Dec. 21, 2006
RENO, Nev. - The Purdue University wrestling team earned 88 points, good for fifth place overall at the 2006 Reno Tournament of Champions, in Reno, Nev. on Wednesday. Red-hot sophomore Jake Patacsil led the way for the Boilermakers, taking home the 149-pound title.
Patacsil posted a 5-0 record on the day with a pair of pinfalls, a technical fall and two major decisions. His five victories improved his record to 18-3 on the season and extended his win streak to 12 victories in a row. He also added 39 back points on the day, stretching his season total to 98, surpassing his father's, Frank Patacsil, 1983 total and already climbing to sixth on the single-season school record board. His 200 career back points leave him just three shy of fourth place in school history.
He opened the day with a 19-4 technical fall of Arizona State University's Chris Ramsen, followed up with a 4:42-pinfall of Jason Mendez of Embry Riddle. He registered five-straight three-point nearfalls en route to a 17-4 major decision over Hadley Harrison of Clarion University to advance to the semifinals, where he stuck the University of Wyoming's Carter Downing in just 1:14. His closest match of the day came in the tournament finals as he rang up an 12-0 shutout of 11th-ranked Morgan Atkinson of Cal. State Fullerton.
Joining him on the podium were senior Jason Cook, who grabbed third at 141 pounds, and junior Sean Schmaltz and senior Nate Moore, who posted fourth-place showings at 133 pounds and 197 pounds, respectively. Cook took the hard road, dropping his second match of the day, but battling back with pinfalls in four of his final five bouts, including a pin at the 5:36-mark of the third-place match. Schmaltz just kept finding ways to win as he won five matches by an average of 2.4 points, while Moore was good for a pair of major decisions on his trip to the semifinals before falling to a pair of nationally ranked opponents.
Cook's four pins give him five on the season and 17 for his career, moving into a four-way tie for 12th in school history, while Moore's four victories increase his career total to 97, just three shy of becoming the 12th Boilermaker to ever eclipse the 100-win mark.
Tenth-ranked Central Michigan University took home the team tournament title with 132.50 points to its credit. Oklahoma State University finished in a close second, just one and a half points behind, and Oregon State University and California Polytechnic University rounded out the top four with 96.5 and 95.5 points, respectively.