Takedown Report

33rd College News, Notes and Results

Demand for NCAA tickets at a high
The 330 wrestlers who qualify for the 2020 NCAA Division 1 wrestling championships will gain instant admission to an exclusive fraternity. Those men, when each steps on the mat March 19, 2020, in U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis will have more people watching them compete than at any single event in the history of a sport which dates back to the ancient Greeks. Ticket sales revealed by Anthony Holman, NCAA managing director of championships and alliance, during a conference call earlier this week paint a picture of high demand and even higher supply in an NFL stadium that seats nearly 67,000 fans for Minnesota Vikings games and crammed in nearly 73,000 for the men’s basketball Final Four in April. Holman said that years of sellouts in arenas with capacities in the high teens and consistent demand for tickets sent the NCAA in search of more spacious venues. It found U.S. Bank Stadium, the first NFL stadium to host the championships.
“We were coming off of (10) consecutive years of sellouts and venues that were between 15 to 18,000 and the demand for tickets continued to grow. We were historically cutting the number of tickets that were requested by our institutions by 40 and 50%,” he said.
“While the arenas that we’ve been in have been really nice, we’re always tight for floor space and competition space, as well as back of the house space for student athletes to gather, to lounge in between competitions so those were just a couple of the key factors that went into the idea and thought process around moving to the stadium.”
As of this week, Holman said the NCAA had sold out 144 suites that hold an average of 16 people each, more than 20,000 tickets were being held for member institutions and 18,000 tickets have been sold to the general public. “Typically, we only have somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,000 to 1,500 tickets even available to the general public because the vast majority of them are sold to our membership,” Holman said.
So, with more than three months until the championships, it’s safe to say that more than 40,000 tickets have been sold to the championships.  Rest of the story at https://www.sungazette.com/sports/local-sports/2019/12/demand-for-ncaa%E2%80%88tickets-at-a-high/?mc_cid=a643b3b406&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

No. 2 Loras Duhawks Take Down No. 18 Big Blue
Contact: Emily Zadny, Direct of Athletic Communications, 563-588-7970
(Written by Simon Schuler, Athletic Communications Student Assistant)
Results (PDF)
Dubuque, Iowa (Dec. 14, 2019) – The No. 2 Loras College men’s wrestling team put on another dominant performance and stayed undefeated on the year in dual meets by knocking off No. 18 ranked Millikin University 29-10. After dropping a major decision in the opening bout at 125-pounds, the Duhawks tallied the first victory of the night by way of senior Brice Everson. In his season debut at 133-pounds, Everson recorded a first-period fall over Nick Sablan to regain the lead over the Big Blue 6-4. Senior and No. 4/5-ranked Clint Lembeck added five more points to the Duhawk team score by collecting a technical fall over D’Anthony Hopkins. Sophomore Brock Parker continued the momentum by defeating Tristan Birt in a thrilling bout by way of 7-2 decision at 149-pounds to make the team score 18-4. No. 2/2 Brandon Murray earned a hard-fought 10-1 major decision over Peter McCusker at 157-pounds to strengthen the Duhawk lead. In a battle of ranked opponents at 165-pounds, No. 4/3 Eddie Smith came out on top over No. 6/5 Bradan Birt, defeating Birt by 5-2 decision. A dominant performance from No.6/6 Jacob Krakow over Jake Tisza improved the team score to 25-4. Rest of the story at https://duhawks.com/news/2019/12/14/wrestling-no-2-duhawks-take-down-no-18-big-blue.aspx?mc_cid=654ae3350c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Davis & Elkins College Blitzes Averett and Greensboro for Saturday Sweep
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Davis & Elkins ran the gauntlet on Saturday with consecutive duals against Averett and Greensboro College in a tri-meet in North Carolina. The Senators racked up four falls in a 27-23 triumph over Averett to begin the day before following it up two more falls in a 30-24 win against host Greensboro. Craig Cook helped the Senators get back on track in the 133-pound bout with a fall against Averett, but neither team could separate themselves throughout the dual. Clifton Ruggiero kicked the intensity into another gear off the restart, dropping William Merritt with several takedowns before wrapping him up for a fall victory at the 1:38 mark. Noah Tarr followed it up with the Senators fourth fall of the dual in the 165-pound bout, controlling his opponent to the middle of the mat before outmuscling him for the win. Charles Morrison competed in one of the best matches of the dual, making a late charge to earn a sudden victory over Kowan Lee to provide D&E with just enough separation to hold on for the win. Rest of the story at https://senatornation.com/news/2019/12/14/wrestling-d-e-blitzes-averett-and-greensboro-for-saturday-sweep.aspx?mc_cid=654ae3350c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Ian Assael Added as Director of Ops with NC State Wrestling
RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State wrestling head coach Pat Popolizio has announced the hiring of Ian Assael as the Wolfpack’s Director of Operations. Assael is a former college and club coach with experience dating back to 1995.
“Ian brings unique experience that will help elevate our program on all levels with his vast amount years in our sport,” said Popolizio. “I’ve gotten to know him as both a club coach and a high school coach while we were recruiting many of his athletes over the years, many that have since gone on to become Division 1 wrestlers.
“Ian will be a great addition to our program.”
Assael spent the last three years as the head coach of Darkhorse Wrestling in Charlotte. Prior to that stint, he was the owner of Bison Legend Wrestling from 2012-17. On the collegiate level, Assael spent one season (2012-13) as an assistant coach at Bucknell. He graduated from Charlotte in 1990, then spent 10 years as a teacher and a head coach at the high school level.
Assael will be replacing Melissa Simmons who joined Wolfpack Wrestling prior to the 2014-15 season, and served as the Director of Operations for five and a half seasons. A past former national champion during her collegiate days, Simmons recently earned her grad degree from NC State and is pursuing a job opportunity outside of collegiate wrestling. Rest of the story at https://gopack.com/news/2019/12/16/ian-assael-added-as-director-of-ops-with-nc-state-wrestling.aspx

Led by four champs, Fresno City dominates to repeat as champions at California CC States
BY GARY ABBOTT, USA WRESTLING | DEC. 15th
FRESNO, Calif. – Led by four individual champions, three runners-up and 11 placewinners, Fresno City repeated as champions at the California Community College Athletic Association state championships on Saturday. Individual champions for the Rams were Daniel Ruiz (149), Josh McMillan (157), Jack Kilner (197) and Armando Barcenas (285). Runners-up for Fresno City were Mario Moreno (125), Chris Gaxiola (149) and Augustine Garcia (165). Moreno and Gaxiola lost to teammates in the finals.
Fresno City pushed 10 athletes into the semifinals, and finished with 11 placewinners. Fresno City finished with 186 points, with Cerritos in second with 137 points. Champions for Cerritos were Jonathan Prata (125) and Isaiah Mora (141). Other individual champions were Kahlil Tucker of Rio Hondo (133), Jacob Hansen of Moorpark (165), Jonathan Hunter of Bakersfield (174) and Stephen Martin of Skyline (184). Rest of the story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/December/15/Fresno-City-wins-California-CC-States?mc_cid=a643b3b406&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Concordia College Bus Broken But Cobbers Perfect At Duals
LINCOLN, NEB. (12/14/19)—Even a broken-down bus couldn’t slow down Concordia as they came away with three dominant wins and went 3-0 at the Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolf duals.  Concordia started the day by cruising to a 55-0 win over Fontbonne (Mo.) and then followed that up with a decisive 41-10 victory over host Neb. Wesleyan before finishing the day with a resounding 30-8 win over Buena Vista. The duals wins are the first of the year for the Cobbers who opened with a pair of Division II opponents. Concordia is now 3-2 in duals this season.  In the end it was a complete team effort from the Cobbers as 13 different wrestlers scored at least three team points on the day.
Concordia 55, Fontbonne (Mo.) 0
In the first dual meet of the day against Fontbonne, the lightweights staked Concordia to a big early lead from which they would not look back. Junior 125-pounder Cole Kubesh led off with a pin and sophomore 133-pounder Jacob Prunty followed that up with a quick technical fall to push the team score to 11-0 after only two matches. Concordia’s lead grew to 15-0 when freshman 141-pounder Cade Lundeen tacked on four more team points with a major decision. Not to be outdone, the Cobber middleweights kept the momentum going as freshman Tyler Bents pinned his opponent early in the match. 157-pound freshman Gabe Allen earned a victory by forfeit and then junior 165-pounder Alex Skaare added another pin. The middle portion of the match was finished off by 174-pound freshman Ian Frenzel who demolished his opponent with a technical fall. Even though the dual win was already assured, the top three weight-class athletes kept the foot on the gas pedal. Jacob Arends, Gabe Zierden and Austin Ratliff proved unrelenting. Arends won by fall at 184 while Zierden scored 18 unanswered points for a technical fall at 197. Ratliff wrapped things up with a hard-earned pin at 285 to make the final tally 55-0 in favor of the Cobbers.
Concordia 41, Neb. Wesleyan 10 
Concordia faced a stiffer test in match No.2 when they faced off against Neb. Wesleyan. For the second straight match Concordia was able to bolt out of the starting gate and establish an insurmountable early lead. Rest of the story at https://concordiamn.prestosports.com//sports/wrest/2019-20/releases/201912151s7xui?mc_cid=a643b3b406&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

McKendree Wins Back-to-Back Midwest Classic Title
(INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Dec. 15) – The McKendree University men’s wrestling participated in the two-day 41^st Annual Midwest Classic this weekend in Indianapolis, where they defended their first-place title. The Bearcats scored 131.5 team points and three individual champions. Along with first-place finished from Marcus Povlick (Plainfield, IL/Plainfield North), Nick Foster (Belleville, IL/Belleville West) and Ryan Vasbinder (Grand Rapids, MI/Grandville), Juwan Edmond (Bellwood, IL) made his debut as a Bearcat and placed sixth, Nate Smalling (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West) placed seventh, Caleb Gossett (St. Charles, MO/Francis Howell Central) Placed third, and Qian’te Wagner (Alton, Ill./Alton) and Michael Aldrich (Ballwin, MO/Parkway South) placed eighth in their respective weight classes.
Below are the individual results from Day 2:
125-lb. bracket:Marcus Povlick (Plainfield, IL/Plainfield North) headed into the semifinals with a 3-0 record where he would off against Tanner Cole of University of Central Oklahoma. Povlick’s 3-2 decision defeat over Cole sent him into the finals, where he would face Patrick Allice of Western Colorado University.  Rest of the story at https://mckbearcats.com/news/2019/12/15/mens-wrestling-mckendree-wins-back-to-back-midwest-classic-title.aspx?mc_cid=a643b3b406&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Cowboys Take Team Title and Crown Three at Reno T.O.C.
RENO, Nev. (Dec. 15, 2019) – It was a banner day for the Wyoming wrestling team Sunday at the Reno Tournament of Champions as the Cowboys took first place as a team with 155.5 points and crowned three individual champions on the day. Montorie Bridges at 133 pounds, Dewey Krueger at 157 and Tate Samuelson at 184 were the three champions for the Pokes. Krueger was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament, becoming the third consecutive Cowboy to receive the honor at Reno. It also marks UW’s fifth-straight season with a top-four team finish at the Tournament of Champions. “I was about to leave, honestly, I didn’t know what was going on” said Krueger afterwards. “They called my name over, and I was like ‘dang.’ I had a good tournament and had fun. This was probably the most fun I had wrestling, I enjoy wrestling and it feels good to have it pay off a little bit.” UW also got three second-place finishes at the event as Jaron Jensen (149), Cole Moody (165) and Hayden Hastings (174) all came up just short in the finals. Rest of the story at https://gowyo.com/news/2019/12/15/wrestling-cowboys-take-team-title-and-crown-three-at-reno-t-o-c.aspx?mc_cid=a643b3b406&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Wrestling December 15, 2019
Pokes Collect 10th-Consecutive Bedlam Dual Win
PHOTOS
Bout Sheet
NORMAN, Okla. – The No. 9 Oklahoma State wrestling team (4-1, 1-0 Big 12) notched its 10th consecutive dual victory over Oklahoma, 23-9, Sunday afternoon in the teams’ first contest in Norman in more than three years. The win against Oklahoma’s squad pushed the Cowboys’ all-time Bedlam record to 142-27-10. The Cowboys took seven of 10 matches from the Sooners (1-2 overall, 0-1 Big 12), including an upset for freshman Reece Witcraft at 133 pounds. Witcraft took out No. 18 Anthony Madrigal in an action-packed bout, 6-5, collecting his first ranked victory for the Cowboys. In three of the seven wins, OSU also picked up bonus points.  
“At 133, we had a good match,” coach John Smith said. “It was good to get those bonus points at 125 and 149 pounds, also. Bonus points make a big difference, and both those guys got them. It was a good win, taking seven of the 10, almost eight. I think the difference was we were scoring in the third period.” 
Coming off tough losses against Princeton just more than a week ago, Nick Piccininni and 197-pound Dakota Geer picked up wins for the Cowboys. Piccininni won a major decision in the 125-pound bout against Christian Moody. The senior scored an early takedown and four-count before picking up two more takedowns and forcing multiple stalling calls against Moody. In a top-10 contest, No. 5 Geer defeated ninth-ranked Jake Woodley in a tough 4-2 decision. Fourth-ranked Boo Lewallen and redshirt freshman Anthony Montalvo put four points on the board each for the Pokes. Lewallen defeated Sooner Jacob Butler 12-4 with riding time. Montalvo took Darrien Roberts down twice, once with a four-point turn, in his 13-5 victory.  At 165 pounds, Travis Wittlake maintained his undefeated record with a 3-2 win over Sooner Sam Dover, and four a second straight week, Austin Harris won his dual bout via decision, 6-2, against Josiah Jones.  Dusty Hone gave Dom Demas a tough match at 141 pounds before dropping the bout, 6-4 to the No. 4 ranked Sooner.  Rest of the story at https://okstate.com/news/2019/12/15/wrestling-pokes-collect-10th-consecutive-bedlam-dual-win.aspx?mc_cid=a643b3b406&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

December 20, 2019 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized