The Boilermakers enter the season with the most national attention they’ve had in recent history, carrying rankings as high as 13th in the various polls, a No. 20 mark in the NWCA Preseason Coaches’ Poll and ranked wrestlers at five of the 10 lineup spots. Purdue head coach Scott Hinkel thinks his team is ready to live up to expectations. “It’s great that people have set the bar high for us, but we’ve got it set even higher,” said Hinkel. “Our guys are hungry and have aspirations for national championships, All-America awards and Big Ten Championships. It should be a great year.”
Purdue’s match with Hofstra should prove an outstanding dual match as the Pride are also scheduled to have five ranked grapplers in their starting lineup, including a pair of top-10 individuals. Receiving votes in the NWCA Preseason Coaches’ Poll and tabbed as high as No. 16 in the various polls, Hofstra is led by sixth-ranked, 133-pound senior Lou Ruggirello and No. 10, 165-pound junior P.J. Gillespie. Also cracking the top-20 individual standings for the Pride is 15th-ranked, 174-pound senior Ryan Patrovich, No. 16, 125-pound sophomore Steve Bonanno and 18th-ranked, 149-pound sophomore Justin Accordino, while 141-pound junior transfer student Vince Varela and junior 184-pounder Ben Clymer both topped the 20-win mark last season. Bonanno and Ruggirello return to the Pride lineup, sitting out the 2009-10 campaign after both tallied 28 victories in 2008-09, while freshmen Zach Clemente and Matt Loew will make their collegiate debuts at 157 and 197 pounds, respectively.
Expect several major clashes in the Purdue-Hofstra dual, but most notably keep an eye on 174 and 184 pounds. The bout at 174 pits 12th-ranked Boilermaker senior Luke Manuel against Patrovich in a rematch from the 2009 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, where Manuel stuck Patrovich off a scramble just 1:37 into the match. The 184 pound contest features the return of seventh-ranked Purdue junior A.J. Kissel, who comes off a redshirt season with 36 career falls, including a Boilermaker record 19 in 2007-08, against Clymer.
The event hosts have received their fair share of national attention heading into the season, riding the coattails of sixth-ranked, 149-pound senior Torsten Gillespie and No. 4, 184-pound junior Chris Honeycutt. Gillespie earned All-America honors with a sixth-place finish at the 2010 NCAA Championships, while Honeycutt redshirted last year after qualifying for nationals as a freshman and sophomore. The Fighting Scots are receiving votes in the coaches’ poll, but are ranked as high as 15th in the nation and are tied for 23rd in the nation with Purdue in InterMat’s Tournament Strength Rankings.
Saturday’s 184-pound schedule contest between Kissel and Honeycutt is one of the biggest in the nation this weekend, pitting two preseason All-America picks against each other in a match that could carry weight all the way to NCAA Championship seedings. Other highlight contests come at 133 and 157 pounds as Purdue junior Jake Fleckenstein and Edinboro senior Eric Morrill square off at 133, while No. 16 Boilermaker senior Colton Salazar and Edinboro sophomore John Greisheimer clash at 157. Morrill moved up to 133 this season after 31 wins and a trip to nationals at 125 last year, while Fleckenstein drops to 133 pounds in the wake of a 15-6, injury shortened 2009-10 campaign. Salazar looks to get off on the right foot, aiming for the national podium after qualifying for the NCAA Championships in each of his first three seasons, and Greisheimer returns to Fighting Scot lineup after a 24-win season in 2009-10.
For a full recap and results from Saturday’s action, visit PurdueSports.com Saturday night.
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