Nov. 15, 2015
EAST LANSING, Mich. ââ'¬" Ten unattached Purdue wrestlers placed at the Michigan State Open on Sunday inside the Jenison Field House. Finishes of second, third, fifth, sixth and a pair of seventh-place performances were registered in the Open Division, while a second, fourth and two sixth-place finishes came from the Freshman/Sophomore Division.
In the Open Division, Chad Welch went 4-1 on his way to a runner-up showing at 165 pounds. Among his four wins, two were with bonus points, including a fall and a major decision. C. Welch's 27-second pin in his first match was the fastest of his dozen career falls. Danny Sabatello received a forfeit to take third at 141 pounds. The redshirt senior won his first of four matches with a fall in 3:39.
Ben Thornton used a 2-0 decision to dispose of Aaron Assad (Unattached, Missouri) to place fifth at 125 pounds. The redshirt freshman also posted a 4-1 mark with three of his wins coming in consolation matches. After dropping his opening match, Kyle Ayersman turned in four-straight wrestleback victories and ultimately placed sixth at 141 pounds.
Cody Pae and Drake Stein each received forfeits to place seventh at 133 and 197 pounds, respectively. Pae's two other victories came in the second period by fall. He placed in his second tournament in as many wrestled during his redshirt sophomore campaign. Stein pined two opponents and racked up a major decision, winning all of his matches with bonus points.
Over in the Freshman/Sophomore Division, rookie James Ford finished as the 285-pound runner-up. Fellow true freshmen Gavin Murray placed fourth at 157, while Austin Nash and Nate Limmex were sixth at 141 and 149, respectively.
A trio of grapplers competed as attached wrestlers in the Open Division: Luke Schroder (133), Andy Hoselton (165) and Luke Schmit (165). In the Freshman/Sophomore Division, Jon Morales went at 184.
The Boilermakers (2-1) return to dual action at Bloomsburg on Friday. Wrestling from Nelson Field House in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, is set for a 7 p.m. ET start.