Hoosiers go undefeated at home

Thanksgiving break is a time for relaxation, meeting with old friends and celebrating the holiday season.

For the Hoosier wrestling squad, however, Thanksgiving break is time for sweat, muscle and throwing people around.

As students enjoyed the break with their families and friends, the IU wrestling team was busy putting on another impressive performance in the first home meet of the year, the Hoosier Duals, going undefeated as a team.

The Hoosiers wrestled dual matches against the University of the Cumberlands, Liberty, Rutgers, Ohio and South Dakota State.

IU wrestlers Angel Escobedo, Andrae Hernandez, Eric Cameron, Matt Ortega, Nick Walpole and Paul Young all went undefeated on the day. Walpole defeated No. 16-ranked Tim Harner, a Liberty wrestler, by a score of 6-4.

Despite the team’s strong showing, there were also some struggles among the group individually.

Nate Everheart, ranked No. 13 at the beginning of the season, lost three of his five matches to unranked opponents. Matt Coughlin, ranked No. 12 at the outset of the year, also lost a decision to unranked Scott Winston of Rutgers.

The team hopes to improve on its performance in the Duals as they head into the Las Vegas Open on Dec. 5, its first true test of the season as a team.