Indiana Wrestling Tops No. 24 Northwestern 18-16 for First Win of Season
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Coming in to the weekend with an 0-2 record and two more ranked opponents on the horizon, Indiana wrestling was looking to make some noise in Evanston on Saturday.
Head coach Angel Escobedo told his team before the matches that it was all about showing up.
The Hoosiers started the day against No. 3 Penn State, a team that has historically dominated Indiana.
Indiana was able to find four wins against the Nittany Lions, coming from Jacob Moran, Graham Rooks, Donnell Washington and Nick Willham. Washington knocked off No. 5-ranked Carter Starocci with a 10-9 decision.
Penn State was able to pull off the overall win, but Indiana made it a close battle, losing 24-15. It was the most points Indiana has scored all season, and it was the most points Indiana has scored in a dual versus Penn State in 12 years.
"I thought we battled hard today," Escobedo said. "We were a little outmatched against Penn State but we found a way to win some matches and make it close. I told our guys it's about showing up."
Indiana used some of the momentum it created against Penn State and carried it over to No. 24 Northwestern later in the day.
The match with the Wildcats came down the wire. The two teams were trading blows, and it came down to Indiana's Jacob Bullock versus Northwestern's Brendan Devine in the 285-pound weight class.
Northwestern was leading Indiana 16-15 heading into this final bout, so whoever pulled out the win would put their respective team over the top.
Bullock and Devine were knotted at 2-2 in the second period, and Bullock almost secured to a pin to end the match. Instead, Bullock got a four-point near fall, which gave him enough separation in the match.
Bullock defeated Devine by an 8-2 decision, giving Indiana its first win of the season, knocking off Northwestern 18-16.
Bullock was one of five Hoosiers to win their match, joining Washington, who went 2-0 on the day, Cayden Rooks, Matt Ortiz and Nick South.
"We carried that momentum on to the Northwestern dual," Escobedo said. "I thought DJ had a big day today and he still has room to grow. He is exciting to watch."
The victory over Northwestern was Indiana's first of the season. The Hoosiers are now 1-3 overall with a quad meet against Michigan State, Nebraska and Rutgers coming up on Feb. 6 at Wilkinson Hall.
Escobedo has been very pleased with the week-to-week improvement from his team since the season has started.
"I always preach attitude and effort and I added to that scoring points," Escobedo said. "It's important to have a mindset that no matter how much time is on the clock you have to always make the most of it and I thought our guy did that today."
Indiana vs. Penn State Bout Scores
- 125: Jacob Moran (IU) wins by forfeit (IU 6, PSU 0)
- 133: #3 Roman Bravo-Young (PSU) def. Kyle Luigs (IU) decision 11-8 (IU 6, PSU 3)
- 141: #2 Nick Lee (PSU) def. Cayden Rooks (IU) 16-1 technical fall (IU 6, PSU 8)
- 149: #15 Graham Rooks (IU) def. #10 Jarod Verkleeren (PSU) decision 4-2 (IU 9, PSU 8)
- 157: #11 Brady Berge (PSU) def. Matt Ortiz (IU) decision 5-2 (IU 9, PSU 11)
- 165: #6 Joe Lee (PSU) def. #25 Nick South (IU) decision 8-4 (IU 9, PSU 14)
- 174: #32 Donnell Washington (IU) def. #5 Carter Starocci (PSU) decision 10-9 (IU 12, PSU 14)
- 184: #3 Aaron Brooks (PSU) def. Drayton Harris (IU) major decision 18-5 (IU 12, PSU 18)
- 197: #30 Nick Willham (IU) def. Levko Higgins (PSU) decision 10-3 (IU 15, PSU 18)
- 285: Seth Nevills (PSU) def. Rudy Streck (IU) fall (IU 15, PSU 24)
Indiana vs. Northwestern Bout Scores
- 125: #7 Michael DeAugustino (NU) def. Jacob Moran (IU) decision 5-3 (IU 0, NU 3)
- 133: #23 Chris Cannon (NU) def. Kyle Luigs (IU) decision 12-10 (IU 0, NU 6)
- 141: Cayden Rooks (IU) def. Colin Valdiviez (NU) decision 5-3 OT (IU 3, NU 6)
- 149: #11 Yahya Thomas (NU) def. #15 Graham Rooks (IU) decision 8-4 (IU 3, NU 9)
- 157: Matt Ortiz (IU) def. Maxx Mayfield (NU) decision 8-3 (IU 6, NU 9)
- 165: #25 Nick South (IU) def. David Ferrante (NU) decision 8-4 (IU 9, NU 9)
- 174: #32 Donnell Washington (IU) def. Troy Fisher (NU) fall (IU 15, NU 9)
- 184: Jack Jessen (NU) def. Drayton Harris (IU) decision 3-2 (IU 15, NU 12)
- 197: #5 Lucas Davison (NU) def. #30 Nick Willham (IU) major decision 10-2 (IU 15, NU 16)
- 285: Jacob Bullock (IU) def. Brendan Devine (NU) decision 8-2 (IU 18, NU 16)