WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue wrestling will kick-off its season this Sunday at the Clarion Open and will take 22 wrestlers for varsity competition. This young team has a lot of new faces who will be contributing early and often this season that Boilermakers fans will want to get to know.
Head coach Tony Ersland brings back four NCAA qualifiers from last year's squad that went 10-5 in dual action, highlighted by wins over a then-ranked No. 9 Nebraska and No. 16 Minnesota. The team has another 15 duals on the schedule this season in addition to five tournament trips.
This young group for Purdue will have plenty of competition up and down the roster, so let's take a look at who is expected to see some action this season.
Previews: 125-157 | 165-285
165
We pick up the second installment of our season preview with the 165-pound spot that will feature junior Cooper Noehre and sophomore Stoney Buell. During last Friday's wrestle-offs Noehre came out on top when the pair squared off, winning both bouts in close decisions. The Greenfield, Ind., native has wrestled the majority of his matches at 157 thus far in his career, but won his lone outing at 165 by picking up a 10-5 decision over Northwestern's Ankhaa Enkhmendakh back in the 2020-21 season.
Buell will make his first varsity appearance for the Boilermakers at the Clarion Open this weekend, but put together an impressive 18-6 record in unattached competition as a freshman last season. He reached the consolation finals at both the Jim Koch Wisconsin Open and the Indianapolis Greyhound Open and was a four-time Michigan state champion at four different weights in high school.
174
Ersland will have a number of options available to him at 174 pounds, highlighted by standout transfer Jake Null. The redshirt-freshman came to West Lafayette from North Carolina State this offseason after compiling a 21-8 record with seven falls and a tech fall while competing unattached. He took the title at the Wolfpack Wrestling Club Open in addition to making the podium at the King Open (third), the Battle at the Citadel (fifth), and Cleveland State Open (fourth, 165). He comes into the year as the No. 33 174-pounder according to Intermat.
Pushing Null for the starting spot will be junior Macartney Parkinson and freshman Brody Baumann. Parkinson won via decision in both of his matches with Baumann at wrestle-offs and holds a 15-10 career record while wrestling at 184 pounds. Baumann was a two-time Indiana high school state champion on a 69-0 record in his final two seasons and helped Evansville Mater Dei to a team title in 2021.
184
At 184 pounds, the Boilermakers have another two-headed monster in sophomore Ben Vanadia and junior Mitch Hutmacher. Vanadia came out on top in a 7-4 decision in their lone bout at wrestle-offs and will look to cement his place in Clarion this weekend when he makes his varsity debut. As an unattached competitor last season, he went 12-2 competing at 197 pounds and won the Mount Union Purple Raider Open and took second at the Jim Koch Wisconsin Open.
Hutmacher has wrestled at both 184 and 197 over the past two seasons, posting a 9-11 mark between the two last year. He took sixth place at both the Michigan State Open and the Mount Union Purple Raider Open.
197
The embodiment of the student-athlete, redshirt senior Thomas Penola looks to continue his stellar Boilermaker career in his fourth season of varsity competition. A three-time NCAA qualifier, a three-time NWCA Scholar All-American and the 2022 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar is coming off a career year that saw him rack up a 24-9 record and lead the team in wins, takedowns, and total points. For his accomplishments, he was named the 2021-22 Boilermakers' Most Outstanding Wrestler. He comes into this season as the No. 10 wrestler in the country.
Sophomore Hayden Filipovich will look to provide competition for Penola at 197. The Indianapolis native went 10-4 unattached last year and made the podium in all three of the tournaments he competed in. As a senior at Lutheran of Indianapolis, he racked up a 44-0 record on his way to a state title and being named the 2021 1A Wrestler of the Year by IndianaMat.com.
285
We wrap up our season preview with a fierce competition for the heavyweight spot between a pair of sophomores in Hayden Copass and Tristan Ruhlman. Copass currently holds the edge after winning both of the duos bouts at wrestle-offs by decision, but both will travel to Clarion to try and stake their claim.
Copass went 4-1 in limited action unattached last year after signing a tender with the Boilermakers in October and enrolling for the spring semester. He was ranked No. 1 in the nation at 285 pounds at one point, won Fargo twice, won the 2020 Super 32 title and the 2020 Illinois state championship.
Ruhlman went 9-3 in his three open tournament competitions as a freshman, winning the Michigan State Open frosh/soph division title and finishing third at the Jim Koch Wisconsin Open. He was a four-year varsity letterwinner at Bloomington South and won the 2021 Indiana state title at 220 pounds with a perfect 27-0 record, the program's first state title since 2007.
Head coach Tony Ersland brings back four NCAA qualifiers from last year's squad that went 10-5 in dual action, highlighted by wins over a then-ranked No. 9 Nebraska and No. 16 Minnesota. The team has another 15 duals on the schedule this season in addition to five tournament trips.
This young group for Purdue will have plenty of competition up and down the roster, so let's take a look at who is expected to see some action this season.
Previews: 125-157 | 165-285
165
We pick up the second installment of our season preview with the 165-pound spot that will feature junior Cooper Noehre and sophomore Stoney Buell. During last Friday's wrestle-offs Noehre came out on top when the pair squared off, winning both bouts in close decisions. The Greenfield, Ind., native has wrestled the majority of his matches at 157 thus far in his career, but won his lone outing at 165 by picking up a 10-5 decision over Northwestern's Ankhaa Enkhmendakh back in the 2020-21 season.
Buell will make his first varsity appearance for the Boilermakers at the Clarion Open this weekend, but put together an impressive 18-6 record in unattached competition as a freshman last season. He reached the consolation finals at both the Jim Koch Wisconsin Open and the Indianapolis Greyhound Open and was a four-time Michigan state champion at four different weights in high school.
174
Ersland will have a number of options available to him at 174 pounds, highlighted by standout transfer Jake Null. The redshirt-freshman came to West Lafayette from North Carolina State this offseason after compiling a 21-8 record with seven falls and a tech fall while competing unattached. He took the title at the Wolfpack Wrestling Club Open in addition to making the podium at the King Open (third), the Battle at the Citadel (fifth), and Cleveland State Open (fourth, 165). He comes into the year as the No. 33 174-pounder according to Intermat.
Pushing Null for the starting spot will be junior Macartney Parkinson and freshman Brody Baumann. Parkinson won via decision in both of his matches with Baumann at wrestle-offs and holds a 15-10 career record while wrestling at 184 pounds. Baumann was a two-time Indiana high school state champion on a 69-0 record in his final two seasons and helped Evansville Mater Dei to a team title in 2021.
184
At 184 pounds, the Boilermakers have another two-headed monster in sophomore Ben Vanadia and junior Mitch Hutmacher. Vanadia came out on top in a 7-4 decision in their lone bout at wrestle-offs and will look to cement his place in Clarion this weekend when he makes his varsity debut. As an unattached competitor last season, he went 12-2 competing at 197 pounds and won the Mount Union Purple Raider Open and took second at the Jim Koch Wisconsin Open.
Hutmacher has wrestled at both 184 and 197 over the past two seasons, posting a 9-11 mark between the two last year. He took sixth place at both the Michigan State Open and the Mount Union Purple Raider Open.
197
The embodiment of the student-athlete, redshirt senior Thomas Penola looks to continue his stellar Boilermaker career in his fourth season of varsity competition. A three-time NCAA qualifier, a three-time NWCA Scholar All-American and the 2022 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar is coming off a career year that saw him rack up a 24-9 record and lead the team in wins, takedowns, and total points. For his accomplishments, he was named the 2021-22 Boilermakers' Most Outstanding Wrestler. He comes into this season as the No. 10 wrestler in the country.
Sophomore Hayden Filipovich will look to provide competition for Penola at 197. The Indianapolis native went 10-4 unattached last year and made the podium in all three of the tournaments he competed in. As a senior at Lutheran of Indianapolis, he racked up a 44-0 record on his way to a state title and being named the 2021 1A Wrestler of the Year by IndianaMat.com.
285
We wrap up our season preview with a fierce competition for the heavyweight spot between a pair of sophomores in Hayden Copass and Tristan Ruhlman. Copass currently holds the edge after winning both of the duos bouts at wrestle-offs by decision, but both will travel to Clarion to try and stake their claim.
Copass went 4-1 in limited action unattached last year after signing a tender with the Boilermakers in October and enrolling for the spring semester. He was ranked No. 1 in the nation at 285 pounds at one point, won Fargo twice, won the 2020 Super 32 title and the 2020 Illinois state championship.
Ruhlman went 9-3 in his three open tournament competitions as a freshman, winning the Michigan State Open frosh/soph division title and finishing third at the Jim Koch Wisconsin Open. He was a four-year varsity letterwinner at Bloomington South and won the 2021 Indiana state title at 220 pounds with a perfect 27-0 record, the program's first state title since 2007.