Purdue Earns NWCA Scholar All-American Honors
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – For the second straight year, but just the third time in program history, Purdue wrestling was honored by the National Wrestling Coaches Association with Scholar All-American team honors, ranking 28th with a 3.16 cumulative team grade point average. In addition to the team honor, junior Max Lyon, sophomore Parker Filius and freshman Thomas Penola earned individual Scholar All-American awards, adding to an exclusive list of Boilermaker wrestlers to earn the standing in program history.
“I’m very proud of our group for everything they’ve achieved on the mat, but adding this honor to our list of accomplishments from this season really drives home that these guys are doing the right things,” said Purdue head coach Tony Ersland. “We’re about being the best at what we’re doing in all facets of life, most importantly in the classroom, and to see Parker, Max and Thomas lead us in this way is fantastic.”
Purdue is 1-of-2 Big Ten Conference schools to earn Scholar All-American team honors (Northwestern), and the Boilermakers were 1-of-6 schools secure the academic award and finish 2019-20 with a top-25 NWCA Coaches Poll ranking, posting the No. 15 spot in the final poll. Filius, Lyon and Penola were part of a group of 178 individuals to earn the award in 2020, 154 of which also qualified for the NCAA Championships.
Lyon earns Scholar All-American honors for the second straight season, becoming 1-of-9 wrestlers in Purdue history to earn the award more than once, while Filius and Penola boast the status for the first time in their careers, growing Purdue’s list to 20 Scholar All-Americans since 1991.