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(06/23/13 5:15pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Former Hoosier and NCAA wrestling champion Angel Escobedo placed second Saturday in the 55-kilogram (121-pound) weight class at the 2013 United States World Team Trials in Stillwater, Okla.Escobedo, now based out of Columbus, Ohio, and representing the New York Athletic Club, lost two consecutive matches in the best-of-three finals to former Lock Haven and Oklahoma State wrestler Obe Blanc, both by decision. Blanc defeated Escobedo in the finals of the same tournament in 2010.By Saturday evening, he took to Twitter acknowledging the loss, writing, “I just want to be the best in the world. A loss won’t stop me from reaching that goal. Just thankful God let me compete today.”Escobedo is IU’s most recent national champion in wrestling, taking the crown at 125 pounds as a sophomore in 2008. The native of Griffith, Ind., was an All-American in each of his four seasons at IU and won the Big Ten title at his weight three times.– Max McCombs
(03/25/13 3:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Though IU wrestling sent five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships with high hopes, all five fell short of the mark. With the completion of the NCAA Championships, the IU season has come to a close with a long and challenging record to show for it. Each of the five wrestlers who competed ended their seasons with considerable accomplishments, and added another season to the record books.Going into the Championships, both IU Coach Duane Goldman and his wrestlers would argue all the right preparations had been made, from physical to mental training. Goldman said the five wrestlers representing IU — sophomores Joe Duca, Taylor Walsh and Luke Sheridan and juniors Ryan LeBlanc and Adam Chalfant — were used to “being the elite” and they would not be afraid of the competition they would meet.However, as the tournament progressed, the competition the Hoosiers faced became more than the five could handle.By the end of Session I, IU sent three of its five wrestlers into the round of 16: Walsh, LeBlanc and Chalfant. The other two wrestlers, Duca and Sheridan, would be sent to the wrestle backs after their physically demanding matches. Walsh would wrestle first for the Hoosiers in Session II, but the mental high of beating the No. 3 seed in Session I did not carry over to Session II. Walsh was defeated by Boise State’s Georgi Ivanov in a 9-6 match, and would be sent to the consolation wrestle backs. The string of losses would continue after Walsh’s match with a loss by Chalfant. Duca and Sheridan, who were sent to the wrestle backs right away after Session I, would not fare any better than their teammates. Duca was immediately pinned in his first wrestle back, ending his 2012-13 season. Sheridan suffered a similar fate, being topped by Illinois’ Tony Dallago, ending his sophomore season with a total of 22 wins, two of which were against nationally ranked opponents.With four of the five wrestlers out of the tournament, the pressure fell on LeBlanc to defend the Hoosier name. Entering his wrestle back against North Carolina’s John Staudenmeyer, LeBlanc led the entire first period, but Staudenmeyer fought back to tie the score at the end of the second period. The match would go into sudden victory, and Staudenmeyer topped LeBlanc, ending LeBlanc’s junior season with a total of 24 wins and his second NCAA appearance after coming back from injury.While the Hoosiers did not make it past the round of 16, the team as a whole did what they could with a season Goldman described multiple times as being one of the most difficult.— Taylor Grayson
(03/20/13 7:54pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>And then there were five. After what IU Coach Duane Goldman said was a pleasing performance at the Big Ten Championships, the five starters who have qualified for the upcoming NCAA Wrestling Championships have been hard at work. The five who will be representing IU in Des Moines, Iowa, from March 21-23 include sophomores Taylor Walsh, Joe Duca and Luke Sheridan and juniors Ryan LeBlanc and Adam Chalfant. LeBlanc, Duca and Chalfant all earned automatic bids into the tournament, while Walsh and Sheridan earned wildcard selections. Goldman noted these five were the ones he expected to make it to the NCAA Championships. As the time nears for the five to take the mat for the last time this season, Goldman said the focus is solely on the individual and doing everything possible to make sure each wrestler is given the best chance possible.“At this point, it’s just focusing really on each guy,” Goldman said. “In practice, it’s just the guys that are going to Nationals, and we don’t let a lot of the other guys out on the mat. We don’t want guys running into each other and risking injury, and it’s really about being healthy and being positive.”As in every match, be it the NCAAs or a regular season match, the positive mental attitude is key for Goldman and his wrestlers. Entering the NCAAs, Goldman said each wrestler will have his work cut out for him right off the bat.“They’re all going to meet up with some pretty tough competition fairly early, so hopefully they can do well and do better than that what the predictors say,” Goldman said. “It’s a national tournament, so anything can happen.”Because the five IU wrestlers will be up against other wrestlers from all over the country, Goldman said they need to be on top of their game from the get-go. Yhey will be faced with tough competition early on in the tournament, such as Walsh’s first match against No. 3 seed Joseph Napoli from Lehigh. The nature of the tournament does not allow any leeway. It is only a matter of time before each wrestler is faced with a match that could be his last of the season.With the pressure of competing in the biggest tournament in college wrestling riding on each wrestler, Goldman said he and his staff have been working with each guy to build them up.“As long as they feel good physically, we can handle the mental part of building them up,” Goldman said. “As long as they are feeling good, they are going to go there feeling ready to do their best.”Each of the five wrestlers has something to bring to the table. Three out of the five have national rankings, and Sheridan is close behind them with a position on the Coaches Panel Rankings. With these confidence boosts, Goldman said he believes the five will not be afraid going into the tournament, ready to take care of business.“They just need to get out there, feel as good as they can and let it fly,” Goldman said.
(03/10/13 2:33am)
After the first day of the Big Ten Championships for wrestling, five Hoosiers are still in the running for a spot in the NCAA Championships.
(03/07/13 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With the regular season in the books, Indiana wrestling has been preparing for the Big Ten Championships that are right around the corner. IU (9-10) suffered through what can only be described as a grueling season, facing health issues and physically harsh matches. With the Big Ten Championships this weekend, IU will have to fight for its spot among some of the best teams in the nation. Twelve Big Ten teams will be represented Saturday and Sunday in Champaign, Ill., and IU Coach Duane Goldman said he has been preparing for what should be a challenging tournament.“The Big Ten is all about depth, and depth has pretty much cost us all year in dual meet situations,” Goldman said. “Big Ten is going to be a challenge, just as our dual meet season has been. It just gets back to the same situation we have been dealing with in our dual meets. We have a depth problem with our injuries.”Though the team’s health has improved by leaps and bounds, such as with the return of junior Ryan LeBlanc, the Hoosiers have a long road ahead of them in this tournament, Goldman said. The Hoosiers will be battling against such teams as Penn State, who is favored to win, Goldman said. Penn State has won the Big Ten Championships the past two years. Iowa and Minnesota are expected to give strong performances, both of which have won the Championships three consecutive years within the last 13 years. While Indiana will enter into what Goldman called a “loaded” tournament, he said they are ready to compete and have been training hard. “We are just focusing on our training,” Goldman said. “We don’t even know who we are going to wrestle yet. We just focus on our guys and preparing ourselves to the best we can physically.”The Big Ten Championships will act as the preliminary tournament for the NCAA Championships that takes place later in March. Each weight class will have a set number of wrestlers that is able to advance to the NCAA Championships. Selections for the NCAAs are based on how many points the wrestlers rack up during each Big Ten match and their RPI scores through the year, which takes into consideration wins and losses and strength through the season. The Championships are mainly focused on individual performances, and the Hoosiers have a good shot of sending four of their wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, which is the ultimate goal.“I’m looking to get Walsh, LeBlanc and Chalfant through to the NCAAs and Luke [Sheridan] is right on the bubble, and hopefully he can get through,” Goldman said.These four wrestlers are all ranked within the top 10 in the Championships, and Goldman expects them to perform with urgency.Although Goldman could dwell on the fact that the Hoosiers have been dealt a tough hand, he is instead choosing to focus on how he can advance as many of his wrestlers to the NCAAs as possible and have the best performance possible.“We’re not bad,” Goldman said. “Roach is done for the year, and some other guys are done for the year. It doesn’t matter where we are at health-wise. They got to get out there and get it done.”
(02/28/13 4:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As Vince Lombardi, the legendary former coach of the Green Bay Packers, once said, “A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive, and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done.” Few know more about “sacrifice” than the wrestler. He lives, breathes, eats — within reason of his weight, of course — and sleeps wrestling. For the wrestler, it is more than a sport. It is a way of life. So when the news broke that the International Olympic Committee decided Feb. 12 to drop wrestling in the 2020 Olympics, the wrestling community was in an uproar.One of the oldest sports known to man, wrestling has been a part of the Olympic Games since 708 B.C. It is the epitome of human strength: two men — and in modern times, women — matched up against each other in battle with nothing to aid them save their own brute force. Without complex rules or equipment, it is said that wrestling is one of the most basic sports, which makes it the most universal.“Every country has their own style and even civilizations that know nothing about each other all have their own type of wrestling,” IU wrestling Coach Duane Goldman said. “It’s something that everybody can do. It doesn’t limit you by size, or weight or skill or anything, so it’s really the most diverse and offers the most participation of any sport there is.”Though wrestling, both freestyle and the traditional Greco-Roman style, will have its last hurrah in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, it will fade from the Olympic Games by 2020. There is a small chance wrestling could be back on the lineup with a revised decision in May, when the IOC looks for a 26th sport for the 2020 Games. The wrestling community, including the IU wrestling team, has questioned the judgment of the IOC. The elimination of wrestling eliminates the spirit of the Olympics in the opinion of some wrestlers.“I think that the main reason it should stay is that it really epitomizes not only athletic competition, but what the Olympics embodies,” sophomore Luke Sheridan said. “The Olympics is about bringing countries together, and that’s what wrestling does.”One of the concerns the IOC had about wrestling was the fact that wrestling does not produce strong revenues compared to other Olympic sports. However, to the wrestlers and wrestling fans of today, the sport is much more than superstars and commercial figures. “Wrestling has taught me so much about myself,” Sheridan said. “It’s taught me how to handle so many situations. It’s taught me how to handle adversity, and I’ve been extremely thankful. Wrestling is my life. It really isn’t just a sport — it’s something that takes over your life. Everything you do is for wrestling.”The elimination of Olympic wrestling means wrestlers will no longer be able to reach the pinnacle of the sport. While the IOC sees profitability in this move, IU wrestlers said it does not reflect the true nature of competition.“This sport has taught me how to be a man,” junior T.J. Hohenadel said. “It’s meant a lot to me and my development as a person.“It’ll be hard for kids wrestling today, because they won’t have those athletes to look up to.”
(02/25/13 4:46am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Saturday was a bittersweet day for IU wrestling. Marking the end of the regular season, the dual against Northwestern was also Senior Day. IU honored three seniors in the dual: Geno Capezio, Ryan Konz and Jowan Gill. While the team was unable to capture a final victory going into postseason, suffering a 32-6 loss, IU Coach Duane Goldman expressed he was pleased that the program could recognize its hard-working members in front of a home crowd.“They’re a really good group. It’s part of what makes a team a team,” Goldman said. “It’s not all about the guys in the limelight, but it’s all the guys behind the scenes that give their best, and those are definitely guys who have.”With the buzz from Senior Day, sophomore Joe Duca took the mat first, giving the Hoosiers an early start. After much hand fighting, and with a tied score going into the sudden victory period, Duca slammed Northwestern’s Dominick Malone for the final two-point take down. “For me, it’s been ups and downs, and I’m kind of starting to break right now and starting to feel a lot better, and I’m wrestling a lot better,” Duca said.Duca’s 6-4 win gave the Hoosiers early momentum, Goldman said.“Duca did a great job,” he said. “That guy pinned him earlier this year,” he said. “He did the things we had worked on to stop that guy and in the end, when he was in a tight situation, he went after the takedown, and it was a great way to start the match.”Though Duca’s win would give the Hoosiers an early 3-0 lead in the dual, the momentum shifted drastically to favor the Wildcats. Losing the next six weight classes, IU fell further behind. Throughout the dual, IU was not able to match the intensity of the Wildcats. Forced to forfeit two weight classes, 149-pounds and 197-pounds, due to sustained injuries, it became more difficult for the later weight classes to make up the difference in score. At the 157-pound weight class, nationally-ranked sophomore Taylor Walsh’s six-match winning streak came to an end. Walsh was immediately put on the defensive by Northwestern’s Jason Welch, the nation’s No. 2 wrestler at the position and came close to being pinned several times during the dual. Walsh was faced with a blowout loss of 13-1.“I thought we had a couple of chances to win,” Goldman said. “Taylor [Walsh] sort of got dominated out there, but by the same token, he did have one opportunity to put it away, but he didn’t really get it done.”The Hoosiers would only come away with two wins, the other captured by sophomore Luke Sheridan, his eighth consecutive win. Sheridan explained that he needed to buckle down.“I think what’s changed the most is listening to my coaches,” Sheridan said. “Before, I was just hearing what they were saying and going through the motions, but I’ve bought into what they’ve said and it has made the biggest difference.”The regular season behind them, the Hoosiers are now focusing on the upcoming Big Ten Championships from March 9-10, and the end goal of ultimately getting wrestlers into the NCAA Championships.
(02/22/13 2:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“Rough” has been the word of the season when it comes to 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, which will also be 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 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.“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.”
(02/21/13 9:38pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>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.”
(02/18/13 4:54am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After what seemed like a losing streak that would never end, IU wrestling recorded three victories in the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) Duals. IU improved its overall team record to an even 9-9 on the season after six straight losses, with 33-12 wins against Lindenwood-Belleville and SIUE and a shutout dual against Knox College, with a final score of 45-0. Stepping onto the mat battling with a losing streak and coming off of multiple losses in Big Ten duals, IU Coach Duane Goldman said his wrestlers were ready to duel, yet hesitant.“We’ve been through kind of a rough patch, so I think that some of the guys were feeling a little tentative,” Goldman said.As the duals progressed, though, the doubt soon subsided, and the Hoosiers wrestled with full force. IU opened against Lindenwood-Belleville, and proceeded to capture the first four weight classes. IU featured a somewhat different lineup than was expected, with the absence of sophomore Taylor Walsh, who did not make weight for these duals. Goldman noted he wanted to feature some of the wrestlers who were not normally in the normal lineup, which led to the 33-12 victory over Lindenwood-Belleville. “Ryan Konz wrestled, Joe Randazzo wrestled, and a lot of guys who didn’t normally start, they all got in the lineup,” Goldman said. “It’s good to get those guys some matches. We did the same thing against Knox College.”The new lineup generated four pins in the first match, and the Hoosiers only dropped the 157-pound, 197-pound and heavyweight classes. Next up for the Hoosiers was winless Knox College, which turned into a one-sided match favoring the Hoosiers. IU earned three pins, by sophomores Joe Duca and Luke Sheridan and junior Ryan LeBlanc. In addition to the pins, Knox forfeited three of the 10 weight classes, including the 197-pound position, which IU has been forfeiting for much of the season. With the combination of pins and forfeits, the Hoosiers took a 45-0 victory, moving on to the last dual of the day.Up last for the Hoosiers was SIUE, whom the Hoosiers have defeated before. This time proved no different for IU, winning handily, 33-12. IU only gave up one loss, at the 174-pound weight class, with a loss by sophomore Cheney Dale.Both LeBlanc and Sheridan would pick up their second pins on the day, and sophomore Preston Keiffer earned his first pin on the day. With these three wins, Goldman said the team has found a new sense of confidence after breaking a losing streak that had been pulling down the team for so long.“After we won a couple of matches they definitely wrestled best in their last match,” Goldman said. “They’re definitely a lot happier on the bus going home, so it’s always good to win.”In addition, Goldman said he was pleased with the wrestlers that have continually been putting up wins for the team, as well as the wrestlers who stepped it up in today’s duals to deliver the much-need victories. In looking forward to the last home match against Northwestern, Goldman said he hopes these wins will have a positive effect on the wrestlers.“Hopefully it set us up to have a good week in practice and hopefully push forward again,” he said.
(02/15/13 4:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This is it. The final stretch. IU wrestling is almost at a close, with two regular season matches remaining. As the season is in the process of winding down, the Hoosiers will battle Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Sunday to see if they can pick up a win before their final Big Ten match. In addition to squaring off against SIUE, the Hoosiers have also added duals against Knox College and Lindenwood-Belleville University. Though IU has not faced off against Knox or Lindenwood-Belleville, the Hoosiers have history against SIUE. Earlier in the season, the Hoosiers knocked off SIUE with a 33-11 win. While IU earned a victory against the Cougars, IU Head Coach Duane Goldman said the team cannot count any competition out as every match matters.“Coach [David] Ray is a proven winner and we will have to be prepared,” Goldman said. “It has been a tough couple of months for us and we cannot take anyone for granted.”As always, Goldman said he expects the highest quality of performance from all of his wrestlers, and the mindset is one of the keys to a victory.“We just need to continue to wrestle hard and with high expectations,” Goldman said. Since the last time SIUE and IU met, there have been many changes and transformations on the team. Season-ending injuries and injuries along the road have forced the Hoosiers to reevaluate their lineup and change their line of action.The return of junior starter Ryan LeBlanc will help the Hoosiers. LeBlanc earned a 10-3 win against Purdue Monday, maintaining his national ranking of 15. Though Purdue was only his first match back, LeBlanc said he is ready to move forward and the steps he is taking to help the team as much as he can in the duals on Sunday.“It’s just training. It’s the end of season,” LeBlanc said. “It’s getting my shape to where it needs to be, getting in with the coaches and getting ready to make that final push, taking it to the next level and finding that next gear.”With the return of his weapon at the 165-pound position, Goldman said the team is in a sense complete now and is ready for the duals Sunday, as well as its last home match against Northwestern. “It’s nice to know that you have someone [LeBlanc] in there that’s going to get the win and represent you well, and it gives you a little peace of mind,” Goldman said.Though the team is more complete now with LeBlanc’s return, the Hoosiers will still have to face the three schools with a much different lineup than the beginning of the season.“Our lineup is very different as situations have changed,” Goldman said.When the Hoosiers step foot on the mat this weekend, they will have gone six matches in a row without a win. However, Goldman said they are not out for the count quite yet.“Our guys have been training hard and doing what we expect of them,” Goldman said. “A win would be welcomed and well deserved.”
(02/14/13 8:42pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This is it. The final stretch. IU wrestling is almost at a close, with two regular season matches remaining. As the season is in the process of winding down, the Hoosiers will battle Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Sunday to see if they can pick up a win before their final Big Ten match. In addition to squaring off against SIUE, the Hoosiers have also added duals against Knox College and Lindenwood-Belleville University. Though IU has not faced off against Knox or Lindenwood-Belleville, the Hoosiers have history against SIUE. Earlier in the season, the Hoosiers knocked off SIUE with a 33-11 win. While IU earned a victory against the Cougars, IU Head Coach Duane Goldman said they cannot count any competition out as every match matters.“Coach [David] Ray is a proven winner and we will have to be prepared,” Goldman said. “It has been a tough couple of months for us and we cannot take anyone for granted.”As always, Goldman said he expects the highest quality of performance from all of his wrestlers, and the mindset is one of the keys to a victory.“We just need to continue to wrestle hard and with high expectations,” Goldman said.Since the last time SIUE and IU met, there have been many changes and transformations on the team. Season-ending injuries and injuries along the road have forced the Hoosiers to reevaluate their lineup, and change their line of action.The return of junior starter Ryan LeBlanc will help the Hoosiers. LeBlanc earned a 10-3 against Purdue on Monday, maintaining his national ranking of 15. Though Purdue was only his first match back, LeBlanc said he is ready to move forward and the steps he is taking to help the team as much as he can in the duals on Sunday.“It’s just training, it’s the end of season,” LeBlanc said. “It’s getting my shape to where it needs to be, getting in with the coaches and getting ready to make that final push, taking it to the next level and finding that next gear.”With the return of his weapon at the 165 weight position, Goldman said the team is in a sense complete now and is ready for the duals Sunday, as well as its last home match against Northwestern. “It’s nice to know that you have someone [LeBlanc] in there that’s going to get the win and represent you well, and it gives you a little peace of mind,” Goldman said.Though the team is more complete now with LeBlanc’s return, the Hoosiers will still have to face the three schools with a much different lineup than the beginning of the season.“Our lineup is very different as situations have changed,” Goldman said.When the Hoosiers step foot on the mat this weekend, they will have gone six matches in a row without a win. However, Goldman said they are not out for the count quite yet.“Our guys have been training hard and doing what we expect of them,” Goldman said. “A win would be welcomed and well deserved.”
(02/12/13 3:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.— The Crimson and Gold cup point will remain in West Lafayette with an Indiana loss Monday night. While the Hoosiers came in with a clear mindset and the return of junior starter Ryan LeBlanc, Indiana could not best the Boilermakers on their home mat. The Hoosiers dropped the match against in-state rival Purdue with a final score of 28-13, moving to 0-7 in the Big Ten.With a switch in the order of the weight classes, the Hoosiers started off with sophomore Luke Sheridan’s match at the 184 weight class. “That was probably the biggest match of the night, so that was a big win for us, so that worked to our advantage,” IU head coach Duane Goldman said. “To some extent, it put us on a little bit of a role.”After already boasting three straight Big Ten victories, Sheridan hit the mat in full force.Faced with a physical match full of hand-fighting, Sheridan fought for every point and earned his fourth straight Big Ten win against Purdue’s Patrick Kissel. Sheridan’s hard-fought win put the first Hoosier points on the board, with a 7-6 win by decision.The Hoosiers continued their roll with another win by decision, dished out by junior Adam Chalfant. Chalfant controlled the match, earning a 10-4 victory against Purdue’s Alex White. With Chalfant’s victory, the Hoosiers proceeded to tie up the match score with Purdue after losing 6 points due to the 197 weight class forfeit. After the last weight classes earned their victories, it was back to the beginning of the lineup with sophomore Joe Duca battling in the 125 weight class. Though Duca wrestled a hard-fought match, he was unable to bring in the win, losing by decision 10-3. The Hoosiers proceeded to drop the 133 position, losing by the largest margin of the night, 22-9.The Hoosiers would go on to lose the next two weight classes to the Boilers, giving up two point takedowns around every turn. Indiana picked it up again with yet another win by sophomore Taylor Walsh, taking him to 6-1 in the Big Ten.The match of the day came at the 165 weight position with the return of LeBlanc, Indiana’s starter. “At this point in the season, we’ve been without so many guys for so long that the team is now what it is — getting (LeBlanc) back sort of completed the team,” Goldman said. “It was good to have his leadership.”Moving to an early victory, only taking 17 seconds for his first takedown, LeBlanc looked as if he had never been gone. “It feels great,” LeBlanc said. “The last three weeks watching from the sidelines has been killing me. It’s a lot of weight off of my shoulders to be back on the mat and moving forward.”Giving Purdue’s Pat Robinson a run for his money, LeBlanc dished out his first win after coming back from injury, winning 10-3 by decision.With two forfeits, one at the 174 due to sickness and a constant forfeit at the 197 position, Goldman said the Hoosiers are still not battling to their full capability. Two regular season matches remain for the Hoosiers to turn it around before the Big Ten championships.“It isn’t necessarily about what the scoreboard says, but their competitive spirit, and they need to compete harder,” Goldman said.
(02/11/13 1:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana wrestling has had its ups and downs this season with half of the lineup out due to injuries and a schedule that pitted the wrestlers against some of the highest ranked individuals in the nation. However, after last week’s match against Michigan, IU Coach Duane Goldman and staff are quickly approaching the end of the road, with only three matches left before the Big Ten Championships. Next on Indiana’s radar is in-state foe Purdue, and the two teams will continue the years of rivalry 6:30 p.m. today in West Lafayette.After the loss to Michigan last weekend, Goldman expressed that he thought the team has “been working hard and improving a lot every match,” but there is still room for improvement. Going into Purdue without a single win in the Big Ten, Goldman noted that the team must put aside thoughts of the outcome as a whole and instead become motivated on an individual level.“They’ve been motivated every time they have stepped out and we have been helping them on an individual level. They’re very focused on doing what they can do as an individual, not just looking at the team score, and making sure they are taking care of themselves and doing the best they can when they step on the mat,” Goldman said.With this in mind, Goldman said that while the execution is not exactly where he would like it to be, his wrestlers have been doing what he has asked them to do, which will help them every bit against the 17th-ranked Boilermakers.“They are definitely implementing what we’re talking about and I think it helped them in their matches, and I got to commend them for that; I’m pleased with their effort, I think their effort is good,” Goldman said. “You wish for them that it would translate into more victories, but by the same token they’re doing well.”With a No. 17 national ranking, Purdue will feature seven nationally ranked wrestlers out of the 10 weight classes, compared to IU’s three. Purdue also boasts a 13-5 overall record and four wins in the Big Ten, including victories against Michigan and Wisconsin, teams that handled the Hoosiers. Goldman noted that he is only focused on how his wrestlers perform and if they are giving it their all.“That’s all you can do,” said Goldman. “All you can do is the best you can do, and that’s what they’re doing.”Monday’s rivalry match will mark the continuation of the Crimson and Gold Cup, the competition between the two schools. A win would be worth a full point in the Cup and would represent the first victory in the Big Ten this season, as well as a much-needed confidence boost.
(02/10/13 8:32pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana wrestling has had its ups and downs this season with half of the lineup out due to injuries and a schedule that pitted the wrestlers against some of the highest ranked individuals in the nation. However, after last week’s match against Michigan, IU Coach Duane Goldman and staff are quickly approaching the end of the road, with only three matches left before the Big Ten Championships. Next on Indiana’s radar is in-state foe Purdue, and the two teams will continue the years of rivalry 6:30 p.m. today in West Lafayette.After the loss to Michigan last weekend, Goldman expressed that he thought the team has “been working hard and improving a lot every match,” but there is still room for improvement. Going into Purdue without a single win in the Big Ten, Goldman noted that the team must put aside thoughts of the outcome as a whole and instead become motivated on an individual level.“They’ve been motivated every time they have stepped out and we have been helping them on an individual level," Goldman said. "They’re very focused on doing what they can do as an individual, not just looking at the team score, and making sure they are taking care of themselves and doing the best they can when they step on the mat."With this in mind, Goldman said that while the execution is not exactly where he would like it to be, his wrestlers have been doing what he has asked them to do, which will help them every bit against the 17th-ranked Boilermakers.“They are definitely implementing what we’re talking about and I think it helped them in their matches, and I got to commend them for that; I’m pleased with their effort, I think their effort is good,” Goldman said. “You wish for them that it would translate into more victories, but by the same token they’re doing well.”With a No. 17 national ranking, Purdue will feature seven nationally ranked wrestlers out of the 10 weight classes, compared to IU’s three. Purdue also boasts a 13-5 overall record and four wins in the Big Ten, including victories against Michigan and Wisconsin, teams that handled the Hoosiers. Goldman noted that he is only focused on how his wrestlers perform and if they are giving it their all.“That’s all you can do,” Goldman said. “All you can do is the best you can do, and that’s what they’re doing.”Monday’s rivalry match will mark the continuation of the Crimson and Gold Cup, the competition between the two schools. A win would be worth a full point in the Cup and would represent the first victory in the Big Ten this season, as well as a much-needed confidence boost.
(02/04/13 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After a match on the road last weekend, IU wrestling was back in full force Friday night in University Gym. Squaring off against the No. 17 Michigan Wolverines in the second-to-last home match of the season, the Hoosiers suffered a 30-13 defeat, remaining winless in the Big Ten.The Hoosiers began the match with a slow start at the 125-pound weight position. Sophomore Joe Duca was closely matched with Michigan’s Sean Doyle, but could not convert the effort into points for IU, losing 3-0. In the same manner, freshman Alonzo Shepherd started with a 4-1 deficit at the 133-pound position and ultimately lost the bout. After witnessing the early weight classes fall to the Wolverines, freshman Alex Gregory came into his bout with clear eyes. In a match that was close until the last point, Gregory fell to Michigan 7-4, continuing the Hoosiers’ absence on the scoreboard. “He (Gregory) has the talent, but he has some mental issues that he needs to overcome,” IU Coach Duane Goldman said. “When it got down to it later in the match, you could see him doubt himself, and it didn’t help him carry through for the victory.”After Gregory’s match, the Hoosiers were unable to convert in the next weight class. However, as in previous matches, sophomore Taylor Walsh was responsible for the first points of the match. Jumping to an early lead in his bout, Walsh did not let out Michigan’s Michael Carpenter and won with a major decision of 10-2. After Walsh’s victory, the Hoosiers dropped the next two bouts.Though IU would not be in reach of Michigan, the Hoosiers saw a promising match at the 184-pound weight class dished out by sophomore Luke Sheridan. From the start, Sheridan made quick work of Michigan’s Christopher Heald and gave the Hoosiers their only pin of the day. This is Sheridan’s third consecutive win in the Big Ten.“I’m never content. That’s what Duane talks about, just never being okay with just winning a couple of matches,” Sheridan said. “They all talk about continuing to progress and I’m definitely taking steps in the right direction, but I’m nowhere near where I want to be.”In the final match of the day, junior Adam Chalfant came away victorious after a fierce battle against Michigan’s Ben Apland in the closest match of the day. Chalfant earned a win with a score of 9-7 against Apland.While IU did not convert the individual matches to wins, Goldman said there has been much improvement and the team cannot focus on the overall outcome.“We’ve been working hard and improving a lot every match, and I think we see that improvement,” Goldman said. “It has been rough, so we can’t really focus on the team outcome because if we just focused on the team outcome, it would be hard to keep that motivation.”Goldman said he was pleased with the effort tonight and hopes to keep improving for the remainder of the season.
(02/01/13 3:44am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Entering the home stretch of the regular season, the pressure is on for Indiana wrestling as they gear up for Friday’s match against No. 17 Michigan. The Wolverines will enter University Gym with an arsenal of six nationally ranked wrestlers as opposed to Indiana’s three. Putting this aside, however, IU Coach Duane Goldman said as he has in previous matches that his goal right now is getting his wrestlers healthy for Friday’s match. This, he noted, will be the key to a successful end to the regular season and the beginning of post season.Coming off of a difficult weekend on the road, Goldman expressed that while the Hoosiers did not attain the victories they were looking for, they were right in it against Wisconsin and Illinois. “In our match against Wisconsin without Roach and LeBlanc, we still had a couple of tight matches,” Goldman said. “Not disappointing losses, but close matches.”Even with the tough performances of such wrestlers as senior Ryan Konz, filling in for injured junior Ryan LeBlanc, and sophomore Luke Sheridan, Goldman said that it has been hard to wrestle in full force because of the many injuries suffered over the season. “Luke Sheridan had a great match and Ryan Konz had another really good match, so we had some good performances, but we are still really working on trying to get healthy”, said Goldman.In addition to entering the Michigan match with the injuries that have plagued the Hoosiers throughout the season, Indiana will be forced to forfeit the 197 pound weight class, not only for Friday’s match, but for the rest of the season. With the early injury of starting redshirt Garret Goldman, Goldman said he did not want to push replacement senior Tarek Alaruri. All of these factors in play, Goldman expressed that he expects another demanding match from the Wolverines, but is hopeful with the performances that he has seen in his wrestlers.“That puts a lot of weight on Ryan, and Adam and Taylor, but Luke is coming on and hopefully some of the other guys can do something,” Goldman said. The Hoosiers will enter Friday’s dual against Michigan with no wins in the Big Ten, as opposed to Michigan’s single win against Northwestern. While both teams are close in record, Goldman and his staff cannot help but notice the close matches Michigan has had against the teams that Indiana was shut down by. Expecting a close match, Goldman articulated that the home crowd will aid in gaining the first Big Ten win of the season.To make the home crowd as loud and forceful as possible, Friday’s match will mark high school night in University Gym. With the younger wrestlers there, Goldman said that it will be an exciting atmosphere for both the younger boys and the Indiana wrestlers and will make the Hoosiers give Michigan their best performance.
(01/30/13 5:24am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Besides a losing season record, one of the worst nightmares a coach can face is the threat of injuries. While injuries in any sport, especially one as physical as wrestling, are inevitable and just “part of it,” they can still take their toll on what could have been a promising season. IU wrestling Coach Duane Goldman knows all too well about the consequences injuries can have on a season, as well as how difficult it is to proceed through a schedule without starters.From the very first match, the Hoosiers were faced with bad luck with the loss of their starting 197-pound wrestler, redshirt freshman Garret Goldman. Garret Goldman suffered a torn ACL as a result of wrestling against Manchester University, which would end his season before it really began. Just a few matches later, the Hoosiers would lose their starting 149-pound wrestler, junior Mitchell Richey, to a shoulder injury. With the absence of these two starters so early in the season, the Hoosiers started to feel the effects of not having two of their important wrestlers and relied on the other wrestlers to step up to the plate. This idea of the younger wrestlers taking the helm would continue for Indiana in later matches with the loss of three more starters: redshirt freshman Eric Roach with a head injury, junior Ryan LeBlanc with a rib injury and true freshman Quin Murphy with a rib injury. With so many injuries one right after the other, Duane said the team has certainly felt the effects of the missing starters during their last few Big Ten matches.“It’s hard to train — it’s hard to get any consistency in your training,” Duane said. “A lot of the guys are missing competition, and we knew going into the season that it was going to be a developmental and challenging year for us, but it’s hard to develop when the guys can’t get into the lineup.”Though Indiana will be without Garret Goldman, Richey or Murphy for the rest of the season, Duane said he is hopeful that the other two starters will be able to eventually make their way back into the lineup. However, right now, it is all about becoming healthy again, as Duane put it.“We’re still really working on trying to get healthy because that’s an ongoing thing,” Duane Goldman said. “Even with the guys out of our lineup, we are still missing guys that we need to get in there, so we’re focusing on getting healthy and moving forward.”So with these five starters out, how does Indiana hope to come back in full force against the remaining Big Ten teams on their schedule? As Duane noted, wrestling is not a sport where there is a rotation of starters, but rather each wrestler must be ready to perform. In short, Duane said he is looking for all of his wrestlers to step up their games to fill the holes in the lineup.“If you’re on the team, they need to be ready to get in there and scrap, and we let them know that, but it’s tough to win matches that way,” Duane said.With only four regular season matches left, the Hoosiers are looking to end their season on a high note and not let the many injuries of the season stand in their way come NCAA Championship time.
(01/29/13 7:32pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Besides a losing season record, one of the worst nightmares a coach can face is the threat of injuries. While injuries in any sport, especially one as physical as wrestling, are inevitable and just “part of it,” they can still take their toll on what could have been a promising season. IU Wrestling Coach Duane Goldman knows all too well about the consequences injuries can have on a season, as well as how difficult it is to proceed through a schedule without starters.From the very first match, the Hoosiers were faced with bad luck with the loss of their starting 197 wrestler, redshirt freshman Garret Goldman. Garret Goldman suffered a torn ACL as a result of wrestling against Manchester University, which would end his season before it really began. Just a few matches later, the Hoosiers would lose their starting 149 wrestler, junior Mitchell Richey, to a shoulder injury. With the absence of these two starters so early in the season, the Hoosiers started to feel the effects of not having two of their important wrestlers and relying on the other wrestlers to step up to the plate. This idea of the younger wrestlers taking the helm would continue for Indiana in later matches with the loss of three more starters: redshirt freshman Eric Roach with a head injury, junior Ryan LeBlanc with a rib injury and true freshman Quin Murphy with a rib injury. With so many injuries, one right after the other, Duane Goldman said that the team has certainly felt the effects of the missing starters during their last few Big Ten matches.“It’s hard to train — it’s hard to get any consistency in your training,” Duane Goldman said. “A lot of the guys are missing competition, and we knew going into the season that it was going to be a developmental and challenging year for us, but it’s hard to develop when the guys can’t get into the lineup.”Though Indiana will be without Garret Goldman, Richey or Murphy for the rest of the season, Duane Goldman said he is hopeful that the other two starters will be able to eventually make their way back into the lineup. However, right now, it is all about becoming healthy again, as Duane Goldman put it.“We’re still really working on trying to get healthy because that’s an ongoing thing,” Duane Goldman said. “Even with the guys out of our lineup, we are still missing guys that we need to get in there, so we’re focusing on getting healthy and moving forward.”So with these five starters out, how does Indiana hope to come back in full force against the remaining Big Ten teams on their schedule? As Duane Goldman noted, wrestling is not a sport where there is a rotation of starters, but rather each wrestler must be ready to perform. In short, Duane Goldman said he is looking for all of his wrestlers to step up their games to fill the holes in the lineup.“If you’re on the team, they need to be ready to get in there and scrap, and we let them know that, but it’s tough to win matches that way,” Duane Goldman said.With only four regular season matches left, the Hoosiers are looking to end their season on a high note and not let the many injuries of the season stand in their way come NCAA Championship time.
(01/28/13 3:29am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With its second consecutive loss on the road, the IU wrestling team moved to a 6-7 record this weekend.After dropping the first dual to No. 20 Wisconsin on Friday 26-9, IU was on the move to Champaign, Ill., to compete against No. 6 Illinois.The Hoosiers did not come out of Illini country with a “W.” Having won only three of ten weight classes, IU dropped its fifth Big Ten conference dual, losing 30-9 to the Illini.The Hoosiers were out-wrestled in the lower weight classes early in the day, only gaining a few points in each bout. Between three matches lost by major decision and one technical fall against freshman Alonzo Shepard at the 133-pound position, the Illini found themselves with an early lead against the Hoosiers. Moving into the middle weight classes, the Hoosiers found themselves in the same bind as in the earlier weight classes, only putting up points in the single digits. The first IU win of the day came from sophomore Taylor Walsh at the 157-pound weight class. Taking a 3-0 victory against the Fighting Illini’s Matt Nora, Walsh, as in past matches, put up the first points of the day for the Hoosiers. However, Walsh’s points did not do much, as the next two wrestlers lost their bouts. As in the dual against Wisconsin, the next points put on the board by IU came at the 184 weight class by sophomore Luke Sheridan. In a close match, Sheridan was able to pull a 10-5 victory against Illinois’ Tony Dallago, who is ranked twelfth in the nation. Sheridan’s victory edged the Hoosiers closer to the Fighting Illini. However, the Illini remained the dominant team.IU tried to battle back within the remaining weight classes, but Illinois did not falter. As in previous matches, IU was forced to forfeit the 197-pound position. IU Coach Duane Goldman noted this weight class has been up in the air since the beginning of the season after the starter redshirt freshman Garrett Goldman was injured in the match against Manchester University. Not wanting to push senior Tarek Alaruri, Goldman said, this class forfeited the last three matches. At the last match of the day, the Hoosiers came to a final total of nine points. Junior Adam Chalfant was victorious in his heavyweight bout against Illinois’ Chris Lopez, winning 7-2. Though Chalfant was personally successful, it was not be enough to catch the Illini. On Friday, the Hoosiers fell to Wisconsin in a dual in Madison, Wis. In addition to Walsh and Sheridan’s victories, sophomore Joe Duca came away with a 7-3 win against Matt Cavallaris in a 125-pound weight class bout. No other Hoosiers would win, however.Moving to 0-5 in the Big Ten, IU is only four matches away from the Big Ten Championships. Big Ten action will continue for the Hoosiers this Friday against No. 18 Michigan in University Gym.