Family Matters

Redshirt freshman Andrae Hernandez has been a reliable starter for the IU wrestling team in the 133-pound division this season, jumping out to a 21-5 record, including a 9-2 record in dual competition. His backup, freshman Angel Escobedo, is a familiar face to him.\nThat's because they're cousins. \nBut the Hoosier family ties don't end there. Their cousin, Jose Escobedo, is also a redshirt freshman for the No. 15 Hoosiers, backing up defending national champion Joe Dubuque in the 125-pound division. All three cousins also wrestled together at Griffith High School in Griffith, Ind.\nThe family ties to wrestling also extend beyond IU. They have another cousin, Daniel Bedoy, who is a sophomore wrestler at Purdue University. On top of that, Hernandez's brother, Rene, was a Purdue wrestler who graduated last year. Despite the strong ties that the family had with IU's in-state rival, coach Duane Goldman was able to convince the cousins to wrestle for his program. Hernandez was the first to break the family tradition, and his cousins followed suit.\n"I decided when I came on my visit," Hernandez said. "That was a real big change, not going to Purdue and coming here, but it was probably the best decision."\nSoon after Hernandez committed to IU, Jose followed him, but his decision wasn't based solely on his cousin's.\n"That was part of it because we kind of wanted to stay together," Escobedo said. "But I was also looking at what fit me best, so I decided to come here."\nWhen it came time for Angel to choose a school one year later, he already had the list narrowed down to IU and Purdue, since he had a lot of family at both schools. He picked IU.\n"I chose Indiana because I wanted to come here for the business school, and also because I wanted to be close to my family," he said.\nGoldman said he was certainly glad that he was able to get all three of them to choose his program over Purdue's.\n"There was a time that it looked like Andrae might end up there," Goldman said. "But we continued to recruit him and we wanted him and needed him and it all worked out well. We're thrilled to have him. The fact that Jose and Angel have decided to come here as well is equally great."\nGoldman said that he likes the fact that each one makes sure that the others work hard.\n"They all challenge each other to get better," the coach said. "There's a lot of friendly rivalry between them. It's good because it keeps them all competitive."\nBut the competitiveness between them doesn't stop once they step off the mat. \n"We're a pretty competitive family," Hernandez said. "When everyone gets together, they talk about what they've done and what their accomplishments are. But, I mean, now it's just what school is better: Indiana or Purdue."\nWhen they do brag about individual accomplishments, it's Angel who wins. He compiled a 174-1 overall record when he wrestled for Griffith, where he was a four-time state champion. But that doesn't mean his cousins are empty-handed when it comes to accomplishments. Hernandez was a two-time state champion, and Jose was a 2004 state champion. \nAll three of the cousins have freshman eligibility and Angel will redshirt this season, so they will all be around the program for a few more years, which is just fine with Goldman.\n"It helps you sleep a little better at night knowing that you have kids like that for the future of your program," he said.\nWhile Hernandez is the only starter for the team this season, the other two cousins also hope to get a chance to wrestle more next season. \n"Hopefully next year," Jose said about his chance to start for the Hoosiers. "I can't complain though because I'm behind the national champ."\nAngel said that his mentors this year will help him in the future.\n"I'm just trying to learn as much as I can, grasp onto everything I can learn from my cousin, Andrae, cause he's wrestling now, and also Joey (Dubuque) because he's the national champ so he has experience," Angel said.\nBut most of all, the cousins want to make sure they leave their family name on the program.\n"I want everyone in my family to do well," Hernandez said. "Next year, hopefully (Jose) will step in to start and Angel also. I'd just like our family name to be well-known both here at Indiana and throughout the country"