CLEVELAND — Second-seeded, 165-pound Purdue junior Joey Blaze secured a victory and advanced to the second round at the 2026 NCAA Championships on Thursday at Rocket Arena. The Boilermakers went 1-3 in the opening round, putting one team point on the board after the first session of the tournament.
Blaze put together a workmanlike performance in his opening round match, riding a first-round takedown to a 5-0 win over Pittsburgh’s Jared Keslar. Blaze got to his single-leg attack in the opening minute and then worked a cross-body ride for just over two minutes to close out the frame. Blaze added an escape in the second period and a riding-time point at the end of regulation to seal up the win. The victory avenges Blaze’s first collegiate loss in 2023 at the Clarion Open, and takes him into the second round for the second straight season at NCAA’s.
Takedown sequence 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/P04mSJt8jK
— Purdue Wrestling (@PurdueWrestling) March 19, 2026
Graduate Blake Boarman came up just shy of a first-round victory, staging a furious third-period comeback, but running out of time in a 16-14 loss to ninth-seeded Dominick Serrano of Northern Colorado. Serrano built a 13-3 lead over the first two periods, scoring three takedowns including a six-point move in the first. However, Boarman maintained his pace in the third period, scoring three takedowns of his own and pulling within a point in the closing seconds. The clock ran out on Boarman, one takedown shy of the win and Serrano added a riding-time point to advance.
Things looked good early for Purdue junior Brody Baumann as he stung Iowa State’s 11th-seeded M.J. Gaitan in the opening minute to take a 3-0 lead. The tide turned Gaitan’s way after a takedown and turn to make it 6-4, and then Baumann found himself on the wrong end of a scramble as he was taken down and pinned with 19 seconds left in the frame.
Senior Ben Vanadia had a tough start to his NCAA debut, suffering an 18-3 technical fall loss at the hands of No. 7 seed Cody Merrill of Oklahoma State. Merrill scored one takedown in the first period, added two more in the second and finished out the match with a takedown and a turn in the third.
UP NEXT
All four Boilermakers return tonight at 7 pm (ET) for Session II of the NCAA Championships in Cleveland, Ohio. Matches will stream live on ESPN+, with updates about mat assignments and results available at www.x.com/PurdueWrestling. Blaze continues on the championship side of the bracket with a second-round match against No. 15 seed Connor Euton of Iowa State. Boarman opens up consolation action against No. 25 seed Will Betancourt of Rider, who Boarman earned a 2-1 decision over in January. Baumann is set to face North Carolina’s No. 27 seed Collin Carrigan, while Vanadia will face No. 23 seed Mikey Squires of Binghamton.
RESULTS
133 | #24 Blake Boarman (R-Sr.)
Round 1: #9 Dominick Serrano (Northern Colorado) – L, D 16-14
Conso. Round 1: #25 Will Betancourt (Rider)
165 | #2 Joey Blaze (Jr.)
Round 1: #31 Jared Kesler (Pittsburgh) – W, D 5-0
Round 2: #15 Connor Euton (Iowa State)
174 | #22 Brody Baumann (R-Jr.)
Round 1: #11 M.J. Gaitan (Iowa State) – L, Fall 2:41
Conso. Round 1: #27 Collin Carrigan (North Carolina)
197 | #26 Ben Vanadia (R-Sr.)
Round 1: #7 Cody Merrill (Oklahoma State) – L, TF 18-3 (6:01)
Conso. Round 1: #23 Mikey Squires (Binghamton)