February 14, 1999
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The No. 8 Michigan wrestling team wrestled its way to a 27-11 victory over No. 15 Purdue in front 507 boisterous Cliff Keen Arena fans on Sunday afternoon. With the loss, the Boilers fall to 15-4-1 overall (3-2-1 Big Ten), while the Wolverines improve to 9-4 (4-2 Big Ten).
"Today, we came out flat and sluggish," Purdue coach Jessie Reyes said. "We let Michigan control the mat and the tempo."
On the afternoon, the Wolverines won seven of 10 matches including three major decisions and one pin. For the Boilers, sophomore Eric Kerkhof scored a 13-2 major decision victory for the Boilers over Nick Kacher at 149 pounds. The next weight class up, senior Willie Wineberg remained perfect on the year, as he too scored a major decision win 22-13 over Charles Martelli at 157-pounds. With the win, the nation's seventh-best improves to 17-0 on the season.
After four consecutive Wolverine victories to make the score 20-8 in favor of the Maize and Blue, Purdue would pick up its final victory when redshirt freshman Jacob Vercelli upset No. 20 Matt Brink 8-4.
"The three guys (Kerkhof, Wineberg, and Vercelli) that won today really came out today and were very aggressive," Reyes said. "They took the action to their opponents from the opening period."
Purdue will return to the mat at the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility Friday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. against No.2 Minnesota and on Sunday in the home-season finale at 1 p.m. versus Illinois.