Nov. 5, 2006
Complete Results | Photo Gallery 
CANTON, Mich. - The Purdue University wrestling team opened the 2006-07 slate in impressive fashion on Saturday, taking home several placings in the field of approximately 300 grapplers at the Eastern Michigan Open, held at Plymouth Canton High School in Canton, Mich. Senior Nathan Moore was the high placer for the Boilermakers, taking home second place in the 197 lb. class, while sophomore Nick Corpe and freshman Cameron Doggett posted third-place finishes.
Moore came up just short of his second straight 197-pound title at the event, cruising all the way to the finals before suffering a narrow 3-1 defeat in the championship match to Mike Tamillow of Northwestern. Moore had an outstanding day, allowing no more than three points in any of his matches. He posted an 8-0 major decision in the opening round, a 7-3 victory in the second and a 3-0 shutout in the quarterfinals before recording his first pinfall of the season in the semifinals, flattening Eastern Michigan's Tony Lyssiotis in 1:44.
Corpe opened his sophomore slate in impressive fashion as well, rolling to the semifinals before dropping his first match. Despite registering narrow victories on the scoreboard (5-3 in the first and second round and 5-2 in the quarterfinals), Corpe was dominant on the mat, controlling his opponents and the tempo of the matches. A 3-1 loss in the semifinals prevented him from taking a shot at the 174-pound crown, but he bounced back in the third-place match with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Kyle Vanderhyde of Olivet College.
Doggett stormed on to the collegiate scene as he won three of his four matches on the day, including a punishing 11-4 victory over Northwestern's James Kohlberg in the third-place match. He opened the day with a narrow 7-6 win and, following a second-round bye, battled to a 4-2 win to advance to the semifinals. There, he faced off with nationally-ranked and eventual 133-pound tournament champion, Nick Simmons of Michigan State. Doggett made an incredible comeback from three points down, registering a series of takedowns, but surrendered the lead to Simmons with a free escape point and came up one takedown short of victory. His strength was further displayed in his final match of the day as he repeatedly hammered Kohlberg to the mat and let him back up, only to slam him down again.
Also reaching the podium for the Boilermakers were sophomore Mark Powell and first-year Chris Kasten, who took home fifth place in the 149- and 285-pound weight classes, respectively. Powell battled through a team-high seven matches on the day, putting together a 6-1 mark. He started the day slow and steady, winning 3-1 in the first round and 2-0 in the second. A 10-3 loss sent him into the consolation bracket, but he managed to bounce back with another narrow victory, 3-2, to keep his day going. He needed extra time to take down freshman teammate Matt Redmond, 4-2, but that wouldn't be the case in the next round against Brockport University's Reece Mariacher. Powell exploded in the final period for four takedowns en route to a 14-3 win. After a forfeit victory in the consolation semifinals, Powell closed out the day with a 3-1 victory over Glenn Choker of the US Naval Academy.
Kasten flaunted a similar performance against the tournament's largest competitors, boasting a 4-1 record in the tournament. He flattened his first opponent by a score of 12-0, and rolled to the quarterfinals with a 3-1 victory in the second round. A 7-3 setback halted his run at the heavyweight title, but he rebounded quickly in the consolation bracket, sticking his first pinfall of the year 1:22 into the second period against Jeff Schuller of Cleveland State University. Another shutout (3-0) closed out Kasten's action for the day as he took an injury decision in the fifth-place match.
Other bright spots on the day for the Boilermakers included first collegiate wins for Redmond, sophomore Aaron Goebel and freshmen Sam Patacsil, Justin Fraga, Eric Howe and Nick Bertucci. Both of Bertucci's wins on the day came by pinfall, while Goebel managed a 14-0 major decision and Fraga pummeled one of his opponents, 17-4.
Purdue opens its formidable dual slate on Friday at 7 p.m., hosting Old Dominion University at Perry Meridian High School in Indianapolis, Ind.