LAS VEGAS — No. 3 Matt Ramos breezed through the 42nd Cliff Keen Invitational 125-pound bracket to win the gold medal, capping off Purdue's strong showing at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Head coach Tony Ersland's No. 24 Boilermakers took a big leap in the standings from a year ago, placing 10th among the field of 30 teams. Twelve of the top 25 teams in the nation were competing in Las Vegas, and Purdue edged four squads that are currently higher in the InterMat tournament rankings.
The Boilermakers earned their ninth top-10 finish at CKLV in 18 trips, and the first since the team's sixth-place finish in 2021. RAMOS ROUNDUP The redshirt senior from Lockport, Ill., beat No. 11 Eddie Ventresca from Virginia Tech in the 125-pound championship match with a 7-4 decision. Ramos scored two quick takedowns and prevented the Hokie's comeback attempt with elite defense to seal his second tournament title of the season.
He became the fifth Boilermaker to win a Cliff Keen championship, joining Chris Fleeger (2002, 125 lbs), Ryan Lange (2003, 174 lbs), Ben Wissel (2005, 184 lbs) and Dylan Lydy (2019, 174 lbs).
Undefeated on the season with a 14-0 record, Ramos will likely rise in the national rankings after dominating a talented 125-pound bracket.
Along with Ventresca, the field included No. 2 Caleb Smith (Nebraska), No. 4 Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State), No. 6 Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State), No. 10 Brendan McCrone (Ohio State), No. 12 Vincent Robinson (NC State), No. 24 Maximo Renteria (Oregon State) and No. 29 Adrian Meza (Iowa State).
Purdue's lone senior earned wins over Spratley and Ventresca as well as a medical forfeiture from Robinson.
Ramos is the first wrestler in school history to become a four-time placewinner at the prestigious Cliff Keen Invite. He previously placed eighth in 2021, second in 2022 and seventh in 2023. BLAZE EARNS SIXTH PLACE HONORS No. 15 Joey Blaze joined Ramos as the only Boilermakers to wrestle on Day 2 at CKLV.
Thanks to a big upset win over No. 5 Peyten Kellar in Friday night's quarterfinal, Blaze represented Purdue in the 157-pound semis.
He drew No. 6 Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa) in Saturday's bout and wrestled a defensive nail-biter despite visibly fighting through pain from a physical tournament run.
Tied 2-2 late in the third period after Blaze controlled much of the pace throughout the match, Downey landed a decisive takedown in the final 20 seconds to inch ahead with a 5-2 win.
After the match, Blaze medically forfeited his remaining bouts in the consolation bracket and took sixth place.
The 2024 NCAA qualifier from Perrysburg, Ohio, is in good company in his second collegiate season. Blaze is Purdue's first sophomore to climb the podium in Las Vegas since Ramos did so in 2022.
For the full breakdown of Purdue's other key contributors who helped bring the team to a 10th place finish, read Friday night's recap from Day 1 of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. UP NEXT The Boilermakers return to action on Dec. 18 with a road trip to Cleveland State. The Wednesday night dual against the Vikings is set for 7 p.m. ET in Woodling Gymnasium. FINAL STANDINGS 1. Oklahoma State – 192 pts
2. Nebraska – 115 pts
3. Ohio State – 110.5 pts
4. Virginia Tech – 90 pts
5. Iowa State – 89.5 pts
6. Northern Iowa – 85.5 pts
7. Michigan – 75 pts
8. Stanford – 72.5 pts
9. South Dakota State – 62 pts
10. PURDUE – 53.5 pts
11. West Virginia – 40.5 pts
12. Wyoming – 38.5 pts
13. Cal Poly – 38 pts
14. Oregon State – 35 pts
15. NC State – 34.5 pts
T-16. Northwestern – 33.5 pts
T-16. Ohio – 33.5 pts
18. Cornell – 32.5 pts
19. Arizona State – 31.5 pts
20. Rider – 31 pts
21. Binghamton – 28.5 pts
22. Navy – 21.5 pts
23. Utah Valley – 21 pts
T-24. Appalachian State – 11 pts
T-24. Hofstra – 11 pts
26. Columbia – 10.5 pts
27. Harvard – 7.5 pts
28. Cal State Bakersfield – 4.5 pts
29. Sacred Heart – 4 pts
30. Cal Baptist – 3.5 pts RESULTS 125 | #3 Matt Ramos [2 seed] - CHAMPION
Round of 32 | def. Noah Luna (Appalachian State) – TF 3:22 (17-2)
Round of 16 | def. Jack Braman (Wyoming) – TF 4:00 (19-1)
Quarterfinal | def. #12 Vincent Robinson (NC State) – Medical Forfeit
Semifinal | def. #4 Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State) – D 5-2
Final | def. #11 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) – D 7-4
133 | Jacob Macatangay
Round of 32 | lost to #4 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) – TF 4:49 (21-4)
Consol. Round of 16 | lost to Stockton O'Brien (Wyoming) – D 8-4
141 | Greyson Clark [12 seed]
Round of 32 | def. Justin Hoyle (Hofstra) – D 5-2 (SV-1)
Round of 16 | lost to #8 Josh Koderhandt (Navy) – D 9-2
Consol. Round of 16 (2) | def. Alek VanBebber (Cal Poly) – TF 6:37 (16-0)
Consol. Round of 8 (1) | lost to #6 Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) – D 7-3
149 | Isaac Ruble
Round of 32 | lost to Tanner Frothinger (Utah Valley) – TF 4:28 (20-3)
Consol. Round of 16 (1) | def. Colin Dupill (South Dakota State) – D 9-6 (SV-1)
Consol. Round of 16 (2) | lost to Cameron Catrabone (Michigan) – Fall 5:24
157 | #15 Joey Blaze [7 seed] – SIXTH PLACE
Round of 32 | def. Felix Lettini (Sacred Heart) – MD 10-2
Round of 16 | def. #24 Ethan Stiles (Oregon State) – TF 7:00 (17-2)
Quarterfinal | def. #5 Peyten Kellar (Ohio) – D 2-0
Semifinal | lost to #6 Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa) – D 5-2
Consol. Semifinal | lost to Caleb Fish (Oklahoma State) – MFOR
165 | #22 Stoney Buell [12 seed]
Round of 32 | lost to #28 Cesar Alvan (Columbia) – D 8-1
Consol. Round of 16 (1) | def. Tyler Sagi (Navy) – MD 14-3
Consol. Round of 16 (2) | lost to #25 Drake Rhodes (South Dakota State) – Fall 4:19
174 | #28 Brody Baumann [12 seed]
Round of 32 | def. Haden Bottiglieri (Harvard) – Fall 3:29
Round of 16 | lost to #18 Danny Wask (Navy) – D 9-5
Consol. Round of 16 (2) | def. Brody Conley (West Virginia) – D 4-2
Consol. Round of 8 (1) | def. Carter Schmidt (Cal Baptist) – TF 7:00 (20-5)
Consol. Round of 8 (2) | lost to #15 Brevin Cassella (Binghamton) – TF 4:20 (15-0)
184 | #26 James Rowley [10 seed]
Round of 32 | def. Jon Halvorsen (Northwestern) – D 6-4
Round of 16 | def. #19 Will Ebert (Binghamton) – D 5-2
Quarterfinal | lost to #3 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) – TF 4:34 (19-4)
Consol. Round of 8 (2) | lost to #18 Jaden Bullock (Michigan) – INJ 5:29 (4-0)
197 | Ben Vanadia
Round of 32 | lost to #12 Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) – MD 8-0
Consol. Round of 16 (1) | def. Aiden Hanning (Cornell) – INJ 2:41
Consol. Round of 16 (2) | def. #10 Luke Geog (Ohio State) – MFOR
Consol. Round of 8 (1) | def. Carson Floyd (Appalachian State) – D 7-2
Consol. Round of 8 (2) | lost to #20 Christian Carroll (Iowa State) – MD 15-6
285 | Hayden Filipovich
Round of 32 | lost to #3 Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State) – Fall 1:13
Consol. Round of 16 (1) | def. Jackson Mankowski (Stanford) – D 2-0
Consol. Round of 16 (2) | def. Aiden Compton (Cornell) – D 6-5
Consol. Round of 8 (1) | lost to #30 Trevor Tinker (Cal Poly) – Fall 5:18
Head coach Tony Ersland's No. 24 Boilermakers took a big leap in the standings from a year ago, placing 10th among the field of 30 teams. Twelve of the top 25 teams in the nation were competing in Las Vegas, and Purdue edged four squads that are currently higher in the InterMat tournament rankings.
The Boilermakers earned their ninth top-10 finish at CKLV in 18 trips, and the first since the team's sixth-place finish in 2021. RAMOS ROUNDUP The redshirt senior from Lockport, Ill., beat No. 11 Eddie Ventresca from Virginia Tech in the 125-pound championship match with a 7-4 decision. Ramos scored two quick takedowns and prevented the Hokie's comeback attempt with elite defense to seal his second tournament title of the season.
YESSIR, MATTY. 🥶
— Purdue Wrestling (@PurdueWrestling) December 7, 2024
5th Cliff Keen champ in Purdue history! pic.twitter.com/WX6M3qjcAi
He became the fifth Boilermaker to win a Cliff Keen championship, joining Chris Fleeger (2002, 125 lbs), Ryan Lange (2003, 174 lbs), Ben Wissel (2005, 184 lbs) and Dylan Lydy (2019, 174 lbs).
Undefeated on the season with a 14-0 record, Ramos will likely rise in the national rankings after dominating a talented 125-pound bracket.
Along with Ventresca, the field included No. 2 Caleb Smith (Nebraska), No. 4 Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State), No. 6 Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State), No. 10 Brendan McCrone (Ohio State), No. 12 Vincent Robinson (NC State), No. 24 Maximo Renteria (Oregon State) and No. 29 Adrian Meza (Iowa State).
Purdue's lone senior earned wins over Spratley and Ventresca as well as a medical forfeiture from Robinson.
Ramos is the first wrestler in school history to become a four-time placewinner at the prestigious Cliff Keen Invite. He previously placed eighth in 2021, second in 2022 and seventh in 2023. BLAZE EARNS SIXTH PLACE HONORS No. 15 Joey Blaze joined Ramos as the only Boilermakers to wrestle on Day 2 at CKLV.
Thanks to a big upset win over No. 5 Peyten Kellar in Friday night's quarterfinal, Blaze represented Purdue in the 157-pound semis.
He drew No. 6 Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa) in Saturday's bout and wrestled a defensive nail-biter despite visibly fighting through pain from a physical tournament run.
Tied 2-2 late in the third period after Blaze controlled much of the pace throughout the match, Downey landed a decisive takedown in the final 20 seconds to inch ahead with a 5-2 win.
After the match, Blaze medically forfeited his remaining bouts in the consolation bracket and took sixth place.
The 2024 NCAA qualifier from Perrysburg, Ohio, is in good company in his second collegiate season. Blaze is Purdue's first sophomore to climb the podium in Las Vegas since Ramos did so in 2022.
For the full breakdown of Purdue's other key contributors who helped bring the team to a 10th place finish, read Friday night's recap from Day 1 of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. UP NEXT The Boilermakers return to action on Dec. 18 with a road trip to Cleveland State. The Wednesday night dual against the Vikings is set for 7 p.m. ET in Woodling Gymnasium. FINAL STANDINGS 1. Oklahoma State – 192 pts
2. Nebraska – 115 pts
3. Ohio State – 110.5 pts
4. Virginia Tech – 90 pts
5. Iowa State – 89.5 pts
6. Northern Iowa – 85.5 pts
7. Michigan – 75 pts
8. Stanford – 72.5 pts
9. South Dakota State – 62 pts
10. PURDUE – 53.5 pts
11. West Virginia – 40.5 pts
12. Wyoming – 38.5 pts
13. Cal Poly – 38 pts
14. Oregon State – 35 pts
15. NC State – 34.5 pts
T-16. Northwestern – 33.5 pts
T-16. Ohio – 33.5 pts
18. Cornell – 32.5 pts
19. Arizona State – 31.5 pts
20. Rider – 31 pts
21. Binghamton – 28.5 pts
22. Navy – 21.5 pts
23. Utah Valley – 21 pts
T-24. Appalachian State – 11 pts
T-24. Hofstra – 11 pts
26. Columbia – 10.5 pts
27. Harvard – 7.5 pts
28. Cal State Bakersfield – 4.5 pts
29. Sacred Heart – 4 pts
30. Cal Baptist – 3.5 pts RESULTS 125 | #3 Matt Ramos [2 seed] - CHAMPION
Round of 32 | def. Noah Luna (Appalachian State) – TF 3:22 (17-2)
Round of 16 | def. Jack Braman (Wyoming) – TF 4:00 (19-1)
Quarterfinal | def. #12 Vincent Robinson (NC State) – Medical Forfeit
Semifinal | def. #4 Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State) – D 5-2
Final | def. #11 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) – D 7-4
133 | Jacob Macatangay
Round of 32 | lost to #4 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) – TF 4:49 (21-4)
Consol. Round of 16 | lost to Stockton O'Brien (Wyoming) – D 8-4
141 | Greyson Clark [12 seed]
Round of 32 | def. Justin Hoyle (Hofstra) – D 5-2 (SV-1)
Round of 16 | lost to #8 Josh Koderhandt (Navy) – D 9-2
Consol. Round of 16 (2) | def. Alek VanBebber (Cal Poly) – TF 6:37 (16-0)
Consol. Round of 8 (1) | lost to #6 Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) – D 7-3
149 | Isaac Ruble
Round of 32 | lost to Tanner Frothinger (Utah Valley) – TF 4:28 (20-3)
Consol. Round of 16 (1) | def. Colin Dupill (South Dakota State) – D 9-6 (SV-1)
Consol. Round of 16 (2) | lost to Cameron Catrabone (Michigan) – Fall 5:24
157 | #15 Joey Blaze [7 seed] – SIXTH PLACE
Round of 32 | def. Felix Lettini (Sacred Heart) – MD 10-2
Round of 16 | def. #24 Ethan Stiles (Oregon State) – TF 7:00 (17-2)
Quarterfinal | def. #5 Peyten Kellar (Ohio) – D 2-0
Semifinal | lost to #6 Ryder Downey (Northern Iowa) – D 5-2
Consol. Semifinal | lost to Caleb Fish (Oklahoma State) – MFOR
165 | #22 Stoney Buell [12 seed]
Round of 32 | lost to #28 Cesar Alvan (Columbia) – D 8-1
Consol. Round of 16 (1) | def. Tyler Sagi (Navy) – MD 14-3
Consol. Round of 16 (2) | lost to #25 Drake Rhodes (South Dakota State) – Fall 4:19
174 | #28 Brody Baumann [12 seed]
Round of 32 | def. Haden Bottiglieri (Harvard) – Fall 3:29
Round of 16 | lost to #18 Danny Wask (Navy) – D 9-5
Consol. Round of 16 (2) | def. Brody Conley (West Virginia) – D 4-2
Consol. Round of 8 (1) | def. Carter Schmidt (Cal Baptist) – TF 7:00 (20-5)
Consol. Round of 8 (2) | lost to #15 Brevin Cassella (Binghamton) – TF 4:20 (15-0)
184 | #26 James Rowley [10 seed]
Round of 32 | def. Jon Halvorsen (Northwestern) – D 6-4
Round of 16 | def. #19 Will Ebert (Binghamton) – D 5-2
Quarterfinal | lost to #3 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) – TF 4:34 (19-4)
Consol. Round of 8 (2) | lost to #18 Jaden Bullock (Michigan) – INJ 5:29 (4-0)
197 | Ben Vanadia
Round of 32 | lost to #12 Luke Surber (Oklahoma State) – MD 8-0
Consol. Round of 16 (1) | def. Aiden Hanning (Cornell) – INJ 2:41
Consol. Round of 16 (2) | def. #10 Luke Geog (Ohio State) – MFOR
Consol. Round of 8 (1) | def. Carson Floyd (Appalachian State) – D 7-2
Consol. Round of 8 (2) | lost to #20 Christian Carroll (Iowa State) – MD 15-6
285 | Hayden Filipovich
Round of 32 | lost to #3 Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State) – Fall 1:13
Consol. Round of 16 (1) | def. Jackson Mankowski (Stanford) – D 2-0
Consol. Round of 16 (2) | def. Aiden Compton (Cornell) – D 6-5
Consol. Round of 8 (1) | lost to #30 Trevor Tinker (Cal Poly) – Fall 5:18