Takedown Report

43rd College News, Results and Reports

(TDR) even when Penn State loses a 4 time state champ they just reload with another star. Good to see another top level football player speak out in favor of wrestling. Franklin&Marshall and Washington&Lee both won their home tournaments as they rebuild their programs. Other dual results from New York, Iowa, Minnesota and Oklahoma are included with two stories on Randy Lewis as a champion and how two teams will take their strong showing in the Southern Scuffle as they advance into the 2nd half of the season.
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Penn State: Teske enters transfer portal while Busiello comes aboard
It’s been a busy, news-worthy week for Penn State wrestling off the mat.
A day after the 2019 NCAA team titlewinners revealed that Anthony Cassar and Kyle Conel had suffered season-ending injuries, head coach Cael Sanderson announced Wednesday that redshirt freshman 125-pounder Brody Teske has entered the transfer portal … while the school has confirmed that Adam Busiello is now officially a Nittany Lion. Teske had been a four-time Iowa state champ for Fort Dodge High School before coming to Penn State, where he compiled a career record of 11-4 in the past two seasons. Last season, … Rest of the story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/22838?fbclid=IwAR3mYJP3OVNloVnlRIaEDqU9k4pFw2Ma8_UhN0jIrfU05Y4SbEl7_wLu3_4

THE WRESTLING RECESS TALKS WITH NFL PRO BOWLER JON CONDO ON HIS WRESTLING CAREER
PAWR03: The PA Power Wrestling Recess Podcast is back for Episode #3 and this one is a good one! Host Dom Deputy has special guest Jon Condo – a 2000 State Champion at heavyweight for Philipsburg-Osceola on to talk about his 14 year career in the NFL which included two trips to the Pro Bowl. Jon talks about how wrestling made him the football player he was and talks about his rivalry with Tim Taylor. Take a listen today! Listen on this story at https://www.papowerwrestling.com/pawr03/?mc_cid=d20c3b5a2b&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Washington & Lee Wrestling Wins the Jim Crytzer Memorial Invitational
LEXINGTON, Va. – The 24th-ranked Washington and Lee wrestling team claimed its home tournament for the first time since 2013, finishing first out of 10 teams at the Jim Crytzer Memorial Invitational hosted at the Duchossois Tennis Center on Saturday. The Generals claimed three individual titles in recording 153.5 team points, finishing just ahead of Ferrum, which posted 148.0 points.  Messiah, ranked 16th in Division III, took third with 146.5 points, while Averett (101.5) and Southern Virginia (73.5) rounded out the Top 5. Leading the way individually were first-year 149-pounder Alex Winant (Chester, N.J. / West Morris Mendham), sophomore 157-pounder … Rest of the story and results at https://generalssports.com/news/2020/1/4/w-l-wrestling-wins-the-jim-crytzer-memorial-invitational.aspx?mc_cid=d20c3b5a2b&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Diplomats Shine at Annual Home Open
Final Brackets
LANCASTER, Pa. – Four Franklin & Marshall wrestlers placed in the top-six to lead at the Diplomats at their home tournament, the 2020 David H. Lehman F&M Open on Saturday in Lancaster. The four top-six finishers were the most ever by the Diplomats in the eight-year history of the event. Wil Gil, Noah Chan, and Emmett LiCastri all delivered third-place showings, while Mike Waszen secured sixth.
Top Performances 
Gil (141 pounds) rattled off three straight wins to open his Open run, including a dominant 15-2 major over Princeton’s Marshall Keller in his first-round match. The Diplomat 141-pounder followed with a decision and a quick opening-minute pin to reach the semifinals.  After falling down to the wrestle backs with a hard-fought 11-9 setback, Gil was awarded third place off a medical forfeit. Chan got off to a torrid start at 157 pounds … Rest of the story at https://www.godiplomats.com/sports/m-wrestl/2019-20/releases/20200104r6w3h1?mc_cid=d20c3b5a2b&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Army Takes Two of Three Matches at Host Duals
WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army West Point wrestling team earned two quality dual wins Saturday at Christl Arena, as the Black Knights defeated both American University and Wyoming during their host West Point Duals.  Coming off a strong performance at last weekend’s Midlands Championships, Army (6-2, 1-0 EIWA) was back in dual match mode to start the new year.  Trey Chalifoux (3-0), Noah Stewart (2-0), and Ben Sullivan (2-0) were all undefeated on the day to lead the team. Markus Hartman, Cael McCormick, and Ben Harvey all earned two wins respectively throughout the day,  The Black Knights opened their day with a tough 19-12 loss to the No. 17 ranked Tar Heels of North Carolina. Army won four matches in its opener, including taking the last three, but couldn’t rally enough to catch the Heels.  Momentum swung into the Cadets favor in match … Rest of the story at https://goarmywestpoint.com/news/2020/1/4/wrestling-army-takes-two-of-three-matches-at-host-duals.aspx?mc_cid=d20c3b5a2b&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Panthers Roll Utah Valley 32-12
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – UNI picked up bonus points at five different weights, including a pin by Jay Schwarm at 125 and rolled to a 32-12 victory over Utah Valley in the Panther’s Big 12 opener Saturday evening at the West Gym in Cedar Falls. The match opened at 125 where Schwarm made quick work of UVU’s William Edelblute. Edleblute picked up an early takedown, but Schwarm earned a reversal and picked up the pin with just 1:46 into the first period. At 133, UVU’s Taylor Lamont earned a 4-2 … Rest of the story at https://unipanthers.com/news/2020/1/4/wrestling-panthers-roll-utah-valley-32-12.aspx?mc_cid=d20c3b5a2b&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

#23 Mountaineers bounce back, beat #15 MSU-Mankato
MANKATO, Minn. — The No. 23 Western Colorado wrestling team bounced back from a loss Thursday at Augustana as the Mountaineers upended No. 15 Minnesota State – Mankato 24-19 on Saturday at the Taylor Center. The dual started at 141 pounds and Jason Hanenberg got WCU rolling with a pin a minute into the second period to make it 6-0. The Mavericks picked up a major decision win at 149 and a decision victory at 157 to take a 7-6 lead before Michael Thelen got the lead back for WCU with a 7-4 win over Logan Saltou to make it 9-7. Arguably the turning point of the match came at 174 pounds as WCU’s Jimmy LaConte (ranked 11th) trailed 10-6 in the third period to MSU’s Zach Johnson (ranked No. 7) before turning the tables by getting a pin with 1:15 left in the match to pick up a huge six points for the Mountaineers and give them a 15-7 advantage. … Rest of the story at https://gomountaineers.com/news/2020/1/4/WRST04Jan2020.aspx?mc_cid=d20c3b5a2b&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Not every champion takes the same path to glory
Not every champion takes the same path to glory
Randy Lewis set a goal in fifth grade to become an Olympic champion. That goal manifested itself when he won a gold medal in the 62-kilogram weight class in men’s freestyle wrestling at the 1984 Olympics.  Lewis was everything that is right with wrestling. His go-for-broke, pin-them-all, high-flying, and creative style embodied the fighting spirit of the sport. The Rapid City, South Dakota, native wanted to put on a show for himself and for the fans. “Wrestling would be the most popular sport in the world if everyone competed like Randy Lewis,” Lincoln McIlravry, a three-time NCAA champion, and 2000 Olympic bronze medalist said once.  Prior to a high school match, Lewis’s father asked his son about a game plan. … Rest of the story at www.trackwrestling.com/RandyLewisChampionPath

D1 Insider: Cowboys, Wolfpack set stage for strong second half
The Southern Scuffle has long served as a midseason proving ground for teams looking to test their power and scoring potential in what many consider a practice run for the NCAA Championships. And while this season’s field in Chattanooga, Tenn. lacked a number of heavy-hitters, it still provided a stiff test and may have produced good omens for a number of teams heading into the second half of the season. Led by 125-pounder Nick Piccininni, Oklahoma State won its second Scuffle in four years and edged North Carolina State and Stanford to do so. Piccininni won his second-straight title while Kaden Gfeller was second at 141.  Five other Cowboys earned podium finishes to help beat the Wolfpack by seven team points in the final standings. “We had a few guys who had some really good matches and performed well, and that was really the difference in the outcome,” Oklahoma State coach John Smith said. “It was a little disappointing to have only one champion, but Nick had probably his best match of the tournament in that finals bout. I’m not disappointed in any individuals. We really need to build on this tournament, get a lot better and try to solidify our lineup in the next couple of weeks.” While Smith believes more of his wrestlers had the ability to go deeper in their respective brackets, the Cowboys were able to earn the bonus points that made the difference. Oklahoma State earned those in 18 bouts with 10 combined falls and techs. The Cowboys will have a chance to try and produce more bonus points across their next three duals – all favorable matchups at home. 

MAKING THE CUT

N.C. State’s second-place finish was paced by Hayden Hidlay’s 157-pound title win, but the Wolfpack has been buoyed by the return of veteran Nick Reenan.  The N.C. State 197-pounder looked good in his first extended action since having offseason knee surgery. Reenan went 4-1 in Chattanooga with a pair of forfeits, one to a non-collegiate opponent, for precautionary reasons. It’s been a guarded comeback for the senior who’s competing at 197 for the first time. He made his season debut in a dual against Appalachian State on Dec. 13 when he survived a 4-3 bout against Paul Carson. “Any time you come off a surgery, your mind is going to take some time mentally to get focused and that’s what we saw,” N.C. State coach Pat Popolizio said on his podcast leading up to the Scuffle. But that mental hurdle wasn’t the only thing in Reenan’s way. His weight was, and the bout against Carson nearly didn’t happen.  “There was a need to be concerned,” Reenan said. “I gained too much weight. I was not expecting it to be so hard to get down to 197 and I kind of put it off until the last minute a little bit. I haven’t really cut weight in a long time and I didn’t do it the right way. But I wanted to get out and wrestle a match and I was tired, yep.”  Reenan said he’s gotten to a point where he’s “no more than six or seven” pounds overweight now, which is a more comfortable cut for him. The added energy he’ll have as a result is something Popolizio is looking forward to seeing. “We need him hitting on all cylinders because he’s capable of winning the national title,” Popolizio said.  Rest of the story at www.trackwrestling.com/OklahomaState-NCState

Bronchos Plaster Ouachita Baptist
COLLINSVILLE, Okla. (Jan. 4) –Kalin Winkler scored a thrilling last-minute fall in the only competitive match of the day to highlight No. 6-ranked Central Okahoma’s 51-0 shellacking of outmanned Ouachita Baptist Saturday afternoon at Collinsville High School. The Bronchos earned bonus points in nine of the 10 matches with four technical falls, three falls, a major decision and a forfeit to go along with a 4-0 shutout. UCO had a 16-0 advantage in near-falls and a 15-1 edge in takedowns during the lopsided dual. “We came out and took care of business,” said head coach Todd Steidley, whose team improved to 3-0. … Rest of the story at Bronchosports.com/news/2020/1/4/wrestling-bronchos-plaster-ouachita-baptist.

January 10, 2020 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized