IU to partake as hosts in Hoosier Duals Saturday

With several tournaments and matches under their belts, IU wrestlers will return to University Gym to face SIU-Edwardsville, Bucknell and Gardner-Webb in the Hoosier Duals.

The Hoosiers come off a successful Keystone Classic tournament in which junior Adam Chalfant won the heavyweight title and four others placed.

Though the Hoosiers have been in the individual-style tournament mindset, IU Coach Duane Goldman is looking for his wrestlers to adjust to the dual meet style and step it up in these upcoming matches.

“I think on an individual level, there are some highs and lows,” Goldman said. “We saw some weights that were struggling, so in a dual meet situation, where everybody counts, we need some other guys to pick up the pace so we have guys that can wrestle to their full potential, and those are really the ones that affect you in a dual meet situation.”

With a fifth-place finish out of 15 schools at the Keystone Classic, Goldman said there is still room for improvement that he would like to see before wrestling action begins Saturday morning.

“We need to wrestle harder,” Goldman said. “We have some guys that are doing a really good job, but to be honest, we have certain guys on the team that are soft, and it’s affecting them in their matches. We’ve been working a lot on wrestling harder and competing at a higher level.”

Wanting to compete at a higher level, practices and training have been slightly altered to fit the needs of each wrestler and simulate the dual style feel of the Hoosier Duals.

Starting the week with a team practice, the starting wrestlers in each class wrestle against other teammates who provide a lower quality of competition so the starters are able to focus in on what they need to improve.

In recent weeks, training has begun to feature a more individual type of practice in which the starters wrestle against teammates that are very close in talent, which gives each wrestler a chance to simulate how they would wrestle in a meet.

“Training has been going well,” Goldman said. “I think all the guys have been trying to address what we need to work on. Some of the guys just have further to go than others. I think they are putting in the correct effort, they just need to continue to get better, and we will see if any of that translates this weekend.”

According to InterMatWrestling.com, the Hoosiers are set to enter the Hoosier Dual meets with two nationally-ranked individuals, Chalfant (No. 8 at heavyweight) and junior Ryan LeBlanc (No. 19 at 165 pounds).

Though these individuals have the experience needed to compete at such a high level, Goldman said he is looking for every wrestler to be accountable and wrestle with intensity Saturday.

“I think we are showing improvement, but we have a lot of improvement that we need to do, but it’s all a work in progress,” Goldman said.