Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

Looking to Next Season #5

1 } -Harvard Wrestling Announces Incoming First-Year Class of 2024
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The David G. Bunning ’88 Head Coach of Harvard wrestling, Jay Weiss, announces its seven-member incoming class: Cole Bayless, Kenny Herrmann, Will Hoeft, Niko Katsuyoshi, Nick Marcenelle, Dom Mata, and Luke Rada. “We’re really excited for this group to join our wrestling family,” says Weiss. “Not only are they all accomplished on the mat, but they come with high character which will add to our current culture. This is going to be an impactful group that I can’t wait to get on campus.”  Hailing from four states (California, Iowa, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania), … rest of story … https://www.gocrimson.com/sports/wrest/2020-21/releases/20200512mimkvv?mc_cid=c97d5b4f2c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

2 } – NAIA Announces Extensions to Championship Hosts Affected by COVID-19
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced it will extend championship agreements for seven of its championship host sites affected this past year by COVID-19. The extensions were announced to assist further the relationship between the NAIA and its host cities. Women’s basketball (Sioux City, Iowa), women’s wrestling (University of Jamestown, Jamestown, N.D.), men’s and women’s bowling (Lawrence Tech University, Sterling Heights, Mich.), men’s and women’s tennis (Mobile, Ala.), baseball (Lewis-Clark State, Lewiston, Idaho), outdoor track and field (Gulf Shores, Ala.) and men’s golf (Mesa, Ariz.) came to an agreement on a one-year extension. Of these sites, Lewiston, Idaho has second-longest run of consecutive championships hosted with the NAIA Baseball World Series (since 2000).  … rest of story … https://lcvalley.dailyfly.com/Home/ArtMID/1352/ArticleID/55629/NAIA-Announces-Extensions-to-Championship-Hosts-Affected-by-COVID-19?mc_cid=d787fad1c9&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3 } – Pendleton Adds Martinez, Engel as Assistant Coaches
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State wrestling coach Chris Pendleton has announced the additions of Isaiah Martinez and Nate Engel to the Beaver coaching staff. “I’m excited to officially announce the hiring of two outstanding men,” Pendleton said. “From the start, I knew that I was looking for like-minded people that would help me with the holistic development of young athletes, and build a culture that places an emphasis on doing things the right way.” … rest of story … https://osubeavers.com/news/2020/5/18/wrestling-pendleton-adds-martinez-engel-as-assistant-coaches.aspx?mc_cid=588b1d30ac&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

4 } – SOONERS ADD TRANSFER MITCH MOORE
NORMAN – University of Oklahoma wrestling head coach Lou Rosselli announced the addition via transfer of two-time NCAA qualifier and ACC Freshman of the Year Mitch Moore to the roster. Moore comes to Norman from Virginia Tech where he was named ACC Freshman of the Year in 2019 after compiling a record of 18-9 and finishing as the runner-up at the ACC Championship at 141 pounds, earning an NCAA berth. His 10 falls as a freshman were the 10th most in a single season at Virginia Tech.  
As a sophomore in 2020, Moore once again tallied a record of 18-9 and an impressive 11-2 record in dual action. He collected a team-high six wins via fall and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship. “We’re really excited to welcome Mitch to our OU family.” Rosselli said.  … rest of story … https://soonersports.com/news/2020/5/18/wrestling-sooners-add-transfer-mitch-moore.aspx?mc_cid=588b1d30ac&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

5 } – Notre Dame’s Ungar commits to Cornell for wrestling
Cornell might have enjoyed a head start in securing Brett Ungar as a wrestling recruit. “Back when I was little I always dreamed about being a Division I wrestler,” said the Notre Dame junior, who fulfilled that dream by committing to the Big Red Sunday evening. “And I always dreamed of Cornell since I was 8 or so — there was always something about the school, the combination of academics and the strong wrestling there. And then a couple of years ago, I really liked (four-time national champion) Kyle Dake a lot.” … rest of story … https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/highschoolsports/2020/05/notre-dames-ungar-commits-to-cornell-for-wrestling.html?mc_cid=588b1d30ac&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – Rider adds 4th N.J. state finalist to next year’s incoming wrestlers
Kingsway Regional High School senior McKenzie Bell became the fourth New Jersey state finalist to commit to Rider for this incoming season. Bell reached the 126-pound state final this year after upsetting Pope John’s Eddie Ventresca, who is headed to Virginia Tech, before losing to two-time state champ, four-time finalist and Penn State-bound Robert Howard. … rest of story … https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2020/05/rider-adds-4th-nj-state-finalist-to-next-years-incoming-wrestlers.html?mc_cid=588b1d30ac&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

7 } – Virginia Wrestling Announces 10 Newcomers For 2020-21
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia head coach Steve Garland announced a group of 10 wrestlers who will join the Virginia wrestling program for the 2020-21 academic year with the release of the latest incoming class. The class includes four state champions, seven All-Americans and two national champions and seven state place-winners among its 10 members. The class also features three wrestlers ranked in the top 20 nationally in their weight classes and two ranked among the top 100 seniors regardless of weight class.  “Our staff is really happy with this group coming in,” said Virginia head coach Steve Garland. “This is an underrated group in our opinion. We have guys coming in this class that have won at the highest levels and we feel like most people have overlooked them. We trust they see that and we hope it motivates them. We have guys coming in from all over and we are excited to bring a diverse group of student-athletes to Grounds this fall.” … rest of story … https://virginiasports.com/news/2020/5/22/virginia-wrestling-announced-10-newcomers-for-2020-21.aspx?mc_cid=97df5e5b46&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

8 } – Rider Wrestling Announces 11-Member Incoming Recruiting Class
LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Rider University Wrestling Head Coach John Hangey has announced the signings of 11 student-athletes for the 2020-21 season. Six of the incoming wrestlers (four freshmen and two transfers) were ranked in the Top 20 in the nation at their respective weight classes upon graduating high school. Eight of the 11 were State Finalists and four were State Champions in high school. “Our 20-21 incoming class is very accomplished, talented and by far the deepest class we’ve ever brought into our program,” said Hangey. “We welcome these young men into our family and look forward to developing them as successful student-athletes, on and off the mat.” … rest of story … https://gobroncs.com/news/2020/5/22/wrestling-announces-11-member-incoming-recruiting-class.aspx?mc_cid=97df5e5b46&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

9 } – West Virginia Wrestling Adds 2020 NCAA Qualifier
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University wrestling coach Tim Flynn has announced the addition of Killian Cardinale, a qualifier for the 2020 NCAA Championships, to the Mountaineer wrestling roster. Cardinale, a native of Bristow, Virginia, has spent the previous two seasons at Old Dominion and will have two years of eligibility left. “We’re really excited to welcome Killian to Morgantown,” Flynn said. “He has proven himself against some of the best guys in the country, so we are looking forward to him arriving on campus. He’s going to be a big part of our future.”  
This past season starting at 125 pounds, Cardinale finished the 2019-20 campaign ranked in the top 15 in four major polls and earned National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division I All-America Honorable Mention honors. He led the Monarchs with 25 wins on the year, including 13 in dual matches, and defeated six ranked opponents. … rest of story … https://wvusports.com/news/2020/5/21/wrestling-adds-2020-ncaa-qualifier.aspx?mc_cid=97df5e5b46&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – Smith: NWCA discussing the potential of shifting college wrestling to spring
The idea of moving college wrestling out of the winter sports window isn’t a new idea, but it is one that is gaining momentum in the current environment of sports in a global pandemic. According to Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith, the National Wrestling Coaches Association has had discussions of approaching the NCAA about moving college wrestling from the winter sports window – currently spanning November to March – to one semester, specifically the spring.
“We’re looking at right now, real closely, to moving our season to January, for a lot of reasons,” Smith said in an exclusive interview with the News Press on Wednesday. “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.”
Wrestling had its season end a week before the national tournament in March when the novel coronavirus became more prevalent in the United States – and ultimately shut down all sports, both college and professional.
There is a fear among medical experts that there could potentially be another wave of the novel coronavirus this fall – coupled with the normal flu season. A move of the winter sport back several months, could be viewed as a way to prepare for such a thing.
One of the issues with such a move right now, though, is the dates are locked in for the NCAA Division I National Wrestling Championships, held the second weekend of Spring Break (and the same weekend as the opening rounds of the men’s basketball tournament). The 2021 and 2022 locations and dates for the national tournament are already set with St. Louis due to host March 18-20, 2021, and Detroit set to host March 17-19 in 2022. … rest of story … https://www.stwnewspress.com/sports/osu_sports/smith-nwca-discussing-the-potential-of-shifting-college-wrestling-to-spring/article_00176159-d0d1-50a7-b2ac-9e1751eaba86.html?mc_cid=97df5e5b46&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

June 29, 2020 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Wrestling History # 7

1 } – Nate Carr: My Wrestling Hero
The 40th installment of My Wrestling Hero features Nate Carr. The three-time NCAA champion shares his thoughts on his wrestling heroes, including his brothers.  These are Carr’s words on his wrestling heroes:
“I didn’t look too far past my family: Jimmy, Joe, Fletcher. I didn’t go too much past that, but if I go out of the family it might be Lee Kemp. He’s one of the guys that was dominant when I was coming up. He was a quiet person who didn’t talk a lot. Reserved off the mat but strong on the mat. Chris Campbell, when I was being recruited by Iowa, was similar. You didn’t really hear him talking a lot but strong representation on the mat.  … rest of story … https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1591119428305&twSessionId=eeyksylkpq&postId=782300135&mc_cid=3777fdd4a3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

2 } – Phil Sullivan, Cal Poly’s First NCAA College Division Champion, Passes
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Phil Sullivan, Cal Poly’s first NCAA College Division national wrestling champion, passed away early Saturday morning, May 24, 2020, in Visalia, Calif. Sullivan was 76. A two-time letterman in wrestling at Tulare Western High School, Sullivan earned a pair of CIF-Central Section titles. There was no state meet at the time Sullivan competed in wrestling.  15Sullivan graduated from Tulare Western in 1962. He competed on Cal Poly’s freshman wrestling team in 1963 and was a redshirt in 1964. As a redshirt sophomore for the 1964-65 season, Sullivan went undefeated en route to the NCAA College Division national championship at 177 pounds. In the finals at Golden, Colo., he won by referee’s decision after battling Mel Schmidt of Northern Illinois to a 3-3 draw in regulation and 0-0 in overtime. … rest of story and pictures at … https://www.gopoly.com/sports/wrest/2019-20/releases/20200602iwdmae?mc_cid=3777fdd4a3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3 } – Petrella Family Comes Full Circle at Baldwin Wallace
BEREA, Ohio — When Michael Petrella ’24 steps on campus in August with his father, Paul ’79, and stepmother, Barbara, the Petrella family will have come full circle. And, after fathering, teaching, coaching and preparing five of his six children to wrestle, Michael is coming to his father’s alma mater to join Baldwin Wallace and Jamie Gibb’s championship Yellow Jacket wrestling program. 
The Petrella’s Are Known for Excellence in Wrestling
“The Petrella Family is known throughout Ohio for its excellence,” said Gibbs. “No matter who you ask in Ohio and throughout the Midwest who is influential in the sport of wrestling, they know the name, they know Paul and they know the family and its success. … rest of story … https://www.bwyellowjackets.com/general/2019-20/releases/petrellafamily?mc_cid=3777fdd4a3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

4 } – Sam Barber: My Wrestling Hero
The 39th installment of My Wrestling Hero features Sam Barber. The Air Force coach shares his thoughts on his wrestling hero: His college coach at Upper Iowa, Mike McCready. These are Barber’s words on his wrestling hero: “I grew up in such a rural, small town. My hero — I’d have to think about that. Once I went to college it became Mike McCready. He was probably the most influential person I met who opened my eyes that there’s other things in the world besides what you see right in front of you. His character, integrity and work ethic to this day are things I think about. Whenever I’m a coach, what kind of coach do I want to be? … rest of story … https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1591070071851&twSessionId=bmhhjffjdg&postId=782283135&mc_cid=3777fdd4a3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

5 } – Legacy of ‘father of wrestling in Massachusetts’ Jim Peckham lives on
Two new scholarship winners selected
Jim Peckham’s friends made sure his legacy would carry on after his death. Shortly after his passing in 2011, Peckham’s loyal legion of friends formed the Jim Peckham Scholarship Fund. It supports Massachusetts high school wrestlers who plan to wrestle in college and who have demonstrated excellence in wrestling, academics and personal character.
“It really was a collaboration of people getting there to get this going,” said Michael Stuer, a former standout wrestler at Lowell and Brown University. “Stephen Henry, Steve Biondolillo, Phil Grebinar, Tom Bartosek and myself were involved in initiating the scholarship. People just wanted to recognize Jim Peckham because he was the founder and often referred to as the father of wrestling in Massachusetts.” Despite never having wrestled in high school or college, Peckham went on to become an Olympic wrestler and later coached a pair of U.S. Olympic teams. He is in a very select group as an inductee of the National Wrestling Hall Of Fame in Stillwater, Okla. … rest of story … https://www.bostonherald.com/2020/06/01/legacy-of-father-of-wrestling-in-massachusetts-jim-peckham-lives-on/?mc_cid=3777fdd4a3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – Gable the GOAT: How I Made It
Dan Gable is the most successful wrestling coach of all time.  During his 21 years as the head coach at Iowa, Gable won 21 Big 10 championships and 15 NCAA team championships, including nine in a row from 1978 – 1986.  Even more impressive is that Gable and the Hawks are a comeback story. Yes, the Hawks were removed from the throne as the kings of college wrestling from 1987-1990, where Iowa finished 2nd, 2nd, 6th and 3rd at the NCAA championships.  During those years, we see Gable reflect, improve and bring Iowa back to college wrestling greatness by dominating the 1990’s era of wrestling. … rest of story … https://www.attackstylewrestling.com/gable-the-goathow-i-made-it/?mc_cid=ecaa75d4fa&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

7 } – Sam Hazewinkel: My Wrestling Hero
The 42nd installment of My Wrestling Hero features Sam Hazewinkel. The 2012 men’s freestyle Olympian, 2018 Greco-Roman World Team member and current head coach at Oklahoma City shares his thoughts on his wrestling heroes: His parents. 
These are Hazewinkel’s words on his wrestling heroes:
“My dad (Dave) was my wrestling hero. He was always the guy I looked up to and spent a lot of time with him and learned a lot from him for all the normal reasons a kid looks up to his dad. Mine worked out so that he actually was the strongest in the world. It was easy to do. “I thought my life was pretty normal. He made me wrestle, but at the same time he explained why. He pointed out that I was getting better … rest of story … https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1591330990785&twSessionId=qppxdlhnfa&postId=782330135&mc_cid=e0ec51354d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

8 } – John Peterson’s path to a gold medal at the 1976 Olympics defies logic
John Peterson placed fifth at the 1971 NAIA Championships then made a World team a few months later. What happened next seems improbable: Peterson won a silver medal at the 1972 Olympics followed by a gold medal in 1976. … Podcast at … https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPlayer.jsp?TIM=1591330990785&twSessionId=qppxdlhnfa&videoId=782328135&mc_cid=e0ec51354d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

9 } – World & Olympic champion Kevin Jackson & the discussion of race
An open dialogue with Kevin Jackson on race and wrestling and the current events going on in the world. … podcast at … http://www.mattalkonline.com/podcast/trackwrestling/on-the-mat/world-and-olympic-champion-kevin-jackson-and-the-discussion-of-race/?mc_cid=2e4d96fd0e&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – Hall of Fame HSU Coach Frank Cheek Passes Away at 82
Humboldt State University Athletics Department:

This past Saturday, legendary Humboldt State University Coach Frank Cheek passed away at the age of 82. His long career at Humboldt State included 22 years coaching wrestling and 25 years coaching softball.  Most recently, Cheek was inducted into the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Hall of Fame. 
Cheek guided the Lumberjack softball team to NCAA Division II National Championships in 1999 and 2008. Fifteen of the Lumberjack softball and wrestling teams finished ranked in the top ten in the nation.   … rest of story … https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2020/jun/1/hall-fame-hsu-coach-frank-cheek-passes-away-82/?mc_cid=3777fdd4a3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

June 29, 2020 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment