CONGRATULATING PURDUE UNIVERSITY WRESTLING CHAMPIONS

CONGRATULATING PURDUE UNIVERSITY WRESTLING CHAMPIONS

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 57 (Thursday, March 26, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 57 (Thursday, March 26, 2026)] [House] [Pages H2719-H2720] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] CONGRATULATING PURDUE UNIVERSITY WRESTLING CHAMPIONS (Mr. Baird of Indiana was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.) Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate four Boilermakers from Purdue University who competed in the NCAA wrestling championships. These student-athletes are Joey Blaze, a 165-pound weight class junior; Blake Boarman, a junior in the 133-pound weight class; 174- pound weight class senior Brody Baumann; and senior Ben Vanadia in the 197-pound weight class. Purdue junior Joey Blaze wrapped up a sixth place finish, becoming the 13th two-time All-American in Purdue wrestling history. Brody Baumann is a three-time NCAA qualifier and was one of the only three Indiana natives to qualify for the nationals in 2026. Blake Boarman went to the nationals for the second time, his first time as a Boilermaker. Competing in his fourth year, Ben Vanadia went to the nationals for the first time. Congratulations to these outstanding student-athletes. They should be proud of their hard work. Boiler up. Congratulating David Betourne Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I would like today to congratulate an un-bee- lievable young speller from northwest Indiana. David Betourne recently won the Scripps Regional Spelling Bee of northwest Indiana after seven rounds and nearly 2 hours of intense competition. David ultimately triumphed by spelling the word biomimicry, proving that every letter truly counts. With this impressive victory, Mr. Betourne now has the opportunity to represent the Lafayette area at the National Spelling Bee in May in our Nation's Capital. Competing on the national stage takes not only knowledge but focus, preparation, and a vocabulary that would impress the dictionary. I know David will do an excellent job, and I want him to know and remember that we are all rooting for him. I congratulate him again on this well-deserved and well-worded achievement. He will make Indiana proud. Congratulating Wabash College Track and Field Athletes Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate two Wabash College students who were honored at the North Coast Athletic Conference track and field. Quinn Sholar was named the 2026 NCAC Men's Field Athlete of the Year. Brock DeBello earned the NCAC Newcomer of the Year award as a freshman. Quinn Sholar won shot put with a top mark of 16.42 meters. He also made a conferencewide and school record throw of 18.69 meters to win a February 27 weight throw competition. As a freshman, Brock DeBello is having quite the season. Producing intense executions on the track, he broke a school record at the February 27 400-meter preliminaries with a time of 48.6 seconds. DeBello returned in the finals to secure a fourth-place finish at 47.47 seconds. Congratulations to these two and to the entire Wabash track and field team for an amazing championship run. [[Page H2720]] ____________________