Nov. 22, 2004
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Four Boilermaker wrestlers finished among the top five placers in their respective weight classes at the Missouri Open on Sunday, including one in the Freshman/Sophomore Division.
Nathan Moore (So., 197), John DeCeault (So., 165), Doug Withstandley (Jr., 149) and Jarrin Franklin (R-Fr., 157) earned spots on the tournament podium. Franklin wrestled in the Freshman/Sophomore Division while the other three competed in the Open classification.
Moore, seeded fifth in the bracket, was the top finisher for Purdue, placing second at 197 pounds. The sophomore, ranked 21st in the nation, advanced to the championship match with a 3-0 record before falling to Oklahoma's Austin David 6-1.
DeCeault went 5-1 in the 165-pound bracket en route to a third-place finish. The sophomore recorded two pins, including one against three-time NCAA Division-II national champion Waylon Lowe. His lone loss was a 5-0 decision to No. 22 Wes Roberts of Oklahoma.
At 149 pounds, Withstandley went 5-2 in the tournament for a fourth-place showing. After dropping an 11-7 decision in his opening match, the junior posted five consecutive wins, including a 15-0 technical fall against Missouri's Jed Lewis and a fall over Justin King of Indiana. Withstandley lost the third-place match to Cody Greene of Missouri 8-6.
Franklin went 4-2 in the Freshman/Sophomore Division 157-pound bracket, a record good for fifth-place.
Purdue takes a week off from competition before traveling to Las Vegas for the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 3-4. The annual tournament routinely features 10-15 of the top 25 wrestling programs in the country.
For more information on the Cliff Keen Invitational, please visit CLKWrestle.com.