The Indiana University wrestling team will send six athletes to the NCAA Wrestling Championships, which will take place from March 19-21 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
This participation marks the third consecutive year that Indiana has qualified six wrestlers for the national tournament, tying the highest number under head coach Angel Escobedo. The Hoosiers competing are Jacob Moran (125 pounds), Bryce Lowery (157), Tyler Lillard (165), Derek Gilcher (174), Sam Goin (184), and Gabe Sollars (197).
At the recent Big Ten Championships held at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania, Indiana finished tenth with 40 points. This was their best performance since 2012. Three wrestlers reached the podium: Moran and Sollars each placed fourth, while Lowery finished sixth. Moran’s and Sollars’ fourth-place finishes were the best by an individual Hoosier since Elijah Oliver achieved a similar result in 2019.
Moran advanced to the semifinals before losing to top-seeded Luke Lilledahl of Penn State and later fell in a close match for third place against Nic Bouzakis of Ohio State. Sollars also made it to the third-place match after defeating two higher-seeded opponents but narrowly lost to Luke Geog of Ohio State.
For this year’s NCAA tournament, Moran and Sollars both enter as No. 14 seeds in their respective weight classes. Lillard and Gilcher are seeded No. 26, Lowery is No. 29, and Goin will start with a pigtail match as the No. 33 seed. This is Lillard’s third appearance at Nationals; Moran, Sollars, and Gilcher are making their second trips; Lowery and Goin are first-time qualifiers.
Last season saw DJ Washington become Indiana’s first All-American since 2017 after winning four straight matches following an opening-round loss at Nationals. The team tied for twenty-fourth place overall with its best showing since 2011.
Indiana continues its pursuit of another national champion—the last being Escobedo himself in 2008—and adds to its history of eleven NCAA champions and eighty-one All-Americans.