Nov 9, 2019; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Purdue Boilermakers mascot Pete in the 2nd half against the Texas Longhorns at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sandra Dukes-USA TODAY Sports
Coach Tony Ersland and Purdue announced today changes to the wrestling coaching staff. Purdue will welcome in 2 new hires and shift 2 current members of the staff into new roles. LeRoy Gardner and Charles will become the new volunteer assistant coach and graduate manager, and Leroy Vega transitions into wrestling development and Tanner Lipsett becomes a full-time supervisor of operations. You can read the full release HERE
Gardner takes over the volunteer coaching duties after six years as the head wrestling coach at the University of the Ozarks after producing the school’s first ever NCAA qualifier for any sport. He also served as the head coach at the University of Houston-Downtown and the U.S. Naval Academy Preparatory School. Gardner was a three-time All-American, winning the 2003 national heavyweight championship and helping guide his team to a pair of NCAA Division III national titles.
Charles Small heads to Purdue after completing his collegiate career at Hofstra. He wrestled at 184 pounds for the Pride, qualifying for the 2021 NCAA Championships. Before Hofstra, he attended Northwest Kansas Technical College, where he won the 2019 National Junior College Athletic Association 184 pound championship and led the Mavericks to a fourth-place national team finish. He also won a 2017 Florida High School State title.
Vega will shift gears for Ersland in the Boilermakers after serving as Purdue’s volunteer assistant coach the last three seasons. His new role as a wrestling development associate. He will work with the coaching staff to design workouts and individual programing for the Boilermakers, aiming to maximize each wrestler’s skill set and competitive growth.
Lipsett will transition into a full-time role as the Boilermakers’ supervisor of operations. He spent 13 years as a full-time member of Purdue’s athletics communications office, and the last three years in a hybrid role with communications and operations for the wrestling program. In addition to his duties with travel, logistics and scheduling, Lipsett will take on a more active role with on-campus recruiting and recruiting communication with prospective student athletes. He will be replaced in the Purdue athletics communications office by William Soulé, who joins the Boilermakers after serving as the wrestling communications contact at the University of Oklahoma in 2021-22. Soulé will start his position at Purdue in September.
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