CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
• Four-time NCAA Championships 184-pound qualifier (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
• Four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
• Four-time NWCA Division I Scholar All-American (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
2021-22 / AS A REDSHIRT SENIOR
• Finished 16-15 in his final collegiate season at 184 pounds, amassing an 87-68 career record for the Boilermakers.
• Advanced to the NCAA Championship Round of 12 as the No. 30 seed at 184 pounds, upsetting the No. 13 and No. 14 seeds at the tournament.
• Ranked in every poll of the season, earning a season-high mark of No. 15 in the country via WIN Magazine.
• Posted 25 major decisions in his career, the most for a Boilermaker since Jake Patacsil finished with 26 from 2006-09.
• The second wrestler in program history to be a four-time NWCA Division I Scholar All-American (A.J. Kissel).
• Finished 18th in program history with 237 career takedowns.
• Received an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships on the strength of No. 26 national rankings in the final NCAA Coaches Poll and RPI of 2022.
• Took seventh at the 2021 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Invitational, posting a 4-2 tournament record.
• Knocked off 10th-ranked Taylor Venz of Nebraska, 7-2, in the Boilermakers’ historical upset win at No. 9 Nebraska.
• Closed out the Big Ten Dual season with back-to-back wins over Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) and Jack Jessen (Northwestern).
• Named Academic All-Big Ten for the fourth straight season.
2020-21 / AS A SENIOR#
• Stats
• Posted a 9-8 record at 184 pounds, placing at Big Ten Championships and advancing to the national tournament for the third straight season
• Earned the team’s Boiler Up Tough Award for the 2021 season
• Ranked as high as 10th in the nation via FloWrestling at 184 pounds
• Boasted one of the nation’s toughest schedules, competing against ranked opponents in 16 of his 17 contests on the season
• Tied for the team-high with eight wins against ranked opponents
• Went 2-2 as the No. 16 seed at the NCAA Championships, posting bonus-point wins over Gardner Webb’s Jhaquan Anderson and Northern Colorado’s Alan Clothier
• Earned the No. 7 seed at the Big Ten Championships and posted a 3-2 mark to take seventh place
• Avenged regular-season losses at the conference tournament with wins over Rocky Jordan of Ohio State and Owen Webster of Minnesota
• Opened his season with a 4-3 decision over No. 11 Zach Braunagel of Illinois, and earned a top-10 victory with a 6-1 decision over Iowa’s No. 8 Nelson Brands
• Posted a second top-10 win with a 6-1 decision over Michigan State’s Layne Malczewski
• Ranked fourth on the team with 23 takedowns and fifth with 98 total points
• Earned Academic All-Big Ten and NWCA Scholar All-America honors for the third straight season
• Placed eighth at the U23 University Freestyle Nationals at 86 kg
• Earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial management – operations and supply chain management
2019-20 / AS A JUNIOR
• Stats (PDF)
• Went 19-15 at 184 pounds, including a 9-8 dual record and 4-5 mark in Big Ten action
• Qualified for his second straight NCAA Championships, where he was tabbed the No. 30 seed at 184 pounds
• Secured an automatic qualifying bid to NCAAs at the Big Ten Championships, placing sixth at 184 pounds as the No. 11 seed, placing the highest above his seed as any wrestler at the championships
• Tied for second on the roster with 10 bonus-point victories, winning six by major decision, three by technical fall and one by fall
• Tied for second on the team with 44 back points and ranked third on the squad with 55 takedowns
• Placed sixth at the Michigan State Open, going 4-2 to start the season, including three technical falls
• Went 2-1 at the Journeymen Northeast Duals, with a fall and a 12-2 major decision over Utah Valley’s Tanner Orndorff
• Scored a 12-4 major decision at North Dakota State
• Finished 2-1 at the Boilermaker Duals, including a major decision in the win over Clarion
• Advanced to the blood round at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, finishing 3-2 at the tournament, including a 6-5 win over NCAA qualifier Alan Clothier of Northern Colorado
• Opened the Big Ten schedule with a 7-2 decision over Northwestern’s Jack Jessen
• Scored a 12-4 major decision over Jake Hinz in the Boilermakers’ dual win at Indiana
• Finished the regular season with a bang, upending No. 13 Zac Braunagel 6-2 to help the Boilermakers to an 18-14 win at Illinois
• Went 3-3 at the Big Ten Championships, including a 4-2 decision over No. 16 Billy Janzer of Rutgers
• Four-time NCAA Championships 184-pound qualifier (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
• Four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
• Four-time NWCA Division I Scholar All-American (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
2021-22 / AS A REDSHIRT SENIOR
• Finished 16-15 in his final collegiate season at 184 pounds, amassing an 87-68 career record for the Boilermakers.
• Advanced to the NCAA Championship Round of 12 as the No. 30 seed at 184 pounds, upsetting the No. 13 and No. 14 seeds at the tournament.
• Ranked in every poll of the season, earning a season-high mark of No. 15 in the country via WIN Magazine.
• Posted 25 major decisions in his career, the most for a Boilermaker since Jake Patacsil finished with 26 from 2006-09.
• The second wrestler in program history to be a four-time NWCA Division I Scholar All-American (A.J. Kissel).
• Finished 18th in program history with 237 career takedowns.
• Received an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships on the strength of No. 26 national rankings in the final NCAA Coaches Poll and RPI of 2022.
• Took seventh at the 2021 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Invitational, posting a 4-2 tournament record.
• Knocked off 10th-ranked Taylor Venz of Nebraska, 7-2, in the Boilermakers’ historical upset win at No. 9 Nebraska.
• Closed out the Big Ten Dual season with back-to-back wins over Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) and Jack Jessen (Northwestern).
• Named Academic All-Big Ten for the fourth straight season.
2020-21 / AS A SENIOR#
• Stats
• Posted a 9-8 record at 184 pounds, placing at Big Ten Championships and advancing to the national tournament for the third straight season
• Earned the team’s Boiler Up Tough Award for the 2021 season
• Ranked as high as 10th in the nation via FloWrestling at 184 pounds
• Boasted one of the nation’s toughest schedules, competing against ranked opponents in 16 of his 17 contests on the season
• Tied for the team-high with eight wins against ranked opponents
• Went 2-2 as the No. 16 seed at the NCAA Championships, posting bonus-point wins over Gardner Webb’s Jhaquan Anderson and Northern Colorado’s Alan Clothier
• Earned the No. 7 seed at the Big Ten Championships and posted a 3-2 mark to take seventh place
• Avenged regular-season losses at the conference tournament with wins over Rocky Jordan of Ohio State and Owen Webster of Minnesota
• Opened his season with a 4-3 decision over No. 11 Zach Braunagel of Illinois, and earned a top-10 victory with a 6-1 decision over Iowa’s No. 8 Nelson Brands
• Posted a second top-10 win with a 6-1 decision over Michigan State’s Layne Malczewski
• Ranked fourth on the team with 23 takedowns and fifth with 98 total points
• Earned Academic All-Big Ten and NWCA Scholar All-America honors for the third straight season
• Placed eighth at the U23 University Freestyle Nationals at 86 kg
• Earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial management – operations and supply chain management
2019-20 / AS A JUNIOR
• Stats (PDF)
• Went 19-15 at 184 pounds, including a 9-8 dual record and 4-5 mark in Big Ten action
• Qualified for his second straight NCAA Championships, where he was tabbed the No. 30 seed at 184 pounds
• Secured an automatic qualifying bid to NCAAs at the Big Ten Championships, placing sixth at 184 pounds as the No. 11 seed, placing the highest above his seed as any wrestler at the championships
• Tied for second on the roster with 10 bonus-point victories, winning six by major decision, three by technical fall and one by fall
• Tied for second on the team with 44 back points and ranked third on the squad with 55 takedowns
• Placed sixth at the Michigan State Open, going 4-2 to start the season, including three technical falls
• Went 2-1 at the Journeymen Northeast Duals, with a fall and a 12-2 major decision over Utah Valley’s Tanner Orndorff
• Scored a 12-4 major decision at North Dakota State
• Finished 2-1 at the Boilermaker Duals, including a major decision in the win over Clarion
• Advanced to the blood round at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, finishing 3-2 at the tournament, including a 6-5 win over NCAA qualifier Alan Clothier of Northern Colorado
• Opened the Big Ten schedule with a 7-2 decision over Northwestern’s Jack Jessen
• Scored a 12-4 major decision over Jake Hinz in the Boilermakers’ dual win at Indiana
• Finished the regular season with a bang, upending No. 13 Zac Braunagel 6-2 to help the Boilermakers to an 18-14 win at Illinois
• Went 3-3 at the Big Ten Championships, including a 4-2 decision over No. 16 Billy Janzer of Rutgers
2018-19 / AS A SOPHOMORE
• Stats
Awards & Honors
• Academic All-Big Ten
• NWCA Division I Scholar All-American Award
• Purdue Wrestling’s Most Improved Wrestler
Tournaments
• Tied for fifth at 184 pounds at Princeton Open (11/4)
• Placed fourth at Journeymen Collegiate Classic 184-pound B draw (11/11)
• Competed at 184 pounds at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (11/30)
• Placed seventh at 184 pounds at Big Ten Championships as the No. 8 seed (3/9-10)
• Competed at 184 pounds at NCAA Championships as the No. 25 seed (3/21-22)
• Placed seventh at 86 kg at U23 Freestyle World Team Trials (6/1-2)
• Placed seventh at 86 kg at U23 Freestyle World Team Trials (6/1-2)
Team Leader
• Longest dual winning streak (7), riding time points (18), accumulated riding time (57:25), total points scored (252)
Career Highs Set
Career Highs Set
• Wins (24), dual wins (11), tournament wins (13), decisions (17), consecutive matches won (7), points scored in the first (104) and second periods (66), four-point nearfalls (6), riding time points (18), total points scored (252), dual points scored (38)
Season Notes
Season Notes
• Earned automatic bid to qualify for his first NCAA Championships ... first Purdue 184-pounder to qualify for NCAAs since Patrick Kissel in 2015.
• Finished NCAAs at 1-2 ... two of the three opponents Lyon faced in Pittsburgh went on to earn All-America honors: eighth-seeded Ryan Preischof Lehigh and Dakota Geer of Oklahoma State ... beat 19th-ranked Tanner Harvey of American 6-3 in wrestlebacks.
• Secured NCAA Championships bid thanks to a 6-5 win over seventh-seeded Jelani Embree of Michigan in the second round of wrestlebacks at the Big Ten Championships ... it was a second period rideout that lifted Lyon past Embree.
• Went 3-2 to place seventh at Big Tens ... Lyon went about his methodical way, taking Wisconsin’s sixth-seeded Mason Reinhardt down once in each of the three periods for an 8-1 decision in the seventh-place match to become the first Purdue 184-pounder to place at the Big Ten Championships since Braden Atwood placed seventh as a redshirt freshman in 2012.
• Opened the tournament by avenging a 3-2 loss to Rutgers’ Nick Gravina by dealing the ninth-seeded Scarlet Knight a 3-1 setback ... the eight-seeded Boilermakers’ second period takedown held for the win.
• Lyon is a prime example that experience pays off when you wrestle in the Big Ten Conference ... after a 19-16 true freshman campaign, including a 2-6 mark in Big Ten duals, Lyon surpassed his win total from last season and went 6-3 in Big Ten duals.
• Went over 200 total points scored in back-to-back seasons ... owned the riding time in 27 matches, earning the point 18 times.
• Won a career-best seven straight matches from Dec. 30 to Feb. 8.
• Five of his 14 losses were by 1-2 points.
• One of five Boilermakers to start every dual this season ... has started 32 of 33 possible duals during his career.
• Was unable to wrestle in the fifth-place match at Princeton Open due to six-match limit; his opponent had also reached six-match limit ... bounced back from second round 7-6 loss to Mike Fagg-Daves of Rider to win four straight, including two by major decision.
• Clinched Purdue’s ninth straight win over Indiana with a 3-2 decision over Norman Conley.
• A strong first period and 1:22 of riding time proved to be the difference in Lyon’s 7-6 upset of No. 15 Cameron Caffey of Michigan State ... Lyon registered a pair of first period takedowns, but Caffey worked his way back into the match with a reversal at the end of the first and a takedown in the third ... Caffey stands as the highest ranked opponent Lyon has knocked off in his career.
2017-18 / AS A FRESHMAN
• Stats
Awards & Honors
• Purdue Wrestling’s Boiler Up Tough Award
Tournaments
• Placed fourth at Navy Classic (11/18)
• Competed at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (12/1)
• Competed at Midlands Championships (12/29)
• Greyhound Open 184-pound champion (1/28)
• Competed at Big Ten Championships (3/3-4)
• Placed fifth at UWW Junior Freestyle National Championships at 86 kg (5/27-28)
• Competed at UWW Junior Freestyle World Team Trials at 86 kg (5/18)
Team Leader
• Major decisions (12), bonus point wins (16; 12 MD, 1 TF, 3 F)
Season Notes
• Started 15 of 16 duals at 184 pounds during rookie campaign.
• With complete data available dating to 2002, Lyon’s 12 major decisions are tied for the most in a season with Chad Welch (2015-16) and Ryan Lange (2002-03).
• Major decisioned four straight opponents early in the season, becoming the first Boilermaker to record three-or-more consecutive major decisions since Chad Welch had four straight in January 2016 ... Lyon majored his three opponents at the Journeymen/MyHouse Northeast Duals and blanked Columbia’s Andrew Psomas in the opening round of the Navy Classic ... outscored those four opponents 41-7.
• Seven of his nine matches against ranked opponents were against top-10 wrestlers, all of which hailed from the Big Ten.
• Lyon’s three pins all came in the opening frame (1:56, 0:38, 2:57).
• Was the only true freshman in the 184-pound field at the Big Ten Championships ... major decisioned Maryland’s Niko Cappello twice during the tournament (12-2, 17-5).
• Rallied from a Mitch Sliga reversal that put Sliga ahead 5-3 early in the third by escaping and getting the match-winning takedown with 30 seconds left to win 6-5.
• Pinned Shwan Shadaia of Michigan State in 2:57 ... Lyon had Shadaia fighting to stay off his back throughout the first period before locking the far side cradle.
• Won three matches with bonus points and placed fourth at the Navy Classic ... first pin of his career was a 1:56 stick of Abraham Correa-Medina of American ... followed with his first career technical fall, blanking Princeton’s Kevin Parker 15-0 in 5:03 ... outscored opponents 35-15.
• Won eight of his first nine collegiate matches, including six straight, spanning the Michigan State Open and Journeymen/MyHouse Northeast Duals ... streak included four major decisions, a technical fall and a pin.
HIGH SCHOOL
• Two-time Iowa High School Athletic Association class 3A champion at 182 pounds (2016, 2017)
• Three-time IHSAA finalist ... 2015 runner-up at 170 pounds ... placed fourth at 170 as a freshman
• Opened title defense with back-to-back quick pins of 54 and 23 seconds ... followed with an 11-0 major decision and a 7-0 shutout in the finals
• As a junior he pinned three of his four opponents, including a 1:04 stick in the finals ... posted a 16-0 technical fall in 3:12 in the semifinals ... spent just 7:05 on the mat in four matches
• Won 103 consecutive matches during back-to-back championship seasons ... outscored state tournament opponents 63-3 in 2016 and 2017 ... five of the 12 wins were by fall ... did not surrender a takedown
• Became Western Dubuque’s first two-time state champion in program history
• IHSAA tournament record of 18-3 with seven pins ... was only taken down 10 times in the tournament, six times as a freshman and four times as a sophomore
• 2017 Des Moines Register High School All-class 3A team182-pound selection
• 2017 U.S. Marine Corps Junior Freestyle national champion at 182 pounds
• 2017 USA Wrestling Junior Folkstyle national champion at 182 pounds
• 2016 Des Moines Register High School Elite All-Iowa wrestling team 182-pound selection
• Only wrestled three full 6:00 matches during his undefeated 51-0 junior season ... recorded 41 pins
• Posted four wins, three of which were technical falls, for Team Iowa at the 2016 Junior National Freestyle Duals
• Two-time Cliff Keen USA Wrestling Junior Folkstyle Nationals 182-pound runner-up (2015, 2016)
• Two-time first team academic all-state selection by The Predicament (2016, 2017)
National Rankings
• Ranked No. 13 at 182 by FloWrestling (3/28/17)
• Listed as the No. 66 overall recruit by FloWrestling (5/4/17)
• Ranked No. 12 at 182 by WIN Magazine (January 2017)
• Ranked No. 13 at 182 by InterMat (3/22/17)
• Listed as the No. 54 overall recruit by InterMat (4/21/17)
HIGH SCHOOL RECORD
• 2016-17 (182): 52-0
• 2015-16 (182): 51-0
• 2014-15 (170): 47-2
• 2013-14 (170): 37-6
• TOTAL: 187-8
PERSONAL
• Full Name: Max James Lyon
• Major: Industrial Management - Operations & Supply Chain Management
• Birthday: June 4, 1998
• City Born: Dyersville, Iowa
• Parents: Chad and Wendy
• Siblings: Older brother, Zac, and younger brother, Tony
• Notes: Father wrestled at Buena Vista University
# - Student-athlete's eligibility may have been impacted by NCAA Legislative Actions concerning COVID-19