Two Top-10 Foes on Docket for #21 Hoosiers

Jan. 9, 2014

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The grind of Big Ten Wrestling continues this weekend as the 21st-ranked Hoosiers (7-2, 0-1) face another pair of top-10 opponents on the road, making trips to #8/8 Nebraska (6-0, 1-0) and #2/3 Iowa (8-1, 2-0) on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Both conference duals can be viewed live online via the Big Ten Digitial Network on HoosiersTV at IUHoosiers.com.

PROBABLE LINEUPS
INDIANA
125 lbs - Joe Duca (8-6)
133 lbs - Chris Caton (11-10) or Kyle Springer (4-4)
141 lbs - #30 Ethan Raley (23-7)
149 lbs - #32 Eric Roach (14-7)
157 lbs - #4 Taylor Walsh (26-1)
165 lbs - #24 Ryan LeBlanc (27-7)
174 lbs - Nate Jackson (7-7) or Matt Irick (7-1)
184 lbs - #15 Luke Sheridan (23-5)
197 lbs - Garret Goldman (10-11)
285 lbs - #5 Adam Chalfant (16-1)

NEBRASKA
125 lbs - #9 Tim Lambert (14-5)
133 lbs - #26 Colton McCrystal (11-5) or Ben Morgan (13-7)
141 lbs - Adam Joseph (7-6)
149 lbs - #4 Jake Sueflohn (19-3)
157 lbs - #3 James Green (19-0)
165 lbs - #14 Austin Wilson (15-5)
174 lbs - #4 Robert Kokesh (21-1) or Micah Barnes (5-1)
184 lbs - #13 TJ Dudley (18-3) 197 lbs - #33 Spencer Johnson (21-7), #17 Caleb Kolb (5-1) or Aaron Stuebaker (19-5)
285 lbs - #25 Collin Jensen (15-8) 

IOWA
125 lbs - Cory Clark (12-0) or #3 Thomas Gilman (12-2)
133 lbs - #3 Tony Ramos (15-2)
141 lbs - #9 Josh Dziewa (17-3)
149 lbs - #15 Brody Grothus (17-5) or Michael Kelly (10-4)
157 lbs - #1 Derek St. John (19-0)
165 lbs - #5 Nick Moore (11-2)
174 lbs - #6 Mike Evans (18-1)
184 lbs - #4 Ethen Lofthouse (16-2)
197 lbs - #13 Nathan Burak (5-2)
285 lbs - #3 Bobby Telford (13-1)

Complete Match Notes

KIND OF A B1G DEAL
Hoosier heavyeight Adam Chalfant picked up Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors this week after dominating 2nd-ranked Mike McMullan with three takedowns and three near-fall points while limiting the Wildcat to four escape points.

He is the second Hoosier to earn the conference recognition this season after 157-pounder Taylor Walsh got the nod following his four-pin championship performance during the season-opening Clarion Open.

PIN KING - Taylor Walsh
• Has already set the all-time IU record with 23 pins (previous record: 19 by Rod Chambelin in 1981)
• 23 pins lead the nation 
• Ranks 2nd in school history with 44 career falls (47, Viktor Sveda; 1998-2002)
• Pinned at least four foes in all four tournaments
• Recorded a 15-bout consecutive pinning streak

NATIONALLY-RANKED HOOSIERS
Six Hoosiers are ranked amongst the country's elite this week:
#4 Taylor Walsh (157 lbs)
#5 Adam Chalfant (285 lbs)
#5 Luke Sheridan (184 lbs)
#24 Ryan LeBlanc (165 lbs)
#30 Ethan Raley (141 lbs)
#32 Eric Roach (149 lbs)

BIG TEN DOING BIG THINGS
As a conference, the Big Ten is a combined 62-11 in 73 non-conference duals during the 2013-14 campaign, good for a 84.9 winning percentage. Ten B1G schools can be found in the most recent USA Today Coaches Poll Top-25 and Intermat's Top-25 this week.

STOCKPILING WINS
The first four slots of the Big Ten's overall wins list are filled by Hoosiers. Ryan LeBlanc not only leads the conference with 27 wins, but also paces all of Division-I wrestling (his 10 major decisions are also tops in the country). LeBlanc is followed in the B1G overall wins rankings by teammates Taylor Walsh (26, 2nd nationally), Ethan Raley (23, t-10th) and Luke Sheridan (22, t-10th).

FRIENDLY CONFINES OF U-GYM
• IU is 7-1 in home dual matches
• IU's 46-0 blanking of VMI is its first D-I shutout since besting Clarion 49-0 on Jan. 18, 2009
• IU's 52-0 win over Manchester is its largest margin of victory since topping Manchester 58-0 during the 2008-09 season
• Walsh, LeBlanc, Sheridan and Chalfant have yet to lose at home this season

KEYSTONE CLASSIC RUNNER-UPS
Hoosier Wrestling placed second at the 2013 Keystone Classic, besting three Top-25 teams in the final standings. Indiana's strong performance came on the b ack of four individual finalists, including tournament champions Ethan Raley (141 lbs) and Taylor Walsh (157 lbs). In addition, runner-ups Luke Sheridan (184 lbs) and Adam Chalfant (285 lbs) also reached the finals. Joe Duca (125 lbs) and Ryan LeBlanc (165 lbs) each placed fifth in their respective weight classes.

SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE
Hoosier wrestling is active in the social media world. Up-to-the-minute news, team notes, live match results and much more can be found by following @IUWrestling1 on Twitter. In addition, `like' the team's official Facebook page by searching "Indiana University Wrestling."

Four-time IU All-American & national champion Angel Escobedo's pursuit for Olympic Gold in Rio (2016) can be tracked on the Twitterverse as well, follow @driven2dominate.