Watch the Escobedo-Ness match

Minnesota's Jayson Ness was the 125-pounder everybody has been talking about this season.

And with good reason.

Ness was undefeated, he knocked off returning national champion Paul Donahoe of Nebraska, he was pinning more than half of the wrestlers he faced and he was considered one of the frontrunners to win the Hodge Trophy.

The top-ranked Ness took a spotless 35-0 record into the Big Ten finals against No. 3 seed Angel Escobedo of Indiana.

"All the hype he was getting was well-deserved because he had been pinning a lot of people and he was undefeated," Escobedo said. "There was a lot of excitement for this match because he was facing the last guy who had beaten him. It was really motivating to have an opportunity to face him again."

Escobedo piled up nearly four minutes of riding time in earning a 4-2 victory over Ness.

Escobedo snapped Ness' 36-match winning streak in front of a big crowd of Gophers fans in Minneapolis.

"That was a huge win for me," Escobedo said. "It gives me great momentum and it's a great confidence-booster to build on for the next two weeks."

The last wrestler who beat Ness before Sunday was Escobedo at the 2007 NCAA Championships. Escobedo placed fourth at NCAAs and Ness took fifth.

Now both sophomores, Escobedo and Ness likely will be seeded 1-2 for next week's NCAA Championships in St. Louis.

Escobedo takes a 29-1 record into his second NCAA meet. His only loss this season came to Iowa's Charlie Falck, whom Escobedo downed 6-3 in the Big Ten semifinals.

Escobedo's match with Ness was scoreless after the first period. Escobedo then scored a reversal just seconds after the whistle blew to start the second period. He then rode Ness the rest of the period to lead 2-0.

"I knew he was really strong on top," Escobedo said. "I knew if I hit a Granby really fast I could maybe surprise him and I could get away. I ended up getting a reversal and that gave me the upper hand I needed."

Escobedo then rode Ness nearly the entire third period before Ness scored a reversal with four seconds left. Escobedo had already clinched a riding-time point, so Ness kicked Escobedo out for an escape. But time ran out and Escobedo prevailed 4-2.

"I tried to wrestle really physical and keep him on the mat," Escobedo said. "Last year when I wrestled him at nationals I got a two-point tilt against him. I thought if I rode him hard and got another tilt I could open up the match even more. I wanted to ride him really tough and I was able to do that."

Escobedo became the first Hoosier to win a Big Ten title since Roger Chandler in 1997.

"Angel's done a great job for us," Indiana coach Duane Goldman said. "He's a real good kid with a strong work ethic, and he's obviously very talented. He had a real good year last year and he's continued to improve this year."

Escobedo has thrived while working closely with Indiana assistant coach Mike Mena, who coached past Hoosier standout Joe Dubuque to back-to-back NCAA titles at 125 in 2005 and 2006. Mena was a four-time All-American for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Escobedo, from Griffith, Ind., finished his freshman season at Indiana with a 39-7 record that included 14 pins. His 39 wins were the most ever by an IU freshman. He placed third at the 2007 Big Ten Championships.

Following the 2007 college season, Escobedo won the FILA Junior World Team Trials. He captured the freestyle title at 60 kg/132 lbs. Ness was among the wrestlers who competed in his weight class.

Escobedo was a four-time Indiana state high school champion, compiling a 174-1 record. He holds the state record for pins. He was a 2002 FILA Cadet Nationals champion.

Escobedo said the experience he gained from his first national tournament in 2007 should benefit him this year.

"I'm really excited about getting back to nationals," he said. "I just have to build on what I did at Big Tens and keep wrestling tough."