GENERAL INFORMATION 2 Media Information 3 Quick Facts 4 Big Ten Composite Schedule 4 Postseason 5 2003-04 Roster 6-7 2003-04 Season Outlook COACHES & STAFF 10-12 Jessie Reyes, Head Coach 13 Scott Hinkel, Assistant Coach 14 Tom Erikson, Assistant Coach 15 Support Staff 16 Morgan Burke, Athletics Director 17 Athletics Administrators 2003-04 OPPONENTS 46 Ohio Bobcats Findlay Oilers 47 Edinboro Fighting Scots Wabash Little Giants 48 Indianapolis Greyhounds Navy Midshipmen 49 Princeton Tigers Cal State-Fullerton Titans 50 Brown Bears 24th-Annual Virginia Duals 51 Eastern Illinois Panthers Northwestern Wildcats 52 Iowa Hawkeyes Ohio State Buckeyes 53 Minnesota Golden Gophers Wisconsin Badgers 54 Michigan State Spartans Indiana Hoosiers 55 Illinois Fighting Illini Michigan Wolverines (Non-Dual) Penn State Nittany Lions (Non-Dual) PURDUE UNIVERSITY 98-99 Purdue University 100 President Martin C. Jischke 101 Lafayette / West Lafayette 102 Indiana - Crossroads of American 103 Indianapolis - The Circle City 104 Accomplished Alumni 105 Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame 106-107 John Purdue Club 108 Big Ten Conference 109 Purdue on the Rise 110-111 Excellence in Athletics 112 Strength and Conditioning 113 Athletic Training 114-115 Academic Services 116 Wrestling Facilities 117 Boilermakers in the Community 118-119 Purdue Spirit 120 Campus Map ATHLETE PROFILES 20-21 Israel Blevins 22-23 Chris Fleeger 24-25 Brad Harper 26-27 Rene Hernandez 28-29 Dan Jankowski 30-31 Ryan Lange 32-33 Ben Wissel 34 Mark Groski 35 Barry Jackson 36 Bryan Kapp 37 Adam Moreno 38 Paul Sacquitne 39 Doug Withstandley 40 Jason Cook John DeCeault Bryce Markley Nathan Moore 41 Craig Shaw Ben Sprunger 42 Dan Bedoy Chase Beebe Eric Keith Ben Milius Brad Milius Jake O Brien 43 Tim Ortiz Aaron Ruff Sean Schmaltz Brandon Tucker Craig Weinzapfel 2002-03 REVIEW 58-59 2002-03 Highlights 60-61 2002-03 Dual Results 62 2002-03 Statistics 63 2002-03 Big Ten Recap 64-65 2002-03 NCAA Championships HISTORY & RECORDS 68-69 National Champions 70 All-Americans 71 Big Ten Champions, Individuals 72 Big Ten Champions, Team 73 Honors & Awards 74-82 Year-by-Year Results 83-87 Series Records 88-91 All-Time Letterwinners 92-93 Annual Starting Lineups 94 Season Records 95 Career Records 2003-04 Information Guide Credits The 2003-04 Purdue Wrestling Information Guide was produced by Purdue Sports Information. Editor: Mark W. Leddy Editorial Contributions: Jay Cooperider, Kathleen Offer, Elliot Bloom, Chris Macaluso, Tom Schott, Wendy Broker, Jessie Reyes and Scott Hinkel. Research Contributions: Erin Myers, Annie Shepard, Sarah Scheu, Tim Miller and Andrew Denham. Photography: DIS Photographic Services, Danielle Hobeika, Tom Lang, Sarah Scheu, Jay Cooperider, Tom Campbell, Elliot Bloom and Mark Leddy. Cover Design: Brandon Ray. Prepress Assistance: Mindy Irby Printing: Purdue Printing Services. Price: $6 (including tax) On the Cover: Returning Purdue NCAA Qualifiers; standing, l-r: Ryan Lange (Sr., 2001, 2002, 2003), Ben Wissel (So., 2003), Israel Blevins (Sr., 2003), Rene Hernandez (Jr., 2003), Dan Jankowski (Sr., 2003), Chris Fleeger (Jr., 2002, 2003); kneeling: Brad Harper (Sr., 2002). ~ 1 ~
Purdue Sports Information Staff Jay Cooperider Assistant Athletics Director Phone (765) 494-3202 E-mail coop@purdue.edu Tom Schott Sports Information Director Phone (765) 494-3145 E-mail tschott@purdue.edu ~ Football Kathleen Offer Associate S.I.D. Phone (765) 494-6235 E-mail koffer@purdue.edu ~ Women s Basketball ~ Tennis (M & W) Elliot Bloom Assistant S.I.D. Phone (765) 494-3196 E-mail hoopssid@purdue.edu ~ Men s Basketball ~ Golf (M & W) Wendy Broker Assistant S.I.D. Phone (765) 494-3919 E-mail wbroker@purdue.edu ~ Volleyball ~ Softball Mark Leddy Sports Information Assistant Phone (765) 494-3201 E-mail mleddy@purdue.edu ~ Wrestling ~ Baseball, ~ Cross Country (M & W) Chris Macaluso Sports Information Assistant Phone (765) 494-3198 E-mail cmacaluso@purdue.edu ~ Soccer ~ Swimming (M & W) ~ Track & Field (M & W) Lindsay Begley Secretary Phone (765) 494-3202 E-mail begleyl@purdue.edu WRESTLING CONTACT Please contact Sports Information Assistant Mark W. Leddy regarding information about Purdue wrestling. He can be contacted by phone (765-494-3201) or e-mail (mleddy@purdue.edu). INTERVIEWS All interviews with coaches and athletes must be arranged through Purdue s Sports Information Office. Please contact Mark W. Leddy with your requests, allowing at least 24 hours to coordinate the interview. CREDENTIALS All credential requests (media and photo) should be forwarded to Mark W. Leddy. Credentials are limited to professionals working in the print or electronic media, and their issuance is at the discretion of the SID. On meet days, credentials will be left at the pass gate, located at the entrance to the gymnasium in the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility. Persons picking up credentials will be required to furnish identification upon request. PRESS ROW Purdue utilizes a press row located matside in the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility. Phone lines are available along press row for working media during meet action. Please contact Mark W. Leddy to make arrangements. For duals/tournaments that are held in Mackey Arena, an increased amount of lines are available for media, either matside or at additional media seating in the west bleachers. RADIO Visiting radio will be seated along press row and will have complimentary phone lines. There is room to seat two members of a crew comfortably. Please contact Mark W. Leddy to make arrangements. MEDIA WORKROOM At the conclusion of each home meet, reporters and photographers are invited to file their stories and send their photos from the media workroom, located in the Conference (VIP) Room in the basement of Mackey Arena. The workroom is equipped with power and numerous phone lines. If the Conference Room is unavailable, space will be provided within the Sports Information Office in Mackey Arena (Room 15). MEET DAY SERVICES Meet programs, notes and information guides will be available to all members of the working media prior to the start of all home meets. Final printed results will be provided upon request. Upon completion of the meet, Jessie Reyes and any requested Purdue wrestlers will be available for interview. All post-meet interviews will be done at matside after a cool-down period. Please notify Mark W. Leddy or another member of the Sports Information Office of any post-match needs. PRACTICE COVERAGE Practices are open to the media with prior approval of sports information contact Mark W. Leddy. Please contact Mark W. Leddy for information regarding practice times, as well as to arrange pre or postpractice interviews, allowing 24 hours to coordinate interviews. E-MAIL LIST Any reporters and media services which would like to receive Purdue wrestling news releases via e-mail should contact Mark W. Leddy at mleddy@purdue.edu. PURDUESPORTS.COM Updated information on Purdue wrestling can be found on www.purduesports.com. This official Web site is refreshed daily with results, athlete features, game stories, box scores, game notes and statistics. ~ 2 ~
GENERAL INFORMATION Location West Lafayette, Ind. Enrollment 38,847 Founded 1869 Colors Old Gold & Black Nickname Boilermakers Conference Big Ten Arena Intercollegiate Athletic Facility Capacity 1,696 Alternative Arena Mackey Arena Capacity 14,123 HISTORY/RECORDS First Year 1913-14 All-Time Dual Record 428-525-34 Big Ten Dual Record 178-374-25 Home Record (Since 1972-73*) 89-102-2 Road Record (Since 1972-73*) 89-120-8 Neutral Site Record (Since 1972-73*) 86-41-1 * match locations incomplete prior to 1972-73 TRADITION Big Ten Titles 6 Years 1942, 1945, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1954 Big Ten Individual Titles 39 NCAA Championships Appearances 24 NCAA Individual Titles 4 All-Americans 46 WRESTLING STAFF Head Coach Jessie Reyes Cal State-Bakersfield, 84 Overall Record 134-84-3 (11 years) Big Ten Record 27-56-3 (11 years) Assistant Coaches Scott Hinkel Purdue, 88 Tom Erikson Oklahoma State, 87 WRESTLING SUPPORT STAFF Secretary Pam Bales Office Phone (765) 494-45236 Athletic Trainer Terry DeZeeuw Team Physicians _ Mike Krauss, Andrea Pana Strength Coach Jim Lathrop Academic Services Tanya Foster Sports Information Contact Mark Leddy Promotions Director Joel Rasmus Promotions Asst. Director Sara Fetzer Ticket Manager Cindy Bailey Business Manager Colleen Garrity Equipment Manager Marty Quinn ATHLETICS ADMINISTRATION Athletics Director Morgan J. Burke Senior Associate A.D. Glenn Tompkins Associate A.D. Roger Blalock Associate A.D. / SWA Nancy Cross Assistant A.D. Jay Cooperider Assistant A.D. Ed Howat Assistant A.D. Greg Christopher Assistant A.D. Steve Simmerman Assistant A.D. Barb Kapp PURDUE ADMINISTRATION President Martin C. Jischke Faculty Representatives Jeffrey T. Bolin Christie Sahley IMPORTANT NUMBERS Sports Information (765) 494-3202 Sports Information Fax (765) 494-5447 Wrestling Office (765) 494-5236 I.A.F. Press Row (765) 494-6779 Mackey Arena Press Row (765) 494-6364 Purdue Ticket Office (765) 494-3194 Toll Free (800) 49-SPORT Promotions & Advertising (765) 494-3146 Event Management (765) 494-9556 Facilities Director (765) 494-6773 (765) 494-3240 John Purdue Club (765) 494-3146 MEDIA INFORMATION Wrestling S.I.D. Mark W. Leddy E-Mail mleddy@purdue.edu Office Phone (765) 494-3201 Office Fax (765) 494-5447 Office Address Purdue Sports Information Mackey Arena, Room 15 900 North University Street West Lafayette, IN 49707-2070 I.A.F. Press Row (765) 494-6779 Mackey Arena Press Row (765) 494-6364 Official Web Site www.purduesports.com 2003-04 Preview BIG TEN CONFERENCE 1500 West Higgins Road Park Ridge, IL 60058-6300 Phone: (847) 696-1010 Fax: (847) 696-1110 Web site: www.bigten.org James E. Delany Commissioner Brad Triviola _ Assoc. Commissioner/COO/CFO Wayne Baskerville Associate Commissioner Richard Falk Associate Commissioner Jennifer Heppel Associate Commissioner Carol Iwaoka Associate Commissioner Sue Lister Associate Commissioner / Director of Communications Mark Rudner Associate Commissioner Wendy Wilkinson Assistant Commissioner Andrea Williams Assistant Commissioner Scott Chipman Assoc. Dir. of Communications Eric Goodwin Asst. Dir. of Communications / Wrestling Contact egoodwin@bigten.org 2002-03 REVIEW Dual Record 15-6 Home 4-5 Road 6-1 Neutral 5-0 Big Ten Dual Record 3-5 Home 0-4 Road 3-1 Big Ten Championships Finish 7th (84.5 pts.) NCAA Championships Finish 14th (38 pts.) Big Ten Champions 2 NCAA Qualifiers / All-Americans 8 / 2 Wt. Name Class W-L Falls TD Honors / Championships Starters Returning 133 Rene Hernandez Jr. 26-18 2 89 2003 NCAA qualifier 141 Doug Withstandley So. 18-15 4 44 149 Dan Jankowski Sr. 26-16 0 88 2003 NCAA qualifier 174 Ryan Lange Sr. 35-7 3 182 2003 All-American; 2003 Big Ten champ 184 Ben Wissel So. 22-18 3 50 2003 NCAA qualifier 285 Israel Blevins Sr. 27-16 8 53 2003 NCAA qualifier Other Letterwinners Returning 125 Adam Moreno So. 10-7 1 34 149 Paul Sacquitne Sr. 7-4 2 5 157 Brad Harper Sr. 16-8 4 49 2002 NCAA qualifier 165 Mark Groski Sr. 11-8 1 28 184 Barry Jackson So. 7-6 0 17 197 Bryan Kapp Jr. 7-11 3 9 Starters Lost 125 Chris Fleeger * Jr. 32-1 9 63 02, 03 All-American; 03 Big Ten champ 157 Clovis Crane 30-12 14 76 2001, 2003 NCAA qualifier 165 Oscar Santiago 31-10 1 95 2002, 2003 NCAA qualifier 197 Jon Bush 11-9 6 14 2001 NCAA qualifier Other Letterwinners Lost 141 Randy Pursley 12-7 3 39 Top Newcomers 125 Sean Schmaltz Fr. 131-9 career record 125 Brandon Tucker Fr. Four-time Oklahoma state champion; 150-9 career record 133 Chase Beebe Fr. Four-time Illinois state champion 149 Craig Weinzapfel Fr. Two-time Indiana state champion; 100-6 record as So., Jr., and Sr. 285 Jake O Brien Fr. Three-time Indiana state champion; 152-9 career record * 2003-04 Olympic Redshirt ~ 3 ~
2003-04 Big Ten Composite Schedule Conference Duals Only JANUARY 17 Northwestern at Iowa Iowa City, Iowa 23 PURDUE at Northwestern Evanston, Ill. Iowa at Michigan Ann Arbor, Mich. Minnesota at Michigan State_ East Lansing, Mich. Indiana at Wisconsin Madison, Wis. Illinois at Penn State State College, Pa. 24 Indiana at Northwestern Evanston, Ill. Minnesota at Michigan Ann Arbor, Mich. 25 Iowa vs. PURDUE Mishawaka, Ind. Penn State at Ohio State Columbus, Ohio Illinois at Michigan State East Lansing, Mich. 30 Ohio State at PURDUE West Lafayette, Ind. Penn State at Iowa Iowa City, Iowa Wisconsin at Minnesota Minneapolis, Minn. Michigan State at Michigan Ann Arbor, Mich. 31 Illinois at Indiana Bloomington, Ind. FEBRUARY 1 PURDUE at Minnesota Minneapolis, Minn. Illinois at Northwestern Evanston, Ill. Michigan State at Iowa Iowa City, Iowa Penn State at Wisconsin Madison, Wis. 6 Wisconsin at PURDUE West Lafayette, Ind. Northwestern at Penn State State College, Pa. Michigan at Ohio State Columbus, Ohio Minnesota at Illinois Champaign, Ill. 7 Minnesota at Indiana Bloomington, Ind. 8 PURDUE at Michigan State _ East Lansing, Mich. Northwestern at Ohio State Columbus, Ohio Wisconsin at Illinois Champaign, Ill. Michigan at Penn State State College, Pa. 13 Iowa at Wisconsin Madison, Wis. Ohio State at Illinois Champaign, Ill. Michigan State at Penn State State College, Pa. Michigan at Indiana Bloomington, Ind. 15 Indiana at PURDUE West Lafayette, Ind. Iowa at Minnesota Minneapolis, Minn. Michigan State at Ohio State Columbus, Ohio Wisconsin at Michigan Ann Arbor, Mich. 20 Northwestern at Wisconsin Madison, Wis. Ohio State at Iowa Iowa City, Iowa Penn State at Minnesota Minneapolis, Minn. 22 PURDUE at Illinois Champaign, Ill. Michigan at Northwestern Evanston, Ill. Indiana at Michigan State East Lansing, Mich. Purdue Boilermaker Wrestling NOVEMBER 15 Avalon Duals Edinboro, Pa. Ohio McComb Fieldhouse 10 a.m. Findlay McComb Fieldhouse Noon Edinboro McComb Fieldhouse 2 p.m. 22 Ashland Open Ashland, Ohio (Kates Gynasium) All Day DECEMBER 5-6 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Las Vegas, Nev. (Las Vegas Convention Center) All Day 13 Wabash College Crawfordsville, Ind. (Chadwick Court) 7:30 p.m. 21 Indianapolis West Lafayette, Ind. (I.A.F.) Noon JANUARY 3 Lone Star Duals Grand Prairie, Texas Navy South Grand Prairie H.S. 8 a.m. Princeton South Grand Prairie H.S. Noon Cal State-Fullerton South Grand Prairie H.S. 6 p.m. Brown South Grand Prairie H.S. 8 p.m. 9-10 Virginia Duals Hampton, Va. Opponents TBD Hampton Coliseum TBD 18 Eastern Illinois Charleston, Ill. (Lantz Arena) 2 p.m. 23 Northwestern Evanston, Ill. (Welsh-Ryan Arena) 7 p.m. 25 Iowa Mishawaka, Ind. (Mishawaka H.S.) 2 p.m. 30 Ohio State West Lafayette, Ind. (Mackey Arena) 7 p.m. FEBRUARY 1 Minnesota Minneapolis, Minn. (Sports Pavilion) 2 p.m. 6 Wisconsin West Lafayette, Ind. (I.A.F.) 7 p.m. 8 Michigan State East Lansing, Mich. (Jenison Field House) 1 p.m. 15 Indiana West Lafayette, Ind. (Mackey Arena) 2 p.m. 22 Illinois Champaign, Ill. (Huff Hall) 2 p.m. MARCH 6-7 Big Ten Championships Columbus, Ohio (St. John Arena) All Day 18-20 NCAA Championships St. Louis, Mo. (Savvis Center) All Day ~ 4 ~
By Weight Class Wt. Name El./Cl. Ht. Hometown (High School) 125 Chris Fleeger * # Q Jr./Sr. 5-5 Trout Run, Pa. (Loyalsock) 125 Adam Moreno So./Jr. 5-5 Portage, Ind. (Portage) 125 Sean Schmaltz Fr./Fr. 5-5 Franklin, Ind. (Franklin Community) 125 Brandon Tucker Fr./Fr. 5-4 Broken Arrow, Okla. (Broken Arrow) 133 Chase Beebe Fr./Fr. 5-7 Downers Grove, Ill. (Montini Catholic) 133 Rene Hernandez, Jr. # Q Jr./Sr. 5-7 Hammond, Ind. (Bishop Noll) 141 Jason Cook Fr./So. 5-4 Valparaiso, Ind. (Valparaiso) 141 Ben Milius Fr./Fr. 5-6 Yorktown, Ind. (Yorktown) 141 Ben Sprunger Jr./Sr. 5-7 Bluffton, Ind. (Bluffton/Carson-Newman) 141 Doug Withstandley # So./Jr. 5-8 Jackson, N.J. (Jackson) 149 Dan Jankowski # Q Sr./5th 5-8 Evansville, Ind. (Mater Dei) 149 Eric Keith Jr./Sr. 5-8 Portage, Ind. (Portage/Michigan State) 149 Brad Milius Fr./Fr. 5-5 Yorktown, Ind. (Yorktown) 149 Tim Ortiz Fr./So. 5-7 Decatur, Ind. (Bellmont) 149 Paul Sacquitne Sr./5th 5-8 Fremont, Ind. (Fremont) 149 Craig Shaw Fr./So. 5-5 Burgettstown, Pa. (Burgettstown Area) 149 Craig Weinzapfel Fr./Fr. 5-7 Evansville, Ind. (Mater Dei) 157 Dan Bedoy Fr./Fr. 5-7 Hammond, Ind. (Bishop Noll) 157 Brad Harper Q Sr./5th 5-8 Mishawaka, Ind. (Mishawaka) 157 Aaron Ruff Fr./Fr. 5-7 Whitefish Bay, Wis. (Whitefish Bay) 165 John DeCeault Fr./So. 6-0 Tinley Park, Ill. (Victor J. Andrew) 165 Mark Groski Sr./5th 5-11 Cobleskill, N.Y. (Cobleskill-Richmondville) 165 Bryce Markley Fr./So. 5-9 St. Paris, Ohio (Graham) 174 Ryan Lange # Q Jr./Sr. 6-0 Northfield, Ohio (Nordonia) 184 Barry Jackson So./Jr. 6-2 Indianapolis, Ind. (North Central) 184 Ben Wissel # Q So./Jr. 5-11 Richmond, Ind. (Richmond) 197 Bryan Kapp Jr./Sr. 5-8 Ft. Wayne, Ind. (Homestead) 197 Nathan Moore Fr./So. 6-0 Indianapolis, Ind. (Perry Meridian) Hwt Israel Blevins # Q Sr./5th 6-4 Sullivan, Ind. (Sullivan) Hwt Jake O Brien Fr./Fr. 6-3 Indianapolis, Ind. (Franklin Central) * Olympic redshirt in 2003-04 # Starter in 2002-03 Q Prior NCAA Qualifier Alphabetical Name Wt. El./Cl. Bedoy, Dan 157 Fr./Fr. Beebe, Chase 133 Fr./Fr. Blevins, Israel # Q Hwt Sr./5th Cook, Jason 141 Fr./So. DeCeault, John 165 Fr./So. Fleeger, Chris * # Q 125 Jr./Sr. Groski, Mark 165 Sr./5th Harper, Brad Q 157 Sr./5th Hernandez, Rene # Q 133 Jr./Sr. Jackson, Barry 184 So./Jr. Jankowski, Dan # Q 149 Sr./5th Kapp, Bryan 197 Jr./Sr. Keith, Eric 149 Jr./Sr. Lange, Ryan # Q 174 Sr./5th Markley, Bryce 165 Fr./So. Milius, Ben 141 Fr./Fr. Milius, Brad 149 Fr./Fr. Moore, Nathan 197 Fr./So. Moreno, Adam 125 So./Jr. O Brien, Jake Hwt. Fr./Fr. Ortiz, Tim 149 Fr./So. Ruff, Aaron 157 Fr./Fr. Sacquitne, Paul 149 Sr./5th Schmaltz, Sean 125 Fr./Fr. Shaw, Craig 149 Fr./So. Sprunger, Ben 141 Jr./Sr. Tucker, Brandon 125 Fr./Fr. Weinzapfel, Craig 149 Fr./Fr. Wissel, Ben # Q 184 So./Jr. Withstandley, Doug # 141 So./Jr. * Olympic redshirt in 2003-04 # Starter in 2002-03 Q Prior NCAA Qualifier Where They re From Pronunciation Guide Chase Beebe BEE ~ bee Israel Blevins BLEH ~ vinz John DeCeault deh ~ SO Mark Groski GRAH ~ skee Rene Hernandez reh ~ NAY Dan Jankowski jan ~ COW ~ skee Ben / Brad Milius MILL ~ ee ~ us Paul Sacquitne sah ~ QUIT ~ knee Craig Weinzapfel WINE ~ zap ~ fell Ben Wissel whistle Jessie Reyes RAY ~ ess Scott Hinkel HINK ~ ull ~ 5 ~
2003-04 Preseason Team Rankings INTERMAT WRESTLING 2003 NCAA No. School Finish 1 Oklahoma State 1 2 Illinois 9 3 Iowa 8 4 Lehigh 4 5 Michigan 7 6 Iowa State t-19 7 Minnesota 2 8 Nebraska 13 9 Missouri 16 10 Cornell 10 11 Hofstra 21 12 Pennsylvania 29 13 West Virginia 17 14 Penn State 6 15 Ohio State 15 16 Northern Iowa 11 17 Oklahoma 3 18 Central Michigan 32 19 Wisconsin 23 20 Arizona State 5 21 North Carolina 34 22 Boise State 12 23 Edinboro 24 24 Michigan State 18 25 PURDUE 14 THE WRESTLING MALL 2003 NCAA No. School Finish 1 Oklahoma State 1 2 Lehigh 4 3 Minnesota 2 4 Hofstra 21 5 Illinois 9 6 Iowa 8 7 Michigan 7 8 Penn State 6 9 Cornell 10 10 Nebraska 13 11 Northern Iowa 11 12 Ohio State 15 13 Pennsylvania 29 14 Missouri 16 15 Oklahoma 3 16 West Virginia 17 17 Central Michigan 32 18 Iowa State t-19 19 Fresno State 30 20 Harvard 25 21 Lock Haven 35 22 PURDUE 14 23 Cal Poly 31 24 Northern Illinois 22 25 Wisconsin 23 125 Pounds The Boilermakers will need to replace twotime All-American and 2003 Big Ten champion Chris Fleeger (Jr., Trout Run, Pa.) at 125 pounds. Fleeger is sitting out the season in order to train for the 2004 Olympics. The talent level at 125 pounds remains high, with a starter likely coming from either freshman Sean Schmaltz (Franklin, Ind.) or freshman Brandon Tucker (Broken Arrow, Okla.). Schmaltz was a three-time state qualifier who finished second in the state as a senior at 119 pounds. Tucker completed his prep career as a four-time state champion in Oklahoma, and was the nation's top-ranked 112-pounder. Adding depth and experience at 125 pounds is sophomore Adam Moreno (Portage, Ind.). Moreno wrestled mostly in open tournaments as a redshirt freshman in 2002-03, and should push Schmaltz and Tucker for time on the mat. 133 Pounds Junior Rene Hernandez (Hammond, Ind.) returns as the starter at 133 pounds after a successful sophomore season that culminated with a berth in the NCAA Championships. Hernandez brings an attacking style to the mat for the Boilermakers and a level of experience that should land him back in the NCAA bracket. Depth at the weight class will come from freshman Chase Beebe (Downers Grove, Ill.), a four-time state champion in Illinois. 141 Pounds Retuning starter Doug Withstandley (So., Jackson, N.J.) is the frontrunner for the starting position at 141 pounds. Withstandley barely missed out at a chance to reach the NCAA Championships field, completing his freshman season with a record of 18-15. Withstandley will be pushed by some newcomers to the Purdue mat who are not new to collegiate wrestling. Ben Sprunger (Jr., Bluffton, Ind.) and Jason Cook (Fr., Valparaiso, Ind.) will look to challenge for starting time. Sprunger was a redshirt on the Boilermaker roster in 2002-03 after wrestling his first two years at Carson-Newman, where he earned All-America honors as a freshman. Cook, an Indiana state champion as a high school senior, redshirted his first year at Purdue. Freshman Ben Milius (Yorktown, Ind.) provides further depth at one of the deepest weights on the Purdue roster. 149 Pounds Senior Dan Jankowski (Evansville, Ind.) returns for his final year as the starter at 149 pounds after earning a spot in the NCAA Championships. Jankowski posted a record of 26-16 in his second year as a starter and looks to improve on that mark in his senior campaign. The experience behind Jankowski will come from senior Paul Sacquitne (Fremont, Ind.), who makes the move up in class from 141 pounds, where he has wrestled since his freshman year. In three years, Sacquitne has a career record of 17-32, predominantly in open tournament action. Joining Jankowski and Sacquitne at 149 pounds are redshirt freshman Craig Shaw (Burgettstwon, Pa.) and newcomers Brad Milius (Yorktown, Ind.), Tim Ortiz (Decatur, Ind.) and Craig Weinzapfel (Evansville, Ind.) and transfer Eric Keith (Jr., Portage, Ind.). Keith spent his first three seasons, including a redshirt year, wrestling at Michigan State, where he compiled a two-year record of 16-12. 157 Pounds Returning to the starting slot at 157 pounds is senior Brad Harper (Mishawaka, Ind.), a 2002 NCAA qualifier. With the graduation of Crane, Harper moves back into he top slot and looks to return to the NCAA Championships. Harper is joined at 157 by freshmen Dan Bedoy (Hammond, Ind.) and Aaron Ruff (Whitefish Bay, Wis.). 165 Pounds This weight class is one of the more open battles on the 2003-04 Purdue squad, as three candidates vie for the starting role. Senior Mark Groski (Cobleskill, N.Y.) is the most experienced member of the 165-pound crew, but will be challenged for mat time by redshirt freshmen John DeCeault (Tinley Park, Ill.) and Bryce Markley (St. Paris, Ohio). ~ 6 ~
Groski split time last season between 165 pounds and 184 pounds, compiling a record of 11-8. His career mark is 27-19. 174 Pounds There is no question as to whom will hold down the starting 174-pound job. The Boilermakers list just one wrestler at this weight -- senior Ryan Lange (Northfield, Ohio). Lange has been the No. 1 at 174 pounds for the past three seasons and has converted that opportunity into one of the top careers in Purdue history. A three-time NCAA qualifier, Lange won the 174-pound crown at the Big Ten Championships in 2003, and went on to earn All-America honors. His career record of 95-26 ranks in the top five in Purdue history (.785 win percentage). The takedown specialist owns the Boilermaker record for career takedowns (388) and season takedowns (182). 184 Pounds Sophomore Ben Wissel (Richmond, Ind.) returns after a freshman season that earned a berth to the NCAA Championships and finished the year with a 22-18 record. Wissel has the ability to challenge for the Big Ten title this season. Providing depth at 184 pounds is sophomore Barry Jackson (Indianapolis, Ind.). Jackson compiled a 7-6 record in his first varsity season. 197 Pounds This classification will be the most battled weight in the Purdue lineup, as junior Bryan Kapp (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and redshirt freshman Nathan Moore (Indianapolis, Ind.) compete for the starting spot. Kapp was 7-11 one year ago, gaining experience when then-senior Jon Bush was injured. He gained valuable experience during hiss freshman season, wrestling in the Big Ten Championships in place of injured Jon Bush. Moore, a two-time Indiana state champion, is a talented wrestler who represented the United States during the summer of 2003 at the Junior World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. Heavyweight In his first season as the top Purdue heavyweight, Israel Blevins (Sr., Sullivan, Ind.) earned a trip to Kansas City for the NCAA Championships. Blevins returns to the Boilermaker lineup this season with his eyes set on the same target. Depth at the heavyweight classification comes from freshman Jake O'Brien (Indianapolis), a three-time state high school champion at 215 pounds. The Schedule The 2003-04 Purdue Boilermakers will compete in one of the most intense schedules in program history. The campaign features three dual tournaments, including the prestigious Virginia Duals, two open/invitational tournaments, featuring the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, not to mention the always strong Big Ten conference schedule. The 2003-04 season begins with the Avalon Duals at Edinboro University on Nov. 15, when the Boilermakers will match up against Ohio, Findaly and Edinboro. Purdue then competes at the Ashland Open before venturing to Las Vegas for the Cliff Keen Invitational. In January, Purdue competes in two dual tournaments: the Lone Star Duals on Jan. 3, and the Virginia Duals on Jan. 9-10. At the Lone Star Duals. The Boilermakers will meet Navy, Princeton, Cal State-Fullerton and Brown. The field at the Virginia Duals features some of the top programs in the NCAA, including Lehigh, Nebraska, Arizona State, North Carolina and Edinboro. The Big Ten season begins Jan. 23 against Northwestern, and then pits the Boilermakers against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Jan. 25. Purdue also travels to Minnesota to face the Golden Gophers on Feb. 1. Headlining the home schedule are two duals that will be held in Mackey Arena. Purdue and Ohio State will meet in Mackey on Jan. 30. Purdue and intrastate rival Indiana will meet in Mackey Arena on Feb. 15 to close the home portion of the 2003-04 schedule. 2003-04 Preseason Individual Rankings RENE HERNANDEZ 133 POUNDS Amateur Wrestling News 11 InterMat Wrestling 12 WrestlingReport.com 15 DOUG WITHSTANDLEY 141 POUNDS WrestlingReport.com 27 DAN JANKOWSKI 149 POUNDS Amateur Wrestling News 11 The Wrestling Mall 15 WrestlingReport.com 18 BRAD HARPER 157 POUNDS InterMat Wrestling 19 WrestlingReport.com 18 MARK GROSKI 165 POUNDS WrestlingReport.com 29 RYAN LANGE 174 POUNDS The Wrestling Mall 3 WrestlingReport.com 3 InterMat Wrestling 4 Amateur Wrestling News 4 BEN WISSEL 184 POUNDS The Wrestling Mall 7 WrestlingReport.com 19 ISRAEL BLEVINS HEAVYWEIGHT InterMat Wrestling 8 The Wrestling Mall 8 WrestlingReport.com 8 Amateur Wrestling News 9 ~ 7 ~