Takedown Report

College Wrestling News – # 116

TDR Editor’s Notes ; A look back to some stories from this fall which are still of interest to wrestling fans interested in promoting our sport. Teams from all divisions are featured or at least the articles are applicable to other programs. We welcome response and input to us at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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1 } – Iowa wrestling coach Tom Brands explains how the HWC Showdown Open came together
The idea for Sunday’s Hawkeye Wrestling Club Showdown Open was first hatched more than three months ago. Iowa coach Tom Brands sought a competitive opportunity for his wrestlers, despite them being few and far between. By the time Sunday arrives, it will have been almost eight months since the Hawkeyes last competed — at the Big Ten Championships in March. So Brands and his staff thought of doing it themselves, not unlike how Flowrestling, Rokfin and others have put on similar events during the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. “We’ve been kicking this around since late July,” Brands said Tuesday during a video conference. “This event took a lot of work with our compliance and our administration. A lot of work with a lot of people.”
The result looks like this: An eight-match undercard featuring plenty of Hawkeye wrestlers, young and old, will be the appetizer to Sunday night’s 9-bout main card, which will showcase many of Iowa’s best against some of the best wrestlers on the planet. It will be held at the new Xtream Arena in Coralville and will be streamed live on Trackwrestling. This isn’t the first time Iowa has planned an outside-the-box wrestling event. … rest of story at ^{https://www.press-citizen.com/story/sports/college/iowa/wrestling/2020/10/27/iowa-wrestling-coach-tom-brands-explains-how-hwc-showdown-open-came-together-xtream-arena-coralville/3756667001/?mc_cid=2e944b01db&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

2 } – Dutch wrestling team thrives with diversity
PELLA—The Central College wrestling team is using its status as one of the most diverse programs on campus as a way to unify towards a common goal.         
Central’s 52 wrestlers come from far and wide to wrestle in the state many consider the mecca of wrestling. The Dutch roster includes 33 from out of state. and has a heavy West- Coast lean, featuring features nine student-athletes from California, eight from Arizona, four from Washington and one from Hawaii.
 “We take a tremendous amount of pride in our geographical and racial diversity,” coach Eric Van Kley said. “Our goals are far greater than just making great wrestlers, we want to make great young men that when they leave here are able to interact and work with a variety of different people. We think embracing that on a team for four years is a wonderful opportunity.”
    Other states represented on the roster include Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas. With geographical diversity comes racial diversity as well. About one-third of the roster identifies as something other than just white/European-American. … rest of story at ^{https://athletics.central.edu/news/2020/10/29/dutch-wrestling-team-thrives-with-diversity.aspx?mc_cid=69b31ff737&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

3 } – KCAC ADDS HASTINGS COLLEGE AS ASSOCIATE MEMBER IN WOMEN’S WRESTLING
WICHITA, Kan. — The KCAC is proud to announce that Hastings College (Neb). will be added as an associate member in women’s wrestling in the 2020-21 school year, the conference office announced Tuesday. The Broncos join Ottawa University, the University of Saint Mary, York College, the University of Jamestown, and Midland University as institutions competing in women’s wrestling in the conference.  “The KCAC warmly welcomes Hastings College, Head Coach Cara Romeike, and her team into the KCAC Women’s Wrestling fold for the 2020-21 season.  In a COVID-19 focused athletic environment, it is refreshing to see sport growth and to see the outstanding work by Coach Romeike since she and I first spoke earlier this year,” stated Dr. Scott Crawford, KCAC Commissioner.  “For me, it’s a lot of fun to see her growth from student-athlete to head coach with her first collegiate program in just a few short years.”
“Hastings College is greatly appreciative of the KCAC for accepting our associate membership application,” B.J. Pumroy, athletic director at Hastings College, said.”Our Women’s Wrestling Coach Cara Romeike has done great work in assembling a team in a short amount of time and we are thankful our team is afforded a chance to compete for championships. Her experience as a competitor in the KCAC allows a unique experience of coaching in the championships she competed in.” … rest of story at ^{http://www.hastingsbroncos.com/article/3548.php?mc_cid=1abb33fe3e&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b#.X7SMMMhKhPY}

4 } – How Accountability in Wrestling has Helped Lombard Excel Off Mat
Continuing the series that began in 2016-17, each Wednesday MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories, presented by Absopure.
By Jonah Wolf
There’s more to sports than the competition. Wrestling since the age of 6, Nick Lombard has always welcomed both the team environment and individuality of the sport. Not only has Lombard shined on his way to competing at the University of Michigan, but the sport has led him to greatness off the mat as well. A native of Monroe Township, N.J., Lombard moved from one block M to another. Lombard learned about U-M from alum Sal Profaci (2015-19), who also was from Monroe Township. After Profaci committed and it was Lombard’s time to decide, Michigan was already one of his top choices. “I have been wearing the block M ever since I started high school and when it was my time to make the decision, the academic resources and athletics across campus made things easy for me,” he said. “I get to be surrounded by student-athletes who want to be great on and off the field.” Lombard soon will graduate with a degree in business administration, … rest of story at ^{https://mgoblue.com/news/2020/11/4/scholar-stories-how-accountability-in-wrestling-has-helped-lombard-excel-off-mat.aspx?mc_cid=68c338ad78&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

5 } – Bryce Meredith: What I learned from Mark Branch
Mark Branch, the current head wrestling coach at the University of Wyoming, was a two-time NCAA champion (1994 and 1997) and a four-time finalist for Oklahoma State (1994-97). Bryce Meredith was a three-time All-American (2016-18) and two-time NCAA championship finalist (2016 and 2018) for Wyoming. 
Branch coached Meredith at Wyoming for three seasons. The following are Meredith’s thoughts on what he learned from Branch. 
ARE YOU A POTATO OR AN EGG?
“Mark Branch is a very tough guy. He’s one of those dudes where if you’re not winning or where if things aren’t going right, then you go harder. You become tougher. It could become easy to become bitter toward coaches like that. “If you look at who he was as a wrestler, the dude had torn ACLs at nationals and was winning them. You can’t say to him, ‘Well you do it,” because he did it. He did the things that we did.  We had this crazy workout. We had this horrible week and he called it a potato egg workout.  “There’s this weird quote: The same boiling water that makes a potato soft makes an egg hard. It’s not your circumstances, it’s what you’re made of.  “He went nuts on it this one day. We ran so many sprints. We ran sprints for two hours and all this kind of stuff. He went to a place where he was trying to break us. It was one of those moments where I really had to call the warrior inside. I had to dig deep. It was me and one other kid who really didn’t break. We were hitting the time every single time. I felt like it was one of those unbreakable moments where I was like, ‘Yes!’ I dug deep and became a different human because of what he put me through. … rest of story at ^{https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1604895636023&twSessionId=akrfvypagb&postId=874534135&mc_cid=5c187c6cfd&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

6 } – IAwrestle’s Tony Hager and the podcast tech within wrestling
Tony Hager, one of the guys behind IAWrestle, joins Short Time as part of International Podcast Day to talk about what he’s been doing with IAwrestle, Night of Conflict and his Rokfin-based Hager’s Happy Hour, which is a wrestling-centric show about pretty much anything. Well, beer and wrestling and everything else. Hager and Bryant talk about the genesis of the show idea, turn things around to talk about the importance of podcasting on the wrestling medium, as well as thing we all do to help one another promote the sport and developing the brands and content behind it.
LEADING OFF
Life University, ranked second in the NAIA to open the season welcomed first-year Montreat to the world of wrestling with a 49-(-1) dual win on Wednesday night. Yes, in case you haven’t been listening to the intro, we DO have college wrestling going on in places. Briar Cliff beat Northwestern – the one in Iowa 34-7. This is the time of year where I tell you that Northwestern College is in Orange City, Iowa but for some reason, they’re the Red Raiders. … rest of story at ^{https://www.mattalkonline.com/podcast/short-time/iawrestles-tony-hager-and-the-podcast-tech-within-wrestling/?mc_cid=d63f9879b6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

7 } – Getting To Know The Warhawks – Cadin Koeppel, Wrestling
Cadin Koeppel (Cary, Ill./Cary-Grove) of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater wrestling team is featured in the latest edition of Getting To Know The Warhawks Presented by UW Credit Union. In 2019-20, Koeppel posted a 22-11 record competing at 285 pounds. He competed at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship, posting one victory, and placed third at the Harper Open. Koeppel recorded a 2-1 decision to help the Warhawks to a dual win over UW-Eau Claire, and tallied a 2-1 mark competing at the National Wrestling Coaches Association National Duals.
As a freshman in 2018-19, Koeppel finished with a 12-11 record, including a 1-2 mark competing at the WIAC Championship. He claimed the consolation title at 285 pounds at UW-Eau Claire’s Don Parker Open, and totaled three victories, including two pins, at the CUW Open. … rest of story at ^{https://uwwsports.com/news/2020/11/19/getting-to-know-the-warhawks-cadin-koeppel-wrestling.aspx?mc_cid=59de35edde&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

8 } – Five D3 hammers you need to know
Division III wrestling was shaping up for a fascinating finish last year after a captivating regular season. Four teams occupied the No. 1 spot in the national rankings at various points. Wartburg posted two wins against Augsburg, which defeated Loras, which ended Wartburg’s 220-meet conference dual win streak. 
There were plenty of stars and storylines to track on the individual front, as well, and many of the top performers are back. 
Here’s a look at five Division III hammers you need to know about:
Ryan Anderson (Centenary) — Finished his senior season in high school as the nation’s top-ranked 145-pounder after winning the Ironman and Beast of the East. Went 30-3 with 15 falls last year as a freshman at 149 and went unbeaten against D3 competition. 
Cornell Beachem (Mount St. Joseph) — A dominant two-sport athlete who scored 18 touchdowns as a running back and went 21-0 on the mat at 174 with 17 bonus-point victories. Earned Fargo Greco-Roman All-America honors in 2016. 
Jordin James (Mount Union) — Followed up a national championship year in 2019 at 133 by going 26-2 with 16 bonus-point wins last season at 141. Owns a 64-3 career record at the D3 level. … rest of story at ^{https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1606102194007&twSessionId=xwqwqkqerj&postId=878651135&mc_cid=d6bdb93622&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

9} – How Millikin wrestling coach Ryan Birt took the program from nonexistent to CCIW champions in five seasons
DECATUR — The Millikin wrestling room near downtown Decatur is currently quiet as the defending CCIW championship team is gone for Thanksgiving break. It’s an unusual silence for the room that has been the home for nearly 50 wrestlers each of the past five years since the program returned to Millikin in 2015 after being halted in 2008. Head coach Ryan Birt has been the guiding hand for the program through five seasons and through the hard work of his early teams. He saw the wrestling room transform from an empty auto parts store to one of the premiere facilities in Division III wrestling. “Celebrating five years means a lot of hard work from a lot of people,” Birt said. At the low point of the program in 2008, just three wrestlers finished the season uninjured. But when Millikin athletic director Craig White considered expanding the university’s sport offerings in 2015, one program stood out. “I have always admired the sport of wrestling,” White said. “There is a level of discipline and toughness that must be learned in order to be successful in the sport. … rest of story at ^{https://herald-review.com/sports/college/millikin/watch-now-how-millikin-wrestling-coach-ryan-birt-took-the-program-from-nonexistent-to-cciw/article_34c2f177-c57a-57f3-a25f-cf8915a69781.html?mc_cid=0d9bace552&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

10 } – What I’m Thankful For: Brock Hudkins
As Thanksgiving approaches, we are all reminded to be thankful for what we have in our lives today. Thanksgiving is more than a great big meal to fill up on with family or an excuse for everyone to cheat their diet “just one time”. It’s a time to escape the questions of the future and truly reflect on the path we have taken to get where we are in life. As individuals growing up, we tend to take the little things for granted and forget to be thankful. Have you ever wondered why grandparents hug you the longest and tightest or why parents sacrifice so much for us? Whether it be a special moment in our lives that we may reminisce over years later or simply a good home cooked meal made by our mom. The older I become the more thankful I am for those little things I took for granted such as being surrounded by loved ones laughing and joking, not having to worry about financial issues, or even getting to play video games for hours with my brother.
Thinking about my path and those around me, will always be a blessing with a significant part of who I am and the man I will become. The impact that they have on my life has taught me more about myself than I could ever imagine. I couldn’t be more thankful for the way my parents raised my brothers and I to not only respect ourselves, but to always give back and appreciate those that have sacrificed so much. As cliché as it may sound, I’m thankful for my big brother who has always had my back and been a huge role model to me despite beating me up a few times back in the day! Even my Nana that would quietly slip me money for ice cream so my parents wouldn’t know. … rest of story at ^{https://iuhoosiers.com/news/2020/11/26/wrestling-what-i-m-thankful-for-brock-hudkins.aspx?mc_cid=de5a36abdc&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b\}

December 30, 2020 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized