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(01/23/03 5:05am)
Before the Big Ten season even starts, junior Coyte Cooper finds himself with an undefeated dual meet record (12-0), an overall record of 21-1, the No. 5 ranking in the nation at 141-pounds, Big Ten wrestler of the week honors (Dec. 23-30) and nine pins in 2002-03. \nCooper has been a mainstay for the Hoosiers all season, going undefeated since losing the 141-pound championship bout at the Missouri Open. That was on Nov. 24, nearly two months ago. \nSince then, Cooper has been as close to a sure thing as it gets. On a team that has only one senior, it has been necessary for younger wrestlers, like Cooper, to take a leadership role. Junior and team captain Ty Matthews said there has been no shortage of that.\n"I don't feel a whole lot of pressure when it comes to being a leader because we have such a great group of underclassmen," Matthews said.\nCooper's winning ways have made him a leader, but so has his team-first attitude. Coach Duane Goldman said leadership has made him an integral part of the team.\nAt the beginning of the season, when he held a preseason No. 9 ranking, Cooper said he didn't put much stock into preseason rankings.\n"Not a lot," Cooper said, "although it is kind of nice to be ranked and recognized."\nCooper's attitude towards personal honors was reinforced after Saturday's dual meets against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Missouri Valley and Eastern Michigan. After pinning SIUE sophomore Alec Lininger and EMU junior Josh Wiles, Cooper totaled nine pins on the season and nineteen for his career.\nCooper's nineteenth pin was good enough to tie Brian Dolph (1987-1990) and Chuck Wertschnig (1967-1969) for tenth all-time on IU's career pins list. After the meet, Cooper said the record came as a surprise to him.\n"No," he said, "I didn't know that. It's nice because getting a lot of pins means you are wrestling well. But I try not to worry about my own accomplishments."\nWith the Big Ten season opening Friday against Penn State, the Hoosiers will need Cooper to continue his winning habits and leadership by example. Cooper offers a solidifying presence at 141 pounds, and Goldman said he has the respect of the team.\n"We only have a few upperclassmen," Goldman said. "But they're good leaders, and Coyte's one of them"
(01/21/03 5:55am)
With freshman Joe Dubuque out with a knee injury, IU was forced to forfeit each of its four 125-pound bouts this weekend. But even that was not enough to stop IU from going 4-0 on a weekend that included back-to-back weigh-ins to help the Hoosiers prepare for the upcoming Big Ten season. \nFirst up for the Hoosiers was a Friday night dual meet at Eastern Illinois. Senior Greg Schaefer (133-pounds), junior Coyte Cooper (141-pounds), freshman Matt Cooper (149-pounds), and junior Ty Matthews (187-pounds) all defeated their Eastern Illinois counterparts. IU was defeated in the 157 and 165-pound weight classes and was forced to forfeit the 125-pound bout to EIU. But EIU forfeits to IU sophomore Pat DeGain (197-pounds) and freshman Joel Powers (heavyweight) sealed a 35-13 victory for the Hoosiers.\nAfter the Friday night meet, the Hoosiers returned to Bloomington for a four team dual meet on Saturday at the University Gymnasium. Eastern Michigan, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Missouri Valley were slated to compete. \nOnce again, the Hoosiers would be without Dubuque, the team's only 125-pounder, and would have to forfeit in that division.\nMissouri Valley, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics school, was IU's first opponent of the day. The Hoosiers were off to a quick start after Schaefer pinned Missouri Valley junior L.C. Davis. The Cooper brothers, Coyte and Matt, continued IU's quick start by winning in the 141 and 149 divisions, respectively.\nThe Hoosiers suffered a minor setback after being defeated in the 157 and 165-pound weight classes. But, sophomore Andrew Wolf and Matthews won by decision, and DeGain and Powers both pinned their Missouri Valley counterparts to finish off the Vikings 32-12.\nThe Hoosiers have had problems in the middleweight divisions all year, but Saturday they seemed to be solved. \n"We called on some guys to step up and they did," coach Duane Goldman said. "Guys like Alex LaPointe, Andy Wolf, Matt Cooper and Joel Powers did very well today."\nSIUE was next on the docket and the Cougars dug themselves into a hole by forfeiting three bouts: at 133, 197, and a double forfeit at 125. The Cougars were able to win only one bout and seemingly unable to recover.\nSIUE senior Zach Stephens proved to be too much for Wolf in a hard fought bout that ended in a 6-5 victory for Stephens. But this marked the only setback for the Hoosiers as Coyte Cooper, Matthews, Powers and 157-pound freshman Isaac Knable all pinned their Cougar counterparts. IU's Matt Cooper and junior Alex LaPointe won by decision to finish a 43-3 victory.\nRiding a three meet winning streak, the only thing that stood between IU and an undefeated Big Ten tune-up was Eastern Michigan. The Eagles earned their only points against IU through the 125-pound forfeit and a pin of IU sophomore J.P. Stanley. Every other Eagle was defeated as the Hoosiers won 33-12. \n"What was good about today is that we didn't suffer any setbacks," Goldman said. "The guys that had been wrestling well continued to wrestle well, and guys that needed to wrestle better did."\nCoyte Cooper earned his second pin of the day against EMU junior Josh Wiles to move into a three-way tie on IU's all-time career pins list with 19. \n "It's nice," Cooper said of the distinction. "But I try not to worry about my own accomplishments."\nThe Hoosiers next meet will be the Big Ten opener Friday against Penn State in the University Gymnasium at 7 p.m.\n"This was just another stepping stone going into the Big Ten season," Matthews said. "It's going to be grueling, but we expect to win"
(01/17/03 6:02am)
The Hoosiers saw their No. 23 ranking vanish during the week thanks to a loss last Sunday to Cleveland State. But the IU wrestling team isn't putting much stock into those rankings as they prepare for a big weekend that has them competing in four dual meets in two days. \nThe Hoosiers will travel to Eastern Illinois to face the Panthers on Friday before returning to Bloomington to face Eastern Michigan, Missouri Valley, and Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Saturday.\nRankings may not be an issue, but health might be. At the Wendy's Duals last Sunday, freshman 125-pounder Joe Dubuque was injured.\n"In the last match I just took a shot and my knee buckled," Dubuque said. "The MRI came back negative, so it's nothing too serious."\nDespite this optimism, Dubuque's presence at this weekend's competitions remains uncertain. If Dubuque were absent it would not be good news for the Hoosiers. IU has benefited from strong performances from upper and lower weight classes. Without Dubuque wrestling at 125, the Hoosiers may have difficulty overcoming the inconsistent middleweight performances that have troubled the team this year.\nBut the Hoosiers are not showing any signs of shaken confidence. \n"We expect to win all four meets," junior 184-pounder and team captain Ty Matthews said. "That's not being cocky or anything, that's just being confident."\nOne would think that the lost rankings, injury worries and four meets in two days might be cause for concern. But coach Duane Goldman quickly dispelled that idea and reiterated the team's confidence.\n"Even though we lost to Cleveland State, I still think we were the better team," Goldman said. "I also think we are better than all four teams we'll face this weekend."\nAlthough the team is confident, Dubuque said they are aware nothing will come easy.\n"Four wins is going to be hard, you can't take them lightly" Dubuque said. "But we think we can do it"
(01/14/03 5:39am)
On a team with only one senior, younger wrestlers need to become leaders. Pat DeGain, a sophomore from Clarkston, Mich., has done just that. \n"We do have a young team," said freshman Joe Dubuque, "but we want to compete and with guys like Pat, we will."\nCoach Duane Goldman has had nothing but praise for DeGain all season, "Pat had a very good freshman season. He is definitely a leader on the team both vocally and with his intensity," Goldman said. "He is right in there ready to have an exceptional year."\nDeGain has lived up to Goldman's billing by compiling a dual meet record of 9-1 and an overall record of 17-2. The 197-pound sophomore has been consistently ranked among the elite wrestlers in the nation. \nGoing into the Wendy's Duals, DeGain was ranked No. 10 by wrestling magazine Intermat and No. 15 by TheMat.com and Wrestling International Newsmagazine (W.I.N. Magazine). Those rankings are almost certain to rise after DeGain went 3-0 at the Wendy's Duals on Sunday, Jan. 12. But, rankings are not what really concerns DeGain.\n"A ranking is a ranking. It just means that more people are watching and that people are going to be ready for you." DeGain said in a preseason interview, when asked how he felt about rankings.\nRight now, DeGain seems ready for the rest of the field. After helping the Hoosiers go undefeated at the Buckeye Duals, DeGain admitted his only personal goal for the season is a trip to Kansas City for the NCAA Finals.\n"You have to set your goals high, otherwise you won't ever reach that high level," DeGain said. "If I don't reach that level, I'll still have a shot at being an All-American."\nDeGain certainly is no stranger when it comes to competing for titles. DeGain earned two state championships during his high school career and won his final 99 matches at Clarkston High School. In 1998, DeGain traveled to Manchester, England and won a silver medal in the Cadet Freestyle World Championships.\nHigh school and international success have obviously helped prepare DeGain for a title quest, but so has growing up with brothers Joe and Clint. Older brother Joe DeGain attended the University of Michigan and was the captain of the wrestling team. Younger brother Clint DeGain recently committed to The Citadel and will begin wrestling with the Bulldogs next year. Growing up with that kind of sibling rivalry, it is little wonder DeGain feels ready for a title shot.
(12/12/02 5:32am)
When you look at the Hoosier wrestling roster and see that Greg Schaefer is the only eligible senior, you realize that IU wrestling may be heading for the dreaded "rebuilding year," but the Hoosiers are not worried.\n"We have a few guys with really good experience," junior Coyte Cooper said. \nWhile it is true that the Hoosiers are leaning on a few upperclassmen like Cooper and Schaefer, it is a talented group of underclassmen led by freshman Joe Dubuque that shows the most promise.\nDubuque's breakthrough performance came during a tough weekend for IU. On a road trip to New Jersey to face Rider University and Rutgers University, the Hoosiers came home with a 0-2 record. Dubuque was one of the few bright spots for IU, as he won both of his matches including a pin at Rider.\n"Joey's an excellent wrestler, and his intensity carried him through a lot of situations," coach Duane Goldman said of Dubuque after the New Jersey trip.\nDubuque continued his winning ways the next week when the Hoosiers competed in the Northern Iowa Open. Dubuque performed well until an injury forced him to forfeit the third place bout and settle for fourth place. While there has been no official statement on the extent of the injury, Dubuque has been practicing this week and could be ready for IU's next meet against Missouri on Dec. 21. \nSince arriving at IU, Dubuque has had to adjust to the more physical Midwest style of wrestling compared to the finesse and technique game that is more common on the East Coast. But Dubuque, a two-time New Jersey state high school champion, has shown quick progress, compiling a 6-2 record in the 125-pound weight class. Despite a strong start, Dubuque is not content and has high goals for himself and the team. He remains confident that the team will compete despite a lack of experience. \n"We want to compete, and we're going to," Dubuque said. "We want to win some dual meets, gain some respect, and become a force to be reckoned with"
(12/06/02 5:15am)
IU wrestling coach Duane Goldman leads by example. In practice, he prefers to use a hands-on approach when teaching his athletes the sport. But last season Goldman was reduced to almost a spectator when he broke his pelvis in three places in a car accident at the beginning of the season.\n"We're not sure why he did, but a guy crossed the center line and ran into the side of our jeep," Goldman said, "It was a pretty painful deal." \nBut even a broken pelvis couldn't keep Goldman from the team's practices for long.\n"I was laid up for a little while, and then once I got on my feet I had to use a walker for a little while. I got on my walker and came down to the room and tried to lean against the wall and kind of did what I could," Goldman said. "But it affected for most of the year what I was able to do as far as demonstration and really becoming hands-on."\nGoldman said that for most of last season, he was not as active as he would have liked to be. Now that he is back at full health, he is ready to once again prepare his wrestlers.\nGoldman's biggest contribution to the team has been teaching the wrestlers how to be mentally tough, some of his athletes said. \n"I think he's a very mental coach," freshman Joe Dubuque said. "He really helped toughen me up as an athlete." \nJunior Coyte Cooper said Goldman brings an edge to practice. \n"(He brings) mental toughness, just staying focused, shake things off and not worry so much," Cooper said.\nOne reason the team buys into Goldman's approach is because it works. His approach to the sport helped him earn a national championship in the 190-pound weight class in his senior season at Iowa in 1986. During his tenure at Iowa, Goldman was an All-American, Big Ten finalist and NCAA qualifier all four years. \nSince taking over as coach of IU in 1992-93, Goldman has a 116-67-4 record. Under his tutelage, 47 Hoosiers have been NCAA qualifiers, nine have been All-Americans and one was a Big Ten champion.\nHaving a team that understands and accepts his hands-on, mental approach could be especially important for the young Hoosier team this year. \n"We have a lot of new faces," Goldman said. "We started five freshman last weekend, and we may start as many as six."\nEven though they are young, the Hoosiers appear to be catching on pretty quickly. Dubuque won the first two matches of the year on the team's New Jersey road trip last weekend, a breakout performance that led to him earning the No. 18 ranking at 125 pounds. Cooper is ranked eighth at 141 pounds and sophomore Pat DeGain ninth at 197. \nWith the contributions of his young athletes, Goldman said he believes the future of IU wrestling is bright. But he made no secret of his desire for his team to compete now. \n"Hopefully we can get it going this year as well," Goldman said.\nGoldman's approach has been proven effective before. Now with a talented but inexperienced Hoosier team, Goldman will try to prove that it will work again.
(12/06/02 5:14am)
After two disappointing losses last weekend in New Jersey, the IU wrestling team is looking to recover this Saturday at the Northern Iowa Open. This will be IU's second open tournament of the season. IU's first open tournament of the year, the Missouri Open, had over 500 wrestlers and nearly 25 schools participated. The 52nd annual UNI Open will be only slightly smaller with 300 wrestlers spanning Divisions I, II and III competing. Among them will be the University of Illinois. The Hoosiers encountered the Fighting Illini at the Missouri Open where the team seemed unstoppable, taking four of 10 weight class titles. \nBut the Hoosiers are finding plenty of positives to build on in preparation for Saturday and the rest of the season. Junior Coyte Cooper has been one of the biggest contributors to the team so far. Cooper holds the No. 8 ranking in the 141-pound weight class and earned second place in his weight class at the Missouri Open. \n"We just have to make sure we do what we do in practice," Cooper said.\nOne of the few bright spots for IU on the New Jersey trip was freshman Joe Dubuque. Dubuque went 2-0 on the trip including a pin at Rider on Nov. 30. Dubuque's breakout performance earned him the No. 18 ranking at 125-pounds this week. \n"We were pretty successful out at Missouri," Dubuque said. "We just have to get in a winning mindset."\nCoach Duane Goldman said he was disappointed with what happened in New Jersey. \n"We had hoped for a little better turnout. We definitely did not get any breaks or calls out there," Goldman said.\nBut as disappointed as Goldman was, he said he still believes his team can improve at Northern Iowa and for the rest of the year if they try to learn from the trip. \n"Hopefully, it was a learning experience," he said. \nGoldman said he knows that his team is young, but he pointed out that Dubuque and sophomore Pat DeGain, who won the 197-pound weight class at the Missouri Open and is ranked ninth at 197, have been performing well even though they have relatively little experience. \nGoldman said he thinks learning from what happened in New Jersey and using it as a foundation at Northern Iowa and for the rest of the year will get the team back on track and back in the win column. \n"It's never a positive thing as far as the win-loss column goes, but if we can learn something and become a better team from it then it will be worth it," Goldman said.
(11/22/02 5:17am)
After spending nearly two months practicing against each other in the IU wrestling room in the Assembly Hall basement, the wrestling team is eager to get the 2002-03 season underway this Sunday. The Hoosiers will travel to Columbia, Mo. this weekend to participate in the Missouri Open where they are eager to compete.\nDescribing his wrestlers as "ornery" after spending so much time practicing, coach Duane Goldman said his team wants to face some new challenges.\n"They're tired of practicing on each other," Goldman said. "We need competition." \nCompetition is one thing the Missouri Open promises to give the Hoosiers plenty of. The full day tournament is hosted by the Missouri Tigers who are ranked tenth in Division I. But the Tigers will not be the only team providing the Hoosiers with a challenge. Over 500 wrestlers will represent 25 schools in Columbia Sunday. Among them will be IU and eight other schools that were 2002 National Championship qualifiers. \nNo. 4 Oklahoma, No. 10 Missouri, No. 12 Illinois and No. 14 Central Michigan have been given preseason ranks and will send wrestlers to the third annual tournament. But the Hoosiers have earned preseason honors of their own. Senior Greg Schaefer, juniors Ty Matthews and Coyte Cooper and sophomore Pat DeGain have all been ranked in the top 20 in their respective weight classes by a number of publications. TheMat.com ranked Matthews No. 20 at heavyweight. Schaefer was ranked No. 14 by Amateur Wrestling News in the 125-pound weight class, but he has since been moved up to the 133-pound class. In the 141-pound weight class, Cooper is ranked tenth by AWN, eighth by The Wrestling Mall and ninth by W.I.N. Magazine. DeGain is ranked No. 16 at 197 pounds by W.I.N. Magazine and ninth by The Wrestling Mall.\nWhile the Hoosiers are happy to have these rankings, they are by no means dazzled to see their names in lights.\n"They're nice," Goldman said, "but I don't put much stock in them." \nGoldman said he does not want his team to be satisfied with just these rankings. \nDeGain and Cooper echoed their coach's sentiments. \n"It's nice to be ranked and recognized," Cooper said. But Cooper added he didn't put much stock in preseason rankings. \nDeGain also downplayed the importance of preseason rankings. \n"A ranking is a ranking," DeGain said. "It means more people are going to be ready (to face you)."\nOne thing is certain, ranked or not, the Hoosiers are eager to get out of the Assembly Hall basement and begin the new season.
(08/30/02 6:53am)
Experience counts.\nBut the men's and women's cross country teams hope to prove that it's not all that matters. Both Hoosier squads are counting on their young runners to to bring IU cross country to the limelight.\nBoasting a strong recruiting class that includes 2001 Indiana state champion Jessica Gall, three time all-state honoree Lindsay Hattendorf, two time all-state track honoree Jennifer Emley, and four-year varsity letter winner Kelly Siefker, the women's team is expecting to compete for the Big Ten title.\nCoach Judy Wilson is confident that her young runners' high school success will translate in Bloomington.\n"If we get all our ducks in a row and no one gets hurt," Wilson said, "I don't see why we can't finish in the top three in the Big Ten. Youth shouldn't be an excuse."\nEchoing Wilson's confidence in the young runners is junior Audrey Giesler.\nGiesler's two years of experience make her a leader for the younger corps. Giesler said she believes that she and the other juniors and seniors will not have to do much to motivate the younger runners. \n"They are very motivated," Giesler said. "We think they can make an immediate impact." \nToday the women's team will face a challenging South Florida team at the Indiana Open. Last season USF finished 31st in the nation and, this year, should provide a means for the women's team to gauge themselves. Wilson said she believes her team will be up to the task. \n"We should be able to run with the top 25," she said.\nOn the men's side, head coach Robert Chapman is also confident in his young team.\n"We have four redshirt freshmen who are all very talented," he said. "Three of them were high school All-Americans, and the fourth made the 1,500-meter finals at the Big Ten meet last year in track." \nIncluded in this group are three-time all-state honoree John Jefferson, his twin brother Sean Jefferson, who was 31st at the Foot Locker National Cross Country Championship as a junior, 1999 Footlocker finalist Stephan Haas, and Eric Redman who earned all-state honors in track and cross country his junior and senior years. \nIU starts the season as the 23rd ranked team in the country. This marks the third straight time IU has been ranked in the top 25. Chapman said he believes his young runners can help the team live up to this ranking. \n"(Our younger runners) need to run with the confidence and maturity that our older guys did when they were redshirt freshmen and we were 17th in the nation," Chapman said.\nToday the men will also run in the Indiana Open. But getting off to a good start at that race is not as important to Chapman as some of his team's other goals.\n"For us, it's more of a tune-up. A shake-out," Chapman said. "We have three championship meets in November. Those are the season for us"
