guys scored points. In that regard, we had a larger contribution from the entire team, and nearly all of those guys are back next season. A lot of those guys are freshman, so hopefully the growth from their freshman to sophomore year is substantial and we'll see the fruits of that."

Up Next: 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships
Friday, March 18 – Sunday, March 20, 2016
New York, N.Y. • Madison Square Garden

With their podium finishes, Jackson and Oliver will join the 330 entrants seeking the 10 NCAA Championships at Madison Square Garden in two weeks.

"We'll take a day off tomorrow, then re-evaluate and see where we're at," Goldman said, when asked about Indiana's plans for preparation. "We need to continue to push forward this week, because this is a week where we need to make up some ground so we can taper down next week. We want to be fresh for nationals, so we need to have some good practices in the next couple of weeks."

For Jackson, this will be his second consecutive trip to collegiate wrestling's ultimate tournament. After a 3-2 debut last season, he'll take a more specific aim at the top of the podium.

Oliver, in his first attempt, has cracked the 33-man pool of wrestlers at 125 lbs. The true freshman isn't just satisfied with making it there; rather, he wants to go for it with the same tenacity as his teammate.

"I'm looking forward to the preparation," Oliver said. "I'm ready to get back in the room, look at some film, analyze my performances and find what I was doing wrong so I can succeed at the NCAA Championships in two weeks. That's my top priority, and now that I'm there, I have to show up."