Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Session I
Big Ten Wrestling Championships Preview
3/1/2018 10:12:00 AM | Wrestling
Indiana’s grapplers are ready for battles at the Breslin Center
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The stage is set at the Breslin Center for the biggest conference tournament in wrestling.
After enjoying the comforts of home at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall last year, ten Hoosiers head to East Lansing to decide their postseason fate. Half of Indiana's lineup already learned their pre-seed for the weekend, led by redshirt sophomore Devin Skatzka (174) at sixth in his weight class and redshirt junior Cole Weaver (141), who took the seventh seed in a contentious bracket.
But every Hoosier in the field will have to earn their ticket to Cleveland. Nobody is more excited for the opportunity to extend their seasons than Bryce Martin (165) and Jake Danishek (157), who missed crucial months of the season but are back in the lineup. In short, this weekend answers one question: Who wants to keep wrestling?
2018 Big Ten Wrestling Championships
Saturday-Sunday, March 3-4, 2018 • Hosted by Michigan State University
Breslin Student Events Center • East Lansing, MI
Tournament Central • Tickets • Live on BTN Plus and FloWrestling
Last Time: Closing The U-Gym Doors
Indiana put the finishing touches on their regular season with a bittersweet meet against Northwestern, the last-ever dual inside University Gymnasium. The Wildcats won the finale, 27-12, but Hoosiers scored wins at three weights. Devin Skatzka led the effort with a 25-second win by fall, while Bryce Martin re-entered the lineup to gain a win in his first match of the calendar year. Cole Weaver collected his career-high 21st win to put the finishing touches on a stellar season.
The "U-Gym" has been active in the community since 1963 and in use by IU's volleyball and wrestling teams full-time since 1996.
Indiana Trifecta
With the latest rankings releases from the coaches' panel and NCAA RPI, a trio of Hoosiers are in good standing for a trip to the NCAA Championships. Cole Weaver leads the bunch with a No. 11 RPI rank and the No. 16 spot in the coaches' poll.
Two-time NCAA qualifier Elijah Oliver seeks his third trip to wrestling's final weekend, earning top-30 spots in both polls. Sophomore Devin Skatzka aims to go 2-for-2 on NCAA opportunities, entering the weekend at No. 20 in the coaches' panel and No. 22 in the RPI poll. The Hoosiers qualified four wrestlers at last year's championships in Bloomington.
Don't Call it a Comeback
Although the Hoosiers had two crucial absences in their lineup for the back half of the regular season, juniors Jake Danishek and Bryce Martin have returned from injury at an opportune moment. Both wrestlers came back for the season finale against Northwestern and look to charge head-on at their brackets in the Breslin Center.
Danishek fell out of the lineup due to injury after splitting his weekend at the Midlands Championships, but is back in hopes of a second consecutive NCAA Championships ticket. Martin, seeded 11th in a bracket that's taking 10 wrestlers to Cleveland, will battle for the first NCAA qualification of his career.
Warm Welcome
After watching two Hoosier teammates gain a home state advantage at last year's Big Ten Championships in Bloomington, Devin Skatzka and Cole Weaver are excited to show out for their fellow Michiganders. Skatzka (Richmond) and Weaver (Hudson) won a combined seven Michigan State Championships in their prep careers.
To no surprise of the local fans who have watched Weaver and Skatzka growing up, the pair are two of the best in the Cream & Crimson this season and lead the Hoosiers in total wins (Weaver 23, Skatzka 21) and pins (Skatzka 7, Weaver 6) this year.
The Spoils of Victory
There are 80 guaranteed NCAA Championships spots up for grabs at the Breslin Center this weekend. At six weights, the entire eight-man podium will head to Cleveland in two weeks. And the 10 Hoosiers on display have chances to either continue qualifying streaks or punch their first career ticket to the culminating weekend.
Last season, four Hoosiers packed their bags for Saint Louis with the help of successful weekends in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Elijah Oliver, Jake Danishek, and Devin Skatzka take the mat in hopes of returning to the NCAA Championships, with Oliver eyeing his third appearance in as many years.
Back Points...
• Devin Skatzka (7) and Cole Weaver (6) share the top of IU's pin leaderboard, but Skatzka leads on fall time with his six coming in 15:39 compared to Weaver's 17:47 aggregate time. Skatzka grabbed Indiana's fastest fall of the year in IU's season finale, sticking his opponent in a career-best 25 seconds.
• The tournament's pre-seeds and draws will finalize on Friday afternoon, one day before the tournament, at the annual coaches' meeting.
• An additional 47 at-large NCAA qualifier spots are up for grabs this weekend across the country. The NCAA Selection Show will take place on Wednesday, March 7.
