IU faces Manchester in 1st match

The IU wrestling season is just around the corner. With the first match scheduled for 7 p.m. today against Manchester, IU Coach Duane Goldman has put his team to hard work.

“We’ve been working pretty hard, but this first match, making weight for the first time and all that, it’s kind of going to be a test to see just how they respond to just a few weeks of training and making weight for the first time,” Goldman said.

Although the team has been training hard, it hasn’t had much time to do so, with NCAA rules banning training before Oct. 10.

Because of this rule, players have had to change the way they train.
Thursday’s match will be one of the determining factors in lineup composition for the rest of the season, given how little practice the team has had thus far.

Along with less training time, the team is also extremely young, Goldman said.

“Our team last year was pretty freshmen-dominated,” he said. “So this year, we are still young. We have a lot of sophomores and freshmen and some juniors. We are a fairly young team again, but with a lot of returning faces.”

Along with the youth of the team, there is always the question of which athlete will fill each weight class. Goldman said he is prepared to use what will be the anticipated lineup.

Based on the outcome and performance of the Manchester match and upcoming tournaments, Goldman said he will have a much better idea of where each athlete stands for each weight class.

Another telling factor of the success of the team will be in the talent of newcomers, Goldman said.

“We have one freshman that could potentially crack the lineup this year,” Goldman said. “We also have some freshmen that were redshirted last year that will potentially be in the lineup, with Eric Roach at 141 and Garret Goldman at 197.”

Considering these factors, IU wrestling is expected to perform with vigor and purpose come the first match against Manchester, Goldman said. He said he expects each athlete to perform in a tough and aggressive manner.

Goldman said he expects his team to show improvement from the previous year and maturity.

Following the match against Manchester, IU wrestling will be on the road to compete in the Hokie Open in Blacksburg, Va.