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w r e s t l i n g f e a t u r e : T o m m y c h u r c h a r d Churchard Making Most Of Final Season BY BRANDAN ALFORD BrandanAlford@Gmail.com T ommy Churchard has always known that wrestling at Purdue was his goal. Coming to West Lafayette to compete as a Boiler was an easy choice for the fifth-year senior from Valparaiso. "Purdue was the only choice for me," Churchard said. "I fell in love with the team and the guys from the first time I met them. I bleed black and gold." But while the road to West Lafayette was straightforward for Churchard, his wrestling career at Purdue has been full of twists and turns. After a highly successful high school career, Churchard took his lumps early in college, redshirting in his first year at Purdue before competing in only 27 matches during his next two seasons, compiling a 16-11 record. "It was an adjustment and it was something I had to learn to accept," Churchard said. "I had to start back at square one and reinvent myself as a wrestler. I had to improve on all levels." Churchard came to Purdue preparing to compete at 133 pounds, but he would never wrestle a match at 2012-13 WRESTLING SCHEDULE DateOpponent Result/Time Nov. 3 Eastern Michigan Open^^ All Day Nov. 10 vs. Old Dominion W, 29-9 Nov. 10 MISSOURI L, 9-23 Nov. 17 Loras College^ W, 50-0 Nov. 17 vs. Calumet College of St. Joseph^ W, 59-0 Nov. 17 Northern Illinois^ W, 37-0 Nov. 24 Army* W, 23-12 Nov. 24 Princeton* W, 37-6 Nov. 24 Hofstra* W, 32-8 Nov. 24 Maryland* L, 19-20 Dec. 8 Northern Iowa Open% NTS Dec. 16 SIU-Edwardsville W, 34-9 Dec. 16 IOWA WESTERN CC W, 42-1 Dec. 29-30 Midlands Championships! Jan. 4 @ Michigan State 7 p.m. Jan. 6 @ Iowa 2 p.m. Jan. 11 @ Illinois 8 p.m. Jan. 20 PENN STATE 1 p.m. Jan. 28 Wisconsin!! 7:30 p.m. Feb. 1 @ Northwestern 8 p.m. Feb. 3 MICHIGAN p.m. Feb. 11 INDIANA 6:30 p.m. Feb. 17 NWCA National Duals TBA Feb. 23 @Franklin & Marshall** TBA Feb. 23 Rider** TBA March 9-10 Big Ten Championships& March 21-23 NCAA Championships*** All times ET ^^Ypsilanti, Mich. *Northeast Duals, Troy, N.Y. !Evanston, Ill. **Lancaster, Pa. ***Des Moines, Iowa ^NIU Duals, Dekalb, Ill. %Cedar Falls, Iowa !!Hinsdale, Ill. (Hinsdale HS) &Champaign, Ill. 58 • Gold & Black IllustrateD • volume 23, issue 3 Tom Campbell Fifth-year senior Tommy Churchard is proud to sport the customary Purdue tattoo as he looks to return to the NCAA Championships in the 157-pound weight class. that weight class, bouncing between the 141- and 149-pounds as a freshman and sophomore. After a pair of up-and-down seasons, Churchard finally turned the corner during his junior campaign. He posted a 20-20 record and qualified for the NCAA Championships wrestling at 157 pounds. "I think the turning point for Tommy was last year at the Midlands Championship," assistant coach Pete Rogers said. "He was able to go in there and beat some really strong opponents. "Since that point, every time out he has seemed better and more confident." Churchard has jumped four weight classes in the five years since he came to Purdue. Those challenges haven't fazed him, though, and he has embraced the process. "It really has been a lot of fun," Churchard said, "getting bigger and stronger every year. I've had to work on developing a consistent style of wrestling. You have to be able to perform the same from the first match to the last match; you have to find that consistency." The process of jumping weight classes seemingly every year could easily be viewed as an obstacle to success. While many wrestlers work to keep weight off, Churchard has had to work to add weight. However, Rogers believes that process — gaining more than 20 pounds over the past four years — may work in Churchard's favor as he continues to pile up wins. "Tommy wrestles very athletically," Rogers said. "He still wrestles like a light-weight but he is powerful and has very heavy hands. His athleticism is a benefit for him going against bigger guys. He's very athletic. "The last two years, he has really stepped it up a notch. He has always been a guy who has worked hard and he has continued to do that." As Churchard has developed and adapted throughout his college career, he has relied on one of his high school coaches at Valparaiso for advice. That coach, Tom Churchard, also happens to be his father. GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com