Sunday, March 4
East Lansing, MI
12 PM
Indiana University
vs
Session III
Martin Joins NCAA Wrestling Travel Party
3/4/2018 5:19:00 PM | Wrestling
Two Hoosier lock automatic NCAA bids at Breslin; another pair in the at-large hunt
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Indiana wrestling junior Bryce Martin (165) clinched the first NCAA Championship berth of his career during the third session of the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. Martin's weekend at the Breslin Center will be one to remember as he grabbed the 10th and final automatic Big Ten 165 bid to wrestling's culminating weekend.
Martin becomes Indiana's 170th wrestler in program history—the 55th wrestler under Indiana head coach Duane Goldman—to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Martin sealed his fate after picking the bid from the pocket of No. 18 Jacob Morrissey (Purdue) to enter the ensuing ninth-place bout. He shook off Morrissey's opening takedown late in the first period, gained another escape in the second from the down position and lunged for a takedown after Morrissey dealt a couple mat returns. Martin converted the drop and rolled Morrissey over for four back points.
Martin again started down for the third period, broke free quickly, and dropped Morrissey to enter major decision range. From there the Hoosier cruised to a bonus point win with two more takedowns and nearfall in the final minute, arriving at an 18-4 decision.
Another Indiana wrestling duo, Elijah Oliver (125) and Devin Skatzka (174) ended their Big Ten Championships weekend on the podium. Oliver clinched his third trip to the NCAA Championships in as many seasons last night but took an 8th-place finish on Sunday after an 8-6 defeat to Rayvon Foley (Michigan State) a rematch from the opening session.
Skatzka also landed in 8th on the 174 podium—the second Big Ten podium finish of his career—after his 10-7 defeat by decision to Ryan Christensen (Wisconsin). But with only seven wrestlers qualifying automatically from the Big Ten at the weight, the Badger earned the last available bid of the weekend. Skatzka, ranked 20th in the latest coaches' panel and 22nd in the NCAA RPI, will hope to grab one of the five at-large bids available in the class.
Junior Cole Weaver (141) wrapped his weekend with two wins and a 9th-place finish in Sunday's opening session. Ranked 13th nationally, Weaver opened the session by sticking Alec McKenna (Northwestern) in the second period, at 3:42, to enter a concluding bout against Mike Van Brill (Rutgers). Weaver gained a small lead on a second-period escape but really uncorked the decision with a takedown and a two-point tilt in the third.
Like Skatzka, Weaver lands one spot shy of an automatic bid but he'll have a chance at one of six at-large bids in his weight class. Weaver ranked 11th in the latest NCAA RPI poll.
A.J. Raya (149) and Norman Conley (184) were also in action during the session but fell short of either qualifying for the NCAA Championships or posturing their résumé for an at-large bid. Raya dropped an 8-0 major decision to Malik Amine (Michigan) while Mitch Sliga (Northwestern) handed Conley a 6-0 defeat.
Up Next: NCAA Wrestling Championships Selection Show
Wednesday, March 7 • 6:00 p.m. ET • Championships Info
The NCAA Championships field now has 283 automatic qualifiers with the completion of conference tournaments across the country this weekend. The remaining 47 slots will be awarded Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m. ET on the NCAA Wrestling Championships Selection show in Indianapolis.
Weaver and Skatzka, Indiana's highest ranked grapplers, hope to receive one of the at-large bids in their weight classes. The selection committee will draw the brackets during the show, set to stream on NCAA.com.
The 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships begin Thursday, March 15 and will run through Saturday night, March 17 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The first three sessions and Saturday morning's fifth session will air live on ESPNU; Friday's semifinal round and the championship matches on Saturday night will broadcast on ESPN.
Martin becomes Indiana's 170th wrestler in program history—the 55th wrestler under Indiana head coach Duane Goldman—to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Martin sealed his fate after picking the bid from the pocket of No. 18 Jacob Morrissey (Purdue) to enter the ensuing ninth-place bout. He shook off Morrissey's opening takedown late in the first period, gained another escape in the second from the down position and lunged for a takedown after Morrissey dealt a couple mat returns. Martin converted the drop and rolled Morrissey over for four back points.
Martin again started down for the third period, broke free quickly, and dropped Morrissey to enter major decision range. From there the Hoosier cruised to a bonus point win with two more takedowns and nearfall in the final minute, arriving at an 18-4 decision.
Another Indiana wrestling duo, Elijah Oliver (125) and Devin Skatzka (174) ended their Big Ten Championships weekend on the podium. Oliver clinched his third trip to the NCAA Championships in as many seasons last night but took an 8th-place finish on Sunday after an 8-6 defeat to Rayvon Foley (Michigan State) a rematch from the opening session.
Skatzka also landed in 8th on the 174 podium—the second Big Ten podium finish of his career—after his 10-7 defeat by decision to Ryan Christensen (Wisconsin). But with only seven wrestlers qualifying automatically from the Big Ten at the weight, the Badger earned the last available bid of the weekend. Skatzka, ranked 20th in the latest coaches' panel and 22nd in the NCAA RPI, will hope to grab one of the five at-large bids available in the class.
Junior Cole Weaver (141) wrapped his weekend with two wins and a 9th-place finish in Sunday's opening session. Ranked 13th nationally, Weaver opened the session by sticking Alec McKenna (Northwestern) in the second period, at 3:42, to enter a concluding bout against Mike Van Brill (Rutgers). Weaver gained a small lead on a second-period escape but really uncorked the decision with a takedown and a two-point tilt in the third.
Like Skatzka, Weaver lands one spot shy of an automatic bid but he'll have a chance at one of six at-large bids in his weight class. Weaver ranked 11th in the latest NCAA RPI poll.
A.J. Raya (149) and Norman Conley (184) were also in action during the session but fell short of either qualifying for the NCAA Championships or posturing their résumé for an at-large bid. Raya dropped an 8-0 major decision to Malik Amine (Michigan) while Mitch Sliga (Northwestern) handed Conley a 6-0 defeat.
Up Next: NCAA Wrestling Championships Selection Show
Wednesday, March 7 • 6:00 p.m. ET • Championships Info
The NCAA Championships field now has 283 automatic qualifiers with the completion of conference tournaments across the country this weekend. The remaining 47 slots will be awarded Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m. ET on the NCAA Wrestling Championships Selection show in Indianapolis.
Weaver and Skatzka, Indiana's highest ranked grapplers, hope to receive one of the at-large bids in their weight classes. The selection committee will draw the brackets during the show, set to stream on NCAA.com.
The 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships begin Thursday, March 15 and will run through Saturday night, March 17 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The first three sessions and Saturday morning's fifth session will air live on ESPNU; Friday's semifinal round and the championship matches on Saturday night will broadcast on ESPN.
Players Mentioned
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
/ Wrestling
Darian DeVries Press Conference
Wednesday, October 01
Teri Moren Press Conference - 2025 Media Day
Tuesday, September 30
FB: Fernando Mendoza & Elijah Sarratt - at Iowa Postgame Press Conference (09/27/25)
Sunday, September 28
FB: Pat Coogan - at Iowa Postgame Press Conference (09/27/25)
Sunday, September 28