· Three-time NCAA Championships qualifier (165, 174)
· Two-time Big Ten Championships placewinner (165, 174)
· 2015 Midlands Championships 165-pound champion
· Placed eighth at University Nationals at 74 kg (6/4)
2015-16 / AS A REDSHIRT SENIOR
· Stats
Awards & Honors
· Most Outstanding Wrestler
· Most Improved Wrestler
Tournaments
· Michigan State Open runner-up (unattached) (11/15)
· Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational runner-up as the No. 10 seed (12/4-5)
· Midlands Championships 165-pound champion as the No. 3 seed (12/29-30)
· Placed fifth at Big Ten Championships as the No. 5 seed (3/5-6)
· NCAA Championships qualifier as the No. 8 seed (3/17-18)
Season Notes
· Had a record-breaking and best season of his career while wrestling at 165 pounds
· Was the team leader in nearly every category: wins (33), dual wins (12), Big Ten dual wins (6), tournament wins (21), bonus point victories (21), major decisions (12), shutouts (8), times scored first in a match (27), points scored in the first period (147), reversals (12), two-point nearfalls (9), four-point nearfalls (18), back points (90), riding time points (18), total points scored (278) ... points per match among those wrestling 20-or more matches (6.6) ... tied for team lead in technical falls (3) and dual points scored (49)
· Four of his six pins came in the first period ... 27-second fall of Davenport's Kyle Nixon at the Michigan State Open tied for the team's fastest of the season and was the fastest of his career
· All of his team-leading numbers shattered previous personal bests
· Landed at No. 11 on the season back points record list with 90 ... ranks 10th on the career back points rankings with 165
· Was ranked among the top 10 by InterMat for 13 consecutive polls ... his run was the longest a Purdue wrestler has been ranked among the top 10 since Cashé Quiroga, who was ranked among the top 10 at 133 for the entire 2011-12 season ... captured career-high ranking of No. 5 in the Jan. 4 edition, which was the highest ranking for an individual since A.J. Kissel was fifth at 184 on Nov. 23, 2010
· Became the first Purdue grappler to win three or more straight major decisions since A.J. Kissel in November 2010 when he won four straight by major decision from Jan. 15 to 24 ... the fourth was an 11-0 shutout of Minnesota's Brad Dolezal (1/24) ... outscored the opposition 53-11 during the stretch
· Tabbed as the No. 8 seed at the NCAA Championships to become the first 165-pounder of a dozen qualifiers in program history to earn a seed ... it was the highest seed for a Purdue wrestler since Cashé Quiroga was the No. 7 seed at 133 pounds in 2014 ... 17th three-time NCAA qualifier in program history
· NCAA Championships run came to an end one match shy of earning All-America honors in a 4-2 blood round loss to sixth-seeded Steven Rodrigues of Illinois ... went 3-2 with a pair of major decisions ... suffered a 7-4 setback to Iowa State's 11th-seeded Tanner Weatherman in the second round ... registered his second major decision of the tournament in his first wrestleback match, cruising past Forrest Przybysz of Appalachian State 11-1... followed up with an 8-4 outing against Harvard's 16th-seeded Devon Gobbo
· Welch wrestled true to his seed at the Big Ten Championships and received an automatic NCAA bid with a fifth-place finish ... went 4-2 with two bonus point victories and he received a medical forfeit ... in his three matches wrestled, Welch outscored his opponents 26-0 ... his opening round 16-0 technical fall of Michigan's Jordan Amine, Welch racked up 14 back points in 2:27 ... it was the first time he had won by technical fall in the first period and the fastest technical fall for the Boilermakers this season ... the technical fall was the third of the season and sixth of his career
· Became Purdue's second-ever Midlands Championships titlist and the program's first since Dave Gibson in 1963 ... pinned Iowa State's Tanner Weatherman in 3:54 in the finals ... outscored his competition 47-8 in five matches, including points scored in two pins ... his other wins included one decision, one major decision, one tech and he received one medical forfeit
· Became Purdue's first Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational finalist since Logan Brown at 197 pounds in 2010 ... entered the tournament unranked and knocked off three ranked opponents, including two in the top 10 ... his 2:25 pin of No. 4 Cooper Moore of Northern Iowa in the quarterfinals stands as the highest ranked opponent a Purdue wrestler defeated during the season ... edged No. 9 Clark Glass 2-1 in the semifinals ... major decisioned No. 13 Seth Thomas of Oregon State (11-2) in the second round
· Since the 2014-15 season, he started alongside his brothers Doug and Luke 22 times ... the trio won together seven times this season and nine times overall
2014-15 / AS A REDSHIRT JUNIOR
Tournaments
· Placed fourth at Michigan State Open (unattached) (11/2)
· Placed fifth at Roadrunner Open (11/16)
· Competed at Midlands Championships (12/29)
· Competed at Big Ten Championships (3/7-8)
· NCAA Championships qualifier (3/19-20)
· · Competed in freestyle at University Nationals at 80 kg (5/30)
Season Notes
· Returned to 174 pounds
· Established career marks in decisions (16), technical falls (2) and shutouts (5)
· Recorded the team's fastest technical fall, taking 3:00 to dispose of San Francisco State's Gabe Fuentes 16-1 at the Roadrunner Open ... the four three-point nearfalls scored were tied for top on the team in a single match
· Scored 27 dual points in 17 appearances
· Put first points on the board in 18 matches ... outscored opponents 63-52 in the first period
· Earned first InterMat ranking of career ... spent two weeks at No. 18 (Feb. 23 - March 2)
· Went up against a nationally ranked opponent, seven of which were against a top-10 foe, in 18 of his 39 matches ... the 18 ranked opponents were the most faced by any Boilermaker during the season
· Was unranked while upsetting five ranked opponents ... took fifth at Roadrunner Open by pinning No. 20 John Staudenmayer of North Carolina in 6:54 ... also decisioned Staudenmayer in the quarterfinals
· Dealt No. 15 Mikey England of Missouri a 5-2 setback at Journeymen/ASICS Northeast Duals ... went 3-0 and outscored opponents 12-4 at the event for the Boilermakers
· Owned a career-best eight-match winning streak from Nov. 29 to Dec. 29 ... streak included the second fastest fall of his career, a 1:27 stick of Northern Illinois' Bryce Gorman in the second round of Midlands
· Upset No. 18 Frank Cousins of Wisconsin in dual action thanks to 1:30 riding time 3-2
· Ignited the home crowd by opening Indiana dual with 6-4 sudden victory upset of No. 15 Nate Jackson
· Earned an automatic NCAA berth with 7-0 decision of Maryland's Josh Snook in a must-win match at Big Ten Championships
· Met Cousins again in the opening round of NCAA Championships, shutting the Badger out 6-0 ... suffered back-to-back losses to close out his second trip to the tournament at 1-2
2013-14 / AS A REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE
Tournaments
· Competed at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (12/6-7)
· Competed at Midlands Championships (12/29)
· Lake Erie College Storm Open runner-up (1/5)
Season Notes
· Dropped down to 165 for redshirt sophomore season after spending rookie campaign at 174
· His 56-second stick of Jake Vitale in the SIU Edwardsville dual was his quick pin and second-fastest on the team
· Appeared in 10 of 14 duals
· Pinned two of his four opponents at Lake Erie College Storm Open
2012-13 / AS A REDSHIRT FRESHMAN
Awards & Honors
· Outstanding Freshman
Tournaments
· Eastern Michigan Open runner-up (11/3)
· Northern Iowa Open runner-up (12/8)
· Placed eighth at Big Ten Championships (3/9-10)
· NCAA Championships qualifier (3/20)
Season Notes
· Led team with 43 back points and ranked sixth with 22 wins
· Tied for third with four falls and tied for fifth with 53 team points in dual competition
· Wrestled at 174 pounds during rookie season
· Took second at the Eastern Michigan Open with a 4-1 record
· Went 1-1 in home duals against Old Dominion and Missouri, topping ODU's Billy Curling (6-2)
· Swept three matches at the Northern Illinois Duals with a fall and a decision
· Posted a 2-1 mark at the Northeast Duals, earning a pair of decisions
· Finished second at the Northern Iowa Open, going 4-1 on the day with a major decision and a fall
· Went 1-1 at the National Duals, scoring a 13-1 major decision over Wyoming's L.J. Helbig in a 20-16 victory over the Cowboys
· Earned two wins at the Franklin & Marshall Duals, posting a major decision and a fall
· Upset eighth-ranked Lee Munster of Northwestern in opening round of Big Ten Championships and edging Wisconsin's Scott Liegel to secure an automatic bid to NCAA Championships
· Went 0-2 at NCAAs, including a narrow 5-3 loss to All-American Cody Walters of Ohio in first round
2011-12 / AS A FRESHMAN
· Redshirted
HIGH SCHOOL
· Finished 178-14 at Castle High School, including a perfect 51-0 mark as a senior
· Won the 2011 Indiana High School State Championship at 160 pounds, setting the Castle record for wins in a season (51)
· Finished third at the state championship at 152 pounds in his junior season, going 48-1 and suffering his only loss in the state semifinals
· Was a four-time Indiana High School State Championship qualifier
· Won the 2011 NHSCA Senior National Championships at 152 pounds, going 5-0 with three falls and a major decision and not allowing a point in the semifinals and finals
PERSONAL
· Full Name: Chad Geoffrey Welch
· Major: Law and Society
· Birthday: May 30, 1992
· City Born: Newburgh, Indiana
· Parents: Curt and Dawn Welch
· Siblings: Twin brother Doug ... older brother to Luke ... also has an older sister, Courtney