IU seniors to grapple at University Gym mats for final time Friday

Friday night will be the last time the Hoosier faithful will see Angel Escobedo get the Hoosiers off to an early lead at 125 pounds.

It will be the last time they will see Matt Coughlin compete in a grind-it-out match at 149 pounds.

It will be the last time fans can get on their feet for a Trevor Perry pin at 175 pounds.

And it will be the last time they will get a chance to witness Nate Everhart secure a Hoosier victory at heavyweight.

These four starting seniors, as well as Justin Kuhn and Wesley Fike, will be honored on senior night at 7 p.m. Friday when the No. 13 Hoosiers (13-3, 2-3) take on Michigan (4-12, 0-5) at University Gym.

Every college coach, especially one with 17 seasons under his belt, deals with senior night on an annual basis. But for IU coach Duane Goldman, this group of seniors is different from any he has had before. Besides combining for 10 trips to the NCAA Championships, this group has brought leadership that will be hard to replace.

“They all have been a huge part of this team their entire careers,” Goldman said. “You can never replace an individual and what they bring to the table.”

For Escobedo, his successful ride to glory has been a fast one at IU. He was at the highest of highs when he won the 125-pound National Championship his sophomore year, but he has also dealt with his share of setbacks, including a shoulder injury that kept him from regaining his crown.  

After surgery this past offseason, many questioned whether Escobedo could be the wrestler he was a year ago.

But he never doubted he would be atop the 125-pound world again.

“After I got my shoulder surgery, I felt that I would get back on top of the podium,” Escobedo said. “I’m not surprised that I’m undefeated right now.”

Escobedo’s record might not be a surprise to the wrestling community, but Everhart’s is.

At No. 2 and with a 29-0 record, Everhart has reached his potential as a senior heavyweight. He has also faced his share of ups and downs, but he admits he did not expect to be this dominant going into senior night.

“I always knew that I had the ability, but I definitely had my doubts,” Everhart said. “If you had asked me last year, I would have never thought that I would be undefeated at this point of the season, but I‘ve put in the work and I think I deserve it.”

Everhart and Escobedo are not the only senior rocks of the IU wrestling program. Perry has been a regular at the NCAA Championships every year as a starter for the Hoosiers, and his 31 career pins have established him on the short list for career pins at IU.

Perry sat out last week against Minnesota, and his status for senior night is still up in the air. If Perry is healthy, he will look to start a run to punch his fourth-straight ticket to the NCAA Championships.

Like the other three senior starters, Coughlin is a regular at the NCAA Championships.

After getting his career off to an impressive start, placing seventh at the NCAA championships as a freshman, the Evansville native has failed to repeat that success.

After not wrestling in the Big Ten last year because of the emergence of junior Kurt Kinser at 157 pounds, Coughlin moved down to 149 pounds to get back in the starting lineup. At 15-12, he will look to repeat his earlier days and make his third run to the NCAA Championships.

The bond these seniors have developed has paid dividends in the Hoosiers’ success this year. A variety of emotions are sure to be going through their minds as they try to give the Hoosiers their first winning record in the Big Ten since 1996.

“When you put five years into a program, you become attached to it,” Escobedo said.
“We’ve been guys that have gone through thick and thin together.”

Everhart is surprised at how fast his four years as an IU wrestler have flown by.

“It’s gone by quick, especially when you think of how long a wrestling season is with meets and practices,” Everhart said. “It’s hard to believe that it’s my last match at home.”

Goldman said he knows the Hoosiers will be facing some major changes next year when these wrestlers are not in the starting lineup. Getting wins at the bookends every match will be difficult to replace.

“This team is going to have a whole new face next year, and it’s going to be strange at first,” Goldman said. “There are some really big shoes to fill.”