How many of us have waxed nostalgic, wondering what it would've been like if we'd gotten one more chance? A do-over, a second bite at the apple, another opportunity to achieve our dreams. For most this is nothing more than a hypothetical, but for Purdue Wrestling's Max Lyon and Devin Schroder, it's a reality.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the national collegiate sports scene, the NCAA has awarded the Boilermaker duo, and thousands of student-athletes across the country, the opportunity at one more ride. While the roads to their resolutions and how they came to decide to spend one more year in West Lafayette were very different, one theme is consistent in both of their minds: they plan to take full advantage.
The Sure Thing: Max Lyon
From the moment the NCAA announced the concept of a "COVID eligibility waiver," Max Lyon had zero doubts about where his future resided: one more year in West Lafayette, Indiana. Bucking the trend of most college wrestlers, Lyon bypassed a redshirt season and wrestled four consecutive varsity seasons for the Boilermakers. He has been a fixture of the Purdue lineup at 184 pounds, placing at the Big Ten Championships three times and advancing to the NCAA Championships three times, as well.
"I tried not to think too much about it when I first heard," said Lyon. "I was trying to focus on the season at hand, and we had so many obstacles with COVID that it was difficult to give much thought to the future."
That being said, Lyon had a lot of other things going on that eventually brought the decision to light. After visiting some career fairs and talking to various companies in the area, Lyon was offered a full-time position that would start after his graduation in May of 2021. The company asked for his commitment to begin work, and it was then that Lyon realized that he couldn't take the job because he would be wrestling again in 2021-22. That moment sealed the deal.
A byproduct of Lyon's continuous four-year career is that his classmates from the 2018 signing class all took a redshirt and have another year of eligibility (regardless of COVID). Giving him another year meant the opportunity to spend another season representing Purdue with the guys who've become some of his closest friends. This wasn't an opportunity Lyon was going to pass up.
"It was one of the most exciting things about the decision for me," said Lyon. "Being able to finish up with those guys, lace them up for those guys and take the mat with them one more time is everything."
Lyon also plans to take full advantage of another chance to chase his goals on the mat. The coveted title of "All-American" and a place on that NCAA podium has alluded the Boilermaker throughout his career, and the rare chance to give it another go is not lost on him.
"I've framed most of my life over the last four years chasing the goals of being a national champion and All-American," said Lyon. "That's what we train for, that's why we're here, that's why we push ourselves, and it's nice that I don't have to face the reality switch of those goals not being there for me anymore."
His goals extend off the mat as well. He wants to finish college with a 3.9 grade point average, jumping ever so slightly from the 3.87 mark that led him to recognitions such as CoSIDA Academic All-District honors, Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar awards. He's going to earn a minor in human resources in an attempt to make himself more marketable to future employers and buffer his resume.
"I just want to keep taking care of business on both ends," said Lyon. "Purdue has set me up to succeed both on the mat and in the classroom, and I know that's not something that happens everywhere. I want to exceed and excel because I hate being average, it's not an option for me."
Changing Perspectives: Devin Schroder
Perspective changes and the choices that young men and women are faced with as college comes to a close are unlimited. In the heat of his fifth season at Purdue, Devin Schroder heard the news of the NCAA COVID eligibility waivers and wasn't entirely sure what to think. He was on the precipice of completing his bachelor's degree in industrial engineering, and his life goals with that degree were unclear.
Like most collegiate wrestlers, Schroder had suffered a variety of injuries in his career, and the thought of putting his body through another year of wrestling surfaced mixed feelings. With all this being said, Schroder came to a difficult conclusion in the midst of the 2021 season and asked Ersland for a one-on-one meeting.
"I was having a tough time and I wanted to make sure Coach knew where I was," said Schroder. "I know coaches have to plan for the future and I wanted to be up front with him. I felt as though I was ready to move on, I wasn't having fun, I wasn't ready to commit to another year."
While the idea of not having his standout 125-pounder back for the 2021-22 season was shocking and difficult for Ersland, he kept his eye on the ball.
"I told Devin that I understood his decision and supported him," said Ersland. "We took our focus off the future, and pressed head-on into the remainder of the season, but in the back of my head I was hoping that once the season was over, he'd reconsider and change his mind."
Having lost two of his last three matches going into the talk with Ersland, Schroder went on a tear down the stretch. He won four of his final five regular season matches, returned to the Big Ten Championship finals at 125 pounds and earned the No. 9 seed at the NCAA Championships. He advanced to the quarterfinals of the national tournament, and ended up falling one win shy of All-America status and a place on the national podium.
"I was done," said Schroder. "I had done enough and I thought I was ready to move on. I was ready for the next chapter of my life."
But as previously mentioned, perspective changes. After a long lay-off and some important conversations with his parents, Schroder had time to think about his future. He had a bit of an identity crisis, having been a wrestler for the last 20 years of his life, he wasn't sure if he wanted to give that up, and that left the door open one more time.
To the delight of Purdue's staff, team and fans, Schroder had a change of heart. In early April he took to social media, using a clip from "The Wolf of Wall Street" and lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio to announce his return to the Boilermakers. The clip uses phrases like "I'm not leaving," "the show goes on," and "this is my home," which couldn't more accurately reflect the feelings that Schroder felt in taking one more run at his college wrestling goals and dreams.
"When you start participating in a sport, you're choosing to do it because you want to, but at some point after 16-17 years you're not choosing to do it anymore; you wrestle because you're a wrestler," said Schroder. "I think at some point I wasn't a wrestler anymore, I was just doing it. Choosing to be a wrestler again has been refreshing, and it redeems who I am and why I love the sport.
"I don't have to wrestle anymore, but I want to, and I'm falling in love with the sport again."
The Season Ahead
While Ersland's messages and teachings to the Purdue Wrestling program are many, the concept of "opportunities" is a frequent theme. With their return to the Boilermaker roster for 2021-22, the words have not been lost on Lyon and Schroder.
"It's felt like my first time all over again, and it's the most excited I've been about wrestling since when I first stepped on campus," said Schroder. "While I have my own goals, I'm so much more focused on the team. We have big goals and those are taking precedence over anything I want for myself."
"This will be 'The Year That Shouldn't Have Been' for me," said Lyon. "I have no reason not to put everything out there, be more free, have more fun and really enjoy every moment. None of this was supposed to happen and so my actions this season will come from a place of gratitude. I shouldn't have this chance, but I'm really thankful for it."
In addition to their passions on the mat, both Lyon and Schroder are using the extra time on campus to further their education, round out their professional skill sets and open new doors for their future. Similar to their decisions to return, the pair has different paths that lie ahead.
Lyon has huge things on the horizon. He proposed to his high school sweetheart, Emma Hoefer, in May and they plan to wed in July of 2022. Hoefer earned her nursing degree from Northern Iowa in 2020, and has been a nurse in the Greater Lafayette area for the last year. Lyon has accepted a position working for Target in Indianapolis next year, and plans to remain in the Greater Lafayette area with his fiancée so they can remain close to their Purdue family. He interned with the company during the summer of 2021 and jumped at the opportunity to remain close to the Boilermakers while joining a company with a value on team culture.
Schroder has ambitions to coach collegiately and is keeping his options open on where and how he will continue his future in the sport. He earned his bachelor's degree in industrial engineering in 2021, and has started a master's degree program in leadership and innovation, which he plans to complete in the spring of 2022. It's a huge shift in his educational experience, going from a math-based program to writing more papers, more reading and more discussions.
"I feel like I have a lot to offer the sport and those who choose to take the path I did," said Schroder. "If I can make a living lacing my shoes up and helping young people every day, that's a dream for me. I want to use my experiences and struggles to make a difference for others."
Though their paths were not the same and their decisions came at different times, there's one thing that Lyon and Schroder can completely agree on: they plan to take full advantage of their one last ride with the Boilermakers.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the national collegiate sports scene, the NCAA has awarded the Boilermaker duo, and thousands of student-athletes across the country, the opportunity at one more ride. While the roads to their resolutions and how they came to decide to spend one more year in West Lafayette were very different, one theme is consistent in both of their minds: they plan to take full advantage.
The Sure Thing: Max Lyon
From the moment the NCAA announced the concept of a "COVID eligibility waiver," Max Lyon had zero doubts about where his future resided: one more year in West Lafayette, Indiana. Bucking the trend of most college wrestlers, Lyon bypassed a redshirt season and wrestled four consecutive varsity seasons for the Boilermakers. He has been a fixture of the Purdue lineup at 184 pounds, placing at the Big Ten Championships three times and advancing to the NCAA Championships three times, as well.
"I tried not to think too much about it when I first heard," said Lyon. "I was trying to focus on the season at hand, and we had so many obstacles with COVID that it was difficult to give much thought to the future."
That being said, Lyon had a lot of other things going on that eventually brought the decision to light. After visiting some career fairs and talking to various companies in the area, Lyon was offered a full-time position that would start after his graduation in May of 2021. The company asked for his commitment to begin work, and it was then that Lyon realized that he couldn't take the job because he would be wrestling again in 2021-22. That moment sealed the deal.
A byproduct of Lyon's continuous four-year career is that his classmates from the 2018 signing class all took a redshirt and have another year of eligibility (regardless of COVID). Giving him another year meant the opportunity to spend another season representing Purdue with the guys who've become some of his closest friends. This wasn't an opportunity Lyon was going to pass up.
"It was one of the most exciting things about the decision for me," said Lyon. "Being able to finish up with those guys, lace them up for those guys and take the mat with them one more time is everything."
Lyon also plans to take full advantage of another chance to chase his goals on the mat. The coveted title of "All-American" and a place on that NCAA podium has alluded the Boilermaker throughout his career, and the rare chance to give it another go is not lost on him.
"I've framed most of my life over the last four years chasing the goals of being a national champion and All-American," said Lyon. "That's what we train for, that's why we're here, that's why we push ourselves, and it's nice that I don't have to face the reality switch of those goals not being there for me anymore."
His goals extend off the mat as well. He wants to finish college with a 3.9 grade point average, jumping ever so slightly from the 3.87 mark that led him to recognitions such as CoSIDA Academic All-District honors, Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar awards. He's going to earn a minor in human resources in an attempt to make himself more marketable to future employers and buffer his resume.
"I just want to keep taking care of business on both ends," said Lyon. "Purdue has set me up to succeed both on the mat and in the classroom, and I know that's not something that happens everywhere. I want to exceed and excel because I hate being average, it's not an option for me."
Changing Perspectives: Devin Schroder
Perspective changes and the choices that young men and women are faced with as college comes to a close are unlimited. In the heat of his fifth season at Purdue, Devin Schroder heard the news of the NCAA COVID eligibility waivers and wasn't entirely sure what to think. He was on the precipice of completing his bachelor's degree in industrial engineering, and his life goals with that degree were unclear.
Like most collegiate wrestlers, Schroder had suffered a variety of injuries in his career, and the thought of putting his body through another year of wrestling surfaced mixed feelings. With all this being said, Schroder came to a difficult conclusion in the midst of the 2021 season and asked Ersland for a one-on-one meeting.
"I was having a tough time and I wanted to make sure Coach knew where I was," said Schroder. "I know coaches have to plan for the future and I wanted to be up front with him. I felt as though I was ready to move on, I wasn't having fun, I wasn't ready to commit to another year."
While the idea of not having his standout 125-pounder back for the 2021-22 season was shocking and difficult for Ersland, he kept his eye on the ball.
"I told Devin that I understood his decision and supported him," said Ersland. "We took our focus off the future, and pressed head-on into the remainder of the season, but in the back of my head I was hoping that once the season was over, he'd reconsider and change his mind."
Having lost two of his last three matches going into the talk with Ersland, Schroder went on a tear down the stretch. He won four of his final five regular season matches, returned to the Big Ten Championship finals at 125 pounds and earned the No. 9 seed at the NCAA Championships. He advanced to the quarterfinals of the national tournament, and ended up falling one win shy of All-America status and a place on the national podium.
"I was done," said Schroder. "I had done enough and I thought I was ready to move on. I was ready for the next chapter of my life."
But as previously mentioned, perspective changes. After a long lay-off and some important conversations with his parents, Schroder had time to think about his future. He had a bit of an identity crisis, having been a wrestler for the last 20 years of his life, he wasn't sure if he wanted to give that up, and that left the door open one more time.
To the delight of Purdue's staff, team and fans, Schroder had a change of heart. In early April he took to social media, using a clip from "The Wolf of Wall Street" and lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio to announce his return to the Boilermakers. The clip uses phrases like "I'm not leaving," "the show goes on," and "this is my home," which couldn't more accurately reflect the feelings that Schroder felt in taking one more run at his college wrestling goals and dreams.
Hey @PurdueWrestling pic.twitter.com/hSiQA7hSjt
— devin schroder (@DeeSchrod) April 6, 2021
"When you start participating in a sport, you're choosing to do it because you want to, but at some point after 16-17 years you're not choosing to do it anymore; you wrestle because you're a wrestler," said Schroder. "I think at some point I wasn't a wrestler anymore, I was just doing it. Choosing to be a wrestler again has been refreshing, and it redeems who I am and why I love the sport.
"I don't have to wrestle anymore, but I want to, and I'm falling in love with the sport again."
The Season Ahead
While Ersland's messages and teachings to the Purdue Wrestling program are many, the concept of "opportunities" is a frequent theme. With their return to the Boilermaker roster for 2021-22, the words have not been lost on Lyon and Schroder.
"It's felt like my first time all over again, and it's the most excited I've been about wrestling since when I first stepped on campus," said Schroder. "While I have my own goals, I'm so much more focused on the team. We have big goals and those are taking precedence over anything I want for myself."
"This will be 'The Year That Shouldn't Have Been' for me," said Lyon. "I have no reason not to put everything out there, be more free, have more fun and really enjoy every moment. None of this was supposed to happen and so my actions this season will come from a place of gratitude. I shouldn't have this chance, but I'm really thankful for it."
In addition to their passions on the mat, both Lyon and Schroder are using the extra time on campus to further their education, round out their professional skill sets and open new doors for their future. Similar to their decisions to return, the pair has different paths that lie ahead.
Lyon has huge things on the horizon. He proposed to his high school sweetheart, Emma Hoefer, in May and they plan to wed in July of 2022. Hoefer earned her nursing degree from Northern Iowa in 2020, and has been a nurse in the Greater Lafayette area for the last year. Lyon has accepted a position working for Target in Indianapolis next year, and plans to remain in the Greater Lafayette area with his fiancée so they can remain close to their Purdue family. He interned with the company during the summer of 2021 and jumped at the opportunity to remain close to the Boilermakers while joining a company with a value on team culture.
Schroder has ambitions to coach collegiately and is keeping his options open on where and how he will continue his future in the sport. He earned his bachelor's degree in industrial engineering in 2021, and has started a master's degree program in leadership and innovation, which he plans to complete in the spring of 2022. It's a huge shift in his educational experience, going from a math-based program to writing more papers, more reading and more discussions.
"I feel like I have a lot to offer the sport and those who choose to take the path I did," said Schroder. "If I can make a living lacing my shoes up and helping young people every day, that's a dream for me. I want to use my experiences and struggles to make a difference for others."
Though their paths were not the same and their decisions came at different times, there's one thing that Lyon and Schroder can completely agree on: they plan to take full advantage of their one last ride with the Boilermakers.