Come Sunday, IU could eclipse that number against Penn State.
The team has started this season 4-0, including a win over ranked Minnesota for the first time since 1968 and also a win over then-ranked Eastern Michigan.
The Hoosiers will look to wrestle their way to 5-0 this weekend against the best team in the nation, No. 1 Penn State.
The Nittany Lions are 6-0 on the season, outscoring their opponents by a score of 215-41.
“We’re kind of going from the frying pan into the fryer with Penn State,” IU Coach Duane Goldman said. “They’re going to get a real visual of what it’s like. I think the biggest thing is to go into the match healthy, with a good attitude and scrap for every point.”
IU is coming off of a successful Lock Haven tournament in which the Hoosiers brought home six podium finishers, including four champions.
Three of those four champs were freshmen.
Freshmen Elijah Oliver, Jake Danishek and Bryce Martin came away champions at Lock Haven and have had major contributions to the team’s success so far this season.
Goldman said the freshmen’s performances have shown in their placements in tournaments so far this season.
He also said he believes there is a great dynamic within the entire squad that has the whole team wrestling hard and doing well.
The freshmen have only had a small taste of wrestling in Big Ten play.
The team knows they must be at their best Sunday, Goldman said, and they are aware of the task ahead — trying to out-wrestle the best team in the country.
“We need to send each guy out there to be as good as they can be,” Goldman said. “They have to go out with an attitude that they’ll fight for every point, not back down and gain a victory. We can’t go out there hoping for good things to happen; we need to make things happen for ourselves.”
Goldman said there is no speculation on the kind of job the team has to do and the preparation the team has to have.
The team will have had 12 days off since the last tournament, which has allowed them to recuperate for Sunday and the rest of Big Ten play, Goldman added.
After what Goldman calls a great first half of the season, IU enters the heart of Big Ten play this weekend.
The competition has officially elevated and Goldman believes it will allow the team to continue improving as the season moves along.
“We need this competition; we’re looking forward to this competition,” Goldman said. “It helps us grow and get better each week.”
