"It was a hard-fought victory," said Indiana head coach Duane Goldman. "There were a lot of matches that stretched into overtime, or came right down to the end, but we knew it would be like that going in. We expected a dogfight, and we were in one."
Masengale got the Hoosiers on the scoreboard early with a sudden-victory win at 197 lbs. The sophomore trailed 1-0 at the end of the second period, but recorded an escape and a takedown to take the lead. His opponent, Garret Wesneski, tied it up in the final seconds of the third period, but Masengale executed the final blow in sudden victory.
The Hoosiers followed with two more wins, and a 12-0 lead, in the heavyweight and 125 lbs. bouts. Garret Goldman emerged on top of a 3-2 decision for his second consecutive Big Ten win. Elijah Oliver rebounded from his defeat against Penn State's No. 4 Nico Megaludis with a quick two-minute pin against Maryland's Mike Beck.
"That loss made me realize a lot of things," Oliver said. "I'm still learning, and still progressing, and I know what it will take to bring it to a guy like that next time around."
Cole Weaver came through with another come-from-behind victory for Indiana at 141 lbs. The freshman trailed 3-1 with 90 seconds remaining in the match, then surged with seven unanswered points before the final buzzer.
Luke Blanton followed with an inspiring tiebreaker victory in the dual's sixth bout. He trailed 4-1 heading into the third round, but a stall point in his favor and a quick reversal tied the bout with 50 seconds remaining. Blanton kept Maryland's Wade Hodges on the mat, shaved Hodges' minute of riding time, and prevented a last-second escape attempt.
Blanton went on to win the bout with five unanswered points in the tiebreaker period.
"Luke Blanton is always gutsy," Goldman said. "I'm a huge Luke Blanton fan. He's got a lot of courage and he's a great competitor, and I had a lot of confidence in him in that match."
Bryce Martin collected his first career Big Ten Dual win, a 7-5 sudden-victory win over Maryland's Brendan Burnham. Like Masengale, Weaver, and Blanton, Martin came from behind with a charge late in the third period, then secured the finalizing takedown.
Sixth-ranked Nate Jackson put in another workmanlike performance to seal the dual win for Indiana. The Hoosier junior piled on the points for a 23-8 tech fall, his fifth this season, over Maryland's Josh Snook. Jackson is unbeaten against Big Ten competition in his 2015-16 campaign.
The win gives Indiana their second Big Ten dual win for the first time since the 2009-10 season. While an individual sport by nature, the Hoosiers believe they've found a lot of their success through their team chemistry.
"These guys go through blood, sweat, and tears together, and they're a close unit," Goldman said when asked about the galvanization of the team this season. "They compete hard not just to win, but also for their teammates. They believe in each other, and it makes a big difference. It's been very rewarding so far."
Results:
197: Jake Masengale (IU) decision over Garrett Wesneski (MD), 5-3 (SV-1) (0-3)
285: Garret Goldman (IU) decision over Youssif Hemida (MD), 3-2 (0-6)
125 Elijah Oliver (IU) fall over Michael Beck (MD), 2:01 (0-12)
133: No. 13 Geoffrey Alexander (MD) major decision over Alonzo Shepherd (IU), 9-0 (4-12)
141: Cole Weaver (IU) decision over Alfred Bannister (MD), 8-3 (4-15)
149: Luke Blanton (IU) tiebreaker decision over Wade Hodges (MD), 9-4 (4-18)
157: No. 19 Lou Mascola (MD) decision over Jake Danishek (IU), 8-7 (7-18)
165: Bryce Martin (IU) decision over Brendan Burnham (MD), 7-5 (SV-1) (7-21)
174: No. 6 Nate Jackson (IU) tech fall over Josh Snook (MD), 23-8 (7-26)
184: Jaron Smith (MD) fall over Wyatt Wilson (IU), 6:01 (13-26)
Up Next: No. 22 Indiana (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) vs. Michigan State (0-9, 0-4 Big Ten)
Friday, January 22 | 7PM | Big Ten Network
East Lansing, Mich. | Jenison Field House
The Hoosiers' will hit the road next weekend for the second time in dual competition this season, and their first road trip since their win over Minnesota. The matchup will be hard-fought for the Hoosiers, as the Spartans are seeking their first dual win of the season.
"They have a lot of great individual talent on that team," Goldman said. "They have tough competitors, and we can't overlook them. We have to look at what's right in front of us and be ready to go."
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