Wrestling gets No. 9 class

In addition to its victory against Manhattan this weekend, the IU wrestling team has been making a splash on the recruiting trail as this year’s signing class was ranked No. 9 by Wrestling Insider News magazine.

“We worked hard in that early signing period, and we were really happy with what we got,” IU Coach Duane Goldman said.

Five of the six recruits are ranked in the top 20 nationally in their respective weight classes, and the lone wrestler in the class not ranked, 195-pounder Dakota Thacker, is ranked No. 1 in the state of Indiana at 195 pounds.

“We have some guys that we think are really going to contribute in the future,” Goldman said. “A lot really fill needs in weight classes where we are starting to feel older. So we feel like we are moving in the right direction.”

The primary focuses of this recruiting period were middleweights and heavyweights, Goldman said.

Jake Danishek out of Miamisburg, Ohio, is a three-time Ohio state champion. He has won the Super 32 Challenge, considered to be the most difficult preseason tournament in the country, and is the No. 2 152-pounder in the nation.

Logan Marcicki is a Michigan state champion and two-time finalist from the city of Novi. A Junior National All-American, he is ranked No. 15 at 182 pounds.

Bryce Martin is another Junior National All-American from California who is ranked No. 16 at 170 pounds.

In addition to Thacker, another Indiana man is 220-pound Junior All-American Fletcher Miller, who is ranked No. 11.

To round out the current class is two-time Michigan state champion and No. 12 ranked 138-pounder, Cole Weaver, who is a two-time Cadet All-American.

“The guys that we signed, we like that they are not only successful but they are really hard-working, tough kids that will be able to succeed on this mat,” Goldman said.

This past recruiting season, the Big Ten had nine of the top 12 freshman classes in the nation.

Goldman looked back on past classes that have stood out, and the best one he could remember is the 2005 class that had four-time All-American Angel Escobedo, Matt Coughlin and Trevor Perry, among others.

Goldman said he feels this class is a good sign for the future of IU and hopes all six will have success.

Follow reporter Brody Miller on Twitter @BrodyMillerIDS.