Nov. 5, 2011
YPSILANTI, Mich. - Junior Ivan Lopouchanski had a stellar debut as a Boilermaker on Saturday, winning the Eastern Michigan Open title at 149 pounds to lead the Purdue wrestling team. The Boilermakers had eight of their 17 entries place on the day, giving them a solid start to their season.
Lopouchanski had a perfect 4-0 start to his Purdue tenure, including a pair of conference opponents. He topped Kent State's Ian Miller in a 7-5 thriller to start his day, followed by a 6-2 decision over Navy's Joe Locksmith in the quarterfinals and a 6-1 victory over Michigan's Mike Hillock in the semifinals. He closed out the tournament with a thrilling 3-2 tie-break win over Ohio State freshman Cam Tessari to earn the crown.
The Boilermakers got second-place finishes from sophomore Cashé Quiroga, junior Jake Fleckenstein and sophomore Kyle Mosier as Quiroga was the runner-up at 133 pounds, Fleckenstein was second at 141 pounds and Mosier earned silver at 165 pounds. Quiroga rolled through the first two rounds with a major decision and a pin, followed by a pair of decisions in the quarterfinals and semifinals, but fell to fifth-ranked Logan Stieber from Ohio State in the finals. Fleckenstein battled the whole way, scoring a trio of decisions and a medical forfeit before dropping a narrow 10-8 decision to 19th-ranked Hunter Stieber of the Buckeyes in the championship match. Mosier had a pin and three decisions on his way to the finals, where he was edged out by Eastern Michigan's Lester France, 6-4.
Other Purdue placewinners were senior Matt Fields, sophomore Camden Eppert and freshmen Pat Robinson and Braden Atwood. Fields was fourth at 133 pounds, scoring a major and a pin, and Eppert was fifth at 125 pounds. Robinson battled to fifth place at 157 pounds, notching his first collegiate fall, and Atwood grabbed third place at 184 pounds by way of two falls.
"While I don't think we accomplished everything we set out to do, I think we had a solid effort," said Boilermaker head coach Scott Hinkel. "I feel like we outworked our opponents in just about every match, but sometimes we need to be a little smarter and execute a little better."
Full results of today's action, both open and freshman/sophomore divisions can be found at TrackWrestling.com. The Boilermakers open their dual season next Sunday, heading to ninth-ranked Missouri for a head-to-head battle.