Indiana Wrestling Drops First Match 39-3 to Illinois

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana's season-opener didn't go as planned.

There was a lot of excitement with all the young talent on the Hoosiers' roster, but with a tough test in Illinois for the first match, the excitement quickly faded.

The Illini had no problem taking care of the Hoosiers, defeating them 39-3 in Wilkinson Hall.

Indiana head coach Angel Escobedo wasn't afraid to criticize his team after the performance.

"Today was not a great representation of this program and what we have been working on," Escobedo said. "It is frustrating and we need to look inside of ourselves. We have to change it and put it behind us."

Even though it has been a year since the Hoosiers last competed, Escobedo didn't want to use that as an excuse.

He said his team looked like "deer in highlights" when matched up against the Illini.

Illinois is one of the best wrestling programs in the Big Ten, and it had five national ranked wrestlers coming into Sunday's match, including four ranked in the top-15 of their respective weight classes.

Indiana's lone points of the day came from sophomore Donnell Washington. It was Washington's Big Ten debut, and he started the match fast with a four-point near fall.

He added a reversal later and ultimately won the 6-3 decision.

"Just to get that first win and that first match off my back feels good," Washington said. "I know for the team it didn’t go very well, but I know we have a really bright future here at Indiana."

Brock Hudkins and Nick Willham had close contests, but couldn't close the deal.

Hudkins is Indiana's highest ranked wrestler at No. 8, and he took on Illinois' Justin Cardani, who is ranked No. 22 in the 125-pound weight class. The two entered the third period tied 1-1, and Cardani came away with the 3-1 decision.

"The guy kept backing up and Brock was just being slow and methodical with him," Escobedo said. "He was kind of waiting around too much."

Indiana hasn't defeated Illinois in over 13 years. The schedule doesn't get much easier for the Hoosiers after this match either.

Indiana will be traveling to Ann Arbor next Sunday for a matchup with Michigan. Escobedo said the match against Illinois was "rock bottom" for the program, suggesting it will only go up from here.

"We need to move forward and go to Michigan," Escobedo said. "It doesn't get easier. It gets harder in the Big Ten. We have a lot of work to do to prove we belong here."

Indiana vs. Illinois Bout Scores

285: Luke Huffman (ILL) def. Jacob Bullock (IU) 11-3 major decision (IU 0, ILL 4)
125: #22 Justin Cardani (ILL) def. #8 Brock Hudkins (IU) 3-1 decision (IU 0, ILL 7)
133: Lucas Byrd (ILL) def. Cayden Rooks (IU) 14-5 major decision (IU 0, ILL 11)
141: #13 Dylan Duncan (ILL) fall Paul Konrath (IU) 6:18 (IU 0, ILL 17)
149: #7 Mike Carr (ILL) def. Luke Baughman (IU) major decision 16-5 (IU, ILL 21)
157: Johnny Mologousis (ILL) def. Jonathan Kervin (IU) major decision 10-0 (IU 0, ILL 25)
165: #11 Danny Braunagel (ILL) def. #24 Nick South (IU) technical fall 19-4, 6:48 (IU 0, ILL 30)
174: #25 Donnell Washington (IU) def. Trey Sizemore (ILL) 6-3 decision (IU 3, ILL 30)
184: #10 Zac Braunagel (ILL) fall Drayton Harris (IU) 6:02 (IU 3, ILL 36)
197: Matt Wroblewski (ILL) def. Nick Willham (IU) 5-4 decision (IU 3, ILL 39)

Exhibition Matches

125: Jacob Moran (IU) def. Josh Contreras (ILL) 3-2 decision
141: Danny Pucino (ILL) def. Jonathan Moran (IU) 14-6 major decision
165: Eddie Ordonez (ILL) def. Derek Gilcher (IU) 3-1 decision
174: DJ Shannon (ILL) def. Robert Deters (IU) 7-5 decision