28th Annual Las Vegas Invitational Next on Docket for IU Wrestling
Published on December 3, 2009 by viratas · No Comments
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The No. 12 Indiana University wrestling team (6-0) will be one of 44 schools competing in the 28th Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 4-5. Nearly half of the country’s top-25 teams are in the field as 12 nationally-ranked squads are headed to Nevada this weekend.
Top-25 teams wrestling in the Invitational include: No. 3 Ohio State, No. 8 Cornell, No. 9 Boise State, No. 11 Nebraska, No. 12 Indiana, No. 14 Oklahoma, No. 15 Arizona State, No. 16 Cal Poly, No. 21 Oregon State, No. 22 Wisconsin, No. 23 Old Dominion and No. 24 Virginia Tech.
This is not an “open” tournament and each school is allowed to enter only one wrestler at each weight class. Team scores will be kept as well. Indiana’s expected line-up is:
125 lbs.- Angel Escobedo, r-Sr., (6-0)
133 lbs.- Matt Ortega, r-So., (6-3)
141 lbs.- Danny Monaco, r-Fr., (6-4)
149 lbs.- Matt Coughlin, r-Sr., (9-2)
157 lbs.- Kurt Kinser, r-Sr., (9-1)
165 lbs.- Paul Young, r-Jr., (10-0)
174 lbs.- Trevor Perry, r-Sr., (5-1)
184 lbs.- Eric Cameron, r-Jr., (9-1)
197 lbs.- Matt Powless, r-So., (8-3)
285 lbs.- Nate Everhart, Sr., (9-0)
YET TO SUFFER A LOSS
Three Hoosiers remain undefeated this season. Paul Young paces Indiana with 10 wins and zero losses. Meanwhile, Angel Escobedo (6-0) and Nate Everhart (9-0) also own flawless records heading into the weekend.
In addition, true freshman Ryan LeBlanc has won all nine of his matches this year while wrestling unattached.
AMONGST NATION’S ELITE
Six of Indiana’s 10 regular starters are ranked in the latest Intermat national rankings. Five have been ranked sinced the preseason poll while Matt Coughlin was instantly inserted into the rankings once he dropped to 149 pounds at the Hoosier Duals.
Angel Escobedo- #2 at 125 lbs.
Nate Everhart- #10 at 285 lbs.
Kurt Kinser- #10 at 157 lbs.
Paul Young- #13 at 165 lbs.
Matt Coughlin- #16 at 149 lbs.
Trevor Perry- #18 at 174 lbs.
As a team, Indiana is ranked 12th nationally.
BIG TEN WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Paul Young earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors on Dec. 1 after a perfect 5-0 showing at the Hoosier Duals, which included three pins and a major decision.
HOOSIER DUALS DOMINATION
Indiana held each of their five opponents to single-digits at the Hoosier Duals with their closest match decided by an 18-point margin. In total, the Hoosiers outscored the competition by a total of 148 points with a winning margin of just under 30 points per match.
Four Hoosiers matched the team’s success with 5-0 records of their own (Cameron, Escobedo, Everhart and Young).
NO POINTS FOR YOU
For the third consecutive year, Indiana opened their dual match schedule by shutting out the Wabash Little Giants on the road.
I AM SPARTACUS!
Three different Hoosiers began their season by winning individual titles at the Michigan State Open. Nate Everhart, Kurt Kinser and Paul Young each won at least three matches en route to their tournament crowns. It marked the second season in a row that Kinser won the 157-pound weight class. Eric Cameron also had a good opening weekend, placing second at 184 lbs.
FLAT TO THE MAT
A trio of current Hoosiers have each placed themselves into the top-10 for career pins in school history. Angel Escobedo is tied for fifth all-time with 34 fall while Kurt Kinser’s 26 pins and Trevor Perry’s 25 sticks are tied for eighth and tenth, respectively.
ANGEL ECLIPSES CENTURY MARK
Angel Escobedo recorded the 100th win of his career in his first bout of the 2009-10 season, pinning his opponent in a dual at Wabash.
The three-time All-American has not only put his name in the record books for career pins, but he is now just two wins shy of the top-10 for career wins at IU with his 105 victories. With more 20 more triumphs this season, Escobedo will vault himself into the top-3 all-time.
DUBUQUE RETURNS TO B-TOWN
Former Hoosier grappler Joe Dubuque returns to Bloomington this season, four years after winning his second of back-to-back national championships in 2006. He begins his first year as an assistant coach, a position he held at Hofstra for three seasons. Dubuque joins fellow former All-American and Hoosier teammate, Pat DeGain, on the Indiana coaching staff.
Courtesy of Indiana Sports Information.
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