Wrestling Duo Exits NCAA Championships

Friday, March 16

Cleveland, Ohio

11 AM

Indiana University

Session III

3/16/2018 4:58:00 PM | Wrestling

Session III Brackets (PDF)Tournament Central Match Results

Weaver goes 2-2 in first career appearance

CLEVELAND – The Indiana wrestling team bowed out of the 2018 NCAA Championship in Friday's third session, falling a couple wins short of the All-American podium. Leading the Hoosiers in their final appearance was redshirt junior Cole Weaver (141), who scored a win over Wisconsin's Eli Stickley and ended his first career NCAA appearance with a 2-2 showing.

Weaver brought an aggressive mentality to his session-opener against Stickley. It wasn't long before he built a 4-0 lead over the Badger with a takedown and an instant two-point tilt at the first period's midpoint. Stickley broke free with just seconds on the clock, allowing Weaver to carry a three-point lead and a chunk of ride time to the next period.

Starting on top in the second stanza, Weaver cut Stickley loose early and found another takedown, his second of the match, within a minute. The IU grappler took a 6-2 lead into the third and, starting in the down position, endured a tough ride from Stickley. Weaver fought off several nearfall attempts from Wisconsin's wrestler to survive and advance with a 6-2 decision.

Weaver's all-out effort was notable in his third round consolation match, an encore encounter with No. 8 Nick Lee (Penn State), but the Nittany Lion left the mat with a 13-5 win by major decision to enter Friday night's Round of 12. The IU junior delivered a hard ride in the second period and fired shots to the final whistle.

Hoosier junior Elijah Oliver (125) saw his NCAA championships campaign come to a close on Friday morning, suffering a defeat to No. 10 Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) by fall at 4:48. A three-time national qualifier, Oliver ends this edition with a 1-2 record after scoring a consolation win over Barlow McGhee (Missouri) on Thursday night.

The losses end the mat action for Indiana at this year's NCAA Championships. The Hoosiers brought four qualifiers for the second year in a row, a feat last achieved when Indiana qualified five grapplers to both the 2013 and 2014 NCAA Championships.