Takedown Report

College Recruits, Transfers & News – 2021 -# 1

TDR Editor’s Notes ; Recruiting of scholastic wrestlers for college programs and the transfer of wrestlers to other schools seems to be almost year round proceedure and announcements thus we will share the latest newsand developments at the start of 2021.
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1 } – Iowa State Adds Yonger Bastida
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser announced today the addition of Junior World Silver Medalist, Yonger Bastida, to the Iowa State Wrestling program. Bastida comes to Ames by way of Trinidad, Cuba. He projects to wrestle at 197 or heavyweight for the Cyclones and will be eligible this season. “We obviously are very happy to add Yonger to our 20-21 roster,” Dresser said. “He is already a very successful wrestler on the international freestyle wrestling stage and we are very excited to help him learn folkstyle wrestling. I know that Yonger is very excited to experience everything that goes along with being a Division I student athlete.”  “To watch this guy progress toward a U.S. college degree will be very exciting, and dream come true … rest of story at ^{https://cyclones.com/news/2020/11/30/wrestling-iowa-state-adds-yonger-bastida.aspx?mc_cid=ac95ae6b76&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

2 } – Arizona State University Adds Arizona Native as New Addition to 2021-22 Class
TEMPE, Ariz. —Arizona State Wrestling has added another addition to their 2021-22 signing class. Gilbert native and Casteel High School wrestler, Ramon “Mykey” Ramos will join the No. 1 pound-for-pound recruit in the country, Richard Figueroa along with Cael Valencia, Max Wilner and Carter Dibert in a Sun Devil singlet.  “We’re excited about adding Mykey to our recruiting class. It’s always great to get a local, homegrown Arizona stud who has won national titles growing up right around the corner here in Phoenix,” head coach Zeke Jones said.  “He has a dynamic wrestling style that will fit in well here and is an excellent student from a great family, he’ll be a great addition to our program.” According to PinFall Recruiting, the Sun Devils are ranked number one for their 2020-21 recruiting class. This past week Figueroa was named to the Cliff Keen Preseason High School All-American First Team while Dibert and Valencia earned honorable mentions. … rest of story at ^{https://thesundevils.com/news/2020/12/1/-asuwrestling-adds-arizona-native-as-new-addition-to-2021-22-class.aspx?mc_cid=2514c7e76e&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}

3 } – SCSU wrestling signs three more student-athletes for 2021-22
St. Cloud State University head wrestling coach Steve Costanzo has announced three more additions to an already strong 2021 recruiting class.  This trio of new Huskies includes Blake Cushing (Grand Island, Neb.), Isaac Grams (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy H.S.) and Matt Hogue (St. Peter, Minn/H.S.), who all signed national letters of intent with the Huskies.
 
“These three individuals are highly decorated student-athletes,” Costanzo said.  “We are very excited about their skill level, character and academic abilities.  They will make great additions to an already talented group of Huskies.” 
 
The three stand-outs will join Augustus Donovan (Richland Center, Wisc.), … rest of story at ^{_{https://scsuhuskies.com/news/2020/11/30/scsu-wrestling-signs-three-more-student-athletes-for-2021-22.aspx?mc_cid=2514c7e76e&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

4 } – Cowboy Wrestling Adds Two More to Signing Class
LARAMIE, Wyo. (Dec. 7, 2020) –  Wyoming head wrestling coach Mark Branch announced the signing of two additional athletes. Quayin Short (Inner Grove Heights, Minn.) and Jacob Wright (Dinuba, Calif.) are set to join the Cowboy Roster. 
Quayin Short  | 182lbs.  | Simley | Inner Grove Heights, Minn. 
Heading into his Senior Season, Short is a three-time state place winner finishing as runner-up twice.  In 2018 Short was USA Wrestling Cadet Freestyle National Champion. He is currently ranked in the top 100 recruits of the class of 2021 by FloWrestling. 
Jacob Wright  | 157lbs.  | Fresno State | Dinuba, Calif. 
Wright comes to Wyoming from Fresno State … rest of story at ^{_{https://gowyo.com/news/2020/12/7/cowboy-wrestling-adds-two-more.aspx?mc_cid=c2c44a5110&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

5 } – What OSU Wrestling’s Recruiting Success Means For Future of the Program
Oklahoma State signed the best recruiting class in the country in 2020, signed another top-three class for 2021, and has already started off 2022 with two monster commitments in Jordan Williams and Anthony Ferrari. Which begs the question: how does Oklahoma State fit everyone in? Recruiting wins are great, and everyone loves to bring in blue-chippers. But how and where they all fit is a larger question I’ll try to address below.
First let’s take a quick look at everyone … rest of story at _{^{https://pistolsfiringblog.com/what-osu-wrestlings-recruiting-success-means-for-future-of-the-program/?mc_cid=6c7e360412&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}
Jersey Sures: Young OSU wrestlers bonded back East
Persuasion from old friends changed Trevor Mastrogiovanni’s life.  Mastrogiovanni was nearing a verbal commitment to an Ivy League school when Oklahoma State freshmen Dustin Plott and Konner Doucet encouraged their former middle school teammate to visit OSU. Conflict, however, plagued Mastrogiovanni’s mind. A New Jersey native, Mastrogiovanni wasn’t fond of departing the lush, forested landscape of northwestern Jersey for the flat great plains of north central Oklahoma. Yet, he eventually succumbed to peer pressure and joined his former teammates on the visit. And then he joined them as Cowboys … rest of story at _{^{https://www.ocolly.com/sports/jersey-sures-young-osu-wrestlers-bonded-back-east/article_07787c96-3aff-11eb-817b-9f14f217adfe.html?mc_cid=afaeddd782&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

6 } – Family, Tradition Sparks SIUE Wrestling Signees
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE wrestling has been about family and tradition for a long time, and the recent signings for the 2021-22 season continue to make it so.
SIUE Head Coach Jeremy Spates announced the addition Dan McKiernan (Richmond, Michigan), Caine Tyus (Bethalto, Illinois) and Caleb Tyus (Bethalto, Illinois). All three have direct ties to current or past SIUE wrestlers. “All three are hard workers and the types of people you want in your program,” said Spates. “They all come in as great students which is something that is very important to our program and athletic department. With this base we are hoping to put together a great recruiting class to add to our talent in the room.” McKiernan will be the third brother in the family to compete for SIUE wrestling. Jake appeared for SIUE from 2014 to 2019. Colton currently is on the roster in his junior season, having already competed at the NCAA Championships in the heavyweight class two seasons ago. … rest of story at _{^{https://siue.prestosports.com/sports/m-wrestl/2020-21/releases/20201216p4y639?mc_cid=4edc48d477&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

7 } – Highest Ceiling Husker Wrestlers: No. 1 Dominick Serrano
Incoming freshman Dom Serrano has the pedigree and the success to boast the highest ceiling on the roster
A look back at the countdown:
No. 2 Eric Schultz
No. 3 Brock Hardy
No. 4 Mikey Labriola
No. 5 Ridge Lovett
No. 6 Chad Red Jr.
No. 7 Kevon Davenport
No. 8 Peyton Robb
No. 9 Jeremiah Reno
No. 10 Taylor Venz
Honorable Mentions
Disclaimer
Determining a wrestler’s ceiling can be a difficult proposition, especially when you consider that Nebraska’s wrestlers are at different points in their careers. So different criteria will be used based on what each wrestler has accomplished as well as potential and time left in the program. For instance, a senior-to-be who’s already secured All-American honors has hit a certain level and maybe has shown more definitively what his ceiling is. On the other hand, an incoming freshman hasn’t accomplished anything at the collegiate level, but their experience and accolades in high school and on the junior circuit can generally give a good indication of how good they can be in college. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.cornnation.com/2020/12/17/22179927/highest-ceiling-husker-wrestlers-no-1-dominick-serrano?mc_cid=daf3892c58&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

8 } – Abbotsford’s Jasmit Phulka heading to Iowa before Olympic qualifiers
Local wrestler heads to Cyclone Regional Training Centre before Last Chance event in April
The Olympic dream is still very much alive for Abbotsford wrestler Jasmit Phulka, and the Tokyo 2021 Summer Olympic Games hopeful is heading to Iowa State University to train with some of the best collegiate wrestlers in America before his final qualification tournament. Beginning Jan. 1 2021, Phulka will be a resident athlete with the Cyclone Regional Training Centre in Ames, Iowa. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.abbynews.com/sports/abbotsfords-jasmit-phulka-heading-to-iowa-before-olympic-qualifiers/?mc_cid=ed5fd11129&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

9} – Oklahoma State Recruiting Coordinator Tyler Caldwell – OTM623
Oklahoma State wrestling Recruiting Coordinator Tyler Caldwell goes On The Mat
Kansas native and four-time NCAA Division I All-American Tyler Caldwell is next up On The Mat. A two-time All-American at both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, Caldwell serves as the Recruiting Coordinator for the Oklahoma State wrestling program.  He was also a 2014 World University champion in freestyle wrestling. On The Mat is presented by Cliff Keen Athletic. Join Kyle Klingman and Andy Hamilton as they talk about the world of wrestling on the flagship podcast of Trackwrestling.com.
Show Segments
0:50 – What type is Andy? Bowl or Plate?
… rest of story at ^{_{https://www.mattalkonline.com/podcast/trackwrestling/on-the-mat/oklahoma-state-recruiting-coordinator-tyler-caldwell-otm623/}}

10 } – OAKS WRESTLING FINALIZES ROSTER WITH JC NATIONAL CHAMPION ANTONIO ANDRADE
ATHERTON, CALIF. — In recent years, Menlo Wrestling has been the home of many great heavyweight wrestlers.  Names like Lenny Romero, Scott Brasil, and Javier Gonzalez still bring excitement to many Oak fans.  It looks like the Oaks may have found another great heavyweight in their ranks with signing of transfer Antonio Andrade from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.  Andrade will join sophomore Elias Kenneryd and junior transfer Diego Sanchez at the 285 weight class, but also could look to compete at 197.   A native of Hollister, California, Antonio prepped at Gilroy High School, where he was teammates with fellow Oak Ryan Enciso.  Antonio’s name quickly became known throughout the South Bay Area/Central Coast in his freshman season, placing second at CCS in the 182 bracket, picking up 26.5 points for Gilroy en route to a team CCS Title.  He would also win a pair of bouts at the state tournament, including victory over former Oak Stone Escobedo.  After a knee injury cost him his sophomore year, Antonio bounced back in a big way during his junior season.  He would win the 195 bracket at the CCS Championships, winning every bout by fall, and once again helping Gilroy to a CCS Title.  At the state tournament in his junior season, Antonio would drop only one bout, the championship, finishing second overall.  … rest of story at _{^{http://www.menloathletics.com/article/8428?mc_cid=f9e49e1788&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

11 } – Ersland Adds Top-75 Trio to Boilermaker Family
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue wrestling head coach Tony Ersland announced three new members of the Boilermaker family on Thursday, signing Stoney Buell, Dustin Norris and Ben Vanadia to national letters of intent. The three national standout grapplers all hold top-100 recruiting rankings in the Class of 2021 and bring with them an impressive list of credentials as they head to West Lafayette in the coming year.  
Ersland continues to pull outstanding talent out of the midwest with Buell hailing from Michigan, Purdue’s third pull from the Great Lakes State during Ersland’s tenure, and Norris and Vanadia crossing our eastern border from Ohio, the Boilermakers’ third steal from the Buckeye State in the last four seasons. Purdue is one of only six schools in the country to have at least three signees ranked in the top-75 in the class by FloWrestling and The Open Mat, joining Iowa, Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Cornell and Iowa State.  
“This is an exciting group joining us next year, … rest of story at _{^{https://purduesports.com/news/2020/11/12/wrestling-ersland-adds-top-75-trio-to-boilermaker-family.aspx?mc_cid=b4122c2e60&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

12 } – Between Seasons, Column 31: Murder most foul; Secret Scraps and Season resets; Folks who found new homes; and Westward Ho from San Antonio
SAFE LANDINGS
The most recent edition of this column postulated on the at-times unexplained and oft troubling trend this past off season of coaches and athletes making sudden and in many cases somewhat unexpected departures. Fortunately, the last 2 months have given us much good news to celebrate. While Joel Sharratts departure at Navy was coming (at Navy, if you lose to Army much, you lose your job) not too many saw Cary Kolat standing on the bridge in Annapolis. Coming with Kolat from his staff at Campbell are Mike Evans and Blaize Cabell, while Dan Neff and Loyd Rogers were retained from the previous staff. The assassination of the Old Dominion program saw coach/uber-recruiter Daryl Thomas join new Campbell head coach Scotti Sentes (Riverdale, FL, baby!) at the Camel shack on Buies Creek. Then from the Michigan State staff in came Wynn, as in Michalak, as in (like Scottie) a stud athlete/coach from Tom Borellis Central Michigan teams back in the day. The Sentes/Dixon/Michalak trio is a formidable group off and on the mat and keeps the level of the SoCon (Southern Conference) coaching staffs on an upswing. The SoCon also swapped out some coaches at App State and the Citadel. App State Co Head Assistant Coaches Ryan Leblanc and Josh Roosa both left Boone. Leblanc became the main man at the Citadel, replacing 2 decade plus Bulldogs HC Rob Hjerling. … rest of story at ^{_{https://morewrestlingplease.wordpress.com/2020/10/08/between-seasons-column-31-murder-most-foul-secret-scraps-and-season-resets-folks-who-found-new-homes-and-westward-ho-from-san-antonio/?mc_cid=a13c46544f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

January 5, 2021 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized