With Big Ten win number three on the line, the No. 21 Hoosiers were in yet another close bout with Michigan State.
Sophomore Luke Blanton went on to beat the Spartans’ junior Kaelan Richards by major decision 15-4, securing a victory for the Hoosiers by a score of 20-15.
IU Coach Duane Goldman said he had a lot of confidence in him and knew Blanton would go out there and compete hard.
Once again, the Hoosiers found a way in a close match. This became the second Big Ten victory for IU that was decided by five points or less.
“When you look at our matches, we’re doing well. Eastern Michigan, Maryland and Minnesota — everyone of those matches were a dog fight,” Goldman said. “We’re not getting anything easy, and we didn’t expect tonight to be easy either, and it wasn’t.”
Goldman and the Hoosiers will always believe it’s good to come away with a win, but Goldman knows the individual wins are what helps get the wrestlers better seeds in the tournaments to come.
“It’s always good to win — that’s what we’re here to try to do,” Goldman said. “The win is, again, indicative of the individuals, and the individuals get the wins to try to get as high a seed as they can at the tournament.”
Freshman Elijah Oliver continued learning and gaining confidence as he went 2-0 during the weekend.
His victory against Michigan gave him his first win against a nationally ranked wrestler, No. 20 junior Conor Youtsey 5-4. Oliver now sits at 24-4 this year.
Another freshman, Jake Danishek, went 2-0, getting his first two Big Ten wins this weekend — and any Big Ten win is important for the youth of the team.
Goldman said all Big Ten wins help the young guys gain confidence for the next match and the rest of the season, despite it being the first Big Ten wrestling match for the freshmen.
After splitting the weekend in Michigan, IU found itself 3-2 in the conference, and will now prepare for a tough stretch.
The defending national champions, Ohio State, will come to Bloomington next Friday to take on IU in the University Gym. The Buckeyes currently sit at 3-1 in the Big Ten with their lone loss to the Wolverines.
“Next week we have Ohio State, then Iowa, followed by Purdue,” Goldman said. “We have a lot on our plate.”
