Goldman's milestone win comes at perfect time

Duane Goldman down played his 200th victory as head coach of the IU wrestling team Sunday as if it was just another win. But with time running out on the season, the Hoosier’s first conference victory this year couldn’t have been bigger.\n“(The 200th victory) is very fun to get,” Goldman said, “but it’s really nice for the team to wrestle well and get a win.”\nThe No. 16 Hoosiers’ 23-9 defeat of Michigan State came on the heels of IU’s third straight conference loss – a 20-13 defeat at the hands of Ohio State. IU picked up big wins in the 141-pound weight class from junior Scott Kelly, and in the 285-pound weight class from sophomore Nathan Everhart, who was doubtful to wrestle this year after injuring himself in the preseason.\n“Scott Kelly’s was a very big win,” Goldman said. “We knew it would be a hotly contested match and the dual meet might hang in the balance, but he came out and kept us on a roll.”\nEverhart’s decision over the Spartan’s Alan O’Donnell marked his first win of the season.\n“It feels good to get that first win of the year,” Everhart said. “I’ve been working real hard to get back and now that I’m back it’s a very satisfying victory.”\nGoldman’s thoughts echoed that of his heavyweight’s.\n“Nate’s awfully tough in competition and the opponent that he had was a real good wrestler himself,” Goldman said. “And after getting him back from injury we needed him to pick up a win.”\nFriday’s match against the Buckeyes was a roller coaster ride for the Hoosiers. IU fended off the Buckeyes for the majority of the match, but let its opponents come back for good during the 174-pound weight class match between Hoosier freshman Paul Young and Ohio State’s Alex Picazo. Young had originally occupied the back-up spot at the 157-pound weight class behind senior Brandon Becker, but he put on more than 10 pounds the previous week to bulk up for Friday.\n“The switch is not bad because I’m used to wrestling like this in practice,” Young said. “But I’ve got to be a little more patient and pick and choose when I’m going to be more offensive.”\nThe highlight of Friday’s match came in the 133-pound weight class when No. 12 ranked junior Andrae Hernandez willed out an impressive victory over OSU’s No. 14 Reece Humphrey. Hernandez forced overtime in the third period by battling back from a 4-1 deficit to tie up the score. In overtime, time was called and a Buckeye coach brought a trash can out to aid the ill-feeling Humphrey, who managed to hold in his food. Play continued as Hernandez brought the crowd to its feet, and managed to escape with help from a standing ovation from the packed crowd.\n“I knew I had a couple seconds left, I just wanted to do anything I could to get out of the hold,” Hernandez said. “The fans played a huge role in this. I was getting tired but hearing the fans cheer me on just made me want to give it all I could.”\nOne constant for the Hoosiers this season has been the dominance of sophomore Angel Escobedo, who extended his undefeated streak to 22 this season when he defeated two opponents this weekend. The No. 2-ranked Escobedo picked up a 10-1 major decision over Ohio State’s Nikko Triggers Friday, and then earned the Hoosiers another four points when he crushed Michigan State’s Joel Trombly 14-4.\nUp next for the Hoosiers is a road rivalry match Friday night against Purdue.