Oct. 9, 2008
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue wrestling team kicked off its 2008-09 season on Wednesday, holding its first practice in generous fashion with a marathon charity run. The Boilermakers took on an extensive endurance run and took pledges for time and completion for the United Way fund. The run started in the Blake Wrestling Center, where the team took off on a three-mile run to start the day. Upon return they climbed all the stairs in Ross-Ade Stadium, only to take off on a second three-mile run afterwards. A pair of runs up-and-down Slayter Hill was next on the list, followed by 100-yards of flipping a large tire in the Mollenkopf Center, and yet another trip around Ross-Ade. The test completed with eight minutes of biking in the Blake Wrestling Center. To set the tone for his group, Purdue head coach Scott Hinkel and assistant coaches Tom Erikson and Glen Lanham completed their course just over a week ago. "It was important to me to look at these guys and let them know that I've done what I'm asking them to do," he said. "I let them know that I'd make a pledge for each of them that beat my time, and eight of them managed to do it." Junior 157-pounder Nick Bertucci paced the group, completing the course in 1:32. Following closely was junior 141-pounder Juan Archuleta in 1:33 and sophomores Luke Manuel and Akif Eren in 1:34. "They all did a great job," said Hinkel. "They all started and completed as a team." This is the latest in a line of community service efforts by the Boilermakers, who continue to be very active in the West Lafayette/Lafayette area. Earlier this year, several members of the team participated in the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon presented by Purdue Television and Multimedia Production Services, Purdue Broadcast Network Services and WLFI-TV 18, while assistant coach Tom Erikson returned to the annual Catch-A-Dream outdoor recreational event in Colusa, Calif. Hinkel has been active as well, participating in a mentoring program at the West Lafayette primary schools.
"It's important for us to do our part," said Hinkel. "We have an opportunity to make a difference, and our guys do a great job taking initiative and putting forth their best efforts in the community." The Boilermakers hit the mats for the first time today (Thursday), but don't open their season until Nov. 1 at the Eastern Michigan Open. In their fourth consecutive season-opening effort in Ypsilanti, Mich., the Boilermakers will have two defending champions in tow in Bertucci and 149-pound senior captain Jake Patacsil. Hinkel is also planning an open practice on Saturday, Oct. 25, in Lambert Field House in conjunction with the homecoming football game against Minnesota. The Boilermakers will hit the mats after the game at approximately 3:30 p.m. Season Preview 125 Pounds Purdue's 125-pound class features a returning starter in sophomore Akif Eren, along with second-year George Petrov, redshirt-freshmen Matt Fields and Bill Putman and newcomer Kegan Handlovic. Eren was 12-19 in his rookie season with solid performances at the Eastern Michigan Open, Midlands Championships and Wendy's Duals, and looks to defend his starting job. Fields was the 2007 Indiana high school state champion, while Handlovic won back-to-back Pennsylvania high school state championships and finished 2008 ranked 14th in the country at 119 pounds. 133 Pounds The 133-pound starting position is up for grabs among a bevy of new faces, including returning redshirt-freshman Jake Fleckenstein and Central Michigan transfer Carson Beebe. Fleckenstein was 159-17 in his four-year career at East Central High School (Cincinnati, Ohio) and took home fifth at the state championships his junior and senior year, while Beebe redshirted his first year as a Chippewa after a trio of place-winning performances at the Illinois state high school championships. Also, throwing their names into the ring are rookies Mark Augle, Tommy Churchard, Matt Manuel and Gabe Von Letschler, who come to Purdue with impressive credentials. 141 Pounds The Boilermakers' starting nod at 141 pounds will be a fierce dual between sophomore Matt Hemry and junior college transfer Juan Archuleta. Hemry moved up from 133 pounds towards the end of last season, going 2-0 to win the Midwest Open in his only bouts at 141. He posted a pair of victories at 133 pounds at the ACC/Big Ten Clash, and finished 5-5 on the year overall. Archuleta was a two-time California Junior College Champion at 141 pounds, spending most of both seasons ranked No. 1 in the state and finishing 37-2 last year. 149 Pounds The Boilermakers rest their hopes at 149 pounds in extremely safe hands as two-time NCAA qualifier Jake Patacsil is set to be one of the nation's top grapplers in his weight class. After back-to-back 30-win seasons and the top-two single-season back point totals in Purdue history, Patacsil has his sights on both Big Ten and NCAA titles. Along with his top spot on the Boilermakers' single-season back point list he is the Purdue career back point leader, No. 4 all-time in reversals and No. 11 all-time in falls. He also shares the eighth-highest single-season falls total and 11th-highest single-season win total. Along with the team's four newcomers at 149, Patacsil will be joined in the room by redshirt juniors Matt Redmond and Jordan Nettuno. Redmond started for the Boilermakers at 141 pounds last season and posted an impressive mark of 11-7 at 149 pounds as a freshman. Highly-touted rookie Brennan Cosgrove looks to gain valuable experience in the room and will most-likely redshirt his initial season. 157 Pounds Purdue boasts its deepest and arguably most talented weight class at 157 pounds, including two former NCAA qualifiers, Jake Murphy and Colton Salazar, and the 2007-08 starter, Nick Bertucci. Murphy opened the 2007 campaign with a No. 18 preseason ranking and was 6-1 before ending his season prematurely with injury, while Salazar earned a trip to the 2005 NCAA Championships as a true freshman before a two-year religious mission. Bertucci was 14-14 last year, winning the Eastern Michigan Open and tying for second on the team with five falls. Junior Sam Patacsil was impressive as well in 2007-08, racking up a 14-6 mark, including three technical falls and five major decisions. 165 Pounds The 165 pound group at Purdue makes a solid case for its most talented weight class as well, featuring juniors Justin Fraga and Jason Martin, sophomore Luke Manuel and freshman John Doyle. Manuel was the standout of the bunch in 2007-08, posted a 29-9 record and finishing one win shy of NCAA All-America status. He was the Boilermakers' top finisher at the Big Ten Championships, taking third, and placed in every tournament he wrestled in throughout the season. Fraga faced an injury-plagued sophomore season after an impressive rookie campaign in which he advanced to the 2007 national championships. Martin has quietly knocked off some of the nation's top wrestlers in his first two years, racking up a 3-2 mark against NCAA qualifiers in 2007-08, including a win over All-American Moza Fay of UNI. Doyle illustrated an array of talents in his redshirt season and will be solid in any matches he earns in his rookie year. 174 Pounds The Boilermakers' 174-pound slot will feature a familiar face in 2008-09 as junior Nick Corpe returns for his third season at the starter. After being granted a medical-redshirt hardship for the 2006-07 season, Corpe sits with a 41-32 record at Purdue. He earned his first national ranking in 2007-08, and is hoping to secure his first career NCAA appearance this year. 184 Pounds Sophomore A.J. Kissel is set to continue his onslaught on the Purdue record books in 2008-09, after setting the Boilermakers' single-season school record and tying for second in the nation with 19 pins. He earned several national and team awards, including a spot on the inaugural NWCA True-Freshman All-Academic Team, and was 2-2 at the 2008 NCAA Championships. Kissel will get support from sophomore David Pisarcik, who returns to active duty after a redshirt season, Columbia transfer Orrin Kleinhenz and newcomer Marx Succes. 197 Pounds The 197-pound weight class features another young returner in 2008 NCAA qualifier Logan Brown. Brown finished 24-16 last season, taking fifth at the Big Ten Championships and notching a 1-2 mark at the national championships. Brown finished among the team leaders in most categories last year, including wins, takedowns (63) and major decisions (four). Brown will have a new training partner this season as he's joined by newcomer Mike Dziedzic at 197. 285 Pounds A pair of familiar faces are set to man the Boilermakers' heavyweight ranks as Chris Kasten and Roger Vukobratovich return. Kasten looks to put together his first full year on the mat going 16-6 as a freshman before missing the second half of the year, and putting together a 15-12 mark as a sophomore while going in and out of the lineup with illness. He narrowly missed an automatic bid to nationals last season, taking eighth at Big Tens after a battle with sickness and a 4-4 conference-dual record. Vukobratovich was solid in substitution and picked up some great collegiate experience in his rookie campaign. Schedule The Boilermakers look to continue their improvement under second-year head coach Scott Hinkel in 2008-09, and have another solid schedule in their path in which to do so. They'll repeat last season's tournament schedule, starting the season at the Eastern Michigan Open, and traveling to the daunting Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and Midlands Championships before the end of 2008. The Boilermakers are coming off of their best finish in school history at the Midlands Championships, and look to better their overall standings at all three tournaments this year. Purdue is scheduled to battle in a trio of dual tournaments, including the inaugural Boilermaker Challenge on Nov. 15. Purdue will play host to six Division I programs that day, including Big Ten rival Northwestern University, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and Kent State University. The Boilermakers will also head back to Ashland University's Wendy's Duals and the Old Dominion Duals. The Big Ten schedule is as tough as ever with road bouts at archrival Indiana, Ohio State, Wisconsin and defending conference and NCAA Champion Iowa, and home contests against Illinois, Penn State and Michigan. The Boilermakers will also face Michigan State this season, meeting at the midway point of Elkhart, Ind. for a dual bout. All 11 conference teams will gather in State College, Pa. this year for the annual Big Ten Championships, and the cream of the crop will move on to the NCAA Championships, hosted at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. for the second straight year.
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