WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue wrestling head coach Tony Ersland announced three new members of the Boilermaker family on Thursday, signing Stoney Buell, Dustin Norris and Ben Vanadia to national letters of intent. The three national standout grapplers all hold top-100 recruiting rankings in the Class of 2021 and bring with them an impressive list of credentials as they head to West Lafayette in the coming year.
Ersland continues to pull outstanding talent out of the midwest with Buell hailing from Michigan, Purdue's third pull from the Great Lakes State during Ersland's tenure, and Norris and Vanadia crossing our eastern border from Ohio, the Boilermakers' third steal from the Buckeye State in the last four seasons. Purdue is one of only six schools in the country to have at least three signees ranked in the top-75 in the class by FloWrestling and The Open Mat, joining Iowa, Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Cornell and Iowa State.
"This is an exciting group joining us next year, and one that will be incredibly important to the future of Purdue wrestling," said Ersland. "These guys all have outstanding credentials, a history of success both on the mat and in the classroom and incredible character and work ethic. We've been very focused on our culture at Purdue and making sure the right guys are joining our room, and these three fit the bill."
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
"The group Coach Ersland is bringing to West Lafayette next year continues an immediate and consistent top-flight recruiting effort in his tenure at Purdue. I've had the Boilermaker recruiting classes ranked four of the last five years and 2021 will make it five of six. They are one of just a handful of programs to have commitments from at least three Top 200 Seniors with two of them coming from Ohio, one of the nation's most productive recruiting grounds. I've been very impressed Coach Ersland's ability to recruit and last year with them placing Top 5 in the nation's toughest conference, that must have won a lot of this year's class over. And Kendall Coleman, the prize of their 2018 Class, was one of only three freshmen to make the finals of Big Ten's. They added a big piece with my #10 overall recruit in America, Gerrit Nijenhuis, in 2020 and this year's group should add key pieces. Dustin Norris (133/141) is long and lanky and his ability to ride should be a great fit in a very physical conference. With Stoney Buell they have a fit for the 165/174 range after winning Cadet Nationals, one of the crown jewels of high school wrestling. Ben Vanadia (197/285) should anchor the back half of the lineup with Nijenhuis. Overall, they got three really solid pieces that should help Purdue maintain their upward trajectory."
"The Boilermakers are getting some of high-level talent from border states to shore up three big spots in the lineup. Dustin Norris, the #42 man in the class of 2021, looks for a spot in the Purdue lineup at 133 or 141. The middleweights will get a big boost from Stoney Buell. The #74 recruit in the senior class comes out of Michigan powerhouse Dundee High School and should compete for a starting spot at either 165 or 174. Big Man Ben Vanadia joins the Purdue squad from anther top-flight high school, Brecksville, Ohio. He's ranked #64 in the class of 2021 for a reason and should be a difference maker at 197 or heavyweight."
"Coach Ersland continues to raise the bar with the Boilermakers' recruiting. All three of Purdue's early signees are ranked within the top-100 in the Class of 2021 courtesy of The Open Mat. The trio has a long track record of success at both the state and national levels. They have combined to win four state titles and appeared in their respective state finals a total of six times. A trend that coach Ersland and staff have continued to maintain is the ability to sign top-flight recruits from the home states of Big Ten rivals. It's a bonus adding high-quality student-athletes while keeping them from other conference foes. Each of the new signees are also from powerhouse high schools, which is important. This is a sound recruiting strategy as they are likely to have more Big Ten-quality recruits every year. These three provide a strong foundation for a recruiting class that will undoubtedly help the Boilermakers continue to climb the ranks of the Big Ten and on the national scene."
STONEY BUELL * 165/174 * TEMPERANCE, MICHIGAN
"We found a like-minded individual in Stoney. His goals focus on getting better, and he wakes up with that intention every day. It's not often that you find a young man who is as accomplished as Stoney is, who still has the level of upside that he has. I'm thrilled about his future as a Boilermaker." – Tony Ersland
HIGH SCHOOL
• Three-year varsity letterwinner at Dundee High School
• Three-time Michigan High School D3 State Champion, winning at 135 pounds as a freshman, 152 pounds as a sophomore and 160 pounds as a junior
• Won the 2020 state title in dominant fashion, featuring an 82-second pin, a technical fall and two major decisions by a combined 27-6 margin in four state-tournament matches
• Led his team to three consecutive Michigan High School D3 State team titles
• Won the 2019 U.S. Marine Corps 16U National Freestyle Championship at 152 pounds, becoming the first Boilermaker since Max Lyon in 2017
• Placed fourth at the 2020 Grappler Fall Classic at 160 pounds
• Finished fourth at the 2019 Brecksville Invitational Holiday Tournament at 160 pounds
• Placed in both styles at the 2019 FloNationals, taking sixth in freestyle and seventh in Greco-Roman
• Finished sixth at 2019 UWW Cadet Nationals in freestyle
• Took second at the 2019 Central Regionals in freestyle and third in Greco-Roman
• 2017 USA Wrestling Schoolboy Folkstyle Nationals champion
• Coached by Tim Roberts
• Named an 2019 all-conference linebacker on the Dundee High School football team, which advanced to its first playoff berth in seven years
• Has won multiple awards for showing livestock, including Supreme Milk Cow at the Monroe County Fair and Top Showman Award at the Lenawee County Fair
NATIONAL RANKINGS
• Named the No. 53 wrestler in the class of 2021 by The Open Mat (4/16)
• Earned the No. 69 overall spot on MatScouts' 2021 class rankings (7/22)
• Rated the No. 74 overall recruit in 2021 by FloWrestling (9/14)
• Tabbed the nation's No. 79 overall recruit in 2021 by InterMat (10/15)
• Ranked No. 12 in the country at 160 pounds in FloWrestling's national high school rankings (10/5)
• Sits 13th in the nation at 160 pounds via MatScouts (10/14)
• Tabbed No. 16 nationally at 160 pounds by The Open Mat (10/6)
VARSITY RECORD
• 19-20 (160): 43-3 (.935)
• 18-19 (152): 42-8 (.840)
• 17-18 (135): 46-4 (.920)
• TOTAL: 131-15 (.897)
PERSONAL
• Full Name: Stoney Buell
• Major: Intends to major in sports management
• Birthday: Feb. 4, 2003
• City Born: Monroe, Michigan
• Parents: Andrew and Deanne Buell
• Siblings: Sister, Skylar
DUSTIN NORRIS * 133/141 * LA SALLE HIGH SCHOOL
"Dustin is everything you want a student-athlete to be. He's a bright kid with big goals, comes from a successful program, and has an outstanding skill set that we think will translate really well in college. As his body matures and he fills out, his style and skills will only get better and we see him as an important part of our lineup in the future." – Tony Ersland
HIGH SCHOOL
• Three-year varsity letterwinner at La Salle High School (Cincinnati)
• Earned the No. 1 seed at the Ohio High School Division I state championships at 120 pounds before the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
• 2019 Ohio High School Division I state champion at 113 pounds
• 2018 Ohio High School Division I state runner-up at 106 pounds
• Two-time USAW National Freestyle Championships placewinner, taking fourth at 113 pounds at the junior level in 2018 and placing seventh at 100 pounds at the cadet level in 2017
• Placed fourth at the 2019 Walsh Jesuit Ironman
• Took second at 120 pounds in the sophomore division of the 2019 NHSCA High School National Championships
• Two-time Dvorak Invitational champion, winning at 113 pounds as a sophomore and 106 points as a freshman
• Placed third at 106 pounds at the 2018 FloNationals
• Took third place at 106 pounds at the 2018 Escape The Rock tournament
• Won the 2017 USAW Preseason Nationals (Fr/So) at 106 pounds
NATIONAL RANKINGS
• Ranked No. 42 on FloWrestling's 2021 Big Board (9/14)
• Named the No. 43 overall recruit on MatScouts' 2021 class rankings (7/22)
• Tabbed No. 61 in the class of 2021 by The Open Mat (4/16)
• Earned the No. 65 overall spot in the class of 2021 from InterMat (10/15)
• Ranked fourth in the country at 126 pounds via MatScouts (10/14)
• Sits sixth in the nation at 126 pounds via FloWrestling (10/5)
• Ranked sixth nationally at 126 pounds at The Open Mat (10/6)
VARSITY RECORD
• 19-20 (120): 11-4 (.733)
• 18-19 (113): 30-3 (.909)
• 17-18 (106): 39-5 (.886)
• TOTAL: 80-12 (.870)
PERSONAL
• Full Name: Dustin Norris
• Major: Biology
• Birthday: Oct. 13, 2001
• City Born: Centerville, Ohio
• Parents: Tim and Laura Norris
• Siblings: Sister, Lillian
BEN VANADIA * 197/285 * BRECKSVILLE-BROADVIEW HEIGHTS HIGH SCHOOL
"There aren't many things to not like about Ben. He's an athletic big guy, has GREAT hips and he has continued to get more offensive in his wrestling over the last year. We were really excited to see him show that off at the Ohio tournament before it got cancelled. Ben is another great student in this class who fits the values and culture of our program." – Tony Ersland
HIGH SCHOOL
• Three-year varsity letterwinner at Brecksville High School
• Qualified for the Ohio High School Division I state championships at 195 pounds before the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
• Three-time Ohio High School Division I state championship qualifier, taking second at 182 pounds in 2018
• Placed third at the 2019 Beast of the East Tournament at 195 pounds
• Took home fifth at the 2019 Walsh Jesuit Ironman
• Two-time placewinner at the NHSCA High School Nationals, taking second at 160 pounds as a freshman and third at 182 pounds as a sophomore
NATIONAL RANKINGS
• Named the No. 45 overall recruit in the class of 2021 by The Open Mat (4/16)
• Ranked No. 64 on FloWrestling's 2021 Big Board (9/14)
• Owns the No. 73 overall spot on MatScouts' 2021 class rankings (7/22)
• Tabbed the nation's No. 74 recruit in the class of 2021 by InterMat (10/15)
• Ranked No. 7 nationally at 220 pounds by The Open Mat (10/6)
• Holds the No. 8 spot at 220 pounds on FloWrestling (10/5)
• Ranked 13th in the nation at 220 pounds via MatScouts (10/14)
VARSITY RECORD
• 19-20 (195): 30-5 (.857)
• 18-19 (182): 44-10 (.815)
• 17-18 (152): 29-10 (.744)
• TOTAL: 103-25 (.804)
PERSONAL
• Full Name: Ben Vanadia
• Major: Mechanical Engineering
• Birthday: Nov. 15, 2002
• City Born: Cleveland, Ohio
• Parents: Anthony and Jana Vanadia
• Siblings: brothers, Max and Luke