No. 25 Indiana wrestling will travel to Mount Pleasant, Michigan, to face Central Michigan on Sunday afternoon in its third dual match of the season, holding a 1-1 record following opening weekend action.
Tyler Lillard (165 lbs) Stock Rise: After securing two tech falls—including one over No. 28 Nick Stampoulos—Lillard offers elite tournament bonus-point potential for fantasy rosters.
Kai Owen (157 lbs) Consistency: Coming off a 4-0 weekend highlighted by a 4-0 decision against No. 15 Logan Royzynski, Owen anchors a reliable baseline for dual-point leagues.
Betting Outlook: With Indiana leading the all-time series 15-3 and narrowly escaping Mount Pleasant with a 17-16 tiebreaker win in 2024, historical data points to a tightly contested dual.
The Hoosiers enter the weekend at 1-1 after defeating Lock Haven 24-14 and dropping a 36-8 decision to No. 12 Lehigh during Journeyman’s WrangleMania, according to Indiana University Athletics. Central Michigan also sits at 1-1, having secured a win over Cal State Bakersfield alongside a loss to American.
Indiana features seven wrestlers currently slotted in the national rankings: No. 19 Jackson Blum at 133 pounds, No. 16 Tom Crook at 149 pounds, No. 10 Kai Owen at 157 pounds, No. 20 Tyler Lillard at 165 pounds, No. 27 Sam Goin at 184 pounds, No. 19 Gabe Sollars at 197 pounds, and No. 17 Connor Barket at heavyweight. Blum enters the national rankings for the first time in his career during his debut season in the Hoosier lineup.
The roster has added several players from the transfer portal ahead of this season. Crook arrived in Bloomington after four seasons at Virginia Tech, Owen transferred from Columbia, and Barket returned to his home state after spending four years at Duke.
| Wrestler | Weight Class | Season Start / Key Result | Previous Program |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Lillard | 165 lbs | 2-0 at WrangleMania, 2 tech falls | Indiana |
| Kai Owen | 157 lbs | 2-0, 4-0 decision over No. 15 Royzynski | Columbia |
| Caleb Marzolino | 285 lbs | 4-0 in Collegiate Classic Pink Bracket | Indiana |
| Tom Crook | 149 lbs | Ranked No. 16 nationally | Virginia Tech |
Sunday marks the fourth season Indiana and Central Michigan have met on the mat. The Hoosiers have won all three of the recent encounters in a series that alternates locations between Bloomington and Mount Pleasant.
The 2024 meeting in Mount Pleasant produced the narrowest margin between the two programs, with Indiana prevailing 17-16 via tiebreaker criteria. Last season featured a more decisive 33-7 Hoosier victory inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, extending Indiana’s all-time lead in the series to 15-3.
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