WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue head wrestling coach Tony Ersland has revitalized the Boilermakers' schedule for 2018-19. The schedule features new tournaments, renewed opponents and 17 duals—the most since Ersland's first season at Purdue in 2014-15.
"My goal when building our schedule is thinking about March," Ersland said. "I want to schedule teams that will help us get on the podium. We want to see a variety of competition, styles and abilities from different teams that span from coast to coast.
"Overall, we have a very strong schedule," the fifth-year head coach stated. "We will be tested, but that will be a good thing for us with five returning NCAA qualifiers and the addition of Devin Schroder, who had a very strong year last year, in our lineup."
The Boilermakers will wrestle six duals on its home mat, with five of those contests set for a Friday night.
"I'm excited we have the majority of home duals on Friday nights," Ersland said. "Personally, I love Friday night duals; I think it's a better environment for our fans."
For a second consecutive season, Purdue will start out making back-to-back trips to the East Coast. The doors open on the 2018-19 campaign at the Princeton Open (11/4), followed by a trip to Troy, New York, for the Journeymen Northeast Duals (11/10) and Collegiate Classic (11/11). The Boilermakers will get two duals while in New York, taking on Drexel and Bloomsburg.
Purdue then hits the road for an early Big Ten Conference dual, traveling to Iowa City to take on the Hawkeyes on Nov. 24. A short week awaits the Boilermakers coming out of Iowa with the highly acclaimed 37th Annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Wrestling Invitational on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.
The most notable change to the schedule comes at the end of December. Ersland will take his squad to The Sunshine State for the South Beach Duals. While in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Purdue will have a pair of duals on both Dec. 29 and 30. Although the order of opponents has not yet been announced, the Boilermakers know they will face Missouri, NC State, Utah Valley and West Virginia.
"My goal in going to the South Beach Duals was to see teams we have not seen in a long time; I want our guys to be tested and see different competition," Ersland said. "It's a given we are going to have a difficult schedule with the Big Ten being as strong as it is. With it being in the middle of winter, it will be nice to get down south and give our guys a new experience. It should be fun."
The dual schedule kicks into high gear in January. Purdue makes its home debut in its first of five Friday night duals against Maryland on Jan. 11, followed by a showdown with Indiana a week later (1/18). The Friday night lineup continues with Penn State (1/25), a non-conference tilt with Stanford (2/8) and closes with Ohio State (2/15). Rutgers is the lone home Sunday opponent, visiting Holloway Gymnasium on Feb. 10.
Road trips scattered throughout January and February include Michigan (1/20), Minnesota (2/3) and Michigan State (2/17). The regular season will come to a close on Feb. 24 as the Boilermakers trek to Central Michigan, their first dual in Mount Pleasant against the Chippewas since 1996.
March Matness has the Boilermakers returning to Minnesota for the Big Ten Championships at Williams Arena on March 9 and 10. The NCAA Championships will descend upon PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from March 21 to 23. It will be the second time Pittsburgh has hosted the NCAA Championships, the first being in 1957.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
• 10: Of the 17 dual opponents, 10 appeared in the final 2017-18 USA Today/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll.
• 17: The 17 duals are the most since 2014-15, Ersland's first year at Purdue, when the Boilermakers wrestled 18 duals.
• 64: Purdue's last meeting with West Virginia was on Jan. 27, 1954 … the 64-year span since Purdue's one and only meeting with West Virginia stands as the longest among the Boilermakers' all-time and currently active wrestling programs.
• 153: Utah Valley becomes the 153rd opponent in Purdue's all-time history.
| 2018-19 BIG TEN OPPONENTS | |
| Home | Road |
| Maryland (1/11) | Iowa (11/24) |
| Indiana (1/18) | Michigan (1/20) |
| Penn State (1/25) | Minnesota (2/3) |
| Rutgers (2/10) | Michigan State (2/17) |
| Ohio State (2/15) | |
| 2018-19 NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS | |
| Drexel (11/10) | West Virginia (12/29 or 30) |
| Bloomsburg (11/10) | Missouri (12/29 or 30) |
| NC State (12/29 or 30) | Stanford (2/8) |
| Utah Valley (12/29 or 30) | Central Michigan (2/24) |