TULSA, Okla. – Matt Ramos is Purdue Wrestling's ninth NCAA runner-up and 60th All-American after an incredible tournament run comes to an end on Saturday night in the 125-pound finals at the 2023 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Head coach Tony Ersland's squad will come home from Tulsa with two All-Americans and a t-20th finish, which is tied for the best team finish since 2003.
The sophomore Ramos upset No. 1 seeded and three-time reigning champion Spencer Lee of Iowa in the semifinals to earn his spot in the final where he faced No. 2 Pat Glory of Princeton. In a close match that featured a lot of scrambling, Glory was the one who came up with the takedown in the third to take the match 4-1.
"Matt [Ramos] can be anything he wants to be," Ersland said after the match. "He has to dictate more. Figure out what creates the positive situations for himself. Tonight maybe he was a little too hesitant to create those situations. He has all sorts of talent. He will learn from this."
Ramos' defeat of Lee is already being proclaimed as one of the biggest upsets in NCAA wrestling history, and he made plenty of Purdue history along the way as well. He is the first NCAA finalist for the program since 2006 and only the 13th to make a final. He is also the youngest Boilermaker to make a final, the other 12 were all upperclassmen.
Earlier in the day, sixth-year senior Parker Filius won the final match of his Purdue career 8-4 against Ohio State's No. 17 Dylan D'Emilio to take seventh at the NCAA Championships. The match went as so many of his have this postseason, down to the wire. Trailing late in the third, Filius bagged a takedown of his own to send the match into sudden victory.
Once there it was only ever going to go one way. Filius finished off a single-leg for a takedown and a two-point near-fall to walk it off in his last match in the old gold and black. He is the lowest seeded Boilermaker to place higher than eighth and the 61st All-American in program history. He wraps up his career with 87 wins and 156 back points.
A great weekend for the program overall, Filius and Ramos are the first national placewinners for Ersland in his nine years at the helm. It is the best team finish for Ersland's squad in that time as well. It is the first time Purdue has had two All-Americans in the same year since 2006.
"Overall, a great weekend for the program," Ersland said. "Matt got the big, big win to put himself in the national finals and then to have Parker wrestle the tournament that he did it is really big for the program. It's something we can really build on. We will have a returning All-American and a young team around him that will be a really solid foundation that has me excited about the future."
Results
NCAA Wrestling Championships
BOK Center
T-20th Place – 28.0 pts.
125: #4 Matt Ramos (R-Sophomore) – SECOND PLACE / ALL-AMERICAN
Champ Round 1: #29 Nico Provo (Stanford) – W, D 3-2
Champ Round 2: #20 Jarrett Trombley (N.C. State) – W, TB2 5-4
Champ Quarters: #28 Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) – W, D 8-7
Champ Semis: #1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) – W, Fall 6:59
Champ Final: #2 Pat Glory (Princeton) – L, D 4-1
141: #12 Parker Filius (Graduate Student) – SEVENTH PLACE / ALL-AMERICAN
Champ Round 1: #21 Cleveland Belton (Oregon State) – W, D 8-3
Champ Round 2: #5 Ryan Jack (N.C. State) – W, D 7-6
Champ Quarters: #4 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) – L, D 7-0
Cons. Round 4: #24 Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) – W, Fall 6:05
Cons. Round 5: #11 Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) – L, D 3-1
Seventh Place: Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) – W, D 8-4
157: #12 Kendall Coleman (R-Senior)
Champ Round 1: #21 Andrew Clark (Rutgers) – W, D 9-4
Champ Round 2: #5 Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) – L, D 3-0
Cons. Round 2: #11 Chase Saldate (Michigan State) – L, D 6-4
285: #30 Hayden Copass (R-Freshman)
Champ Round 1: #3 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) – L, Fall (0:34)
Cons. Pigtail: #33 Travis Stefanik (Princeton) – W, SV 3-1
Cosn. Round 1: #19 Jonah Nissenbaum (Duke) – L, D 6-0
The sophomore Ramos upset No. 1 seeded and three-time reigning champion Spencer Lee of Iowa in the semifinals to earn his spot in the final where he faced No. 2 Pat Glory of Princeton. In a close match that featured a lot of scrambling, Glory was the one who came up with the takedown in the third to take the match 4-1.
"Matt [Ramos] can be anything he wants to be," Ersland said after the match. "He has to dictate more. Figure out what creates the positive situations for himself. Tonight maybe he was a little too hesitant to create those situations. He has all sorts of talent. He will learn from this."
Ramos' defeat of Lee is already being proclaimed as one of the biggest upsets in NCAA wrestling history, and he made plenty of Purdue history along the way as well. He is the first NCAA finalist for the program since 2006 and only the 13th to make a final. He is also the youngest Boilermaker to make a final, the other 12 were all upperclassmen.
Earlier in the day, sixth-year senior Parker Filius won the final match of his Purdue career 8-4 against Ohio State's No. 17 Dylan D'Emilio to take seventh at the NCAA Championships. The match went as so many of his have this postseason, down to the wire. Trailing late in the third, Filius bagged a takedown of his own to send the match into sudden victory.
Once there it was only ever going to go one way. Filius finished off a single-leg for a takedown and a two-point near-fall to walk it off in his last match in the old gold and black. He is the lowest seeded Boilermaker to place higher than eighth and the 61st All-American in program history. He wraps up his career with 87 wins and 156 back points.
A great weekend for the program overall, Filius and Ramos are the first national placewinners for Ersland in his nine years at the helm. It is the best team finish for Ersland's squad in that time as well. It is the first time Purdue has had two All-Americans in the same year since 2006.
"Overall, a great weekend for the program," Ersland said. "Matt got the big, big win to put himself in the national finals and then to have Parker wrestle the tournament that he did it is really big for the program. It's something we can really build on. We will have a returning All-American and a young team around him that will be a really solid foundation that has me excited about the future."
Results
NCAA Wrestling Championships
BOK Center
T-20th Place – 28.0 pts.
125: #4 Matt Ramos (R-Sophomore) – SECOND PLACE / ALL-AMERICAN
Champ Round 1: #29 Nico Provo (Stanford) – W, D 3-2
Champ Round 2: #20 Jarrett Trombley (N.C. State) – W, TB2 5-4
Champ Quarters: #28 Killian Cardinale (West Virginia) – W, D 8-7
Champ Semis: #1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) – W, Fall 6:59
Champ Final: #2 Pat Glory (Princeton) – L, D 4-1
141: #12 Parker Filius (Graduate Student) – SEVENTH PLACE / ALL-AMERICAN
Champ Round 1: #21 Cleveland Belton (Oregon State) – W, D 8-3
Champ Round 2: #5 Ryan Jack (N.C. State) – W, D 7-6
Champ Quarters: #4 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) – L, D 7-0
Cons. Round 4: #24 Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) – W, Fall 6:05
Cons. Round 5: #11 Clay Carlson (South Dakota State) – L, D 3-1
Seventh Place: Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) – W, D 8-4
157: #12 Kendall Coleman (R-Senior)
Champ Round 1: #21 Andrew Clark (Rutgers) – W, D 9-4
Champ Round 2: #5 Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) – L, D 3-0
Cons. Round 2: #11 Chase Saldate (Michigan State) – L, D 6-4
285: #30 Hayden Copass (R-Freshman)
Champ Round 1: #3 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) – L, Fall (0:34)
Cons. Pigtail: #33 Travis Stefanik (Princeton) – W, SV 3-1
Cosn. Round 1: #19 Jonah Nissenbaum (Duke) – L, D 6-0