March 5, 2001
The Purdue wrestling team concluded a successful outing at the Big Ten Championships, and will be sending five wrestlers to compete at the NCAA Championships on March 15-17 in Iowa City, Iowa. Three of the five wrestlers are in their first year as starters in the Purdue lineup.
Purdue's top performance came from Jon Bush at 197. Bush was one of the biggest surprises of the tournament overall, entering as a seventh seed and walking away with a second-place finish. Bush lost to Illinois' Pat Quirk in the championship match, 5-2, falling just three points shy of Purdue's first Big Ten individual champion since Charles Farina (1950-51). Bush defeated Ohio State's Nick Preston, whom he had lost to earlier in the year, then advanced to the championship match with a 9-4 decision over Indiana's Ty Matthews. Bush improves his overall record to 19-7 on the year, his first year as the starter at 197. He missed just one match this season.
Evan Robinson earned his second consecutive NCAA Championship berth, placing fourth at 133 for a second consecutive year. Robinson began his run with a 4-2 decision over Ohio State's Jeff Ratliff. Robinson then advanced to the semi-finals with a 15-8 decision over Michigan's Foley Dowd. He then faced defending national champion Eric Juergens of Iowa, losing by major decision, 10-2. Juergens was also named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Year. In the consolation bracket, Robinson knocked off third-seeded Brett Lawrence, 3-2, before falling to Michigan State's Pat McNamara, finishing in fourth place. Robinson now stands at 23-7 overall on the season, 52-16 over his last two years.
Clovis Crane, who battled his way into the starting lineup this season for the Boilermakers, also earned a trip to Iowa City, claiming sixth place at 157. Crane started his run with an 8-6 decision over Penn State's Aaron Wright before falling to top-seeded T.J. Williams, also the defending national champion at 157. Crane rebounded in the consolation brackets, picking up an impressive 12-4 major decision over fourth-seeded Jason Erwinski of Northwestern. Crane lost his fifth-place match to Ohio State's Josh Janson, but with a sixth-place finish, the sophomore earned his first NCAA Championship berth. He now holds a 16-10 overall record.
Redshirt freshman Ryan Lange, who leads the team in several categories, also earned his first NCAA berth. Despite a tough loss to Ohio State's Ryan Hieber in the first round, Lange rebounded in the consolations to claim seventh place. He started Session II with a 3-2 decision over Michigan State's Nate Mesyn. Lange the lost a tough 3-2 decision to Penn State's Matt Becks. Lange claimed seventh place with a 7-1 decision over Wisconsin's Ryan Lewis, his second win over Lewis this season. Lange now stands at 29-9 overall on the season.
Jake Vercelli improved one notch from his seventh-place finish at the Big Ten Championships last season, finishing in sixth place. Following a 4-2 loss to Illinois' John Lockhart, Vercelli rebounded in consolations with a 5-3 decision over Indiana's Mike Dixon before losing to third-seeded Matt Brink of Michigan. Vercelli lost his fifth-place match against Wisconsin's Justin Staebler, but qualified for Nationals for the second year in a row. Vercelli is now 20-10 on the season.
As a team, the Boilermakers finished with 50 points, good enough for ninth place. All five wrestlers will now prepare for the NCAA Championships to be held in Iowa City, Iowa on March 15-17.