Purdue Wrestling Update

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The 24th-ranked Purdue Wrestling team suffered a 27-11 loss to visiting No. 13 University of Wisconsin on Friday night, falling to 10-8 overall and 1-4 in Big Ten Dual competition. The Boilermakers managed to win just three of the 10 matches on the evening, highlighted by junior Colton Salazar’s technical fall victory at 157 pounds.

Joining Salazar in the win column was sixth-ranked 174 pound classmate Luke Manuel and No. 17 125 pound freshman Cashé Quiroga, who each posted decision victories on the evening. Manuel improved to 33-2 on the season and 2-0 in conference matches, moving within one win of the Boilermakers’ top-20 list for single-season victories, and climbed to a tie for 18th all-time at Purdue with his 88th career win. Salazar’s win was his 24th of the season, rebounding from back-to-back Big Ten losses last weekend and improving to 3-2 in conference duals, while Quiroga evened his conference mark at 2-2 with his 21st victory of the year.

Wisconsin grabbed control of the match early as they opened at 184 pounds and the Badgers reeled off three straight wins and a 9-0 advantage. No. 16 sophomore Travis Rutt took down Purdue senior Nick Corpe by decision, 6-2, in the opener, and eighth-ranked Wisconsin junior Trevor Brandvold won the feature bout of the evening, outscoring No. 11 Boilermaker junior Logan Brown at 197 pounds, 8-3. The Badgers junior heavyweight Eric Bugenhagen completed the run with a 4-1 decision over Purdue rookie Adam Walls in a gutsy effort by the Boilermaker freshman.

Quiroga got the Boilermakers off the slide at the return to the top of the lineup, fighting off an upset bid by Wisconsin senior Drew Hammen and earning a 6-4 overtime win. Quiroga raced out to a 4-1 lead with a pair of first-period takedowns, but stalled out in the second as Hammen had a solid ride which lasted the full two-minute period. Hammen escaped to start the third, and evened the count at 4-4 with a takedown of his own in the final 20 seconds. However, Quiroga wasted little time in the extra period, slipping behind Hammen on the mat for the two-point win, and nearly took the Badger to his back for a sudden-victory fall if it weren’t for the match being stopped short by the official.

The Badgers went back on the offense at 133 pounds as seventh-ranked freshman Tyler Graff put on a dominating performance in his pin victory over Purdue sophomore Matt Fields, and fellow Wisconsin rookie Cole Schmitt carried the run over at 141 with a 15-0 technical fall over Boilermaker rookie Tommy Churchard. Purdue senior Nick Bertucci put on a solid performance against fifth-ranked Wisconsin senior Kyle Ruschell at 149 pounds, but the Badgers prevailed again, taking a 7-3 decision and improving their lead to 23-3.

Salazar took a big bite out of the lead with his 17-2 technical fall win over Wisconsin freshman Jesse Hintz at 157, needing just 5:21 to secure the five team points. It was all offense, all the time for the Boilermaker junior, piling up five takedowns and a pair of three-point nearfalls in the match.

Top-ranked 165-pound sophomore Andrew Howe earned his 24th consecutive victory for the Badgers in the next bout, fending off a tough effort from Purdue senior Jason Martin for a 12-3 win. Martin kept it close through most of the first two periods, but Howe turned it on late with four takedowns in the last three minutes for the major decision.

Manuel’s return to the mat wasn’t an exciting one, but another solid win for the Boilermakers as he edged out freshman Brendan Ard, 3-0. After a scoreless first period, Manuel put on a tough ride in the second, continuously returning Ard to the mat for a full two minutes of riding time. He finished it off in the third period, stuffing a errant shot by Ard and working behind for the two-point takedown.

The Boilermakers return to action on Sunday, heading up to East Lansing, Mich. for a battle with Michigan State University. The Spartans entered the weekend at 7-4-1 and 1-