Takedown Report

Cancellation !! – # 2

‘Crushed:’ Graduating wrestler loses chance at NCAA title
Troy Keller’s collegiate career likely over due to coronavirus-related cancellations
Troy Keller was preparing to make a presentation in his field ecology class last week when he discovered some shocking news: the NCAA canceled its Division-I college wrestling championships. Keller, a back-to-back 165 lb. Mid-American Conference champion, was looking forward to competing for the school’s first All-American honor since 2004. But instead, he was told that his career would be ending, but “not on his own terms.” “I broke down in class, just realizing that my wrestling career just ended while I was sitting in class,” Keller said. “I didn’t really know how to take it. I got pretty upset until I had to leave. So that was probably the worst situation possible for me.” Last Thursday, the NCAA announced that due to the evolving threat of COVID-19, all winter and spring championships were canceled. While this was gutting for the athletes involved, perhaps no group took it harder than the graduating seniors, who lost their last chance to compete for a national title. And for Keller, this week was supposed to be filled with nervous excitement about the upcoming NCAA championships in Minneapolis. If all had gone well, there was even the possibility of him competing in the Olympic trials. …. https://www.ubspectrum.com/article/2020/03/crushed-graduating-wrestler-loses-chance-at-ncaa-title?mc_cid=9e69424014&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Wrestling analysis: How the NCAA’s decision on winter sports could affect wrestling
A day after the NCAA canceled all remaining winter and spring sports championships, the governing body’s Council Coordination Committee announced that eligibility relief would be appropriate for athletes in spring sports — meaning those athletes will re-gain a year of eligibility after their seasons ended due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The NCAA faces similar decisions with athletes in winter sports, which were either beginning or in the middle of their respective postseasons. Those discussions began shortly after the cancellation announcement last week. No timetable has been given for potential resolutions. In the case of wrestling, which affects numerous schools here in Iowa, there are many variables worth considering as the NCAA continues to deliberate, including some that could impact many programs in both the long- and short-term. Here is an attempt to break down those variables, after discussions with various coaches and athletes. …. https://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sports/college/iowa/wrestling/2020/03/16/wrestling-analysis-how-ncaa-decision-winter-sports-could-affect-wrestling-iowa-hawkeyes-isu-uni/5059076002/?mc_cid=9e69424014&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Open Letter from Coach Steve Costanzo to SCSU wrestling fans
Here is an open letter to all St. Cloud State wrestling fans from head coach Steve Costanzo from March 17, 2020.
Dear Huskies Wrestling Parents, Fans and Supporters:
I would like to take this time to say thank-you. Thank you for your continued support and encouragement for our student-athletes. Thank you for all of your passion and interest throughout the year. Thank you for holding Huskies wrestling to a higher standard. Finally, thank you for making Huskies wrestling one of the premier programs in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and NCAA DII. When it all matters and we are competing, we all know that you have our backs when we take it to the mats. In a time of uncertainties, we can truly understand all of your frustrations and concerns. This is a scary time, …. https://scsuhuskies.com/news/2020/3/17/open-letter-from-coach-steve-costanzo-to-scsu-wrestling-fans.aspx?mc_cid=9e69424014&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Wrestling Mailbag: Navigating the new reality, plus an early look ahead to next season
I was supposed to write this mailbag in Minneapolis. I planned on driving up early to see friends and work on a few things in the days before the NCAA Division I Championships. I was also excited, of course. You were, too. This week was going to be special. Now, I’m writing this in my apartment while practicing social distancing. The vibe outside my window feels apocalyptic, even though the sun is shining and there are no clouds. There are no live sports to look forward to, including what was supposed to be the biggest celebration of wrestling ever, and there may not be for a while. This is the new normal for now in the hopes that it’ll pay dividends down the road. It’s remarkable that, in a way, sports helped everybody realize the seriousness of this thing. I’d venture to guess that if not for Rudy Gobert’s positive test for COVID-19, all live sports would’ve continued with limited fans or no fans last weekend. Gobert hit the warp speed button on all of this. The NBA suspended its season within minutes. Every major sports league has followed in some capacity. The NCAA canceled all remaining winter and sports championships, shattering hearts everywhere. It was the right thing to do. I’ll admit to not taking this very seriously at first. This was maybe back in late February, after the state wrestling tournament. It never crossed my mind that we’d even get to this point, not even after the Big Ten Championships two weeks ago. …. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/college/2020/03/17/wrestling-mailbag-navigating-new-reality-plus-early-lookahead-next-season-iowa-hawkeyes-isu-uni-ncaa/5066790002/?mc_cid=9e69424014&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Iowa wrestling is back, even without an NCAA title
Last Thursday, Iowa wrestlers were in the middle of practice when they heard footsteps. Star 165-pounder Alex Marinelli looked up briefly and saw the last person he wanted to walk into the wrestling room that day: his wife, Moriah. Moriah, Iowa’s director of wrestling operations, had a piece of paper in her hands. He couldn’t even make eye contact with her — Marinelli knew what it must say. “We’re not wrestling,” he said under his breath. EDITOR’S PICKS
‘It was like a movie’: What led the NCAA to shut down competition
The Riveting Rise of Sabrina Ionescu
Coronavirus cancellations and reactions in sports
Hawkeyes wrestlers had come to practice that day knowing that the NBA had just suspended its season indefinitely, so there was an air of inevitability in the room as they tried to push one another in one of the last practices before NCAA championships. The paper in Moriah’s hands was an email from school officials saying NCAAs were off for the foreseeable future because of the coronavirus pandemic. Iowa’s chance at running the table — unbeaten dual season, Big Ten champs and NCAA champs for the first time since 2010 — was gone. “They were going to win NCAAs and it was realistic they’d have had all 10 guys be All-Americans,” said Christian Pyles, managing editor of the sport’s preeminent source, FloWrestling.org. “It was the kind of team and season we rarely see. Iowa wrestling was back and as good as ever.” Coach Tom Brands read the note to the team and gave everybody the option of finishing practice or leaving. He encouraged everybody to take some time to mourn the loss, but also emphasized that once the wrestlers got their heads around the decision, it was time to move on. “Don’t give self-pity any credibility,” he said. “This is the right thing for society — it’s bigger than sporting events. You were robbed of history, but let’s be forward-looking and stay in the here and now.” …. https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/28918379/iowa-wrestling-back-even-ncaa-title

Ex-Shaler wrestler Heinl’s college career comes to sudden end
Michael Heinl thought there might be a chance everything would be normal. The 149-pound Washington & Jefferson senior wrestler already had made the trip with teammate Hunter Neely to the NCAA Division III national championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. But Heinl found out less than 24 hours before the tournament was supposed to start March 12 that it would be canceled because of the coronavirus. His career wrestling with the Presidents wrapped up with Heinl being one victory short of the school record. “We just got back to the hotel room after a workout,” said Heinl, a Shaler Area graduate. “We knew our coach had a meeting before the workout ended. They were handing out six wristbands to the coaches for our family members who could go. Then the NCAA came out with their statement and we all found out together.” …. story at https://triblive.com/sports/ex-shaler-wrestler-heinls-college-career-comes-to-sudden-end/?mc_cid=7b60b45611&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

What Could Have Been: Manning, Huskers Lament Early Ending
Mark Manning would have left for Minneapolis on Tuesday, along with his fourth-ranked Nebraska wrestling team, for the 2020 NCAA Championships.
Instead, the Nebraska wresting coach sat alone inside a coffee chop, working on next year’s schedule. “I get stir crazy,” Manning said Tuesday morning. “I don’t like to be idle very much. I like to be on the go. This time off is really hard.” The cancellation of the wrestling postseason – a result of the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus disease pandemic— is especially painful for Manning and the Huskers because of what could have been. One of the most complete, competitive teams in school history, Nebraska was coming off a second-place finish at the Big Ten championships, and Manning felt his Huskers had a legitimate chance of winning a national title. “To say the least,” Manning said, “we were pretty excited about this weekend.”  That was on Wednesday, when the NCAA released its bracket.
 “We got seeds,” Manning said, “so we knew what the matchups were, and we felt really, really good.” On Thursday, coaches held a day of individual workouts throughout the day in the wrestling room at the Hendricks Training Complex. A handful of wrestlers were in the room when word began spreading of various sporting event cancellations, including most conference basketball tournaments.  “We were kind of slowly hearing, ‘Oh, they’re shutting things down.’ And then it finally came out.”
No more wrestling.
Manning called a 4 p.m. team meeting. In the meantime, he phoned a couple of recruits who would’ve soon been en route to Lincoln, telling them to stay put, because all campus recruiting visits had been, and still are, suspended. He also made calls to athletic department administers to find answers to a question he knew seniors would ask – are their careers over?   
 “Is there any hope for them? Is there any light at the end of the tunnel?” said Manning, who wasn’t, and still hasn’t been able to provide those and other answers to related questions. “Then I sat in front of the guys and told them, ‘Hey, it (the tournament) isn’t going to happen.’ But they all knew. Young kids these days, they know before we know, from the social media standpoint. “It was a blur to be honest with you. It’s kind of like in coaching, you’re juggling so many things. I didn’t really have time to compartmentalize it myself. It was just a surreal moment, a surreal time. You spent so much time with these guys since last fall. Every day I see my team, I see my guys. I saw them that day, and now I haven’t seen them since. It’s an ending that’s hard to explain, I guess. It’s like, ‘Bam!”  
Manning, never a self-proclaimed bragger, had been telling different people last fall this would be a good season. This team has the right pieces, including courageous competitors. “And I knew their skill level,” Manning said. “We could match up with anyone. I knew these guys, they were different.” Nebraska won six of nine conference duals, with losses to No. 1 Iowa and No. 2 Penn State, and victories over No. 3 Ohio State and three other Top 25 teams.  …. story at https://huskers.com/news/2020/3/17/wrestling-what-could-have-been-manning-huskers-lament-early-ending.aspx?mc_cid=9e69424014&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Ohio State’s Ryan copes with a Thursday without NCAAs
For the past 33 years, Tom Ryan knew exactly where he would be on Thursday morning in the third week of March. On the mat at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. But Thursday, March 19, 2020, was different. For the first time since 1988, Ryan wasn’t on the floor wrestling or coaching at the national tournament. Instead of waking up in Minneapolis on Thursday morning for the start of the 2020 NCAA tournament, Ryan was back home in Columbus, Ohio. A week has passed since the NCAAs were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. It was just after noon on Thursday when the Ohio State head coach sat down in his living room to conduct a phone interview with a reporter. “The first session would have just been starting,” Ryan said. “It’s hard to believe I am sitting on my couch right now instead of being in an arena packed with people and watching guys chase their dreams. It’s very surreal. It’s still hard to believe.” Ryan woke up at 5:45 a.m. Thursday, grabbed his two dogs and headed out on a brisk 45-minute walk on a trail near his home. During that walk, Ryan’s mind was racing. “I was thinking about my seniors, and thinking about the eight guys we had qualified for NCAAs,” he said. “And I was thinking about the 330 athletes who earned the right to compete at the national tournament. I really feel bad for all of those people. “At the same time, I am thinking about people in the hospitals who are battling for their lives. There is a much bigger picture. You keep it all in perspective. That’s the reality and we have to remember that. We don’t want to put anyone’s health at risk.” Ryan also thought about the record crowds expected for the tournament at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. “We would’ve been on the floor competing in front of 40,000 people,” he said. “It was the single greatest opportunity in history to showcase the sport and add new fans. Anthony Holman and the NCAA wrestling committee did a fantastic job with the vision of holding it in a football stadium. It was a huge year for our sport. Viewership is way up on the Big Ten Network. The sport was really booming. We were in the midst of this culminating event at the end of an amazing season and then it doesn’t happen.” …. https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/23433?mc_cid=7b60b45611&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

WolfPack Mentality Pop-Ins Podcast: Ep. 64 – Reaction to the Cancellation of the NCAAs
RALEIGH, N.C. – There is no NCAA preview and head wrestling coach Pat Popolizio gives his reaction to the cancellation of the wrestling postseason and his feelings about the situation. Host Brian Reinhardt talks with Coach Popolizio on how it all went down in Raleigh two weeks after the Pack won another ACC Championship. …. story and podcast at https://gopack.com/news/2020/3/19/wrestling-packmentality-pop-ins-podcast-ep-64-reaction-to-the-cancellation-of-the-ncaas.aspx?mc_cid=7b60b45611&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

April 4, 2020 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Women’s Wrestling News # 31

Cody Griswold Tabbed Elmira College’s First Women’s Wrestling Coach
ELMIRA, N.Y. — Elmira College Associate Vice President of Athletics Renee Carlineo is pleased to introduce Cody Griswold as the first head coach of the new EC women’s wrestling team. Griswold will be tasked with building the women’s wrestling program from the ground up, as the Soaring Eagles prepare for their inaugural season in 2020-21. “I am thrilled to add Cody Griswold to our staff as the inaugural head women’s wrestling coach at Elmira College,” Carlineo said. “Cody has hit the ground running by recruiting the first women’s wrestling student-athletes in EC history. Cody’s work ethic, style, and personality will be a fantastic fit for our team.” A former Division III student-athlete and Connecticut high school state champion, Griswold will join the Soaring Eagles after spending five seasons as the head wrestling coach at Williamstown High School in Williamstown, Vermont. During his tenure, Griswold transformed Williamstown from a small club into a formidable varsity program sanctioned under the auspices of the Vermont Principals’ Association. “It’s an incredible honor to be named the first women’s head coach in Elmira College history,” Griswold exclaimed …. https://portal.nwcaonline.com/articles/NWCA_News/Cody-Griswold-Tabbed-Elmira-College-s-24-3-2020

Trine University to Sponsor Women’s Wrestling
ANGOLA, Ind. – Today, Friday, Jan. 17, as girls from across the state travel to the Indiana High School Girls Wrestling (IHSGW) 2020 Finals, Trine University has announced it will start a women’s wrestling program of its own. The program will begin competition in the 2020-21 season. “We are excited to announce another opportunity for women athletes to compete at the collegiate level at Trine University,” said Assistant Vice President for Athletics Matt Land. “Women’s wrestling is a growing sport and we are proud that women across the region will have a new opportunity to compete here at Trine.” …. https://portal.nwcaonline.com/articles/NWCA_News/Trine-University-to-Sponsor-Women-s-17-1-2020

NWCA ANNOUNCES NCAA WOMEN’S NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR WINNER
Manheim, PA – The National Wrestling Coaches Association has announced the 2020 NCAA Women’s Wrestling Coach of the Year Award winner. The award was given following the conclusion of the inaugural Cliff Keen WCWC National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships hosted by Arian College. The award, which is presented to a coach that has demonstrated outstanding effort throughout the season in developing and elevating their program on campus and in the community, is presented by Defense Soap, the official Hygiene partner of the NWCA. … The recipient of this year’s NCAA Women’s National Coach of the Year is Sam Schmitz of McKendree University. Coach Schmitz has served as the head coach since the announcement of the program in 2013. The 2020 campaign was a banner year for the Bearcats as they captured both the NWCA National Duals Championship (NCAA Women) as well as the WCWC National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championship title with five athletes winning individual titles. ….. https://portal.nwcaonline.com/articles/NWCA_News/NWCA-ANNOUNCES-NAIA-WOMEN-S-NATIONAL-2-4-2020

WOMEN’S WRESTLING WILL BECOME AUGUSTANA’S 26TH SPORT IN 2021-22
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Augustana will add women’s wrestling to its varsity athletic lineup beginning with the 2021-22 school year, it was announced today by director of athletics Mike Zapolski. The addition of women is wrestling pushes to 26 the number of intercollegiate varsity sports offered by Augustana. This will give the Vikings 13 women’s sports and 13 men’s sports. “Wrestling is becoming an increasingly popular sport for girls nationwide, and our goal is that Augustana will become the small college destination for young women who want to excel at a high level academically and continue to compete,” said Zapolski. “We are perfectly situated geographically to attract quality women’s wrestlers from Illinois, neighboring Midwest states plus other locations such as California and Texas.” This will be the seventh varsity sport added since Zapolski became the director of athletics in June of 2008. Women’s lacrosse and men’s lacrosse were announced in 2010 and added in 2012 while men’s volleyball and women’s bowling started competition in 2018 after the decision was made in 2016 to add them. In February of 2019, Augustana unveiled plans to add women’s water polo and then men’s water polo, both of which will begin play in 2021-22. Tony Willaert, who recently completed his third season as the head coach of the men’s program, has been tabbed to start the women’s program. …. https://portal.nwcaonline.com/articles/NWCA_News/WOMEN-S-WRESTLING-WILL-BECOME-2-4-2020

A wall comes down: Plan to launch Pennsylvania’s first girls’ wrestling team is approved at JP McCaskey
By Dustin Hockensmith | dhockensmith@pennlive.com
Girls’ wrestling in Pennsylvania took its first big step toward toward its hopeful future on Tuesday night as the Lancaster School District approved a proposal to sponsor the state’s first team at JP McCaskey High School. McCaskey athletic director Jon Mitchell proposed a girls’ team at a school board meeting last week, and Tuesday’s vote paved the way for Mitchell to begin that process. Mitchell said his proposal was cost-neutral to the school district in that the cost of travel, hiring a coach, equipment and other expenses would be offset by funding from Beat the Streets Lancaster, a transportation co-op with the Lancaster Police Athletic League, and plans to run a girls’ tournament at the school. Mitchell outlined his timeline for moving forward earlier this month, saying it would line up with the start of a new budget year in June. That is when he expected the head coach position to be posted and for him to start lining up the other pieces to launch the team for the 2020-’21 academic year. …. https://www.pennlive.com/highschoolsports/wrestling/2020/03/a-wall-comes-down-plan-to-launch-pennsylvanias-first-girls-wrestling-team-is-approved-at-jp-mccaskey.html?mc_cid=9e69424014&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

William Penn Lands National Champion Rachel Watters
William Penn University just landed a big home state name. Rachel Watters, a Ballard-Huxley graduate, has accepted a graduate assistant position. “Rachel is exactly what we are looking for in a coach; she has tons of wrestling knowledge and experience, but most importantly she aligns with our values. She understands what it means to develop girls on and off the mat and I’m thrilled to get to coach beside her next year.” William Penn Head Coach Tucker Black on the hire. Watters has been competing on the national level for years. During her high school career, she was a three-time Fargo National Champion and a three-time Junior World Team Member. After graduating, Rachel has been competing for Oklahoma City University where she made two U23 World Teams and wrestled at Final X for a spot on the Senior World Team finishing runner-up. Watters leaves OCU as a four-time WCWA Women’s College All-American with a 2020 WCWA National Championship. The plan was to finish wrestling and become a CPA or go into the marketing field. But, her wrestling passion bled into multiple class projects and she had a light bulb moment with one of her professors. “Wrestling is what I am passionate about. I started to research college coaching jobs and I realized that I could use my business degree and my passion for wrestling in the same job. …. story at https://iawrestle.com/2020/03/19/william-penn-lands-national-champion-rachel-watters/?mc_cid=7b60b45611&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Jasmine Montes overcomes two leg amputations to wrestle at Lathrop
LATHROP — Jasmine Montes felt comfortable wearing her prosthetic legs. So much so, she showed up to her first wrestling practice hoping to wear them during drills. But within minutes of entering the Lathrop mat room, Montes’ coach forced her to remove them. The reason was Montes, a 17-year-old senior, needed to learn how to balance and be in more control of her body on the mat. Montes had only removed them in the confines of her home, in front of familiar faces. She said she barely knew the other kids on the team, some not even their names. Now, she had to reveal that she didn’t have legs. For the last decade Montes searched for an identity. She said she thought wrestling could be the solution. But before she could even start, Montes had to conquer the fear over removing her prosthetics. …. story at https://www.recordnet.com/news/20200320/jasmine-montes-overcomes-two-leg-amputations-to-wrestle-at-lathrop?mc_cid=db245e6947&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

South Dakota to consider adding girls wrestling as a sanctioned sport
RAPID CITY, S.D. – Most people probably don’t realize it, but girls wrestling is one of the fastest growing high school sports in the United States. As a matter of fact, schools across the state are experiencing an uptick in female wrestlers. So much, that South Dakota is one of many states seriously considering sanctioning girls high school wrestling in the near future. Alisha Van Scoy began wrestling when she was five years old. “Well my brother wrestled a lot when I younger so I was already going to the practices,” Rapid City Stevens wrestler Alisha Van Scoy said. “My dad was involved. My uncle and my cousins were involved. So I just decided to show up one day.” Now a senior, Van Scoy was one of six girls on the Rapid City Stevens wrestling team this past season. “It was really neat this year because we were able to provide them some opportunity for some girl versus girl wrestling matches,” Rapid City Stevens wrestling coach Travis King said. “They were super excited about that. Just to have that opportunity. You know wrestling, I love it because it gives them the same opportunities that the boys have. How to grow themselves in all different aspects. We’re super proud. Our boys really respect those girls. One of them is a nationally ranked girl. You don’t hear that.” Since 1994, the number of girls in high school wrestling has soared across the United States from 804 to 21,124 this past season according to the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Plus, there are currently 21 states that sanction girls wrestling as a high school sport. “We did see our numbers going down slowly you know across the nation,” Rapid City Central wrestling coach Lance Pearson said. “So to bring girls wrestling into it and seeing that take off like it is in our neighboring states, it’s only a matter of time before we’re probably sanctioning girls wrestling here in South Dakota.” …. story at https://www.newscenter1.tv/south-dakota-to-consider-adding-girls-wrestling-as-a-sanctioned-sport/?mc_cid=db245e6947&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

April 4, 2020 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment