IU wrestling will travel to West Lafayette on Friday as they take on rival No. 18 Purdue.
The Boilermakers lead the all-time series 53-39-3 and have won their last eight dual matches against the Hoosiers.
IU is 4-7 overall and 1-3 in the Big Ten. Purdue stands at 4-4 overall with a 1-1 record in conference play.
IU dominated Maryland 36-3 in their Wilkinson Hall opener last Sunday. IU Head Coach Angel Escobedo is looking to use the momentum from that win to lead the team into their rivalry matchup.
“From this win, the dominating fashion, I think our guys are motivated to go into that dual meet.” Escobedo said. “This team believes that they can do it, that they can beat Purdue and really capitalize on the moment.”
But if they’re going to pull it off, IU will need impressive results from seniors Bryce Martin and Jake Danishek. Both are tied with a team-leading 14 wins this season, and will need to come out strong to set the tone for the rest of the team.
They’ll be fighting against a revitalized Purdue squad who also managed to defeat Maryland last weekend in their home opener.
Purdue’s leadership, which includes senior Jacob Aven, are looking to pump the brakes on IU’s momentum. The Boilermakers have focused on staying calm and not stressing about competing in a match of this magnitude.
“You can’t win the match right now, 48 hours before, but you can definitely lose it.” Aven said. “IU’s getting some momentum right now in Indiana, so it’ll be great to shut them down and take that momentum away.”
Regardless of the sport, IU-Purdue matchups always take on a different tone. After snapping a lengthy conference losing streak last weekend, the Hoosiers will come out looking to break their skid against the Boilermakers.
Escobedo says the team is riding high, and it is confident it can come out aggressive and snag a win in enemy territory.
The matchup begins at 7 p.m. Friday at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette.
