No. 26 Indiana University’s wrestling team is set to compete against No. 15 Oklahoma in Norman on Sunday, November 23 at 3 p.m. This will be Indiana’s first ranked matchup of the season and its first true road dual.
Indiana comes into the contest with a 2-0 record, following a close win over Columbia, 22-19, on November 14. That match took place at Edgewood High School in Elletsville, marking the program’s first home dual at a high school since 2010. The Hoosiers secured six out of ten bouts during the dual, with three victories coming by bonus points. Tyler Lillard and Sam Goin both achieved ranked wins over their opponents from Columbia, while Joey Buttler recorded his first dual victory of the season.
Reflecting on recent history between Indiana and Oklahoma, this will be their first meeting in a dual since 1989 when Oklahoma won in Norman. The all-time series stands tied at one win each; Indiana claimed the initial matchup in 1925.
Oklahoma enters Sunday’s match with a 1-1 record after facing Penn State and Bucknell. For Oklahoma, this will be their first home dual of the season.
In national rankings, Indiana has eight wrestlers listed among the top-33 for their weight classes: Jacob Moran (125), Logan Frazier (133), Henry Porter (141), Bryce Lowery (157), Tyler Lillard (165), Derek Gilcher (174), Sam Goin (184), and Gabe Sollars (197). Both Frazier and Lowery are newly ranked this year. As a team, Indiana holds the No. 26 spot according to InterMat.
Indiana’s non-conference schedule for the 2025-26 season is considered one of its toughest in recent years. Alongside matches against Lock Haven, Columbia, and Central Michigan, Indiana will face three ranked non-conference opponents: traveling to No. 15 Oklahoma and No. 25 Little Rock and hosting No. 24 Army.
The Hoosiers added six freshmen this fall—Jackson Blum, Tyler Guerra, Gavin Jendreas, Matt Kowalski, Hunter Sturgill, and Carson Thomas—to strengthen their roster. According to FloWrestling, Indiana’s recruiting class ranks No. 16 nationally and No. 6 within the Big Ten Conference.
Orlando Cruz joined as Indiana’s only transfer this offseason from Purdue University where he competed at both 174 lbs and 184 lbs.
Since Angel Escobedo became head coach eight seasons ago, attendance at home wrestling events has increased significantly. Last season saw an average of over two thousand fans per dual meet at Wilkinson Hall—a figure that placed Indiana fifteenth nationally for attendance.
Indiana’s coaching staff has remained stable in recent years; every member has been with the program for at least four years.
The wrestling program aims to build on its recent progress: three consecutive seasons with seven or more dual wins; six national qualifiers each of the past two seasons; five ranked dual victories since 2022; and DJ Washington earning All-American honors—the program’s first since 2017.
Indiana’s current roster features athletes from twelve states across the country including twelve from Indiana itself.