BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - No. 25 Indiana opened Sunday afternoon grabbing early momentum against the No. 6 Nebraska Cornhuskers, but quickly lost control, losing nine consecutive individual matches and handing the Hoosiers a 34-5 loss inside Wilkinson Hall.
Following the loss, the Hoosiers dropped to 3-4 in conference competition.
At 125 pounds, the Hoosiers got off to a strong start as No. 16 Jacob Moran controlled the match from the opening whistle, piling up takedowns on his way to a 19-4 technical fall over Kael Laurisden. The bonus point victory gave Indiana a 5-0 advantage, and improves Moran’s record to 10-3 in duals this season and marked his fifth technical fall of the year.
Nebraska answered soundly.
At 133 pounds, Nebraska’s No. 9 Jacob Van Dee secured a technical fall over true freshman Gavin Jendreas in his first career dual appearance, tying the match at five a piece.
Moments later, No. 4 Brock Hardy delivered another tech fall for the Huskers at 141, defeating No. 25 Henry Porter by way of another techfall, pushing the Cornhuskers ahead 10-5
The dual tightened at 149 pounds, where Indiana’s Joey Buttler found his attack late as he scored a takedown deep into the third period, to close the gap against No. 20 Chance Lamar, but time ran out in a narrow 5-3 decision that extended Nebraska’s lead 13-5.
Nebraska continued to build separation at 157, as No. 4 Antrell Taylor earned a 21-5 technical fall over No. 27 Bryce Lowery.
One of the most competitive and fun-spirited bouts of the afternoon came at 165 pounds. No. 18 Tyler Lillard trailed No. 7 LJ Araujo 7-0 early, but managed to rally securing two takedowns. Lillard’s comeback effort came up just short in a 10-8 decision, keeping the team score at 21-5 in favor of the Cornhuskers.
From there, Nebraska closed the dual with wins in the final four matches.
No. 4 Christopher Minto defeated No. 28 Derek Gilcher, 7-3, at 174. At 184, No. 6 Silas Allred recorded a major decision over No. 14 Sam Goin, 11-2. No. 9 Camden McDanel followed with a 5-3 decision over No. 22 Gabe Sollars at 197.
True freshman Matt Kowalski closed out the dual at heavyweight with a gritty performance against No. 4 AJ Ferrari. Despite the experience and weight gap, Kowalski battled through all three periods and stayed competitive before ultimately dropping a 9-3 decision. The freshman showed toughness against one of the nation’s top heavyweights, gaining valuable experience in his first season of collegiate competition.
After the meet, Indiana head coach Angel Escobedo was clear that his heavyweight exceeded expectations.
“The crowd is getting into it,” Escobedo said, “like ‘hey, they’re believing in you,’ and he doesn’t give up a major decision. He only loses by a couple of points… I thought the fans helped out, I thought he was feeling the energy and he was wrestling really hard.”
Indiana now turns its attention to its regular season finale against rival Purdue on Friday night at Wilkinson Hall. With postseason competition approaching, the Hoosiers will look to build momentum and carry a sharper edge into the rivalry dual.
