The one and only

Wrestler awaits final home meet

By Paul Trembacki
Sports Editor

Once in a while, when he's not working as hard as possible in the wrestling room during practice, Evan Robinson looks around for his fellow seniors.

Only they're not there.

When Robinson came to Purdue in 1996 after going 95-2 and winning state each of the three years he wrestled at Charlotte (Fla.) High School, his class comprised 10 other wrestlers, but now it's just Robinson.

Just a hard-working 133-pound wrestler from Punta Gorda, Fla., who is ranked ninth in the nation at his weight class, has had numerous surgeries and has gone 72-31 so far in his career.

Just the team captain and a leader in every sense of the word.

"My first year was rough and I went through a lot of changes," said Robinson, who has watched all of his classmates either leave school or leave the team in his five years in West Lafayette.

"I don't have anybody that went through those changes with me and has those same memories."

But Robinson isn't isolated. He's as friendly as anyone on the team and can joke about things such as his "gator strength," which he brought from Florida. Yet he gets as mean and serious as the next guy when he needs to.

"He's real business-like," said teammate and fourth-year practice partner Jason Silverstein. "He's a real hard worker and I like wrestling him."

Robinson's toughness has shown through lately. He got hit in the eye and injured badly against No. 1 Eric Juergens of Iowa Jan. 26. He received a half dozen stitches and still has a black eye. He's been wearing a mask that makes him look like a character in "Pink Floyd: The Wall" during practice and taking the mask off and wearing just a bandage above the eye in meets.

"That shows how tough he is," Purdue coach Jessie Reyes said. "He puts up with the pain and he just wrestles through it."

Robinson has had two of his four seasons ended prematurely by serious injuries. He dislocated his elbow his freshman year and blew out his knee his sophomore year. A little eye injury isn't going to stop him from trying to win a national title this year.

Another thing Reyes likes about Robinson is his ability to encourage teammates.

"As a leader, he's excelled and he's looked up to by his teammates," Reyes said.

Robinson was the team MVP last year after going 29-9 and placing fourth at the Big Ten championships. This year he's 17-5 and 3-3 in the Big Ten.

Tonight, Robinson will lead the Boilers into the final home meet of his career when the No. 21 Boilers take on No. 7 Illinois at 7 p.m. in the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility.

"I think it will be bittersweet for him because he's put in a lot of time," Silverstein said.

Robinson said the fact that it's the last match of his career won't set in until the season's over.

But, fittingly enough, Robinson is the lone Boiler favored to win his match against Illinois. He faces Illini junior Dave Stoltz, whom Robinson beat 7-6 last season.

Many Boilers will face opponents ranked in the top 10 or 15 of their weight classes. But Robinson hopes there are some upsets, just like last weekend when the Boilers beat No. 23 Wisconsin and No. 7 Michigan State at home.

"We've got a tough team," Robinson said. "I guarantee we'll be tough against Illinois."

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SPORTS DESK PHONE:
(765) 743-1111 ext. 251

Sports editor:
Paul Trembacki

Assistant sports editor:
Anne McLaren

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