IU had six underclassmen wrestle on the day, including three freshmen. The underclassmen won four of their six matches, playing a big part in the victory.
“They’re going to keep getting better, every experience is a good experience,” IU Coach Duane Goldman said. “They’re pretty game, I think it lends itself to an exciting future.”
Jake Danishek got back on the mat Saturday and made his career debut, after missing the start of the season due to injury.
Danishek won his match on an 11-5 decision, and Goldman said it was important for him to get some experience in the college ranks before next weekend before his first Big Ten match against Minnesota.
Goldman said he just started practicing full-go less than two weeks ago, and he went out there cold turkey.
Being off the mat for an extended period of time, Danishek said he was excited to come away with a team win.
“It was fun because last season as a redshirt I sat there and watched them,” Danishek said. “Being able to be apart of it, with all the younger guys coming in, and starting it off right felt pretty good.”
True freshman Elijah Oliver came away with a technical fall victory, one of two that day, continuing his early season success with a 19-3 win.
“He’s fast,” Goldman said. “It’s better to be fast than slow. He hasn’t met some of the swatters he’ll meet, but they’re not going to match him on quickness, that’s for sure.”
The upperclassman finished 3-1 on the day, highlighted by junior Nate Jackson and senior Garret Goldman.
Jackson won his match 16-1, also with the second tech fall victory on the day. He recently moved up to the No. 10 spot in the national ranking, and is now 9-1 on the young season.
Garret Goldman secured the victory for the Hoosiers in the ninth match of the day, putting the score out of reach for SIUE.
Goldman won his match 5-2 with a late takedown in the third period, despite injuring his left shoulder minutes before.
Coach Goldman said he was unaware of the injury until after the match, but he was proud of how he stuck with it despite the injury.
With this result, IU moved to 1-0 on the season in dual matches, while SIUE Cougars fell to 0-4. More impressively, Coach Goldman remains unbeaten against the Cougars.
The Hoosiers will now prepare for their Big Ten opener next weekend as the team travels to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
“We knew SIUE was going to be a tough opponent for us,” Goldman said. “I was really proud of the guys today, the way they stepped up.”
