Takedown Report

College Results — # 81

TDR Editor’s Notes : More Regional Results & Stories
The first story is one that was hopeful yet no one at that time realized what would, not happen. The championships were not held due to a tragic health crisis that we are still learning just how big it will become. The pandemic will eventually dwarf all of the wrestling events that have been eliminated by it. Yet the despair and disappointment of all the wrestlers who qualified for this opportunity and the coaches and fans of those wrestlers is deep. Wish that the season would have finished for these athletes to have the opportunity to compete for the honors which they have worked. I clearly lack the ability to put my feelings into word. Sad.
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Historic NCAA Championships set to Smash Attendance Records
Go big. Do something that has never been done before.
Those were the words of Matt Meunier, Director of Sports Minneapolis, part of the Minneapolis Local Organizing Committee for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, and Anthony Holman, Managing Director, Championships & Alliances, Playing Rules and Officiating for the NCAA.
They went big. The biggest ever, in fact.
From March 19–21, 330 athletes will compete in the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, marking the first time that college wrestling’s marquee event will be held in a football stadium. More than 35,000 all-session tickets have already been sold. All 105 suites are sold out. Attendance during the three-day, six-session event is expected to break the record of 113,743 set in Cleveland in 2018. The good news? There are still good tickets—including lower level—and all-session and single session seats are available. “This is something that has never been done before,” said Meunier, referring to hosting the Championships in a football stadium. “And what we had to do to make this happen was really showcase how this outside the box idea and concept could provide both student-athletes and fans a different and unique experience.” It was 2016 when Sports Minneapolis and the local organizing committee, which also includes U.S. Bank Stadium and the University of Minnesota, bid to host the NCAA DI Wrestling Championships in Minneapolis, in a football stadium. And while Sports Minneapolis and U.S. Bank Stadium has since secured and hosted several marquee events—the Super Bowl and NCAA Men’s Final Four among them—U.S. Bank Stadium was still being constructed back when the bid was submitted in 2016 (the bid was officially awarded in April 2017). The NCAA saw the potential of hosting the event in a larger venue and in less than a month it will be a reality. …. story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/February/26/Historic-NCAA-Championships-set-to-Smash-Attendance-Records?mc_cid=9044513b27&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Brackets released for NJCAA Championships
The brackets have been released for the 2020 NJCAA Wrestling Championships. The event takes place March 6-7 at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Link:Brackets
Schedule
Friday, March 6, 2020
9:30 a.m. First Round …. rest of the details at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/23313?mc_cid=9044513b27&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Notre Dame College wins Super Regional III; Six wrestlers qualify for National Tournament
INDIANAPOLIS – As familiar as it has become, winning the Regional Tournament is still a great feeling for Notre Dame College wrestling. The Falcons came away with the team victory, scoring 127.5 points on Saturday, while six wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Division II Tournament. Notre Dame has now won four consecutive Regional Tournament team titles and they have taken home the biggest trophy in seven of the eight Regional Tournaments since joining the NCAA Division II in the 2012-13 season. The wrestlers who placed in the top-3 in each of the weight classes qualified for the NCAA DII Tournament. The Falcons had six qualifiers with Hunter Bray (133 lbs.), Kelan McKenna (141), Taylor Misuna (157), Jordon Tague (165), Tony Vezzetti (184) and Jared Campbell (285). Hunter Bray is ranked No. 1 at 133 lbs. and he continues to add to his accolades this season. Bray went up against Ashland’s Lawrance Dudgeon in the First Place Match. Not only was Bray going for the win, but Ashland University was also approaching NDC in team points. …. story at https://notredamefalcons.com/news/2020/2/29/wrestling-ndc-wins-super-regional-iii-six-wrestlers-qualify-for-national-tournament.aspx?mc_cid=00ba8325f5&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

U. Pitt-Johnstown Win 23rd NCAA Regional Title With Four Champs and Eight National Qualifiers: Coach Pecora Named Regional Coach of the year for 19th Time
FULL RESULTS
Pitt-Johnstown sent six wrestlers into the finals and came away with four champions and a total of eight NCAA national Tournament qualifiers on their way to winning to the 2019-20 NCAA Division II Super Region I Tournament title, Saturday at Mercyhurst University.  Pitt-Johnstown, which claimed its 23 NCAA Regional championship and second straight under Head Coach Pat Pecora, finished with 147.5 points, 17 points better than second-place Gannon. Following the tournament, Coach Pecora was named the NCAA Division II Super Region I Coach of the Year for the 19th time in his 44-year career. Pitt-Johnstown finished first with 147.5 points, while Gannon (130.5 pts.), Mercyhurst (116 pts.), Seton Hill (108 pts.), and East Stroudsburg (52.5 pts.) rounded out the Top-5 in the 11-team field. Brendan Howard (125 lbs.), Jacob Ealy (141 lbs.), Chris Eddins (149 lbs.), and Brock Biddle (174 lbs.) all won individual championships, while Tyler Warner (133 lbs.) and Connor Craig (184 lbs.) were regional runners-up, and Devin Austin (165 lbs.) and Allan Beattie (285 lbs.) placed third to qualify for the National Tournament in Sioux Falls, SD on March 13-14.
Pitt-Johnstown also got a fourth-place finish from Alex Delp at 184 lbs. and a fifth-place finish from Jacob Burgette at 157 lbs.). …. story at https://pittjohnstownathletics.com/news/2020/2/29/wrestling-wrestlers-win-23rd-ncaa-regional-title-with-four-champs-and-eight-national-qualifiers.aspx?mc_cid=00ba8325f5&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Champs! Four Individual Titles Sends Wrestling to Southeast Regional Title
Ducks to send seven wrestlers to national championships after capturing second regional championship
GRANTHAM, Pa. (February 29, 2020)  – Four student-athletes won individual titles to lead the Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling team to the Southeast Regional Title Saturday at Hitchcock Arena. Freshman Kyle Slendorn, senior Troy Stanich, junior Brett Kaliner and sophomore Michael Dooley each won the gold medal in their respective weight classes. Graduate student Thomas Poklikuha, senior Dylan Van Sickell and sophomore Akhil Vega finished in the top-three in their respective weight classes as a program-record seven Ducks advanced to the national championship tournament.  As a team, the Ducks finished first among the 20 competing teams, totaling 163.5 points to win the regional title over Washington and Lee University by 33.5 points. Hosting Messiah College placed third with 123.5 points, while Washington & Jefferson College (80.5) and Ferrum College (78) rounded out the top-five. The regional championship is the second in program history. Head Coach Joe Favia was named the Southeast Region Coach of the Year prior to the tournament, while assistant coach Anthony Bonaventura was named the region’s top assistant coach. Kaliner was named the regional’s Most Outstanding Wrestler. …. story at https://stevensducks.com/news/2020/3/1/champs-four-individual-titles-sends-wrestling-to-southeast-regional-title.aspx?mc_cid=6ccbfd9ab5&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

McCormick’s Title Leads Cavaliers At National Collegiate Open
SMYRNA, Del. – Redshirt freshman Patrick McCormick (Poquoson, Va.) claimed the 125-pound title to lead a group of 14 members of the Virginia wrestling team in competition at the National Collegiate Open on Sunday (March 1).  McCormick won four straight matches on the day to pick up the title at 125 pounds, taking three wins by decision and a win by technical fall on the way to the championship.  He defeated Baylor Shunk of Penn State in a 6-4 decision to open the day before taking an 18-1 technical fall against Drexel’s David Colton in the quarterfinals. … story at https://virginiasports.com/news/2020/3/1/wrestling-mccormicks-title-leads-cavalier-at-national-collegiate-open.aspx?mc_cid=6ccbfd9ab5&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

No.2 McKendree Claims NCAA DII Super Region IV Championship Title
(HAYS, Kan. – Mar.1) – McKendree University No.2 men’s wrestling kicked off their postseason at the NCAA Division II Super IV Region Wrestling Championship and placed first overall and had four regional champions. This is the Bearcats’ second consecutive regional title. The Bearcats scored 126 team points, six Major Decision victories, three victories by Fall and two victories by Technical Fall. No.1 Marcus Povlick (Plainfield, IL/Plainfield North), Juwan Edmond (Bellwood, IL), No.1 Nick Foster (Belleville, IL/Belleville West), No.1 Ryan Vasbinder (Grand Rapids, MI/Grandville) were named regional champions of their respective weight classes. …. story and results at https://mckbearcats.com/news/2020/3/1/no-2-mens-wrestling-claims-ncaa-dii-super-region-iv-championship-title.aspx?mc_cid=6ccbfd9ab5&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

No. 1 Loras College Duhawks Capture Regional Title; Send Eight to Nationals
Brackets (PDF)
Final Team Scores (DOCX)
Dubuque, Iowa (March 1st, 2020) – After a regular season to remember, the No. 1 Loras College wrestling team engineered a historic performance at the NCAA Division III Lower Midwest regional, qualifying eight wrestlers for the national tournament and securing the program’s first ever regional team title, finishing ahead of American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) foe No. 5 Coe College by 15 points. The regional performance was a historic one for the Duhawks. A school-record eight qualifiers and a team title highlighted a strong team performance for Head Coach TJ Miller. For the second year in a row, Miller and Assistant Coach Trevor Kittleson were voted Lower Midwest Regional Tournament Head Coach and Assistant Coach of the Year. …. story at https://duhawks.com/news/2020/3/1/wrestling-no-1-duhawks-capture-regional-title-send-eight-to-nationals.aspx?mc_cid=6ccbfd9ab5&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

No. 9 The College of New Jersey Captures NCAA Regional Championship
Full Results (PDF)
ITHACA, N.Y. – The No. 9 TCNJ wrestling team advanced five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships on its way to claiming first place at the NCAA Mideast Regional on Sunday. The Lions had nine total place winners at the regional, led by the first-place finish of Quinn Haddad at 197 pounds.  
TCNJ and Ithaca tied for the regional championship with 144.5 points.
 The first-place regional finish is the first for the Lions since the NCAA switched to the regional format in 2013. The five national qualifiers matches the Lions’ total from a season ago. Joining Haddad on the national team are returning All-Americans Jake Giordano and Dan Kilroy. Robert Dinger will make his second-straight trip to nationals. Dan Ortega will round out the squad with his first national appearance. …. story at https://tcnjathletics.com/news/2020/3/1/no-9-wrestling-captures-ncaa-regional-championship.aspx?mc_cid=6ccbfd9ab5&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Four-Peat! JWU Wrestling Captures NCAA Northeast Regional Title
PROVIDENCE, RI – The NCAA Northeast Regional trophy will stay in Providence. Thanks to six wrestlers advancing to the NCAA Championships, the eighth-ranked Johnson & Wales University wrestling team won an unprecedented fourth-straight regional title on Sunday at Rhode Island College. Johnson & Wales took the team title with 168 points. Coast Guard Academy was second with 122.5 points and NYU posted 122 points. Representing the Wildcats at the NCAA Championship will be Hayden Brown (133 pounds), Jordan Robinson (141 pounds), Da’mani Burns (149 pounds), Darius Joyce (157 pounds), Tommy Wrzesien (197 pounds) and Michael DiNardo (285 pounds). …. story at https://providence.jwuathletics.com/sports/wrest/2019-20/releases/20200301p8ap2p?mc_cid=6ccbfd9ab5&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 25, 2020 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized