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IllustrateD volume 24, issue 4 87 f w r e s t l i n g f e a t u r e : c a s h é q u i r o g a BY MATTHEW THOMAS Special To Gold and Black Illustrated T he battle against a life-threatening health issue wasn't the only difficulty that wrestling standout Cashé Quiroga had to combat during his career at Purdue. No amount of hours spent practicing and competing could have prepared Quiroga for the adversity he faced on and off of the mat. In a world where the only per- son who can affect the out- come of the match is your- self, Quiroga learned that is was going to be up to him to continue to battle for suc- cess. Quiroga, a redshirt se- nior, has not only fought in- juries throughout his time at Purdue but also faced a near-fatal situation when he developed a staph in- fection in summer of 2012. Quiroga had developed the internal infection on his right hip without knowing what was causing his pain. It was a scary moment for Quiroga because not only did he not know what was wrong but neither did the medi- cal staff. "I didn't have any lesions on me so we didn't think it was an infection. But they couldn't figure out it out for about three days, and it was the worst pain of my life," Quiroga said. "I pride myself on being a little tough, for me to be down like that where I couldn't even sit up or roll over." The experience taught Quiroga a lot about himself and it changed who he was. "I always thought you never know when it could be over, and it didn't hit home until that happened," Quiro- ga said. "There was a big scare there for me personally when I was in the hospital and they didn't know what it was at first." After fighting off the infection, Quiroga learned how unpredictable life could be, learning to enjoy the small things. "(It) opened my eyes to how fragile life is and enjoy it when you can," said Quiroga. The hardship of the staph infection was followed by a comparatively unsatisfactory season. In 2012-13, Quiroga battled injuries, competing in only 13 matches and finishing with a 10-3 record. He had a disappointing showing at the Big Ten Tourna- ment, going 0-2 and failing to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. "That's something I've lived with for the past year and its been a hole I've been trying to fill; I'll get the chance here soon," said Quiroga when talking about the up- coming Big Ten Tournament. "Last year has (put) some drive in me to right that wrong, but it's also my last time around and I love to compete. I love being out there. I love the sport. I love doing it." Coach Scott Hinkel said it was tough for the program to be without one of its leaders. Bounce-back Year Wrestler hopes to end career on high note Matthew Thomas Quiroga made an impression on Coach Scott Hinkel from his first days at Purdue five years ago. Matthew Thomas Cashé Quiroga would love to earn All-American status for a second time at the national tournament in March.