March 16, 2006
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - The Purdue Boilermakers had two grapplers advance to the second round of the 2006 NCAA Championships, and two others fall into the consolation bracket during Session I action at the Ford Center on Thursday.
All four wrestlers will compete in Session II on Thursday evening, two attempting to move into the quarterfinals and two trying to extend their season another day.
Chris Fleeger, Purdue / Big Ten / Sr. / Trout Run, Pa. / 10-2
vs.
Zachary Cunliffe, Rider / Colonial / So. / Farmingdale, N.J. / 24-8
Chris Fleeger opened the 2006 NCAA Championships with a win by medical default, as Zachary Cunliffe of Rider retired from the match at the 3:22 mark due to an injured left shoulder.
Fleeger struck quickly vs. Cunliffe, securing a takedown just eight seconds into the match, but an immediate escape by the Rider wrestler made the score 2-1. Fleeger picked Cunliffe's ankle for a second takedown, moving ahead 4-1 just over half a minute into the match. An illegal hold call against Fleeger resulted in the awarding of a point to Cunliffe, and the Bronc required injury time to tend to an injured shoulder.
When action on the mat continued, Fleeger went to work trying to turn Cunliffe, and was successful for three back points 2:08 in the first period. With 14 seconds left in the opening period, Fleeger recorded a second nearfall, this time scoring two back points and building a 9-2 lead after three minutes.
Cunliffe opted to start the second period on top but was unable to hold Fleeger down as the Boilermaker got away 22 seconds into the period. When Fleeger scored the single point, Cunliffe was forced to take another injury timeout and chose to retire from the match, giving Fleeger the opening-round win.
Fleeger moves into the second round to face Christopher Helgeson of Northern Iowa, an upset winner over 12th-seeded Mark Moos of Michigan. Fleeger has never met Helgeson on a collegiate wrestling mat.
Dan Bedoy, Purdue / Big Ten / So. / Hammond, Ind. / 4-10
vs.
Christopher Vondruska, Hofstra / Colonial / Jr. / Bay Village, Ohio / 23-9
Dan Bedoy's first NCAA Championship match did not go as the surprise qualifier had hoped, falling to Hofstra's Christopher Vondruska 9-3.
Vondruska scored the first offensive points of the match when a throw attempt by Bedoy slipped through and the Boilermaker went down to the mat, Vondruska coming down on top of him. Bedoy quickly escaped for the single point and a 2-1 deficit.
A second missed throw, this time in the second period, resulted in another takedown for Vondruska and a 4-1 lead for the Pride wrestler. Vondruska took full control of the match in the final two minutes, scoring two takedowns to ice the victory.
The loss drops Bedoy into the consolation bracket, where he will face Justin Nestor of Pittsburgh. This will be Bedoy's first collegiate encounter with Nestor.
Ben Wissel, Purdue / Big Ten / Sr. / Richmond, Ind. / 34-4
vs.
Joseph Maroney, Rider / Colonial / Jr. / Bensalem, Pa. / 20-16
Ben Wissel had his most dominating performance in an NCAA Championship match out of any other in his four NCAA berths, defeating Rider's Joseph Maroney by a 20-5 technical fall. It was Wissel's sixth technical fall of the season, three times the total he had in the previous three seasons.
Wissel recorded his first of seven takedowns with 1:10 remaining in the first period and rode Maroney for the remainder of the frame, building up over a minute of riding time. An escape by Wissel to start the second period, and was followed by a takedown at 3:22. Two more takedowns during the period gave the Boilermaker senior a commanding 9-2 lead.
Two takedowns in the first minute of the final period built Wissel's lead to 12-3, and then he did something the 184-pounder rarely does: Wissel turned Maroney for back points. Wissel caught Maroney around the shoulders and nearly stuck the Bronc wrestling, but the nearfall enabled Wissel to get the technical fall and a needed bonus-point win. A final takedown with eight seconds left on the clock, and a riding time advantage of over 2:30 gave Wissel the 20-5 win.
Wissel moves on to the second round of the NCAA Championships and will face Fresno State's Greg Gifford. Wissel and Gifford have met once before, with Wissel picking up a 10-9 win over the Bulldog at the 2003 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.
Nathan Moore, Purdue / Big Ten / Jr. / Indianapolis, Ind. / 31-13
vs.
Joel Flaggert, Oklahoma / Big 12 / Jr. / Choctaw, Okla. / 21-4
Nathan Moore didn't have much of an offensive attack in a first-round loss to fifth-seeded Joel Flaggert of Oklahoma, losing to the Sooner 9-2.
Two Flaggert takedowns in the first period resulted in a 4-1 deficit for Moore after three minutes, and left Flaggert with two minutes of riding time. The OU 197-pounder didn't relax against Moore, taking the Boilermaker down again in the second period and then riding Moore for the entire third period.
The seven-point loss was the most lopsided suffered by Moore since dropping a 10-1 match to Cal Poly's Matt Monteiro on Dec. 3, 2005, at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.
Moore moves into the consolation bracket and will face the winner of a pigtail match between Joe Fendone of Edinboro and Wyoming's Malcolm Havens. Moore has yet to face either wrestler in his career.
Chris Fleeger (5 seed), 133 Pounds
Round 1: Zachary Cunliffe, Rider ... won by medical forfeit (3:22)
Round 2: Christopher Helgeson, Northern Iowa
Dan Bedoy, 165 Pounds
Round 1: Christopher Vondruska, Hofstra ... lost by decision, 9-3
Cons. Rd. 1: Justin Nestor, Pittsburgh
Ben Wissel (3 seed), 184 Pounds
Round 1: Joseph Maroney, Rider ... won by technical fall, 20-5 (7:00)
Round 2: Greg Gifford, Fresno State
Nathan Moore, 197 Pounds
Round 1: #5 Joel Flaggert, Oklahoma ... lost by decision, 9-2
Cons. Rd. 1: Malcolm Havens, Wyoming or Joe Fendone, Edinboro