Dec. 6, 2007

VIDEO:  Wrestling Season Update

by Tanner Lipsett, Asst. Sports Information Director, Purdue University

Just 15 matches into his collegiate career, Purdue freshman wrestler A.J. Kissel has already shown his opponents and the NCAA wrestling world that he knows how to pin someone. His eight pins in the short season already tie him for 20th on the Boilermakers' single-season record list and he's showing no signs of slowing.

"I just see it as a way of getting off the mat faster," said Kissel, a native of Oostburg, Wis. "It's helpful for everyone. Not only do I expend less energy, but the team gets more points whether it's a tournament or a dual."

Pins are a huge part of team wrestling because in tournament competition two bonus points are awarded to a team score, while in a dual they're worth six points (as opposed to just three for a decision victory). In order to score a fall, a wrestler must secure his opponent's shoulder blades against the mat for one second.

His talent for pins is something that he's worked up to in his career, using a natural ability to turn opponents on the mat and slowly building towards pinning them.

"When I was younger, I was always able to score a lot of back points (which are awarded when a wrestler's shoulder blades are worked within a 45° angle of the mat for a minimum of two seconds)," said Kissel. "As I got older and a little stronger, those opportunities just started becoming pins instead of back points." This fact was evident in his high school career as he totaled a 165-2 record over four years, won a trio of Wisconsin state titles and pinned an astounding 116 opponents, good for the second-highest total in state history.

Kissel works to pin opponents in a variety of ways. So far this year he's used several techniques including a cradle, a reverse headlock and a power half-nelson, but his go-to move is the arm bar, which accounts for most of his victories. This maneuver begins with Kissel on top of his opponent, and he proceeds to isolate one of his foe's arms behind their back in a chicken-wing type fashion. Once secured, Kissel then uses that arm to create leverage and roll his opponent on to their shoulders. Even the uneducated wrestling spectator can see that this is an extremely uncomfortable position for Kissel's opponents, and it's not uncommon to see nearby fans wincing along with the stretched-out grappler.

Kissel in action, pinning West Virginia's Kurt Brenner at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.

Kissel was originally supposed to redshirt his initial year as a Boilermaker, but the Purdue coaching staff decided after an unattached sixth-place showing at the Eastern Michigan Open that they would for-go that route and make him the team's 184-pound starter this season.

"Things don't always go the way you plan," said Purdue head coach Scott Hinkel. "I feel that we're extremely lucky, not only that A.J. was willing to jump right into NCAA competition, but that he's ready and has the talent to compete at this level."

Kissel has been comfortable with the move so far, but doesn't deny that there is a huge change in the level of strength and competition at the NCAA and Big Ten level.

"It's incredible how big and strong some of these guys are," he said. "I have to remember sometimes that I'm just a freshman and I haven't had as much time as some of these guys to train and build my strength."

However, this fact makes the Purdue coaches and fans extremely excited for the potential that lies ahead.

In his first season as a Boilermaker, Kissel has an 11-4 mark with eight pins, including a 4:48-win over then-12th-ranked Kurt Brenner of West Virginia at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Three of his four losses on the year have come to highly-ranked opponents, including fourth-ranked 2007 All-American Tyrel Todd of Michigan, and two were narrow one-point decisions, including a 4-3 loss to No. 7 Rocco Caponi of Virginia.

A landscape horticulture and design major, Kissel is an avid hunter and outdoorsman. A perfect example of his passion came at the season-opening tournament, as after he tweaked his knee in the fifth-place match, forcing an injury default, he proceeded to ask the training staff if he would be able to climb into a tree stand that weekend. He mostly hunts deer, but has been known to go after any game animal one can find in the forest.

The future is bright for Kissel and he's already set his sights on the Boilermakers' career and single-season record lists. His eight pins are already more than halfway to the single-season record of 15 set by Dave Lilovich in 1986, while his 53% pin-rate hopes to carry him towards the career-best of 47, set by Hinkel from 1984-87. He continues his pursuit of the pin on Sunday, Dec. 16, as the Boilermakers host the College of Mount Saint Joseph for a dual match at the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility at 1 p.m.

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