FARGO, N.D. — Incoming Purdue freshman Nathan Rioux capped his final appearance at the U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals with a third-place finish in Junior Boys Freestyle.
With the podium finish at 132 lbs., Rioux, a native of Avon, Ind., became the first seven-time Fargo All-American in Indiana state history. He went 8-1 with three technical falls and one pin, avenging his only loss in the quarterfinals with a 9-4 decision victory in the third-place match over Ohio’s Blaze Van Gundy.
Rioux came Throux 🇺🇸👏
— Purdue Wrestling (@PurdueWrestling) July 12, 2026
The first 7x Fargo All-American in Indiana state history! pic.twitter.com/G4gtHYZY94
Rioux additionally competed in the Greco-Roman tournament, in which he won four matches (two pins, two tech falls) before falling in the Consolation Round of 16.
A two-time Indiana state champion, Rioux ended his senior year as MatScouts' No. 129 overall prospect in the nation and is a key piece of Purdue’s class of 2026. Head coach Tony Ersland’s recruiting class finished ranked No. 13 by FloWrestling, No. 18 by InterMat and No. 22 by MatScouts.
Drake Hooiman also had a strong showing in the FARGODOME, advancing to the quarterfinals at 144 lbs. and finishing one win shy of All-America status. The four-time Nevada state champion stormed into the final eight with three tech falls and one decision before drawing No. 2 seed Braylon Reynolds and No. 1 seed Dale Corbin.
Purdue’s other two participants, Jackson Bradley (157) and Jacob Weaver (165), also turned in solid freestyle performances. Both went 4-2 and earned multiple bonus-point victories. All four of Bradley's wins came by technical fall, while Weaver recorded two technical falls of his own.
After placing 29th as a team at the 2026 NCAA Championships and securing the program’s fifth All-American in the past four years (Joey Blaze, sixth place, 165 lbs.), Coach Ersland’s squad is heading into the 2026-27 season with a healthy mix of youth and high-end returning talent. The season schedule was released earlier Wednesday.
Blaze is set to return for his senior year looking to become a rare three-time All-American and national champion. Fellow three-time NCAA Championships qualifier Brody Baumann is also back for his redshirt senior season. The four incoming Boilermakers who competed in Fargo are part of the group of 11 freshmen, Purdue’s largest freshman class since the 2017-18 season.
RESULTS
JR FREESTYLE (JULY 10-12)
132 | Nathan Rioux (Indiana) – 3RD PLACE ALL-AMERICAN
Rd. of 128: vs. Darryl Jackson – W, TF 12-2 (2:14)
Rd. of 64: vs. Cooper Hinz – W, Dec. 16-13
Rd. of 32: vs. Jasper Croom – W, TF 15-4 (4:57)
Rd. of 16: vs. Caleb Schaefer – W, TF 12-2 (3:49)
Quarters: vs. Blaze Van Gundy – L, Dec. 14-9
Cons. Quarters: vs. Jason Hampton – W, Pin 3:47
Cons. Sub-Semis: vs. Jamiel Castleberry – W, Dec. 7-4
Cons. Semis: vs. Tommy Wurster – W, Dec. 12-6
3rd Place Match: vs. Blaze Van Gundy – W, Dec. 9-4
144 | Drake Hooiman (Nevada)
Rd. of 128: vs. Jayden Hernandez – W, TF 10-0 (2:06)
Rd. of 64: vs. Kyler Simons – W, TF 12-0 (2:01)
Rd. of 32: vs. Garrison Sartain – W, TF 14-4 (4:54)
Rd. of 16: vs. Amari Vann – W, Dec. 15-10
Quarters: vs. Braylon Reynolds – L, Pin 2:03
Cons. Quarters: vs. Dale Corbin – L, Dec. 8-2
157 | Jackson Bradley (Indiana)
Rd. of 128: vs. Riley Dighton – W, TF 13-3 (3:47)
Rd. of 64: vs. Lincoln Robideau – L, TF 11-0 (1:02)
Cons. Rd. of 64: vs. Drezdyn Ballard – W, TF 11-0 (1:25)
Cons. Sub-Rd. of 32: vs. Lane Gudenkauf – W, TF 12-2 (4:24)
Cons. Rd. of 32: vs. Konnor Fordyce – W, TF 17-6 (4:05)
Cons. Sub-Rd. of 16: vs. Carlos Valdiviezo – L, Dec. 14-5
165 | Jacob Weaver (Indiana)
Rd. of 128: vs. Henry Santini – W, TF 12-1 (1:47)
Rd. of 64: vs. Daniel Blanke – W, Dec. 14-7
Rd. of 32: vs. Melvin Miller – L, TF 10-0 (2:20)
Cons. Rd. of 32: vs. Christian Stoeber – W, TF 11-0 (2:46)
Cons. Sub-Rd. of 16: vs. Augustus Smith – W, Dec. 12-3
Cons. Rd. of 16: vs. Thunder Page – L, Dec. 8-6
JR GRECO-ROMAN (JULY 14-15)
132 | Nathan Rioux (Indiana)
Rd. of 128: vs. Colton Huff – L, Dec. 8-5
Cons. Rd. of 64: vs. Noriel Gonzalez – W, TF 10-0 (0:47)
Cons. Sub-Rd. of 32: vs. Kayden Eller – W, TF 10-0 (0:39)
Cons. Rd. of 32: vs. Jack Simpson – W, Pin 2:08
Cons. Sub-Rd. of 16: vs. Michael Poulette – W, Pin 1:12
Cons. Rd. of 16: vs. Jensen Boyd – L, Dec. 10-6