Purdue Wrestle-Offs Set For Saturday

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue wrestling team is set for the unofficial start to its competition season on Saturday, opening its doors to the public for the annual intrasquad wrestle-offs. The Boilermakers will compete in approximately 30 matches on the day, set to begin at 11 a.m. in the Blake Wrestling Center in Lambert Fieldhouse.

“Wrestle-offs are a great way to get the season going,” said Purdue head coach Scott Hinkel. “The guys have been training hard for months, but this is their first chance to cut a little weight and get the competitive juices flowing.”

The two biggest weight classes on the Boilermaker roster come at 157 and 165 pounds, where there will be a five-man bracket for each group. The 157-pound bracket features junior Tommy Churchard, redshirt freshmen Dustin Schultz and Pat Robinson and true freshmen Doug Welch and Cody Robertson, while the 165-pound competition will consist of sophomores Kyle Mosier and Cameron Vlahos and freshmen Austin Kunze, Andy Hoselton and Chad Welch.

“The deeper brackets on Saturday will give us an idea of who’s ready for the season at 157 and 165,” said Hinkel. “Most, if not all, of these guys will go on to compete at Eastern Michigan next weekend, and wrestle-offs give them, and everyone else really, a chance to get those competition jitters out of the way.”

The rest of the Boilermaker weights feature either a single head-to-head battle or a three-man round robin. Returning starter Camden Eppert looks to defend his spot from freshmen Dominique Price and Luke Schroeder at 125, while 2010 All-American Cashé Quiroga will take on senior Matt Fields and freshman Danny Sabatello at 133. After recently receiving a medical hardship for the 2009-10 season from the NCAA, junior Jake Fleckenstein will wrestle a round-robin with redshirt freshman Brandon Nelsen and true freshman Rusty Maness at 141. Junior Ivan Lopouchanski and freshman Brock Norton will battle in the lone bout at 149, and there will be another round-robin at 174 pounds with sophomore Patrick Kissel and freshmen Andy Wiseman and Drake Stein. Both 184 and 197 feature head-to-head clashes as freshmen Braden Atwood and Preston Quam battle at 184 and senior A.J. Kissel and sophomore Justin Dinius square off at 197, and the day will be capped by a round-robin at 285 between senior Roger Vukobratovich, junior Adam Walls and sophomore Alex White.

“I really hope our fans come out and get a sneak peak at the team,” continued Hinkel. “We’re excited about this season and we know that anyone that comes out to watch us will be excited too. This weekend is the first step towards the Big Ten Championships here at Purdue and the NCAA Championships in St. Louis.”

In addition to all the wrestling fans can handle, the Hinkel’s Hooligans will be on hand with juice and donuts. The Hooligans are a brand new student group for Purdue Wrestling and are looking to build their numbers for the Nov. 18 opener against Indianapolis and the rest of the 2011-12 season. For more information about Hinkel’s Hooligans, reach out to the group on Facebook and Twitter (@HinkelsHooligan).

2011 Purdue Wrestle-Offs
Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011
11 a.m. – Blake Wrestling Center

Match           Weight             Wrestlers                                                                                                        Result

1 –                   157                     Doug Welch vs. Tommy Churchard

2 –                   165                     Cameron Vlahos vs. Andy Hoselton

3 –                   125                     Luke Schroeder vs. Camden Eppert

4 –                   133                     Cashé Quiroga vs. Matt Fields

5 –                   141                     Jake Fleckenstein vs. Rusty Maness

6 –                   174                     Patrick Kissel vs. Andy Wiseman

7 –                   285                     Roger Vukobratovich vs. Adam Walls

8 –                   157                     Winner of #1 vs. Cody Robertson

9 –                   157                     Dustin Schultz vs. Pat Robinson

10 –                 165                     Winner of #2 vs. Chad Welch

11 –                 165                     Kyle Mosier vs. Austin Kunze

12 –                 141                     Rusty Maness vs. Brandon Nelsen

13 –                 174                     Andy Wiseman vs. Drake Stein

14 –                 285                     Adam Walls vs. Alex White

15 –                 125                     Luke Schroeder vs. Dominique Price

16 –                 133                     Matt Fields vs. Danny Sabatello

17 –                 149                     Ivan Lopouchanski vs. Brock Norton

18 –                 157                     Loser of #1 vs. Loser of #9

19 –                 165                     Loser of #2 vs. Loser of #11

20 –                 184/197            Braden Atwood vs. Preston Quam

21 –                 197                     Justin Dinius vs. A.J. Kissel

22 –                 141                     Jake Fleckenstein vs. Brandon Nelsen

23 –                 174                     Patrick Kissel vs. Drake Stein

24 –                 285                     Roger Vukobratovich vs. Alex White

25 –                 125                     Camden Eppert vs. Dominique Price

26 –                 133                     Cashé Quiroga vs. Danny Sabatello

27 –                 157                     Winner of #8 vs. Winner of #9

28 –                 157                     Loser of #8 vs. Winner of #19

29 –                 165                     Winner of #10 vs. Winner of #11

30 –                 165                     Loser of #11 vs. Winner of #20

All matches are subject to change

Courtesy of Tanner D Lipsett, Social Media Specialist / Assoc. Athletics Communication Director, Purdue University