Indiana Wrestling Defeats Maryland 27-13 on Senior Day

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — For first time all season, Indiana came out and created momentum right off the bat.

It was redshirt freshman Jacob Moran who got things going for the Hoosiers against Maryland on Sunday afternoon. Moran was able to pin Zach Spence and give Indiana an early 6-0 lead in the match.

It was Moran's first-career pin.

"It's great when you start out at 125 (weight class) and have a pin," head coach Angel Escobedo said. "That momentum carries."

And it did carry for the Hoosiers after that. Senior Kyle Luigs, who wrestled in his final match in Wilkinson Hall, was able to get a victory over Jackson Cockrell, pinning him in two minutes and 26 seconds.

It was Luigs' third-career pin.

"It means a lot," Luigs said. "It's been a long time coming. It was my last match here, I knew I had to put it all out there, and it meant a lot to me."

Luigs' pin allowed Indiana to jump out to a 12-0 lead, and it gave Indiana a nice cushion heading into the other eight bouts.

"It was awesome to see those pins to help propel this team," Escobedo said.

Graham Rooks, Nick South, Donnell Washington and Rudy Streck were the other Hoosiers who were able to secure victories on Sunday, which led to Indiana's 27-13 win over Maryland.

The 27 points for Indiana is their most in a Big Ten match since they beat Maryland 36-3 on Jan. 13, 2019 in the first match in Wilkinson Hall.

"I think they're starting to believe a lot more," Escobedo said. "Winning does help with the belief process. I thought the guys were attacking a lot more. They still need to work on finishing, but they were attacking a lot more. We're progressing as a team."

With the win, Indiana is now 2-5 on the season and will have one final regular season match before competing in the Big Ten Championships in early March.

Up next, the Hoosiers travel to Purdue for a televised match on the Big Ten Network on Monday, Feb. 22, at 8 p.m. ET.

"We have to build off of this and head to Purdue," Escobedo said.

Indiana vs. Maryland Bouts

125: Jacob Moran (IU) def. Zach Spence (UMD) fall 1:08 (IU 6, UMD 0)
133: Kyle Luigs (IU) def. Jackson Cockrell (UMD) fall 2:26 (IU 12, UMD 0)
141: Danny Bertoni (UMD) def. Cayden Rooks (IU) 6-1 decision (IU 12, UMD 3)
149: #14 Graham Rooks (IU) def. Hunter Baxter (UMD) 6-2 decision (IU 15, UMD 3)
157: Michael Doetsch (UMD) def. Jonathan Kervin (IU) 6-2 decision (IU 15, UMD 6)
165: #24 Nick South (IU) def. Jonathan Spadafora (UMD) 3-1 TB2 (IU 18, UMD 6)
174: #6 Donnell Washington (IU) def. Philip Spadafora (UMD) fall 0:16 (IU 24, UMD 6)
184: Kyle Cochran (UMD) def. Drayton Harris (IU) 10-0 major decision (IU 24, UMD 10)
197: Jaron Smith (UMD) def. #28 Nick Willham (IU) 5-3 decision (IU 24, UMD 13)
285: Rudy Streck (IU) def. Garrett Kappes (UMD) 3-1 SV1 (IU 27, UMD 13)