Wrestling takes down Division-III Manchester

Everything went as expected for the IU wrestling team in a 52-0 defeat of Division-III Manchester this weekend.

“It was a productive match, and we got out of it what we hoped to,” IU Coach Duane Goldman said.

Only two matches were won by decision as IU won eight of 10 on pins or technical falls. This includes junior Taylor Walsh’s NCAA-leading 18th pin of the season that puts him one away from tying the school record.

“We got an opportunity again to make that weigh-in and wrestle in front of a really good crowd,” Goldman said. “Really happy with the turnout today. All of our guys experienced success today, and we came out unscathed on the injury side of it, so now we can move forward into finals week and get ready for what’s coming up after Christmas.”

Walsh, seniors Adam Chalfant and Ryan LeBlanc and junior Luke Sheridan all remained undefeated at home this season.

On a day of expected domination, sophomore Joe Randazzo went out and did so.

A walk-on from Mt. Prospect, Ill., Randazzo was 0-8 on the season before the matchup with Manchester, and he received an opportunity to wrestle in place of injured sophomores Eric Roach and Alex Gregory.

Randazzo defeated Manchester freshman TJ Thompson 7-3 in what will be Randazzo’s final match of the season.

“It was awesome,” Randazzo said. “Today is my last match this year since I am studying abroad in Rome. It was awesome to get out there with Roach and Gregory being out and get out there and get a win. That was really cool and seeing everyone else out there getting wins as well.”

The differential in talent showed in Manchester’s timidity, and IU capitalized on it.
“The other team was backing up a lot,” Randazzo said. “They really didn’t want to wrestle us. I don’t really blame them since they are a D-III school coming into a Big Ten dual, but they were backing up, and we just kept attacking.”

The 52-0 victory puts IU at 7-1 on the season going into winter break. The team’s break won’t be long, as they head to the Midlands tournament at Northwestern on Dec. 29 and 30.

“Midlands is a heck of a tournament,” Goldman said. “There are a lot of great teams, and they have a really tough field. We have some guys individually that have done well so far, and it’s a team tournament, and hopefully we can continue in that aspect and have a good tournament.”

Goldman said he is hoping some of the younger wrestlers that are starting to gain a lot more experience will show more maturity at Midlands.

While Randazzo will not be around for the rest of the season, he did have some thoughts on the team and how the rest of the season will go.

“This year, we are coming out as pretty much a whole new team,” Randazzo said. “You know with (IU Assistant Coach Nick) Simmons and Duane (Goldman) it’s just a whole new feel. Everything is just going good right now. We are looking good for the future, and I think we are going to crawl up the
rankings.”

Follow reporter Brody Miller on Twitter @BrodyMillerIDS.