Nov. 25, 2000
The Purdue wrestling team placed fifth out of 13 teams at the Mat Town Invitational held Saturday at Lock Haven University in Lock Haven, Pa.
"I was really pleased with how we performed," head coach Jessie Reyes said. "We're just going to go home and train some more, getting ready for our dual meets to start."
Jon Bush and Jake Vercelli led the Boilermakers with first-place finishes. Both wrestlers claimed first place via pinfall. Bush, who entered the tournament as the fourth seed at 197, opened with a 16-2 win over Lock Haven's Jarred Dressler. Bush then defeated Pittsburgh's Josh Mccullough 4-1, followed by an upset over top-seeded Dan Bednar 6-1. Bednar, from Ohio, is currently ranked 12th in the nation at 197. Bush pinned second-seeded Avery Zerkle of Lock Haven at the 2:04 mark to claim second place.
Vercelli began the day with a 9-2 win over Virginia's Ryan Painter, followed by a 5-2 win over Franklin & Marshall's Dennis Maguire. He then defeated Pittsburgh's Jacob Lininger 9-4 before pinning Virginia's Josh Etu at the 1:20 mark. Israel Blevins also competed at heavyweight, picking up an 8-5 victory over Rider's Vinny D'Augustino, before falling to Etu 13-5.
At 125, Jason Silverstein placed second. Silverstein won his opening match over Virginia's Ryan Stewart 9-1. After a forfeit-win over Columbia's Jordan Heimer, Silverstein defeated Lock Haven's Justin Owens 8-6, before falling in the championship match to Justin Spates of Missouri. Silverstein is ranked sixth at 125, and will have a rematch with Spates on Dec. 9 when Missouri will meet Purdue at Mt. Carmel High School on Dec. 9.
Evan Robinson also placed second for the Boilermakers. Robinson defeated Joe Alexander of Virginia 5-1, then picked up a win over Pittsburgh's Joe Crecca. He beat Penn State's Scott Moore, only to lose to Pittsburgh's Rob Loper in the championship, 8-6 in overtime. Loper is currently ranked third, while Robinson is ranked sixth.
At 141, Paul Sacquitne made an impressive collegiate debut. He won his first match by pinfall over Columbia's Gary Peldon at the 3:50 mark. Sacquitne went on to face top-seeded Mike Maney of Lock Haven, losing a tough 11-5 match.
Brad Harper placed seventh for the Boilermakers at 149. Harper began his run with a pinfall win over Franklin and Marshall's Brian Bricker. Harper lost his following match to Penn State's Adam Shepler, but performed well in the consolation rounds to earn a seventh-place finish. He picked up his second pinfall of the day by defeating Franklin and Marshall's Jeff Severson at the 5:48 mark. Harper then upset top-seeded Blaise Mucci of Pittsburgh 8-6.
Oscar Santiago and Clovis Crane both placed at 157 for the Boilermakers. Santiago, coming off a first-place finish last week at the Navy Classic, finished third while Crane placed sixth. Santiago scored an opening-round win over Missouri's Tim Hawke 8-1. He then defeated Ohio's Ben Gabriel 8-4. Santiago lost to Cory DeBias of Rider, but came back to defeat teammate Crane 8-2 and Ryan Smith of Ohio to claim third place. Crane picked up a technical fall win over Franklin & Marshall's Isaiah Hankel 17-2 before losing a tough 8-6 match to top-seeded Rob Weikel of Lock Haven. Crane picked up two more wins in the consolation round before falling to teammate Santiago.
Ryan Lange and Jon Fitch both placed at 174 for the Boilermakers. Lange captured third place, while Fitch finished fifth. Lange picked up a 12-7 win over Pittsburgh's Rob Black, then defeated Lock Haven's Ed Pawlak 11-4 before losing to second-seeded Jeff Rusak of Old Dominion. Lange went on to the consolation round, where he defeated teammate Fitch in a very close match. Lange clinched third place with a 3-2 win over Ohio's Luke Moore. Fitch began his run with a pinfall win over Bucknell's Andy Herbert. He defeated Ben Chunko of Bucknell, 3-1, before falling to teammate Lange.
The Boilermakers will compete in some open competitions over the next few weeks, and will kick off their dual meet schedule on Dec. 9 at home against Southern Illinois. The Boilermakers will also compete against Missouri on Dec. 9 at Mt. Carmel High School.