Thursday, March 15
Cleveland, OH
12 PM
Indiana University
vs
Session I
Hoosiers Hyped for NCAA Wrestling Championships
3/14/2018 8:22:00 PM | Wrestling
All the action from Quicken Loans Arena will be available on ESPN family of networks
CLEVELAND – The September sun of the preseason is grueling. The whistle of the year's first live match sounds like a freight train in your bed. And the Big Ten dual meet schedule takes a toll night-in and night-out. But for four Hoosiers, this weekend is a culmination. A chance to ascend the podium as one of the top grapplers in the nation.
But nothing will be given this year in "The Land", inside "The Q", on the banks of Lake Erie, when 330 wrestlers converge on eight mats to see who reigns supreme on the nation's biggest collegiate stage. Representing Indiana are two returning qualifiers, Elijah Oliver (125) and Devin Skatzka (174), alongside two NCAA newcomers, Cole Weaver (141) and Bryce Martin (165). The stakes have never been higher: keep winning and have your hand raised as an All-American, or go home empty-handed.
Indiana saw four wrestlers earn NCAA bids last weekend by either automatic qualification or receiving an at-large bid. Elijah Oliver's eighth-place podium finish earned his third consecutive automatic bid, while Bryce Martin earned a guaranteed spot as one of 11 qualifiers from the Big Ten in his weight class.
Cole Weaver and Devin Skatzka finished one spot shy of automatic qualification at the Big Ten Championships but received at-large selections after leading the Hoosiers from the front in the regular season.
Third Time's The Charm
IU junior Elijah Oliver is back for his third consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships, becoming the first Hoosier to qualify for the postseason tournament in his first three varsity seasons since Angel Escobedo (2007-10). Oliver has been one of the perennial contenders in the Big Ten since arriving on campus three years ago, and he's back in hopes of claiming his first career All-American honor.
Oliver has won with bonus points in 11-of-18 victories this season and has two tournament podium finishes this season, taking 4th at the Navy Classic and 8th at the Big Ten Championships. He faces ninth-seeded Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State), the reigning PAC-12 Champion.
Don't Call it a Comeback
Bryce Martin was on a mission at the Big Ten Championships: return from injury with enough time to make the postseason. He did that, and more, earning a 10th-place finish to punch his first ticket to the NCAA Championships.
Martin is one of Indiana's most compelling wrestlers on the mat, and he enters arguably the toughest bracket of the weekend at 165 lbs. Martin opens his NCAA campaign against ninth-seeded Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven), who recently won his first EWL title to aid Lock Haven's first team title in 20 years.
Weaver Fever
The most inspiring performance out of Indiana's wrestling room this season has been redshirt junior Cole Weaver, who bounced back from two seasons of injury struggles to clinch his first NCAA Championships trip in his first season at full strength. Weaver has consistently been in the national rankings since knocking off a few ranked foes at the Navy Classic last November.
But all that matters now for Weaver is this weekend. He earned the 16th overall seed for his outstanding year. Weaver awaits his first opponent, against the winner between Kyle Shoop (Lock Haven) and Vince Turk (Iowa). With a win, Weaver could potentially get a shot at top-seeded Bryce Meredith (Wyoming).
Skatzka Back in the Hunt
Matching Oliver's streak of not missing an opportunity to wrestle at the NCAA Championships, Devin Skatzka returns for his second appearance on the final weekend of the season. Skatzka led Indiana this year with 7 wins by fall and 11 wins with bonus points, sharing the team lead with Oliver in the latter.
Skatzka earned a second-consecutive podium finish at the Big Ten Championships and earned an automatic bid the following week. Like Martin and Oliver, he'll meet the ninth seed in his bracket, PAC-12 Champion Keaton Subjeck (Stanford). That name might be familiar to Hoosier fans, who saw a young Nate Jackson wrestle Subjeck at the 2015 NCAA Championships.
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 Hoosiers are on a four-year streak of having a wrestler on the All-American podium: Adam Chalfant (2014 at 285), Taylor Walsh (2015 at 165), and Nate Jackson (2015 at 174, 2016 at 184).
But nothing will be given this year in "The Land", inside "The Q", on the banks of Lake Erie, when 330 wrestlers converge on eight mats to see who reigns supreme on the nation's biggest collegiate stage. Representing Indiana are two returning qualifiers, Elijah Oliver (125) and Devin Skatzka (174), alongside two NCAA newcomers, Cole Weaver (141) and Bryce Martin (165). The stakes have never been higher: keep winning and have your hand raised as an All-American, or go home empty-handed.
2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships
Thurs. March 15 – Sat. March 17 • Quicken Loans Arena • Cleveland, Ohio
Session I (Pigtails, First Round, Wrestle-backs): WatchESPN
Session II (Consolation pigtails/first round, Champ. Second Round): WatchESPN
Live Results (All Sessions)
Thurs. March 15 – Sat. March 17 • Quicken Loans Arena • Cleveland, Ohio
Session I (Pigtails, First Round, Wrestle-backs): WatchESPN
Session II (Consolation pigtails/first round, Champ. Second Round): WatchESPN
Live Results (All Sessions)
Indiana saw four wrestlers earn NCAA bids last weekend by either automatic qualification or receiving an at-large bid. Elijah Oliver's eighth-place podium finish earned his third consecutive automatic bid, while Bryce Martin earned a guaranteed spot as one of 11 qualifiers from the Big Ten in his weight class.
Cole Weaver and Devin Skatzka finished one spot shy of automatic qualification at the Big Ten Championships but received at-large selections after leading the Hoosiers from the front in the regular season.
Third Time's The Charm
IU junior Elijah Oliver is back for his third consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships, becoming the first Hoosier to qualify for the postseason tournament in his first three varsity seasons since Angel Escobedo (2007-10). Oliver has been one of the perennial contenders in the Big Ten since arriving on campus three years ago, and he's back in hopes of claiming his first career All-American honor.
Oliver has won with bonus points in 11-of-18 victories this season and has two tournament podium finishes this season, taking 4th at the Navy Classic and 8th at the Big Ten Championships. He faces ninth-seeded Ronnie Bresser (Oregon State), the reigning PAC-12 Champion.
Don't Call it a Comeback
Bryce Martin was on a mission at the Big Ten Championships: return from injury with enough time to make the postseason. He did that, and more, earning a 10th-place finish to punch his first ticket to the NCAA Championships.
Martin is one of Indiana's most compelling wrestlers on the mat, and he enters arguably the toughest bracket of the weekend at 165 lbs. Martin opens his NCAA campaign against ninth-seeded Chance Marsteller (Lock Haven), who recently won his first EWL title to aid Lock Haven's first team title in 20 years.
Weaver Fever
The most inspiring performance out of Indiana's wrestling room this season has been redshirt junior Cole Weaver, who bounced back from two seasons of injury struggles to clinch his first NCAA Championships trip in his first season at full strength. Weaver has consistently been in the national rankings since knocking off a few ranked foes at the Navy Classic last November.
But all that matters now for Weaver is this weekend. He earned the 16th overall seed for his outstanding year. Weaver awaits his first opponent, against the winner between Kyle Shoop (Lock Haven) and Vince Turk (Iowa). With a win, Weaver could potentially get a shot at top-seeded Bryce Meredith (Wyoming).
Skatzka Back in the Hunt
Matching Oliver's streak of not missing an opportunity to wrestle at the NCAA Championships, Devin Skatzka returns for his second appearance on the final weekend of the season. Skatzka led Indiana this year with 7 wins by fall and 11 wins with bonus points, sharing the team lead with Oliver in the latter.
Skatzka earned a second-consecutive podium finish at the Big Ten Championships and earned an automatic bid the following week. Like Martin and Oliver, he'll meet the ninth seed in his bracket, PAC-12 Champion Keaton Subjeck (Stanford). That name might be familiar to Hoosier fans, who saw a young Nate Jackson wrestle Subjeck at the 2015 NCAA Championships.
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 Hoosiers are on a four-year streak of having a wrestler on the All-American podium: Adam Chalfant (2014 at 285), Taylor Walsh (2015 at 165), and Nate Jackson (2015 at 174, 2016 at 184).
Players Mentioned
IUVB vs. Northwestern: Highlights
Thursday, September 25
FB: Under the Hood with Indiana Football - Week 5 (at Iowa)
Wednesday, September 24
FB: Aiden Fisher Media Availability (9/23/25)
Tuesday, September 23
FB: Pat Coogan Media Availability (9/23/25)
Tuesday, September 23