Hoosier wrestlers finish pre-conference play in Iowa

With almost all pre-conference play in the books, the IU wrestling team takes their perfect 8-0 mark to Cedar Falls, Iowa Saturday to compete in the National Wrestling Coaches Association/Cliff Keen Duals.\nThe Hoosiers are unseeded in the tournament and square off against No. 7 seed Missouri in the first round. If IU emerges victorious, they will face the winner of the contest between Cornell and Big Ten rival and No. 2 seed Iowa. Overall, IU is ranked 15th nationally, according to intermatwrestle.com.\nOver winter break, IU grabbed impressive victories in the FITE Duals in Chicago, annihilating Harper College 49-0 then continuing their dominance by beating Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 51-0. Two weeks later, during the Midlands portion of the FITE Duals, the Hoosiers showcased their talent against schools across the Midwest and placed eighth in the tournament out of 52 teams.\nSuccessful individual performances accompanied an impressive team performance throughout the FITE Duals. Headlining the Hoosiers was sophomore Angel Escobedo, who earned his second straight Midlands championship in the 125-pound weight class by pinning his first two opponents. Escobedo then won decisions over Iowa State’s Tyler Clark and Illinios’s Gabe Flores before being, literally, put on a national stage against Northwestern’s Brandon Precin. \nViewers watching the match on the Big Ten Network would have seen Escobedo extend his undefeated record against Precin in a 10-3 decision.\nFreshman Paul Young rebounded after a second-round defeat in the 157-pound weight class. Young earned eighth place by winning five straight matches in the wrestleback.\nIU heads back to Bloomington next Saturday to host the Hoosier Quad in only their second home match of the season. IU went 5-0 in the Hoosier Duals on Nov. 24, winning each match in convincing fashion with the closest contest coming against Liberty by a score of 32-9. Joining IU for the Hoosier Quad is Air Force, Gardner-Webb and the University of Indianapolis.\nThe Hoosiers open their conference play Jan. 26 at home against Wisconsin. According to the recent national poll on intermatwrestle.com, the Hoosiers are ranked eighth in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers will wrestle all of their home matches at the University Gymnasium located at 10th St. and the SR 45/46 bypass.