Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

St. Thomas University To Add Men’s Wrestling

By Jon Leatherman
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. –St. Thomas University (STU) Athletics is growing the Bobcat Athletic roster launching three new sports programs in Fall 2020, adding Men’s & Women’s Swimming & Diving and Men’s Wrestling. Following the largest incoming class in St. Thomas University history and last Fall’s announcement of the Football, swimming & diving, and wrestling will become the latest sports added under tenth St. Thomas University President, David A. Armstrong, J.D.
“Over the past year, St. Thomas University has gained a lot of momentum and notoriety, due to our record fundraising and being ranked #1 for social mobility for regional universities in the South by U.S. News and World Report,” said Armstrong. “We know that students who participate in Athletics are more engaged, socially and academically. We look forward to these new students continuing the positive momentum.” The additions of Swimming & Diving and Wrestling gives St. Thomas University 21-varsity sports, which compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
STU Athletics Director, Laura Courtley – Todd, stated “We are thrilled to add these new sports, and to provide more options for college bound student-athletes. The university’s approach and vision for ethical leadership, makes it very attractive to students and there is no better way of gaining leadership skills than through sports participation.” Rest of the story at https://portal.nwcaonline.com/articles/NWCA_News/St-Thomas-University-To-Add-Men-s-24-10-2019

October 26, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Hastings College to add women’s wrestling as varsity sport

Courtesy of Hasting College – Link
Hastings College will offer men’s volleyball and women’s wrestling as varsity intercollegiate sports beginning in the 2020-21 academic year. The addition of the two programs will bring Hastings College Broncos Athletics to 26 competitive teams. Like other College’s other athletic teams, the new programs will be affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). Hastings College is conducting national searches to find head coaches for both programs. Rest of the story and link at https://portal.nwcaonline.com/articles/NWCA_News/-21-10-2019

October 26, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Eight departures that rocked wrestling

Kyle Snyder is officially a Nittany Lion. Well, sort of.
The three-time World and Olympic champion who won three NCAA titles at Ohio State announced last week that he was leaving the Ohio Regional Training Center for Penn State’s Nittany Lion Wrestling Club to “take advantage of additional training.”  It was a major announcement, especially given the college rivalry between Ohio State and Penn State.  Time will tell where this ranks among the all-time moves in wrestling history, but here are eight departures that changed wrestling history forever. 

Stephen Neal leaves wrestling to play in the NFL
Stephen Neal won NCAA heavyweight titles for CSU Bakersfield in 1998 as a junior and in 1999 as a senior. Several months later, he won the 1999 World Championships. He placed second to Kerry McCoy at the 2000 Olympic Trials then left wrestling in 2001 to play for the New England Patriots as an offensive lineman where he won three Super Bowl rings.
Here’s the kicker: Neal didn’t play a down of college football.
Neal proved that you can reach the highest level in another sport with a high-level wrestling background. However, wrestling was denied of an Olympic cycle where Stephen Neal, Kerry McCoy, Tolly Thompson, and Steve Mocco would battle for heavyweight wrestling supremacy. 

Dale Anderson transfers from Iowa State to Michigan State
Dale Anderson’s style did not mesh well with Iowa State coach Harold Nichols. That’s why he left the Cyclones to wrestle for Grady Peninger at Michigan State. The result was the greatest era in Spartan wrestling history, which yielded NCAA titles for Anderson in 1967 and 1968 and an NCAA team championship for Michigan State in 1967. It was also the first time a Big Ten school won the NCAA tournament.  The Spartans placed first and the Cyclones placed third in 1967. Anderson won the NCAA tournament at 137 pounds and Iowa State didn’t have a wrestler win a match at that weight class. Anderson’s transfer made the ultimate difference and it gave Michigan State its only NCAA team title in program history. 

Ray Brinzer transfers from Oklahoma State to Iowa
Ray Brinzer left Oklahoma State for Iowa after sanctions against the Cowboys forced the program to miss postseason competition in 1993. Brinzer transferred to Iowa and placed third at NCAA Championships at 177 pounds in 1993 and 1995, but it was his second-place finish at the 1993 Big Ten Championships that shaped wrestling history as we know it. Brinzer entered the Big Ten tournament with a 0-0 record. The NCAA cleared him to wrestle for the Hawkeyes just as the team departed for the tournament in Columbus, Ohio.  Penn State had just entered the Big Ten and was looking to break Iowa’s stranglehold on the conference and on the country. The Nittany Lions came close. Iowa won both the 1993 Big Ten and NCAA titles. However, the Hawkeyes eked out a win over the Nittany Lions at the conference tournament, 128-123.5. Rest of the story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1571370777269&twSessionId=dmoubmntit&postId=1690556132&mc_cid=987ee111d5&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

October 26, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment