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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

sports wrestling

IU wrestling's struggles continue

Rough has been the word of the season when it comes to IU men’s wrestling.

Having to overcome injuries that left half of the lineup incapacitated while facing the best of the best in the Big Ten was a tall order for the IU wrestlers as well as IU Coach Duane Goldman.

Now, as the team prepares for its last regular season dual against Northwestern on Sunday afternoon (Senior Day), Goldman and his staff look toward the future of the Big Ten Championships, as well as reflecting on the ups and downs of the season.

“We’ve taken a lot of different twists and turns this season, but I feel like our guys, the ones that have stuck it out, I think they are improved on the season, and I think they are starting to reach the peak of what their abilities are,” Goldman said. “We’ve had to change on the fly with putting different guys in the lineup and trying to figure out what’s best.”

While this season was certainly not what Goldman expected, he said the wrestlers that were thrown out on the mat on the fly have risen to the challenge and delivered positive results. Compared to prior seasons, however, IU did not deliver a successful season in Goldman’s eyes because of the setbacks the team was faced with.

“The basic black and white of it is a less successful season. We’re not having the success we’ve had in recent years,” Goldman said.

Though Goldman has not seen the success he would have liked to see on a team level, he said the year is not finished yet. With this last dual against Northwestern, the team will have good practice going into the Big Ten Championships.

The 19th ranked Wildcats will feature four nationally ranked wrestlers, three of which are in weight classes in which IU is ranked as well (157, 165, heavyweight).

Because Northwestern has its strength in the same weight classes as IU, Goldman said this will be a demanding last dual, but the team has been preparing as they always do and the close matchups to come are just part of it.

“Taylor [Walsh] is a good example. The kid he is wrestling is a three time All-American,” Goldman said. “And Adam [Chalfant] has been doing well this year, but the guy he’s got was third in the NCAAs last year. Everywhere that we are pretty strong, they are strong as well and ranked higher, so just on the matchup aspect of it, it’s going to be a pretty difficult dual.”

Seeing all the team has faced this season, Goldman said while he wants the team to wrestle to the best of their ability against Northwestern, his sights are set toward the upcoming Big Ten Championships.

“We’ve already endured so much that one dual meet,” Goldman said. “I’m not that concerned about it. I still want us to compete well and do well on that level, but as far as the final score, I’m not focused on that. It’s just getting through this one with good performances, no injuries and being able to train and move forward to the Big Ten tournament.”

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