Dec. 19, 2004
Complete Results -- Purdue 45, Wabash 6
Complete Results -- Purdue 41, Indianapolis 3
Complete Results -- Wabash 28, Indianapolis 24
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue Boilermakers cruised through the Purdue Duals on Sunday, recording a total of six falls out of 16 matches in blowout wins against Indianapolis and Wabash. The Boilermakers (3-2) defeated Wabash 45-6 and blasted Indianapolis 41-3.
Freshman Colton Salazar (Midway, Utah) recorded two of Purdue's six pins, earning Most Outstanding Wrestler honors for the event. Salazar stuck Adam Miller of Wabash at 1:11 and then pinned Mitch Napier of Indianapolis at the 5:48 mark. Napier came into the day ranked third in the nation at the NCAA Division II level.
"Our guys did a great job today," head coach Jessie Reyes said. "We worked a lot on getting to your feet, and our guys did just that today. It's always a positive to see the wrestlers execute on the mat what they've been working on in practice."
"We had several big wins," Reyes said. "Salazar was just on today. He executed well, as did several other guys. This is a great way to go into the winter break."
Against Wabash, Purdue dominated the mat for the first six matches, recording three pins, a technical fall and two wins by forfeit.
Without a 125- or 133-pounder, Wabash quickly fell behind Boilermakers 12-0. The Purdue advantage grew to 17-0 when sophomore Jason Cook (Valparaiso, Ind.) scored a 17-1 technical fall over Eric Slabaugh.
Consecutive pins by junior Doug Withstandley (149, Jackson, N.J.), Salazar, and sophomore John DeCeault (165, Tinley Park, Ill.) advanced the Boilermaker lead to 35-0.
Withstandley, ranked No. 20 in the nation, stuck Wabash's Drew McCoy at the 2:50 mark of the first period and was followed by Salazar's pin of Miller. At 165, DeCeault needed just 1:00 to record his fall against Kevin Meyer.
Purdue experienced a slight bump in the road at 174 and 184 as junior Barry Jackson (Indianapolis, Ind.) lost a 7-3 decision to Chris Healy, the Division III third-ranked wrestler, and freshman Manvel Biggs (West Lafayette, Ind.) fell to Will Clarke 7-0.
The Boilermakers got their fourth pin of the day when sophomore Nathan Moore (Indianapolis, Ind.) stuck Garrett Thiel at 2:18 of the first period. Moore, ranked 20th in the nation, used two takedowns to earn the win.
A takedown clinic took place at the heavyweight class as freshman Jake O'Brien, ranked 13th in the country, scored a 24-9 four-point technical fall. O'Brien (Indianapolis, Ind.) recorded 11 takedowns in the seven-minute match, including six in the first period.
Against Indianapolis, the dual started slowly for the Boilermakers as the two teams split identical 9-2 decisions in the opening matches.
Freshman Brandon Tucker (Broken Arrow, Okla.) got the best of Clay Leek in a 9-2 win at 125 pounds, giving the Boilermakers a 3-0 team lead. Tucker overcame an early 2-0 deficit to score the last nine points of the match to get the win.
Shane Perkey put the Greyhounds on the scoreboard at 133 pounds with a 9-2 win over sophomore Sean Schmaltz (Franklin, Ind.). It would be the only team points of the dual for Indianapolis.
Senior Rene Hernandez (Hammond, Ind.) fought back from a 7-4 deficit after two periods against Danny Norman to post a 9-8 decision at 141 pounds. Hernandez used a third-period takedown and a riding time advantage of 2:31 to earn the one-point victory.
Purdue returned to dominating form at 149 pounds when Withstandley posted a convincing 15-2 major decision against Wes Hall. With three back points in the match, Withstandley upped his team-leading total to 42 after 18 bouts. The junior had 57 back points last season in 31 matches.
Salazar came back to the mat and recorded his second pin of the day with the third-period stick. Against the D-II third-ranked wrestler, Salazar built a 5-1 lead after two periods with two takedowns, then scored two third-period back points before recording the fall.
DeCeault kept the pressure on the Greyhounds at 165 pounds with a 10-2 major decision over Mike Horton. Leading 5-0 after two periods, the Purdue sophomore doubled his scoring output in the final two minutes to earn four team points and give Purdue a 20-3 advantage.
The sixth and final fall for the Boilermakers followed at 174 pounds as Jackson put Bill Pippens' shoulders to the mat at the 4:46 mark. The second pin of the year and of his career, Jackson used a second-period takedown and worked Pippens for 1:26 before the slap came down for the pin.
Without a 184- and a 197-pounder, Indianapolis forfeited the next two matches, giving the Boilermakers 12 more team points.
In the final match of the day for the Boilermakers, O'Brien had four takedowns en route to a 10-3 decision over Joey Navarro. On the day, the Purdue freshman recorded 15 takedowns, upping his team-leading total to 41 on the season.
In the other dual, Wabash bested Indianapolis 28-24 in a dual that was marred by a lack of wrestlers. With five matches being forfeited, the dual came down to which team could get the best out their remaining five grapplers. With three of the five forfeits going in favor of Wabash, the dual was decided when Healy stuck Pippens at 174 pounds, securing the win for the Little Giants.
Purdue returns to the mat on Jan. 5 when the Boilermakers travel north to Lowell, Ind., to face nationall-ranked Pennsylvania at Lowell High School. The dual is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.