LINCOLN, Neb. - Purdue wrestling saw two individuals earn All-America honors at the USA Wrestling U23 National Freestyle Championships this weekend as senior Max Lyon and sophomore Thomas Penola both finished in the top-eight of their respective weights at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Nebraska's campus. Penola was the Boilermakers' top finisher, placing fourth at 92 kg, while Lyon took eighth at 86 kg.
Penola posted a 5-2 record for the tournament, advancing to the quarterfinals on the championship side and then battling all the way to the consolation finals before his second loss. He opened with back-to-back technical falls, posting a 10-0 win over Damien Rodriguez of Indiana Tech and a 12-1 win over Antonio Andrade, who upset Cornell's Ben Darmstadt in the opening round. Penola fell 7-0 in the quarterfinals to NCAA runner-up and eventual U23 champion Nino Bonacoorsi but bounced back in the consolation bracket with a 10-0 win over Drexel's Sean O'Malley to secure a top-eight finish. Penola followed with a 13-4 win over Penn's Cole Urbas, and moved to the consolation finals with a forfeit from Oklahoma's Jake Woodley. Unfortunately, the third-place match was a quick one for the Boilermaker sophomore as he was caught early in a leg lace and fell 10-0 to Oklahoma State's Luke Surber.
Lyon had a similar trip to the podium, winning his first two matches and advancing to the quarterfinals before battling in the consolation bracket. He topped Penn's Neil Antrassian 10-0 in his first match of the day and needed only 1:35 for a 10-0 win over West Virginia's Anthony D'Alesio. Lyon fell 9-2 in the quarterfinals to Rutgers All-American John Poznanski but locked up his top-eight finish with a 12-2 victory over Matthew Waddell of Chattanooga. The blood-round win would be Lyon's final match of the tournament as he medically withdrew from his last two bouts to take eighth place.
Sophomore Ethan Smiley and freshmen Cooper Noehre and Gerrit Nijenhuis all went 2-2 at the tournament, earning some solid wins, while fellow rookie Macartney Parkinson was 1-2 on the weekend.
The event was the Boilermakers' final freestyle competition of the summer and the squad will turn its attention to summer training and preparation for the 2021-22 season. Purdue's non-conference schedule was released last week, and awaits the Big Ten Conference dual schedule, which will be released in the fall.
Penola posted a 5-2 record for the tournament, advancing to the quarterfinals on the championship side and then battling all the way to the consolation finals before his second loss. He opened with back-to-back technical falls, posting a 10-0 win over Damien Rodriguez of Indiana Tech and a 12-1 win over Antonio Andrade, who upset Cornell's Ben Darmstadt in the opening round. Penola fell 7-0 in the quarterfinals to NCAA runner-up and eventual U23 champion Nino Bonacoorsi but bounced back in the consolation bracket with a 10-0 win over Drexel's Sean O'Malley to secure a top-eight finish. Penola followed with a 13-4 win over Penn's Cole Urbas, and moved to the consolation finals with a forfeit from Oklahoma's Jake Woodley. Unfortunately, the third-place match was a quick one for the Boilermaker sophomore as he was caught early in a leg lace and fell 10-0 to Oklahoma State's Luke Surber.
Lyon had a similar trip to the podium, winning his first two matches and advancing to the quarterfinals before battling in the consolation bracket. He topped Penn's Neil Antrassian 10-0 in his first match of the day and needed only 1:35 for a 10-0 win over West Virginia's Anthony D'Alesio. Lyon fell 9-2 in the quarterfinals to Rutgers All-American John Poznanski but locked up his top-eight finish with a 12-2 victory over Matthew Waddell of Chattanooga. The blood-round win would be Lyon's final match of the tournament as he medically withdrew from his last two bouts to take eighth place.
Sophomore Ethan Smiley and freshmen Cooper Noehre and Gerrit Nijenhuis all went 2-2 at the tournament, earning some solid wins, while fellow rookie Macartney Parkinson was 1-2 on the weekend.
The event was the Boilermakers' final freestyle competition of the summer and the squad will turn its attention to summer training and preparation for the 2021-22 season. Purdue's non-conference schedule was released last week, and awaits the Big Ten Conference dual schedule, which will be released in the fall.