Indiana Wrestling Drops Road Match to No. 3 Michigan 32-6
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — After last week's disappointing season-opener, head coach Angel Escobedo saw improvement from his team in Ann Arbor on Sunday.
Against the No. 3-ranked Wolverines, Indiana was able to take two matches and be a lot more competitive on the mat.
Nick Willham was the first Hoosier to get points on the board. He was wrestling Michigan's Andrew Davison, and the match was tied 2-2 in the third after a Willham escape.
Willham was able to come out on top with the 4-2 decision.
"Nick defended a hard shot at the end and looked for his opportunity to score points," Escobedo said.
The second Hoosier to score points was Asa Garcia. Garcia got out to a quick start, holding an 8-2 lead after just the first period. He went on to defeat Michigan's Jack Medley with an 11-6 decision.
It marked Garcia's first victory in an Indiana uniform.
"You know Asa went out there right away and started scoring points," Escobedo said.
Grit was the word Escobedo used to describe the victories from Garcia and Willham, which were the only two victories from Indiana on the day.
“Both guys just stayed in the match," Escobedo said. "They were gritty."
Brock Hudkins, who is ranked No. 12 in the 125-pound weight class, lost a tight match to Michigan's No. 10 Dylan Ragusin.
Hudkins was up 4-3 heading into the final period, but he wasn't able to close the deal as Ragusin won with a 6-4 decision. This is the second-straight close match that Hudkins has lost. Escobedo believes he will be just fine despite starting the season 0-2.
“He’s just still trying to get it back from last year, taking that whole year off with that knee injury, but it seems like it’s coming,” Escobedo said. “His time is coming.”
Donnell Washington, who was the lone victor against Illinois a week ago, had a tough outing in Ann Arbor. Entering this week, Washington got ranked No. 28 in the 174-pound weight class, but he was taking on Logan Massa, who is ranked No. 2.
Massa was able to get the pin on Washington, getting the Wolverines six more points on the board.
Escobedo said he didn't think Washington ever got his offense going and he let Massa overwhelm him too much.
Indiana was defeated 32-6 in the match and fell to 0-2 on the season. Michigan improved to 3-0 with the win.
Indiana's next match will come on Saturday, Jan. 30, when the Hoosiers take on Northwestern and Penn State in Evanston, Ill. Overall, Escobedo was pleased with the desire to compete compared to last week's Illinois loss.
“We’re getting better and better at competing,” Escobedo said. “We’re shaking off the rust and I can see it.”
Indiana vs. Michigan Bout Scores
- 165: #16 Cameron Amine (MICH) def. #26 Nick South (IU) 8-3 decision (IU 0, MICH 3)
- 174: #2 Logan Massa (MICH) def. #28 Donnell Washington (IU) fall at 6:38 (IU 0, MICH 9)
- 184: Jaden Bullock (MICH) def. Drayton Harris (IU) tech fall 16-0/3:48 (IU 0, MICH 14)
- 197: Nick Willham (IU) def. Andrew Davison (MICH) 4-2 decision (IU 3, MICH 14)
- 285: #2 Mason Parris (MICH) def. Rudy Streck (IU) fall at 2:06 (IU 3, MICH 20)
- 125: #10 Dylan Ragusin (MICH) def. Brock Hudkins (IU) 6-4 decision (IU 3, MICH 23)
- 133: Asa Garcia (IU) def. Jack Medley (MICH) 11-6 decision (IU 6, MICH 23)
- 141: Drew Mattin (MICH) def. Kyle Luigs (IU) 11-6 decision (IU 6, MICH 26)
- 149: #6 Kanen Storr (MICH) def. Luke Baughman (IU) 5-2 decision (IU 6, MICH 29)
- 157: #8 Will Lewan (MICH) def. Matt Ortiz (IU) 8-3 decision (IU 6, MICH 32)
Exhibition Matches
- 157: Fidel Mayora (MICH) def. Jonathan Kervin (IU) 6-2 decision
- 125: Jacob Moran (IU) def. Kurt McHenry (MICH) 4-1 decision
- 141: Pat Nolan (MICH) def. Nico Bolivar (IU) 4-1 decision
- 165: Layne Van Anrooy (MICH) def. Derek Gilcher (IU) 7-3 decision
- 174: Max Maylor (MICH) def. Robert Deters (IU) 12-0 major decision
- 285: Luke Ready (MICH) def. Jacob Bullock (IU) 5-3 decision
- 157: Jonathan Kervin (IU) def. Ameen Hamdan (MICH) 5-2 decision