Jan. 8, 2006
Results of Northern Colorado Dual
Results of Brown Dual
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - It wasn't pretty, but the Purdue wrestling team came away from the afternoon sessions at the Lone Star Duals with two wins, defeating Northern Colorado and Brown.
After going 1-1 in the earlier sessions, the Boilermakers defeated Northern Colorado 25-10, and then took out Brown 20-16.
"It's hard because the holidays come around and guys don't get to work out as much," head coach Jessie Reyes said. "Then, once they get back on the mat, they seem fatigued and not very sharp. That seemed to be the problem today.
"We came away with three wins, but we didn't seem very sharp," Reyes said. "Some guys had some disappointing losses, and some came through with wins when we needed them. We'll have to put it all together for next week, because our next trip will have three tough duals."
In the 4 p.m. session, Purdue finally got off to a winning start with wins at 157 by Jake Murphy and 165 by John DeCeault. A major decision by Ben Wissel at 184 gave the Boilermakers a 10-3 lead, but the first of two key disappointing losses popped up at 197.
Nathan Moore, ranked 19th, dropped a 6-3 decision to Reece Hopkin. The Bear wrestler scored a takedown and two back points in the first period to grab a 4-0 lead, then held on to gain the upset victory.
A forfeit at heavyweight put the Boilermakers back on the winning track, and from there Purdue cruised to a 15-point victory.
The finale at the Lone Star Duals would not be one the Boilermakers could put on cruise control, as the Bears from Brown won three of the first four matches.
Leading 6-4, Brown appeared to be in a bad situation as Wissel, ranked fourth in the nation, took the mat against Branden Stearns. Wissel took a 2-0 lead in the first period with a takedown and proceeded to ride Stearns for the remainder of the opening stanza, a time span of 1:18. Wissel chose to start the second period and, looking for the escape, attempted to roll through Stearns' hold. However, the Brown grappler caught Wissel midway through his roll, securing a spladle and eventually pinning the Purdue 184-pounder. It was the first time Wissel was pinned in his collegiate career (142 matches).
Now trailing 12-4, the Boilermakers would need to make a big comeback in order to improve to 7-1 on the season. The comeback began with a shutout victory by Moore, and continued as Aaron Keough dominated Levon Mock for a 10-2 major decision. The Purdue heavyweight built a 7-0 advantage midway through the second period thanks to two takedowns and a nearfall, and added another takedown and a riding time point to gain the win and draw Purdue to within one at 12-11.
A Purdue decision at 125 by Brandon Tucker and a Brown major decision at 133 gave the Bears a 16-14 lead with two matches remaining. Those two matches, thanks to Jason Cook and Mark Powell, went the Boilermakers' way as Cook won at 141 with an 8-2 decision, and Powell closed the dual at 149 with a 9-5 win.
The Boilermakers' dual record of 7-1 returns Purdue to the form it has for three years, a form that was snapped last season. In the 2002 season, Purdue began the year 12-1 en route to a 15-5 finish. In 2003, the Boilermakers started the campaign 11-1 and went on to finish 15-6. The 2004 squad opened with 10 straight wins and was 13-1 before finishing 18-6. That run of good starts was snapped last year when the Old Gold and Black never managed better than two wins in a row in an 8-12 season.
Purdue returns to the mat, and to the road, when the grapplers head west to California for three duals. On Saturday, Jan. 14, the Boilermakers will face Cal Poly and Boise State, both in San Luis Obispo. The following day will see the Boilermakers take on Cal State-Bakersfield in Bakersfield. Cal Poly is currently ranked 20th in the nation and is 5-2 in dual action. Both Boise State and Cal State-Bakersfield are 1-1 so far this season.