Takedown Report

College Wrestling News – # 97

1 } – Thompson Resigns from Head Wrestling Coach Position
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State head wrestling coach Chas Thompson announced he is resigning from his head wrestling coach position at Fort Hays State University. Thompson led the program for 12 years from 2008-2020. “I want to thank Fort Hays State University and the Athletic Department for all of the opportunities given to me in my tenure in Hays,” said Thompson. “I have many fond memories here. I will truly miss my FHSU Wrestling family, and I look forward to seeing them reach their goals. While this has been a very hard decision for me, with all this uncertainty due to COVID-19, I am looking into opportunities to get back closer to family.”  “We’d like to thank Chas for his efforts as our head wrestling coach over the years,” said FHSU Athletic Director Curtis Hammeke. “We wish him and his family the best in their future endeavors.” Most recently in 2019-20, Thompson coached the Tigers to a fourth-place finish …. rest of story at … https://fhsuathletics.com/news/2020/5/21/thompson-resigns-from-head-wrestling-coach-position.aspx?mc_cid=97df5e5b46&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

2 } -Getting II Know a DII Program: Western Colorado
Head Coach Charlie Pipher was a three-time All-American and National Finalist for the Western State Mountaineers, a program that currently has three of its former All-Americans leading NCAA Division II programs, with RC LaHaye of Lander and Chris Frieje of Fairmont State also reaching the podium during their collegiate years at Western Colorado. A total of 142 Mountaineers have qualified for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships in 27 years, with 70 of those reaching All-American status and six winning National Championships. Donovan McMahill, who accounts for two of those National titles in his time as a Mountaineer, is currently an assistant for Western Colorado. The Mountaineers sent two to the 2020 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships, with true freshman Patrick Allis coming away as an NWCA All-American as the fifth seed at 125. Allis returns to the lineup for Western Colorado, along with …. rest of story at … https://news.theopenmat.com/college-wrestling-news/getting-ii-know-a-dii-program-western-colorado/77846?mc_cid=8266d89c28&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3 } – Jensen Grateful To Fulfill Academic, Athletic Achievements At Nebraska
David Jensen enjoyed a successful high school wrestling career, going 62-6 over his final two seasons and finishing state runner-up as a senior. His older brother, Collin, had already been on the Nebraska wrestling team for a couple of years by the time David graduated from Mobridge-Pollock High School in Mobridge, South Dakota. But David, also a Nebraska wrestler who will graduate with his degree in nutrition science on Saturday, didn’t originally come to Lincoln to join his brother in the wrestling room. “I wasn’t a big time recruit or anything,” Jensen said, “where I had a bunch of D-I schools on me.”  
Yes, some NCAA Division II schools recruited Jensen to wrestle. But none of them could fulfill his wish of attending a big-time university, something different from the small-town, small-school life, where he could meet new people and expand his horizons. …. rest of the story at … https://huskers.com/news/2020/5/7/wrestling-jensen-grateful-to-fulfill-academic-athletic-goals-at-nebraska.aspx?mc_cid=8266d89c28&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

4 } – Dr. Takedown: Bohlken leaves Missouri as starting heavyweight, aspiring orthopedic surgeon
Jake Bohlken stood in the lobby of Missouri’s wrestling room during a standard weightlifting session in December after running down from the weight room to grab his phone. When the senior looked down at the screen, he saw the call he’d been waiting for throughout his four years in Columbia. With his freshman teammate and brother Mitchell coincidentally standing beside him, Bohlken was accepted into medical school. As the voice on the other end of the line confirmed it, he broke into tears. “It was just awesome,” Bohlken said. “Even being in the wrestling facility when I got that call was really special. Something I’ll never forget.” A month later, Bohlken received another call …. rest of the story at … https://www.themaneater.com/stories/sports/dr-takedown-bohlken-leaves-missouri-as-starting-heavyweight-aspiring-orthopedic-surgeon?mc_cid=8266d89c28&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

5 } – LANE ONE: NCAA stonewalls calls for universities to sponsor less (Olympic) sports … for now; but what happens if there’s no football?
While the coronavirus has brought collegiate sports to a standstill, the off-the-field activity has hardly slowed, with the NCAA Division I Council Coordinating Committee making a critical announcement last Wednesday. In the face of direct requests from five conferences for relief from, among other things, Division I scholarship requirements, football attendance minimums and the number of sports participated in to be in Division I, the Division I CCC voted only to allow waivers for one year of:
● “Schools to provide less than the currently legislated minimum financial aid requirements to maintain membership in Division I. …. rest of the story at … http://www.thesportsexaminer.com/lane-one-ncaa-stonewalls-calls-for-universities-to-sponsor-less-olympic-sports-for-now-but-what-happens-if-theres-no-football/?mc_cid=2bb0dedacc&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – Adams turns around a wrestling career and program in one season
Perhaps the most impressive part of what West Virginia wrestler Noah Adams did as a sophomore this past season was not that He finished undefeated in 32 matches in the extremely competitive 197-pound weight class — seriously, Adams was dominant, and he wasn’t the top-ranked performer at 197. No, the true triumph was that Adams became one of the very best in the country after losing 15 times the year before.  “A lot of people ask me this about the big step or whatever, and he was 19-15. He was not 32-0,” Mountaineer wrestling coach Tim Flynn said. “But it’s not one thing. He got a little bit better with conditioning and strength and being on top. He got better with speed. It was a little bit of all these areas that made this big, giant step. It wasn’t one thing.” …. rest of the story at https://247sports.com/college/west-virginia/Article/Adams-turns-around-a-wrestling-career-and-program-in-one-season-146934624/?mc_cid=2bb0dedacc&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

7 } – Andrassy, Kent State wrestling program forge ahead through pandemic
Naturally, when Kent State wrestling coach Jim Andrassy first heard on March 12 that the 2020 NCAA Championships had been canceled along with the rest of the collegiate athletic season due to surging coronavirus concerns, he felt immediate sympathy for Tim Rooney and Andrew McNally. Rooney had qualified for the NCAA Championships the previous weekend by winning the 133-pound title as a fifth-year senior for the Golden Flashes at the Mid-American Conference Championships. He was to be joined at the NCAA meet in Minneapolis on March 19 by McNally, his junior teammate, who was the MAC runner-up at 174. “I knew the first second I heard everything was canceled that Tim’s wrestling career was over. Even if the NCAA decided to give back a year, he wasn’t going to take it. He wants to be a physician assistant. He’s moving on,” said Andrassy. “Andrew has another year (of eligibility). But they were both wrestling really well this year. They were both dangerous, …. rest of story at … https://www.record-courier.com/sports/20200515/andrassy-kent-state-wrestling-program-forge-ahead-through-pandemic?mc_cid=d787fad1c9&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

8 } – 2019-2020 NWCA DIVISION I SCHOLAR ALL-AMERICA AWARDS
Manheim, PA – On Thursday, the National Wrestling Coaches Association announced the full slate of 2019-2020 Scholar All-American Team and Individual honorees for NCAA Division I with awards going to 183 individuals representing 66 institutions.
LINK: Top 30 Scholar All-American Teams
LINK: Individual Scholar All-Americans
“On behalf of the NWCA and our Board of Directors, we are ecstatic to honor the amazing academic achievement demonstrated by this year’s Scholar All-American teams and individuals,” said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. “NCAA Division I institutions continue to demonstrate their commitment to academics.” In the team race, Drexel University finished atop the field with a 3.5895 GPA followed by American University (3.5497) and Harvard University (3.4962). …. rest of the story at … http://www.nwcaonline.com/2019-2020-nwca-division-i-scholar-all-america-awards/?mc_cid=04468f0b0b&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

9 } – Sterk says Missouri Olympic sports not ‘on the block’
The coronavirus pandemic has provided another stark contrast between the haves and have-nots in the world of college athletics.
COLUMBIA — The coronavirus pandemic has provided another stark contrast between the haves and have-nots in the world of college athletics. Thanks to ticket sales, media and television rights, donations, NCAA and conference disbursements and revenue from coaching clinics and camps, Power 5 athletic departments like the University of Missouri’s will likely be able to weather the lost revenue from the cancellation of March Madness without eliminating varsity programs. “Depending on how deep and long it is, we’ll have to make adjustments,” …. rest of story at … https://www.newstribune.com/news/sports/college/mizzou/story/2020/may/16/sterk-says-missouri-olympic-sports-not-block/827659/?mc_cid=73440286e7&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – ‘I don’t see an end in sight’: How Penn State wrestling has cultivated elite talent to build its dynasty
At one point in program history, former Penn State wrestler Andy Matter was one of a kind. He didn’t just leave behind a historic legacy by being Penn State’s first two-time national champion in 1972 — he showed a glimpse of what was possible for the first time. He was of the first Nittany Lions to establish hope for the program’s success at the national level, and ever since his accomplishments and the many others who followed him, the program has learned to recognize what it means to see wrestler after wrestler complete similar careers in the blue and white singlet. In the last 23 years, Penn State has produced three two-time national champions — Kerry McCoy, Quentin Wright and David Taylor, and four three-time national champions — Ed Ruth, Zain Retherford, Bo Nickal and Jason Nolf, …. rest of story at … https://www.collegian.psu.edu/sports/wrestling/article_c44a2214-9561-11ea-aa7a-b30bbc077283.html?mc_cid=73440286e7&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

May 27, 2020 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment