Jan. 4, 2009
NORFOLK, Va. - The Purdue wrestling team posted a 2-1 dual record at the Old Dominion Duals, hosted by the Monarchs in the Ted Constant Convocation Center on Sunday. The Boilermakers topped George Mason University (GMU) and the University of North Carolina-Greensboro (UNCG), but suffered a loss to the 21st-ranked host Monarchs.
Purdue 12th-ranked sophomore A.J. Kissel was the only Boilermaker to post a 3-0 record, while both senior Jake Patacsil and junior Chris Kasten were each 2-0.
The Boilermakers opened the day with a 25-14 victory over GMU, winning six of the 10 weight classes, including a technical fall, two major decisions and a forfeit. After opening the match in an 8-0 hole, sophomore Juan Archuleta put Purdue on the board with a 13-4 major decision over John Delgado. Archuleta took Delgado five times in the match and reversed him at the start of the third frame to earn the bonus point. Sixth-ranked Patacsil followed up with a dominating 16-0 technical fall at 149 pounds, needing just 4:44 to secure five team points and adding 12 back points to his school record total.
The Patriots regained the lead at 157, using a late takedown to nab a narrow 4-3 win, but the Boilermakers rolled up the next three matches to pull away. Ninth-ranked sophomore Luke Manuel started the run with a 7-3 decision at 165 pounds, and junior Nick Corpe followed with a 9-7 sudden victory at 174 pounds. Kissel capped the Purdue run at 184 pounds, nearly pinning GMU's James Webb several times en route to a 12-1 major decision.
The most exciting bout of the match came at 197 pounds where 10th-ranked Purdue sophomore Logan Brown squared off with No. 6 Cayle Byers of GMU. The match saw several near-takedowns, but needed a trio of overtime sessions to find a result. Byers got the better of Brown in the second sudden victory, earning the two-point takedown for the 4-2 win. GMU forfeited the heavyweight bout to Kasten giving the Boilermakers six team points and ending the match.
Purdue faltered in the second match of the day, surrendering its first dual match of the season in a 22-12 loss to ODU. All three lightweight ODU wrestlers defended their national rankings, winning the 125-pound bout by major decision, the 133-pound match by decision and the 141-pound tilt by medical forfeit to build a 13-0 advantage. Patacsil put the Boilermakers on the board at 149 pounds, topping Kaylen Baxter by decision, 13-6, and sophomore Colton Salazar backed that win up at 157 pounds, using a pair of nearfall situations to defeat Joey Metzler, 9-5.
Misfortune bit the Boilermakers at 165 and 174 pounds as the Monarchs escaped with matching 3-1 sudden-victory wins. ODU junior Chris Brown snagged a late takedown to edge Manuel at 165, while Eric Decker, copied the scenario over Corpe at 174. Kissel stole back a thriller at 184, giving up a penalty point and reversal in the second frame, but rebounding with a three-point nearfall and riding-time point in the final period to escape with the 4-3 decision. The team decision was decided at 197 pounds as ODU's Jesse Strawn topped Brown with takedowns in the second and third periods to put the match out of Purdue's reach. Kasten posted a 7-0 victory over ODU freshman David Martin to close out the contest, giving the Boilermakers four individual victories in the match.
The Boilermakers closed out the day with a 30-9 victory over UNCG, winning eight of nine contests and forfeiting the 10th. Purdue sophomore Akif Eren lost a narrow 11-10 bout to UNCG's Mitchell Johnson to open the match, surrendering a late reversal after two straight takedowns to end the match. Freshman Carson Beebe opened the Boilermakers scoring at 133 pounds, earning his first dual victory and second fall of the season. Leading the match 8-1 after two periods, Beebe was given top position by UNCG's Casey Boyle, and rode his opponent for nearly a minute and a half before turning him for the pin.
After forfeiting the 141-pound contest due to Archuleta's injury in the ODU match, Purdue junior Matt Redmond rolled to a 5-2 decision at 149 pounds, while classmate Nick Bertucci scored an 8-0 major decision at 157 pounds. Purdue continued its run through the rest of the weight classes with wins from Corpe, Kissel, Brown, Kasten and junior Jason Martin. Martin posted a 7-6 win at 165, while Corpe followed with a takedown clinic, piling up eight of them in an 18-7 major decision. Kissel and Brown both notched decisions at 184 and 197, winning 4-2 and 6-1, respectively, and Kasten wrapped up the day with a 12-0 major decision.
The Boilermakers move to 7-1 on the year, and depart tomorrow for Fort Myers, Fla., where they'll face the University of Central Florida's club team. They'll stay down south for the remainder of the week for some training in the warmer climate.