Takedown Report

NWCA considers shifting college wrestling season to spring

TDR Editor’s Notes ; The TDR agrees that this proposed move of the season schedule is a wise one and worthy of consideration. Read about it and think it over. What would be best for the sport?+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In more than a century of college wrestling, the competitive season has always taken place in the winter, usually starting in late fall, and concluding in mid- to late March … going back to the first NCAA wrestling championships in 1928.
However, some within the collegiate wrestling community are seriously considering shifting the wrestling season later in the school year, to take place in the spring. The idea — which springs from the current coronavirus pandemic which disrupted the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Minneapolis this past March — is already being discussed by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, according to Oklahoma State head wrestling coach John Smith.
In an exclusive interview with the Stillwater News Press — the community newspaper for the town that’s home to Oklahoma State — John Smith said, “We’re looking at right now, real closely, to moving (the start of) our season to January, for a lot of reasons. “The main one being that extension of time of maybe, making sure that we get situated early on as we return to school and following guidelines that we need to follow, but also giving us additional time in our sport to prepare in preparation of the virus in our sport. … “The NWCA, along with the coaches, are looking at maybe moving the season to January and beyond. That would be definitely something that would have to get approval from the NCAA, and we’ll see how it goes.” There are existing scheduling factors which would make shifting the NCAAs a bit later in the season more challenging. For starters, the 2021 and 2022 NCAAs have already been scheduled on the national sports schedule, with the 2021 NCAAs already booked for St. Louis (March 18-20, 2021), and the 2022 NCAAs on the calendar to take place in Detroit March 17-19 in 2022) … both scheduled for the second weekend of the traditional Spring Break holiday. What’s more, those dates correspond with the opening weekend for the NCAA Men’s Basketball “March Madness” Tournament.
Smith told the Stillwater paper that, while the current pandemic may be initially fueling the idea of possibly revising the college wrestling season later in the school year, the Oklahoma State coach said that there is hope among some wrestling coaches that the NCAA will push the season back within the school year, making it ultimately a spring sport. “I think it’s temporary now, but we’ve learned a lesson that we might choose to be a spring sport rather than a winter sport and start our season in early January and end somewhere in mid- to late-April,” Smith said. “I’m not saying that’s going to happen right away — definitely not in the next three years it can’t happen, because NCAA championships scheduled out.”
While the focus right now centers of athlete and fan health in the midst of a pandemic, John Smith has a potentially more powerful reason for making wrestling a spring sport: academic purposes.
“We get so many wrestlers on campus who are first-generation college students, and for that reason, we need to focus on retaining them and maintaining our APR,” Smith said. “So rather than competing over two semesters, competing over one semester might help those student-athletes have greater success academically.” …. rest of story at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/23639?fbclid=IwAR2a8pXllw5PQ5WpY1Z6ad6E6DoxJzzMBTC-lR3bXIxiFol5OlrnsWQ3Epk

June 10, 2020 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

College Wrestling News – # 98

1 } – Getting II Know a DII Program: Millersville
The Millersville Marauders have a unique past that has seen them as a member of all three NCAA divisions and the NAIA since the program began wrestling in 1946. In that time, more than 542 dual wins later, Millersville has had seven National Champions in two different divisions. In NCAA Division II, the Marauders have one National Champion and two additional All-Americans in eight seasons of competition, the last three under current head coach Kerry Regner.
Regner boasted the history of the program, “Millersville University wrestling has had a rich tradition since 1946. In all, the history boasts seven National Champions, 31 All-Americans and two NCAA III team trophies,” the head coach said. Shane Ruhnke is that National Champion, taking to the top of the podium at 165 in 2019. …. rest of story at … https://news.theopenmat.com/college-wrestling-news/getting-ii-know-a-dii-program-millersville/77865?mc_cid=924af05634&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

2 } – Future Husker defensive lineman Hutmacher already known nationally for wrestling
LINCOLN (KMTV) — Nash Hutmacher hopes to make a name for himself with Husker football. He could’ve also probably done it on the wrestling mat in college as well. The Oacoma, South Dakota native was ranked as the number one high school heavyweight in the nation this year after racking up his 4th straight state title. Hutmacher has been wrestling at heavyweight since 7th grade when he qualified for state. After taking 5th as an 8th grader, he earned his nickname “The Polar Bear”. …. rest of story and video at … https://www.3newsnow.com/omahasportsinsider/osi-college/osi-nebraska-huskers/osi-huskers-football/future-husker-defensive-lineman-hutmacher-already-known-nationally-for-wrestling?mc_cid=682211b4c7&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3 } – Before Liam Cronin could wrestle like himself again, he had to deal with loss of his daughter
He stood there for 30 minutes, the faint lighting surrounding him and reflecting off the shades of gray and blue so common in hospital rooms. Liam Cronin  cradled a bundle of white and pink blankets.  Before the disastrous start to his season, its triumphant conclusion and his decision to transfer from Indiana to Nebraska, Cronin stared at the bundle, two tiny hands poking out. The hands belonged to Waverly Jane. She was the result of a surprise pregnancy that developed into the greatest joy Cronin and his fiancée …. rest of the story at … https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/indiana/2020/05/14/nebraska-wrestler-liam-cronin-suffered-heartache-indiana-before-transfer/5177407002/?mc_cid=04edd3f4d0&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

4 } – Drop In Weight Class Results In Growth For Paetzell
By Maddy Hite ’20, Lehigh Sports Communications
On February 21, No. 11 Lehigh hosted No. 5 Arizona State inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall for the Mountain Hawks’ last dual of the season before the EIWA Championships.  For Brandon Paetzell, this match was more than a dual meet. This match was about proving he belonged with the nation’s best. Facing No. 9 Brandon Courtney at 125, Paetzell made his 6-1 decision look easy.  After his speedy domination, Paetzell walked off the mat toward coach and friend Darian Cruz hugged him, and affirmed, “I told you so.”  A statement he has been waiting years to say.  Paetzell’s journey as a wrestler did not come with ease. Amid transferring from Rutgers after his freshman year, to dropping a weight class this season, Paetzell faced plenty of adjustment challenges. …. rest of the story at … https://lehighsports.com/news/2020/5/15/wrestling-drop-in-weight-class-results-in-growth-for-paetzell.aspx?mc_cid=d787fad1c9&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

5 } – Getting II Know a DII Program: Central Missouri
The Central Missouri Mules have competed in every NCAA Division II National Championship, with seven National Champions among 64 total All-Americans. The program has 191 National Qualifiers and more than 400 dual wins in its history, with Justin Ensign currently leading the Mules in his 10th year. “The University of Central Missouri Wrestling program has survived and thrived for a long time by having tough, hard nosed, and selfless individuals,” Ensign said. “We will continue to try and build a strong culture based on that, and try to keep pushing to be competitive at the highest level as a team.” Frank Cagnina was the most recent Mule to stand atop the podium at the NCAA Division II National Championships, winning at 149 in both 2014 and 2015. …. rest of story at … https://news.theopenmat.com/college-wrestling-news/getting-ii-know-a-dii-program-central-missouri/77922?mc_cid=73440286e7&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – FloSports’ Ray Machuca talks “Bad Cut,” “The Crossing,” and the importance of documentaries during a time with few live sports
With the world still facing plenty of quarantine restrictions thanks to COVID-19, sports networks have been left without a lot of live events to show, and that’s increased a focus on documentaries. ESPN’s The Last Dance was moved up from its planned June launch and has pulled in record ratings, and they have also announced further upcoming 30 for 30 installments, while NHL Network and others have also been putting out new documentaries. Streaming service FloSports is also releasing their own original documentaries, including two big recent ones, Bad Cut: The Dangers of Extreme Weight-Cutting (focused on weight-cutting in wrestling and MMA) and The Crossing: The Anthony Echemendia Story (focused on a Cuban wrestler who defected during a camp in Guatemala and crossed three borders to reach the U.S., where he’s now set to wrestle for Ohio State). …. rest of the story at … https://awfulannouncing.com/streaming/flosports-ray-machuca-talks-bad-cut-the-crossing-and-the-importance-of-documentaries.html?mc_cid=73440286e7&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

7 } – Getting II Know a DII Program: Augustana
Another long-time NCAA Division II program led by an alumni National Champion head coach, the Augustana Vikings have sent 12 to the top of the podium in program history. In a storied history in NCAA Division II, the Vikings have finished as team national runners-up three times, third once, and fourth twice, but have never won a title as a team. Augustana is currently led by former Viking Jason Reitmeier, who won the 142 lb National Championship in 1997 and was also an All-American for Augustana in 1996. The Vikings, who will leave Division II for a move to NCAA Division I after the 2020-21 season, were the hosts of the 2020 NCAA Division II National Championships, with three Augustana wrestlers representing the program in their home city of Sioux Falls. …. rest of the story at … https://news.theopenmat.com/college-wrestling-news/getting-ii-know-a-dii-program-augustana/77958?mc_cid=588b1d30ac&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

8 } – Brian Ferentz – Why Iowa Football Recruits Wrestlers
Brian Ferentz is the Iowa Football offensive coordinator. He’s also a former Patriots coach and NFL player.  Back in high school Brian wrestled – surprise, surprise. In this episode we talk about why Iowa Football recruits wrestlers, Brian’s journey to OC at Iowa, and his philosophy on preparation.  We also talk about the #1 trait amongst successful leaders.  
This episode is brought to you by Competitor Supreme – a legendary Dan Gable film from the 1990’s.  You can now stream Competitor Supreme on WrestlingChangedMyLife.com. …. rest of story at … https://wrestlingchangedmylife.com/ferentz/?mc_cid=8ec233ede0&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

9 } – Getting II Know a DII Program: Kutztown
Another long-time NCAA Division II program, the Kutztown Golden Bears have seen recent success with all five of their individual National Championships coming in the last 15 years. Three of those titles came from big men, including 2019 reigning National Champion Andrew Dunn who took the heavyweight title at the 2019 NCAA Division II National Championships. In total, 32 have taken to the podium for Kutztown, which is currently led by Robert Fisher. The Golden Bear headman has led the program for 20 years after the 2019-20 season, with all five of the aforementioned National Championships coming under his guidance.  “We are a program that treats its student-athletes as family,” Fisher said of the Golden Bears. “We coach our wrestlers not only on the mats but also for life.” …. rest of story at … https://news.theopenmat.com/college-wrestling-news/getting-ii-know-a-dii-program-kutztown/78014?mc_cid=4b3d9c77ea&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – NEW BEGINNINGS: LHU Wrestling ushers in new era during 2019-20 season
For the Lock Haven University wrestling team, the 2019-20 season proved to be another memorable one. The Bald Eagles settled into their new home in the Mid-American Conference and proved once again, “The Rise” is here to stay. The rise of LHU wrestling started back in 2017-18. Highlighted by Ronnie Perry‘s storybook run to the 2018 NCAA Division I finals, LHU returned to the national scene. LHU placed 16^th at the NCAA Tournament in Cleveland in 2018 and crowned two all-Americans. Two more All-Americans in 2019 and a second straight top-20 finish proved the rise of LHU wrestling was for real after an all-around strong 2018-19 season.
This season (2019-20), Lock Haven officially opened its tenure in the MAC, a traditionally strong Division I wrestling conference …. rest of story at … https://www.golhu.com/news/2020/4/21/new-beginnings-lhu-wrestling-ushers-in-new-era-during-2019-20-season.aspx?mc_cid=945de33a33&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

June 10, 2020 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment