Takedown Report

College Recruits & Transfer # 4

TDR Editor’s Notes ; Have been ‘off the grid’ or out in a no tech zone the past week so we are behind in passing along wrestling news and reporting on what others have reported in the past week or more. We are looking to catch up in the next week and appreciate your input and information so please send it in to martinkfleming@gmail.com +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1 } – Rutgers national champion Nick Suriano re-enrolls at University
By James Kratch | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Rutgers national champion Nick Suriano has re-enrolled at the university, according to the school’s online directory. The news was first reported on Rutgers Sports Insider, NJ Advance Media’s subscription text messaging service. Head coach Scott Goodale and a program spokesman declined comment on Suriano’s status for the upcoming wrestling season, which faces uncertainties at the NCAA and international levels due to the coronavirus pandemic. Suriano has one year of eligibility remaining and would likely compete at 133 pounds again if he returns to the mat. The status of the college season, including its start date and length, is expected to impact competition decisions for elite wrestlers in an unprecedented second straight Olympic year with a date for the national team trials still to be determined. The NCAA also has yet to rule if it will grant wrestlers a second Olympic redshirt. Suriano also has his traditional redshirt available. Suriano did not compete for the Scarlet Knights this past season while training in Olympic redshirt. He qualified for the 57-kilogram division at the U.S. Olympic Trials, which have yet to be rescheduled … rest of story at _{https://www.nj.com/rutgers/2020/08/rutgers-national-champion-nick-suriano-re-enrolls-at-university.html?mc_cid=a357f66b67&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

2 } – Notre Dame’s Crookham: Lehigh wrestling ‘checked all the boxes’
Ryan Crookham used his time during the COVID-19 lockdown well. “I feel like the quarantine allowed me to think about what I really wanted in a (college),” Notre Dame’s two-time PIAA Class 2A wrestling champion said. “I had the free time to make this decision. I had a chart I made up for each school, with positives and negatives. I asked myself a lot of tough questions. In Lehigh’s case, there were no negatives — I couldn’t think of any. Lehigh checked every box. There were just so many positives. If Lehigh had not been an option, I would have had to do a lot more thinking. Ultimately, I know Lehigh is a place I can win a national championship.” And so Crookham committed to Lehigh on Saturday afternoon, picking the Mountain Hawks over Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin and Navy. In doing so, Crookham became the highest-ranked wrestler to commit to Lehigh in quite some time. “I know it’s a little early to be making this decision,” said Crookham, who will take a 100-3 career record into his junior year. “But I didn’t feel rushed at all. The quarantine gave me the time to make this decision. I have one less thing to worry about now. I made the best decision I could, and now I am looking forward to improving as much as I can in high school.”
Crookham said Lehigh didn’t really recruit him at a specific weight — he was ranked No. 2 nationally at 126 pounds after his sophomore season, and will meet No. 1 Nic Bouzakis of Wyoming Seminary at 132 pounds at FloWrestling’s “Who’s No. 1” event in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 3. … rest of story at _{https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/highschoolsports/2020/08/notre-dames-crookham-lehigh-wrestling-checked-all-the-boxes.html?mc_cid=2938e52dc9&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b} and _{https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/highschoolsports/2020/08/notre-dames-crookham-commits-to-lehigh-to-wrestle.html?mc_cid=040ae84fd3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

3 } – SMSU WRESTLING ADDS TRANSFER TO 2020-21 SIGNING CLASS
MARSHALL, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State University head wrestling coach Jesse Nelson announced today that Caden Steffen, a native of Zumbrota, Minn., has transferred from the University of Minnesota and will continue his academic and wrestling career at SMSU. “Caden will be a great addition to the program,” Nelson said. “Caden’s dedication to the classroom and mat will fit our team goals. We are very excited to have him on board.”
 Steffen competed the past two seasons at 184 pounds for the Gopher wrestling program, compiling 36 victories during open tournaments. He finished 17-6 during the 2018-19 season with four wins by fall, five by major decision and one by tech fall. He closed with a 19-10 record in 2019-20, which included a third place finish at the Last Chance Open. Steffen recorded with one win by fall, three by major decision and one by tech fall last season. Steffen is a 2018 graduate of Zumbrota-Mazeppa High School, where he was a two-time state champion and was a member of two state championship teams. He was a four-time all-conference and three-time all-section honoree, while finishing his high school career with 174 victories.  … rest of story at _{https://smsumustangs.com/news/2020/8/10/wrestling-smsu-adds-transfer-to-2020-21-signing-class.aspx?mc_cid=a0c3658079&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

4 } – High school wrestling: Hrabovsky commits to wrestle at Iowa State
Sam Hrabovsky is heading north to the Hawkeye State to be a Cyclone
Hrabovsky — a state champion and two-time state runner-up for the Fulton Hornets — committed over the weekend to wrestle next year at Iowa State University in Ames. The Fulton senior made the announcement Sunday on his Instagram account, sam_hrabovsky07. “I’m happy to announce that I will be continuing my academic and wrestling career at Iowa State University!” Hrabovsky wrote in the post. Ranked No. 184 by MatScouts, Hrabovsky is projected to wrestle at 133/141 pounds for the Cyclones. The 2021 commitments won’t sign until November. Hrabovsky has produced a remarkable 109-4 record in his three years with the Hornets. He delivered a perfect 42-0 run to a state title at 113 pounds in Class 2 in 2018, went 34-1 in taking second at 120 in 2019 and finished 33-3 while coming in second at 132 back in February. Hrabovsky has also excelled on the national level,  … rest of story at _{https://www.fultonsun.com/news/sports/prep/story/2020/aug/12/high-school-wrestling-hrabovsky-commits-wrestle-iowa-state/837325/?mc_cid=adab565cde&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

5 } – Crookham changes the recruiting game for Lehigh wrestling
Pat Santoro can’t say, yet, what landing Ryan Crookham means for his Lehigh wrestling program
That’s because college coaches can’t comment on recruits, even those who have verbally committed, until they sign their national letter of intent, which will be a while yet for Crookham, a Notre Dame junior.  But Santoro doesn’t have to, really, because he already all but has. Don’t worry, Lehigh fans — no rules were broken! … rest of story at _{https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/highschoolsports/2020/08/crookham-changes-the-recruiting-game-for-lehigh-wrestling.html?mc_cid=adab565cde&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

6 } – Edinboro wrestling recruits 6 nationally ranked student-athletes
Fighting Scots head wrestling coach Matt Hill announces top 25 recruiting class for 2020-2021
EDINBORO, PA – Edinboro’s wrestling program has announced a recruiting class of 15 for the upcoming academic year, including six student-athletes ranked No. 17 or better nationally. “We are very thankful to welcome this excellent group of student athletes to the Edinboro wrestling family this fall,” said Hill, who guided his team to the MAC Championships last season. “Each of them possesses the core values of hard work and commitment on and off the mat that we strive for daily at Edinboro University.” InterMat wrestling ranks this Fighting Scot class in the Top 25 of programs nationally. The group touts five state championships and dozens of placements in state tournaments among them.
Max Millin, Massillon, Ohio (HWT)
National Rank: FloWrestling No. 9, TrackWrestling No. 6, InterMat No. 13, WrestlingUSA No. 13
Notes: Ironman Runner Up 2019, Beast of The East Runner-Up 2019, Brecksville Holiday Tournament Champ 2020.
Gabe Willochell, Latrobe, Pa. (133/141)
National Rank: FloWrestling No. 7, TrackWrestling No. 8, InterMat No. 11, WrestlingUSA No. 13
Notes: 3x PA placer, Powerade Champ 2019 … rest of story at _{https://gofightingscots.com/news/2020/8/14/fighting-scots-head-wrestling-coach-matt-hill-announces-top-25-recruiting-class-for-2020-2021-year.aspx?mc_cid=fca2dfc53b&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

7 } – Elyria wrestling: Nate Burnett commits to Clarion University
The Burnett era is back at Clarion.
On Aug. 19, Elyria’s Nate Burnett committed to the Golden Eagles’ wrestling program, the same program that his dad and coach Erik Burnett starred at 30 years ago. “The people there care about each other and make sure you’re doing all right,” Nate Burnett said of Clarion. “The classroom sizes are small and I kind of need that. I’m not good in a giant classroom. I feel like the whole town is into wrestling since it’s the only Division I sport. It’s kind of like football there, everyone comes to watch wrestling. It’s a really unique atmosphere and I love it.”
Nate Burnett, a rising junior, finished last season 29-4 at 132 pounds and qualified for the state tournament before it was canceled by the novel coronavirus pandemic. It was that cancellation — combined with the pandemic’s effect on wrestling recruitment and training in general — that led to Burnett committing early. “I kind of saw the writing on the wall,” Nate Burnett said. “We’re not able to do official visits right now at all and I knew that was the place I wanted to go.” Last week, Nate and his parents spent three days in Clarion … rest of story at _{https://www.morningjournal.com/sports/elyria-wrestling-nate-burnett-commits-to-clarion-university/article_8d95d844-e30e-11ea-b071-b325bd01b323.html?mc_cid=27a5988c78&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

8 } – Pat Brucki To Transfer To Michigan … check video and story at https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/6771450-pat-brucki-to-transfer-to-michigan

9} – Fresno State Bulldogs complete 2020 signing class
FRESNO, Calif. – Fresno State Wrestling head coach Troy Steiner announced the completion of the 2020 signing class on Monday. With the start of the fall semester getting underway last week, the Bulldogs have added Anthony Molton (Crest Hill, Ill.), Aaron Gandara (Poway, Calif.), Anthony Federico (Belleville, Ill.) and Owen Pentz (Morgan, Utah) to the roster to go along with fall signees Haiden Drury (Toppenish, Wash.) and Nick Villarreal (Gilroy, Calif.).
“We are very excited about this recruiting class,” Steiner said. “They bring a lot of experience, attitude and work ethic to our program. I cannot wait to start working with them.” A transfer from Old Dominion, Molton arrives in Fresno after redshirting the 2019-20 season at ODU. A native of Crest Hill, Ill., Molton earned 16 wins, including three falls, while competing unattached for the Monarchs. Molton won the 2018 Class 3A Illinois State title at 120 pounds as a junior at Lockport Township High School and finished third at 126 pounds as a senior in 2019. Gandara comes to Fresno after splitting his prep career between Poway High School in Poway, Calif. and Cibola High School in Yuma, Ariz. … rest of story at _{https://gobulldogs.com/news/2020/8/24/wrestling-bulldogs-complete-2020-signing-class.aspx?mc_cid=7d6595523f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

10 } – Air Force Academy Announces Incoming Recruiting Class of 2024
16-man class was recognized as the 26th-best recruiting class in the country
USAFA, Colo.- The Air Force Academy wrestling team and Head Coach Sam Barber have officially announced the incoming recruiting class of 2024, Monday, August 24. 
The 16-man class was recognized by WIN Magazine as the 26th-best recruiting class in the country, while also being recognized by theopenmat.com as a recruiting class to watch. This marks the sixth time in seven seasons Air Force has landed a top-30 class.
 The class of 2024 hails from 12 different states, and together boasts 19 state championships along with a whole host of state medals and All-American honors at various national competitions. Eight of the recruits come via the USAFA Prep School, while the other eight will come straight from the high school ranks.  
Information on Air Force wrestling’s class of 2024 can be found below. Incoming USAFA Prep School athletes cannot be mentioned due to NCAA compliance rules.
 Noah Blake | Rescue, Calif. | Del Oro High School | USAFA Prep School
Projected Weight Class: 174
Career Record: 117-18
Credentials: Fifth at 2020 National Collegiate Open.  … rest of story at _{https://goairforcefalcons.com/news/2020/8/24/wrestling-announces-incoming-recruiting-class-of-2024.aspx?mc_cid=7d6595523f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

September 2, 2020 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized