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Abbott Blog: Why not aim for 100 Div. I men’s programs?

By Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling | Jan. 04, 2019,

California Baptist, now a Div. I program, set a school attendance record of 3,252 when it hosted Ohio State earlier this season. Photo by Robert Jordan, courtesy of CBULancers.com
It has been a strong year for NCAA Div. I wrestling, in terms of growth. After many years of decline or stagnation, a few recent announcements have helped turn the trend in a positive direction, something the wrestling community has been striving to see for a long, long time.
The transitioning program at California Baptist has begun to compete at the Div. I level, although it can not compete in the NCAA Div. I Championships yet. New programs at Presbyterian College (SD) and Little Rock (AK) will begin competing next season. A pair of Div. II colleges with wrestling announced that their athletic departments were moving up to Div. I, Long Island University (NY) and Augustana (SD).
FloWrestling quickly did the math, and reported that there will be up to 80 NCAA Div. I programs within the next few years, something that is wonderful news.
Here is where I am coming from, a position I have had for a number of years. I truly believe that the U.S. wrestling community needs to set a specific goal of developing 100 NCAA Div. I programs for men. In my past discussions, I called this Project D-100, but it could be named something else more creative.
Let’s separate this discussion from creating Div. I women’s teams, which should have a whole different campaign and promotion. I am completely behind putting together a leadership group to focus solely on women’s Div. I wrestling, which will provide tremendous growth and opportunity in our sport. Rest of the story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/January/04/Abbott-Blog-How-about-100-D-I-programs?mc_cid=2d79ab6cf9&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

January 6, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

IWCOA announces first girls wrestling championships for January 19th

(KMAland) — The Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (IWCOA) is pleased to announce its first interscholastic Iowa High School Girls Wrestling Championships January 19, 2019 at Waverly-Shell Rock High School. The 2019 championship event conducted by the IWCOA marks the end of the second season in which IHSAA member schools offered females the opportunity to compete in girls’ divisions. All eligible girls competing on wrestling teams sponsored by the Iowa High School Athletic Association member schools and included on their rosters are eligible to participate. This event counts as one of the wrestler’s 17 competition dates allowed during the season by IHSAA rules. Rest of the story at http://www.kmaland.com/sports/iwcoa-announces-first-girls-wrestling-championships-for-january-th/article_bb90bc12-1067-11e9-bb8f-2b7d2ae80405.html?mc_cid=2d79ab6cf9&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

January 6, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

No. 15 Tar Heels Win Two At Cowboy Shootout

TDR Editor’s Notes ; Great to see the Tar Heels on a winning path as they have traveled to the south for the South Beach Duals and far to the west in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
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Posted On: January 5, 2019 LARAMIE, Wyo. — No. 15 North Carolina picked up wins against American and Army West Point in Friday night’s Cowboy Shootout at the University of Wyoming’s Arena-Auditorium. No. 5 Austin O’Connor, No. 11 Chip Ness and Josh McClure all won three times, while Chasen Blair picked up his first career pin and first win over a ranked opponent.
The Tar Heels (7-4) began the night with a 20-15 loss to No. 13 Wyoming that came down to the final match. O’Connor and McClure led the night off with back-to-back wins for Carolina after the starting draw was set at 149 pounds. The Tar Heels dropped matches at both 165 and 174, but Ness pinned Carless Looney late in the third period to give the team a 12-8 lead. Blair picked up a win over No. 18 Cale Davidson before No. 15 Cory Daniel dropped an overtime match. Wyoming (9-3) won the final three bouts of the night, however, including a late decision from Sam Turner over A.C. Headlee to decide the dual.
Carolina stormed out of the gate against American (0-3) and never looked back. Rest of the story at https://goheels.com/news/2019/1/4/wrestling-no-15-tar-heels-win-two-at-cowboy-shootout.aspx

January 6, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Gary Wayne Harding Q&A

Posted On: January 2, 2019 Gary Wayne Harding transferred to North Carolina over the past offseason after spending his first four years at Oklahoma State. There, the redshirt senior qualified for the NCAA Championships twice.
Now ready to make a statement at UNC, Harding sits down with GoHeels.com for a Q&A to give fans a better look at who he is both on and off the mat.

Q: For those who don’t know you, how would you describe yourself as a wrestler?
A: I wrestle hard and I wrestle the whole match. I’m a conditioned wrestler. I base a lot of my wrestling on being well-conditioned and out-conditioning guys with everything. I think I wrestle hard in every position. I grew up in Oklahoma, so I was always going to Oklahoma State duals. I remember watching Coleman [Scott] there. I grew up around that environment, so that helped.

Q: What was the transfer process like for you after having success at Oklahoma State?
A: It was a really easy transition. I knew Coleman. Rest of the story at https://goheels.com/news/2019/1/2/wrestling-gary-wayne-harding-q-a.aspx?mc_cid=25522130ed&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

January 6, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment