Always Aggressive Podcast
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue wrestling head coach Tony Ersland added two members to the Boilermaker family on Wednesday, signing Gerrit Nijenhuis and Jake Rundell to national letters of intent. The high school standouts have a laundry list of successes, victories and achievements and are excited to begin their Boilermaker careers under Ersland and his staff.
"To say that we're excited about this class would be a huge understatement," said Ersland. "To be able to sign not one, but two guys with this kind of achievement, pedigree and wrestling ability, is a fantastic indicator of the direction of our program. Gerrit and Jake are outstanding additions to our room and have very bright futures ahead of them."
GERRIT NIJENHUIS
HIGH SCHOOL
• Three-year varsity letterwinner at Canon-McMillan High School
• 2019 Pennsylvania High School State Champion at 170 pounds
• Won the 2019 Super 32 Tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina at 182 pounds
• Finished second at the 2019 Fargo Freestyle Junior Championships
• Placed third at the 2018 Pennsylvania High School State Championships at 160 pounds
• Took third at 152 pounds as a freshman at the 2017 Pennsylvania High School State Championships
NATIONAL RANKINGS
• Named the No. 14 pound-for-pound wrestler in the country by FloWrestling (10/18)
• Tabbed the No. 12 overall recruit in the class of 2020 by FloWrestling (10/18)
• Listed as the No. 29 overall recruit in the class of 2020 by TrackWrestling (9/26)
• Ranked No. 2 at 182 pounds by FloWrestling (10/18)
• Ranked No. 3 in the nation at 182 by The Open Mat (10/23) and InterMat (11/6)
VARSITY RECORD
• 2017-18 (170): 44-3
• 2016-17 (160): 44-6
• 2015-16 (152): 46-7
• TOTAL: 134-16 (.893)
PERSONAL
• Full Name: Gerrit Nijenhuis
• Major: Undecided
• Birthday: July, 6, 2001
• City Born: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Parents: Rabo and Beth Nijenhuis
• Siblings: Sister, Skylar, who intends to join the cheerleading squad at Purdue
"Gerrit is an extremely aggressive wrestler, which is a great fit for our program. He has an outstanding single-leg attack that creates most of his offense, has a great arm-bar series on top and his ability to scramble makes him dangerous in every position. His mullet has already garnered a ton of media attention, and we think his wrestling is bound to do the same thing." - Tony Ersland
JAKE RUNDELL
Aiming to compete at 125 pounds for the Boilermakers, Rundell comes to Purdue from Oak Park & River Forest High School in Illinois. A 2018 Illinois High School State Champion with 92 career victories, Rundell was third at this year's Super 32 Tournament at 126 pounds, is a four-time Fargo Freestyle All-American, won FloNationals at 55 kgs in freestyle and Greco and earned a gold medal in the Pan-American Games. He owns national rankings in every poll available and is regarded as a top lightweight prospect in the nation.
HIGH SCHOOL
• Three-year varsity letterwinner at Oak Park & River Forest High School
• 2018 Illinois High School AAA State Champion at 106 pounds
• Finished 40-3 in his junior season and ranked No. 1 in the state, but missed the state championships due to illness
• Placed third at 126 pounds at the 2019 Super 32 Tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina
• Four-time Fargo Freestyle All-American, placing at 100 pounds in 2016 and 2017, at 113 in 2018 and 120 pounds in 2019
• 2019 FloNationals Freestyle & Greco-Roman Champion at 55 kg
• 2018 Cadet Pan American games gold medalist in freestyle and Greco-Roman, surrendering a combined two points in the two styles
NATIONAL RANKINGS
• Listed as the No. 108 overall recruit in the class of 2020 by FloWrestling (10/18)
• Named the No. 70 overall recruit in the class of 2020 by TrackWrestling (9/26)
• Ranked No. 9 in the nation at 126 pounds by The Open Mat (10/23)
• Ranked No. 10 at 126 by InterMat (11/6)
• Ranked No. 11 at 126 by FloWrestling (10/18)
VARSITY RECORD
• 2017-18 (113): 40-3
• 2016-17 (106): 48-2
• 2015-16 (106): 4-3
• TOTAL: 92-8 (.920)
PERSONAL
• Full Name: Jacob Rundell
• Major: Engineering
• Birthday: August 16, 2002
• City Born: Chicago, Illinois
• Parents: Michael and Veronica Rundell
• Siblings: Brothers – Matthew, Michael and Joshua
"It's incredible to see an athlete of Jake's size and stature that has as much strength and power that he does. He's an animal on top and will be very impressive in that position in his career. Jake is an outstanding competitor and every time he puts his foot on the line you know you're going to get every once of everything he's got." - Tony Ersland