Schaefer Wins U20 All-America Honors, Takes 8th at U.S. Open

LAS VEGAS — Purdue wrestler Isaiah Schaefer earned more national acclaim with an eighth-place finish at the U.S. Open and cemented himself as a U20 Freestyle All-American on Sunday.

The true freshman from Evansville, Ind., won five total matches at the two-day national tournament competing with many of the top wrestlers in the country. He opened his run with four straight victories including three technical falls for a combined score of 43-6, advancing to the quarterfinals in the 65 kg weight class.

Schaef putting on a show at the U.S. Open 🍿

Isaiah Schaefer (65 kg) advances to the U20 Freestyle quarterfinals after a 4-0 start with 3️⃣ tech falls!

Combined score of 43-6 🤯 pic.twitter.com/4GjAJH01MV

— Purdue Wrestling (@PurdueWrestling) April 26, 2026

Schaefer went on to win one more match in the consolation bracket to clinch All-America status. Coming off his redshirt 2025-26 season after which he was named Purdue’s Freshman of the Year, Schaefer has four more years of eligibility and projects to be a long-term staple in Purdue’s lighter side of the lineup.

Schaefer showed out last summer as well when he became a Fargo Junior All-American in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. Last November in his NCAA debut match, he upset No. 25 Kade Moore and placed second at the Tiger Style Invite on his first day of college wrestling. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for his efforts, the first Boilermaker to ever earn that title.

In total, Purdue’s 10 wrestlers amassed 32 wins at the U.S. Open over the weekend.

Redshirt junior James Rowley came up just one win shy of senior freestyle All-America honors, one of two Boilermakers competing in the senior division which is open to all age groups. The former U17 world silver medalist opened strong with two tech falls, a total score of 24-4, to earn his spot in the 79 kg quarterfinals.

The former Cadet World Silver Medalist is STEAMROLLING early at the U.S. Open. 🚂🥶@JamesRow_1 advances to the senior freestyle quarterfinals after a pair of dominant tech falls.

👉 11-1 over Gavin Ramos
👉 13-3 over #8 Ethan Riddle pic.twitter.com/fYK8NP61Po

— Purdue Wrestling (@PurdueWrestling) April 24, 2026

Back in the U20 division, freshman heavyweight Tyson Russell (125 kg) took a big leap and was arguably Purdue’s biggest surprise performer. The two-time Tennessee state champion won four bouts, two by tech fall, and also came up just one win short of the podium.

Various other young Boilermakers had strong showings as well within their cutthroat brackets. Vincent Paino (61 kg) led Purdue with six wins, including two pins and two tech falls. Adrian Pellot (74 kg) had five wins, three by tech fall, and redshirt freshman Wyatt Krejsa (70 kg) tallied four techs himself.

RESULTS

SENIOR MEN’S FREESTYLE

James Rowley – R-Jr. – 79 kg
Rd. of 32: Gavin Ramos – W, TF 11-1 (1:47)
Rd. of 16: Ethan Riddle – W, TF 13-3 (6:00)
Quarters: Chance Marsteller – L, TF 12-0 (1:08)
Cons. Quarters: Matthew Singleton – L, Dec. 6-1

Dominic Burgett – R-So. – 125 kg
Rd. of 32: Jimmy Mullen – L, TF 10-0 (2:31)
Cons. Sub-Rd. of 16: Jude Beers – L, Fall 5:50

U20 MEN’S FREESTYLE

Ty Henderson – Fr. – 57 kg
Rd. of 128: Carlos Melgoza III – W, Dec. 7-1
Rd. of 64: Gabriel Ramirez – L, Dec. 6-6 (criteria)
Cons. Rd. of 64: Joseph Gonthier – W, TF 10-0 (1:52)
Cons. Sub-Rd. of 32: Erich Bush – L, Dec. 7-6

Vincent Paino – Fr. – 61 kg
Rd. of 128: Dillon Arrick – W, Dec. 7-0
Rd. of 64: Ronnie Ramirez – L, TF 11-0 (5:21)
Cons. Rd. of 64: Jaymeson Vander Velde – W, TF 10-0 (2:37)
Cons. Sub-Rd. of 32: Trey Smith – W, Fall 1:36
Cons. Rd. of 32: Nathan Rioux – W, TF 10-0 (5:01)
Cons. Sub-Rd. of 16: Jasper Croom – W, Fall 5:56
Cons. Rd. of 16: Jace Hedeman – W, Dec. 8-3
Cons. Sub-Quarters: Matthew Botello – L, Dec. 7-1

Isaiah Schaefer – Fr. – 65 kg – E PLACE ALL-AMERICAN
Rd. of 128: Aiden King – W, TF 10-0 (1:58)
Rd. of 64: Kamdyn Borrero – W, TF 13-2 (2:51)
Rd. of 32: Yianni Marinis – W, Dec. 10-4
Rd. of 16: Dawson Youngblut – W, TF 10-0 (4:12)
Quarters: Bo Bassett – L, TF 11-0 (1:54)
Cons. Quarters: Bodie Abbey – W, TF 12-2 (5:18)
Cons. Sub-Semis: Sam Herring – L, Dec. 3-0
7^th Place Match: Matthew Martino – L, TF 11-0 (3:50)

Wyatt Krejsa – R-Fr. – 70 kg
Rd. of 128: Michael Boulanger Jr. – W, TF 11-0 (2:05)
Rd. of 64: Legend Ellis – L, Dec. 2-2 (criteria)
Cons. Rd. of 64: Kaden Markley – W, TF 10-0 (0:30)
Cons. Sub-Rd. of 32: Carlos Valdiviezo – W, TF 10-0 (2:00)
Cons. Rd. of 32: Dominic Wilson – W, TF 10-0 (3:34)
Cons. Sub-Rd. of 16: Dallas Russell – L, Dec. 8-6

Brody Saccoccia – Fr. – 70 kg
Rd. of 256: Sam Bustamante – W, Fall 3:46
Rd. of 128: Brayden Canoyer – L, TF 12-2 (5:14)
Cons. Rd. of 128: Bohdan Porter – W, TF 12-1 (4:00)
Cons. Sub-Rd. of 64: Eli Carr – L, Dec. 6-5

Adrian Pellot – Fr. – 74 kg
Rd. of 128: Gavin Regis – W, TF 14-4 (5:48)
Rd. of 64: Titus Rodela – W, TF 17-6 (6:00)
Rd. of 32: Mason Petersen – L, TF 10-0 (0:38)
Cons. Rd. of 32: Gavin Hawk – W, Dec. 7-3
Cons. Sub-Rd. of 16: Chase Hontz – W, Dec. 9-3
Cons. Rd. of 16: Kyler Knaack – W, TF 12-1 (4:07)
Cons. Sub-Quarters: William Denny – L, DQ

Aidan Costello – Fr. – 86 kg
Rd. of 64: Frank Aquila – W, Dec. 7-2
Rd. of 32: Eli Leonard – L, TF 13-2 (2:14)
Cons. Rd. of 32: Conner Hoar – W, TF 14-4 (4:10)
Cons. Sub-Rd. of 16: Elijah Hawes – L, TF 12-2 (3:50)

Tyson Russell – Fr. – 125 kg
Rd. of 64: Michael Rivas – W, TF 12-1 (1:08)
Rd. of 32: Preston Wagner – W, Dec. 9-4
Rd. of 16: Tyson Martin – L, TF 11-0 (1:49)
Cons. Rd. of 16: Tanner Gormanson – W, TF 10-0 (1:34)
Cons. Sub-Quarters: Charles Weidman – W, Dec. 8-6
Cons. Quarters: Jacob Levy – L, TF 11-0 (4:14)