Ohio State Big Ten Gauntlet Starts at Indiana Friday

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Big Ten Gauntlet Starts at Indiana Friday
Buckeyes Open 103rd season of Big Ten competition 

Jan. 4, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

No. 9 Ohio State at Indiana
Date: Jan. 6, 2023
Time:  7 p.m.
Venue: Wilkinson Hall
Watch: BTN
Live Updates: Twitter (@wrestlingbucks)
Match Notes/Lineups: Ohio State | Indiana

Indiana Wrestling to Open Big Ten Schedule with Two Ranked Opponents

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––––– Indiana Wrestling will face its toughest tests of the year this weekend when it opens the Big Ten schedule with a doubleheader of No. 7 Ohio State and No. 22 Maryland.
 
The Ohio State dual will be at home for Indiana, with the match on Friday Jan. 6, starting at 7 p.m. in Wilkinson Hall. The Maryland match will be on the road, as the Hoosiers take on the Terrapins on Monday, Jan. 9 at 6:30 p.m. in College Park.
 
JUMPING INTO THE BIG TEN:
-The non-conference tournament season has wrapped up and it's now time for Big Ten duals.
 
-Currently, there are 11 Big Ten programs who are ranked in the top 25.
 
-Indiana will open the Big Ten schedule with a home match vs. No. 7 Ohio State on Friday and a road dual at No. 22 Maryland on Monday.
 
-The rest of Indiana's regular season includes six other Big Ten matches and a road dual at Chattanooga prior to the postseason.
 
OHIO STATE AND MARYLAND PREVIEW:
-There are no easy matches in the Big Ten and Indiana will have two tough ones to start with Ohio State and Maryland.
 
-No. 7-ranked Ohio State enters the dual with a 6-1 record. The Buckeyes have wins over North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Columbia and others. This will be their first competition since Dec. 20, when they beat Lehigh in the Collegiate Duals in New Orleans.
 
-Of the team's probables, seven wrestlers are ranked, highlighted by No. 4 Sammy Sasso and No. 5 Kaleb Romero who were both All-Americans at the 2022 NCAA Championships.
 
-Assuming there are no lineup changes, there could be six different matchups between IU and Ohio State that feature ranked wrestlers facing one another.
 
-Like Indiana, Maryland is experiencing its best season in years. Coach Alex Clemsen has the team off to a 5-0 start and most recently earned an 8th place finish at the Southern Scuffle.
 
-Their No. 22 ranking is the team's first national ranking since 2013.
 
-Maryland's best win came on Nov. 18 when they knocked out No. 16 Pitt on the road, 18-16.
 
-Maryland has five grapplers ranked in the most recent polls.
 
-The dual vs. Indiana will be the Terrapins' first Big Ten match of the year.
 
GILCHER ON THE RISE:
-Indiana junior Derek Gilcher vaulted into the rankings for the first time in his collegiate career this week at No. 17 on Flo and No. 20 on InterMat.
 
-The standout at 157 lbs. has been reaching new heights over the last few weeks, earning third place finishes at the Tournament of Champions in Reno, Nev. and at Midlands this past week.
 
-At Midlands, Gilcher went 7-1 between the two days of competition. He won his first three matches before losing to Wisconsin's Garrett Model. 
 
-After that Gilcher won four straight matches in Wrestlebacks to earn his third place title.
 
-The junior has an 18-5 record on the season.
 
RECAPPING MIDLANDS:
-It was a solid weekend for Indiana at the 58th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships where the team took 15th place, scoring 34 points.
 
-The Hoosiers had two wrestlers place in Derek Gilcher and Jacob Moran. Gilcher finished third and Moran got eighth. 
 
-Nick Willham and Graham Rooks also picked up three victories in the tournament but fell slightly short of placing.
 
LINEUP STRENGTH:
-The Indiana lineup has showcased its improved strength from last year.
 
-In the 40 bouts from duals this year, Indiana's grapplers have a combined 26-14 record in those matches. 
 
-Jacob Moran, Henry Porter, Cayden Rooks, Graham Rooks and DJ Washington are all 4-0 in duals thus far.
 
RANKINGS UPDATE:
-Indiana continues to have a strong presence in the national rankings with six Hoosiers currently in the polls.
 
-Henry Porter (133), Cayden Rooks (141), Graham Rooks (149), Derek Gilcher (157), DJ Washington (174) and Jacob Bullock (285) are all ranked.
 
-Gilcher and Washington own the highest spots of Indiana's grapplers, with Gilcher at No. 17 and Washington at No. 18 for their respective weight classes.
 
-Indiana is still the first team out in the NWCA's weekly ranking, effectively making it the No. 26-ranked team in the country.
 
STARTING STRONG:
-IU Wrestling is off to its best start to a season in the Angel Escobedo era. 
 
-The 4-0 Hoosiers match the team's best start since the 2015-16 season, as well.
 
-The four dual match victories already surpass last year's win total of three.

Wrestling Contact: Dan Wallenberg | wallenberg.1@osu.edu | 614-266-4306