Coach teaches more than wrestling

History shows that the Big Ten conference has a strong showing of past NCAA wrestling champions. This year, eight teams from the league are ranked in the top 25. Having a head coach that is not only familiar with the wrestling-tough conference but also was once part of it gives the IU wrestling team an added bonus.\n"Every year the Big Ten produces the most All-Americans and national champions," said coach Duane Goldman, who won four Big Ten championships and one national title himself while wrestling at conference foe Iowa. "It is extremely difficult and my background in the conference is a benefit for the team."\nGoldman is entering his 12th year as head coach of the wrestling team. He has single-handedly turned the program into a contender every year in the Big Ten. \n"At this level of competition you would have had to been in wrestling before to know how to teach it," sophomore Joel Powers said. "Coach Goldman, with his experience, helps out not only in the physical part but the mental as well."\nGoldman, whose 131 career victories are second all-time as IU coach, has brought that winning attitude to Bloomington. Last season IU finished the Big Ten Championships with the third highest point total under Goldman's reign. He also brought in a recruiting class that was among the top 20 in the country.\n"I'm pretty straightforward with the guys and don't sugarcoat things much for them," Goldman said. "But we bond through the hard work put in. I want them to set their goals high and realize they have to work for those goals"\nIU wrestlers feed off this mentality and appreciate the hard work and preparation. \n"Coach is a pretty intense guy, but he has a plan for what he wants to do," freshman Brandon Becker said. "He's real good at planning the flow of practices and pretty smart."\nBut the coaching doesn't stop when practices end. Under Goldman's reign, the academic standing of the team is second to none in the Big Ten. Last season's squad had the highest GPA in the conference and the ninth highest in the nation. This dedication to education is a characteristic of a Goldman-coached team.\n"We have made a conscious attempt to improve in this area every season," Goldman said. "It has been a concerted effort to not only have tough physical wrestlers compete for championships but people who will work hard in the classroom."\nThis year, the team is off to a roaring start. An impressive showing at the Missouri Open garnered IU five top five finishes, including one championship. This past weekend, IU dusted both Manchester and Southern Illinois Edwardsville.\n"I got my master's degree at IU so I really now feel like a part of the community and university," Goldman said. "I love the job that I do and the guys on my team."\n-- Contact staff writer Colin Burns at coaburns@indiana.edu.