Wrestlers fall to rival Boilermakers

IU's Big Ten struggles continued Friday as the Hoosiers lost to Purdue, bringing their conference record to 0-4. Despite the loss, coach Duane Goldman maintained optimism, he said.\n"Overall, I thought we wrestled well," Goldman said. "I'm not disappointed in the way we wrestled. Of course I want to win, but I'm not disappointed at all."\nFreshman Joe Dubuque sat out his third straight competition, forcing the Hoosiers to forfeit the 125-pound bout. But the Hoosiers seemed on be on the right track immediately after that.\nSenior Greg Schaefer defeated Purdue sophomore Rene Hernandez in the 133-pound bout for his 80th career win. Junior Coyte Cooper followed suit in the 141-pound bout by pinning Purdue freshman Doug Withstandley. The victory gave Cooper sixteen pins on the year, which is second on IU's single season pins list and twenty-six for his career which tied him for fifth place on IU's career pins list. Cooper's victory also gave the Hoosiers a 9-6 lead.\nThis lead would prove to be the Hoosiers' last of the night. Purdue won the next four bouts starting at 149-pounds. Purdue junior Dan Jankowski, who held the No. 18 ranking in the nation, started the streak by defeating IU freshman Matt Cooper 7-3. This tied the meet at 9-9. \nBoilermaker senior Clovis Crane pinned IU freshman Isaac Knable in the 157 bout to give Purdue a 15-9 lead. \nIn the 165-pound bout, Purdue senior Oscar Santiago earned a major decision over Hoosier junior Alex LaPointe. The 17-6 victory extended the Boilermakers' lead to 19-9.\nAt 174-pounds, IU's Brady Richardson was defeated by a score of 25-7 by Purdue junior Ryan Lange. This would push Purdue's lead to 24-9. The Hoosiers would finally get back on track with a victory by184-pound junior Ty Matthews.\nMatthews' victory over Purdue freshman Ben Wissel was his 20th of the season and pushed his record in the 184-pound weight class to a perfect 16-0. \nWith sophomore Pat DeGain sitting out with the flu, the Hoosiers turned to freshman Andy Rios for the 197-pound bout. Rios was moved up a weight class from 184 and despite being outweighed by Purdue sophomore Bryan Kapp, Rios won by virtue of a 12-5 decision.\nThe heavyweight bout was one of the most heavily contested of the night. IU freshman Joel Powers faced off against Purdue junior Israel Blevins. At first, Powers had a decided advantage as he nearly pinned Blevins in the first minute and a half. But, Blevins was able to avoid being pinned and ended up pinning Powers in the third period to give the Boilermakers a 30-15 victory.\nThe Hoosiers will try to get their first Big Ten win when they face the Northwestern Wildcats at 7 p.m. Friday at University Gym.