Takedown Report

Women’s Wrestling News & Results – # 20

She fought to survive as a child. Trained as an Olympic wrestler. Now she shows Marines how to fight.
Sgt. Melissa Paul is a wrestler who has been fighting all her life. Fighting through the pain of growing up without a father since she was 4, when hers was sent to prison in Colorado. Fighting to get an education in Alaska when her drug-abusing mother wanted to her to quit high school and make a living fishing instead. Fighting to find a safe home when her mother paid a friend to take her off her hands, for a television. “When I was younger, I would always pray, ‘God, I just want a family. I just want a family.’ And I ended up never really having a family, so then I kind of got angry at God,” Paul said. “I didn’t realize that I did have a family with my wrestling team.” The Marine based at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown who trains martial-arts instructors has been wrestling for as long as she can remember, long before it was common for women to do so. … story at https://www.pilotonline.com/military/vp-nw-wrestling-marine-foster-care-yorktown–20200212-slhchuecrjfmhp55cwygs74d2q-story.html?mc_cid=e1e9966c02&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Will the real women’s team champion please stand up?
Campbellsville University has much to be proud of with its recent Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA) team title on the campus of Life University in Marietta, Georgia. The numbers alone from the tournament are staggering.  The Lady Tigers scored 230 points, which was 117 points ahead of runner-up Life University. They also had three champions and 10 additional All-Americans.  There was one thing missing for Campbellsville head coach Lee Miracle: Menlo College. “We can’t say we are the best unless Menlo was there,” Miracle said. “If Menlo was there and we won, then we can say we are the best. We used this tournament as a tune-up for the NAIA tournament.” There were other teams that opted not to attend (McKendree, Simon Fraser and King among the top teams) this year but you can’t blame Miracle for focusing on one team. Menlo defeated Campbellsville, 22-19, in the finals at the NAIA women’s division of the NWCA National Duals on January 11. Had they been there, Miracle would consider the WCWA tournament to be a ‘true’ national championship. … Story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1581544754650&twSessionId=wuknzjvetu&postId=384574135&mc_cid=e1e9966c02&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

(In California)
Sibling Pair Competes and Connects through Wrestling
In most sports, players form close bonds with each other, turning into a family over a season of grueling practices and intense competitions.  The Qureshis are different; their relationship as siblings was established long before they became teammates on varsity wrestling. For freshman Carissa Qureshi and sophomore Ethan Qureshi, wrestling united them under a singular passion and gave them the opportunity to appreciate their familial connection. While all wrestlers have an opportunity to train with one another, the Qureshi siblings typically spent approximately 15 to 20 minutes every two hour practice to work with one another.
“[Wrestling is] something we both love, so I always see him watching wrestling, and I think he can see me watching wrestling too,” Carissa Qureshi said. “It sort of makes us closer, because we share a bond over wrestling. It’s what we talk about a lot.” This past wrestling season was not the first time they have stood side-by-side on the mats together. … story at https://portolapilot.com/sibling-pair-competes-and-connects-through-wrestling/?mc_cid=e1e9966c02&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Bobcat Wrestler Emma Gomez wrestles into history as she competed in the first ever girls state wrestling tournament
One of our very own Hemingford Bobcats was a part of history this past weekend. Junior Emma Gomez was one of over 130 Girls from across Nebraska to compete in York during the first ever Nebraska Scholastic Wrestling Coaches Association Girls State Tournament. In all, over 30 Nebraska schools were represented. Emma Gomez came in Runner-Up for her 182 classes. Several local wrestlers had a strong showing on the mat in York. Bridgeport’s Jerzie Menke took home the State Title in the 126 class and Chadron’s Paige Denke also came home with Runner-Up at 106. The State commission took to a vote for a girl’s state tournament last season. It was denied by one vote. “As girl wrestlers carve out a larger and larger niche of what is dominated by males there will be a generation of young women that will be remembered as the pioneers that opened the door wider and wider for young girls across Nebraska and more specifically in the Panhandle,” said Bobcat Wrestling Coach Todd Westover. Emma developed a passion for the sport at the young age of just four-years-old and it has just continued to grow since then. “Going with my dad to practice was always something that I enjoyed doing but I got really bored just sitting there watching so I jumped in and started wrestling,” said Emma. …. story at https://www.starherald.com/hemingford/news/bobcat-wrestler-emma-gomez-wrestles-into-history-as-she-competed/article_e359ef72-4ddb-11ea-a970-7f40138ecb33.html?mc_cid=e1e9966c02&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

What to expect leading up to the 2020 NAIA and NCAA postseason events
There was some buzz last weekend about the top 3 programs from the 2019 WCWA National Championships (Menlo, Simon Fraser & McKendree) not competing this year. It’s not breaking news at this point, but there’s been an abrupt shift away from the WCWA as the NAIA and NCAA are taking steps toward women’s wrestling being classified a championship sport. Both governing bodies have granted women’s wrestling emerging sport status, the NAIA in 2018 and the NCAA in 2020, respectively. So, as exciting as the WCWA’s were this year, the daily grind of the season is far from over. NCAA programs have just 3 weeks before their first exclusive postseason event in Adrian, MI. The National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships will take place on March 6th and 7th. Between now and then, there are still some tough matches lined up, including a senior night dual for McKendree, who will host Oklahoma City on Feb. 21. …. story at https://www.transitionwrestling.com/what-to-expect-leading-up-to-the-2020-naia-and-ncaa-postseason-events/?mc_cid=e1e9966c02&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 14, 2020 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized