Parker Filius wins twice at NCAA national tourney

It should have been his second straight NCAA tournament, but because of the coronavirus, former Havre Blue Pony four-time state champion Parker Filius made the most out of his first trip to nationals.

This past weekend in St. Louis, Filius, a junior for the Purdue Boilermakers, went 2-2 at the national tournament, with a first-round loss, two consolation-round wins, and a loss two matches shy of All-American honors.

Filius opened the 141-pound bracket with a 1-1 record Thursday, losing in the first round but coming back to win in the first consolation round. Filius lost to South Dakota State's Call Carlson, with a heartbreaking 7-6 decision in the opener, but he rebounded to out Drexel's Julian Flores, with a 9-0 major later Thursday.

Friday, Filius won 6-3 over Cole Matthews of Pittsburgh in a second-round consolation match. However, that win was followed by an 11-3 defeat to Chad Red of Nebraska. Red was the No. 8 overall seed in the tournament.

Penn State's Nick Lee won the 141-pound national championship, while the Iowa Hawkeyes captured the national team title.

Meanwhile, Filius finished the season with a 9-9 record, and ranked No. 18 in the NCAA. He could potentially have two more years at Purdue, as all 2020-21 student athletes were granted a free year of eligibility due to the pandemic.