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    1. 2021 NCAA D1 Nationals Preview

      By Drew Hughes

      This year there will be 13 Indiana guys competing in St. Louis across 8 different weight classes. This puts only 7 other states ahead of us for the number of qualifiers. Out of these 13 qualifiers only 1 of them is not from the Big Ten.

       

      Drew Hildebrandt will be competing in the 125-pound bracket for the Central Michigan Chippewas. This will be Drew’s 3rd NCAA tournament appearance and has earned the 4th seed. The Penn High School graduate also won his 2nd MAC title to qualify for the tournament and is undefeated on the season.

       

      Nick Lee will be competing in the 141-pound bracket for Penn State and will be in the hunt to win a national title. Lee comes into the tournament as the 2nd seed just like he was last year for the cancelled championships. The Evansville Mater Dei graduate is 8-1 on the season with his 1 loss coming in the Big Ten finals to the 1st seed Eierman.

       

      Chad Red will be competing in the 141-pound bracket for Nebraska where he will be looking to All-American like he has at every NCAA tournament he’s wrestled in. Red comes into the tournament as the 8th seed with his only losses this year coming from the 1st and 3rd seeds of the tournament. As most people have seen, the New Palestine grad has always showed up for the big show.

       

      Cayden Rooks will be competing in the 141-pound bracket for Indiana where he will be wrestling in his first NCAA tournament. Rooks earned an at-large bid to qualify for the tournament and will be the 32nd seed. Cayden is a Columbus East High School graduate where he won 2 state titles.

      Graham Rooks will be competing in the 149-pound bracket for Indiana, and this was his 2nd time qualifying for the NCAA tournament. After a 6th place finish at the Big Ten tournament, Rooks earned himself the 21st seed. Graham is also a Columbus East grad and is the older brother of previously mentions Cayden Rooks. 

       

      Brayton Lee will be competing in the 157-pound bracket for Minnesota, and this was his 2nd time qualifying for the NCAA tournament. After being seeded 7th for last year cancelled tournament Lee will be 1 spot higher at the 6th seed this year. The Brownsburg native is coming off of an impressive 3rd place Big Ten finish.

       

      Jake Tucker will be competing in the 165-pound bracket for Michigan State, and it is a little controversial to claim him for Indiana. Tucker went to Mount Carmel High School in Illinois BUT has lived in Lowell Indiana his entire life. Since he has an Indiana driver’s license, I think it’s only fair we get to claim the now 2-time NCAA qualifier. Tucker earned the 25th seed after finish 6th place at the Big Ten tournament.

       

      Joe Lee will be competing in the 165-pound bracket for Penn State where he will be wrestling in his first NCAA tournament. The Evansville Mater Dei grad will be the 23rd seed of the tournament after placing 8th at Big Tens. While Joe didn’t get a top 8 seed like his brother Nick, he does still have 1 more state title then his older brother.

       

      Donnell Washington will be competing in the 174-pound bracket for Indiana where he will be wrestling in his first NCAA tournament. The Portage grad has really proved himself this year and will be the 9th seed. Washington is coming off a 6th place Big Ten finish and holds a win over the 3rd seed.

       

      Drew Hughes (also the person writing this article) will be competing in the 174-pound bracket and is the 32 seed. This will be his 4th NCAA tournament and holds one of the worst records in the entire tournament at 3-7 on the year. All that we can know for sure is that the Lowell High School grad is going to choose top and probably get hit for a few stalling calls.

       

      Lucas Davison will be competing in the 197-pound bracket for Northwestern, and this will be his 2nd time qualifying for the NCAA tournament. Davison is coming into the tournament as the 12th seed after placing 5th at Big Tens. The Chesterton native will be looking to become an All-American just like his dad was back in the day.

       

      Thomas Penola will be competing in the 197-pound bracket for Purdue, and this will be his 2nd time qualifying for the NCAA tournament. Penola qualified for last years cancelled tournament at 285-pounds. This year he’s down a weight and earned himself the 19th seed of the tournament. The Zionsville High School graduate finished 7th at the Big Ten tournament.

       

      Mason Parris will be competing in the 285-pound bracket for the Michigan wolverines, and this will be his 3rd NCAA tournament. Parris will be the 2nd seed of the tournament for the 2nd year in a row. The Lawrenceburg native has placed 2nd at the big ten tournament the last 2 season and will be looking for a rematch of the Big Ten finals in the NCAA finals. 


      By Y2CJ41,
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    2. NAIA Women’s Nationals Preview

      By Drew Hughes

       

      The 2021 NAIA Women’s Wrestling National Invitational will be taking place March 12-
      13 in Jamestown North Dakota. This is the 3 rd year of this event including the 2020 tournament
      getting cancelled because of Covid. This event is still considered an Invitational and once there
      are 40 programs that sponsor the sport it will go to a vote for championship status. With 38
      NAIA programs that already sponsor the sport, the tournament should be a sanctioned
      championship by next year. Indiana will have 4 women competing at this tournament with 3 of
      them competing for the new Indiana Tech program.

       

      Korigan Wilkey will be competing in the 109-pound bracket for Indiana Tech where she
      will wrestle Lisa Megargee of Eastern Oregon first round. Wilkey went to Elwood High School
      where she was a 2-time girl’s state placer.

       

      Alyssa Schuller will be competing in the 116-pound bracket for Indiana Tech, she is the 6
      seed of the tournament and will have Raven Guidry of Oklahoma City first round. Schuller is
      from Decatur and went to Woodlan High School where she was a girl’s state runner-up in 2017.

       

      Riley Horvath will be competing in the 116-pound bracket for Indiana Tech and will
      wrestle Daviona Bonner of Central Methodist first round. Horvath is from Elkhart and went to
      Jimtown High School where she was a 2-time girl’s state placer.

       

      Cierra Broukal will be competing in the 116-pound bracket for Campbellsville and will
      wrestle Jasmine Alexander of Grand View first round. Broukal went to Bloomington South High
      School and was a 2-time girl’s state champion. Broukal was also a Semi-State qualifier as a
      junior in 2018.

       

      This tournament will be streamed live on Flowrestling.

      Click here for brackets


      By Y2CJ41,
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    3. 2021 NCAA D2 Preview

      By Drew Hughes

       

      The NCAA D2 national tournament has always been a tough tournament to qualify for but this year it was even harder. Due to Covid, the NCAA decided to reduce the number of participants by 27% meaning that while in a normal year there would be 180 qualifiers, this year there are only 132. To put that into perspective, the D1 tournament will still have 330 competitors this year giving them almost 200 more spots then the D2 tournament. Even with this reduced field there will be 4 Indiana natives competing in St. Louis this weekend.

       

      Christian Mejia of McKendree University will be competing in the 125-pound bracket. Mejia comes into the tournament with an 8-1 record and will face 8 seed Cole Jones of MSU Moorhead in the first round. In High School Christian wrestled for Elkhart Memorial where he was a 3-time state placer and a 1-time state runner-up.

       

      Logan Bailey of the University of Indianapolis will be competing in the 149-pound bracket. The true freshman holds a record of 11-2 and will face 8 seed Jacob Ealy of Pitt-Johnstown in the first round. Bailey wrestled for Indianapolis Cathedral in High School where he was a 2-time state placer and a 1-time state runner-up. In addition, Bailey was also an IndianaMat Hoosier Preseason Open champion in 2019.

       

      Dawson Combest of the University of Indianapolis will be competing in the 157-pound bracket. Combest comes into the tournament with a 10-2 record as well as being the 2 seed of the tournament. Combest has a bye first round but will face Caden Moore of Northern St. in the quarterfinals. Combest qualified for the cancelled 2020 tournament last year and was named an NWCA All-American as the 7th seed that year. In High School, Dawson wrestled for Columbus East where he was a 3-time state placer. Like Bailey, Combest was also an IndianaMat Hoosier Preseason Open champion in 2016.

       

      Gleason Mappes of the University of Indianapolis will be competing in the 184-pound bracket. Mappes comes to the tournament with a 6-6 record and will face the 4 seed Dan Fillipek of McKendree first round. Mappes also qualified for the cancelled 2020 national tournament. In High School Mappes wrestled for Center Grove and was a 3-time state placer and a 1-time state runner-up.

       

      The tournament will be on March 12-13 and the brackets can be found on track wrestling. Also, for those that are interested, all of the matched will be streamed live on the NCAA website.

      Click here for brackets


      By Y2CJ41,
      • 12 comments
      • 247 views

    4. National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships

      By Drew Hughes

       

      Women’s wrestling in college has been on the rise for the past few years with 17 new programs being added this year alone. The National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships will feature NCAA women’s teams.

       

      The National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships will be taking place March 6, 2021 and will be held at Tiffin University where 2 Indiana athletes will be competing. 

       

      Jaryn Strong who is a freshman at Adrian College took 4th place at Northeast Regional to qualify for the tournament. In high school Strong wrestled for Terre Haute South where she was a 4-time Girls State placer and a finalist her senior year. She will be in the 123-pound bracket where she will face off against Trinity Berry of Tiffin University first round.

       

      Jasime Hale of Pike is another freshman qualifier for Adrian. She won the regional and comes into nationals with a 5-6 record. She will have Madison Horn of Augsburg in the first round at 170lbs.

       

      Alara Boyd who is a sophomore at McKendree University took 1st place at the Southwest Regional to qualify for the tournament. In high school Boyd wrestled for Yorktown where she was a 2-time cadet world medalist earning bronze in 2016 and silver in 2017. She was also a 2019 junior world team member as well as a 2-time Girls State champion. This is Boyd’s second National tournament appearance as she places 2nd at last year’s event. She will be in the 155-pound bracket where she will have a bye first round.

       

      Indiana currently has two colleges that offer women’s wrestling and are both in their first season’s this year, Indiana Tech who will compete at the NAIA women’s national tournament and Trine University who will have one participant, Riley Morrison, competing at this tournament at 109-pounds. Morrison is a Texas native and is coached by Indiana native Amy Hildebrandt who helped start the program just over a year ago.

       

      The brackets will be on TrackWrestling where you can follow along or watch live for a fee.

      https://www.trackwrestling.com/tw/predefinedtournaments/VerifyPassword.jsp?tournamentId=602244132


      By Y2CJ41,
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    5. Parris rises to a heavyweight contender

      By Drew Hughes

       

      Mason Parris has been an Indiana fan favorite since his freshman year of high school where he lost a heart breaker to senior and eventual state champion Chase Osborn 11-10. After this the Lawrenceburg native’s high school career was flawless and didn’t lose another match on his way to three state titles and a 201-1 career record. 

      With one of the most dominant careers Indiana has ever seen Parris set the record for most career pins at the state finals where he had 11. He ended his prep career as the 3rd ranked recruit in his class as well as being ranked 1st at 220lbs.

       

      Right out of high school Parris was thrown into the mix as his redshirt was pulled at the University of Michigan halfway through the season where in his varsity debut, he took down the then #1 ranked heavyweight from Oregon State. Mason would then go on to place 7th at the Big Ten championships that year and lost in the round to place at the NCAA tournament. 

       

      His sophomore season Mason was as dominant as ever compiling a 28-1 record with 18 of those wins earning bonus points. Parris finished the year as a Big Ten finalist but with to the NCAA championships being cancelled due to COVID he had to settle with being named a NWCA first team All-American.

       

      This season Parris is currently ranked 2nd in the country at Heavyweight and is 6-0 on the year with all of his wins being bonus point wins. Mason is also ranked #4 in the Hodge trophy rankings and will most likely me the 2nd seed at the Big Ten tournament this year.

       

      Being a three-sport athlete in high school Parris didn’t have as much time as most to wrestle freestyle. He only wrestled in 1 freestyle national tournament the summer before college where he ended up with a 3rd place finish. With the help of the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club, which is based at the University of Michigan, Mason has made tremendous strides in freestyle.

       

      After his true freshman season, he made the junior world team at 125kg where he won a gold medal. Mason is currently ranked 19th in Flowrestling’s international rankings and this past December beat 2-time world bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski. This April, Parris will have a chance to compete for the spot on the Olympic team for the now 2021 games in Tokyo. When talking about international wrestling Parris said “I am striving to make the Olympic team and bring home a gold medal. I am undecided on how long I would like to wrestle for (internationally). It depends on a lot of factors. I would like to at least see another Olympic cycle in 2024.”

       

      With Covid giving everyone an extra year of eligibility, a big question is what athletes are going to take advantage of it. When asked Mason said “I plan on using my extra covid year. I am treating this year more as my redshirt year, since I did not have one. It is amazing that I am getting another year to chase my dreams after being cut short before NCAA’s last year. I really want to utilize this year to improve and win an NCAA Championship.”

       

      Mason is currently pursuing a Civil Engineering degree and would like to utilize that after college but is also open to other options as he said “I am still keeping my options open. I may try to play football for my 5th year, go to the WWE, or continue to wrestle internationally. I want to wait and decide what is the best opportunity for me and my future.”
       


      By Y2CJ41,
      • 0 comments
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    6. Indiana Natives to Watch at NAIA Nationals

      By Drew Hughes

       

      The 2021 NAIA Wrestling National Championships are set to take place March 5-6 in Park City, Kansas. There are 12 Indiana natives that will be competing at this tournament with 5 of the 11 being ranked in the top 8 of the latest NAIA rankings. Listed below are the NAIA National qualifiers.

       

      Name

      School

      Hometown/High School

      Weight

      Ranking

      Ty Haskins

      Marian (Ind.)

      Valparaiso, Portage High School

      125

      19th

      Matt Gimson

      Indiana Tech

      Elkhart, Jimtown High School

      133

      2nd

      Connor Gimson

      Indiana Tech

      Elkhart, Jimtown High School

      133

      7th

      Blake Mulkey

      Marian (Ind.)

      Brownsburg, Brownsburg High School

      141

      5th

      Bailey Moore

      Marian (Ind.)

      Indianapolis, Beech Grove High School

      149

      9th

      Brice Coleman

      Indiana Tech

      Indianapolis, Warren Central High School

      157

      18th

      Tristan Sellmer

      Campbellsville

      Jeffersonville, Floyd Central high School

      157

      NR

      Elliott Rodgers

      Marian (Ind.)

      Noblesville, Cathedral High school

      165

      15th

      Kolby Ferris

      Indiana Tech

      Fishers, Hamilton Southeastern High School

      174

      7th

      Jarod Swank

      Cumberlands (Ky.)

      Granger, Penn High School

      165

      9th

      Sam Osho

      Marian (Ind.)

      Avon, Avon High School

      184

      9th

      Jack Servies

      Marian (Ind.)

      Indianapolis, Perry Meridian High School

      197

      13th

      Ethan Bunce

      Marian (Ind.)

      Indianapolis, Lawrence Central High School

      285

      8th

       

      For those that may be unfamiliar with how NAIA works, a team can enter 2 individuals at a weight for 2 different weight classes. With that being said, that is how brothers Matt and Connor Grimson both qualified at the same weight and took 1st and 2nd at their conference. Also winning conference titles where Blake Mulkey, Brice Coleman, Elliot Rodgers, Kolby Ferris, Jack Servies, and Jarod Swank.

       

      With the exception of Jarod Swank, who competed in the Mid-South Conference, all of the other Indiana Natives competed in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. This was the first year of this conference where Indiana Tech beat Marian in the team race by a score of 163.5 to 144.

       

      With in person attendance likely limited, the tournament will be on trackwrestling where you can follow the brackets and even watch live for a fee.

       

      Click here for TrackWrestling brackets


      By Y2CJ41,
      • 7 comments
      • 535 views

    7. Red doing big things for the Big Red

      By Drew Hughes

       

      Anyone that has been around Indiana wrestling in the last decade probably knows the
      name Chad Red. In high school Red had about as good of a career as anyone could ask for
      winning 4 state titles and going a perfect 183-0. Along with this he won 3 of the toughest off-
      season tournaments in the country; Fargo, Super 32, and FloNationals. He finished his high
      school career ranked #1 in the country at 132lbs along with being ranked #8 out of all seniors in
      his graduating class.

       

      Being one of the most sought after recruits Red decided on Nebraska as his college
      destination. Red said “I chose Nebraska because of Jordan Burroughs and the coaching staff is
      very helpful, and my family thought they were the best coaches for me.”.

       

      Red has very well in college so far where he has become a 2 time All-American as well
      as a Big Ten finalist. He has had some great matches in his college career with one of the best
      coming in the blood round of NCAA’s his freshman year. In this match Red pinned the two-time
      defending National Champion Dean Heil in the first period to become an All-American. Red also
      placed 3rd at last year’s Big Ten championship and qualified for the cancelled 2020 NCAA
      championships where he was named a NWCA first team All-American.

       

      This season Red is off to a great start with a 4-1 record and his lone loss coming from
      Iowa’s Jaydin Eierman. Red is currently ranked 6 th in the country at 141 and in the upcoming
      weeks will get the chance to wrestle #1 ranked Sebastian Rivera before the Big Ten tournament.
      Now the big question that people are asking right now for most college seniors are if they
      will be returning for a 6 th year. Due to Covid the NCAA has made it so this year does not count
      towards your eligibility giving athletes the chance to compete for an extra year. With that being
      said Red is planning on wrestling next season and will still have a shot at being a 4 time All-
      American and possibly a National Champion.

       

      After college Red plans to stay in Nebraska and wrestle for the NWTC where he would
      compete internationally in an attempt to make world and Olympic teams. He also plans on
      coaching and we could see that being anywhere from the college level to even coming back to
      Indiana to coach at Red Cobra Wrestling Academy where his father, Chad Red Sr., is the coach.
      Looking far down the road we could also see him coaching his little brother to 4 high school
      state titles but that wouldn’t be until at least 2034.


      By Y2CJ41,
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      • 930 views

    8. The Bailey’s find a home at UIndy

      By Drew Hughes

       

      Breyden Bailey has been on the move most of his college career but has finally found his home at the University of Indianapolis. After high school Breyden started his career at Northern Illinois University but after the first semester transferred to the University of Indiana. He then spent the next year and a half at IU where he compiled a 17-12 record. After his second year of college, he transferred one last time to where he currently is at UIndy. 

       

      When asked on how he decided on UIndy Breyden said “I decided on University of Indianapolis because it was close to home and I really liked the culture that was being built and the family atmosphere. I felt as if I fit in well and I could trust the coaching staff and what they were saying and were striving for.”. 

      Breyden redshirted his first year at UIndy where he compiled a 21-1 record. Currently a Redshirt Junior Breyden is 2-0 on the season with both of his wins being falls. He is also ranked 7th in the country.

       

      Logan Bailey is just starting his college career with the Greyhounds after an impressive high school career that ended with a 150-15 record and a state runner-up finish his senior year. Logan is off to a great start with the Greyhounds where he is currently 4-0 with 3 of those wins being bonus point victories.

       

      The brothers are back on the same team for the first time since Breyden’s senior year and Logan’s freshman year of high school. “Wrestling has created a bond with us over the years and brings us closer and there isn’t anyone else I would rather be a teammate with than him. It’s awesome to see us as a 1-2 punch in the lineup this year.” Said Breyden. 

           
      Along with Breyden and Logan’s success so far this year with the Greyhounds the team itself is a dominate 4-0 so far with their last win coming of 8th ranked Tiffin. When talking about his team Breyden said “UIndy this year is going to be a force to be reckon with and we have a great team. Don’t be surprised when nationals come around in March when we bring home a team trophy. UIndy is on the rise and I believe is a great place for good Indiana wrestlers to come and succeed.”. 

       

      While Breyden’s professional plans for after college are still undecided, he is certain that coaching wrestling will be a part of it. With Breyden’s dad running one of the most successful youth clubs in the state, the Indiana Outlaws, Breyden hopes to help play a role in the clubs continued success when he is finished competing. 

       

      Now for the real question that everyone wanted answered, who would win in a match between the two brothers. Breyden stated that “This is an answer that will never change, no doubt I’m winning. Spread -3.5.” But if I had to make a prediction, I would take the younger Bailey by at least 4.


      By Y2CJ41,
      • 1 comment
      • 900 views

    9. University of Indianapolis to Host 2025 DII Nationals

      Today the NCAA announced the championship locations for events from 2023 through 2026 for all of their championship sports in all three divisions. It was announced that the 2025 NCAA DII Championships will be held in Indianapolis. The University of Indianapolis will be the official host of the event that will take place at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum(better known as the Pepsi Coliseum). The wrestling portion of the DII championships will be a part of the DII Winter Sports Festival that will include championships in indoor track and field along with swimming championships in the Indianapolis area.

       

      We will keep you posted on exact dates and ticket information as it becomes available.


      By Y2CJ41,
      • 0 comments
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    10. Amy Hildebrandt to Lead Thunder Women's Wrestling

      ANGOLA, Ind. – Trine University Assistant Vice President for Athletics Matt Land has named Amy Hildebrandt as the inaugural head coach of the Thunder women's wrestling team.

       

      "Amy is a great asset to Trine University and the sport of women's wrestling," said Land, "She is determined to grow women's wrestling. Her lifelong passion will serve Trine University well as we develop our program."

       

      Hildebrandt has served as the coach of the Penn High School girl's wrestling team for the past two years. While there she has led the team to two state championship titles while coaching four individual state champions.

       

      The team can trace its roots to Hildebrandt's time at Penn as a student when she was instrumental in starting the first Penn Girl's Wrestling Club which later became the full-fledged team when the IHSGW began sponsoring the sport statewide.

       

      "I am honored to be Trine University's first women's wrestling coach." said Hildebrandt, "Women's wrestling has always been my passion and I am excited to be a part of the sport's growth. I look forward to introducing the Trine community to women's wrestling and leading a new group of young women at the University."

       

      Hildebrandt has also served as coach of the Penn Wrestling Club for the past two years. The club works with elementary and middle school-aged athletes on the fundamentals of wrestling. For the past two years, she has also served as an assistant wrestling technician at the University of Michigan Women's Wrestling Camp.

       

      Currently, Hildebrandt is stationed at the United States Olympic Training in Colorado Springs, Colo. where she assisting her sister in preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

       

      Trine University announced in January that it would begin sponsoring women's wrestling for the 2020-21 season. They will become the first NCAA

      institution to sponsor the sport in Indiana.


      By Y2CJ41,
      • 0 comments
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    11. Parris and Lee Named Big Ten Co-Wrestlers of the Week

      Michigan and Penn State Share Wrestler of the Week Honor

      Wolverines’ Parris and Nittany Lions’ Lee each earned pins in Big Ten dual action last weekend

       

      Co-Wrestlers of the Week

      Mason Parris, Michigan

      Heavyweight – So. – Lawrenceburg, Ind. – Lawrenceburg – School of Engineering

       

      • Picked up a ranked victory in Michigan’s dual against Iowa last weekend
      • Pinned Iowa's third-ranked Tony Cassioppi at the 4:31 mark to improve to 23-0 on the season and hand the Hawkeye his first loss of the season
      • Earned three takedowns in the bout and now owns nine pins this season, including two in a row and five in Big Ten duals
      • Claims the first Wrestler of the Week Award of his career
      • Last Michigan Wrestler of the Week: Adam Coon (Feb. 13, 2018)

       

      Nick Lee, Penn State

      141 pounds – Jr. – Evansville, Ind. – Homeschool – Health Policy and Administration

       

      • Defeated two top-10 opponents in Penn State's Big Ten road weekend, helping the Nittany Lions post two top-six road dual victories
      • Recorded a 14-1 major decision over No. 7 Tristan Moran of Wisconsin in Penn State's 29-10 victory in Madison
      • Pinned No. 5 Mitch McKee of Minnesota at the 1:56 mark in Penn State's 31-10 victory in Minneapolis to improve to 16-0 overall
      • Earns the first Wrestler of the Week Award of his career
      • Last Penn State Wrestler of the Week: Bo Nickal (Feb. 12, 2019)

       

       

      2019-20 Wrestlers of the Week

      Nov. 5: Luke Pletcher, Sr., OSU/Kendall Coleman, Fr., PUR

      Nov. 12: Dylan Lydy, Sr., PUR

      Nov. 19: Joey Gunther, Sr., ILL

      Nov. 26: Trent Hillger, So., WIS

      Dec. 3: Austin DeSanto, Jr., IOWA

      Dec. 10: Brayton Lee, Fr., MINN/Dylan Lydy, Sr., PUR

      Dec. 17: Graham Rooks, Fr., IND 

      Jan. 3: Alex Marinelli, Jr., IOWA/Seth Gross, Sr., WIS

      Jan. 14: Tristan Moran, Sr., WIS

      Jan. 21: Graham Rooks, Fr., IND

      Jan. 28: Sammy Sasso, Fr., OSU

      Feb. 4: Michael Kemerer, Sr., IOWA

      Feb. 11: Mason Parris, So., MICH/Nick Lee, Jr., PSU


      By Y2CJ41,
      • 2 comments
      • 573 views

    12. Lydy Wins CKLV Title, Boilers Place 5th

      LAS VEGAS, Nev. - The Purdue wrestling team wrapped up its most-impressive Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational showing in program history Saturday, finishing fifth with 92.5 points. Five Boilermakers turned in top-four performances at their respective weights, led by senior Dylan Lydy who captured the tournament title at 174 pounds.

       

      The Boilermakers match their top CKLV finish in program history, previously taking fifth in 2008, and turned in their most points ever in the event. The five placewinners matched the team’s best as well, equaling the five top-eight showings in 2004, when the Boilermakers were seventh with 83.5 points.

       

      Lydy becomes the fourth CKLV champion in Purdue history, and their first since Ben Wissel took the 184-pound crown in 2005. The Boilermaker senior had to take out a pair of top-five opponents to claim the title and remain undefeated on the season at 14-0. Lydy opened the day against Nebraska’s fifth-ranked Michael Labriola, avenging last year’s loss at NCAA’s with a 3-1 sudden-victory win. The pair traded escapes in regulation and then Lydy closed the door with a double-leg takedown in the extra period to advance to the finals. The finals played out in a similar way as Lydy used the extra session to take out No. 4 Bryce Steiert of Northern Iowa. After a 1-1 finish to regulation, Lydy posted a takedown in the sudden-victory frame to secure the tournament title.

       

      Senior Christian Brunner and junior Devin Schroder posted second-place finishes at 197 and 125 pounds, respectively. Brunner made the finals with a 2-1 win over Oklahoma’s sixth-seeded Jake Woodley, putting together a tough ride in the second period to secure the riding time point and victory. He fell in the championship match to top-seeded and top-ranked Kollin Moore of Ohio State. Schroder knocked off seventh-ranked and second-seeded Alex Mackall of Iowa State in the semifinals, posting six points in the second period with a takedown and four-point nearfall on his way to a 6-2 win. Schroder suffered a narrow loss to top-seeded and second-ranked Jack Mueller of Virginia in the finals, scoring a takedown in the second, but giving one up in the first and third in a 6-2 defeat.

       

      Junior Griffin Parriott and freshman Kendall Coleman took fourth at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively. Parriott came through the consolation bracket after a quarterfinal loss Friday, posting three straight wins Saturday to advance to the third place match. He topped Virginia’s Denton Spencer in the Round of 12, overcoming a 6-0 first-period deficit to get a 9-7 overtime win, and then secured a 7-3 win over Nebraska’s fourth-ranked Collin Purinton in the following round. Parriott kept it going with a 4-2 decision over the top seed, Northern Iowa’s Max Thomsen, who came into the tournament ranked fifth, but fell in the final bout of the day to Northwestern’s Yahya Thomas, 10-3.

       

      Coleman’s best freshman start in recent program history came to an end at 15-0, falling in his 16th career match to top-seeded and top-ranked Hayden Hidlay of North Carolina State. He rebounded with a 5-2 win over Oklahoma’s 19th-ranked Justin Thomas in the consolation semifinals, but fell to No. 2 David Carr in the third-place match on a late tilt and riding-time point, 4-1. Coleman’s 15-0 start is the best for a Purdue freshman since Chris Fleeger in 2001-02, as both wrestlers saw their streak end at the hands of the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the country.

       

      Junior Max Lyon and freshman Emil Soehnlen came up just shy of climbing the podium, as Lyon fell in the Round of 12 to Virginia Tech’s 10th-ranked Hunter Bolen, while Soehnlen was forced to medically withdraw from the tournament before Saturday’s action began. Lyon was right in it with Bolen, flurrying in the final 30 seconds to draw a second stall working and nearly scoring a takedown before time expired in a 5-3 decision.

       

      The Boilermakers are off for the next 11 days and return to action Thursday, Dec. 19 at Southern Illinois Edwardsville.

       

      Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational

      Las Vegas Convention Center

      5th PLACE – 92.5 POINTS

       

      125: #3 Devin Schroder (R-Junior) - SECOND PLACE

      Round 1: Dominic LaJoie (Cornell) - W, D 10-7

      Round 2: Joey Prata (Virginia Tech) - W, D 5-1

      Quarterfinals: #6 Brandon Courtney (Arizona State) - W, Fall 6:03

      Semifinals: #2 Alex Mackall (Iowa State) - W, D 6-2

      Finals: #1 Jack Mueller (Virginia) - L, D 6-2

       

      133: Travis Ford-Melton (Freshman)

      Round 1: #2 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming) - L, MD 10-1

      Conso. Round 1: Jose Fernandez (Cal Poly) - W, D 14-10

      Conso. Round 2: Tyler Small (Iowa State) - L, Fall 4:46

       

      141: Alec White (R-Sophomore)

      Round 1: Jake Ryan (Cal Poly) - L, D 8-7

      Conso. Round 1: Michael Blockhus (Northern Iowa) - L, 6-5

       

      149: #3 Griffin Parriott (R-Junior) - FOURTH PLACE

      Round 1: Jaden Van Maanen (North Dakota State) - W, D 4-2

      Round 2: Jaden Jensen (Wyoming) - W, D 6-1

      Quarterfinals: #6 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) - L, Fall 4:49

      Round of 12: #9 Denton Spencer (Virginia) - W, SV 9-7

      Conso. Quarterfinals: #7 Collin Purinton (Nebraska) - W, D 7-3

      Conso. Semifinals: #1 Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa) - W, D 4-2

      3rd-Place Match: #8 Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) - L, D 10-3

       

      157: #4 Kendall Coleman (R-Freshman) - FOURTH PLACE

      Round 1: Carson Brolsma (Minnesota) - W, D 8-4

      Round 2: Colton Yapoujian (Cornell) - W, SV 3-1

      Quarterfinals: Justin McCoy (Virginia) - W, D 6-3

      Semifinals: #1 Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State) - L, MD 8-0

      Conso. Semifinals: #6 Justin Thomas (Oklahoma) - W, D 5-2

      3rd-Place Match: #3 David Carr (Iowa State) - L, D 4-1

       

      165: #7 Emil Soehnlen (R-Freshman)

      Round 1: Ricky Padilla (Fresno State) - W, Fall 6:52

      Round 2: Sam Dover (Oklahoma) - W, D 7-1

      Quarterfinals: #2 Josh Shields (Arizona State) - L, TF 19-4 (6:10)

      Round of 12: Shayne Oster (Northwestern) - MFF

       

      174: #3 Dylan Lydy (R-Senior) - FIRST PLACE

      Round 1: Max Maylor (Michigan) - W, MD 15-5

      Round 2: #14 Kimball Bastian (Utah Valley) - W, TB2 5-3

      Quarterfinals: #11 Anthony Mantanona (Oklahoma) - W, D 5-3

      Semifinals: #2 Michael Labriola (Nebraska) - W, SV 3-1

      Finals: #1 Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) - W, SV 3-1

       

      184: #12 Max Lyon (Junior)

      Round 1: Michael Battista (Virginia) - W, D 6-4

      Round 2: #5 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) - L, D 8-4

      Conso. Round 2: Kyle Davis (Sacred Heart) - W, Injury Default

      Conso. Round 3: #13 Alan Clothier (Northern Colorado) - W, D 6-5

      Round of 12: Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) - L, D 5-3

       

      197: #7 Christian Brunner (Senior) - SECOND PLACE

      Round 1: Garrett Joles (Minnesota) - W, MD 15-6

      Round 2: #10 Lucas Davison (Northwestern) - W, D 3-1

      Quarterfinals: #2 Jay Aiello (Virginia) - W, D 4-2

      Semifinals: #6 Jake Woodley (Oklahoma) - W, D 2-1

      Finals: #1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) - L, MD 16-6

       

      285: Thomas Penola (R-Freshman)

      Round 1: #3 Tanner Hall (Arizona State) - L, D 4-2

      Conso. Round 1: Bobby Steveson (Minnesota) - W,D 10-5

      Conso. Round 2: #4 Chase Singletary (Ohio State) - W, MFF

      Conso. Round 3: #12 Yaraslau Slavikouski (Harvard) - L, D 3-2

       

      All numbers represent tournament seeds


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    13. Hoosiers Fall Against Bison

      BLOOMINGTON, Ind.– The Indiana wrestling team fell against North Dakota State, 26-12 on Friday at Wilkinson Hall
       
      Notes
      • The Hoosiers fall to 0-1 on the season and North Dakota State improved to 2-1.
      • Graham Rooks got the first win for the Hoosiers at 149 lbs. Rooks scored on a reversal in the second period that proved to be the difference in his 2-1 decision.
      • No. 18 Jacob Covaciu dominated in match and led 5-1 after the second period. Covaciu added two takedowns in the third period for an 11-4 decision with 4:21 of riding time.
      Covaciu improved to 7-1 on the season for the Hoosiers. Rooks now has a 1-1 record on the season.
      • Rudy Streck battled tough against No. 26 Brandon Metz. Streck narrowed the gap to 2-1 going into the third period, but was called for stalling with 57 seconds left to give Metz a 3-1 decision.
      • Jake Hinz at 184 lbs led his bout 2-1 after the first period, 4-4 after the second, and went into sudden victory with the score 6-6 at the end of the third period. His opponent Noah Cressel scored on a takedown in sudden victory.
      • North Dakota State had two wrestlers ranked in the top-10 who each secured pins in the match. No. 7 Cameron Sykora at 133 lbs. and No. 10 Andrew Fogarty at 165 lbs.
       
      IU Head Coach Angel Escobedo
      "I thought the fans had some energy behind the matches. We were in a lot of close matches. We didn't capitalize on a couple of techniques we have been working on in the room and as far as getting to our offense. I felt like there were opportunities where we could have scored to win the match and turned it in our favor. It's back to work and focusing on those opportunities and helping them identify them when they come up in matches and how we can capitalize on them."
       
      "I thought Graham's first match back in a while. For him I thought he did a great job. His conditioning looked good. He was attacking till the end. For him to get a win for not having as many matches as the other guys was good. It showed some toughness for him. For Covaciu, he is a worker. He is looking to score points. He had the most points of anyone on the team. He was getting after it, trying to dominate and get bonus points for the team, which is huge."
       
      Indiana vs. North Dakota State Results
      125: Liam Cronin (IU) forfeit (NDSU) (IU 6, NDSU 0)
      133: #7 Cameron Sykora (NDSU) technical fall Jonathan Moran (IU) 15-0/4:45 (IU 6, NDSU 5)
      141: Sawyer Degen (NDSU) dec. Kyle Luigs (IU) 13-10 (NDSU 8, IU 6)
      149: Graham Rooks (IU) dec. Jaden Van Maanen (NDSU) 2-1 (IU 9, NDSU 8 )
      157: Jared Franek (NDSU) dec. Fernando Silva (IU) 5-4 (NDSU 11, IU 9)
      165: #10 Andrew Fogarty (NDSU) fall Davey Tunon (IU) 5:28 (NDSU 17, IU 9)
      174: #18 Jacob Covaciu (IU) dec. Jimmy Noel (NDSU) 11-4 (NDSU 17, IU 12)
      184: Noah Cressel (NDSU) SV-1 Jake Hinz (IU) 8-6 (NDSU 20, IU 12)
      197: Cordell Eaton (NDSU) dec. Spencer Irick (IU) 12-5 (NDSU 23, IU 12)
      285: #26 Brandon Metz (NDSU) dec. Rudy Streck (IU) 3-1 (NDSU 26, IU 12)
       
      Final NDSU: 26, Indiana: 12  
      Attendance: 1,501

       

      Up Next
      Up next the Hoosiers travel to Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa, for the UNI Open on Dec. 14.


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    14. No. 25 Purdue Wrestling Sweeps Boilermaker Duals

      WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The No. 25 Purdue wrestling team won 27-of-30 matches Sunday to post a 3-0 mark at the 2019 Boilermaker Duals in Holloway Gymnasium. The Boilermakers defeated Indianapolis 45-0, Clarion 34-6 and Northern Illinois 31-8 to improve to 6-1 in dual competition on the year.

       

      The Boilermakers picked up 12 bonus-point victories in the trio of duals, including two each from sophomore Parker Filius and junior Devin Schroder. Filius earned his second fall of the season, sticking Clarion’s Taylor Ortz in 4:21 and needing just 3:31 to secure a 16-0 technical fall over NIU’s Nathan Swartz. Schroder added his fifth and sixth technical falls of the season, both coming at 16-0, and his 20 back points Sunday surged him to third all-time at Purdue with 322 to his credit, passing Alex Griffin and Chris Fleeger on the Boilermakers’ career list.

       

      The biggest news of the day came for the Boilermakers at 133 and 197 pounds where freshman Travis Ford-Melton and senior Christian Brunner saw their first varsity action of the season. Ford-Melton was 3-0 on the day with a fall, a decision and a forfeit, improving to 7-1 on the season, while Brunner was 2-0 with a fall and a decision, taking his record to 10-1 on the year.

       

      Other undefeated marks for the Boilermakers belonged to junior Griffin Parriott, freshmen Kendall Coleman and Emil Soehnlen and senior Dylan Lydy. Parriott picked up a monster win in the Clarion dual, downing senior Brock Zacherl 4-2, using a first-period takedowns and two escapes to defeat the nation’s No. 5 wrestler according to FloWrestling. Coleman rolled out 16 takedowns in his three wins, improving his season total to a team-high 44 on the season, while Lydy had eight takedowns Sunday to push his career total to 219 and move into 20th place all-time at Purdue.

       

      Northern Illinois took two of their three duals on the day, defeating Indianapolis 36-9 and edging Clarion 19-17, while Clarion took down Indianapolis in their finale 34-10.

       

      The Boilermakers are off next weekend, but return to action Dec. 6 at the 2019 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. 

       

      MATCH RESULTS

       

      Round 1

      Purdue 45, Indianapolis 0

      141: Alec White (PUR) def. Matt McKinney (UINDY), D 6-1

      149: Nate Limmex (PUR) def. Tylan Tucker (UINDY), TF 18-3 (5:58)

      157: No. 7 Kendall Coleman (PUR) def. Blaze Lowery (UINDY), MD 16-5

      165: Emil Soehnlen (PUR) def. Jack Eiteljorge (UINDY), D 9-4

      174: No. 9 Dylan Lydy (PUR) def. No. 12 Gleason Mappes (UINDY), MD 13-5

      184: Max Lyon (PUR) def. No. 9 Brody Conner (UINDY), D 8-3

      197: Thomas Penola (PUR) def. Zach Fry (UINDY), Fall 6:36

      285: David Eli (PUR) def. Jack Williams (UINDY), Fall 1:43

      125: No. 10 Devin Schroder (PUR) def. Nick Brady (UINDY), TF 16-0 (5:49)

      133: Travis Ford-Melton (PUR) def. No. 11 Ana Abduljelil (UINDY), Fall 1:29

       

      Clarion 17 vs. Northern Illinois 19

      141: Taylor Ortz (CLA) def. Nathan Swartz (NIU), TF 17-0

      149: No. 7 Brock Zacherl (CLA) def. McCoy Kent (NIU), D 5-3

      157: Mason Kauffman (NIU) def. Avery Shay (CLA), D 3-2

      165: Izzak Olejnik (NIU) def. Michael Bartolo (CLA), D 9-5

      174: Kenny Moore (NIU) def. Max Wohlabaugh (CLA), D 6-3

      184: Brit Wilson (NIU) def. Luke Funck (CLA), MD 19-7

      197: Gage Braun (NIU) def. No. 19 Greg Bulsak (CLA), D 11-4

      285: Ty Bagoly (CLA) def. Max Ihry (NIU), D 4-2

      125: Bryce West (NIU) def. Jake Gromacki (CLA), D 4-2

      133: Seth Koleno (CLA) won by forfeit 6-0

       

      Round 2

       

      Purdue 34, Clarion 6

      141: Parker Filius (PUR) def. Taylor Ortz (CLAR), Fall (4:21)

      149: No. 13 Griffin Parriott (PUR) def. No. 7 Brock Zacherl (CLAR), D 4-2

      157: No. 7 Kendall Coleman (PUR) def. Avery Shay (CLAR), D 13-7

      165: Emil Soehnlen (PUR) def. Michael Bartolo (CLAR), D 8-3

      174: No. 7 Dylan Lydy (PUR) def. Max Wohlabaugh (CLAR), D 6-2

      184: Max Lyon (PUR) def. Luke Funck (CLAR), MD 14-1

      197: Christian Brunner (PUR) def. No. 19 Greg Bulsak (CLAR), Fall (5:15)

      285: Ty Bagoly (CLAR) def. Thomas Penola (PUR), Fall (1:07)

      125: No. 10 Devin Schroder (PUR) def. Jake Gromacki (CLAR), D 9-2

      133: Travis Ford-Melton (PUR) def. Seth Koleno (CLAR), D 11-7

       

      Northern Illinois 36, Indianapolis 9

      141: Nathan Swartz (NIU) def. Matt McKinney (UIndy), Fall 1:39

      149: Anthony Gibson (NIU) def. Tylan Tucker (UIndy), Fall 1:54

      157: Dylan Thurston (NIU) def. Clay Jones (UIndy), D 9-5

      165: Jack Eitelijorge (UIndy) def. Zack Velasquez (NIU), D 6-5

      174: Caden McWhirter (NIU) def. No. 12 Gleason Mappes (UIndy), D 11-4

      184: Brit Wilson (NIU) def. No. 9 Brody Conner (UIndy), D 5-2

      197: Gage Braun (NIU) def. Griffin Stine (UIndy), TF 22-5 (6:10)

      285: Terrese Aaron (NIU) def. Jack Williams (UIndy), Fall 2:06

      125:  Bryce West (NIU) def. Nick Brady (UIndy), MD 12-3

      133: No. 11 Ana Abdulijelil (UIndy) won by forfeit

       

      Round 3

       

      Purdue 31, Northern Illinois 8*

      141: Parker Filius (PUR) def. Nathan Swartz (NIU), TF 16-0 (3:31)

      149: No. 13 Griffin Parriott (PUR) def. McCoy Kent (NIU), D 8-7

      157: No. 7 Kendall Coleman (PUR) def. Mason Kaufman (NIU), D 8-4

      165: Emil Soehnlen (PUR) def. Izzak Olejnik (NIU), D 3-2

      174: No. 7 Dylan Lydy (PUR) def. Kenny Moore (NIU), D 5-2

      184: Caden McWhirter (NIU) def. Max Lyon (PUR), Fall 5:50

      197: Christian Brunner (PUR) def. Gage Braun (NIU), D 7-2

      285: Terrese Aaron (NIU) def. Thomas Penola (PUR), D 4-9

      125: No. 10 Devin Schroder (PUR) def. Bryce West (NIU), TF 16-0 (4:50)

      133: Travis Ford-Melton (PUR) wins by forfeit

       

      * - Northern Illinois docked one team point for throwing headgear at 184 pounds

       

      Clarion 34, Indianapolis 10

      141: Roshaun Cooley (Clarion) def. Matt McKinney (UIndy), D 8-3

      149: Jalin Hankerson (Clarion) def. Tylan Tucker (UIndy), Fall 1:13

      157: Hunter Michaels (Clarion) def. Clay Jones (UIndy), Fall 0:43

      165: Jack Eitelijorge (UIndy) def. Mike Vernagallo (Clarion), D 8-6

      174: No. 12 Gleason Mappes (UIndy) def. Christian Sequete (Clarion), MD 17-7

      184: No. 9 Brody Conner (UIndy) def. Luke Funck (Clarion), D 6-0

      197: No. 19 Greg Bulsak (Clarion) def. Zach Fry (UIndy), MD 14-1

      285: Ty Bagoly (Clarion) def. Jack Williams (UIndy), D 5-2

      125: Cameron Butler (Clarion) def. Nick Brady (UIndy), Fall 4:21

      133: Seth Koleno (Clarion) def. No. 11 Ana Abduljelil (UIndy), Fall 1:19

       

      All rankings via InterMat


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    15. Purdue’s Lydy Earns B1G Wrestler of the Week Honors

      WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - After going three seasons without a weekly honor from the conference, the Purdue wrestling team has now seen an individual recognized in back-to-back weeks to open 2019-20 as senior Dylan Lydy was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on Tuesday. Lydy posted a 3-0 mark at the Journeymen Duals on Saturday, including wins over a pair of top-15 ranked wrestlers to guide Purdue to a 2-1 dual record for the weekend.

      Lydy opened his trip to New York with his third bonus-point victory of the season, a 12-3 major decision over Buffalo’s Jake Lanning. The Boilermaker senior followed with two wins in dramatic fashion, going to overtime for a 4-2 victory over No. 12 Kimball Bastian of Utah Valley and gutting out a 3-1 decision over No. 10 Anthony Valencia of Arizona State.

      After trading escapes in regulation, and going scoreless through a minute of sudden victory, Lydy and Bastian went to a pair of 30-second tiebreaker rounds. Both wrestlers escaped quickly in their opportunities off bottom, but Lydy finished the second period with a takedown to account for the final difference.

      Lydy’s final match of the day appeared to be headed in the same direction, sitting tied 1-1 after both wrestlers escaped to start the second and third periods. However Lydy began creating action in the final minute of the third, nearly getting a takedown in front of the Arizona State bench and beating the buzzer with a takedown on the edge to seal the win.

      Following freshman teammate Kendall Coleman sharing Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors last week, Lydy makes it two straight.

      The Boilermakers continue dual action Sunday, heading to North Dakota State University for a 1 p.m. CT contest at the Scheels Center. The dual will air live on GoBison.com and FloWrestling.


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    16. Fishers, Indiana Native wins Super 8 Invitational

      Platteville Wis.-   University of Wisconsin-Plattville sophomore Alexander Strueder (Fisher, Indiana) scored a takedown in sudden victory to win the 157 pound championship in the annual Super 8 Invitaional in the Pioneers’ Williams Fieldhouse.

      With the score tied 3-3  late in the third period, Strueder needed a take down due to the point for riding time that Jessy Diaz of the University of Dubuque would have been rewarded.  Stueder got the take down and what was thought to be for the championship as time ran out.   The officials got together and determined that Strueder let go of Diaz with one second on the clock and rewarded Diaz with a point for escaping and the extra point for riding time to force sudden victory period.

      Starting in neutral position, Stueder made short work as the aggresser in the sudden victory  period recording the takedown 10 seconds into the period to officaly be crowned the champion.

      “Coach (Mike) DeRoehn always preaches to fight your butt off, how hard can you fight. I gave up a takedown early, but came back and got the takedown with a second left, going in to overtime I knew I was prepared, we been working our butts off in the (wrestling) room,”  Strueder said. “I knew I had an opportunity to go out there and make a statement and not leave it in the hands of the officials and take the match in my hands.  I went back to what was working for me, my double underhooks, and took him down and that was the match.”

      “Mindset was the difference maker for Strueder today. Throughout the tournament, he did a great job of listening to the coaches and then executed some crucial in-match technical adjustments,” DeRoehn said.  “It was outstanding to see him keep his composure under pressure in the championship match and we’re really proud of his fight out there today.”

      The Pioneers return to the mat Nov. 20 at UW-Whitewater.

      Written by: Jason Piddington, Public Relations Writer-Athletics, Communications, 608-342-7645, piddingj@uwplatt.edu

      Photo taken by: Andy McNeill, Campus Photographer, Communications


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    17. Indiana Wrestling Season Preview: 165-285

      BLOOMINGTON, Ind.– The Indiana wrestling team begins the season this week with the Michigan State Open on Nov. 2. The Hoosiers will host their first dual on Nov. 22 against North Dakota State.
       
      IU head coach Angel Escobedo said he has been pleased with the dynamic between the freshmen and upperclassmen.  
       
      "The one thing we have been trying to gain in the program is for it to be a lot more competitive to make the team," Escobedo said. "Our freshmen are pushing our upperclassmen and knocking on the door of beating them, which is good. It is going to elevate everyone and that is what we are looking for this season."
       
      165 POUNDS
      165 will likely be Davey Tunon or Dillon Hoey. Both have experience in the lineup. The Hoosiers will look for one of these guys to step up and be the guy at this spot. Tunon tallied a record of 10-5 last season and Hoey went 4-11 on the season. The Hoosiers will be looking to fill the void left by national qualifier Bryce Martin, who graduated.
       
      174 POUNDS
      Jacob Covaciu is the expected starter at 174. He is the leader of the team and the only returning NCAA qualifier from last season. Coach Escobedo said he is hungry and working the hardest he has ever seen him work. He wants to be an All-American and a National Champion and he is training for that. Covaciu posted a record of 17-14 last season and won five bouts in dual matches. Covaciu helped the Hoosiers beat No. 12 North Carolina at the South Beach Duals last season with an 18-5 major decision. Covaciu won the Edinboro Open last season and finished second at the Cleveland State Open. Covaciu has been ranked 30 by TrackWrestling in their preseason rankings. 
       
      184 POUNDS
      Jake Hinz will be moving up from 174. He was in the lineup a couple matches last year. He has made a big jump over the summer and it will be exciting to see what he can do. He has the potential to be an NCAA qualifier. Hinz finished in second at the Greyhound Open last season.
       
      197 POUNDS
      Jake Kleimola or Spencer Irick will be the expected starters at 197. Kleimola finished in eighth-place at the 2019 Big Ten Championships. Kleimola and Irick are going into their last year of competing and both will be looking to make nationals for the first time in their careers.
       
      285 POUNDS
      Rudy Streck will start the season at heavyweight. Streck was the starters for the first half of last season. He is experienced and has one year under his belt. The Hoosiers will look for him to build on that experience from last year.


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    18. Indiana Wrestling Season Preview: 125-157

      BLOOMINGTON, Ind.– The Indiana wrestling team begins the season this week with the Michigan State Open on Nov. 2. The Hoosiers will host their first dual on Nov. 22 against North Dakota State.
       
      IU head coach Angel Escobedo said he has been pleased with the energy at the start of the season.
       
      "We have a new focus," he said. "When you get a lot of new guys they are hungry. They want to change the program and elevate it and elevate themselves. That has been the theme of the room, how great can I be and that has been great to see. They are putting in extra work because they want to be great. We have fresh bodies and fresh mind and they are motivated."
       
      125 POUNDS
      125 will be very competitive between returner Liam Cronin and transfer Brock Hudkins. Cronin finished with a 17-13 overall record and was in and out of the lineup with Elijah Oliver. Cronin finished fourth at the Hokie Open and second at the Cleveland State Open. This past summer he was one spot away from making the U23 World Team in Greco Roman. Hudkins is a transfer from Northern Illinois and a two-time national qualifier. Hudkins was ranked No. 26 by TrackWrestling. Both guys are motivated and hungry, are putting in extra work and they understand someone is right behind them. They are trying to outwork each other and it is creating a good dynamic with good competition.
       
      133 POUNDS
      133 is a little up in the air. Kyle Luigs will be coming down from 141. Luigs went 19-16 last season with a highlight win by fall at Iowa against No. 12 Max Murin. Luigs wrestled for the Hoosiers at the Big Ten Championships. Cayden Rooks will be redshirting at 133. Jonathan Moran will also be in the mix. Moran redshirted last season.
       
      141 POUNDS
      Paul Konrath will be moving up from 133. He cut a lot of weight last year and this is more of his natural weight. Konrath posted a record of 20-11 last season with a 5-5 dual match record. At the South Beach duals Konrath beat No. 4 Tariq Wilson of NC State. The Hoosiers are looking for Konrath to have a great season. Konrath was ranked No. 27 by TrackWrestling.
       
      149 POUNDS
      Graham Rooks will be the starter at 149. Rooks was the best freshman last year, as he posted a record of 15-7. Rooks won the Cleveland State Open at 149 last season. He beat multiple guys that qualified for NCAAs on the season last year.
       
      157 POUNDS
      Fernie Silva will be going up from 149. Joey Sanchez will also be in the mix after coming off a redshirt. The plan is to use the first few tournaments to determine a starter. Also Diego Lemley will compete for a spot at 157.  Sanchez finished in third place at the Greyhound Open. Silva lost a tight 8-7 decision against No. 1 Anthony Ashnault.
       
      Tomorrow look for 165-Heavyweight in our season preview part two.


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    19. Purdue Wrestling Season Preview: 174-285

      2019-20 Schedule / Always Aggressive Podcast

      Preview 125-141 / Preview 149-165

      WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The final installation of the Purdue wrestling team’s season preview series features a run of successful, familiar faces, and a pair of top-10 preseason ranked wrestlers. The Boilermakers will see a lot of wins from this group and have their sight set on the podium at the NCAA Championships.

      174 POUNDS

      Senior Dylan Lydy aims to make his final season in West Lafayette one to remember, regarded as one of the top wrestlers in the nation at 174 pounds. He finished seconds shy of an All-America honor in 2019, and looks to correct that in Minneapolis in March. Ranked eighth in the NCAA by TheOpenMat.com and TrackWrestling, No. 9 by Win Magazine and No. 12 by FloWrestling, Lydy has 80 career victories at Purdue, 18 of which came over ranked opponents.

      Lydy placed fifth at the 2019 Big Ten Championships and sixth at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational before advancing to the blood round at the NCAA Championships. He came back from a first-round loss in Pittsburgh to win three straight and meet Nebraska’s Mikey Labriola in the Round of 12. The pair wrestled a full 11 minutes, finishing tied at 3-3, but granted the nod to the Cornhusker on riding time after the second tiebreaker.

      Lydy needs 20 wins in his final season to become just the 17th wrestler in Purdue history to hit the century mark, and the first since Luke Manuel and Logan Brown in 2011. Lydy is also 22 takedowns shy of a spot in Purdue’s all-time top-20, entering the season with 194 to his credit. 

      While previously mentioned at 165 pounds, sophomore Tanner Webster will offer support of Lydy at 174 as well.

      184 POUNDS

      The Boilermakers field another returning national qualifier at 184 in the form of junior Max Lyon. The Dyersville, Iowa native has racked up 43 victories over the last two seasons, including 24 in 2018-19, and is ranked in the top-20 of every preseason poll published to date. Lyon’s top marks came from FloWrestling and WIN Magazine, where he was tabbed the No. 15 wrestler in the country at his weight.

      Lyon scored the most points of any Boilermaker on the roster last season, piling up 252 over 38 matches, and logged notable victories over American’s Tanner Webster at the NCAA Tournament, Michigan State’s Cameron Caffey and Michigan’s Jelani Embree at the Big Ten Tournament. He placed at both the Princeton Open, Journeymen Collegiate Classic and Big Ten Championships, in addition to a seventh-place showing at the 2019 U23 Freestyle World Team Trials.

      Sophomore Jared Florell offers his skills up at 184 as well, posting a 10-4 mark last season with three tournament placewinning performances. He won the South Beach College Individual title at 184, was second at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic (C-Draw) and third at the Loras Open. In addition, junior Trevor Blue joins the Purdue roster after a four-year stint in the U.S. Navy as a Gunner’s Mate.

      197 POUNDS

      Purdue head coach Tony Ersland is not lacking options at 197, boasting a three-time returning NCAA Qualifier in addition to a rising star and 2019’s most outstanding freshman. Christian Brunner owns at 73-39 career record at 197 pounds, falling just shy of All-America honors in 2019 with a Round of 12 loss to Fresno State’s Josh Hokit. A second-round upset win over Iowa State’s Willie Miklus made Brunner Purdue’s first NCAA Quarterfinalist since 2010. Brunner has been in the Boilermakers’ starting lineup since he stepped on campus, leaving him eligible for a redshirt season. While he’s yet to announce his intentions, he remains near the top of the 197-pound national rankings, including No.8 marks from TrackWrestling and WIN Magazine and the No. 10 spot from TheOpenMat.com.

      Anxious to start his collegiate career, freshman Thomas Penola is ready to go at 197 pounds after a redshirt season spent competing at 184. He won the Maryville Kaufman/Brand/Bayly Open and Indianapolis Greyhound Open, took fourth in the frosh/soph division at Michigan State and placed eight at the prestigious Midlands Championships. In addition, Penola finished sixth at the UWW Junior Freestyle National Championships in April, putting the final touches on an impressive rookie season. 

      285 POUNDS

      Several individuals will get a shot at the starting heavyweight job for the Boilermakers, including a pair of newcomers and a rising sophomore moving up from 197 pounds to heavyweight. Sophomore David Eli takes his talents to heavyweight, owning the only match experience for the Boilermakers at the top weight. He wrestled 18 matches in 2018-19, placing at the Michigan State Open, Journeymen Collegiate Classic and the Greyhound Open.

      Junior Jairus Perry and true freshman Jacob Somlai will throw their respective hats in the ring as well. Perry joins the Boilermaker roster after spending the past few years in the U.S. Army, while Somlai comes to Purdue from Brookfield, Wisconsin, where he won a state championship with an undefeated 52-0 record at 220 pounds.

      Freshman Eli Pokorney had a decorated high school career at Chesterton High School in Indiana, winning the 2018 state title and being ranked as high as fourth in the country at heavyweight and No. 74 overall in the class of 2019. However, the Boilermaker rookie will sit out 2019-20 recovering from knee surgery and will be ready to go in 2020-21.


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    20. Purdue Wrestling Season Preview: 149-165

      2019-20 Schedule
      Always Aggressive Podcast

      WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue wrestling team is ready to launch a new era in its middle weights, featuring a few familiar faces at a new weight and some freshmen eager to launch their varsity careers for the Old Gold & Black.

      149 POUNDS

      The Boilermakers will open 2019-20 with two NCAA qualifiers vying for time at the same weight. As mentioned in the lower-weight preview, senior Nate Limmex will open the season at 149 pounds, garnering a variety of national rankings in the 141-pound preseason polls. On the other end, junior Griffin Parriott is coming down a weight from 157 pounds, where he advanced to the national tournament in 2018-19.

      Limmex has 57 wins under his belt over the last three seasons, including a 19-17 mark last year that featured a second-place effort at the Princeton Open and a runner-up finish at the Journeymen Classic. He earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships in Pittsburgh, where he went 1-2 with a win in the wrestlebacks over Northern Colorado’s Christopher Sandoval 7-4.

      Parriott finished 17-13 in 2018-19 at 157 pounds and is 33-26 for his career, earning his first NCAA Tournament appearance last year. He made the most of his trip to Pittsburgh, knocking off the No. 13 and No. 14 seeds as he finished 2-2. Parriott also finished second at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, knocking off No. 1 seed Tyler Berger of Nebraska on his way to the finals, and won the Loras Open. He’s been ranked in the top-20 of every preseason poll released for 2019-20, including the No. 12 spot at 149 from TheOpenMat.com and a No. 14 nod from FloWrestling.

      Other names at 149 pounds are sophomore Pat Cody and freshman Aaron Galef, who both will stay ready for opportunities on the year and aim to see action at the season-opening Michigan State Open.

      157 POUNDS

      Freshman Kendall Coleman aims to be the man at 157 pounds for Purdue head coach Tony Ersland, and aims to pick up where he left off on an outstanding summer on the freestyle circuit. The three-time Illinois high school state placewinner took fifth at 70 kg at the U23 Freestyle World Team Trials in June and was seventh at 70 kg at UWW Junior Freestyle National Championships in April.

      Sophomore Elijah Davis and freshman Hayden Lohrey bolster the ranks at 157 and are ready to step in as needed. Davis logged 12 matches in his rookie season, including a Big Ten dual appearance against Penn State in 2019, while Lohrey comes to Purdue from nearby Middletown, Indiana, where he won 158 career matches at Shenandoah High School.

      165 POUNDS

      Another Boilermaker rookie sits ready to start his career at 165 pounds as Emil Soehnlen is primed to take on a varsity schedule. The Canton, Ohio native did enough in his redshirt campaign to earn a pair of preseason rankings, getting the No. 23 spot via FloWrestling and a No. 28 ranking from TrackWrestling. He placed at four different open tournaments in 2018-19, winning the Indianapolis Greyhound Open and Maryville Kaufman/Brand/Bayly Open Amateur Division, and taking second in the Frosh/Soph Division at Michigan State.

      Sophomore Tanner Webster will look to get in the mix as well, going 5-7 in his first varsity season including dual appearances against Missouri and North Carolina State. He also placed third in the Amateur Division at Maryville Kaufman/Brand/Bayly Open.


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    21. Purdue Wrestling Season Preview: 125-141

      www.PurdueSports.com
      Always Aggressive Podcast

      WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue wrestling team is less than two weeks from the start of their 2019-20 competition schedule, opening Saturday, Nov. 2 at the Michigan State Open. The Boilermakers’ lower weights will see a little bit of consistency from 2018-19, but a lot of change and new faces as they open the season.

      125 POUNDS

      The Boilermakers return a welcome and familiar face at the bottom of the lineup in junior Devin Schroder. The Grand Rapids, Michigan native has won 40 matches over his first two seasons, including a 21-13 mark as Purdue’s starter last year. He placed eighth at the 2019 Big Ten Championships, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, and had three other placewinning performances at tournaments during the season, including the Princeton Open and the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.

      Schroder’s top-game continues to be his strength on the mat, racking up 100+ back points in each of his first two seasons, and already ranking eighth all-time at Purdue on the list. He’s earned several preseason rankings across the country to open up this year, including a No. 8 nod from WIN Magazine and No. 10 overall from TrackWrestling.

      Schroder will get ample support from sophomore Marshall Craig and freshman Nate Cummings. Craig had three wins in his first season of varsity action, and appeared in a quartet of duals in relief of Schroder, while Cummings appeared in several tournaments in redshirt action, placing at Loras and Indianapolis.

      Purdue will see a pair of new faces at 125 in Michael Leveille and Kooper Loehr, with both expected to redshirt their inaugural seasons. Both are Illinois natives with Leveille placing at the 3A state championships twice and Loehr getting on the 2A state podium on two occasions as well.

      133 POUNDS

      The graduation of multi-year starter Ben Thornton leaves a new opportunity in the Boilermaker lineup and a few fresh faces ready to embrace the challenge. The front-runners for the gig are sophomore Jack Cheney and true freshman Travis Ford-Melton, both ready for the 2019-20 varsity spot.

      Cheney was 13-4 in his first varsity season, all coming in tournament appearances. He took home the Indianapolis Greyhound Open title, took second at the Maryville Kaufman/Brand Open and was third in the frosh/soph division at Michigan State. He also appeared at the 2018 Midlands Championships, where he scored a fall in his first match, one-of-seven for the California native in his freshman campaign. 

      Purdue head coach Tony Ersland has not been afraid to put true freshmen into the varsity lineup in his five years in West Lafayette, and Ford-Melton could be the next one in that line in 2019-20. Regarded as one of the nation’s top freshman prospects at 133 by FloWrestling, he is a four-time Illinois state placewinner and finished near the top of the podium at several top amateur tournaments in his high school career. He racked up 154 wins in high school and looks to pick up where he left off as he puts on the Old Gold & Black.

      Sophomore Bjorn Schroeder is another face Purdue could see at 133 pounds this season, but there’s potential for him to bump to 141 pounds as well. Schroeder has eight victories in his varsity career, and has competed in four dual meets, including two Big Ten battles.

      141 POUNDS

      The third spot in the Boilermakers’ varsity lineup brings in an interesting mix of familiar faces with new opportunities. Senior Nate Limmex is a two-time NCAA Championship qualifier at the weight, and is eligible to wrestle at 141 pounds again for Ersland, but will start the year at 149 pounds, leaving the door open for some young blood.

      Sophomores Parker Filius and Alec White will scrap for the starting spot to open the year, both very capable of making an impact for the Boilermakers. Filius drops down from 149 pounds, where he had a tough freshman year, while White returns to 141 for the second straight season. Filius had several solid performances in his redshirt season at 141 pounds, including the Eastern Michigan Open Frosh/Soph title and runner-up finishes at Michigan State and Northern Iowa.

      Limmex owns preseason rankings from nearly every outlet to start the season at 141, including a No. 16 nod from WIN Magazine and No. 25 via FloWrestling.


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    22. Hoosiers Release 2019-20 Schedule

      Click here for the full schedule

      BLOOMINGTON, Ind.– The Indiana wrestling team under second year head coach Angel Escobedo have released their 2019-20 schedule.
       
      In the Hoosiers first season with Escobedo at the helm, Indiana picked up a victory over No. 12 North Carolina at the South Beach Duals. It was the first win over a top-15 opponent since 2008. Indiana also took down No. 25 Stanford, to achieve multiple ranked wins in a season for the first time since the 2008-09 season.

      In the upcoming season, the Hoosiers will match up against four teams that finished in the top-10 at the 2019 NCAA Championships. 
       
      "I'm looking forward to another great competition season," IU head coach Angel Escobedo said. "We have a tough schedule, but you have to compete against the best and beat the best to be the best."
       
      The Hoosiers will open the season at the Michigan State Open on Nov. 2 in East Lansing, Mich. Following that competition, they will go to New York for the Journeyman on Nov. 10 and the Black Night Invite at West Point on Nov. 17.
       
      Indiana will host its first dual meet of the season as they welcome North Dakota State to Wilkinson Hall on Nov. 22.
       
      Following the NDSU dual, the Hoosiers will compete in the UNI Open on Dec. 14 and the Midlands tournament Dec. 29-30.
       
      January 10 will be a date to circle on the calendar as the Hoosiers host Iowa in their Big Ten opener at Wilkinson Hall. Another key home match will be Monday Jan. 20 when the Hoosiers host Purdue.
       
      Other home matches include Wisconsin (Jan. 31), Minnesota (Feb. 2), Nebraska (Feb. 9) and SIUE (Feb. 16).
       
      The Big Ten Championships will be hosted by Rutgers (March 7-8) and the NCAA Championships will be in Minneapolis at U.S. Bank Stadium, the home of the Minnesota Viking, March 19-21.


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    23. Purdue Announces 2019-20 Schedule

      Full 2019-20 Schedule

      WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -       Purdue wrestling head coach Tony Ersland announced his 2019-20 schedule Thursday, unveiling three tournaments and 17 dual contests for the Boilermakers this season. Purdue will compete at home five times, hosting the Boilermaker duals in the non-conference slate and welcoming four Big Ten foes to West Lafayette in 2020.
       
      "We're excited about the opportunities that lay ahead," said Ersland. "We feel like this year's schedule features some great challenges and will have us ready to succeed come March at the Big Ten and NCAA Championships."
       
      The Boilermakers open 2019-20 at the Michigan State Open on Nov. 2, and will send the majority of their roster to East Lansing to get the season underway. They'll remain on the road the next couple weeks, set to compete in a trio of duals at the 2019 Journeymen Classic at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York on Nov. 9 and heading to Fargo, North Dakota to face North Dakota State on Nov. 17.
       
      Purdue will square off with Buffalo, Utah Valley and Arizona State in the Empire State, and meet the Bison for the second time in the last three years, defeating NDSU 26-6 on Jan. 26,2018.
       
      The first home meet of the season is scheduled for Nov. 24 as the Boilermakers welcome Clarion, Northern Illinois and Indianapolis to Holloway Gymnasium, and will wrestle a round-robin set of duals in front of a home crowd.
       
      The Boilermakers return to Las Vegas in early December for the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, with another star-studded field awaiting in the desert. Purdue finished 10th in 2018 behind place-winning performances from Griffin Parriott, Devin Schroder, Dylan Lydy and Christian Brunner, including a runner-up finish from Parriott at 157 pounds.
       
      The last two non-conference dates are set for a Dec. 19 dual at SIU Edwardsville and the 2019 Midlands Championships. Purdue last met the Cougars in 2017, beating SIUE 31-9 at Holloway Gymnasium. Northwestern will host Midlands at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, as the Boilermakers return as a full team after finishing seventh with 84 points in 2017.
       
      The Big Ten schedule begins Friday, Jan. 10 with the Boilermakers heading back to Northwestern for the conference opener, and returning home Sunday, Jan. 12 to host Iowa. Purdue's annual rivalry bout with Indiana follows Monday, Jan. 20 in Bloomington.
       
      Purdue has two duals in each of the following weekends, heading to Maryland and Rutgers on Jan. 24 and 26, respectively, and then hosting Minnesota and Wisconsin on Jan. 31 and Feb. 2. The Boilermakers' homestand continues Feb. 7, hosting Nebraska for the final home dual of the season and the conference slate wraps up on the road Sunday, Feb. 16, heading across the state line to face Illinois for the Big Ten finale.
       
      The postseason opens with the Big Ten Championships on March 7, hosted by Rutgers at the RAC in Piscataway, N.J. and the Boilermakers return six national qualifiers with plans to head to U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the 2020 NCAA Championships.
       
      Purdue awaits word of potential television broadcast matchups from the Big Ten Network, and all duals are subject to change based on that schedule.


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    24. Ersland Adds Leroy Vega to the Purdue staff

      WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue head coach Tony Ersland rounded out his coaching staff Monday, naming Leroy Vega as his volunteer assistant coach for the 2019-20 season. A three-time NCAA All-American, Vega will work primarily with the lower weight classes. 
       
      Vega's name is widely known on the Indiana high school wrestling scene, from his days on the mat and to most recently, his days in the corner. He joins the Purdue staff after eight years as the head coach at his alma mater, Portage High School, in northwest Indiana. During his span as head coach, Vega had 41 Indiana High School Athletic Association state tournament qualifiers, with 10 appearing in the finals and three Portage wrestlers claiming an individual title. In 2015, the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association named Vega its coach of the year.
       
      As a prep at Portage, Vega was a two-time state champion in 1996 and 1997. His success translated on the international scene as well. In 1998, Vega placed ninth at 60 kg the UWW Junior Greco-Roman World Championships. The following year, competing at 54 kg in freestyle, he placed seventh at the world championships.
       
      Vega wrestled collegiately at Minnesota from 1999 to 2002 and scattered his name throughout the legendary program. Individually, Vega earned All-America honors three times at 125 pounds and captured the Big Ten Conference 125-pound title in 2002. His performances helped the Gophers win three Big Ten team titles and back-to-back NCAA team titles in 2001 and 2002.
       
      Vega tallied a career record of 135-26, with his 135 wins ranking fifth all-time at Minnesota and his .839 winning percentage ranking 17th. He owned a career dual record of 65-14, with the 65 wins tied for seventh on the Gophers' individual dual wins list.
       
      Prior to his head coaching appointment at Portage, Vega was named the inaugural head coach at Calumet College of St. Joseph in Whiting, Indiana, with the birth of the program in 2008. He was at the helm through the 2009-10 season before returning to his roots in Portage.
       
      Vega earned his Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education and teaching from Minnesota in 2002. He and his wife, Sarah, have two daughters, LillyAnna and Lilah, and a son, Lydon.


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    25. Lewis Joins Purdue Wrestling Staff

      The former Missouri Tiger was a four-time All-American

      WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue wrestling head coach Tony Ersland made a splashy hire Wednesday, welcoming four-time NCAA All-American Daniel Lewis into the Boilermaker wrestling room as a graduate assistant. The former Missouri Tiger competed at 165 and 174 pounds over the last four NCAA seasons, graduating as one of the top wrestlers in program history.

      “It’s not every day you have the opportunity to bring a four-time All-American into your room, and we’re thrilled to welcome Daniel to our team,” said Ersland. “His success on the mat speaks for itself, his abilities in the classroom are even more impressive and I can’t wait to get him around our guys.”

      The Blue Springs, Missouri native racked up a career record of 118-17 for the Tigers, earning All-America at 165 pounds as a freshman and sophomore and then at 174 pounds in his final two seasons. He’s one of only three four-time All-Americans in Missouri wrestling history, joining Ben Askren and J’Den Cox.

      “I feel blessed to be granted such an amazing opportunity to continue my education and start giving back to the sport that gave me so much,” said Lewis. “My glory days of college wrestling are over, but I plan to find success in the lessons and experiences I pass on to my new Boilermaker family.”

      Lewis won four straight Mid-American Conference individual titles, leading Missouri to the team championship in every season and was named the MAC Most Outstanding Wrestler in 2018. Fifty-three of his 118 career wins came by fall (44.9%), good for second-most in Missouri history, and he took home the 2019 Gorarrian Award for recording the most falls at the NCAA Championships.

      He earned MAC Freshman Wrestler of the Year honors and Missouri’s Marshall Esteppe Most Outstanding Freshman award in 2016, finishing 29-6 at 165 pounds and finishing fourth at the NCAA Championships. He followed up with a 28-6 mark in 2017, again at 165, and took sixth at the national tournament.

      After moving up to 174 pounds as a junior in 2017-18, Lewis reeled off 32 straight victories to start the season, including a flawless 26-0 mark in the regular season and his third straight MAC title. His 17 falls were a team and career high, and he went on to finish fourth at the NCAA Championships. Lewis’s senior season brought a similar level of success, posting a 28-3 overall mark with 17 falls, earning his fourth straight MAC crown and another fourth-place effort at the national tournament. He went undefeated in duals over his final two years and finished 25-1 in dual competition for his career. He shared Missouri’s Most Outstanding Wrestler honors in each of his last two seasons and was named the University of Missouri Male Athlete of the Year in 2019.

      Lewis earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in May of 2019 from Missouri with an emphasis in aerospace engineering and will be pursuing his master’s degree in Business Administration from the Krannert School of Management at Purdue. He completed a construction/property management internship with The Kroenke Group in Columbia, Missouri in the summer of 2018, and worked at ProCraft Mechanical in Broomfield, Colorado as a project operations intern in 2019.


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