Indiana wrestling began its season with three events in the same weekend: the Michigan State Open and Journeymen’s Wranglemania on Nov. 8, and the Journeymen Collegiate Classic on Nov. 9.
Indiana opened the season coming off an 8-5 record last season and, more recently, its preseason intersquad wrestle-offs on Nov. 1, which proved strong parity throughout the roster.
The Hoosiers started the weekend by sending four freshmen to East Lansing, Michigan, on Saturday for the Michigan State Open: Ayden Bollinger, Gavin Jendreas and Hunter Sturgill, as well as redshirt freshman Chase Leech.
Bollinger won one of three bouts, including a 19-3 victory over Grand Valley State University freshman Donnel Mendez. Jendreas and Sturgill each won two of four bouts, placing fifth and fourth place in their respective pools. Leech went winless in two bouts, including a 20-4 loss to Purdue freshman Adrian Pellot in his final bout of the day.
Indiana also competed against Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania on Saturday in the Journeymen’s Wranglemania in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Lock Haven received five votes in the most recent National Wrestling Coaches Association coaches poll, showing that despite not being ranked, it would be an early test for Indiana. The Hoosiers took seven of 10 bouts from the Eagles, resulting in a dominant 25-8 upset victory.
Graduate student Jacob Moran led the way for the Hoosiers on Saturday, shining in a 23-15 win in the first bout of the day. Lock Haven was able to keep things close through four bouts, but five consecutive wins for Indiana sealed the Hoosiers’ runaway victory. While redshirt freshman Nick Pavlechko would lose Indiana’s final bout of the day, redshirt junior Gabe Sollars’ 5-1 victory in the ninth bout was the final nail that the Hoosiers needed to secure their first win of the season.
Sunday’s Journeymen Collegiate Classic featured 12 total Hoosiers competing in individual pools, five of whom would leave Bethlehem as champions. Every Hoosier placed third or better in their pools, including five second-place and two third-place finishes.
Moran was the first Hoosier crowned champion, by way of a 9-2 finals victory over Harvard University sophomore Logan Brzozowski. This was followed by redshirt junior Henry Porter by way of a 2-0 finals victory over Maryland redshirt sophomore Dario Lemus, as well as a win from Indiana redshirt freshman Chris Crawford, by way of a 5-2 finals victory over Harvard junior Joseph Cangro.
In the later matches, freshman Matt Kawalski won another title for Indiana, by way of a 18-3 finals victory over Duke University redshirt freshman Own McGory. Indiana redshirt junior Tylan Lillard also defeated Navy sophomore Dylan Elmore, by way of a 5-2 finals victory.
Indiana will take its 1-0 record into a dual with Columbia University at 7 p.m. Nov. 14 in Elletsville, Indiana.
