Angel Escobedo arguably is the greatest high school wrestler in Indiana history and is one of the most decorated wrestlers Indiana University has ever produced.
The new head coach of the Hoosiers will be in Columbus Wednesday evening, where he will be the featured speaker at The Republic Sports Gala. A limited number of tickets still are available.
Athletes of the Year in 20 sports (10 boys and 10 girls) will be recognized, as well as overall Male and Female Athletes of the Year and a Josh Speidel Spirit Award winner.
They’ll get to hear from Escobedo, who went 223-1 and won four state championships at Griffith High School. He went on to won 137 matches at IU — the second-most in school history — with three Big Ten titles, four All-American honors and the 2008 national championship at 125 pounds.
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“Going to Indiana University and competing here for the wrestling program, just being coached by great character guys helped shape me,” Escobedo said. “I just kind of know how important this next stage is. I just want to hit on that and motivate them to become whoever they want to become.”
His future proteges include three state champions from Columbus East. Graham Rooks, who won a state title this year, is headed there in the fall. Nick South, another 2018 state champion, and Graham’s brother Cayden Rooks, who won a title in 2017, will be seniors and go to IU in 2019.
Escobedo was taken aback by the size of the East crowd when he was recruiting the Rooks brothers and South.
“The biggest thing that excites me about the Columbus East kids is their fan base, how many people were there supporting them,” Escobedo said. “Getting the best kids in Indiana and having them come over and watch us is important.”
The Hoosier wrestlers are moving into a new $17 million arena that they will share with the volleyball team. Escobedo, who was an assistant at Iowa State for three years and IU for three years before taking over the head coaching job on April 6, is excited about leading the Hoosiers into their new facility.
Escobedo also trained at the Olympic Training Center for a year and trained at Ohio State for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. He made the U.S. world team in 2013 and finished fifth in world championships in Budapest, Hungary.
But now, the 31-year-old Escobedo has turned his attention to making the next wave of wrestlers the best they can be.
“One of the biggest things is setting goals and being true to who you are,” Escobedo said. “The next stage in life is going to be one of the most important. I’m trying to get the next generation to win some World and Olympic golds. My time is over.”
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A limited number of tickets still are available for The Republic Sports Gala, which will be Wednesday at The Commons.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at The Republic, 2980 N. National Rd., between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. or by calling 812-379-5655. Tickets will not be available at the door.
Doors will open at 5 p.m. Dinner will be at 5:30 p.m., followed by speaker Angel Escobedo and the awards program at 6:30 p.m.
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Name: Angel Escobedo
Age: 31
High school: Griffith
College: Indiana
Career highlights: Four-time state high school champion, three-time Big Ten champion, four-time All-American, 2008 national champion at 125 pounds, finished fifth in 2013 world championships
Occupation: Head wrestling coach at Indiana University
Family: Wife Pauli, children Malachi and Saniyah
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