WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Three members of the Purdue Wrestling team will make the trek to Geneva, Ohio to compete in the USA Wrestling freestyle events being held at the Spire Institute on Saturday.
Orland Cruz (79kg) and James Rowley (86kg) will represent the Boilermakers in the U20 World Team Trials tournament while Jacob Macatangay (61 kg) takes on the loaded field in the U23 Nationals bracket. Incoming freshman Isaiah Quintero qualified for the U20 competition after taking fifth at the U.S. Open back in April but is unable to attend this event.
Cruz comes in after going 18-7 in his debut collegiate campaign. He finished the season leading the team in tournament wins (16) while also recording the fastest tech fall with a 2:01 win over Ashland's Hayden Flynn at the Purple Raider Open. He qualified for U20s thanks to a runner-up finish at the 2023 Fargo Freestyle National Championships.
Rowley is set to be a force in this tournament , bringing an impressive history on the freestyle circuit. The Corvalis native owns a silver medal from the 2021 Cadet Freestyle World Championships and is a two-time World Team member. With multiple wins over some of the other favorites in this tournament, MatScouts identified him as a "threat we haven't seen in a while" in their weekend preview.
The Boilers lone representative in the U23 Nationals field, Macatangay enters a bracket with over 60 Division I wrestlers. The Plainsfield, Ill., native has four wins on his record as a Boilermaker, including three with bonus points.
Matches for both tournaments will begin at 9:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, June 1. Medals matches and finals for the U20 World Team Trials will take place around 4:00 p.m. on the same day. The U23 brackets will run into Sunday starting at 10:00 a.m. Both events will be streamed live on FloWrestling.
Orland Cruz (79kg) and James Rowley (86kg) will represent the Boilermakers in the U20 World Team Trials tournament while Jacob Macatangay (61 kg) takes on the loaded field in the U23 Nationals bracket. Incoming freshman Isaiah Quintero qualified for the U20 competition after taking fifth at the U.S. Open back in April but is unable to attend this event.
Cruz comes in after going 18-7 in his debut collegiate campaign. He finished the season leading the team in tournament wins (16) while also recording the fastest tech fall with a 2:01 win over Ashland's Hayden Flynn at the Purple Raider Open. He qualified for U20s thanks to a runner-up finish at the 2023 Fargo Freestyle National Championships.
Rowley is set to be a force in this tournament , bringing an impressive history on the freestyle circuit. The Corvalis native owns a silver medal from the 2021 Cadet Freestyle World Championships and is a two-time World Team member. With multiple wins over some of the other favorites in this tournament, MatScouts identified him as a "threat we haven't seen in a while" in their weekend preview.
The Boilers lone representative in the U23 Nationals field, Macatangay enters a bracket with over 60 Division I wrestlers. The Plainsfield, Ill., native has four wins on his record as a Boilermaker, including three with bonus points.
Matches for both tournaments will begin at 9:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, June 1. Medals matches and finals for the U20 World Team Trials will take place around 4:00 p.m. on the same day. The U23 brackets will run into Sunday starting at 10:00 a.m. Both events will be streamed live on FloWrestling.