Indiana University Athletics
Celebrating Success: Liam Cronin and Graham Rooks
3/20/2020 12:57:00 PM | Wrestling
BLOOMINGTON, Ind.– Going into the Big Ten Championships, Liam Cronin had won eight straight matches. Graham Rooks had won seven of his last 10 matches.
Cronin lost his first match, Rooks won his first match, then lost his next two. Both rallied to earn automatic qualifying spots at the NCAA Championships, Cronin ending with a pin to finish in fifth-place.
IU Head Coach Angel Escobedo on Cronin and Rooks
"I am very proud of the season Liam and Graham had this year! "Both wrestlers started the year unranked and worked their way to a top 20 ranking knocking off multiple ranked individuals including top 10 opponents. They both provided electrifying matches at Wilkinson Hall that embodied the attitude and effort we want displayed from Indiana University wrestlers.
"Liam had an eight-match winning streak, beating the #5, #18, #19, and #25 ranked wrestlers during that streak and ended his season with a fifth-place tournament finish at the Big Ten Championship. Liam finished the season ranked 17th in the country!
Graham Rooks also had a streak against ranked opponents after the new year, beating the #10, #14, #16, #20, and #22nd ranked wrestlers. He finished the season ranked 18th in the country!
Though the season was cut short, I am very excited for the future of Indiana Wrestling with these two leaders."
In the Rankings
In the most recent FloWrestling Rankings, Cronin is ranked 17 at 125 pounds and Rooks is ranked 18 at 149 pounds.
Dual Competition
Both Liam Cronin and Graham Rooks finished with records of 6-3 in Big Ten dual matches. Cronin finished 9-3 in overall dual meets and Rooks finished 8-4 in dual meets.
Rooks + Cronin
Liam Cronin and Graham Rooks have been racking up the wins for the Hoosiers lately. The duo has combined to win 19 of their last 26 matches overall. Over that stretch they have outscored their opponents by a combined 166-110.
Rooks Earns Big Ten Wrestler of the Week Again
On January 21, redshirt freshman Graham Rooks was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week. Rooks had taken down ranked opponents in his last two Big Ten matches and was ranked as high as No. 14 by FloWrestling. This was the second Big Ten weekly honor for Rooks this season.
Cronin Comes up Big
Redshirt junior Liam Cronin won eight straight matches going into the Big Ten Championships, including two against ranked opponents. In the Hoosiers dual against Purdue, Cronin took down No. 5 ranked Devin Schroder.
Hoosiers Set Attendance Record
The Hoosiers set program records for average attendance and total attendance this season. The program averaged 1,630 fans per match. That number was up from the 1,286 per match from the previous season. Since the 2017-18 season the average attendance number has more than doubled.
Hoosiers Open Wilkinson Hall
Wilkinson Hall was dedicated on January 16, 2019. Wilkinson Hall is a multi-use training and performance center that is the new home venue for the Indiana Wrestling and Volleyball programs. The 3,000-seat venue is used as a competition facility for both Indiana Volleyball and Indiana Wrestling. Wilkinson Hall is named after IU alumnus Jay Wilkinson and his family, who have an incredible history of support for IU Athletics and its student-athletes. Last season, the Hoosiers first year in Wilkinson Hall, they ranked 21st in the country in attendance at 1,286 fans per match. This included a program record 1,962 fans when they hosted No. 1 Penn State.
Players Mentioned
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