Jan. 27, 2008
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Purdue wrestling team snapped a nine-match Big Ten Dual losing streak on Sunday with an 18-16 victory at Michigan State University (MSU). The Boilermakers moved to 9-3 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten, while MSU dropped to 3-7 (0-2 Big Ten).
The win is also the first career Big Ten win for first-year Purdue head coach Scott Hinkel. The last Big Ten victory for the Boilermakers came in a 19-15 win over Ohio State University on Feb. 10, 2006.
"It's a great start for this team and this program," said Hinkel. "This is an achievement that we didn't have a year ago, but we're by no means satisfied. Hopefully this is the first of many conference wins."
The match was close the whole way with neither team leading by more than six points. Opening at 149 pounds, 15th-ranked junior Jake Patacsil gave Purdue a 3-0 lead with a 6-4 sudden victory over MSU junior Eddie Skowneski. The Spartans responded quickly as freshman John Fulger pinned Purdue sophomore Nick Bertucci 2:09 into the first period.
The Boilermakers rolled together three straight decisions at 165, 174 and 184 pounds to push the Purdue edge to 12-6. Freshman Luke Manuel earned his first career Big Ten victory, posting a 5-3 win over junior Rex Kendle, and junior Nick Corpe followed with a 3-2 overtime win over junior John Murphy. Purdue rookie A.J. Kissel capped the run by nearly pinning sophomore Nick Palmieri, but settling for the 11-4 decision.
Fifteenth-ranked senior Joe Williams stopped the bleeding for the Spartans with a narrow 3-2 win over Purdue freshman Logan Brown, but Purdue sophomore heavyweight nabbed his second-straight Big Ten victory with a 2-0 effort over senior Freddie DeRamus to respond for the Old Gold and Black.
Things appeared to fall apart for Purdue as the match returned to the top of the lineup and MSU grabbed wins at 125 and 133 pounds. Freshman Joel Trombly topped Purdue rookie Akif Eren, 8-5, at 125, and fifth-ranked sophomore Franklin Gomez improved to 18-1 with an 18-6 major decision over Boilermaker senior Sean Schmaltz.
The match came down to 141 pounds where Purdue sophomore Matt Redmond was in search of his first career conference dual win against MSU sophomore Micah Carter. Carter took the early lead, taking down Redmond twice in the first frame to mount a 4-2 advantage. Redmond rode Carter out in the second period to build nearly a minute of riding time, and then took over in the final frame. Redmond escaped in the first ten seconds of the third period and took Carter down at the 6:18-mark of the match. He solidified his win with a three-point nearfall in the final 20 seconds to give Purdue the win.
The Boilermakers return to action in their home Big Ten opener next Sunday as they host Ohio State at 1 p.m. The match will be available via live webcast at Purduesports.com All-Access. Visit Purduesports.com for more information regarding subscription services.
Purdue University at Michigan State University
Sunday, January 27, 2008
East Lansing, Mich. * Jenison Field House
Final Score: Purdue 18 - MSU 16
Match Results:
149 pounds - Jake Patacsil (PU) def. Eddie Skowneski, D 6-4: PU 3 - MSU 0
157 pounds - John Fulger (MSU) def. Nick Bertucci (PU), F 2:09: PU 3 - MSU 6
165 pounds - Luke Manuel (PU) def. Rex Kendle (MSU), D 5-3: PU 6 - MSU 6
174 pounds - Nick Corpe (PU) def. John Murphy (MSU), D 3-2 (tb): PU 9 - MSU 6
184 pounds - A.J. Kissel (PU) def. Nick Palmieri (MSU), D 11-4: PU 12 - MSU 6
197 pounds - No. 15 Joe Williams (MSU) def. Logan Brown (PU), D 2-3: PU 12 - MSU 9
285 pounds - Chris Kasten (PU) def. Freddie DeRamus (MSU), D 2-0: PU 15 - MSU 9
125 pounds - Joel Trombly (MSU) def. Akif Eren (PU), D 5-8: PU 15 - MSU 12
133 pounds - No. 5 Franklin Gomez (MSU) def. Sean Schmaltz (PU), MD 6-18: PU 15 - MSU 16
141 pounds - Matt Redmond (PU) def. Micah Carter (MSU), D 9-4: PU 18 - MSU 16