Hoosiers victorious in season opener

Kicking off the season with a win, IU wrestling defeated Manchester at home 44-12. The night consisted of solid performances from all weight classes, including six pins and multiple takedowns.

Aiding the Hoosiers during their quest for the win, freshman Eric Roach proved dominant at the 141 position. Roach’s performance pushed IU ahead with a 17-4 win against Manchester’s Johnny Tullos early in the match.

“My performance was alright,” Roach said. “You know, it’s the first time getting down to weight, so things are going to be a little difficult at first, but as the year goes on, things will get better.”  

However, the longest matchup of the night came at the heavyweight position, where No. 16 nationally-ranked junior Adam Chalfant took Manchester’s Jimmie King to three periods. With a 20-8 victory against King, Chalfant, the win capped off the victory for the Hoosiers.

Although the Hoosiers started the season with a win, they might face a loss with one of their young athletes. Starting at the 197 weight class, freshman Garret Goldman faced a tough competitor with Manchester’s Ray Wajda, only accomplishing one takedown. Leading 8-0 after the first period, Goldman went down after only completing 22 seconds of match time. Goldman was forced to take an injury default. Along with Goldman’s injury, the Hoosiers suffered another blow at the 149 position, with junior Mitchell Richey suffering a shoulder injury.

“Garret Goldman, I’m not exactly sure what he did to his knee, but he seemed to have injured it pretty badly,” Chalfant said. “Mitchell Richey has been having shoulder problems for a while, and I want to say that he dislocated his shoulder out there, but I’m sure both of those guys will come back and be able to heal from that, and push hard through the end of the year.”

Even though the team faced injuries during its first match, all of the athletes and IU Coach Duane Goldman said they are now looking to improve moving forward.

“We need to open up,” Goldman said. “I think that it was the first time making weight, and they were a little tight, and they are young guys. They just need to open up.”

Goldman said while he thought the team wrestled well, there is still room for improvement.

The next matchup the Hoosiers face is the Hokie Open in Blacksburg, Va. There will be as many as 17 athletes that have the chance of seeing mat time. The tournament is scheduled for a 9 a.m. Sunday.