Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

Wrestling History (2021) – # 1

TDR Editor’s Notes ; A look at a dozen articles across the wide span of wrestling history across the ages and the country. E-mail us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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1 } – Decorated alums speak out against Stanford’s intention to cut 11 sports
36 Sports Strong intends to challenge July 8 decision
“What happens when trees fall,” the Stanford Rowing Association Instagram asked on Friday.
Their answer: The rest of the forest hears it. More specifically, alums from all 36 varsity athletics teams currently offered by Stanford join together to defend the metaphoric threatened trees. On July 8, the University announced that it intended to cut 11 sports: men’s and women’s fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men’s rowing, co-ed and women’s sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men’s volleyball and wrestling.
The University cited a mounting financial deficit exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, among other factors that prompted the cancellations. The University also announced that the 2020-21 season would be the final year for each of the 11 varsity programs before being downgraded to club teams. … rest of story at https://www.stanforddaily.com/2020/11/22/36-sports-strong/?mc_cid=638194e439&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

2 } – Mark Churella | Intensity Creates Pain For Opponents
Etched in Stone
Mark Churella’s successful high school career caught the attention of top college wrestling programs around the country and while it wasn’t apparent to anyone but him, the only place he was planning on going was to Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan.
Even today, college recruiting pitches can be colorful. Even without the instantaneous technology and communications that we have today, coaches will still try to talk the athlete into believing that their option, where they coach is the best choice.
We continue with Chapter 2 of the Churella story.
Etched in Stone, the stories of wrestling’s legends will take you inside the lives of over 170 of the greatest wrestlers in history as they share their never-before-told stories about their trials, tribulations and triumphs, competitors, coaches, teammates, and those who knew these athletes best will also weigh in on their … rest of story at https://www.mattalkonline.com/podcast/etched-in-stone/mark-churella-intensity-creates-pain-for-opponents/?mc_cid=de5a36abdc&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
And Mark Churella | 3X NCAA Champ Planned To Play Basketball
The first story in the Etched in Stone series is Mark Churella, a three-time NCAA Division I champion from the University of Michigan. Few dominated a match like Mark, or came as close to winning four NCAA titles, but what you will find most rewarding about listening to his story is how he used the values passed down by his parents to have one of the most successful careers in NCAA history, and then building a successful business while passing on those same values to his children. .. story at https://www.mattalkonline.com/podcast/etched-in-stone/mark-churella-chapter-1/?mc_cid=7e05e44971&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
And Mark Churella | Wrestling Values = Successful Career/Life
This is the final installment of the Mark Churella story- The post wrestling career. With the amount of success Churella had as a wrestler, certainly international success would follow.  Perhaps a coaching job. While things don’t always happen the way we want them to, for Mark Churella, things always seem to fall into place. … rest of the story at https://www.mattalkonline.com/podcast/etched-in-stone/mark-churella-wrestling-values-successful-career-life/?mc_cid=29548697b5&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3 } – The Guillotine ready to celebrate 50th year of publication in Minnesota
In 1971, St. James High School wrestling coach Paul Krueger was hoping to expand and promote the reaches of wrestling, not only in St. James but throughout the state of Minnesota. He and fellow coach and friend Bill Mohr came up with an idea to start a newspaper, fashioned after Iowa’s state wrestling paper, The Predicament, which highlighted high school wrestling across the Hawkeye State. In a twist of humor—of which Krueger was known for—Krueger named the newspaper The Guillotine, a wrestling move he hated but taught his wrestlers in case they ever needed to get out of it.  In that first year, The Guillotine published just four papers. The first edition held features and stories of wrestlers from around the state, including St. James. … rest of story at https://www.stjamesnews.com/story/sports/high-school/wrestling/2020/12/01/guillotine-wrestling-newspaper-ready-celebrate-50th-year-publication-minnesota/6397548002/?mc_cid=580d0bc2a3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

4 } – Episode 190: Catching Up with Heath Eslinger! 
Former College Wrestling Head Coach and Owner of Better Way Athletics!
I caught up with Heath Eslinger – Owner of A Better Way Athletics and former University of TN at Chattanooga Head Wrestling Coach! We talk about home schooling, quarantined life, youth and sports, coaching, and LIFE! Always good catching up with Heath!! If you enjoyed this episode please share it with your friends, and check out the website duringthebreakpodcast.com … rest of story at https://during-the-break.zencast.website/episodes/catching-up-with-heath-eslinger-former-college-wrestling-head-coach-and-owner-of-better-way-athletics?mc_cid=638194e439&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

5 } – Friday Feature: Upsets Spark Title Run
EDMOND – Central Oklahoma entered the 2006-07 wrestling season loaded with experienced veterans, returning nine starters from a team that finished fourth in the NCAA Division II national tournament the previous year. The Bronchos had back five All-Americans – 125-pounder Shane Caruthers, 133 Earl Jones, 141 Kyle Evans, 149 Shea Timothy and heavyweight Chris Finn – plus three national qualifiers in 157 Jason Leavitt, 184 Jared Hess and 197 Heath Jolley. Add in two All-Americans from 2005 – 133 Jared Henning and heavyweight Josh LeadingFox – and it was easy to see why UCO entered the season ranked No. 1.
“We’ve got great depth at most weights and if guys don’t go to the next level we’ve got the ability to make changes,” 25th-year head coach David James said in the media guide’s preseason outlook. “If we’re going to win the national championship, we’ve got to have guys step up or they’re not going to be in there.” … rest of story at https://bronchosports.com/news/2020/11/27/wrestling-friday-feature-upsets-spark-title-run.aspx?mc_cid=0d9bace552&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – ‘Fearless mentality’: Revesz helped build foundation with Pitt-Johnstown wrestling program
John Revesz didn’t win an individual national championship wrestling at Pitt-Johnstown. He wasn’t a member of a Mountain Cats’ NCAA Division II team champion.
But the Central Cambria High School graduate certainly helped build the foundation for those UPJ teams that won it all under Pat Pecora, the winningest coach in the history of the sport at the college level.
Pitt-Johnstown’s first-ever, four-time NCAA Division II All-American wrestler, Revesz died on Friday at age 59, another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic. He had battled health issues in recent years. “You’d be hard-pressed to find a human being that was pound for pound stronger or had more amazing balance than John,” said Dan Revesz, the oldest of five Revesz brothers who made their mark at Pitt-Johnstown. “It came so natural to him. “He had a fearless mentality. He wasn’t afraid of anything,” added Dan, a three-time All-American who was inducted into the Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016. “If coach told him to go out there and stand in front of a locomotive, he would do it.” … rest of story at https://www.tribdem.com/sports/fearless-mentality-revesz-helped-build-foundation-with-pitt-johnstown-wrestling-program/article_7096bbcc-3e59-11eb-98cb-333088568c2a.html?mc_cid=2646a1a5c8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

7 } – 20 in ’20 No. 14 – Stephen Abas’ wrestling dominance
(KGPE) — After a brilliant prep career in California, in which he became the seventh wrestler in history to win three California state titles, Stephen Abas would ascend to even greater heights in his time as a Fresno State Bulldog. As a freshman, Abas went 38-3 at 118 pounds and finished fourth at the 1998 NCAA Championships. He then went 37-1 and won a national title the next year at 125 pounds.
Abas took a year off from college competition the following year, and nearly made the Olympic team in 2000. As it turns out, that was just an appetizer for what Abas would do as an upperclassman, when he put together one of the greatest collegiate stretches in the history of the sport.
Using a style that was technically masterful, Abas was dominant at 125 pounds over his junior and senior campaigns, winning two more national titles and going 69-0 over that stretch, during a college streak that saw him win 95 consecutive matches overall. “There’s nothing like the NCAA Tournament for wrestling,” said Abas in the moments after his third NCAA title. “I’m gonna miss it. It was a great time.” … rest of story at https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/20-in-20-no-14-abas-dominates-on-the-mat/?mc_cid=065f8820b6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

8 } – #179 Pat Christenson – The Father of the Etched in Stone Series
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Pat Christenson is a former NCAA champion and is the creator of the Etched in Stone Podcast Series – an audio documentary series profiling the National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s distinguished guests.  Presented by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and USA Wrestling, episode one of Etched in Stone goes live today! Listen to Etched in Stone anywhere you listen to podcasts.   In this interview, we talk about Pat’s early days at Wisconsin, training with the great Lee Kemp and creating a career in the events space in Las Vegas.  We cover why the Etched in Stone Series was created and what fans can expect from the series. … rest of story at https://wrestlingchangedmylife.com/179-pat-christenson-the-father-of-the-etched-in-stone-series/?mc_cid=97ab69a0c8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

9} – Trailblazing Tradition
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A rowdy crowd of wrestling fans gathered around the mat that a young Cyler Sanderson was moments from stepping foot on. He was only 7 at the time, yet his last name drew hordes of wrestling fanatics to the small gymnasium – anxious eyes locked on his every move.  “Everyone expects you to win because of who you are,” Sanderson said. “But everyone always cheers when you lose because of who you are.”  The constant attention is justified however, as the Sanderson name holds a rich history of success, glory and victory. Twenty-two Sandersons have won individual Utah high school state titles, while reaching NCAA Division I All-American status eight times. With a family legacy of that magnitude, it comes as little surprise that Cyler would grow up to be a wrestling icon. … rest of story at https://gopsusports.com/news/2020/11/17/wrestling-trailblazing-tradition.aspx?mc_cid=97ab69a0c8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – Reflections on a wild, wacky 2020
2020 was a year like no other.
And the wrestling community certainly felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with the cancellation of the NCAA Championships and the postponement of the Olympic Games. High school wrestling is back in full swing, the college season is about to start and big international events are set to start happening in early 2021 leading into the Tokyo Olympics.
Here are my thoughts and reflections with the holidays just around the corner: Jordan Burroughs is 32 years old, but the four-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist is still really good. He likely will have to beat two-time world champion Kyle Dake to make his third straight Olympic team, but Burroughs is still wrestling at an extremely high level. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.
Kudos to FloWrestling, Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, the Hawkeye Wrestling Club and so many others for holding these live wrestling events during the pandemic. These events have given the wrestlers an opportunity to compete in live matches and also provided the fans with a chance to watch some top-level wrestling. I can’t wait for the college season to start, in all three levels. The Iowa Hawkeyes missed out on an opportunity to win the NCAA title they were expected to win in 2020. The Hawkeyes, led by superstar Spencer Lee, will be favored again. But Penn State may have something to say about it. … rest of story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/24047?mc_cid=0d946e15c0&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

11 } – The Mind of a Massa
Coming from a Michigan family that has dealt with so much wrestling heartbreak, Logan has regained a positive attitude and success on the mat
By Mike Finn
In 2020, most Americans have had a difficult year. One of the lone exceptions may be Michigan wrestler Logan Massa. “2020 has been a great year,” said Massa, who will be a senior in Ann Arbor this winter. “I’m enjoying it right now. I just got engaged to my beautiful fiancée. My sister just got a new dog. We are just enjoying life in the Massa household. We are just trying to be a close family and as successful as God will want us be.” It’s obviously not that Logan, nor any of his family members — including older brother Taylor, sister Kameron, and parents Rodger and Rhonda Massa, who hail from the central Michigan community of St. Johns — don’t care that many have suffered from the pandemic that has prevailed throughout much of 2020. … rest of story at https://www.win-magazine.com/2020/12/25/the-mind-of-a-massa/?mc_cid=c19dc39a02&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b#utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-mind-of-a-massa

12 } – SF State Wrestling Hall of Famer Lars Jensen Passes Away Celebration of Life Will Be Held this Summer, Early Fall
By Joe Danahey, Assistant. AD Media Relations, Humboldt State (Former SFSU SID) on behalf of the Jensen Family
SAN MATEO, Calif.— San Francisco State University wrestling legend Lars Jensen passed away on December 8, 2020, surrounded by his immediate family at Mills Peninsula Hospital. There will be a private outdoor funeral on New Year’s Eve in San Jose, California. Jensen, who was the head wrestling coach at SF State from 1983 to 2017. He guided the Gators to the 1997 NCAA Division II National Wrestling Championship. During his coaching career, Jensen coached 122 Gator wrestlers that qualified for the National Championships. He produced 62 All-Americans including ten individual national champions. Naveed Bagheri was SF State’s last national champion in 2012-13 where he captured the title at 141-pounds. Jensen coached 55 conference champions and 67 National Wresting Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-America Team members. He also coached three NCAA Division I national qualifiers. Following the 1983-84 season, Jensen was selected as the Amateur Wrestling Rookie coach of the Year in his first season as the head coach at his alma mater. Jensen was a seven-time conference Coach of the Year honoree as well as twice being named the NCAA Division II West Region Coach of the Year and the 1997 NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year. At the 2013-14 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championship, Jensen was the recipient of the NWCA Bob Bobb Coaching Excellence Award. … rest of story at http://www.nwcaonline.com/sf-state-wrestling-hall-of-famer-lars-jensen-passes-away-celebration-of-life-will-be-held-this-summer-early-fall/?mc_cid=b46d50bbf8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

February 2, 2021 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment