REPORT: Purdue’s Joey Blaze upsets top-ranked Penn State wrestler at NCAA Wrestling Championships…….
In a stunning turn of events at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, Purdue’s true freshman Joey Blaze, seeded eighth, defeated top-seeded Tyler Kasak of Penn State in a closely contested 5-4 match. This victory not only marked a significant personal achievement for Blaze but also disrupted Penn State’s anticipated dominance in the tournament.
Blaze’s freshman season has been noteworthy, with a 17-12 record, including nine bonus-point wins and six victories over ranked opponents. He earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships as the No. 23 seed, making him the fourth-highest-seeded Purdue true freshman in history. His season highlights feature a sudden victory over No. 5 Ed Scott of N.C. State and a pin against No. 3 Peyton Robb of Nebraska.
This upset was part of a series of unexpected results that evening, with Penn State’s No. 1 seed Luke Lilledahl also falling in overtime to Lehigh’s No. 8 seed Sheldon Seymour. These back-to-back defeats have shaken the Nittany Lions, placing them in an unusual second position in the team standings, trailing Nebraska by 6.5 points.
The championship landscape has shifted, with Nebraska emerging as a strong contender for the team title, adding an unexpected layer of excitement to the tournament.
