Freshman fitting in for IU

Senior Ty Matthews and sophomore Pat DeGain have been two of the strongest performers on the IU wrestling team this year. Matthews is undefeated at 184 pounds and is ranked in the top ten. DeGain, at 197 pounds, has compiled a 27-3 record and has also earned a top ten ranking.\nBut injuries can strike anyone at anytime and when that happens, a reliable backup is needed. \nMatthews missed the Penn State meet with a bad knee and DeGain had to sit out the Purdue meet fighting a case of the flu. In both cases, the Hoosiers turned to freshman Andy Rios.\nRios' first test was filling in for Matthews against Penn State senior Mark Becks. Becks held the No. 4 ranking at 184 pounds, and, in a microcosm of the evening for the Hoosiers, Becks defeated Rios 9-3 as Penn State rolled 37-4. But, by facing tough competition on such short notice, Rios showed how capable he was.\n"I knew I was ready to go, my weight was down and I felt good," Rios said. "You always have to be ready because injuries can happen at anytime."\nRios got another chance against Purdue. With DeGain out, Rios had to fill in once more for the Hoosiers, this time at 197 pounds. And, this time, Rios came away with his first career Big Ten victory, defeating Purdue sophomore Bryan Kapp 12-3.\nRios, usually a 184-pounder was able to move up a weight class and outlasted Kapp, who outweighed him by about ten pounds.\n"Rios did a good job," coach Duane Goldman said. "He came in about ten pounds light, but Andy did well."\nRios is not about to unseat either Matthews or DeGain, who are still ranked among the top ten in their weight classes. But he is part of a group of underclassmen that has a significant upside and is given an example to follow by the few upperclassmen that are on the team.\n"We have a few guys with really good experience," junior Coyte Cooper said at the beginning of the season. "The older guys have done a really good job of leading."\nWhile the team does have a strong core of leaders in DeGain, Matthews, Cooper and senior Greg Schaefer,Goldman said the team is still young and wrestlers like Rios are using this season to gain experience.\n"We have a lot of good young talent," Goldman said at the start of the year. "It should be really exciting for the future"