"It was a hard-fought win for our guys, but were happy to finish the regular season on a good note," said Boilermaker head coach Scott Hinkel. "We wanted to come out here and show this area of Ohio some exciting, NCAA Division I college wrestling, and I think we accomplished that goal today."
The match opened at 125 pounds, where fans got to see the matchup they missed a week ago between Purdue sophomore Camden Eppert and 16th-ranked CMU freshman Joe Roth. Roth scored the only takedown of regulation, but Eppert countered with a second-period escape and a third-period ride-out to force sudden victory. Roth didn't waste much time in the extra frame, scoring off a double-leg and winning 4-2 to give the Chippewas a 3-0 edge.
Quiroga, ranked ninth in the country at 133 pounds, opened up a solid Purdue run with a 12-4 major decision over CMU freshman Zach Horan, needing all seven minutes to secure the bonus point. Quiroga led 4-2 after takedowns in each of the first two periods, but revved it up in the third with a trio of takedowns, including one in the final second to stretch his lead to eight and put Purdue on top, 4-3. Quiroga's five takedowns give him 198 for his career, moving into 20th-place all-time at Purdue and bumping Boilermaker All-American Joe Urso from the list.
Nelsen grabbed a spot in the record books as well on Sunday, scoring his ninth fall of the season to tie six former wrestlers for 17th-place on the single-season record list as he stuck Chippewa sophomore Scott Mattingly in 2:08. Mattingly countered a Nelsen shot for the first two of the bout, but Nelsen reversed Mattingly and then caught him in a cradle to score the fall and put Purdue on top, 10-3. No. 11 junior Ivan Lopouchanski increased Purdue's lead to 13-3 at 149 pounds, topping CMU freshman Ben Mattiesen, 5-3, and fellow Boilermaker junior Tommy Churchard knocked off Chippewa junior Donnie Corby for the third time this season at 157 pounds, 5-3, to make it 16-3.
CMU opened up a run of its own at 165 pounds as freshman Mike Ottinger came from behind to pin Purdue sophomore Kyle Mosier at 4:23, and freshman Anthony Bill backed it up with a 4-1 decision over Boilermaker rookie Drake Stein at 174. Fourth-ranked Ben Bennett cut the Purdue lead to one, 16-15, at 184 pounds as he topped 19th-ranked Boilermaker freshman Braden Atwood, 8-1. Purdue senior A.J. Kissel ended the run at 197 pounds, dominating Craig Kelliher, 9-2. Kissel spent nearly the whole match in the top position, scoring quick takedowns in each of the three periods, but Kelliher refused to go to his back as Kissel chased the Purdue career falls record. Kissel went for the kill with seconds left in the match, but the referee stopped the hold and called unnecessary roughness, awarding Kelliher a penalty point and cancelling out a would-be major decision.
With the door open, 17th-ranked CMU heavyweight Peter Sturgeon needed a major decision over Purdue sophomore Alex White to win the dual, but White did just enough to hold off his Chippewa opponent, surrendering a 7-2 decision.
The Boilermakers improved to 7-4 all-time against CMU, 3-2 on neutral turf, and earned their third victory over a ranked opponent this season. Hinkel has finished at least .500 in each of his five seasons at the helm, becoming the first coach in school history to accomplish the feat. Purdue returns to action in two weeks, hosting the 2012 Big Ten Championships at Mackey Arena on March 3 and 4.
Results:
125: #16 Joe Roth (CMU) def. Camden Eppert (PUR), SV 4-2 (PUR 0 – CMU 3)
133: #9 Cashé Quiroga (PUR) def. Zach Horan (CMU), MD 12-4 (PUR 4 – CMU 3)
141: Brandon Nelsen (PUR) def. Scott Mattingly (CMU), Fall 2:08 (PUR 10 – CMU 3)
149: #11 Ivan Lopouchanski (PUR) def. Ben Matthiesen (CMU), D 5-3 (PUR 13 – CMU 3)
157: Tommy Churchard (PUR) def. Donnie Corby (CMU), D 5-3 (PUR 16 – CMU 3)
165: Mike Ottinger (CMU) def. Kyle Mosier (PUR), Fall 4:23 (PUR 16 – CMU 9)
174: Anthony Bill (CMU) def. Drake Stein (PUR), D 4-1 (PUR 16 – CMU 12)
184: #4 Ben Bennett (CMU) def. #19 Braden Atwood (PUR), D 8-1 (PUR 16 – CMU 15)
197: A.J. Kissel (PUR) def. Craig Kelliher (CMU), D 9-2 (PUR 19 – CMU 15)
285: #17 Peter Sturgeon (CMU) def. Alex White (PUR), D 7-2 (PUR 19 – CMU 18)
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