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Allowing enough time to pass, while still remaining close enough to the event to keep it relevant, head coach Tony Ersland and co-hosts Cory Palm and Tanner Lipsett look back at Purdue wrestling's 2021 NCAA Championships performance on this week's Always Aggressive Podcast.
The main theme of the show was to reflect on the successes of the 2021 season, the historical achievements of this group, while still not being satisfied with the progress to date and still pursing the team's ultimate goals.
The Boilermakers had eight NCAA qualifiers for the third straight year, the fourth time in seven years under Ersland and just the sixth time in program history. The consistency in getting the majority of the team to the national tournament is the first step in getting guys on the podium and chasing top placements at NCAA's.
Senior Devin Schroder and sophomore Thomas Penola advanced to the Round of 12 at 125 and 197 pounds, respectively, but fell one win shy of All-America status. All eight qualifiers won at least one match, and senior Max Lyon, junior Parker Filius and freshman Gerrit Nijenhuis all added bonus points to some of their victories.
Palm closed the show with an outstanding hypothetical: in the movie that portrays the rise of Purdue wrestling, what actor would play Ersland?
0:00 – 2021 NCAA's happened, and we're thankful
4:38 – Establishing consistency, progress
10:48 – Schroder's showing
17:03 – Big Ten at NCAA's
21:00 – Penola's performance
24:15 – Freshmen Finishes
28:14 – Appreciating progress while chasing goals
41:55 – Who's playing Ersland?
