Improving to 3-4 on the season in dual competition, the big story of the evening for the Old Gold and Black was the absence of four of their starters. In addition to eighth-ranked 133-pound sophomore Cashé Quiroga and 11th-ranked 197-pound senior A.J. Kissel, the Boilermakers were also without No. 10 junior Ivan Lopouchanski at 149 pounds and sophomore Camden Eppert at 125 pounds, who missed the meet due to illness. Despite not having their teammates on hand, the Boilermakers stepped up and secured enough points to come away with the victory.
“We did a good job stepping up as a team, getting overtime victories and fighting for a win without the presence of our four starters,†said Purdue head coach Scott Hinkel. “Tonight was a great example of just finding a way to win and I'm proud of our guys for coming together and getting it done.â€
NIU jumped out to a 6-0 lead as sophomore Nick Smith pinned Luke Schroeder in the Boilermaker rookie's first career dual match. Schroeder jumped out to an early lead with a pair of first period takedowns, but Smith rebounded in the second to score the fall and his ninth win of the season. Reigning Big Ten Wrestler of the Week Matt Fields retaliated at 133 pounds for Purdue, coming up just shy of a major decision in a 9-2 victory over sophomore Rob Jillard. Fields dominated the match aside from giving up a reversal in the second period and turned the Huskie sophomore to his back for a pair of nearfall points in the third. The Huskies bit back at 141 pounds as sophomore Kevin Fanta used a four-point play in the third period to earn a 7-3 decision over Purdue junior Jake Fleckenstein, and give NIU at 9-3 lead in the team score.
The Boilermakers turned the tide at 149 pounds as freshman Nick Lawrence had a series of firsts en route to an overtime win over NIU freshman Tyler Argue. Thursday marked Lawrence's first collegiate dual match and his first-ever match at 149 pounds. The pair traded escapes in regulation and Lawrence notched the bout's only score about 30 seconds into the extra frame to cut into the Huskies' lead. Junior Tommy Churchard followed up with a dominant showing at 157 pounds, blanking Indiana native Sam Bennett, 6-0, to even the score at 9-9. Churchard was tough on top throughout the seven minutes, scoring takedowns in the first and second frames and rolling up almost five minutes of riding time in the win.
The run continued at 165 pounds as Mosier offered up another shutout, a 10-0 win over sophomore Dan Burk. Things looked to go Burk's way early as he snared a leg and worked for the takedown, but Mosier made a slick roll-through maneuver for the two and took firm control of the match. Mosier reversed Burk to start the second period and nearly scored the fall late in the frame, settling for a three-point nearfall, and tacked on another takedown and the riding-time point in the third. Freshman Drake Stein made it four straight for the Boilermakers at 174 pounds, launching sophomore opponent Caleb Busson several times en route to a 9-3 decision. Stein also came up just shy of a pin, catching a cradle in the second period and only coming up with a couple of back points.
NIU's 20th-ranked senior Brad Dieckhaus halted the Boilermaker run at 184 pounds, knocking off surging Purdue freshman Braden Atwood, 6-1. After a scoreless first, Dieckhaus escaped and notched a takedown off of an Atwood shot in the second to make it 3-0 after two. Atwood escaped in the third period, but his hail-mary shot in the third resulted in another Dieckhaus takedown and the riding time finished the bout at 6-1, and cut the team lead to 16-12. The Huskies pulled within one at 197 pounds as senior Mike Lukowski used a five-point play at the end of the first period to ride out a 7-2 win over Purdue sophomore Justin Dinius.
The match came down to the heavyweights and they finished a great meet with a thrilling finale as Purdue senior Roger Vukobratovich took it all the way to a tie-break overtime to earn a 4-3 win over NIU sophomore Jared Torrence. Regulation ended in a 1-1 tie as the two big men traded escapes, and neither scored in the sudden victory period, pushing the bout to a tie break. Both shot out quickly from the bottom position, first Vukobratovich, then Torrence, but the Boilermaker senior made the most of the 30 seconds, scoring a takedown and sealing up his individual win and the team victory.
The Boilermakers return to action, Friday, Dec. 9, as they open Big Ten Duals and square off with Michigan State University at Holloway Gymnasium.
Results:
125: Nick Smith (NIU) def. Luke Schroeder (PU), Fall 4:22 (PU 0 – NIU 6)
133: Matt Fields (PU) def. Rob Jillard (NIU), D 9-2 (PU 3 – NIU 6)
141: Kevin Fanta (NIU) def. Jake Fleckenstein (PU), D 7-3 (PU 3 – NIU 9)
149: Nick Lawrence (PU) def. Tyler Argue (NIU), SV 3-1 (PU 6 – NIU 9)
157: Tommy Churchard (PU) def. Sam Bennett (NIU), D 6-0 (PU 9 – NIU 9)
165: Kyle Mosier (PU) def. Dan Burk (NIU), MD 10-0 (PU 13 – NIU 9)
174: Drake Stein (PU) def. Caleb Busson (NIU), D 9-3 (PU 16 – NIU 9)
184: #20 Brad Dieckhaus (NIU) def. Braden Atwood (PU), D 6-1 (PU 16 – NIU 12)
197: Mike Lukowski (NIU) def. Justin Dinius (PU), D 7-2 (PU 16 – NIU 15)
285: Roger Vukobratovich (PU) def. Jared Torrance (NIU), TB 4-3 (PU 19-15)
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