Indiana University Athletics
Sunday, November 7
Louisville, Ky.
4:00 PM
Indiana University
at
Bellarmine
Indiana Begins Season With Two Matches in Louisville
11/6/2021 12:44:00 PM | Wrestling
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana Wrestling team kicks off its 2021-2022 season this weekend with a pair of matches in Louisville. IU will take on SIUE in its first match Sunday before wrestling Bellarmine to close out the weekend. This will be IU's first non-conference match since Feb. 21, 2020.
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ALL-TIME SERIES
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ALL-TIME SERIES
- This will be the 38th all-time matchup between IU and SIUE. The Hoosiers hold a 30-7 mark in the series and have won 27 straight matches.
- IU's match with Bellarmine on Sunday afternoon will be the first time the schools have ever hit the mats.
- SIUE wrapped up its season ago with a 10th place finish at the MAC Championships. Saul Ervin, 10-7 at 141, and Justin Ruffin, 9-4 at 157, were among the Cougars' most productive wrestlers a season ago. Ryan Yarnell (197) and Colton McKiernan (285) also return as veteran members of the squad.
- Bellarmine finished last season at 1-9, its lone win coming in a 32-18 victory over Presbyterian College. The Knights return a pair of heavy contributors in the form of Devan Hendricks (174) and Eric Beck (165). Bellarmine will take on SIUE in the opening match of the afternoon on Sunday before getting a look at IU in the closing act on Sunday.
- During the COVID-19 shortened season, IU wrestled only Big Ten opponents in Head Coach Angel Escobedo's third year in charge. The Hoosiers finished 13th at the Big Ten Championships but qualified three underclassmen to the NCAA Championships.
- Â Last year, IU saw three wrestlers qualify to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis. Redshirt sophomore D.J. Washington, redshirt junior Graham Rooks and junior Cayden Rooks all took part in the event featuring the nation's best wrestlers.
- Graduate student Brock Hudkins, sophomore Jacob Moran and junior Nick Willham all return as expected starters and heavy contributors.
- Over the summer, redshirt sophomore D.J. Washington wrestled at the Junior World Championships in Ufa, Russia. He was selected to represent the USA after winning a Junior National Championship in June.
- The Indiana Wrestling team opens its 2021-2022 season with a trip to Louisville to face Bellarmine and SIUE.  IU will wrestle in five home matches and face eight conference opponents ahead of March's Big Ten Championships in Lincoln, Neb.
- This season will also take IU to the prestigious Midlands Championships as well as the Mountaineer Invite in Boone, N.C.
- The campaign will culminate in Detroit, Mich. for the NCAA Championships.Â
- Junior Kasper McIntosh returns home to Indiana after spending two years at Minnesota.
- IU welcomed five freshmen to the program this year. Jake Evans, Alec Freeman, Noah Gochberg, Robert Major and Zack Rotkvich hail from four different states and join IU's roster to begin the season.
- On the coaching staff, Riley LeFever and Lincoln Kyle begin their first seasons on the IU bench.
- The Big Ten once again figures to be NCAA Wrestling's premier conference. 11 of the conference's teams begin the year in the Top 25 of the Coaches Poll.
- IU will wrestle six of those teams in conference action.
- This is the first year of divisional formatting in Big Ten Wrestling. IU will face its fellow six East Division Teams as well as two crossovers (Illinois and Purdue).
Players Mentioned
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