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ARTICLES

FIVE BOILERMAKERS EARN AA HONORS

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Five members of the Purdue wrestling team received All-America honors Friday as seniors Dylan Lydy and Christian Brunner, juniors Devin Schroder and Griffin Parriott and freshman Kendall Coleman were all recognized by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) for their outstanding accomplishments from the 2019-20 season. The group marks Purdue's largest All-America contingent in program history as the Boilermakers last had a group of at least four national honorees in 1950.

With the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Championships, wrestlers were denied the opportunity to compete for the traditional achievement of a top-eight finish garnering All-America honors. As a result, the NWCA made the decision to honor the top-eight seeds with first-team recognition, 9-12 with second team and 13-16 received honorable mention.

"It's fantastic to see our guys honored for the hard work put into this season and the things they achieved," said Purdue head coach Tony Ersland. "No one wanted to see the season end the way it did, but to see the NWCA make this decision and honor our guys for having a fantastic year is the right thing to do."

Lydy, Brunner, Schroder and Coleman all earned First Team All-America, as Lydy was the highest-seeded Boilermaker at No. 4 at 174 pounds, Schroder was the No. 5 seed at 125 pounds and Brunner and Coleman were the No. 6 seeds at 197 and 157 pounds, respectively. Parriott adds Honorable Mention All-America to his resume on the strength of his No. 16 seed at 149 pounds. The quintet are the first wrestlers to earn All-America honors in Ersland's tenure as Purdue's head coach.

Lydy had one of the best seasons in program history, amassing a 31-2 overall record which stands as the No. 3 single-season win percentage all-time at Purdue. He won both the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and Midlands Championships, becoming the first Boilermaker to win both tournaments, and went on to take third at the Big Ten Championships. His 111 career victories are tied for eighth most all-time at Purdue, while he finished 13th in the record books with 267 career takedowns.

Brunner is 1-of-12 wrestlers in program history to qualify for the NCAA Championships in each of his four seasons, and is the highest-seeded 197-pound wrestler all-time at Purdue. With his season nearly cut short due to a knee injury at Rutgers, Brunner battled back to earn an automatic qualifying bid at the Big Ten Championships and finished 25-6 on the year. He was runner-up at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and won the Midlands Championships. His 98 career wins are 18th all-time at Purdue and he finished ninth in program history with 220 career back points.

Schroder had a breakout junior campaign, posting a 26-5 record that included a runner-up performance in Las Vegas and a second-place effort at the Big Ten Championships. He led the Boilermakers in total points scored and dual team points, in addition to his 156 back points which ranks sixth on Purdue's season record board. His 390 career back points are already third all-time at Purdue and his career win percentage of .725 is No. 16 all-time for the Boilermakers.

Coleman is just the sixth Purdue freshman to earn All-America honors, and the first since 2010. He posted a 29-8 record at 157 pounds, winning the Michigan State Open and placing fourth at both the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and the Midlands Championships. He became the first Boilermaker rookie to advance to the Big Ten Championship finals since 1947, and led the team with 95 takedowns, the most by a Purdue freshman since 2010.

Parriott went 16-11 at 149 pounds in his junior season, which included a fourth-place effort in Las Vegas and a sixth-place showing at the Big Ten Championships as the No. 10 seed. He had wins over five different nationally ranked opponents during the season, including two at the conference tournament to climb the podium and earn an automatic bid to nationals.

Purdue crowns its first All-Americans as a program since Ivan Lopouchanski took seventh at 149 pounds in 2013. The program now has 58 All-America honors in its history, and is coming off its top Big Ten Championship finish since 1992 as the Boilermakers were fifth at the conference tournament on March 8, scoring 83 team points. Based off the national seeds, Purdue was projected to finish seventh at the national tournament, and was just 5.5 points shy of fourth place and a coveted team trophy, and Boilermakers' eight national qualifiers tied a program record for the second straight season.

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