Result
SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – Purdue made their trip through the state of Ohio a successful one by winning their second match of the day over NDC, 26-15, on Sunday night in front of a raucous crowd at Murphy Gymnasium. The Boilermakers also beat Mount St. Joseph earlier in the afternoon in Cincinnati. The loss dropped the No. 9-ranked Falcons' dual match record to 4-2. Purdue remained perfect in dual meets with a record of 5-0.
In the opening 125-pound bout, sophomore Akif Efren gave Purdue an early lead with a 5-4 decision over sophomore #Tyler Savage#, ranked No. 6 in the NAIA. With the loss, Savage's record drops to 14-4.
Freshman Jake Fleckenstein dominated NDC freshman #Paul Rose# in the 133-pound match, winning by tech fall, 23-7, at the 5:54 mark. The result is Rose's second tech fall defeat in his last three bouts.
No. 1-ranked junior #Adam Koballa# came up on the short end of an 11-6 decision to Boilermaker junior Juan Archuleta in the 141-pound bout. The loss snapped a nine match winning streak for Koballa, and dropped his record to 12-3.
Freshman #Jeffrey Pelton# got the Falcons on the board in a big way by pinning junior Matt Redmond at the 4:38 mark. The former state champ from Bellevue reversed Redmond onto his back to secure the first points of the match for NDC. The pin was Pelton's third of the year, and keeps his collegiate record perfect at 11-0.
In the 157-pound match, junior Nick Bertucci gave the momentum back to the Boilermakers with an 11-9 decision over sophomore #Thomas Straughn#. Bertucci rallied after suffering an apparent knee injury in the early moments of the bout. The loss dropped Straughn's record to 12-2, and ended an eight bout winning streak.
Senior #Victer Crenshaw#, currently ranked No. 3 and the defending NAIA champion, won his ninth bout in a row by a 6-2 decision over junior Jason Martin in the 165-pound match. The win runs Crenshaw's record to 12-1, with his only loss coming on Nov. 16 at Ohio State.
Purdue junior Nick Corpe won the 174-pound match over No. 8 Kurt Wolff by a score of 10-4. The loss drops Wolff's record to 8-4 on the season.
In the 184-pound bout, sophomore A.J. Kissel, ranked No. 12 in Division I, made quick work of Notre Dame freshman #Alex Denman#, winning by pin at the 1:13 mark of the first period. The pin was Kissel's tenth in his 15 matches this season. Kissel ranks among the nation's leaders in pins (seventh). Denman's record is now 5-6.
Senior #Chris Tripp# picked up the second pin of the night for the Falcons in the 197-pound match. Tripp was able to flatten sophomore Logan Brown, who came into the match ranked No. 11, at the 2:51 mark of the match. The win was Tripp's sixth in his last seven matches. Five of those wins have come by pin. Overall, this was Tripp's team-leading sixth pin of the season. The senior from Cleveland raised his record to 8-2, while Brown's fell to 10-3.
In the final bout of the evening, Boilermaker junior Chris Kasten won by a narrow 2-0 decision over freshman #Don Stocum#. Stocum's record is now 7-2. Both of Stocum's losses in his debut season have been by two points.
“Purdue was everything we thought they'd be”, said head coach #Frank Romano#. “We proved we are a pretty good team as well. I am proud of the way everyone competed.”
The Falcons will now break for 20 days over the holidays before reconvening for the NAIA National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Jan. 10-11.
NOTES FROM THE NEST…
BLUE AND WHITE REPORT: Heading into the holiday break, the Falcons have an aggregate record of 109-51 (.681) in 160 collegiate bouts. Among their 109 wins, NDC has earned 23 pins, 11 tech falls, and 12 majors. … The Falcons have four different grapplers leading the four major statistical categories. Tyler Savage leads NDC with 14 wins. Chris Tripp leads the way with six pins. Victer Crenshaw is the team-leader in tech falls with five. Thomas Straughn has a Falcon-best four majors.
BUCKEYE STATE MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: Prior to arriving at Murphy Gymnasium, Purdue travelled to Cincinnati to take on Mount St. Joseph at noon. The Boilermakers won the dual match with the Lions, 30-15. PU then boarded their bus for the four hour bus trip to South Euclid. Overall, the Boilermakers will travel more than 760 miles on their trip.
OPENING BELL: Prior to the NDC-PU dual, Murphy Gymnasium hosted a high school showcase match between Cuyahoga Heights and Waynedale. Waynedale jumped out to an early lead, and held on late, for a 41-30 win.
