Dec. 11, 2000
After winning its season opener over Southern Illinois, the Purdue wrestling team travelled to Carmel High School, where they defeated Missouri 24-14.
"We wrestled well against a very good team," head coach Jessie Reyes said. "The guys they had were a good test for our team, and our guys responded very well."
The first match was at 165 where Kirk Moore, battling through injury, picked up a 5-4 victory over Mark Vollmar. Moore sat out his earlier match against Southern Illinois due to injury, but was able to go for Missouri. Moore is now 4-1 on the year.
At 174, Ryan Lange scored an upset win over John Kopnisky 8-3. Kopnisky, a graduate of Carmel High School, is a returning national qualifier and currently ranked seventh in the nation at 174. Lange is in his first year as a starter at 174, and won by forfeit earlier in the day against Southern Illinois. He improved his record to 10-3 on the season. Lange leads the team with 11 victories.
Jon Fitch moved up to 184 to wrestle Ry Stone 5-3 in overtime. In a very close match, Stone was able to hold Fitch off after winning the coin toss. Fitch, who normally wrestles at 174, moved up one weight class for the match against Missouri. Fitch is 10-4 on the season.
Jon Bush, ranked 20th at 197, pinned Dante Stone. For Bush, in his first year as a starter at 197, it was his third victory of the season by pinfall. Bush is now 8-2.
Jake Vercelli, ranked 18th in the nation, picked up his fourth victory via pinfall, defeating Chad Hertzog. Vercelli is now 7-1 on the year.
In a matchup between two of the top wrestlers at 125, Missouri's Justin Spates was able to defeat Jason Silverstein for the second time this season, 3-1. Spates is currently ranked seventh in the nation, while Silverstein is ranked sixth. The loss dropped Silverstein to 10-3 on the season.
Evan Robinson, ranked 11th at 133, picked up his eighth win of the year, an 8-3 decision over Jesse West. Robinson is now 8-2 on the year.
Missouri's J.P. Reese picked up a 17-2 technical fall over Paul Sacquitne. Sacquitne, the lone freshman in Purdue's starting lineup, is filling in for Jimmy Hawthorne, who is day-to-day with a shoulder injury.
At 149, Brad Harper lost a tough match to Jesse Jordan. Jordan, who normally wrestles at 157, shut out Harper 4-0. Jordan picked up a key takedown late in the match to secure the victory. Harper, in his first year as a starter at 149, dropped to 9-4 on the year.
Oscar Santiago continued his winning ways, picking up a 5-3 victory over Kenny Burleson. Santiago is 10-1 on the year, leading the team in takedowns.
The Boilermakers next competition will be Dec. 29, as the team will be represented at both the Midlands Invitational in Evanston, Ill., and at the Sunshine Invitational in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Their next dual meet is scheduled for Jan. 3 at Northern Iowa.