No. 13 Hoosiers remain perfect on season

On Saturday afternoon, the wrestling team got exactly the performance it was looking for heading into a two-and-a-half-week break from competition.

The Hoosiers took down Eastern Michigan 30-6 and SIU Edwardsville 50-0 at the F.I.T.E. Duals in Oak Lawn, Ill. The 50-0 defeat of SIU Edwardsville marked the second time this year the Hoosiers have recorded a shutout. They also tallied one against Wabash with a 45-0 defeat on Nov. 17.

“We knew that we were going to have some pretty tough matches against Eastern,” IU coach Duane Goldman said. “To come back from Vegas and wrestle the way we did was good for us.”

Only two Hoosiers suffered losses on Saturday, improving their record to 8-0 on the year. The No. 13 Hoosiers have been fortunate enough to have very few injuries this year, but one of those hurt this year was junior Kurt Kinser (157 pounds).

Kinser has been plagued with a knee injury that has sidelined him for the last few matches but was able to respond well on Saturday, shutting out Eastern Michigan’s Aaron Sulzer 6-0. The No. 9-ranked Kinser continued his dominance in his second match of the day, where he pinned SIUE’s Nick Jones in 3:36.

Goldman stressed the importance of getting Kinser back and healthy for the rest of the season.

“Kurt is one of the leaders of this team,” Goldman said. “It’s nice to get that type of individual back in the lineup because he brings a sense of security and confidence to this team.”

No. 6 heavyweight Nate Everhart improved his undefeated record to 16-0. Everhart continued his senior campaign with a 12-3 defeat of EMU’s David Wade and a 20-5 technical fall of SIUE’s David Devine.

Currently, Everhart’s 16-0 record has made him the top-ranked heavyweight in the Big Ten.

Everhart said his start to the season has improved his outlook on the mat.
“I definitely have more confidence in my wrestling,” Everhart said. “I’ve been physically getting after it and pushing my intensity.”

With Everhart and the rest of the 8-0 Hoosiers wrestling quality matches, the 17-day layoff is not coming at the best time for this squad.

While the Hoosiers are now faced with their longest competition break of the season, Goldman will make sure that his team keeps its focus.

Goldman admitted that although his team has an unblemished record, there are still many aspects in which he feels they need to get better.

“We’re going to take this time and improve on things that we’re doing well and continue to move forward in all phases,” Goldman said.