Wrestling Wraps Up Non-Conference Portion of Schedule at Indiana Duals

Wrestling at Indiana Duals
Date	Sunday, Dec. 13 \| 1/2:30 p.m.
Venue	Bloomington, Ind. \| University Gym
Game Notes	PDF Notes
Twitter	@EMUWrestling
Stream	BTN2Go

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University wrestling team will compete in their final two non-conference duals of the season this Sunday, Dec. 13 when they travel to Bloomington, Ind. for matchups versus Indiana University and Manchester University. The day begins with a dual against the Hoosiers at 1 p.m., followed immediately by a bout with the Spartans at 2:30 p.m.

A LOOK INSIDE INDIANA: IU will come into Sunday's bout following a dual with Minnesota on Friday night. Before Friday, Indiana was just 1-0 on the season with a 25-12 win over SIU Edwardsville. They have also placed numerous grapplers at the EMU Open, MSU Open and Keystone Classic. All-time versus the Hoosiers, EMU is winless (0-11), however the last time they met, IU won by tiebreaker, 19-18.

MEETING MANCHESTER: Manchester comes into the weekend after a slow start to their season. The Spartans are a winless 0-5 on the year, dropping decisions to other non-Division I teams. This will mark the first time EMU and MU have squared off on the mats.

LAST TIME WE MET: The Eastern Michigan University wrestling team split 10 matches with Indiana University, 18-18, but the Hoosiers outscored the Eagles, 36-33, in match points and earned a 19-18 victory in front of a raucous crowd at Bowen Field House Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012. The meet marked the first time IU traveled to Ypsilanti since 1977.

Indiana won the tiebreak point based on the third criteria. The first was dual wins (5-5). The second was falls or technical falls (1-1). The third criteria, match points, favored the Hoosiers, 36-33.

HEAD TO HEAD: There are a total of five wrestlers who started that meet in 2012 still remaining on each side this season. For IU, Eric Roach and Alex Gregory started, going 1-1 between them. For EMU, Vincent Pizzuto, Jacob Davis and Anthony Abro all started that matchup, with Davis picking up a sudden victory win.

RUNNING WITH THE BULLS: The Eastern Michigan University wrestling team continued to roll through its 2015-16 schedule by taking its Mid-American Conference opener over the University at Buffalo 30-3 Sunday, Dec. 6 at Bowen Field House.

The Eagles (5-1, 1-0 MAC) used the strength of three major decisions and six decisions to take down the Bulls (4-2, 0-1 MAC). It marked the third straight dual in which EMU won at least nine of its matchups, outscoring opponents 96-6 in that stretch.

EAGLES RANKED No. 26: In the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association/USA Today NCAA Division I Team Coaches Poll released, Dec. 8, the Eastern Michigan University wrestling team came in ranked No. 26 in the country. The Eagles received 15 points in the poll, which was just five points away from the No. 25 ranked West Virginia University.

The ranking represents the highest spot attained by the EMU wrestling program since it transitioned to Division-I in the 1971-72 season. The team has never breached the Top-25.

SPRINGER RETURNS TO IU: Making his return to the Hoosier State will be redshirt sophomore Kyle Springer. Springer spent his first year in college on the wrestling team at IU, where he went 4-4 including three major decisions.

UP NEXT ON THE MATS: Even though this marks the final dual action in 2015, the Eagles are not done wresting in the calendar year yet. Up next will be the Reno Tournament of Champions in Reno, Nev. The tournament will be an all-day affair, Sunday, Dec. 20.

DOUBLE TROUBLE: Entering the final season of their storied careers, redshirt seniors Anthony Abro and Vincent Pizzuto are near the top of the EMU record book in career wins. Each have 81 career wins, which is good for a tie for ninth place on the all-time list. Steve Brown is the program leader in victories, racking up 117 from 1984-88.

ABRO RANKED NATIONALLY: Redshirt senior Anthony Abro is currently ranked 11th at 197 by InterMat wrestling, while also being ranked 17th by TheOpenMat.com Abro is coming off of his best season as an Eagle, in which he racked up 28 wins, and ended his season with a top-16 finish at the NCAA Championships. He is currently 9-1 on the year in 2015-16.

Wrestling Wraps Up Non-Conference Portion of Schedule at Indiana Duals

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Players Mentioned

Anthony Abro

Jacob Davis

Vincent Pizzuto

Kyle Springer

Eastern Michigan Athletics