No Limits – Moran Embraces Big Ten Challenges, and More
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Jacob Moran drills and drills and drills some more, pushing to refine wrestling technique, elevate performance and find the difference-making edge.
The end of an Indiana practice nears and the Hoosiers’ veteran 125-pounder works with coach Angel Escobedo, a former IU national champ at 125, in preparation for the upcoming Big Ten championships at Penn State.
Moran and the No. 20 Hoosiers aim to be ready.
“The most exciting thing is you get to compete against the best guys again,” Moran says. “That’s the fun thing about the Big Ten. Every week, you get to see top-ranked guys. When March comes around with the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament, you see them again and test yourself.
“That’s the name of the game. Going out there, looking to score points and do your best, come back in the room, refine your skills and do it the next week.”
Moran brings plenty of momentum from consecutive tech falls (match ends when leading by 15 or more points) against No. 5 Nebraska and Purdue. It reflects an aggressive approach that has produced a 14-3 record and No. 14 national ranking.
“It’s having the mindset that we’re going to score points no matter who the opponent is or what their singlet says,” Moran says. “It’s looking to dominate and not hold on for four- or five-point wins. Score as many points as possible.”
It’s worked. Moran’s six technical falls are tied for the team lead, and he’s added three major decisions. All-American status, perhaps even a national championship, are within reach, Escobedo says.
“Jacob has those skills. For him it’s belief, believing in the things he does well, then capitalizing on it.”
Adds Moran: “I want to be the best wrestler I can. There are no limitations to that.”
Six years of college competition after a Portage High School career that included a pair of Indiana state titles fuels that no-limit mindset and this certainty:
There won’t be a seventh college season.
“The guys like to crack a lot of jokes with me and (fellow six-year-veteran Derek Gilcher) that we’ve been here a while,” Moran says. “It’s been a blessing to go to build these connections with coaches and teammates and go out and compete.
“The coaches talk about that not everybody gets to do what they love every day. We have that opportunity. It’s an honor to do that with these coaches. They’ve helped me grow as a person and a wrestler. I couldn’t be more grateful for them.”
Having that kind of veteran leadership from Moran and Gilcher, adds Escobedo, is invaluable.
“They understand what it takes. To have that wisdom and experience, you can’t ask for more than that.
“I like six-year guys. They’re professionals. They’re not going out and getting distracted. They know what they to do; they know how disciplined they need to be. They’ll lock in. If you tell them something, they will get it done.”
For Moran, training with Escobedo -- who also placed fifth at the 2013 World Championships in Hungary and second in the 2015 Pan-Am Games in Toronto -- is a major advantage.
“It’s everything,” Moran says. “He’s world class. He’s been where I want to go; he’s done what I want to do in the sport, and in life. He’s an amazing father and husband. He’s an amazing coach and leader.
“Not a lot of guys have a light-weight coach of that caliber that young who can still be on the mat and wrestle. It’s a blessing.”
That includes insight into nuances of the 125-pound division.
“That was my weight class in college,” Escobedo says. “I know how those guys wrestle. I’m able to give him that type of feel that he will need against the best guys.”
Escobedo says he tries to work individually with Moran three to four times a week.
“I critique the little things and make sure he’s wrestling the best he can.”
That also includes a lot of film watching so that, “When I wrestle him,” Escobedo says, “I can manipulate him and put him in that (tough) position and help him work through it.
“That’s how you learn the best. That’s how he learns the best. It’s putting him there, even though he might not want to be there, and help him figure out how to get out.”
Moran’s accomplishments include making U-23 teams, wrestling for Team Puerto Rico and winning a medal at the Pan Am Games in addition to making last year’s NCAA meet.
“He’s wrestled some of the best guys in the world,” Escobedo says. “He was at the Olympic training center. Now he just has to go do it.”
Moran has won 88 matches as a Hoosier, including two in last year’s NCAA meet.
“He was close last year,” Escobedo says. “He lost by a point to a guy who was an All-American. This year, we’re hoping for the break through.”
Adds Moran: “(Escobedo) will do everything in his power to help me get there. Having that every day, even if we’re not wrestling, having a conversation or watching film, or breaking down technique. Any time I can pick his brain, it’s an advantage.”
As far as the team entering the Big Ten Championships, momentum has fueled IU’s success. One guy wins, then another, then another. Escobedo sees no reason for that to change, especially with Moran leading the way.
“Once we get into the Big Ten, it will spark that momentum,” he says. “Jacob is a great guy to start with. I think we can run with it.
Top-ranked Penn State and second-ranked Ohio State highlight a power-packed conference meet that features 10 ranked teams and outstanding wrestlers in every weight class. Eight of the 10 top-ranked wrestlers are from the Big Ten, six from Penn State.
In last year’s Big Ten Championships, IU finished 11th as a team, its best showing under Escobedo. Since 1989, the Hoosiers’ best performances include the 1990 runner-up finish and two fifth-place efforts (1989 and ’94).
For Moran, the biggest key is consistency.
“Yes, it’s the postseason and the stakes are higher,” he says, “but it’s being consistent in who we are and what our values are and what we believe in our mindset.”
In other words, stay true to yourself, he adds.
“Nothing will change. My habits won’t change. My routines won’t change. The more consistent I can be in all of that, when the lights are bright, I can do what I do every day, which is score points.”
Even while aiming for a strong Big Ten performance, Escobedo keeps his eyes on the biggest prize.
“Every year is a building block toward winning a national championship,” he says. “We’ll continue to work to that.”
Moran is all in.
“It’s been an incredible journey from when I got here to watch the program continue to rise. We’re getting better and better.
“With this coaching staff and these guys, they’re hungry. They’re always striving to get better and be the best they can be – in the wrestling room, the classroom, personal and social life There will come a day when Indiana will be at the top.”