No. 23 Indiana University’s wrestling team is set to begin its Big Ten season with a dual meet against No. 2 Ohio State in Columbus. Indiana, currently holding a 5-1 record, will face an Ohio State team that is undefeated at 11-0 and also opening its conference schedule.
Indiana recently participated in the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships from December 29-30, sending a total of 20 wrestlers, both attached and unattached. Five Hoosiers made it onto the podium: Henry Porter (141 lbs), Bryce Lowery (157 lbs), Derek Gilcher (174 lbs), Roman Rogotzke (184 lbs), and Gabe Sollars (197 lbs). Lowery finished second, Sollars third, Gilcher fourth, Porter sixth, and Rogotzke seventh. It was the first time at Midlands for Lowery, Porter, and Rogotzke to earn podium finishes. The team placed fifth overall with 72.5 points—marking their second consecutive top-five finish at the event after placing fourth last year.
The upcoming match against Ohio State presents a significant challenge for Indiana. According to major ranking services, Ohio State has the No. 2 dual lineup nationally and features ranked wrestlers in every weight class. The Buckeyes won the 2025 National Duals Invitational in November by defeating Wyoming, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Iowa in Tulsa. Each projected starter for Ohio State is ranked within the top 20 of their respective classes; eight are ranked among the top ten.
Jesse Mendez, ranked No. 1 at 141 pounds and a two-time NCAA Champion from Crown Point, Indiana, is expected to compete for Ohio State. He shares a high school background with five members of Indiana’s current roster: Anthony Bahl, Orlando Cruz, Logan Frazier, Sam Goin, and Gavin Jendreas.
In national rankings updates across weight classes, Indiana has seven wrestlers listed among the top 33: Jacob Moran (No. 12 at 125 lbs), Henry Porter (No. 24 at 141 lbs), Bryce Lowery (No. 32 at 157 lbs), Tyler Lillard (No. 20 at 165 lbs), Derek Gilcher (No. 30 at 174 lbs), Sam Goin (No. 14 at 184 lbs), and Gabe Sollars (No.13 at 197 lbs). This matches last season’s highest number of ranked wrestlers for Indiana.
Logan Frazier had previously been ranked No.33 at 133 pounds by both InterMat and FloWrestling.
As a team, Indiana holds the No.23 spot in dual lineup rankings according to InterMat and NWCA.
After nearly a month since their last dual meet against Army on December 13th, Indiana returns to action this Sunday versus Ohio State—the first of eight scheduled Big Ten matches this season. Road contests include trips to Penn State, Illinois, Wisconsin as well as Ohio State; home matches are slated against Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska and Purdue.
“Entering into Big Ten duals, Indiana owns a 5-1 dual record.”