Takedown Report

National Wrestling News (2021) – # 5

TDR Editor’s Notes ; The biggest national news is the sad and disappointing cancellation of the NCAA Division III Championships inall Winter sports. While it is good that wrestling is not being singledout to be penalized but it is across all winter sports. Disheartening as none of the Division III.
E-mail us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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1 } – COMPLETE LIST OF USA WRESTLING SANCTIONED EVENTS FOR THE NEXT THREE MONTHS, AS OF JANUARY 25, WITH 27 NEW EVENTS
USA Wrestling is regularly publishing a list of sanctioned events as our nation and our sport comes back from the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, there are 100 tournaments/clinics listed from 19 different states over the next three months. Since our posting on January 18, there are 27 additional events which have been added to the list. The new additions are marked in bold.
The list provides an easy reference for athletes, coaches and families, in order to make plans for competitions moving forward. Not only is USA Wrestling providing events on its national schedule, but many state associations and local clubs are also developing events for athletes of all ages to participate in. Our list will include events by date, as well as events by state.
There were 13 states that added sanctions this week. Wisconsin added the most new sanctions with five. Coming in with three new sanctioned events were Georgia, Indiana, Missouri and Pennsylvania. Sanctioning two new events were North Dakota and Wyoming. Adding a single new event were Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana, New Jersey, Utah and Virginia. There were four new USA Wrestling national-level events added this week. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/January/25/USA-Wrestling-sanctioned-events-for-the-next-three-months-as-of-January-25?mc_cid=4ec9be6c16&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

2 } – DAVID TAYLOR TOPS JORDAN BURROUGHS IN FLOWRESTLING SUPER-MATCH
The Jordan Burroughs vs. David Taylor super-match was worth the wait. The bout between five-time World and Olympic champion Burroughs, who competes at 74 kg, and 86 kg World champion Taylor was originally slated for last Saturday night but moved due to COVID-19 tracing protocols.
The pair wrestled four times prior to tonight, with Burroughs winning all four matches. This was the first time they squared off since 2014 and also the first time they’ve wrestled since Taylor moved to his new weight class. In the first period, Taylor was the first wrestler to get in on a leg attack, penetrating deep on a head inside single. Burroughs countered with a strong whizzer, and the pair were put back on their feet. Shortly after, Burroughs was unable to score after being put on the shot clock, giving Taylor a 1-0 lead going into the break. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/January/13/Taylor-tops-Burroughs-in-FloWrestling-super-match?mc_cid=6b4820f7a2&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

3 } – HMA Interview #56: David Taylor
On this episode of the Home Mat Advantage Wrestling Podcast, Jude sits and talks with 2018 World Champion David Taylor about his recent match with Jordan Burroughs. 
Sponsor: https://tonyrotundo.smugmug.com/WRESTLERS-ARE-WARRIORS … rest of story at _{^{http://www.hmawrestling.com/video/hma-interview-56-david-taylor/?mc_cid=0d6ab523a2&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

4 } – Reflections From 2020: Wrestling During a Global Pandemic
It was like Christmas morning had come nine months early for those within the wrestling community. On that Wednesday in March, the 2020 NCAA Division I wrestling championships selection show announced the full bracket field for the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, which were set to be held a little over a week away in Minneapolis.
The excitement surrounding the 2020 NCAAs – the pinnacle event in every college season – was palpable. For the first time in the history of the sport, the event was to be held in an NFL stadium – U.S. Bank Stadium – home of the Minnesota Vikings.
This enclosed venue – which mirrors a Viking ship – has a seating capacity of 66,860 for football, and 72,711 for the 2019 NCAA Division I men’s basketball Final Four. … rest of story at _{^{https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2021/01/13/reflections-from-2020-wrestling-during-a-global-pandemic/?mc_cid=985ebae38c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

5 } – Five wrestlers from Texas you need to know about
Texas is the largest state (268,597 square miles) in the contiguous United States. Too bad they don’t have any NCAA wrestling programs. NAIA schools Wayland Baptist and Texas Wesleyan offer wrestling, but this state could use more. A lot more.  Despite the lack of college programs, Texas has produced several top-tier wrestlers. Here are six you need to know about. 
Note: The original version of this story included five wrestlers from Texas you need to know about. The story has been updated to reflect Randi Miller’s contributions to the state’s wrestling history. 
Tervel Dlagnev (Arlington)
Dlagnev was born in Bulgaria before ending up in Texas (via Austria and California). He wrestled for two years at Arlington High School, placing third and fourth at the Texas state championships. 
Next up was Division II Nebraska-Kearney where he was a four-time All-American … rest of story at _{^{https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1610771366987&twSessionId=wtcqxedses&postId=959025135&mc_cid=9a695e9aca&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

6 } – MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY CONVERSATION WITH NATE JACKSON, PRESIDENT OF THE BLACK WRESTLING ASSOCIATION
By Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling | Jan. 18, 2021, 4:04 p.m. (ET)Nate Jackson photo by Sam Janicki.
Nate Jackson, a top Senior men’s freestyle wrestler who is president of the Black Wrestling Association, agreed to visit on Martin Luther King Day. He spoke about Dr. King and his legacy, the work of the BWA, and its efforts to improve and grow wrestling. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/January/18/MLK-Day-conversation-with-Nate-Jackson-of-the-BWA?mc_cid=ad63827ef7&mc_eid=%5B2ef7cbca4b%5D}}

7 } – Distinguished Member Lou Giani Passes Away
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame was saddened to learn that Louis “Lou” Giani, a Distinguished Member inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003, passed away on Tuesday, at the age of 86. Information on funeral arrangements will be released at a later date.
“On behalf of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Board of Governors and staff, I want to express our sincere sympathies to the family, friends and countless wrestlers coached by Lou Giani,” said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. “A great competitor as a wrestler, he became one of the most extraordinary coaches our sport has ever had, particularly at the youth and high school levels. His impact became known across the wrestling world in 2003 when he became one of only five high school coaches in history to be enshrined in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.”
… rest of story at _{^{https://nwhof.org/blog/distinguished-member-lou-giani-passes-away/?mc_cid=36a2e0aa41&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

8 } – When it comes to wrestling rankings, the possibilities are endless
There is something alluring about rankings. It provides numerical order and reason to an inherently flawed and irrational process. 
College and high school rankings attempt to place value on a wrestler’s wins and losses throughout the course of a season. Dominant wins — especially over a quality opponent — and minimal losses makes it easy to place one person over another. The more people you rank, the harder it is to evaluate. 
Rankings get more complicated and are even more irrational when greatness is on the line. We all have our favorites and we all have inherent biases. Recency bias is real since current wrestlers are being watched in real-time. Viewing credentials through a contextual window takes work, and most won’t dig past what they know.  Rankings have a tendency to overlook the transformational parts of a sport that make it unique. Perhaps no sport has the ability to fundamentally change a person quite like wrestling. 
It’s easy to look at a list and evaluate a person’s worth based on who is ahead of who in any given week. It seems like there should be a bit more color and a little more depth to rankings — even if it’s just once a year. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1611547954796&twSessionId=zckuxryblx&postId=996663135&mc_cid=494039af40&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

9} – Mark Fong and Mack Reiter go On The Mat presented by Cliff Keen Athletic
Mark Fong and Mack Reiter go On The Mat
Mark Fong and Mack Reiter will go On The Mat. Fong is a high school coach in Connecticut and is starting the Overcomer Training Center in Middletown. The connection there is Fong was Richard Perry’s high school coach. Perry suffered a life-altering injury while training in the run up to the 2018 World Championships. Don Bosco graduate and Minnesota three-time All-American Mack Reiter also joins the show. He talks a lot, so he’ll be entertaining. Join Kyle Klingman and Andy Hamilton as they talk about the world of wrestling on the flagship podcast of Trackwrestling.com. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPlayer.jsp?TIM=1611461208837&twSessionId=mbnwngghqy&videoId=994670135&mc_cid=ff92a43b17&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

10 } – TEAMS DRAFTED FOR CAPTAINS’ CUP, COMPETITION SET FOR FEB. 13-14
The teams are set for the Captains’ Cup after a virtual draft took place live on FloWrestling on Saturday night. The competition will take place Feb. 13-14 on FloWrestling.
The Captains’ Cup presented by Titan Mercury Wrestling Club is a women’s freestyle dual-meet event that will showcase six teams comprised of the USA’s top women’s freestyle athletes competing for $50,000. Each team is headed up and drafted by some of the biggest names in the U.S., including World champions Tamyra Mensah-Stock, Jacarra Winchester, Senior World silver medalist Sarah Hildebrandt and 2019 World Team members Kayla Miracle, Victoria Francis and Jenna Burkert.
Each captain will compete at their respective weight class, and as a result, drafted five athletes each. The draft was conducted in a snake style with the first round order as follows: Mensah-Stock, Winchester, Hildebrandt, Miracle, Francis and Burkert. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/January/23/Captains-Cup-draft-recap?mc_cid=ff92a43b17&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

11 } – Chapman’s Chats: Honoring UNI’s historic West Gym
Note: The following column, written by Mike Chapman — the founder of WIN Magazine, the Dan Gable Wrestling Museum/Hall of Fame and the Dan Hodge Trophy — appeared in the January 2020 issue of WIN Magazine. To read past and future columns by this Hall of Fame writer, subscribe to WIN (in digital or written form) by clicking here or calling 888-305-0606.
By Mike Chapman
When it comes to important structures in America’s long and storied wrestling history, few places can match the legendary West Gym on the University of Northern Iowa campus in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
That fact was driven home for me in dramatic fashion on Jan. 4, 2020, when I was attending the dual meet between host UNI and Utah Valley.
Built in 1923, the West Gym has been a key part of the campus for almost a century. The school has gone under four names since its founding in 1876 — including Iowa State Teachers College and State College of Iowa — before it became the University of Northern Iowa in 1967. Despite the name changes, one consistent feature of the college has been the strength of its wrestling program.
The school had its first dual meet in 1923 and became a national power in the 1940s, hitting its peak in 1950. That year, under Coach Dave McCuskey, Iowa State Teachers College (ISTC) went 11-0 and won two national team titles … in the NCAA and AAU. ISTC won the NCAA crown in its own West Gym by a 30-16 margin over runner-up Purdue, and saw three Panthers claim individual titles. At 145, Keith Young won his second of three; at 155, Bill Nelson won his third, and at 165 Bill Smith won his second in a row. Two years later, Smith became UNI’s only Olympic champion in any sport when he claimed the gold medal at 160.5 pounds in Helsinki. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.win-magazine.com/2021/01/13/chapmans-chats-honoring-unis-historic-west-gym/?mc_cid=6b4820f7a2&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b#utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=chapmans-chats-honoring-unis-historic-west-gym}}

12 } – Meet NMU’s New Assistant Coach Jamie Segorski
On Monday, Northern Michigan University officially announced the addition of Jamie Segorski as the new assistant coach for the Greco-Roman program that is part of the school’s National Training Site. Segorski is an exceedingly well-known name in and around Upper Michigan. For 14 years, he served as the head coach for Escanaba High School’s wrestling team, in the process capturing 11 district championships along with four Upper Peninsula titles. But it wasn’t just on the mat where Segorski found success. He also led Escanaba’s girls’ softball to a state crown in 2018. Segorski, 49, describes himself as … rest of story at _{^{http://www.fivepointmove.com/northern-michigan-university-greco-roman/new-assistant-coach-jamie-segorski/?mc_cid=01186bea70&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}
And Jordan Burroughs on Twitter at _{^{https://twitter.com/alliseeisgold/status/1348743812299030531?mc_cid=01186bea70&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}
And Yianni Diakomihalis: My advice to my younger self
The following excerpt first appeared on Trackwrestling in December of 2018 when two-time NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis joined us for our Seven Minutes series. 
If you could take what you know now and have a conversation with yourself at 15, what advice would you give yourself? “Don’t ever let people try and take you off course. … rest of the story at _{^{https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1610252015269&twSessionId=qnjhpdxvyw&postId=948008135&mc_cid=a7ee94d0b8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

February 4, 2021 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized