Senior Joe Dubuque came to Indian after an illustrious high school career that featured numerous titles and awards. Dubuque was a four-year starter on both the wrestling and football team at Glenn Ridge high school in Bloomfield, N.J. As a Glenn Ridge athlete, Dubuque grappled to two state championships and a national championship during his senior year. Now, as Dubuque enters the final stretch of his senior year of college, he looks to go out as one of the greatest wrestlers in Indiana history.
On Jan. 22, Dubuque became the 12th wrestler in program history to record 100 career victories. In a decisive 10-3 win over Purdue’s Brandon Tucker, Dubuque made his way into the Indiana record books.
“I was very happy to gain 100 victories while here at IU, “Dubuque said. “Even though I try not pay too much attention to records, it was nice to get recognized for the accomplishment. It was exciting to get the victory against Purdue.”
Top-ranked Dubuque, who is coming off a national championship at 125-pounds last season, has led the Hoosiers a remarkable 11-2 start on the season and a 2-2 ledger in conference action. The feat marks the best start for Indiana since the 1995-96 season when they began the year 12-0.
In the team’s 11 matches thus far, Dubuque has compiled a 16-0 record and has tallied a team-best 59 dual points. Back on Jan. 20, Dubuque wasted little time in getting the Big Ten season underway with a 17-2 technical fall against Nathan Costello of Ohio State. Indiana head coach Duane Goldman attributes Dubuque’s success to improving everyday.
“Joe has really come a long way since he was a freshman, “Goldman said. “He has developed his athletic skills since high school where he went for mostly leg attacks to now being more of a complete wrestler. Joe is good in virtually every aspect of his wrestling. Joe is dangerous in a lot of areas. ”
With upcoming matches against No. 1 Minnesota and No. 9 Penn State, Dubuque and the Hoosiers will look to continue their dominance.
“Our goals have not changed, “Dubuque said. “We want to win every match we wrestle. Our goal is to win the Big Ten, go onto Nationals and come out as one of the top teams in the nation.”
For Dubuque, who has only six Big Ten matches remaining, his final season as a Hoosier looks to be a memorable one. With another national title, Dubuque would become the first Indiana wrestler to capture back-to-back national championships.
“Joe is a winner, “Goldman said. “He trains like a winner and lives like a winner. That rubs off onto the other guys on the team. We hope all players will be like Joe.”
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