WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – If you’re looking for the biggest example of “Madness” in March, you wouldn’t find it in the NCAA in basketball.

Instead, it came courtesy of a native of Lockport in a different sport on St. Patrick’s Day. It was a moment that Purdue wrestler Matt Ramos had dreamed of before it happened.

“Weeks before that, even in the season, I’ve had dreams about wrestling Spencer Lee and pinning him,” said the redshirt sophomore for the Boilermakers. “It may sound crazy, but I talked to my coaches about this. I’d tell them ‘Hey, I just had a dream last night that I pinned Spencer Lee in our match.”

Ramos is referring to the three-time defending national champion at 125 pounds from Iowa who had an undefeated record during the regular season, and is arguably one of the greatest athletes in the history of college wrestling.

Lee’s road to the championships included a victory over Ramos in a dual meet in West Lafayette on January 8 where the Purdue wrestler led 8-1 early before the Hawkeye pinned him.

Yet when Ramos met the favorite Lee, who was sporting a 20-0 record and a 58-match winning streak, at the 125-pound national semifinals in Tulsa on March 17, the ending was much different.

Tied at seven in the final seconds, it was Ramos who got the pin as time expired to stun Lee in one of the greatest upsets in the history of college wrestling. It denied the Iowa wrestler the chance to become the fifth in NCAA history to win four-straight individual national championships.

On the flip side, it gave the former Lockport High School Illinois state champion his signature win in a sport that he’s participated in since he was four years old.

“It’s definitely something new and something I haven’t been really used to,” said Ramos of the attention that has come after pulling the upset of Lee as it made national headlines with the final pin being replayed on highlight shows.

Yet Ramos remains focused as he’s just completed his second season at Purdue, having lost in the national championship match at 125 pounds to Pat Glory of Princeton. Work is still yet to be done not only to make the most of his career with the Boilermakers but lift up those around him.

“After wrestling in the national tournament, especially with all the publicity, too, obviously I want to do good with it. Obviously, the main priority now is to get back to training,” said Ramos. “It doesn’t change the big picture of what I’m doing. I’m here to win these national championships, All-American, and to show for Purdue.

“It’s a lot bigger than myself, I’m doing this for all the things that I love. It’s not going to switch who I am as a person but also it’s given me the opportunity to not only better myself but my teammates, my family, my friends, and those around me in the wrestling community.”

Larry Hawley has more from Ramos on the major upset in March in the video at the top of the story.

You can also hear Matt give a detailed description of his win over Lee in the video in the middle of the story.