Upsets of ranked wrestlers lead to loss at Purdue

Senior Kurt Kinser returned to action from an injury Friday, but upsets of senior Paul Young and junior Matt Powless cost the Hoosiers as they fell to rival Purdue 21-12 in the final dual of the regular season.

IU jumped out to an early lead after freshman Justin Brooks’ third straight victory, but losses in the next two matches, including one by pin, gave Purdue the lead for good.

Kinser’s first match in two weeks resulted in a 9-2 win that pulled the team score within three points, but Young, impaired by a knee injury, was upset by Purdue’s Colton Salazar.

Redshirt freshman Ryan LeBlanc brought the deficit back down to three with a win at 165 pounds.

The Boilermakers won as expected in the next two tilts, then Logan Brown handed junior Matt Powless his fourth loss of the season at 197 pounds to clinch the match. Graduate student Ricky Alcala’s win at heavyweight only served to narrow the deficit.

IU is now off for two weeks before the Big Ten Championships on March 5 and 6 in Evanston, Ill.