STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Redshirt senior Blake Boarman grabbed national headlines by upsetting defending NCAA champion Lucas Byrd of Illinois in the Big Ten Wrestling Championships quarterfinals Saturday afternoon.
Seven Boilermakers in total will wrestle on for a spot on the podium in Session II, which begins at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday. Action will be televised on Big Ten Network and streamed live on B1G+.
A native of Evansville, Ind., Boarman (133 lbs.) recorded a 7-3 decision to hand top-ranked Byrd his first loss in over a year. It snapped a 29-match win streak for the undefeated Illinois wrestler. Before that match, Boarman also upset No. 7 Sean Spidle (Northwestern) in a first-round 3-2 decision.
In the Purdue-Illinois dual last month, Boarman’s performance foreshadowed what was to come when he scored the only takedown of the match against Byrd but lost a 5-4 decision due to stall warnings. The Boilermaker answered the call in the postseason, bowing up for two takedowns in short time.
DOWN GOES THE NATIONAL CHAMP 🔥@BoarmanBlake snaps Lucas Byrd's 29-match win streak for the upset of his career! pic.twitter.com/44XHMYwLul
— Purdue Wrestling (@PurdueWrestling) March 7, 2026
Purdue’s 133-pounder punched his ticket to the Big Ten semifinals on Saturday night. Wrestling as the No. 10 seed, he is the lowest-seeded semifinalist of any weight in the conference.
The victory also clinched Boarman’s spot on the podium. He became the first Boilermaker to lock up an auto-bid to the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
It was an otherwise tough first session for the rest of the Purdue wrestling team.
No. 2 Joey Blaze (165) suffered his first loss of the season in a 3-2 nail-biter to No. 7 Andrew Barbosa (Rutgers). Leading 2-0 with fewer than 10 seconds remaining, Blaze gave up a takedown for the first time all season on the perimeter. It was originally not ruled a takedown, but a successful challenge from the Rutgers corner gave Barbosa the winning points.
Blaze and five other Boilermakers will continue their runs for the Big Ten podium in the consolation rounds. They remain in the mix to earn an auto-bid to the NCAA Championships in Cleveland on March 19-21.
RESULTS
125 | #13 Ashton Jackson (R-So.) – 0-2
Round 1: #4 Jacob Moran (IU) – L, TF 17-2 (3:53)
Cons. Round 1: #5 Ayden Smith (RU) – L, Dec. 4-2 (TB-1)
133 | #10 Blake Boarman (R-Sr.) – 2-0
Round 1: #7 Sean Spidle (NU) – W, Dec. 3-2
Quarters: #2 Lucas Byrd (ILL) – W, Dec. 7-3
UP NEXT – Semis: #3 Ben Davino (OSU)
141 | #7 Greyson Clark (Jr.) – 0-1
Round 1: #10 Joey Olivieri (RU)
Cons. Round 1: BYE
UP NEXT – Cons. Round 2: #8 Billy DeKraker (NU)
149 | #12 Gavin Brown (R-Jr.) – 0-2
Round 1: #5 Carter Young (MD) – L, Dec. 8-1
Cons. Round 1: #13 Clayton Jones (MSU) – L, MD 10-2
157 | #9 Stoney Buell (R-Sr.) – 0-1
Round 1: #8 Luke Mechler (WIS) – L, Dec. 7-2
Cons. Round 1: BYE
UP NEXT – Cons. Round 2: #7 Brandon Cannon (OSU)
165 | #2 Joey Blaze (Jr.) – 0-1
Round 1: BYE
Quarters: #7 Andrew Barbosa (RU) – L, Dec. 3-2
UP NEXT – Cons. Round 2: #9 Tyler Lillard (IU)
174 | #8 Brody Baumann (R-Jr.) – 0-1
Round 1: #9 Colin Kelly (ILL) – L, MD 11-2
Cons. Round 1: BYE
UP NEXT – Cons. Round 2: #7 Ethan Riddle (MIN)
184 | #10 James Rowley (R-Jr.) – 0-1
Round 1: #7 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (RU) – L, Dec. 5-2 (SV-1)
Cons. Round 1: BYE
UP NEXT – Cons. Round 2: #8 Angelo Ferrari (IOWA)
197 | #9 Ben Vanadia (R-Sr.) – 0-1
Round 1: #8 Gabe Sollars (IU) – L, Inj. Def.
Cons. Round 1: BYE
UP NEXT – Cons. Round 2: #7 Kael Wisler (MSU)
285 | #11 Hayden Filipovich (R-Sr.) – 0-2
Round 1: #6 Luke Luffman (ILL) – L, Dec. 5-1
Cons. Round 1: #14 Caleb Marzolino (IU) – L, Fall 0:29