Hoosiers sweep weekend match

The IU wrestling team finally got a win Friday night after dropping its previous six matches. The Hoosiers dominated Eastern Illinois in a 31-9 victory.\nThe win was the Hoosiers' first at home this season. IU took an early 13-0 lead and never looked back. IU has defeated Eastern Illinois (2-11) nine consecutive times.\nFreshman Pat DeGain started off the match with a major decision over Eastern Illinois' Jim Kassner. Junior Ty Matthews made his return to the Hoosier lineup to record a win at heavyweight. It was Matthews' first match since early January. \n"I think all in all we looked real good," head coach Duane Goldman said. "It's a different step from Big Ten opponents, but the intensity we wrestled at was Big Ten level."\nJunior Greg Schaefer continued the point-earnings by getting a pin in 2:21 over Dexter Wright. Sophomore Coyte Cooper also picked up a pin. \n"I think as a whole, as the season went on, we seemed to get better," Cooper said. "If we continue to do that, it will help us out. It's good to get a win. It's been a while. It's good to get a win for the fans that come out."\nFreshman Rocky Mantella used a last-second takedown to get a victory, and sophomore Alex LaPointe won 2-1 in two overtimes. Senior Viktor Sveda finished out the night by winning his final home match in an injury default.\n"I think how well the weekend goes is more important than how tonight went," DeGain said. "The most important thing is the intensity level."\nIU started a small winning streak Sunday when it knocked off Northwestern in Evanston, Ill. The Hoosiers (10-11, 1-7 Big Ten) controlled the entire match and recorded two pins, a technical fall and a major decision on their way to winning 36-3. Northwestern (7-13, 0-8) managed just one win on the day. \nJunior Jason Bader started the day by recording a win, his first ever in the Big Ten. Sophomore Steve Amy picked up his first Big Ten pin against the Wildcats' Josh Ballard. DeGain got the second pin for his second victory of the weekend. Schaefer, Cooper, LaPointe, Sveda and Matthews also picked up their second wins on the weekend. \nSenior Brian Smiley also went out a winner in his final Big Ten match.\nIU has two weeks to prepare for the Big Ten Championships. The tournament will take place in Champaign, Ill., March 9-10.