Dec. 21, 2008
SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio - The Purdue wrestling team completed its extensive Ohio road trip with a solid 26-15 win at NAIA host Notre Dame College on Sunday night. The Boilermakers improved their dual record to a perfect 5-0, travelling more than 240 miles between matches on the day.
The Boilermakers did a complete reversal of this afternoon's start, running through the first three matches en route to an 11-0 lead. Sophomore Akif Eren started it off at 125 pounds, using an early takedown and late reversal to slip past NDC sophomore Tyler Savage, ranked sixth in the NAIA, 5-4. Rookie Jake Fleckenstein posted his second straight dominant performance, dishing out a 22-7 technical fall over Falcon freshman Paul Rose. Fleckenstein piled up nine takedowns in the rout, completing the contest in 5:54. Boilermaker sophomore Juan Archuleta capped off the early run, defeating the NAIA's top-ranked 141 pounder, junior Adam Koballa, by decision 11-6. Archuleta got up early with a pair of quick takedowns and tacked on two-point maneuvers in the second and third frames to score his 11th win of the year.
The Purdue run stalled at 149 pounds as Boilermaker junior Matt Redmond was caught by NDC freshman Jeff Pelton and pinned at the 4:38 mark.
The 157-pound bout was a crazy one as Purdue junior Nick Bertucci rallied to edge sophomore Tom Straughn, 11-9. Bertucci snared an early takedown and a pair of back points, but the match was held up as his left knee cap slid out of place and he was forced to take his extent of his injury time to get back to form. Straughn capitalized, applying solid pressure and racking up seven quick points with a pair of takedowns and a three-point nearfall to end the first frame 8-5. Bertucci closed the gap in the second period, building solid riding time after a takedown to make it 9-7, and after a quick escape reeled in a final takedown in the last 15 seconds to earn the decision.
The host Falcons grabbed their second win of the night at 165 pounds as senior Victer Crenshaw, ranked third in the NAIA, edged out Purdue junior Jason Martin, 6-2. Fellow junior Nick Corpe righted the ship for the Boilermakers, scoring three third-period takedowns to earn a 10-4 decision, and sophomore A.J. Kissel followed with his 10th fall of the season at 184 pounds, sticking freshman Alex Denman in just 1:13.
The Boilermakers were caught on their back for the second time of the night at 197 pounds as Logan Brown slipped up and was pinned by NDC senior Chris Tripp at the 2:51-mark. Brown led early with a quick takedown and found misfortune attempting his second of the match just before the close of the first frame. Junior heavyweight Chris Kasten closed out the day for the Boilermakers, earning a narrow 2-0 decision over rookie Don Stocum.
Purdue returns to action on Dec. 29-30 at the prestigious Midlands Championships. The field contains more than half of the top-25 teams in the country and gives the Old Gold and Black another great chance to prove themselves on the national level.
Purdue 26 - Notre Dame College 15
125 - Akif Eren (PU) def. Tyler Savage (NDC), D 5-4
133 - Jake Fleckenstein (PU) def. Paul Rose (NDC), TF 22-7 (5:54)
141 - Juan Archuleta (PU) def. Adam Koballa (NDC), D 11-6
149 - Jeff Pelton (NDC) def. Matt Redmond (PU), F 4:38
157 - Nick Bertucci (PU) def. Tom Straughn (NDC), D 11-9
165 - Victer Crenshaw (NDC) def. Jason Martin (PU), D 2-6
174 - Nick Corpe (PU) def. Kurt Wolff (NDC), D 10-4
184 - A.J. Kissel (PU) def. Alex Denman (NDC), F 1:13
197 - Chris Tripp (NDC) def. Logan Brown (PU), F 2:51
285 - Chris Kasten (PU) def. Don Stocum (NDC), D 2-0