O’CONNOR, NESS LEAD CAROLINA TO STRONG FINISH AT NCAAS
PITTSBURGH — Austin O’Connorled the way for North Carolina on the final day of the 2019 Division I Wrestling National Championships, finishing in third place at 149 pounds. Chip Ness, the other Tar Heel All-American, finished sixth at 184 pounds. Overall, North Carolina secured a 19th-place finish, the team’s highest since 1995.
O’Connor knocked off No. 4 Brock Mauller of Missouri to advance to the third-place match, where he met Duke’s No. 3 Mitch Finesilver for the second time in the tournament and the sixth time on the season. The Tar Heel redshirt freshman stormed out of the gate, gathered the match’s first takedown and never looked back. He had a 6-2 lead after two periods, and despite almost getting taken down at the buzzer, O’Connor held on for a 7-5 win to secure the third spot on the podium. Ness dropped both of his matches in the medal round on Saturday – to Lehigh’s Ryan Preisch and Illinois’ Emory Parker – but finished sixth for his second All-American honor to wrap up his career at North Carolina. Rest of the story at
https://goheels.com/news/2019/3/23/wrestling-o-connor-ness-lead-carolina-to-strong-finish-at-ncaas.aspx?path=wrestling
and also a story from Ness’ hometown in Georgia
North Carolina senior Chip Ness becomes Gwinnett’s first two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling All-American
Two thrilling victories in Pittsburgh put University of North Carolina senior Chip Ness in rare company. The Buford graduate became Gwinnett County’s first two-time All-American at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, in addition to becoming just the fourth Georgia native to accomplish the feat. Though he fell short of a national title — he ended up sixth — he made his mark with All-American honors for the second straight season at college wrestling’s marquee event, which concluded Saturday. “I was really looking forward to making finals and I definitely had a huge goal of winning and becoming a national champ and making a legacy for myself,” Ness said Sunday after he arrived back in Chapel Hill, N.C. “The goal was to try to be the best Georgia wrestler ever. Rest of the story from Georgia at https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/sports/north-carolina-senior-chip-ness-becomes-gwinnett-s-first-two/article_7b20457c-4c58-5cb3-8da7-695de9f2cde5.html?mc_cid=19991bd8ba&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
A Star is Born
It’s rare that you see an athlete hit the consciousness of a fan base in one big moment, but over the span of eight minutes last Saturday night Virginia Tech wrestler Mekhi Lewis went from a curiosity to a star in Hokie athletics. It’s March Madness, but in wrestling circles, they call it March Matness. Everyone loves a good Cinderella story, and in a year when 14 of the top 16 seeds advanced in the NCAA Basketball Tournament, there was no George Mason, Loyola (Chicago) or NC State (1983) to be found. But at the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Pittsburgh, there was a Cinderella story that would have done Bill Murray’s Carl Spackler proud: Virginia Tech’s Mekhi Lewis, seeded 8th in the 165-pound weight class, stormed to the championship, the first ever for a Virginia Tech wrestler. Lewis was the lowest-seeded wrestler to win it all, and he didn’t sneak in the back door, either. Along the way, he beat the No. 1, No. 4 and No. 2 seeds.
The Start for Mekhi Lewis
After Thursday wins over No. 25 Cam Coy of Virginia and No. 24 Cael McCormick of Army, Lewis was matched up against No.1 seed Alex Marinelli of Iowa in Friday’s early wrestling session. End of the line, right? Not so fast. Rest of the story at https://virginiatech.sportswar.com/article/2019/03/26/mekhi-lewis-star-born/?mc_cid=19991bd8ba&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
2019 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy Fan Vote
Fan voting for the 2019 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy has begun. The Hodge Trophy is the top award in college wrestling and has been presented annually since 1994 to the nation’s most dominant collegiate wrestler. The award is named after Dan Hodge, the former three-time (1955-57) NCAA champion from the University of Oklahoma, who did not allow a takedown in his career and pinned 36 of 46 victims. Rest of the story and a chance to vote at this link https://www.win-magazine.com/2019/03/2019-win-magazineculture-house-dan-hodge-trophy-fan-vote-2/?mc_cid=19991bd8ba&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Valencia named winner of The Hammer Award by Amateur Wrestling News
Amateur Wrestling News will present The Hammer, its annual award, to Arizona State’s 174-pounder Zahid Valencia. The award is presented to the wrestler who wins the national title at what the writers at AWN decide is the most competitive weight class every season. Valencia won the 174 pound title this year in Pittsburgh, defeating Penn State’s 2017 NCAA champion Mark Hall in the finals. There were two NCAA champs at the weight (Valencia and Hall) and a total of eight returning All Americans. Valencia finished the season 31-2, with his losses being to Hall and Missouri’s Daniel Lewis. He avenged both at the NCAAs. Rest of the story at http://thecaliforniawrestler.com/valencia-named-winner-of-the-hammer-award-by-awn/?mc_cid=19991bd8ba&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Hall of famer Gibson says mom’s advice led to D1 career
He was 13 years old when Brad Gibson’s mother, Linda, called him into the living room to watch the NCAA Division I wrestling finals on their cable television set. “‘Bradley, get in here! She was like, ‘This is what you need to be thinking about,’” Gibson said. “And I was like ‘Are you out of your (expletive) mind?’ …My mom was crazy about wrestling. She was passionate about all sports, but absolutely nuts about wrestling.” Whatever his reaction may have been at 13, it wasn’t the same once he reached his senior year of high school.
“Fate would have it, years down the road when I was at my recruiting trip… I still had that (thing) she said, stuck in my head years before, just to see if I was good enough to go Division I,” Gibson said. “That’s the only reason I went to (the University of) Minnesota, I didn’t know anybody at Minnesota, didn’t know the coaches. I’m glad I made that decision now. She planted that seed years before, unknowingly.” Linda Gibson saw the vision she wanted for her son and his potential years before he did. Gibson was a Big 10 champion and two-time All-American during his career at the University of Minnesota. His decorated career, in both college and high school, has earned him a spot in the Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association David Bartelma Wrestling Hall of Fame. The induction dinner is scheduled for Saturday, May 4, at McKinney’s on Southside, in Benson. Rest of the story at https://www.stevenscountytimes.com/sports/wrestling/4589400-wrestling-hall-famer-gibson-says-moms-advice-led-d1-career?mc_cid=19991bd8ba&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Cael Sanderson Is Right. College Wrestling Deserves More Scholarships
As I write this it’s a gorgeous 79 degrees and sunny, there’s a light breeze, and very low humidity. I’m sitting by an outdoor pool that is fully functional — the water is not solid and there are humans splashing around in it — and the nearby plants and trees are all green and blooming. Obviously I’m not in Happy Valley. I’m just north of Orlando, Fla., in the community of Heathrow, where I attended the wonderful outdoor wedding of an old friend (congratulations Richelle and Paul!). Now that the festivities are over I’m reading online and catching up on all the excitement I missed this weekend in Pennsylvania before I leave for my flight back north. That’s right, I missed March Matness. I was not in Pittsburgh watching the Penn State wrestling team win its eighth NCAA team championship in nine years while also crowning three individual NCAA champions.
Think about that – eight national team championships in nine years. I won’t try to find words to describe that level of accomplishment because for most of us it’s incomprehensible. For a team to not only be the best at a certain skill, but then to maintain that skill level year after year when everyone else is focused on just knocking you off… Words do not do that justice. And we all know the man responsible for this achievement is Coach Cael Sanderson, who was named Penn State’s head wrestling coach on April 17, 2009, and in the ensuing 10 years has led what could arguably be called a renaissance in collegiate wrestling in this country. As I was going through all of the news reports and online videos of what happened I came across the coach’s press conference that took place before the national tournament started. Coaches Tom Ryan (Ohio State), Tom Brands (Iowa), John Smith (Oklahoma State), Keith Gavin (Pittsburgh) and Sanderson were seated at the dais and answered a number of questions posed by the reporters. Early in the press conference Sanderson was asked about his opinion regarding the growing number of collegiate wrestlers who are transferring schools. His response (edited for length) was as follows: Rest of the story and details at http://www.statecollege.com/news/columns/cael-sanderson-is-right-college-wrestling-deserves-more-scholarships,1479673/?mc_cid=19991bd8ba&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Dan Gable Museum celebrates grand opening this week
TDR Editor’s Notes ; Will admit that this site is on my ‘bucket list’ of places to visit as I have not been there yet. Long ago back in March of 2001 I did visit this museum’s predecessor when it was located in Newton, Iowa.
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WATERLOO, Iowa—After being closed since September while undergoing a $1.4 million renovation, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa celebrate the completion of its renovation with a grand opening. Dan Gable Museum will officially open to the public on Thursday, March 28 at 6 p.m. The grand opening is in conjunction with USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals held at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on March 29-31. Named for wrestling legend Dan Gable and located in a refurbished downtown section of his hometown, the museum has become a landmark in Waterloo and a world-class destination for wrestlers and fans. Rest of the story and details at https://nwhof.org/blog/dan-gable-museum-celebrates-grand-opening-this-week/?mc_cid=19991bd8ba&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
App State Earns Share of Fourth Straight SoCon Title
BOONE, N.C. — Another conference championship was a fitting way for this class to celebrate Senior Day. Appalachian State Wrestling clinched a share of its fourth straight Southern Conference regular season title with a 39-8 win against The Citadel in the home finale at Varsity Gym on Sunday.
For the fourth-year wrestlers among the senior quintet of Randall Diabe, Irvin Enriquez, Angel Najar, Michael Elliott and Thierry Washington, it was a 4-for-4 finish. The Mountaineers have gone 25-2 in SoCon duals during the last four years. “It was really special being Senior Day, and these guys that were honored today, they got to be part of four straight conference championships, which is a major feat in itself,” said head coach JohnMark Bentley, who had led the program to five regular season titles in the last eight seasons. Rest of the story at https://appstatesports.com/news/2019/2/17/wrestling-app-state-earns-share-of-fourth-straight-socon-title.aspx?mc_cid=83f048612d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Nathan Hale’s Dominic Damon becomes first Seattle Public Schools wrestler to win state title
TDR Editor’s Notes; We love to see ‘firsts’ and other milestone achievements in expanding wrestling opportunities.
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Damon dispatched of Prairie’s Braydon Sofianos 10-2 to claim a Class 3A state championship at 145 pounds and finish his season 49-1.
TACOMA – Dominic Damon did it for a school, a league and a city. The Nathan Hale High School senior capped his career in style at Mat Classic XXXI on Saturday night in the Tacoma Dome, but he said it wasn’t for him. Damon dispatched of Prairie’s Braydon Sofianos 10-2 to claim a Class 3A state championship at 145 pounds, becoming the first Seattle Public Schools wrestler to bring home a state title. Damon, 49-1 this season and 130-11 for his Raiders’ career, captured that elusive crown after missing the postseason in 2018 with a broken bone in his hand. Rest of the story at https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/high-school/mat-classic-nathan-hales-dominic-damon-becomes-first-seattle-public-schools-wrestler-to-win-state-title/?mc_cid=83f048612d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
TDR blog
After 20 seasons of publicizing wrestling The TakeDown Report’s (TDR) focus has changed to the collecting of college coaching records from North America since 1903. We will continue to recognize and reward successful wrestlers in eastern North Carolina (east of Raleigh & Fayetteville), assist with schools in starting or re-starting a team and this blog. Join us on our FaceBook Page – “The TakeDown Report” for photos and news. Please send results, stories, links and news to pass along. E-mail us at takedownreport@gmail.com
Martin Fleming, Editor
Takedown Report
Takedown Report 