FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 16, 2022
DETROIT, Mich. –––– Indiana Wrestling will have two wrestlers compete in the 2022 NCAA Wrestling Championships over Thursday, March 17 through Saturday, March 19 at Little Caesars Arena.
NCAA SEEDING SET:
· Indiana’s two NCAA qualifiers, graduate student Brock Hudkins (133) and redshirt sophomore D.J. Washington (184), were assigned the No. 13 and No. 26 seeds, respectively.
· Hudkins earned his bid through automatic qualification, finishing in the top 10 of the Big Ten Championships. Washington was an at-large selection.
THE IMMEDIATE PATHS AHEAD:
· The first bout for Hudkins and Washington is determined and the possibilities for their second are outlined below. Anything beyond that will have to be based on results of other matchups in their brackets.
· Hudkins will open vs. No. 20 Chance Rich (CSUB) in the first round.
· If Hudkins wins his first bout, he will face the winner of No. 29 Jake Gliva (MINN) or No. 4 Korbin Myers (VT).
· If he loses his opening bout, he will face the loser of Gliva or Myers.
· Washington will battle with No. 7 seed Kaleb Romero of Ohio State in his first bout.
· If Washington wins that bout, he will take on the winner of No. 23 Travis Stefanik (PRIN) and No. 10 Taylor Venz (NEB).
· If he loses his opening bout, he will wrestle against the loser of Stefanik and Venz.
LOOKING BACK:
· To this point, Hudkins went 13-5 on the year and 9-2 in duals with a +44 point differential.
· Hudkins also has one win by major decision, one tech fall, and one pin this year.
· He has notable wins over other NCAA qualifers No. 8 Rayvon Foley (MSU), No. 19 Brayden Palmer (UTC), and No. 26 Matt Ramos (PUR) this season.
· Washington’s season to this point features a 13-7 record and a 6-3 record in duals.
· The redshirt sophomore has eight pins to his name this season.
· Washington has three wins over other competitors in the field at the 184-lb. bracket. He beat No. 22 seed Layne Malczewski (MSU), No. 30 seed Max Lyon (PUR), and No. 32 seed Colin McCracken (KENT).
PREVIOUS NCAA RESULTS:
· Hudkins is well-versed to participating in the NCAA Wrestling Championships. He previously wrestled in the 2017 and 2018 championships when he was at Northern Illinois.
· Hudkins has wrestled in eight NCAA bouts, and is 4-4 in those bouts.
· In the 2017 championships, Hudkins wrestled all the way to Friday night and was just two bouts away from placing as an All-American.
· Washington earned one win in the 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championships, beating Jake Allar (MINN) in the 174-lb. class in the opening round.
HOOSIER HISTORY:
· Indiana Wrestling program history features 11 NCAA Champions and 80 All-Americans.
· Indiana has won one team NCAA championship to its name, winning it in 1932.
· Indiana is seeking its first All-American since Nate Jackson in 2017.
LEARNING FROM A CHAMPION:
· Indiana head coach Angel Escobedo made a name for himself at the NCAA Championships during his time as a collegiate wrestler for Indiana.
· Escobedo competed in the 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 NCAA Championships. Each year, he earned All-American status.
· In 2008, he was an individual NCAA champion, earning first place at 125 lbs.
· In 2007, he earned 4th place. In 2009, he attained 5th place, and in his senior season he got 3rd place in the 2010 NCAA Championships.
NCAA QUALIFIERS UNDER COACH ESCOBEDO:
· With the qualification of graduate student Brock Hudkins (133) and D.J. Washington (184), Indiana head coach Angel Escobedo has produced 10 NCAA qualifiers in his first four seasons as head coach.
· Every year of his tenure has featured at least two Indiana Wrestlers qualifying while earning three qualifiers in the 2018-2019 and 2020-2021 seasons.
