Boilers Secure Ersland's 100th Win in Season Opener

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue wrestling team opened its season with a 24-12 victory over Kent State on Sunday afternoon in Holloway Gymnasium.

It marked head coach Tony Ersland’s 100^th career victory, moving him into a tie with Claude Reeck (1938-69) for the second-most wins in program history.

The Boilermakers (1-0, 0-0 B1G) took six of 10 matches against the Golden Flashes (0-1, 0-0 MAC), including four for bonus points.

After Kent State got on the board first with a narrow 9-8 decision at 125 lbs, Vincent Paino took the momentum back for the Boilermakers when he knocked off No. 33 Nick Molchak in an impressive 11-2 major decision. Making his first appearance as a regular starter, Paino notched three takedowns without surrendering one and built up 1:31 of riding time.

Welcome to the lineup, Vinny. 💪 Sophomore Vincent Paino takes down #33 Nick Molchak in an 11-2 major decision! https://t.co/ibzGn1OvxJ

— Purdue Wrestling (@PurdueWrestling) November 1, 2026

No. 23 Isaiah Schaefer also secured bonus points at 141 pounds, locking up a 12-2 major decision over Landen Duncan in which he scored nine points in the third period. It was his first match as a nationally ranked wrestler and the Evansville, Indiana, native looked every bit the part.

The Flashes took decision victories at 149 and 157 pounds to bring a 9-8 lead into the intermission, but Purdue came out hot with the team’s returning two-time All-American leading the way after the break.

No. 3 Joey Blaze (165) picked up where he left off last season in a commanding 21-5 technical fall over Ty Deericks, clinching the win at the 5:41 mark. The senior scored seven takedowns to tie his career high in a single match and earned his 16^th career tech fall.

No surprise: No. 3 Joey Blaze picks up a tech fall to open his senior season 🔥 Watch the @PurdueWrestling 2x All-American roll to 21-5 win 👇 https://t.co/ZlLXTyj1cY

— Big Ten Wrestling (@B1GWrestling) November 1, 2026

No. 22 Brody Baumann (174) carried the torch with a 19-4 tech fall over Ethan Barr, winning the match in the second period. Baumann amassed 10 bonus point wins last year and put another one in the books to extend Purdue’s lead to 18-9.

James Rowley (184) had a back-and-forth match with JR Reed but found himself trailing after giving up a takedown in the final minute of the third period. With his back against the wall, down 5-2, he escaped from underneath and took a shot for the go-ahead takedown with 15 seconds remaining. Rowley stayed on top to prevent the match-tying escape point, picking up a 6-5 decision.

Noah Weaver (197) also looked strong in his first match as a starter, defeating Trent Thomas in a high-scoring 18-12 decision. He nearly secured bonus points after notching five takedowns, but Thomas scored a T3 with 15 seconds remaining to bring the margin within seven.

Austin Richens (285) looked sharp in his Boilermaker debut against a much larger Brentan Simmerman in the heavyweight match, but came up short in a 4-2 decision. Richens appeared to score the match-winning takedown on the edge of the circle with two seconds left on the clock, but after a lengthy review, the takedown was overturned and no points were rewarded.

But Weaver had already clinched Purdue’s victory. A crowd of 503 fans was on hand for the team’s first season opener at home since Dec. 3, 1960.

UP NEXT

The Boilers will head to Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, on Saturday, Nov. 7, for a unique opportunity to compete on the top deck of the USS Yorktown CV-10 aircraft carrier.

In the annual event dubbed “Throwdown on the Yorktown”, Purdue will battle in a pair of duals against Air Force (2:30 p.m.) and The Citadel (5 p.m.). The matches will be streamed live on FloWrestling.