Takedown Report

29th College News, Notes and Results

Lander earns 41-13 victory over Truett McConnell
GREENWOOD – The Lander wrestling team battled out of an early deficit to defeat Truett McConnell and earn the first dual win in program history, 41-13, in front of 209 fans in Finis Horne Arena on Wednesday night. “I’m excited for the guys,” said head coach R.C. LaHaye. “Any time you get a chance to be the first to do something, that’s pretty exciting. There was more effort there than there was last week, so I’m excited for the group.” The difference in the dual came in a 17-0 run for the Bearcats (1-1) as Elijah Gray and Tyler Dahlgren tallied back-to-back falls at 141 and 149, followed by a 17-1 tech fall from Bryson Ethington at 157 to help Lander turn a 9-0 deficit into a 17-9 lead.  After the Bears (2-5) notched a major decision to make the score 17-13, Lander added to its cushion with a forfeit win at 174.  Rest of the story at https://landerbearcats.com/sports/wrest/2019-20/releases/20191211un472e?mc_cid=ccc735817e&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Davidson’s Fenn Selected SoCon Wrestler of the Week
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Davidson senior grappler Conor Fenn was named the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week, announced by the league Wednesday.  Fenn had his hand raised twice at the Patriot Duals following a 7-0 decision win over Long Island’s Mark Malico and a 9-0 major over George Mason’s Ramses Montalvo. With the sweep, the 197-pounder moved to 6-5 overall this season and 4-1 in dual matches. With the distinction, Fenn becomes the first SoCon weekly honoree since Kevin Birmingham in 2014. Davidson returns to the mats Wednesday, Jan. 1 for the opening day of the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn. Rest of the story at https://davidsonwildcats.com/news/2019/12/11/wrestling-fenn-selected-socon-wrestler-of-the-week.aspx?mc_cid=ccc735817e&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WRESTLERS OF THE WEEK
MAC East Division: Wrestler of the Week
Greg Bulsak, Clarion—Junior, Pittsburgh, Pa. (South Park High School)
Clarion junior Greg Bulsak at 197 lbs., jumped from unranked and unseeded at the start of the Cliff Keen Invitational, back into the national spotlight with a sixth-place finish at the prestigious event in Las Vegas.  Bulsak beat three wrestlers ranked in the top-15 according to last week’s FloWrestling rankings, as well as two competitors ranked in the top-10 according to Intermat at the time of the event.  He started the weekend with a second-period win by fall over eighth-seeded No. 18/15 Tanner Orndorff of Utah Valley, the first of four wins by fall at the tournament for Bulsak.  After a setback against Arizona State’s Kordell Norfleet, Bulsak pinned three straight opponents, defeating Minnesota’s Garrett Joles, Wyoming’s Steph Buchanan, and third-seeded No. 8/11 Tanner Sloan of South Dakota State.  He added second-seeded No. 7/9 Jay Aiello of Virginia to his hit list with a 7-4 decision before falling to Cal Poly’s Thomas Lane and Nebraska’s Eric Schultz, giving Bulsak a sixth-place finish.  Bulsak now has seven wins by fall on the season, just one off the NCAA Division I lead so far.
Additional Nominees:
Josh Jones, George Mason—Freshman, Hellertown, Pa. (Saucon Valley High School)
George Mason freshman Josh Jones at 133 lbs., posted three straight wins and a fourth win via forfeit to improve to 6-6 on the season.  Jones earned an impressive win over Michael Pappaconstantinou from Gardner-Webb … Rest of the story at https://getsomemaction.com/news/2019/12/11/wrestling-mac-announces-wrestlers-of-the-week.aspx?mc_cid=ccc735817e&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Brossard the total package for RCTC wrestling program
Rochester Community and Technical College wrestling coach Randy Rager loves getting complete student-athletes into his program. The Yellowjackets coach feels like he hit the jackpot with Seth Brossard. Brossard won an individual state championship during his senior season at Kenyon-Wanamingo when he went a perfect 48-0 last winter. Rager was not only excited to have Brossard join the Yellowjackets as a wrestler this season, but also as a student. Rest of the story at https://www.postbulletin.com/sports/localsports/brossard-the-total-package-for-rctc-wrestling-program/article_555051e0-1b0d-11ea-a930-c7c79a09e314.html?mc_cid=ccc735817e&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Ian Clark Named Head Men’s Wrestling Coach
ELMIRA, N.Y. — Following an extensive search, Elmira College Director of Athletics Renee Carlineo is pleased to announce the appointment of Ian Clark as head coach of the Soaring Eagles’ men’s wrestling program. Clark faces the unique challenge of building a program from the ground up. Although EC briefly sponsored men’s wrestling during the 1970s, the Soaring Eagles will return to the mat for the first time in nearly four decades during the 2020-21 academic year. “We are incredibly excited to have Ian as the first head coach of Elmira College men’s wrestling,” Carlineo said. “Ian is a passionate coach, hard-working recruiter, and a strong teacher. We could not be more eager to see what he can do in building this program from the ground up.” “I am excited for the chance to build something special in such an amazing setting,” Clark said. “I want to thank Renee Carlineo and the rest of the administration at Elmira College for giving the sport of wrestling an opportunity on this beautiful campus. I’m looking forward to getting to work right away. I have had the privilege to wrestle for and work with a lot of great coaches. I’m very appreciative of everything that I learned from them and intend to work very hard to pass those lessons along.” A 2011 graduate of SUNY Cortland and a two-year member of the Red Dragons’ wrestling program, Clark has gained valuable experience as an assistant coach at three NCAA Division III institutions. His coaching career began as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater under the guidance of his former coach and a five-time Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference (ECWC) Coach of the Year, Brad Bruhn. With Clark on the bench during the 2010-11 campaign, the Red Dragons finished 14th at the NCAA Division III Championships. Rest of the story at https://athletics.elmira.edu/news/2019/12/11/ian-clark-named-head-mens-wrestling-coach.aspx?mc_cid=ccc735817e&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

International Outreach Note

USA Wrestling for Peace Ambassadors visit Zambia and Uganda
BY AUSTIN AND JULIE LANDES, AMBASSADORS FOR THE USA WRESTLING FOR PEACE PROGRAM | DEC. 11, 2019
Let’s connect some dots. How does an entrepreneurial couple from New York who have never wrestled become ambassadors for wrestling? Simple answer: Relationship. Long story short, we’re Austin and Julie Landes, Ambassadors for the USA Wrestling for Peace Program. Awhile back, our good friend Dan Russell asked us to join his humanitarian efforts, and we quickly said yes. His passion to serve those in need was contagious and aligned with our passions as well. Nonprofit work doesn’t work without a team of capable individuals committed to making a difference. We strongly believe in team-building, and our work in that area in the non-profit arena has resulted in Make It Rain, a US-based 501(c)3 organization dedicated to utilizing networking skills to simply help others help others. Since 2012, millions of lives have been impacted through our initiatives, as we work in coordination with government ministries and officials, established NGOs, and private partners. These relationships have lead our team to work alongside those with limited to no health care provision or capabilities. We collaborate with governments and rural communities to provide basic medicines that are otherwise lacking. Each shipment impacts tens of thousands of lives. Recently we had the privilege of coordinating an airlift of medicine in partnership with The First Lady of Zambia, Her Excellency Esther Lungu, Her Foundation, the Zambian Ministry of Health and Explore Africa. Rest of the story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/December/11/USA-Wrestling-for-Peace-Ambassadors-visit-Zambia-and-Uganda?mc_cid=ccc735817e&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

December 15, 2019 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized