Indiana University Athletics
Hungry and Humble: Washington Ready for Big Ten Championships
3/4/2021 7:19:00 AM | Wrestling
By Jared Rigdon
When Donnell Washington was roughly five or six-years-old, he and his cousin got into a fight in front of his whole family. His cousin, who had recently started wrestling, put Washington into a choke hold that he couldn't get out of.
The next day, Washington signed up for wrestling. It had gone too far. The fights weren't even anymore.
15 years later and DJ Washington, now a sophomore wrestler at Indiana University, is engaged in a new series of fights. This time it's on the mat with some of the country's premier wrestling talent.
"He continues to get his positions and he's confident," IU head coach Angel Escobedo said. "You see him go out on the mat and whether he's trying to throw him to the ground or pin him, he's doing all his stuff. He's not worried about the other guy. That's always been great to see and that's really why he's having the success he is."
In a season where IU hasn't had the team success it would like in the vaunted Big Ten Conference, Washington has served as a bright spot and a glimpse into the success the program can build.
At 174 lbs, Washington is 6-2 on the season and is ranked No. 9 in the Coaches Poll while earning the No. 5 seed in this weekend's Big Ten Tournament. After redshirting last season, Washington has turned himself into IU's premier wrestler.
During the regular season, he earned a top-ten victory over Penn State's Carter Starocci with a 10-9 decision. He earned another top-25 victory over Michigan State and recorded a pin inside 20 seconds against Maryland in the final home match of the season.
His only two losses: both to top-three opponents.
The last loss he had came against Nebraska's Mickey Labriola who was then ranked No. 3 in the nation. Even in defeat, there was a lesson to take from an extremely close match.
"I learned that I'm not too far away from being the best of the best," Washington said. "There were some things position wise he took advantage of. Losing those matches and being able to experience what happened in them is nice especially before going into the Big Ten Tournament and NCAAs. I feel like I won't get hit with the same thing again"
Washington and Escobedo have worked closely since he arrived in Bloomington. Getting his mind right at the collegiate level was an important step in his development as a person and a wrestler.
He's seeing it pay off in steps. He's quicker in attack. He gets ahead early. And he doesn't beat himself.
"The main thing I picked up is his mental aspect of his game," Washington said. "One thing he and I really worked with is how to get through these big moments and seasons mentally. I'm good in the performance part but it's like chess. You've got to know the mental side."
Washington was an elite talent at the high school level. During his time at Portage High School, he went 110-8 and finished in second and fifth in the state tournament.
The state of Indiana has been the main subject of Escobedo's recruiting plan since taking over the IU job. Some of the nation's elite talent wrestled at the prep level in Indiana and guys like Washington and sophomores Asa Garcia and Graham Rooks are helping to open a pipeline to the IU program.
"It's a dream come true," Washington said. "Growing up, Indiana has been a really big school for me. Me actually being able to wear the Indiana singlet and be out there competing, it's just crazy."
Next up for Washington: his first ever Big Ten Tournament.
In a sense, winning a Big Ten title could potentially be harder than winning a National Title. From the opening draw, there are zero easy matches.
"It's a big mindset tournament, just because you have one really good guy after the next," Escobedo said. "At Big Tens, you're wrestling a guy you've probably seen four or five times."
Of the wrestlers in his class in the initial pre-seeds released by the Big Ten, Washington is 5-2 against the field. He might need a combination of some quick starts and a little bit of luck to make a deep run in the tournament.
But even since he was young, he hasn't stepped down from a battle. He's always thinking of the next step.
When Donnell Washington was roughly five or six-years-old, he and his cousin got into a fight in front of his whole family. His cousin, who had recently started wrestling, put Washington into a choke hold that he couldn't get out of.
The next day, Washington signed up for wrestling. It had gone too far. The fights weren't even anymore.
15 years later and DJ Washington, now a sophomore wrestler at Indiana University, is engaged in a new series of fights. This time it's on the mat with some of the country's premier wrestling talent.
"He continues to get his positions and he's confident," IU head coach Angel Escobedo said. "You see him go out on the mat and whether he's trying to throw him to the ground or pin him, he's doing all his stuff. He's not worried about the other guy. That's always been great to see and that's really why he's having the success he is."
In a season where IU hasn't had the team success it would like in the vaunted Big Ten Conference, Washington has served as a bright spot and a glimpse into the success the program can build.
At 174 lbs, Washington is 6-2 on the season and is ranked No. 9 in the Coaches Poll while earning the No. 5 seed in this weekend's Big Ten Tournament. After redshirting last season, Washington has turned himself into IU's premier wrestler.
During the regular season, he earned a top-ten victory over Penn State's Carter Starocci with a 10-9 decision. He earned another top-25 victory over Michigan State and recorded a pin inside 20 seconds against Maryland in the final home match of the season.
His only two losses: both to top-three opponents.
The last loss he had came against Nebraska's Mickey Labriola who was then ranked No. 3 in the nation. Even in defeat, there was a lesson to take from an extremely close match.
"I learned that I'm not too far away from being the best of the best," Washington said. "There were some things position wise he took advantage of. Losing those matches and being able to experience what happened in them is nice especially before going into the Big Ten Tournament and NCAAs. I feel like I won't get hit with the same thing again"
Washington and Escobedo have worked closely since he arrived in Bloomington. Getting his mind right at the collegiate level was an important step in his development as a person and a wrestler.
He's seeing it pay off in steps. He's quicker in attack. He gets ahead early. And he doesn't beat himself.
"The main thing I picked up is his mental aspect of his game," Washington said. "One thing he and I really worked with is how to get through these big moments and seasons mentally. I'm good in the performance part but it's like chess. You've got to know the mental side."
Washington was an elite talent at the high school level. During his time at Portage High School, he went 110-8 and finished in second and fifth in the state tournament.
The state of Indiana has been the main subject of Escobedo's recruiting plan since taking over the IU job. Some of the nation's elite talent wrestled at the prep level in Indiana and guys like Washington and sophomores Asa Garcia and Graham Rooks are helping to open a pipeline to the IU program.
"It's a dream come true," Washington said. "Growing up, Indiana has been a really big school for me. Me actually being able to wear the Indiana singlet and be out there competing, it's just crazy."
Next up for Washington: his first ever Big Ten Tournament.
In a sense, winning a Big Ten title could potentially be harder than winning a National Title. From the opening draw, there are zero easy matches.
"It's a big mindset tournament, just because you have one really good guy after the next," Escobedo said. "At Big Tens, you're wrestling a guy you've probably seen four or five times."
Of the wrestlers in his class in the initial pre-seeds released by the Big Ten, Washington is 5-2 against the field. He might need a combination of some quick starts and a little bit of luck to make a deep run in the tournament.
But even since he was young, he hasn't stepped down from a battle. He's always thinking of the next step.
Players Mentioned
FB: Nico Radicic - Spring Practice No. 11
Tuesday, April 21
FB: Drew Evans - Spring Practice No. 11
Tuesday, April 21
FB: Bray Lynch - Spring Practice No. 11
Tuesday, April 21
FB: Spring Practice - Curt Cignetti Press Conference
Thursday, April 16