Takedown Report

College Wrestling News – # 100

1 } – Getting II Know a DII Program: Drury
The Drury Panthers have just four years under their belts, with the young program wrestling its first season in 2017. Three have qualified for the NCAA Division II National Championships in the four years of Drury wrestling, two of those making the trip to the 2020 event that eventually was canceled in Sioux Falls. Former Adams State National Qualifier James Reynolds heads the Panthers after starting the program at Drury. “Drury Wrestling is striving to become a contender in Division II wrestling,” Reynolds said. “Our Wrestlers work hard toward success on and off the mat as the team looks to produce All-Americans, National Champions, All-Academic Honors and Dean’s List scholars. This team is full of future teachers, doctors, businessmen, coaches, physical therapists, dentists, software engineers, multimedia producers and leaders within their communities. Ductus Exemplo” … rest of story … https://news.theopenmat.com/college-wrestling-news/getting-ii-know-a-dii-program-drury/78069?mc_cid=3777fdd4a3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

2 } – Oklahoma State Wrestling Finishes 6th Nationally in Attendance
The National Wrestling Media Association recently compiled a list of wrestling attendance data from the last year and here’s where the Cowboys landed compared to other top programs. … rest of story & list … https://pistolsfiringblog.com/oklahoma-state-wrestling-finishes-6th-nationally-in-attendance/?mc_cid=9b182d31f3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3 } – Nazareth products Travis Stefanik, Sammy Sasso are NWCA Division I Scholar All-Americans
Nazareth High graduates Travis Stefanik and Sammy Sasso were among 175 wrestlers recognized Thursday by the National Wrestling Coaches Association as NCAA Division I Scholar All-Americans. Stefanik, a sophomore 184-pounder who was 17-7 for Princeton in 2019-20, has not yet declared a major. He was sixth at EIWAs and seeded 29th at NCAAs. Sasso, a redshirt freshman University Exploration major at Ohio State, was 24-3 at 149 and named an All-American after the NCAA Wrestling Championships were canceled. He was ranked No. 1 nationally for much of the season and was seeded third entering NCAAs. … rest of story … https://www.mcall.com/sports/varsity/wrestling/mc-spt-nazareth-wrestling-ncaa-scholar-all-americans-20200430-n5ea2z4mejgd3jyzcojcgu5yxa-story.html?mc_cid=d92f731bd9&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

4 } – Former Upper St. Clair heavyweight Jake Slinger transfers from George Mason to Pitt
As a kid, Former Upper St. Clair wrestler Jake Slinger frequently attended Pitt wrestling matches at the Fitzgerald Field House. He remembered the atmosphere, the energy in the arena and the reaction of the crowd after a Panthers victory. “I loved the atmosphere, wrestling in the Fitzgerald Field House,” Slinger said. “It’s something that I’ll never forget. It’s something that definitely weighs heavy in my heart.” … rest of story … https://triblive.com/sports/former-upper-st-clair-heavyweight-jake-slinger-transfers-from-george-mason-to-pitt/?mc_cid=3777fdd4a3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

5 } – Getting II Know a DII Program: CSU-Pueblo
Dax Charles resurrected the Colorado-Pueblo program in 2008-09, after the ThunderWolves program hadn’t seen the mat in eight seasons. Charles made a return to the program, after wrestling for CSUP and serving as an assistant coach for seven seasons before the program was cut in 2001. The 12-year head coach was the first of four NCAA Division II National Champions for the ThunderWolves, taking the top of the podium at 150 pounds in 1992. He has since served as either an assistant coach or head coach to the other three to win titles for Colorado-Pueblo. Three Pack wrestlers were set to wrestle at the 2020 NCAA Division II National Championships in March, with all three of those student-athletes set to take the mat again next season for Charles. Heavyweight Gavin Nye, who finished in the top 10 in the NCAA Division II Most Dominant listings, leads the Colorado Pueblo returners  … rest of story … https://news.theopenmat.com/college-wrestling-news/getting-ii-know-a-dii-program-csu-pueblo/78115?mc_cid=773016901f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – KELLAN STOUT: A LETTER TO WRESTLING AND MY DAD
As cliché as a rags to riches trope has become, it also pertains to a greater truth that reflects on the ideals of our culture and how it has come to define success. Rising from the pool of silent voices to overcome the disparity in being less fortunate is a small percentage that manages to escape their own circumstances. Take my own life for example; I have a male figure that fits perfectly into this small percentage giving me a unique, third party point of view into the link between this eager drive resulting from a preceding childhood that was rich with character building experiences, yet underwhelming materially, and how it echoes within the man I have become today—he is my father.  
I was 10 years old and in the middle of my third grade school year when I first realized that the world I lived in wasn’t entirely nice, but rather it existed in a very different way depending on who you were. I checked out a library book about Muhammad Ali—dissecting each page image by image while trying to wrap my mind around the greatness that he embodied. My father and I have always had a relationship that partly revolved around athletics and it seemed natural to approach him about something I saw.  … rest of story … https://pittsburghpanthers.com/news/2020/4/24/kellan-stout-a-letter-to-wrestling-and-my-dad.aspx?mc_cid=52d81661de&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

7 } – Undrafted rookie Jan Johnson brings ‘unique story’ to Texans
Toward the end of a heavyweight wrestling match and trailing on points, Penn State freshman Jan Johnson charged off the mat and launched his upper body at Ohio State NCAA champion Kyle Snyder. … rest of story … https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/texans/article/Undrafted-rookie-Jan-Johnson-brings-unique-15260242.php?mc_cid=2bb0dedacc&mc_eid=

8 } – Central Michigan can stay at five men’s teams for now; new sport required by 2022
The NCAA has approved Central Michigan’s request for a temporary waiver to dip under the minimum number of male sports teams required to maintain Division I status. Central Michigan received word Thursday, in a letter from Troy Arthur, the NCAA’s director of academic and membership affairs. The NCAA’s Strategic Vision and Planning Committee reviewed the case, and approved Central’s request. … rest of story … https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/2020/06/04/cmu-can-stay-five-mens-teams-now-new-sport-required-2022/3148005001/?mc_cid=e0ec51354d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b and another story at … https://www.mlive.com/sports/2020/06/central-michigan-receives-ncaa-waiver-will-remain-division-i-program.html?mc_cid=e0ec51354d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

9 } – The Road to Recovery/Nationals for Augustana Wrestling’s Brandon Carroll
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Augustana rising senior, and Sioux Falls native, Brandon Carroll burst onto the scene during the 2016-17 campaign. The then-freshman went 20-13 overall and 5-3 in NSIC duals at 125 pounds, becoming the first true freshman to qualify for nationals at Augustana in nearly 15 years. For his efforts, he was named Super Region 3 Freshman of the Year and earned Second-Team All-NSIC honors. “I really don’t know,” said Carroll when asked about what he did so well. “I didn’t think about how good other teams were and how good other wrestlers were. I never counted myself out and I definitely had to prove myself. I still feel like that today. It just kind of happened.” It definitely wasn’t supposed to happen, however. Carroll planned to redshirt during his freshman season, but decided to give it a go once the season started. … rest of story … https://goaugie.com/news/2020/6/4/the-road-to-recovery-nationals-for-augustana-wrestlings-brandon-carroll.aspx?mc_cid=e0ec51354d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – Behrend Wrestling Joins Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference
ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend wrestling team has joined the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference (ECWC) for the 2020-21 season.  The Lions and Pitt-Bradford, currently members of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC), have been accepted into the conference as associate members.  The ECWC was established in 1991. The charter members include The College at Brockport, SUNY Cortland, Ithaca College, SUNY Oneonta, SUNY Oswego and Rochester Institute of Technology.  In addition, Alfred State rejoined the conference in 2018. … rest of story … https://www.psblions.com/sports/wrest/2020-21/releases/20200603fiephz?mc_cid=e0ec51354d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

June 28, 2020 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized