Nov. 3, 2012
YPSILANTI, Mich. - The Purdue wrestling team got 2012-13 off to a fast start on Saturday, winning two of the 10 weight classes at the Eastern Michigan Open. The Boilermakers had nine placewinners in all, capturing third place at three weights and fifth place at one other.
Senior Ivan Lopouchanski successfully repeated as the EMU Open 149-pound champion, scoring four victories on the day, including his 3-1 win over Central Michigan's Joey Kielbasa in the finals.
The Boilermakers dominated the 141-pound weight class, taking the top three spots, three of the top four spots for the tournament. Sophomore Brandon Nelsen defended his starting job, going 4-0 on the day with wins over fellow Purdue sophomore Nick Lawrence and sixth-year Jake Fleckenstein for the title. Fleckenstein was 4-1 to take second place at the EMU Open for the second straight year, while Lawrence took third place, going 4-1 as well.
Freshman Chad Welch got his Boilermaker career off to a solid start, taking second place at 174 pounds with a 4-1 record. Welch scored a major decision and a fall to open the tournament, and followed with a pair of decisions before falling to Navy's Mat Miller in the finals by fall.
No. 19 junior Camden Eppert turned in a third-place effort at 125 pounds, finishing 3-1 on the day. He topped Notre Dame College's Brian Hauser in the opener, 9-5, and followed with a 12-3 major decision over Josh Heinzer of Michigan State. Eppert's lone loss of the day came to 10th-ranked tournament champion, Joe Roth of Central Michigan, as he edged Eppert, 3-2, in the semifinals. Eppert rebounded with a 5-2 victory over EMU's Jared Germaine.
The Boilermakers had four entries at 165 pounds and sophomore Pat Robinson prevailed over the group, taking third place at the weight with a 4-1 record. All four wins came by decision, including a double-overtime victory over Indiana Tech's Kafuba Donzon in the quarterfinals.
Freshman Danny Sabatello captured fifth place at 133 pounds, going 4-1 on the day with a pair of technical falls, while sophomore Dustin Schultz rallied after losing his opener, taking sixth place at 157 pounds.
For full results of the Eastern Michigan Open, visit TrackWrestling.com. The Boilermakers return to action next Saturday, hosting duals with No. 7 Missouri and No. 23 Old Dominion. The day will start at 11 a.m. with the two visiting squads, following by Purdue and Old Dominion at 1 p.m. and the Boilermakers and Missouri at 3 p.m.