Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

CAROLINA WRESTLING COMPLETES 2019 WRESTLE OFFS

CHAPEL HILL — Team Navy picked up a 17-15 win over Team Carolina Blue as UNC Wrestling completed its 2019 wrestle offs in Carmichael Arena Thursday night. The match was highlighted by a large group of new names hitting the mat for the Tar Heels, including freshman Timothy Decatur in his 125-pound win over Jeremiah Derby, a 7-6 decision. Returners Jaime Hernandez (133 pounds) and Zach Sherman (141 pounds) collected wins of their own, while Gino Esposito won his first match in Carmichael Arena at 149 pounds. At 157 pounds, AC Headlee made his debut two weights up and defeated Josh McClure, 10-6. In the next match, Kennedy Monday won in a decision against Sawyer Davidson, 8-5. Rest of the matches and story at https://goheels.com/news/2019/10/24/carolina-wrestling-completes-2019-wrestle-offs.aspx?mc_cid=5efd70627f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

October 31, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Stage will be set for McKee to finish college career in style

Mitch McKee can see it from his house.
The bright purple lights that glow at night from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. It’s the place where his beloved Minnesota Vikings play.
And the place where he hopes to cap his collegiate career with an NCAA wrestling championship.
“Having the 2020 NCAA tournament there is going to be amazing,” McKee said. “I will have a lot of family and friends there, and it’s going to be incredible having nationals in that stadium. It’s going to be awesome to finish my career there.” McKee starts his senior season with the Minnesota Golden Gophers ranked No. 4 by InterMat at 141 pounds. McKee placed sixth nationally at 141 pounds last season after bumping up a weight class from 133 pounds. He compiled a 24-8 record as a junior. “My career has definitely gone by fast,” McKee said. “It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long. It’s been amazing, being a part of this wrestling program and this university. I like the way it has turned out so far.” McKee has found the perfect fit at the University of Minnesota during an emotional time for the close-knit McKee family.

Mitch McKee hugs his father Steve after claiming a state title in 2014 (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)
McKee’s father, Steve, lost his battle with cancer in 2014. A few months before Steve died, he shared one final magical, heartfelt moment with his son when Mitch won a Minnesota state high school title. Mitch hugged his father following the win before the wrestler he pinned in the finals, Malik Stewart, also came over to hug McKee’s father. The sellout crowd at the Xcel Energy Center stood and rewarded both wrestlers with a standing ovation. The inspirational story drew national attention. Rest of this story at http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/22441?mc_cid=5efd70627f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

October 31, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Abbott Blog: Why voting now and often for Adeline Gray for USOPC Athlete of the Year is so important

BY GARY ABBOTT, USA WRESTLING | OCT. 24, 2019

There are only four days left for fans to vote for the USOPC Athletes of the Year. Five-time World champion Adeline Gray is a finalist for the Female Olympic Athlete of the Year.
USA Wrestling always reaches out to the wrestling community whenever one of our athletes is a finalist for the USOPC awards, whether it be for the Athlete of the Month or the Athlete of the Year. There is an important part of the selection process for this which includes a fan vote. With the USOPC awards, you can vote as many times as you want, over and over again.

Vote for Adeline Gray for USOPC Athlete of Year
There are many reasons why I think it is vitally important that the wrestling community rally behind Adeline and vote for her over the last four days of this campaign.
1. She deserves it. Becoming the first five-time World champion wrestler (in a sport in which an athlete can only win one gold medal a year) is a huge achievement. Adeline Gray keeps making history, and should be recognized beyond the wrestling community for her achievements. She is one of the biggest stars in the Olympic family.
2. Fan voting accounts for 50% of the selection for this award. The bigger sports with active social media and communication have an advantage in these situations. Wrestling is large enough and active enough online to do well in this format. We just need to get motivated and stay motivated.
3. It seems they pick the same athletes, over and over again. In a lot of cases, these athletes are in sports where an athlete can enter multiple events and winning many medals, not a sport where you can only win one medal. Swimmer Michael Phelps won this four times, swimmer Katie Ledecky won this three times, speedskater Eric Heiden won this three times and track star Michael Johnson won this three times. It is time to put in an athlete who can only win one World or Olympic gold medal a year. There is no margin for error in our sport.
4. No USA women’s wrestler has ever won this award. Men’s freestyle wrestlers who have won include John Smith, Rulon Gardner, Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Snyder. It is time one of our superstar women to get this award. It is Adeline’s turn. Rest of Gary’s story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/October/24/Abbott-blog-Vote-for-Adeline-Gray?mc_cid=5efd70627f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

October 31, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Newberry the Favorite in 2019-20 South Atlantic Conference Carolinas Preseason Poll

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Newberry is the favorite in the 2019-20 South Atlantic Conference Carolinas Men’s Wrestling Preseason Poll. The preseason poll was unveiled on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019.  Newberry (56) received all seven first-place votes that it had available since you could not vote for own team. Limestone (50) claimed the other first-place vote to sit second.
King (38) was tabbed third followed closely by Emmanuel (36). Belmont Abbey (33) was chosen fifth, while Coker (32) was picked sixth. Queens (21) was selected seventh and first-year program Mount Olive (14) was tabbed eighth. Rest of the story and individual rankings at https://www.conferencecarolinas.com/sports/mwrest/2019-20/poll1024?mc_cid=5efd70627f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

October 31, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Writing Time: Why college wrestling is healthier than it’s been in decades

Mike Moyer was rattling off facts and figures about college wrestling’s two-decade reversal when a fill-in-the-blank question made him stop for a second to reflect. 
College wrestling is as healthy as it’s been since ___?
“I’d say probably 1975,” the executive director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association said. “That’s when we really started getting clobbered.” 
Wrestling statistics from that era are difficult to find and it’s hard to pin down the exact number of Division I programs that existed then. But college wrestling programs started dying off during the late-1970s and there were 136 Division I programs left in 1985.  Now there’s 79, though the figure has been creeping upward in recent years and appears on the verge of a bigger hike.   
Six programs — Augustana, Bellarmine, Cal Baptist, Little Rock, Long Island and Presbyterian — are in various stages of joining the Division I ranks, which will push the total north of 80. Moyer said there’s ongoing talks with five other schools about joining the Division I fray.  There might not be a name brand like Alabama, Florida State, Texas or UCLA on the way in the immediate future, but there’s tangible proof of wrestling’s growth and there’s across-the-board momentum without the Crimson Tide, Seminoles, Longhorns and Bruins. 
According to data compiled by Jason Bryant, there are currently 479 college wrestling programs in some stage of operation. Almost half — 236 to be exact — have been launched since 2000. Of those programs born in the last 19 years, nearly 75 percent have been started since 2011. 
Moyer points to a few primary factors for the surge in program numbers. The biggest is this: College enrollment in the United States has declined for the past eight years, spurring administrators to take action in an effort to fill classrooms. They’ve turned to athletics as a way to help attract new students, and the low costs associated with operating a wrestling program have helped the sport grow, particularly at small, private schools.  “The big benefit we have now is we have momentum behind us,” Moyer said. “When we go to meet with a college president or do a presentation to a board of trustees, there’s 230 examples we can give them of success. “The second thing that makes things easier than (two decades ago): We have a much more established donor network than we did 20 years ago, so when we’re trying to get startup funds, not that that’s ever easy, but it’s easier than it was 20 years ago when we were trying to get our foot in the door. That proverbial flywheel is moving, so these (school) presidents and athletic directors, they talk to each other and there’s so much goodwill that’s generated in the way we support them. We’re involved in almost every program in some capacity. It might be helping them find the right coach, it might be startup funds, it might be helping them get into a conference.”  NAIA wrestling has been one of the top beneficiaries from the recent movement. There are 69 NAIA schools that sponsor wrestling. That doesn’t include several of which have reclassified to various NCAA divisions. All but 14 of the current NAIA programs have been launched since 2001, including three in Arkansas, a state where college wrestling didn’t exist until 2010. 
Rest of the story and more god news at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1571888025599&twSessionId=dmvxtaorbs&postId=1691858132&mc_cid=d1ff3e5870&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

October 31, 2019 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment