Indiana University
Las Vegas Open (Dec. 5-6)
Three Hoosiers Place at Las Vegas Open
12/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Dec. 6, 2008
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Three Hoosiers placed at the 27th Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Open on Saturday as Indiana tied for ninth place as a team. A total of forty-four institutions competed in the event.
Kurt Kinser started day number two with a 4-1 decision over Joey Wilson of Cal Davis. He then followed up a defeat in the next round with a 5-4 winner over Ohio State's Jason Johnstone for seventh place in the 157-pound division.
Trevor Perry started his Saturday taking on the No. 1 seed and eventual champion Steve Luke of Michigan. After coming up short against Luke, Perry posted back-to-back victories in the consolation draw to claim a third-place finish at 174 pounds.. In the wrestleback finals, Perry stuck West Virginia's Kurt Brenner in 45 seconds after connecting on a headlock just five seconds into the bout.
Matt Powless, competing at 197-lbs., also found his way to the stand, placing in eighth. A 10-2 major decision over Rudi Burtschi (North Idaho) in his first match on Saturday vaulted him onto the stand.
Next up for the Hoosiers is the F.I.T.E. Duals up in Oak Lawn, Ill. Indiana will take on Eastern Michigan, Harper College and Wisconsin-Whitewater on Dec. 21.
Day One Recap
After sitting atop the team standings for much of the day, the Indiana University wrestling team finally settled in at fifth place after day one of the 27th Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Open. Seven IU wrestlers remain in the competition heading into Saturday's action.
Complete Day One Team Standings & Individual Results 
The Hoosiers 53.5 points not only slots them fifth out of a 44 teams, but ahead of Big Ten foes Michigan (52.0), Purdue (50.5), Ohio State (50.0), Illinois (44.5) and Wisconsin (35.5). Indiana is also within striking distance of the second-place team, Minnesota at 59.5 points.
Trevor Perry remains in contention for an individual championship at 174 pounds after ripping off three wins on Friday. Perry followed a first-round bye with an 11-3 major decision over Brandon Lapp of Sacred Heart and a 6-3 decision over Wyoming's Shane Onufer. Perry, the fifth-seeded wrestler in the weight class, then ended his day in quick fashion, pinning Air Force's Tyler French in under a minute (0:59) to advance to the championship semifinals where he will face top-seeded Steve Luke (Michigan).
Other Hoosiers still in action on Saturday include Matt Ortega, Kurt Kinser, Paul Young, Eric Cameron, Matt Powless and Nate Everhart.
Ortega (133 lbs.) began with a pigtail bout, topping Naveed Bagheri of SF State by the lopsided score of 15-4. The four-time New Mexico State champion then took out Cornell's Quin Leth, 11-6. His next match ended in a tiebreaker, unfortunately in the favor of his opposition, 5-4. Once in the consolation bracket, Ortega garnered two more victories, however, putting himself just won more away from guaranteeing a place on the stand.
Kinser (157 lbs.) also participated in the pigtail round, picking up a pin in the first period. He then notched back-to-back decisions, setting up a showdown with the defending national champion, Jorgan Leen of Cornell in the championship quarterfinals. Leen would come away with the win in that match, and Kinser next faces Joey Wilson of Cal-Davis.
Indiana found themselves in the pigtail round once again at 165 lbs. as Young posted a 16-0 tech fall to move into the first round. From there, Young earned one more win before dropping to the consolation bracket. His first match of the wrestleback was a fall in just 45 seconds. He followed that up with a 5-2 decision over Cal Davis's Dustin Noack. Young's next opponent is Luke Manuel of Purdue.
Cameron (184 lbs.) won three of four matches on Friday and now sits in the same position as the previous three Hoosiers; one win shy of placing and four away from a third-place finish.
At 197 lbs., Powless grinded his way through the wrestleback to reach the consolation quarterfinals with three straight wins, including a 6-4 tiebreaker over John Drake of Cal State Fullerton.
Everhart filled the 285-pound slot for IU, and remains in contention for third-place in the weight class. After a first-round pin to open his day, Everhart came up just one point shy of defeating Minnesota's Benjamin Berhow, dropping a 3-2 decision. The 2008 NCAA qualifier rebounded in the wrestleback, recording two consecutive wins by scores of 4-2 and 4-0.
Check back right here at IUHoosiers.com late Saturday evening for the final results from the Las Vegas Open.
Players Mentioned
