Feb. 17, 2000

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The sixth-ranked University of Illinois wrestling team defeated Purdue 30-3 Thursday evening at Huff Hall in Champaign in front of 1,623 fans. The win marks the Illini's fifth victory in their last six meetings with the Boilermakers, including a 24-15 victory last season. Illinois leads the all-time series between the two schools with a 40-26-2 mark, including 5-3 with Illini head coach Mark Johnson-led teams. With tonight's win, the Illini improved to 14-1 overall and 7-1 in the Big Ten Conference. Purdue falls to 8-11 overall amd 0-7 in the league.

The dual started with a battle between ranked heavyweights. No. 5 John Lockhart of Illinois won a hard-fought bout against No. 16 Jake Vercelli of Purdue, 4-2. Another victory followed in the 125-pound match, with No. 11 Ryan Escobar shutting out No. 14 Jason Silverstein of Purdue, 2-0. The Illini's only loss came in the 133-pound match, with Purdue's No. 17 Evan Robinson edging out Dave Stoltz of Illinois, 7-6.

Senior Carl Perry, ranked ninth in the country, won his last home match 6-3 over Luis Blanco of Purdue. Another senior, No. 17 Bill Zeman, won 7-4 over Kirk Moore of Purdue. Both left lasting impressions on head coach Mark Johnson.

"I'm shocked that he (Perry) is going to be gone," said Johnson. "It's a little gut-wrenching to watch a kid go out there for the last time."

In the 149-pound match, No. 4 Adam Tirapelle won a major decision over Purdue's Jimmy Hawthorne, 14-5. Nate Patrick, ranked fifth, also won a major decision at 184 pounds, beating Purdue's Jared Williams, 12-4. No. 15 Ben King continued his hot streak by winning his 12th match in a row by beating Jon Fitch of Purdue, 12-3.

"Last year, all the guys Ben faced in the conference were ranked, and he was 0-8 against them. This year he was 8-0," Johnson said. "That's an unbelievable turnaround, considering a lot of the opponents were the same kids from last year."

In the other two matches of the evening, the Illini's No. 13 Griff Powell edged James Leavell of Purdue, 2-1, and in the 197-pound match, No. 10 Pat Quirk of Illinois beat Mark Colegrove of Purdue, 9-4.

This victory was the second straight for the Illini, following a tough loss at Iowa last weekend.

"This was a big win. We wanted to be dominant, and after our loss to Iowa we needed a couple of thumpings, and that's exactly what we've done," said Johnson. "Now we can go back to training hard. Two weeks from now we'll be going to Purdue, and that's where all the marbles are."

The next action for the Illini will be March 4-5 at the Big Ten Championships in West Lafayette, Indiana.

No. 6 Illinois 30, vs. Purdue 3
February 17, 2000
Huff Hall -- Champaign, Illinois
Dual started at the heavyweight match