March 22, 2013
DES MOINES, Iowa - Purdue wrestling senior Ivan Lopouchanski became the 40th All-American in Boilermaker wrestling history Friday night, securing a top-eight finish with a 6-0 victory over Air Force's Cole Von Ohlen at the 2013 NCAA Championships at Wells Fargo Arena. Lopouchanski will wrestle for seventh place tomorrow morning in the fifth session of the championships.
"It's been a long time coming, but I couldn't be more proud," said Lopouchanski. "It took me four years to earn a spot on the podium, and that might make this moment even sweeter."
After a pair of consolation victories in this morning's session, Lopouchanski need just one more victory to lock-up a top-eight finish and placement points for the Boilermakers. He came through in spades, dominating Von Ohlen from start to finish in the Purdue senior's 31st win of the season. The action started about 2:30 into the first period as Von Ohlen tried an arm spin, but Lopouchanski countered with a nasty foot sweep for the first takedown and a 2-0 lead. The lead grew to 3-0 in the second with an escape, but the period saw little other action. Von Ohlen took the bottom position in the third and Lopouchanski clung on for his life on top, holding off several reversal attempts from his Falcon foe. Lopouchanski caught Von Ohlen on his back for a two count late in the match, which was challenged by the Air Force staff but stood after review, making it a 5-0 lead and sealing it up. Lopouchanski held on top to the final whistle and earned the 6-0 decision.
"I couldn't be more happy for him," said Purdue head coach Scott Hinkel. "He's beat a lot of people who have ended up on the podium before, and he's truly earned his place as an All-American. It's huge for Ivan and it's huge for Purdue wrestling."
Lopouchanski fell in the consolation quarterfinals, suffering a 12-5 loss to Minnesota's Dylan Ness. Ness scored early in the bout and racked up some riding time before a six-point second period extended his lead. Lopouchanski mixed in takedowns in the second and third period, but Ness was able to answer each time, sending Lopouchanski to tomorrow's seventh-place match.
With 10 team points in the books, one more will be on the line tomorrow as Lopouchanski faces eighth-seeded Nick Brascetta of Virginia Tech in the seventh-place match. Brascetta earned his All-America honors with a Round of 12 win over American's Kevin Tao, but was sent to the seventh-place bout after falling to seventh-seeded Scott Sakaguchi of Oregon State. The Boilermakers are tied for 31st in the team standings with Binghamton, and will look to crack the top-30 with another win tomorrow.
Tomorrow's action starts at 10 a.m. (CT) with the consolation semifinals and seventh-place matches. Lopouchanski will be back for the Parade of All-Americans before the championship session and will take his place on the podium after the conclusion of the 157-pound finals. For brackets and team scores click here.
Purdue Results
141 Pounds - Brandon Nelsen
First Round - lost to #12 Chris Mecate (Old Dominion), D 6-3
Conso. First Round - def. Pat Greco (Northwestern), Fall 4:26
Conso. Second Round - lost to Zach Neibert (Virginia Tech), D 7-3
149 Pounds - #10 Ivan Lopouchanski
First Round - def. Josh Roosa (Bloomsburg), D 3-0
Second Round - lost to #7 Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon State), D 4-1
Conso. Second Round - def. Brandon Richardson (Wyoming), D 3-2
Conso. Third Round - def. David Habat (Edinboro), D 5-2
Round of 12 - def. #4 Cole Von Ohlen (Air Force), D 6-0
Conso. Quarterfinals - lost to #6 Dylan Ness (Minnesota), D 12-5
Seventh-Place Match - #8 Nick Brascetta (Virginia Tech)
157 Pounds - Tommy Churchard
First Round - lost to #5 James Fleming (Clarion), TF 16-0 (4:44)
Conso. First Round - def. Cody Pack (South Dakota State), D 3-0
Conso. Second Round - def. Spartak Chino (Ohio), MD 11-2
Conso. Third Round - lost to #4 James Green (Nebraska), Fall 3:30
174 Pounds - Chad Welch
First Round - lost to Cody Walters (Ohio), D 5-3
Conso. First Round - lost to Ian Korb (Penn), MD 12-4
197 Pounds - Braden Atwood
First Round - lost to #11 Blake Rosholt (Oklahoma State), D 3-2
Conso. First Round - lost to Mario Gonzalez (Illinois), D 7-1