WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — For the first time in program history, Purdue has swept the two Big Ten Conference weekly wrestling awards.
Redshirt senior Stoney Buell (157 lbs) was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week after his championship run at Sunday’s Tiger Style Invite. Freshman Isaiah Schaefer (133 lbs) earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week status after going 3-1 to take silver in his collegiate debut.
Buell became the 17th wrestler in school history to win the prestigious conference honor, which dates back to the 1990s. Schaefer is the first Boilermaker to win Freshman of the Week, which was introduced at the start of the 2024-25 season.
The Big Ten, which has won every national championship for the past 18 years, is perennially recognized as the most dominant conference in college wrestling. To sweep both awards is an indication of the significant strides Purdue continues to take under head coach Tony Ersland.
BUELL’S WEEK IN REVIEW
- The redshirt senior, entering the week unranked by FloWrestling and No. 28 by InterMat, won his second career championship at the Tiger Style Invite.
- Buell won a talented 157-pound bracket that included No. 7 Rafael Hipolito (Oklahoma), No. 14 Cael Swensen (South Dakota State), No. 22 J Conway (Mizzou) and No. 29 Jaivon Jones (Little Rock).
- Buell's title win propelled him from being unranked to No. 14 in the country (Flo), the largest jump by an active Big Ten wrestler among all weight classes.
- Buell beat Mizzou's David Gleason in the first round (D 15-10), No. 29 Jones in the quarterfinals (D 9-7), No. 7 Hipolito in the semifinals (MFFL) and No. 14 Swensen in the finals (D 11-6). He amassed a total score of 35-23.
- Buell's win over Swensen was his highest ranked victory since defeating eventual national champion Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) in the 2023 Cliff Keen Invite.
Buell, now 5-0 to start the year, is still adjusting to his new weight after wrestling at 165 for each of his first three seasons.
SCHAEFER’S WEEK IN REVIEW
- In his first college match, the true freshman knocked off No. 25 Kade Moore (Mizzou) in a commanding 12-3 major decision, taking him down three times to none.
- Schaefer ran all the way through the 133-pound bracket to make it to the finals, going 3-1, dropping a very close 4-1 overtime decision in the finals. He finished his first tournament with a silver medal.
- Schaefer was No. 25 Moore's only loss of the day; the Tiger went on to win four straight with a major decision and a pin to take third place.
- The 2025 Fargo Freestyle and Greco-Roman All-American won a clutch 4-1 sudden-victory decision in the semifinals over Logan Swensen, winning a dramatic scramble for the decisive takedown.
- Schaefer was the only true freshman to make it to the Tiger Style finals among all weight classes.
Buell and Schaefer are both listed as probable starters for at least one of Purdue’s three upcoming matchups in Saturday’s Boilermaker Duals. Beginning at 10 a.m. ET in Lambert Fieldhouse, admission is free to all fans. It will be streamed on B1G+.
PREVIOUS PURDUE WINNERS
January 1996 – Tony Vaughn
Feb. 8, 2001 – Jake Vercelli
Jan. 15, 2003 – Chris Fleeger
Feb. 12, 2003 – Ryan Lange
Dec. 23, 2003 – Sean Schmaltz
Feb. 5, 2004 – Brad Harper
Nov. 9, 2005 – Ben Wissel
Dec. 19, 2006 – Nathan Moore
Nov. 7, 2007 – Jake Patacsil
Nov. 4, 2008 – Jake Fleckenstein
Nov. 10, 2009 – Colton Salazar
Nov. 29, 2011 – Matt Fields
Dec. 2, 2014 – Danny Sabatello
Jan. 20, 2015 – Danny Sabatello
Nov. 5, 2019 – Kendall Coleman
Nov. 12, 2019 – Dylan Lydy
Dec. 10, 2019 – Dylan Lydy
Nov. 14, 2024 – Matt Ramos
Dec. 12, 2024 – Matt Ramos