Everhart completes IU comeback against American to stay perfect

IU senior wrestler Nate Everhart showed on Saturday why he is on the shortlist of contenders for a heavyweight national championship.

With the Hoosiers on the brink of their first loss all season - down 22-18 going into the final match against American University - Everhart would need to record a tech fall or a pin for the win.

The No. 2 ranked Everhart stepped up to the challenge. Everhart recorded a tech fall in the third period, capping off the Hoosiers’ come-from-behind, 23-22 win in their closest dual of the season.

Coming into Saturday, the Hoosiers had failed to allow double-digit points in a dual, resulting in their perfect 9-0 record. The Hoosiers appeared to be heading in the right direction after No. 1 Angel Escobedo won on a major decision 13-5 at 125 pounds.

Little did the Hoosiers know that this was the last time they would have the lead until the final match. The Hoosiers dropped the next four matches to fall to a 17-4 deficit.
The last defeat of those four came at the hands of No. 7 Kurt Kinser at 157 pounds.

Coming into the day, the premiere matchup was Kinser taking on American’s Sean Fittery, who ranks No. 4 nationally at 157 pounds.

The matchup failed to live up to its billing, as Fittery delivered takedown after takedown en route to a surprising 17-1 tech fall. The loss took the air out of the IU crowd at University Gym because, for the first time all season, the Hoosiers were being dominated.

However, the quiet mood would not last long.  

Junior Paul Young, who came into the match ranked No. 13 at 165 pounds, came up big for the Hoosiers. Young recorded a pin against American’s Tanner Shaffer in the first period to get the Hoosiers back in the match.

“The most important thing for me was not getting wrapped up in the match before,” Young said. “I was pumped up for sure and I knew it was important to get the team amped up.”

With Young’s pin, the Hoosiers rallied to within four points heading into the final match.

The final matchup could not have fared any better for IU. With his experience, Everhart understood what he needed to get done.

“I knew that I only had a short period to rack up a lot of points,” Everhart said. “It’s definitely an advantage to have that experience.”

The tech fall in the third period gave the Hoosiers a nail-biting win that was unconventional for this team.

A 44-4 victory against Cleveland State in the latter part of the dual improved the Hoosiers to 11-0 heading into their showdown at No. 21 Wisconsin on Friday.

While the Hoosiers came out with two wins Saturday, IU coach Duane Goldman knows close calls will not cut it in Big Ten play.

“It was good that we were able to get wins in a bind,” Goldman said. “But the hard part is that we lost the playbill matchups.”