Indiana University Athletics
Jackson, Oliver Qualify for NCAA Championships
3/8/2016 5:52:00 PM | Wrestling
After top-five finishes in Iowa City last weekend, the Hoosier duo is headed to New York
INDIANAPOLIS – The 330 qualifiers for the 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships were announced Tuesday by the NCAA selection committee. Through automatic qualification, two Indiana Hoosiers are headed to the NCAA Championships: freshman Elijah Oliver (125) and junior Nate Jackson (174).
The 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships will begin with the opening session on Thursday, March 17, and will conclude with the finals on Saturday, March 19. The tournament will take place in New York City's iconic Madison Square Garden.
Oliver punched his ticket after a fifth-place finish at the 2016 Big Ten Championships in Iowa City last weekend. The true freshman concluded a 4-2 weekend with a 6-3 decision win over No. 20 Conor Youtsey (Michigan) in the fifth-place bout.
Oliver is 31-8 in his first season with Indiana and earned bonus points in 17 of his wins. He finishes the 2015-16 regular season with a +34 dual point differential and five podium finishes at tournaments, including championships at the Keystone Classic and LHU Classic. Oliver has four wins against the NCAA field, including his two last weekend against Sean McCabe (Rutgers) and Conor Youtsey (Michigan).
Oliver is Indiana's first NCAA qualifier at 125 lbs. since NCAA Champion and four-time national qualifier Angel Escobedo (2007-10; Champion in 2008).
Jackson earned his second-consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships after a fourth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships. Jackson fell short of a conference championship in the quarterfinals, but battled back through the consolation bracket. The junior's biggest win in his 4-2 weekend came in the consolation semifinals, when Jackson knocked off Iowa's Alex Meyer in a 7-4 decision.
After finishing last season with a 30-13 overall record with 11 bonus point wins, Jackson takes a 31-7 record with 20 bonus point wins into the NCAA postseason. He tallied a +32 dual point differential and five podium finishes, including championships at the Keystone Classic and LHU Classic and runner-up finishes at the EMU Open and the Reno Tournament of Champions.
After his weekend in Iowa City, Jackson boasts 10 wins against this year's tournament field. He has five wins against qualifiers inside the Big Ten and five out-of-conference. The Hoosier junior is the only wrestler to beat No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) this season with his 7-6 decision win in Bloomington.
With the NCAA Championships field set, the 330 wrestlers await their tournament seeding and first round opponents. The selection committee will announce the seeds with a selection show on Wednesday, March 9 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Tickets to the NCAA Championships are available for purchase through the NCAA Ticket Exchange. Buy and sell official tickets with other wrestling fans through the NCAA Ticket Exchange before it closes on Monday, March 14.
The 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships will begin with the opening session on Thursday, March 17, and will conclude with the finals on Saturday, March 19. The tournament will take place in New York City's iconic Madison Square Garden.
Oliver punched his ticket after a fifth-place finish at the 2016 Big Ten Championships in Iowa City last weekend. The true freshman concluded a 4-2 weekend with a 6-3 decision win over No. 20 Conor Youtsey (Michigan) in the fifth-place bout.
Oliver is 31-8 in his first season with Indiana and earned bonus points in 17 of his wins. He finishes the 2015-16 regular season with a +34 dual point differential and five podium finishes at tournaments, including championships at the Keystone Classic and LHU Classic. Oliver has four wins against the NCAA field, including his two last weekend against Sean McCabe (Rutgers) and Conor Youtsey (Michigan).
Oliver is Indiana's first NCAA qualifier at 125 lbs. since NCAA Champion and four-time national qualifier Angel Escobedo (2007-10; Champion in 2008).
Jackson earned his second-consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships after a fourth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships. Jackson fell short of a conference championship in the quarterfinals, but battled back through the consolation bracket. The junior's biggest win in his 4-2 weekend came in the consolation semifinals, when Jackson knocked off Iowa's Alex Meyer in a 7-4 decision.
After finishing last season with a 30-13 overall record with 11 bonus point wins, Jackson takes a 31-7 record with 20 bonus point wins into the NCAA postseason. He tallied a +32 dual point differential and five podium finishes, including championships at the Keystone Classic and LHU Classic and runner-up finishes at the EMU Open and the Reno Tournament of Champions.
After his weekend in Iowa City, Jackson boasts 10 wins against this year's tournament field. He has five wins against qualifiers inside the Big Ten and five out-of-conference. The Hoosier junior is the only wrestler to beat No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) this season with his 7-6 decision win in Bloomington.
With the NCAA Championships field set, the 330 wrestlers await their tournament seeding and first round opponents. The selection committee will announce the seeds with a selection show on Wednesday, March 9 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Tickets to the NCAA Championships are available for purchase through the NCAA Ticket Exchange. Buy and sell official tickets with other wrestling fans through the NCAA Ticket Exchange before it closes on Monday, March 14.
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