#20 Indiana Drops Contest to #18 Wisconsin, 23-12

Jan. 24, 2014

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Three Hoosiers were victorious Friday night during #20 Indiana's 23-12 defeat to #18 Wisconsin. Ryan LeBlanc, Adam Chalfant and Alonzo Shepherd each had their hands raised after triumphant efforts.

Indiana's first win of the evening came at 165 pounds, the third bout of the dual. LeBlanc tallied a pair of first period takedowns and escaped quickly to start the second stanza, jumping out to a 5-1 lead. He then had to hold on as Frank Cousins mounted a furious comeback and evened the tally at 6-6 late in the third period. With LeBlanc's riding time bonus point guaranteed at that point, Cousins kicked him out immediately after the bout-tying takedown. LeBlanc then successfully fended off several shot attempts in the final seconds to earn a hard-fought 8-6 decision.

It marked win number 29 on the season for LeBlanc, good for a top-5 total in the country. He is now just 10 wins shy of cracking the all-time IU top-10 for season victories.

After the next three bouts were decided by a total of seven points and each going in favor of Wisconsin, Chalfant regained Indiana's momentum in a big way. Facing 10th-ranked Connor Medberry, Chalfant bulldozed the Badger straight to his back and finished off the pin in just under two minutes. The Hoosier heavyweight is now 5-1 versus top-10 foes this season, 9-1 vs. nationally-ranked adversaries and 19-2 overall.

Shepherd made it back-to-back IU wins with a 4-1 decision at 125 pounds, pulling the Hoosiers to within 15-12 on the team scoreboard. Shepherd fired off a fruitful shot in the opening minute for a takedown. A wild scramble ensued as Wisconsin's Matt Cavallaris narrowly missed out on a reversal. From there, Shepherd latched on and accumulated over three and half minutes of riding time the remainder of the bout. He peeled off his redshirt to get the start and made it worthwhile with his first career Big Ten win. 

COMPELTE RESULTS
Indiana 12, Wisconsin 23
149 lbs - Ryan Lubeck (UW) dec. #32 Eric Roach (IU), 4-2 (SV2); Team Score: 0-3
157 lbs - #7 Isaac Jordan (UW) dec. #4 Taylor Walsh (IU), 2-1; TS: 0-6
165 lbs - #20 Ryan LeBlanc (IU) dec. Frank Cousins (UW), 8-6; TS: 3-6
174 lbs - #28 Scott Liegel (UW) dec. Matt Irick (IU), 6-2; TS: 3-9
184 lbs - #19 Jackson Hein (UW) dec. #17 Luke Sheridan(IU), 3-2; TS: 3-12
197 lbs - #30 Timmy McCall (UW) dec. Garret Goldman(IU), 4-2; TS: 3-15
285 lbs - #4 Adam Chalfant (IU) pins #10 Connor Medberry (UW), 1:53; TS: 9-15
125 lbs - Alonzo Shepherd (IU), dec. Matt Cavallaris (UW), 4-1; TS: 12-15
133 lbs - #5 Tyler Graff (UW) tech falls Chris Caton (IU), 19-4; TS: 12-20
141 lbs - #33 Jesse Thielke (UW) dec. Trevor Moody (IU), 10-4; TS: 12-23

The Cream and Crimson return to University Gym next Friday night (Jan. 31) when the Purdue Boilermakers come to town for a 7 pm dual match.