Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

Distinguished Hall of Fame Wrestler Dan Hodge Passes Away

Dan Hodge, a Distinguished Member inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in the Charter Class of 1976, passed away on Thursday, at the age of 88.
“It is with deep sadness that we learned of the passing of Distinguished Member Danny Hodge,” said Lee Roy Smith, National Wrestling Hall of Fame Executive Director. “On behalf of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Board of Governors and staff, we extend our most sincere sympathies to Delores, his wife of 69 years, and their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
“To those familiar with Danny, he was a superhero on the mat and in the ring, demonstrating extraordinary feats of strength and skill. Yet, his alter ego outside of competition was a kind, gentle and encouraging mentor to others,” he added. “With his success, he could have lived anywhere in the world, but chose to return to his beloved hometown of Perry, Oklahoma. He lived his life as a simple and humble man who would help anyone in need. A selfless ambassador, he always went out of his way to help promote the sport while crushing apples and signing autographs. He will be deeply missed, but his legend will live on.”
Hodge was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum’s George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2000 and is considered by many to be the greatest junior heavyweight professional wrestling champion ever. Trained by Leroy McGuirk and Ed “Strangler” Lewis, he won the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship seven times and the Tri-State NWA North American Heavyweight Championship three times. He wrestled professionally for over 20 years and was one of the top attractions in the United States and in Japan.

Hodge and fellow Perry native Jack VanBebber, who won Oklahoma’s first gold medal in wrestling in 1932 and was also inducted as a Distinguished Member in 1976, are honored with statues in the Perry Wrestling Monument Park.
Hodge appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated on April 1, 1957 and remains the only amateur wrestler to appear on the cover of the iconic sports magazine in its nearly 66-year history.
The Hodge Trophy, college wrestling’s Heisman Trophy presented annually by WIN Magazine, is named in his honor.
He was one of only three wrestlers who competed prior to 1970 to be named to the NCAA’s 75th Anniversary Team in 2005. … rest of the story at https://nwhof.org/

December 26, 2020 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Carolinas’ Colleges’ News – # 15

TDR Editor’s Notes ; Some of the stories of plans and accomplishments by collegiate wrestling teams in both North and South Carolina.
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1 } –  Appalachian State Wrestling’s Media Day Replay
BOONE, N.C. — App State Wrestling held a Virtual Media Day on Tuesday, three days before the Mountaineers open their 2020-21 schedule with the Black & Gold Intrasquad exhibition on Friday in Varsity Gym.’ Tuesday’s interview participants were head coach JohnMark Bentley, head assistant coach Ian Miller, assistant coach Randall Diabe, volunteer assistant DJ Fehlman, senior Thomas Flitz, senior Codi Russell and sophomore Will Formato. Click on the YouTube links provided for the interviews with Bentley, his three assistants and the three student-athletes. … rest of story at https://appstatesports.com/news/2020/12/15/watch-wrestlings-media-day-replay.aspx?mc_cid=065f8820b6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

2 } – Gardner-Webb Wrestling Announces 2021 Schedule
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb wrestling program has released its schedule for the 2021 season, highlighted by five bouts inside Paul Porter Arena.  
The Runnin’ Bulldogs open the season on January 3, hosting in-state foe N.C. State in dual action at 1:00 pm.
 GWU then travels to Virginia for a dual meet on January 9 in Charlottesville, Va.
 Gardner-Webb opens Southern Conference action on January 17, hosting both Chattanooga and The Citadel.  The ‘Dogs square off against the Mocs at 2:30 pm before taking on The Citadel at 4:00 pm.  Chattanooga and The Citadel will face each other at 1:00 pm that afternoon.
 The following weekend, GWU will compete against Campbell and Appalachian State in another tri-meet in Buies Creek, N.C. on January 23.  The Runnin’ Bulldogs will face the Mountaineers at 4:30 pm before squaring off against the Camels at 6:00 pm that evening. … rest of story at https://gwusports.com/news/2020/12/15/gardner-webb-wrestling-announces-2021-schedule.aspx?mc_cid=065f8820b6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3 } – No. 23 Wrestling Uses Late Rally To Upend Belmont Abbey
PEMBROKE – Visiting Belmont Abbey used a third-period pin from eighth-ranked Mitch Dean to move out in front, but the 23rd-ranked UNC Pembroke wrestling team won each of the last three matches on the day, including pins from Bryce Walker (197 pounds) and Ryan Monk (285) to topple the Crusaders, 26-16, on Tuesday afternoon at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
 It was the third-straight series win for the Braves (1-0) who successfully reopened Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court after the facility had been void of any athletic competition for more than nine months. The Crusaders (0-1) fell to 2-17 all-time in the series with the Black & Gold, and have now dropped six-straight contests in Pembroke.
 Third-ranked Nick Daggett opened the day with a convincing 19-2 technical fall in the 125-pound matchup to give the hosts a quick lead, and eighth-ranked Logan Seliga followed with a 4-0 decision at 133 pounds to stretch the team lead out to 8-0, but Belmont Abbey got back into the match by capturing four of the next five individual matchups.
 The Crusaders took their first lead of the afternoon on Dean’s pin at 165 pounds, and led 16-11 on the team scoreboard following Logan Branham’s tight 3-2 win in the 174-pound bout with Garrett Hill. That triumph awoke a sleeping giant, however.
 Fayetteville native Jovaun Johnson out-worked Amir Joseph … rest of story at https://uncpbraves.com/news/2020/12/15/no-23-wrestling-uses-late-rally-to-upend-belmont-abbey.aspx?mc_cid=065f8820b6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

4 } – App State wrestling opens 2020-21 season with Black & Gold Intrasquad
App State wrestling opened its 2020-21 season Friday with the Black & Gold Instraquad scrimmage event. The Mountaineers returned to action exactly 300 days after App State competed in Varsity Gym with Senior Day against VMI back on Feb. 23.  “All in all, it was good,” head coach JohnMark Bentley said. “We learned a lot about our team tonight and some things that we need to work on.” The event simulated a dual meet between assistant coach DJ Fehlman’s “Black” squad and assistant coach Randall Diabe’s “Gold” squad, where each team won five matches and were tied at 18 points. Based on the tiebreaking criteria used in regular-season duals, the Black team was credited with the tie breaking point based on a pin from true freshman Tristan Pugh at 149 pounds. Redshirt senior Codi Russell (125), redshirt freshman Tyler Kellison (133), sophomore Julian Gorring (184) and redshirt junior Cody Bond (157) joined Pugh in posting wins for the victorious Black team.  Redshirt sophomores Michael Burchell (heavyweight), Mason Fiscella (197), and Will Formato (165) joined redshirt junior Anthony Brito (141) and redshirt senior Thomas Flitz (174) in clinching wins for the Gold team.  Russell and Flitz, who, alongside redshirt junior Jonathan Millner, were NCAA qualifiers last season before the tournament was canceled, each picked up decision victories in the evening finale. Bentley accredited their winning to the work they put in over the offseason. … rest of story at https://theappalachianonline.com/app-state-wrestling-opens-2020-21-season-with-black-gold-intrasquad/?mc_cid=ed5fd11129&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

5 } – Limestone Men’s Wrestling Releases 2021 Schedule
GAFFNEY, S.C. — After having their 2020 season come to an end just prior to the NCAA Division II National Tournament, the Limestone University Men’s Wrestling team returns to the mat starting in January of 2021 for an nine-match slate that features the entirety of the South Atlantic Conference Carolinas membership. The Saints will kick off their season with a home match-up against the Royals of Queens University of Charlotte on January 7. The Royals were selected to finish sixth in the preseason coaches poll while the Saints were picked to finish the year in the third spot.  Limestone currently holds a 2-0 record against the Royals as the team from Charlotte enters it’s third-year as a program. Limestone will follow their season opening match-up with a trip to Greenwood, S.C. to take on the newest member of the conference in Lander University on January 14 before returning home for a tri-match with Mount Olive and UNC Pembroke on January 17.  The Saints hold favorable records over Mount Olive and Lander while they currently stand 7-9 all-time against the Braves of UNC Pembroke.
Another road trip for the Saints is on tap for January 21 as they cross state lines to the south for a conference match-up with the Lions of Emmanuel College.  The Lions were picked to finish eighth in the league according to the coaches, a favorable dual for the Saints as they hold a 5-0 record all-time against the Lions. A home match against the Cobras of Coker University on January 28 … rest of story at https://golimestonesaints.com/news/2020/12/17/limestone-mens-wrestling-releases-2021-schedule.aspx?mc_cid=ed5fd11129&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – NITTANY LION WC TO HOST TUESDAY-NIGHT EVENT ON ROKFIN
By Taylor Miller, USA Wrestling | Dec. 21, 2020
The Nittany Lion Wrestling Club is hosting another dual Tuesday night live on Rokfin. The night will feature 20 bouts between NLWC and Wolfpack WC as well as five other exciting matchups. The NLWC tweeted earlier today that it would release the full card and bout order tomorrow. The undercard is set for 5:30 p.m. ET while the main card will take place at 8 p.m. ET.
Let’s take a look at some of the most anticipated bouts:
Women’s freestyle
Jane Valencia vs. Xochitl Mota-Pettis
Both of these wrestlers have been pretty active over the last few months.
An athlete for Mexico, Valencia became the first woman to qualify Mexico for the Olympic Games in wrestling with her gold-medal performance at the 2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifier in Ottawa, Canada, in March. Since then, Valencia, who trains with the NLWC, has been featured on two of their special event cards. Tomorrow will be her third. So far, Valencia has collected big wins over multiple-time National Team member Julia Salata in September and rising Senior-level talent Vayle Baker in October. On the other hand, Mota-Pettis has been on fire, winning multiple national titles since October. Training out of Texas, Mota-Pettis made a big splash, winning Senior Nationals at 57 kg and taking out two-time World silver medalist Alli Ragan along the way. Weeks later, she collected gold at the U23 Nationals.
Jennifer Page vs. Emma Bruntil
Like Valencia, Page has been featured on a few NLWC cards recently and she also claimed a Senior Nationals title in between. … rest of story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/December/21/NLWC-Wolfpack-WC-preview?mc_cid=e96ed12e50&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

7 } – WolfPackMentality Pop-Ins Podcast: Ep. 72 – National Rankings with Earl Smith
RALEIGH, N.C. – Episode #72 of the #PackMentality Pop-Ins Podcast is up and out as host Brian Reinhardt talks about the upcoming season and one of the more divisive subjects in wrestling – preseason national rankings. To talk about all things wrestling, the show welcomes back Earl Smith of TheOpenMat.com to talk about what goes into it and how the Wolfpack combatants stand. … rest of story at https://gopack.com/news/2020/12/23/wrestling-packmentality-pop-ins-podcast-ep-72-national-rankings-with-earl-smith.aspx?mc_cid=fecb1aa0c2&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

8 } – Newberry Wolves Wrestling Picked to win South Atlantic Conference Carolinas
Defending conference champs picked to repeat in 2021
GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Newberry Wolves Wrestling team was picked to win the South Atlantic Conference Carolinas championship this season, according to the preseason poll released Friday.   Newberry, who are the defending conference champions, picked up seven of a possible nine first-place votes and collected 57 points in total. Belmont Abbey came in second with 53 points with Limestone in third, Coker in fourth and King University coming in fifth place.  Isiah Royal will look to lead the Wolves this season after qualifying for the national tournament in 2020 in addition to being named the South Atlantic Conference Carolinas Wrestler of the Year, and the Super Region Wrestler of the Year. ZeBrandon Gant will be a key part of the team as well, entering the season ranked No. 5 in FloWrestling’s Division II preseason national rankings. The Wolves will open their 2021 season Jan. 10 when they face the University of Mount Olive at 3 p.m. … rest of story at https://newberrywolves.com/news/2020/12/4/wrestling-wolves-westling-picked-to-win-south-atlantic-conference-carolinas.aspx?mc_cid=876213e0a7&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

9} – KILTY BESTS BRUNTIL IN MAIN EVENT, O’CONNOR TECHS HEIL AT HISTORIC TAR HEEL WRESTLING OPEN
By Mike Willis, USA Wrestling | Dec. 04, 2020
The Tar Heel Wrestling Open made history tonight as the first card to host a women’s freestyle bout as the singular main event. In the final match of the night, Tar Heel Wrestling Club resident athlete Macey Kilty downed McKendree’s Emma Bruntil, 3-0. The pair had only wrestled once before with Bruntil, a 2020 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling champion, emerging victorious, 6-4, in the 2019 Senior Nationals semifinals. In her post-match interview, Kilty, a Cadet World champion and five-time age-group World medalist, expressed that being able to avenge that loss was significant for her. “It feels good. It stung for a while. It’s good to get that one back,” she said. The difference in the match came in the first period, when Kilty was able to get in on her patented head-inside single. Bruntil attempted to fight her off to no avail, and was actually dinged a penalty point before Kilty finished the takedown. Austin O’Connor turned in perhaps the night’s most impressive performance … rest of story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/December/04/THWC-Open?mc_cid=224601c412&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – Siu and Chase To Compete In N.C. Best Event Presented By Gauntlet Wrestling Productions
GREENSBORO, N.C. – With the end of the fall semester coming to an end, Greensboro College wrestlers Hai Siu and Alexis Chase are gearing up to battle in the NC Best event Saturday evening, hosted by Gauntlet Wrestling Productions.
 The Pay-Per-View event will feature seven high school matches and three college freestyle matches.
 “I am extremely excited for these two student-athletes as they get this opportunity to compete once again on such a high level,” Head Wrestling Coach Kevin Birmingham said. “I am also very proud of them for taking this opportunity on short notice and showing everyone just how hard they have been working so far this season.”
 For Siu and Chase, it has been two different paths to the event as Siu started wrestling at a young age while Chase is just getting started in her wrestling career.
 After coming up just short of the NCAA Division III Tournament his freshman season, Siu came back with a lot of will and determination to make the tournament last year. Following his win at the 2020 Southeast Wrestling Conference Championship, Siu came out on fire at the NCAA Regional and won his first two bouts to punch his ticket to the semifinals where he would face off with Averett University’s Brandon Woody, which was a rematch of the third-place bout the season before. … rest of story at https://greensborocollegesports.com/news/2020/12/4/general-siu-and-chase-to-compete-in-n-c-best-event-presented-by-gauntlet-wrestling-production.aspx?mc_cid=224601c412&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

December 26, 2020 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment