Penn High School will host a Big Ten wrestling dual meet, featuring the Purdue Boilermakers and the Iowa Hawkeyes on Friday, February 11 at 7 p.m. in the main arena.
Iowa is the three-time defending national champion, and owns 23 NCAA national championships in wrestling. Iowa is 8-0 this season, and Purdue is 3-3-1.
Penn High School wrestling coach Brad Harper is a former Mishawaka High School state champion, and wrestled for Purdue
“I know the Purdue head wrestling coach (Scott Hinkel), he was my head coach” says Harper. “I told him, if you have an opportunity to have a match, I want first dibs on it. It worked out that Iowa was coming over. I called him and said, 'Hey!' and he locked it in for me. It's good to know people.”
“The whole community is going to gain from this. This is Big Ten wrestling and Iowa is the No. 1 team in the country, and Purdue is a good school. It's a great opportunity for fans in the area to see high-caliber wrestling without having to travel far. It's a lifetime opportunity for our community and our kids. Kids who want to wrestle in college can see what it's about and what level it is.”
