Hoosier Hysteria
Wrestling hottest winter sport at Indiana
They haven’t lifted the chip off their shoulders yet and don’t try to knock it off the Indiana University wrestling team in 2005-06.
The Hoosiers program took a giant step last season because it wasn’t afraid to step across the line or out of the box. Head coach Duane Goldman, now in his 14th year, won’t let the Hoosiers rest on their laurels and has plenty of reason to be excited.
“We have a lot coming back and there is no reason we can’t have success again,” Goldman said.
After finishing ninth in the Big Ten two seasons ago, the Hoosiers, led by Joey Dubuque’s first-place finish at 125 pounds, fini
shed ninth at last year’s NCAAs. Indiana also had two other All-Americans in Brandon Becker (fifth) at 157 and Pat DeGain (third) at heavyweight.“I think attitude in the wrestling room is one of the keys,” said Dubuque, a Bloomfield, N.J., native. “You come to Indiana and expect to contend and win a national championship. Everybody believes. Our work ethic didn’t change — we always worked hard — it is our attitude that changed.
“We’re not saying we’re hoping to take eighth at the Big Ten,” Dubuque added. “We expect to finish near the top and contend for the Big Ten (title). We don’t go into a dual anymore just expecting to have a good showing; we expect to win.”
Dubuque became the eighth Hoosier wrestler to win a national title and first since Brian Dolph captured the 150-pound title in 1990. It was IU’s highest finish since 1989 when then-coach Charlie McDonald led the Hoosiers to an eighth-place finish.
“We had the most All-Americans since 1946,” Goldman said.
With Dubuque, now a senior, looking for his third All-America honor, plus Becker and four total returning NCAA qualifiers, the Hoosiers are ranked 11th in the W.I.N. rankings. Add a top-10 recruiting class and the Hoosiers are the one winter program in Bloomington that is expected to be active and successful in the postseason.
Leading the list of recruits is Angel Escobedo, a four-time Indiana state champ from Grif-fith, in the northwest part of the state outside of Chicago.
His cousins Andrae Hernandez and Jose’ Escobedo are sophomores on the team. All three wrestled at Griffith and were teammates of Iowa’s Alex Tsirtsis, who was undefeated in his prep career and is the state’s winningest prep wrestler.
“The key is getting the best kids in the state to stay home,” Goldman said, “And you also have to get the kids nationally.
“Indiana (high school) wrestling has improved and is really producing some good in-state talent.”
Indiana University was actually one of the nation’s powers in the early years of the NCAA tournament — the Hoosiers won the 1932 championship under head coach W.H. Thom — but only had ten top-ten finishes before last year. So why choose Indiana?
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