TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
U.S. Open Men's Freestyle National Championships
South Point Convention Center / Las Vegas, Nevada
Session I
Friday, April 28 / Noon ET
Preliminaries, quarterfinals, consolations
Session II
Friday, April 28 / 10:30 p.m. ET
Semifinals
Session III
Saturday, April 29 / Noon ET
Consolations, consolation semifinals, third-, fifth-, seventh-place matches
Session IV
Saturday, April 29 / 9 p.m. ET
Finals
UWW Junior Freestyle National Championships
South Point Convention Center / Las Vegas, Nevada
Session I
Friday, April 28 / Noon ET
Preliminaries, consolations
Session II
Friday, April 28 / 5:30 p.m. ET
Preliminaries, quarterfinals, consolations
Session III
Saturday, April 29 / Noon ET
Consolations, consolation semifinals
Session IV
Saturday, April 29 / 3 p.m. ET
Semifinals, finals, third-, fifth-, seventh-place matches
Tournament Central / Live Video
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Half of the Purdue wrestling's coaching staff along with seven current Boilermakers are set to compete in Las Vegas starting Friday at noon ET. Assistant wrestling coach Kendric Maple and volunteer assistant coach Jake Sueflohn will wrestle in the U.S. Open Men's Freestyle National Championships, while the seven Purdue wrestlers will be in action in the UWW Junior Freestyle National Championships. All of the competition will take place inside the South Point Convention Center, concluding with Saturday's championship finals.
A top-seven finish at the U.S. Open or UWW Junior Freestyle National Championships would punch a ticket to the U.S. Freestyle World Team Trials or U.S. UWW Junior Freestyle World Team Trials, respectively. Both World Team Trial events are set for June 9 and 10 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Maple returns to freestyle competition at 61 kg eyeing another trip to the World Team Trials. In 2015 Maple was the 61 kg runner-up at the U.S. Open, earning a bid to the World Team Trials. He wrestled his way into the Challenge Tournament finals, but fell just short of advancing to the best-of-three championship finals.
A few years after taking second at the US Open, @kmaple141 is headed back + he's excited for Friday. #VegasWrestle https://t.co/tD7Oz570ot
-- Purdue Wrestling (@PurdueWrestling) April 26, 2017
The U.S. Open also marks Sueflohn's return to competition since his collegiate career came to an end in 2016. Sueflohn jumped right into Purdue's volunteer assistant coach role upon graduation. The four-time NCAA Championships qualifier will wrestle at 70 kg.
After spending his first yr preparing our guys, @jakesueflohn has been busy getting himself ready for #VegasWrestle. https://t.co/h8MGjpLlz0
-- Purdue Wrestling (@PurdueWrestling) April 27, 2017
The UWW Junior Freestyle National Championships feature the nation's best 17- to 20-year-olds. Five members of Purdue's decorated signing class of 2016 will be in action, including NCAA qualifier Christian Brunner at 96 kg. Joining Brunner are Devin Schroder (55 kg), Griffin Parriott (70 kg), Kobe Woods (96 kg) and Shawn Streck (120 kg).
Redshirt freshman Dylan Lydy is aiming for another 74 kg podium finish at the tournament after turning in an eighth-place finish at last year's UWW Junior Freestyle National Championships. Austin Nash rounds out Purdue's wrestlers. The redshirt freshman will go at 66 kg. All seven of the Boilermakers that are competing will wrestle under the Boilermaker RTC.
Both Parriott and Lydy have already secured bids to the U.S. UWW Junior Freestyle World Team Trials thanks to tournament performances in 2016. Parriott's spot is secured thanks to his ASICS/Vaughan Junior 152-pound freestyle national title and Lydy's comes by way of the eighth-place finish at the UWW Junior Freestyle National Championships.