Takedown Report

College Coaching Milestones

Steve Martin Could Tie Legendary ODU Wrestling Coach Pete Robinson for Dual Meet Wins Sunday Against Bloomsburg
Pete Robinson won 172 dual meets in 26 seasons; Steve Martin has 171 wins
Most of you have probably never heard of Pete Robinson, who was Old Dominion’s first and longest tenured wrestling coach. Coach Robinson was also one of the nicest, wisest and hardest working people I ever met, and he had a big impact on my life. More on that later. Robinson was named ODU’s wrestling coach in 1957, when the school was known as the Norfolk Division of the College of William and Mary and Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech). He would serve 26 years, taking ODU from Division II and the Mason-Dixon Conference into Division I. When Robinson finally retired in 1983, he had been ODU’s coach for 26 seasons. He coached three Division II national champions and stepped down at the top of his game. …. rest of story at https://odusports.com/news/2020/2/22/minium-steve-martin-could-tie-legendary-odu-wrestling-coach-pete-robinson-for-dual-meet-wins-sunday-against-bloomsburg.aspx?mc_cid=7ab36b5ae6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Cambria County Commissioners and senator honor all-time winningest wrestling coach at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
JOHNSTOWN, CAMBRIA COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — The Cambria County Commissioners and Senator’s office honored a University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown wrestling coach, who became the all-time winningest coach in college wrestling history earlier this month.
Coach Pat Pecora has been coaching for 44 years and on February 7, he picked up the 617th win of his career, setting the N.C.A.A. record. Cambria County Comissioners Tom Chernisky, B.J. Smith and Scott Hunt, as well as Senator Wayne Langerholc were in attendance for the presentation.
Pecora says it’s a surreal feeling. “It wasn’t accomplished by one man alone, it was accomplished by a group of people and I got to share it with all of the guys who wrestled at Pitt-Johnstown over the years so that’s something special to me.” Pecora picked up another win last week and when asked if he is going for 700 wins, he laughed and said he’s taking it day by day. … story and video at https://www.wearecentralpa.com/news/local-news/cambria-county-commissioners-and-senator-honor-all-time-winningest-wrestling-coach-at-the-university-of-pittsburgh-at-johnstown/?mc_cid=7ab36b5ae6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

The story behind college wrestling’s winningest coach, Pat Pecora (Part 1)
Coach Pat Pecora took over as the head coach at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown in 1976. The program was in its third year and Pecora was a 20-something wet-behind-the-ears college graduate looking to teach and coach. On February 7, Pitt-Johnstown defeated Mercyhurst 22-12, giving Pecora his 617th all-time dual meet victory, breaking the mark set by former Oregon State coach Dale Thomas. Since the win, Pecora’s added win No. 618 as the Mountain Cats head into the 2019-20 postseason. In the first part of this two-part interview with Coach Pat Pecora, college wrestling’s winningest coach in history, he’ll out line his origin story in the sport and the development of the UPJ program and coaching one of the sport’s greats, Carlton Haselrig. He’ll also talk about the old way of qualifying for the Division I tournament from Division II and Division III. …. story and podcast at http://www.mattalkonline.com/podcast/short-time/pecora597/?mc_cid=7ab36b5ae6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 22, 2020 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

College Results — # 78

TDR Editor’s Notes ; Another 20 stories from the end of the dual meet season. With the crashing into the wall finish for the NCAA tournaments we will continue looking at all the the exciting and encouraging match results while we can.
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Oklahoma City Stars secure SAC championship
BARTLESVILLE, Okla. – Oklahoma City University collected the Sooner Athletic Conference wrestling championship Saturday in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference-SAC Championships at Mueller Sports Center.
Six OCU wrestlers became individual SAC champions with eight Stars grabbing spots in the NAIA Championships. Oklahoma City, ranked 11th, piled up 225 points to win the tournament title. … story at https://www.ocusports.com/news/2020/2/22/mens-wrestling-stars-secure-sac-championship.aspx?mc_cid=7ab36b5ae6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Army Wrestling Captures Fourth-Straight Star-Meet
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – In a thriller that came down to a total match point tiebreaker, the Army West Point wrestling team made it four straight wins over service-academy rival Navy Saturday night, edging out a 16-15 Star-Meet victory. “Just really proud of our guys for finding a way in a really hard fought match,” said head coach Kevin Ward. “It was anything but pretty but our guys found a way. That’s what championship programs do. They find a way and tonight we found a way to grit one out.” The Black Knights’ (10-3, 4-1 EIWA) four straight wins over Navy (8-6, 3-2 EIWA) are the most in the series history for Army, surpassing the Cadets’ three in-a-row run from 1960-62. The win also moves head coach Kevin Ward‘s career record against the Mids to 5-1, the most victories by any Army wrestling coach. …. story at https://goarmywestpoint.com/news/2020/2/22/wrestling-captures-fourth-straight-star-meet.aspx?mc_cid=7ab36b5ae6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

#10 Pittsburgh COMES BACK TO UPSET #7 VIRGINIA TECH, 18-13
PITTSBURGH – The 10th-ranked University of Pittsburgh Wrestling team upset No. 7 Virginia Tech, 18-13, Saturday night at the Fitzgerald Field House in the regular season finale. With the win, Pitt ends its regular season 10-4 overall for its second consecutive winning season under third-year head coach Keith Gavin. The Panthers finish with a 3-2 record against ACC foes. Virginia Tech moves to 11-3 overall and 2-3 in the ACC. … story at https://pittsburghpanthers.com/news/2020/2/22/wrestling-10-pitt-comes-back-to-upset-7-virginia-tech-18-13.aspx?mc_cid=7ab36b5ae6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

#16 Cornell Rallies to 23-13 Win Over Lock Haven
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Four bonus point victories helped #16 Cornell wrestling close the book on its 2019-20 dual season on Saturday, Feb. 22, defeating Lock Haven by a final score of 23-13. The Big Red trailed 13-10 heading into the final three bouts of the night, but bonus wins from Jonathan Loew, Ben Darmstadt and Brendan Furman clinched the dual. A win on Saturday night improves Cornell’s dual record to 11-7, marking the Big Red’s 34th consecutive season with a dual record above .500. Lock Haven falls to 7-7 as it now prepares for the Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship on March 7-8. … story at https://cornellbigred.com/news/2020/2/22/-16-wrestling-rallies-to-win-over-lock-haven.aspx?mc_cid=7ab36b5ae6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Missouri Dominates No. 21 Iowa State, 27-6, on Senior Day
Tigers close regular season in front of 10th-largest crowd in program history as Mizzou earns its first ranked win of the year
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Wrestling closed its regular season with a 27-6 win over No. 21 Iowa State Saturday afternoon (Feb. 22) at the Hearnes Center. The Tigers extended their win streak against their former Big Eight and Big 12 rival, earning their fifth straight win over the Cyclones. Saturday’s dual was Mizzou’s final competition before beginning postseason action, ending the regular season with a 12-7 overall record and a 6-2 record at home. The Tigers won eight out of 10 bouts in the dominant win Saturday, its first over a ranked opponent this season. Mizzou lost at just 125 pounds and heavyweight, doing so to ranked opponents at both weights. There was a large crowd on hand for Mizzou’s win with 2,464 fans in the attendance at Hearnes. That is the 10^th largest crowd in program history. The program’s top 10 attendance records have all come with Brian Smith as head coach of the program. …. story at https://mutigers.com/news/2020/2/22/mizzou-wrestling-dominates-no-21-iowa-state-27-6-on-senior-day.aspx?mc_cid=7ab36b5ae6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Hofstra Closes Regular Season With 38-3 Victory Over Sacred Heart
Hempstead, NY – Hofstra won eight of the nine contested matches and defeated Sacred Heart, 38-3, Saturday afternoon in an Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association match at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex. The match was the final regular season contest for the Pride, who finished the season with a record of 11-5 overall and a perfect 7-0 in the EIWA. …. story at https://gohofstra.com/news/2020/2/22/wrestling-wrest-hofstra-closes-regular-season-with-38-3-victory-over-sacred-heart.aspx?mc_cid=7ab36b5ae6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Bucknell Edges Columbia, 18-14, in Dual Finale
NEW YORK – The Bucknell wrestling team edged Columbia, 18-14, in its dual finale on Saturday at the University Gymnasium “Blue Gym.” Brandon Stokes sealed the Bison’s 10th dual victory of the season, edging Danny Conley by a 2-0 decision at heavyweight. Bucknell wrapped up its dual season with a 10-6 (9-3 EIWA) record. …. story at https://bucknellbison.com/news/2020/2/22/wrestling-edges-columbia-18-14-in-dual-finale.aspx?mc_cid=7ab36b5ae6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Bastianelli’s Pin Leads Wrestling over Harvard in Tiebreaker, 19-18
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Junior Nino Bastianelli tallied his third pin of the season to propel Brown University wrestling to a 19-18 win over Harvard University in a tiebreaker on Saturday afternoon at the Pizzitola Sports Center. In their home and Ivy finale, the Bears (3-8, 3-7 EIWA, 1-4 Ivy) never trailed in the match and held a lead as large as eight points at 18-10 on their way to the win over the visiting Crimson (3-10, 3-7 EIWA, 1-4 Ivy) on tiebreaker criterion 3.21.B (greater number of falls, forfeits, defaults, and disqualifications). …. story at https://brownbears.com/news/2020/2/22/bastianellis-pin-leads-wrestling-over-harvard-in-tiebreaker-19-18.aspx?mc_cid=7ab36b5ae6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Johnson & Wales Wildcats Win Three Titles at Futures Tournament
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – If the Futures Tournament, hosted by Western New England University, is any indication, the Johnson & Wales University wrestling team is in good hands moving forward. The Wildcats won three titles during Saturday’s competition. The top seed at 141 pounds, Freddy Eckles picked up a tech fall in his opening bout then posted a pair of decisions to get to the finals. In the championship match, he beat Roger Williams’ Ben Bariso, 3-0. …. story at https://providence.jwuathletics.com/sports/wrest/2019-20/releases/20200222w5boil?mc_cid=7ab36b5ae6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

MARIAN REPEATS AS AMERICAN MIDWEST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS
ST. LOUIS – In four short years, the Marian wrestling program has gone from a start up to a conference powerhouse and the Knights cemented their status as the American Midwest Conference’s best, winning their second-straight conference title Saturday in St. Louis, Missouri. Marian had six individuals win conference titles and won the league championship by 35.5 points. …. story at http://www.muknights.com/article/7371.php?mc_cid=7ab36b5ae6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

NO. 1 Grand View earns 5TH-Consecutive Conference Titles
Atchison, KS – No. 1 Grand View traveled to Atchison, Kansas today, February 22, to compete for the opportunity to win their fifth-consecutive Heart of America Conference Championship title and they did just that. Along with taking home the championship, they crowned six individual champions including Shea Ruffridge (FR/Pocahontas, IA) at 133, Kendon Lee (JR/Addis, LA) at 141, Tanner Abbas (FR/Kanawha, IA) at 149, Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (SR/Buffalo, NY) at 157, Kendrick Jones (SR/New Orleans, LA) at 184, and Evan Hansen (SR/Kimballton, IA) at 197. …. story at http://www.gvvikings.com/article/6561?mc_cid=7ab36b5ae6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Bittersweet Farewell to Penn State Seniors
The #2 Penn State Nittany Lions took on the American University Eagles at home in front of a packed Rec Hall crowd. The atmosphere, while still energetic, had a twinge of bittersweet sadness mixed in; today was Senior Day. Before the wrestling began a brief ceremony was had to celebrate and congratulate PSU’s senior wrestlers, which included some familiar faces in Mark Hall, Vincenzo Joseph, Kyle Conel, and Devin Schnupp, all of whom had been in the starting lineup for the Nittany Lions.  …. story at http://www.hmawrestling.com/article/bittersweet-farewell-to-penn-state-seniors-recapping-2-psu-vs-american/

Iowa State Ends Dual Season With 22-16 Win Over NDSU
AMES, Iowa – No. 19 Iowa State (10-5, 7-1 Big 12) ended its dual season on a bright note with a 22-16 victory over North Dakota State (10-4, 6-2 Big 12) in wrestling action Sunday evening in Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State won six matches and the takedown battle, 16-7. The win gave the Cyclones a share of the Big 12 dual title at 7-1. ISU’s seven conference wins in 2019-20 are the most in school history. …. story at https://cyclones.com/news/2020/2/23/wrestling-iowa-state-ends-dual-season-with-22-16-win-over-ndsu.aspx?mc_cid=32f7c8b41f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Arizona State Tops No. 8 UNC for Seventh Top-25 Win of the Season
CHAPEL HILL, NC – In the final regular-season meet of the season, the No. 5 Sun Devil wrestling team (15-2) took advantage in the back half of the lineup, taking six straight matches to defeat No. 8 North Carolina, 22-9 on Sunday afternoon at Carmichael Arena. ASU ended the dual season 15-2 with seven top-25 wins and four top-15 wins. The win total is the most by a Sun Devil wrestling team since 1989-90, when the program finished with 18. ….. story at https://thesundevils.com/news/2020/2/23/-asuwrestling-tops-no-8-unc-for-seventh-top-25-win-of-the-season.aspx?mc_cid=32f7c8b41f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Northern Colorado Bears Down Falcons Behind Four Majors
Northern Colorado defeated Air Force 25-12 in the team’s regular season finale. Northern Colorado wrestling showed what its capable of at full strength as they defeated Air Force 25-12, Sunday afternoon. UNC won seven matches, scoring bonus points in four. The Bears won the first five matches of dual, building a 17-0 lead over the Falcons. …. story at https://uncbears.com/news/2020/2/23/wrestling-bears-down-falcons-behind-four-majors.aspx?mc_cid=32f7c8b41f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

OKLAHOMA SOONERS BEAT BULLDOGS IN FINAL DUAL
NORMAN – Oklahoma wrapped up its regular season with a dominating performance on Sunday afternoon, beating Fresno State, 25-5, inside McCasland Field House.  The Sooners (5-7 overall, 3-6 Big 12) won eight of the bouts, including the final four over Fresno State (9-11 overall, 4-4 Big 12). Before the match, the program honored three graduating student-athletes in Eli Boulton, Christian Moody and Clay Vincent.  …. story at https://soonersports.com/news/2020/2/23/wrestling-sooners-beat-bulldogs-in-final-dual.aspx?mc_cid=32f7c8b41f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Northwestern Cap Regular Season With 38-9 Win Over SIUE
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Northwestern wrestling completed the 2019-20 regular season with a dominant win over SIU-Edwardsville Sunday afternoon. The ‘Cats were victorious in eight of the 10 bouts as they won by a final score of 38-9. Jack Jessen got the scoring started in the second bout of the day at 184 pounds. Facing off against Austin Andres, Jessen was comfortable throughout in a 6-1 decision as he put the visitors on the board. …. story at https://nusports.com/news/2020/2/23/wrestling-cats-close-out-regular-season-with-38-9-win-over-siue.aspx?mc_cid=32f7c8b41f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

JERSEY SWEEP! NO. 14 PRINCETON GETS FIRST WIN OVER NO. 25 RUTGERS SINCE 1990
No. 14 Princeton broke a 23-match skid to No. 25 Rutgers and picked up the program’s first win over the Scarlet Knights since 1990, closing the dual-match season with a win to finish 9-4 and complete the New Jersey sweep, with wins over Rutgers and Rider, for the first time since the 1982-83 season.  The Tigers have faced those teams in the same season 18 times since the last sweep, including every year since the sweep through the 1989-90 season, again in the 2005-06 season, and again annually since 2009-10.  …. story at https://goprincetontigers.com/news/2020/2/23/wrestling-live-scoring-no-14-princeton-vs-no-25-rutgers.aspx?mc_cid=32f7c8b41f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Ohio Univ. Picks Up Senior Day Wins Over Buffalo, Gardner-Webb
ATHENS, Ohio — The Ohio wrestling team (9-8, 5-4 MAC) finished its 2019-20 regular season strong, picking up a pair of Senior Day wins this afternoon at the Convocation Center. The Bobcats earned a decisive 27-10 win over Mid-American Conference foe Buffalo, then rolled to a 40-6 triumph over Gardner-Webb to close out the afternoon. Ohio celebrated its six-member 2020 senior class prior to the dual against Gardner-Webb, with Zac Carson (Akron, Ohio), Kade Kowalski (Nashport, Ohio), Shakur Laney (Canal Winchester, Ohio), Ben Schneider (Orland Park, Ill.), Joe Terry (Pickerington, Ohio) and Hunter Yeargan (Willard, Mo.) honored in front of the home crowd. …. story at https://www.ohiobobcats.com/sports/wrest/2019-20/releases/20200223rmgawe?mc_cid=32f7c8b41f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Brown U. Rallies Past Sacred Heart in Regular Season Finale
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Senior Trey Keeley, junior Charlie Faber, and sophomore Jack Bokina all posted major decisions as Brown University wrestling rallied past Sacred Heart University, 18-15, in its regular season finale on Sunday afternoon at the William H. Pitt Center. Trailing 12-3 after the first half of the dual, the Bears (4-8, 4-7 EIWA) won four of the meet’s final five bouts to come back and defeat the Pioneers (8-6, 3-5 EIWA), closing out a 2-0 weekend that included a 19-18 victory over Harvard yesterday. The Bears concluded the regular season with three wins in their final four duals. …. story at https://brownbears.com/news/2020/2/23/wrestling-rallies-past-sacred-heart-in-regular-season-finale.aspx?mc_cid=32f7c8b41f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 22, 2020 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Women's Wrestling News & Results — # 24

Wyoming Seminary dominates historic first Prep School Girls Nationals, with five champions
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Wyoming Seminary was the dominant team in the first Prep School National Championships for girls, securing five individual champions, and outscoring runner-up John Carroll by 116 points on Friday. The tournament featured eight nationally ranked athletes, including two gold-medal finals which included both athletes with national rankings. At 142 pounds, in a mild upset, Marisol Nugent of Phillips Academy pinned Reese Larramendy of Wyoming Seminary in the finals in 1:05. Nugent is ranked No. 11 nationally at 138 pounds, while Larramendy sits at No. 2 at 144 pounds. The other finals with a pair of ranked wrestlers was at 105 pounds, where No. 9 Julianne Moccia of John Carroll pinned No. 14 Virginia Foard of Wyoming Seminary in 19 seconds. Other nationally ranked champions including No. 3 Caitlyn Walker of Wyoming Seminary at 113, No. 4 Ava Bayless of Wyoming Seminary at 121, No. 3 Sophia Smith at 130 and No. 1 Kennedy Blades of Wyoming Seminary at 178. The other champion was Piper Staniford of Wyoming Seminary at 185. Twenty two teams entered the tournament, which included athletes from across the nation. …. story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/February/22/Wyoming-Seminary-wins-first-historic-Prep-Nationals-for-girls?mc_cid=7ab36b5ae6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

13 Days to Adrian: Meet Leigh Jaynes
Leigh Jaynes
College: Missouri Valley College (Marshall, Missouri)
High school: Rancocas Valley Regional High School (Mt. Holly, New Jersey)
Age: 39
Instagram: @leighjayneswrestling
Fast fact: likes sushi
High school and college credentials: Jaynes placed fifth at the 2003 University Nationals, which was the premier women’s college wrestling event prior to the WCWA national championships. She wrestled for Brian Bowker in high school. 
International credentials: Jaynes won a bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships (60 kg) at the age of 34 after making World teams in 2007 and 2012. She also won a silver medal at the 2012 World Cup.
Where is Jaynes now? Jaynes was hired as the head coach of the new women’s wrestling program at Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. …. story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1582412955068&twSessionId=qatfeaedfs&postId=564272135&mc_cid=7ab36b5ae6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

14 Days to Adrian: Meet Victoria Francis
Victoria Francis
College: Lindenwood (St. Charles, Missouri)
High school: Litchfield High School (Litchfield, Illinois)
Age: 25
Fun fact: freelance graphic designer
High school and college credentials: Francis was a WCWA champion in 2015 and 2016 after placing second as a sophomore in 2014 and fourth as a freshman in 2013. 
International credentials: Francis placed fifth at the 2019 Senior World Championships following at 13th place finish at the 2017 Worlds. She was a 2014 World bronze medalist and placed second to five-time World champion Adeline Gray at the 2016 Olympic Trials. 
Where is Francis now? The 25-year-old trains and coaches at Life University in Marietta, Georgia, where she will attempt to make the 2020 Olympics at 68 kilograms. 
In her own words: “Wrestling has been a vehicle for personal development for me … story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1582412955068&twSessionId=qatfeaedfs&postId=496894135&mc_cid=7ab36b5ae6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 22, 2020 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment