Takedown Report

47th College News, Results and Reports

York PANTHERS DOMINANT IN HOME WIN OVER BETHANY
YORK – York College wasted no time in giving Chad Mattox his first win in the Freeman Center as head coach. In the Panthers’ first home event of the season York beat KCAC opponent Bethany 28-21. York jumped out quickly in the match with a 22-0 lead after just four matches. Dezmond Mcsellers (FR/St. Louis, Mo.) started things off with major decision as he won 14-6. Harley Williamson (SO/Euless, Texas) was up next and pinned his opponent in the second period. Pierce Mederios (JR/Mountain Home, Idaho) didn’t waste time has he walked off of the mat a victor with just 1:12 gone in his match. John Fox (FR/Gilroy, Calif.) … Rest of the story at http://www.ycpanthers.com/article/924.php?mc_cid=01f5200826&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

No. 11 Iowa State Pins Down Utah Valley, 45-0
OREM, Utah – No. 11 Iowa State (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) put on a pinning clinic on Thursday night against Utah Valley (1-6, 0-4 Big 12), routing the Wolverines by a final score of 45-0. The Cyclones locked up five falls in the dual, including four in the first period. Joel Shapiro, Alex Mackall, Ian Parker, Ryan Leisure and David Carr made up the five ISU grapplers to secure six team points in the contest.
How It Happened
Shapiro got things going against Utah Valley’s No. 17 Tanner Orndorff. Shapiro wasted no time, securing the first takedown of the match. Orndorff got to his feet and fired off an attack of his own. Shapiro countered perfectly and brought Orndorff’s shoulders to the mat in 2:12. No. 10 Gannon Gremmel took on Chase Trussell at heavyweight. Gremmel scored a takedown late in the third to outlast Trussell, 3-2. … Rest of the story at https://cyclones.com/news/2020/1/9/wrestling-no-11-iowa-state-pin-down-utah-valley-45-0.aspx?mc_cid=01f5200826&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES FIRST 2020 JANUARY WRESTLING RANKINGS
Missouri selected as the favorite in first January rankings over Old Dominion, Rider and Lock Haven
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference (MAC) has embarked on a historic 2019-20 wrestling season as the MAC welcomes seven new affiliate members this season as the Conference membership increases to 15 wrestling members, the second-largest NCAA Division I Wrestling Conference in the nation. 
The Mid-American Conference wrestling coaches announced the first January weight class individual rankings and team rankings in conjunction with the league office today. Based on the rankings, seven-time defending MAC Champion Missouri Tigers (37.0 points) were selected first in the Conference over second-place Rider (24.0 points) and third-place Lock Haven (20.0 points) and Old Dominion (20.0 points).
The rankings also witnessed Central Michigan (19.0 points) in fifth place and Northern Illinois (15.0 points) in sixth place. Buffalo (12.0 points) and Clarion (12.0 points) were tied for seventh-place, while Edinboro (11.0 points) ranked ninth. Ohio (8.5 points) placed tenth, while SIUE (8.0 points), Kent State (7.0 points), Bloomsburg (6.5 points), George Mason (6.0 points) and Cleveland State (4.0 points) rounded out the team scoring.
Currently, the MAC is home to No. 21-ranked Missouri, while Central Michigan, Rider, Lock Haven and Northern Illinois have also received votes. Rest of the story at https://getsomemaction.com/news/2020/1/9/mac-announces-january-coaches-wrestling-rankings.aspx?mc_cid=01f5200826&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Adams off to torrid start at WVU
By Gary Fauber Sports Editor
When it comes to athletic success, no one could ask for a better week than the one Noah Adams just wrapped up. It started last Monday, when he was named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week. It rolled on into Chattanooga, where the West Virginia sophomore beat the nation’s fifth-ranked wrestler to win the Southern Scuffle. Adams’ performance at the two-day tournament was so impressive that he was named Most Outstanding Wrestler. But the impact went beyond that. Adams learned Monday that he skyrocketed up the national rankings. He is ranked in the top five in all four major polls — Trackwrestling (No. 2), Open Mat (No. 3), Intermat (No. 4) and FloWrestling (No. 5). It’s been an eye opening few days, but for Adams it’s just part of the greater plan. “It’s been awesome to see how much I’ve progressed so far,” the 2017 Independence graduate said Thursday. “I started out as a redshirt and was still trying to adjust to college from high school. I’ve made great strides so far, and I have confidence in my (coaches) and teammates that as long as I can keep doing what I’m doing, I can keep making those great strides.” To say Adams has made strides doesn’t do much justice to just how far he has come. Last year wasn’t exactly a disappointment — Adams qualified for the NCAA Championships after his fifth-place finish at the Big 12 Tournament. … Rest of the story at https://www.register-herald.com/sports/college_sports/adams-off-to-torrid-start-at-wvu/article_db072d53-984b-581b-b7b6-fef28a6d89e1.html?mc_cid=01f5200826&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Braswell, Woody helping to put Averett wrestling on the map
By Parker Cotton pcotton@registerbee.com
In just its third year of existence, the Averett wrestling team is nationally ranked for the first time. Slotted at No. 23 in InterMat’s most recent team tournament rankings, the Cougars have made a quick ascent in the world of NCAA Division III wrestling. “It’s really cool because at one point we didn’t even have wrestling mats,” said first-year head coach Blake Roulo, who spent the last two seasons as an assistant under the program’s first head coach Tommy Owen. “It’s really cool knowing you’ve been here from the beginning to where it is now.” It is made all the more special for Roulo because two of his prized recruits have spearheaded Averett’s progression: juniors Sam Braswell and Brandon Woody, both from Roulo’s own alma mater of Matoaca High School near Petersburg. … Rest of the story at https://www.godanriver.com/sports/college/braswell-woody-helping-to-put-averett-wrestling-on-the-map/article_961b6a3d-1a8e-5773-b9c0-b505f254f6d7.html?mc_cid=01f5200826&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Fairmont State & Friege in the Midst of First Wrestling Season in 30 Years
Fairmont State wrestling is in the midst of their first season on the mat in 30 years.

Chris Freije was hired as head coach back in June after building wrestling programs at Kentucky Wesleyan and Cloud County Community College. The Falcons have began the season 0-2 in team competition, but they are confident in the foundation that Freije and his staff, as well as the first class of wrestlers, are building at Feaster Center. Rest of the story and video at https://www.wdtv.com/content/sports/Fairmont-State–Friege-in-the-Midst-of-First-Wrestling-Season-in-30-Years-566867391.html?mc_cid=01f5200826&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Bulls Extend Win Streak to Five with Win over SIU-Edwardsville
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo wrestling team extended its dual win streak to five with a 26-12 victory over SIU-Edwardsville at Alumni Arena on Friday night. The Bulls improved to 7-6 overall and 3-2 in MAC duals. Derek Spann continued his impressive run, needing only 1:48 to pin Jacob Blaha. It was the redshirt-freshman’s eighth dual win by pin or tech fall this season. Marcus Robinson followed with an 11-5 decision over Saul Ervin at 141. Robinson used three first-period takedowns to set the tone in the match. After the Cougars had to forfeit the 157 match, Troy Keller followed with a tech fall win over Chase Deihl at 165. Keller had a takedown and three four-point near falls in the first period to take a 14-0 lead after one. The senior finished off the tech fall early in the second period. Rest of the story and results at https://ubbulls.com/news/2020/1/10/wrestling-bulls-extend-win-streak-to-five-with-win-over-siu-edwardsville.aspx?mc_cid=e68db38422&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

No. 23 Mizzou Wrestling Rings in the New Year with Win Over Ohio
COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 23 Mizzou Wrestling extended its MAC winning streak to 17 consecutive duals with a 22-12 win over Ohio Friday night (Jan. 10) at the Hearnes Center. Mizzou won seven of the 10 weight classes over the Bobcats as the Tigers are now 8-0 all-time against the MAC foe, including a perfect 7-0 since moving to the conference. Mizzou is now 6-4 on the season and a perfect 3-0 in MAC competition following the win. “For me as a coach, I feel like I did something wrong because I didn’t have my team ready to wrestle,” Coach Brian Smith said. “It wasn’t every match, but that’s what I saw. Ohio came out with fight and they had opportunities when we made mental mistakes in matches. We can’t beat good teams if you’re going to do that. Not a disrespect to Ohio, but we did not wrestle well.” Friday’s dual started at 165 pounds, and Peyton Mocco needed … Rest of the story at https://mutigers.com/news/2020/1/10/no-23-mizzou-wrestling-rings-in-the-new-year-with-win-over-ohio.aspx?mc_cid=e68db38422&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Clarion Sweeps the Field at VMI Quad
LEXINGTON, Va. – The Clarion wrestling team finished their day in Virginia as the sole undefeated team, going 3-0 with victories over conference foe Cleveland State as well as VMI and Cal Baptist at the VMI Quad.  The Golden Eagles (6-3, 3-2 MAC) have won six straight duals, including three straight victories over conference opponents.
Clarion racked up bonus win after bonus win on Friday, recording six wins by fall, three technical falls and two major decisions out of 21 total bout victories.  They also excelled in the clutch moments, with the Golden Eagles winning several matches but just a handful of points as well as two overtime decisions.
Clarion 25, Cleveland State 15
125 – Jake Gromacki (Clarion) over Logan Heil (Cleveland State) (Fall 4:24)
133 – Seth Koleno (Clarion) over Justin Patrick (Cleveland State) (Dec 6-4)
Rest of the results and story at https://clariongoldeneagles.com/news/2020/1/10/wrestling-sweeps-the-field-at-vmi-quad.aspx?mc_cid=e68db38422&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

No. 14 Lehigh takes final nine bouts in 36-3 win at Binghamton
VESTAL, N.Y. – In its first dual action of the new year, No. 14 Lehigh rolled to a 36-3 win over Binghamton Friday evening at Events Center. The Mountain Hawks dropped the opening bout, then rolled off nine consecutive victories. Lehigh wrestlers posted five bonus wins, including a first period pin by junior Brandon Paetzell, while junior Chris Weiler knocked off a top 10 opponent. The win, Lehigh’s fourth straight, moves the Mountain Hawks to 5-3 overall and 1-1 against EIWA opponents. “We wrestled really well,” Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. “We’re excited about the way we’re competing right now. There are still some areas we have to improve on, but we’re working on it. We’ve been focused. It has been a good month or so of training. We have a long way to go, with a big one tomorrow. Some big ones next week.  We’ll enjoy this tonight, but tomorrow it’s right back to work.”
  The dual started at 149 where sophomore JT Cooley made his dual debut, but came up on the short end of a 6-0 decision against Matt Swanson.
 From there, Lehigh dominated.
 Sophomore Josh Humphreys put Lehigh in front for good with an 8-0 decision over Chris Barker at 157. Humphreys scored takedowns in each period plus a second period escape … Rest of the story at https://lehighsports.com/news/2020/1/10/wrestling-no-14-lehigh-takes-final-nine-bouts-in-36-3-win-at-binghamton.aspx?mc_cid=e68db38422&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WRESTLERS OF THE WEEK
MAC East Division: Wrestler of the Week
Larry Early, Old Dominion-Sr., Oak Park, ILL, Oak Park River Forest H.S.
Old Dominion senior Larry Early at 157 lbs., went a perfect 4-0 in his bouts at the 40th Annual Virginia Duals last weekend and was given the John Graham Outstanding Wrestler Award in the National College Division for his efforts. The Monarch senior earned two ranked victories, a 9-4 win by decision over No. 13 Anthony Artalona of Penn and a 7-3 win by decision over No. 24 Justin McCoy of Virginia. He also collected his first pin of the season against Fresno State’s Beau Colombini after two minutes and 22 seconds of action. His fourth victory came in an 8-3 win by decision over Lucas Cardio in the Monarchs’ fifth-place match against Maryland. 
The All-American is currently riding a seven-match winning streak and improves his record to 10-3 overall this season. The Monarch senior is ranked in the top-15 in all four of the latest national polls, topping out at 12th in the nation in WIN Magazine’s rankings. 
Additional Nominees:
Seth Koleno, Clarion—Sophomore, Clarence, Pa. (Bald Eagle H. S.)
Clarion sophomore Seth Koleno at 133 lbs., went a perfect 4-0 in action last week – including two MAC wins, two wins by fall and a technical fall – as the Golden Eagles went undefeated in team matches against SIU-Edwardsville, Cleveland State, VMI and California Baptist.  The sophomore 133-pounder pinned the Cougars’ Jake Blaha just 1:28 into their bout on Tuesday evening, helping the Golden Eagles to a 30-13 win over SIU-Edwardsville.  His other win by fall came at the VMI Quad on Friday, when he pinned VMI’s Cliff Conway with 33 seconds remaining in the second period to boost Clarion to a 33-8 team win.  He won his other two matches on Friday as well, including an important 6-4 decision over Cleveland State’s Justin Patrick and a second-period technical fall over California Baptist’s Christian Nunez.  The former was … Rest of the story at https://getsomemaction.com/news/2020/1/15/wrestling-mac-announces-wrestlers-of-the-week.aspx?mc_cid=edf20d65ae&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

January 16, 2020 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Penn State Wrestling News

Penn State Downs #24 Illinois in Big Ten Opener
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lions (4-1, 1-0 B1G), ranked No. 2 in the latest InterMat Tournament Power Index, won the last four bouts against No. 24 Illinois (3-2,  0-1 B1G) to pick up a victory in the Big Ten opener for both teams.  Penn State won six of ten bouts including the last for to notch a 22-16 win in front of yet another Rec Hall sellout crowd. 
With line-up changes brought on by the recent announcement that top-ranked heavyweight Anthony Cassar and All-American 197-pounder Kyle Conel were lost for the season and three other Lion starters out, Penn State roared back from a halftime deficit thanks to wins from two seniors and two true freshmen.  A crowd of 6,202 watched Penn State beat the Illini, Penn State’s 51^st straight sellout in Rec Hall and the 56^th of 58 at home (including five of seven in the Bryce Jordan Center).
The dual began at 125 where … Rest of the story at https://gopsusports.com/news/2020/1/10/wrestling-penn-state-downs-24-illinois-in-big-ten-opener.aspx?mc_cid=e68db38422&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

D1 Insider: Sanderson still confident despite injury woes
If Penn State is to win what would be its ninth national championship in 10 years, the Nittany Lions will have to overcome a rugged set of circumstances unlike any they’ve faced in Cael Sanderson’s tenure.  The Nittany Lions announced earlier this week that returning heavyweight champion Anthony Cassar and 197-pound All-American Kyle Conel will miss the remainder of the season with shoulder injuries that could mean the end of their collegiate careers. Meanwhile, Brady Berge, who sustained a head injury before the collegiate season began, has still not made his way back into the lineup since his lone bout on Dec. 6. Additionally, Shakur Rasheed, who’ll replace Conel at 197, is coming off March knee surgery.
“If things don’t go as planned, you just keep scrambling and keep hustling and you get to see what we’re made of,” Sanderson said. But Penn State’s coach was a bit guarded when he met with reporters earlier this week. He stopped short of labeling the current lineup as a championship favorite, a characterization Penn State has usually earned every year since 2010. “I don’t know if confidence is the word,” Sanderson said. “Our goal is always the same — we want to be the best that we can possibly be. We’re never going to give up we’re never going to put our heads down and feel sorry for ourselves or count ourselves out. We feel like if we’re in striking distance in March, we’re gonna get after it. I like our team. I think we got it. We have the potential to score a lot of points.” But can they do so in a tournament situation in March? … Rest of the story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1578680825996&twSessionId=ypmxnlpdbv&postId=68293135&mc_cid=e68db38422&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

January 16, 2020 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Lee Kemp: A Story of Almosts

By Robert Chappell
It’s easy to get hyperbolic about athletes. Easy to overstate their greatness, easy to claim “best ever” in profiles, career retrospectives, and documentaries.
This is not one of those profiles.
Lee Kemp is one of the greatest. Ever.
Kemp’s incredible career in wrestling — now the subject of a documentary film, Wrestled Away: The Lee Kemp Story — is one of almosts: a few big things that almost didn’t happen, and one huge thing that almost did. Those who are even tangentially connected to the sport know his name, but because of a political decision made nearly 40 years ago, the rest of America doesn’t.
Almost Basketball
Leroy Kemp Jr. was not his name at first; it was Darnell Freeman until he was adopted by Leroy and Jessie Kemp at the age of five. Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, he was surrounded by blackness and basketball — and, eventually, racial strife and violence, which prompted the family to relocate to the small community of Chardon, Ohio.
That was the first of the almosts.
“Had I stayed in Cleveland, I actually would not have wrestled,” Kemp says in an interview from his home in northern California. “It just would not have been a sport that would have even been in my mind or in my environment. It wouldn’t have been something I would have thought about.”
But his new hometown was small, mostly white, and mostly agricultural — the kind of town where wrestling thrives. “The only black people I saw were my mom and dad and the people that lived on Clark Road,” Kemp says. “The only places that were available were on this one road, because white families started to move off the road when black people started moving on, so it just served as a nice place for black people who wanted to have a country lifestyle.”
Kemp was one of only two black kids in his junior high school, where he first took up basketball, the sport he’d grown up around. It didn’t go well, and he rarely got off the bench.
“In two years, I think I maybe played five minutes,” he recalls. “I scored two points, because any time I’d get the ball, I’d just shoot it.” When he got to high school and joined the freshman basketball team, he didn’t even get put in for scrimmages. He’d had enough.
“I felt frustrated that I couldn’t play, and that frustration built up to me wanting to try something different,” he says. “On the way to basketball practice, one of the days of that first week that the season started [in ninth grade], I just walked by the wrestling room and stopped and just stared into the window watching the wrestlers practice. And I missed basketball practice that day because I just watched the whole wrestling practice.” Missing practice meant getting kicked off the basketball team, which worked out just fine.
“The wrestling coach welcomed me with open arms into the wrestling room,” he says. That coach told him the freshman team didn’t have anyone else in the 138-pound class, which was about what Kemp weighed at that time.
“That sounded really appealing to me. I thought, ‘Well, I’m going to be the guy,’” he says. “And, sure enough, I went out, and then two weeks later, I’m out there with a wrestling uniform on, wrestling, and I won my match. And that feeling of exhilaration, of winning one-on-one, was amazing.” He lost only twice that year, won the conference title for freshmen, then made varsity as a sophomore. His second year was a little tougher, as he moved down to the 132-pound weight class, which meant taking on extra workouts while wearing multiple layers, restricting calories, and wrestling more experienced competition. He went 11–8–3, and he wanted to do better.
A Turning Point
In the summer of 1972, after Kemp’s sophomore year, there were few wrestlers more famous than Dan Gable. The Iowa State alum already had two NCAA championships and one world freestyle title, and he was America’s hope to best the unbeatable Russians for an Olympic gold medal at the Munich games. He dominated the Olympic trials, pinning three of four opponents on his way to the Olympic team. And he made an appearance at a camp that summer — a camp that Kemp attended.
He left quite an impression.
“Dan Gable was, I mean, he was everybody’s, I don’t know, legend, idol, whatever,” Kemp says. “We all knew of Dan Gable. So to have him at that camp had such a huge impact on me [and] my psyche.”
Gable went on to win that Olympic gold, which Kemp watched at home on ABC’s Wide World of Sports.
“I started to try to figure out a way that I could train like him, and hopefully be like him,” Kemp says. “And that training translated into me becoming a two-time state champion. I didn’t lose a match after that.”
That’s right — after deciding to train like the great Dan Gable, Kemp never lost again in high school. That success, of course, caught the attention of college recruiters — which is another one of those “almost” moments. Kemp almost didn’t come to Wisconsin.
“Some Cleveland wrestlers that I knew, older Cleveland wrestlers that I looked up to, went to Michigan State,” he recalls. “I just felt like I wanted to go there, just from that. I went there, and I had a good recruiting trip, and it just was a place I felt like I wanted to go to.”
But Michigan State wasn’t able to offer a full scholarship, so Kemp’s father told him to keep looking. Then came John Grantham, a family friend and businessman in Kemp’s hometown, who encouraged him to visit UW–Madison. Meanwhile at the UW, athletic director Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch had instructed wrestling coach Duane Kleven to make a run at the state champ from Ohio. … Rest of this fascinating story about a great, classy champion at https://madison365.com/lee-kemp-a-story-of-almosts/?mc_cid=e68db38422&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

January 16, 2020 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment