“We've got to get on a plane here in a couple hours and get to Columbus, Ohio, but it's good to get a Big Ten win,†said head coach Scott Goodale. “I thought we wrestled really good in a lot of different positions so we're excited about it and we'll be ready to go tomorrow night.â€
All Jordan Pagano needed was a first period takedown against Devin Skatzka in a 2-0 win to start the dual at 174 pounds. Pagano collected 2:33 of riding time in the opening period and defended No. 17 (FloWrestling) Skatzka's attacks in the final minute of the third to hang on, avenging a 7-2 loss to Skatzka at Midlands. The South Brunswick, New Jersey, native leads RU with 22 wins overall.
Indiana earned one of its three wins on the afternoon at 184 pounds, as No. 7 Nate Jackson outlasted No. 13 Nicholas Gravina, 5-4. Gravina clawed back into the match by forcing a third period stall against Jackson, making it 5-4 with enough time to score. But Jackson refused to give up his legs, toughing out the decision to snap Gravina's (16-6) four-match winning streak.
The Scarlet Knights took the lead at 197 pounds and never looked back, with Matt Correnti earning his second-straight major decision to improve to 13-8 on the year. Heavyweight Razohnn Gross also kept rolling, winning his four-straight decision by taking down Fletcher Miller in sudden victory. Gross improves to 10-7 overall and 5-5 in dual action.
A Brandon Paetzell loss at 125 pounds made the dual 10-6 at intermission, but the South Plainfield, New Jersey tandem of 133-pounder Scott DelVecchio and No. 6 141-pounder Anthony Ashnault closed the door on the Hoosiers.
DelVecchio snapped a three-match skid with a 4-2 decision, bumping his record to 16-9. Ashnault made quick work of Indiana's Cole Weaver, scoring a fall in just 1:30. Ashnault took Weaver to the mat and let him up slowly before locking a cradle along the edge. Ashnault improves 21-3 on the year and 13-1 in dual competition.
No. 14 Ken Theobold swung his match against Chris Perez with a takedown and four-point near fall in the second period on his way to an 8-1 decision. Theobold continued his dominant form with his fifth win in a row, building a scoring differential in those matches to 56-2. He's now 17-5 overall.
Anthony Giraldo emerged with an 8-7 victory at 157 pounds against Jake Danishek. Giraldo trailed, 5-2, in the second period but battled back with a takedown as the period ended to make it 5-4.
An escape to start the third period tied the match at 5-5, but Danishek looked for the win after taking Giraldo to the mat for a 7-5 lead. Giraldo willed his way back by escaping, earning a takedown and riding Danishek out for the final 20 seconds.
IU snagged a win at 165 pounds to end the dual. RU's Dylan Painton dropped a 4-0 decision against Bryce Martin.
The Scarlet Knights face a quick turnaround with a match at No. 4 Ohio State (8-2, 4-2) Monday night at 7 p.m. RU and the Buckeyes will wrestle on Big Ten Network. OSU is the fifth ranked opponent RU will face this season and third in the top-10.
“If you wrestle with confidence, you've got a great opportunity,†Goodale said. “We're up against it tomorrow, but it's a great opportunity for us. We're excited about that opportunity and we're going to wrestle extremely hard.â€
Results:
174: Jordan Pagano (RU) dec. over No. NR/17/20 Devin Skatzka (IU), 2-0; RU leads, 3-0
184: No. 7/6/7 Nathan Jackson (IU) dec. over No. 13/12/13 Nicholas Gravina (RU), 5-4; Dual tied, 3-3
197: Matthew Correnti (RU) major dec. over Jakob Hinz (IU), 10-0; RU leads, 7-3
HWT: Razohnn Gross (RU) dec. over Fletcher Miller (IU), 3-1 (SV); RU leads, 10-3
125: Elijah Oliver (IU) dec. over Brandon Paetzell (RU), 8-3; RU leads, 10-6
133: Scott DelVecchio (RU) dec. over Garrett Pepple (IU), 4-2; RU leads, 13-6
141: No. 6/6/6 Anthony Ashnault (RU) wins by fall over Cole Weaver (IU), 1:30; RU leads, 19-6
149: No. 14/16/15 Ken Theobold (RU) dec. over Chris Perez (IU), 8-1; RU leads, 22-6
157: Anthony Giraldo (RU) dec. over Jake Danishek (IU), 8-7; RU leads, 25-6
165: Bryce Martin (IU) dec. over Dylan Painton (RU), 4-0; RU wins, 25-9
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