Takedown Report

NCAA Division I News (2021) – # 7

TDR Editor’s Notes ; Scanning over Division I teams, wrestlers and matches from last month are included below. E-mail us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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1 } – Lights, camera, Sun Devils: Films in production about Anthony Robles, Magee family
Arizona State’s cinematic history ranges from Jerry Lewis in 1962 to Barbra Streisand in 1976 to the Coen brothers in 1987 to Cuba Gooding Jr. in 1996. 
For ASU fans, nothing is likely to surpass Gooding Jr.’s Rod Tidwell contract plea —”I went to Arizona State, I’m from Arizona, I break Arizona records, I’m a Sun Devil, man” — to Tom Cruise’s Jerry Maguire, but films currently in production are certain to warm Sun Devil hearts and producers hope those of a larger audience. Certainly the mega watt power attached to upcoming movies about ASU 2011 NCAA wrestling champion Anthony Robles and football/baseball player Brandon Magee and his family suggest the potential for box office/ratings success.
Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions is working on a biopic about Robles based on his 2012 memoir “Unstoppable: From Underdog to Undefeated: How I Became a Champion.”  Robles was born without a right leg due to a birth defect. He grew up in Mesa, where he began wrestling, and at ASU was a three-time All-America at 125 pounds who went 36-0 in 2010-11 in winning a national championship.  … rest of story at _{^{https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/college/asu/2021/01/18/asu-heading-back-screen-films-robles-magee-family/6564005002/?mc_cid=0d6ab523a2&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

2 } – Mark Manning: What I Learned From Jordan Burroughs and Mike Denney
Nebraska coach Mark Manning has led the Huskers for the past 20 seasons. He began his career as an athlete at Nebraska before transferring to Division II Nebraska-Omaha, where he was an NCAA champion in 1983 and 1985.  Jordan Burroughs was an NCAA champion for Nebraska in 2009 and 2011 before becoming a five-time World and Olympic champion (2011-13, 2015, 2017). Denney coached Nebraska-Omaha to seven NCAA titles before the program was unceremoniously dropped after the 2011 season. He is the current head coach at Maryville.  The following are thoughts from Manning on what he learned from Burroughs and Denney. 
JORDAN BURROUGHS
It depends on if you asked me last year or 10 years ago because this will be the 15th year we will be around each other. It spans so many years of seeing how he has matured from being a college student and having success in college, becoming a national champion in college, and then breaking through as a World champion and Olympic champion. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1611117582553&twSessionId=ssgeugkuow&postId=979317135&mc_cid=0d6ab523a2&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

3 } – The best moments from last weekend’s college wrestling duals (Jan. 25th)
The stars shined bright in Week 4 of the 2021 college wrestling season, with Spencer Lee and Gable Steveson earning bonus-point wins for their respective teams. But last weekend also featured a number of major upsets, key victories and notable moments. Here’s what you need to know about what happened on the mat over the last few days, and what to make of these results. 
Undefeated Binghamton earns ranked win
The EIWA conference is always loaded and fun, and while the absence of the Ivy League programs weakens the star power slightly, Binghamton let the conference know on Saturday that the Bearcats have chosen to step into the spotlight. Head coach Kyle Borshoff’s team came together as a unit and stopped the Army Black Knights in a major upset win, putting the brakes on an Army team that has been sending a consistent number of top athletes to the tournament every year and establishing itself as a Top 25 team season after season.
DIVISION I RANKINGS: Iowa tops latest poll
“What those guys did out there, it’s hard to do. I need to come up with more adjectives because the only one that comes to my mind is just how incredible that was,” Borshoff told BUBearcats.com after the win. “I am so proud of our guys. There were four matches listed as ‘toss ups’ and we were able to win all of them.” 
What Borshoff’s guys did was win seven of the 10 matches, two with bonus and one in overtime, to top Army 23-10. Army coach Kevin Ward was not nearly as positive after the dual as Borshoff, but the night really did belong to his opponent. Freshman Micah Roes helped kick things off for the Green and White as he secured his tough 10-8 OT win and passed the baton to Anthony Sobotker to pick up the 10-5 decision at 133 pounds. Zack Trampe scored a bonus point win for the Bearcats, but Brevin Cassella, Jacob Nolan, Lou DePrez and Cory Day were all needed with their wins as well. Day’s win also came by bonus against the No. 17 heavyweight in the country. Binghamton faces conference powerhouse Lehigh next, but momentum is in the Bearcat’s favor as they continue through this unusual, unpredictable season.  … rest of story at _{^{https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling/article/2021-01-25/college-wrestling-notable-highlights-week-4}}

4 } – Navy, Binghamton break into Top 25
Manheim, Pennyslvania – With the shortened season, the amount of time for teams to build momentum in dual meets is truncated. For Binghamton and Navy, the two EIWA teams are making the most of their time on the mats with quality performances and those performances have led to their season debuts in the NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.
Navy (2-1) and first-year head coach Cary Kolat nearly upset Pittsburgh to start the season. Since, the Midshipmen beat Clarion and then-No. 18 Lehigh. Binghamton topped then-No. 22 Army West Point convincingly last week, winning seven out of 10 bouts in a 23-10 win over the Black Knights.
Navy cracks the Top 25 for the first time since December 12, 2017. The Mids run in the Top 25 during the 2017-18 season was short-lived as they fell out of the poll the next week. Navy was ranked for 11 weeks during the 2007-09 season. Binghamton hasn’t been ranked in the NWCA Division I Coaches Poll since February 21, 2012, when current NC State head coach Pat Popolizo led the Bearcats. Binghamton peaked at No. 18 during the 2011-12 season, the highest in the program’s history as a Division I institution.
Inactivity led to some shifts in the overall Top 25 as Michigan and Penn State both saw movement despite not competing. Michigan, which was tied with Penn State at No. 2 last week, is alone at No. 2 despite COVID-19 protocols leading to a pause in all University of Michigan athletics. Penn State paused team activities two weeks ago. The Nittany Lions were scheduled to face Michigan State, but both schools agreed to postpone the dual until a later date. NC State (4-0) slid up to No. 3 after dominating No. 12 Pittsburgh 27-6. … rest of story at _{^{http://www.nwcaonline.com/navy-binghamton-break-into-top-25/?mc_cid=348fe62197&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

5 } – Parents of Stanford wrestlers send letter alleging fraud, deceit by athletic department
Stanford wrestling, one of 11 sports programs slated for elimination by the university, is not going down without a fight. A day after a dominating performance in the team’s first meet of the season at Cal State Bakersfield, an attorney for a group of wrestling parents accused the Stanford athletic department of deceit and fraud in a letter to the university. “The goal for the clients, who are parents of some of the wrestlers, is to get Stanford to reinstate the wrestling,” said Domenic Spinelli, the Sacramento-based attorney retained by the parents.
The letter, addressed to athletic director Bernard Muir, university President Marc Tessier-Lavigne and university provost Persis Drell, asserts that Muir “committed both fraud and deceit to these student-athletes and their families” by failing to disclose that the program was in danger of being cut. On July 8, Muir stated that Stanford would eliminate 11 programs: men’s and women’s fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men’s rowing, coed and women’s sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men’s volleyball and wrestling. The announcement came with no warning and sent shock waves not only through the 240 students and 22 coaches committed to the programs, but the Stanford athletic community as a whole. In the months since then, those working to save the programs have been frustrated by the lack of response and more detailed explanation from the athletic department, even as they raise funds to endow the sports. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/annkillion/article/Parents-of-Stanford-wrestlers-send-letter-15897392.php?mc_cid=348fe62197&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b#photo-12250320}}

6 } – ACC upset pushes Virginia into Top 25; Clutch upperweights lift Lehigh
Manheim, Pennsylvania – With Punxsutawney Phil seeing his shadow on Groundhog Day, the lore says we have six more weeks of winter. We’ve also got six more weeks of wrestling season. With the final three weeks of the regular season looming, dual meet action has been consistently solid around the Division I wrestling landscape even in the abbreviated season. Upset wins by Virginia and Lehigh pushed those teams into the rankings this week as the NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll was released on Tuesday. Virginia topped then-No. 12 Pittsburgh 17-16 in Charlottesville. Heavyweight Quinn Miller’s major decision was the difference as he scored a key bonus point to avoid sending the match to criteria and allowed the Cavaliers to win the dual outright. It’s the first time this season Steve Garland’s squad has been ranked. They last appeared in the rankings on January 7, 2020.
Lehigh re-entered the rankings, bolstered by the return of All-American heavyweight Jordan Wood, who saw his first action of the season over the weekend. The Mountain Hawks scored bonus points in the final two matches to rally past then-No. 25 Binghamton 19-16 in Grace Hall. Lehigh also shutout LIU 46-0 to even its record at 2-2. Binghamton slipped out of the Top 25 after jumping in last week. The other notable upset came as unranked West Virginia knocked off then-No. 17 Northern Colorado 25-11 in Morgantown. The loss dropped Northern Colorado out of the Top 25. Top-ranked Iowa was again the unanimous No. 1 after trouncing No. 9 Illinois 36-6. It was the only dual of the week that pitted two top-ten teams against one another. Of the 11 duals between ranked teams last week, 10 were won by the higher ranked team. Then-No. 22 Oklahoma’s 21-12 win over then-No. 21 Stanford in Little Rock was the only one that saw the lower ranked team prevail. There were four duals where unranked teams beat ranked teams — the three noted above and South Dakota State’s 23-15 win over Stanford. … rest of story at _{^{https://portal.nwcaonline.com/articles/NWCA_News/ACC-upset-pushes-Virginia-into-Top-25-2-2-2021}}

7 } – THOMAS NAMED BIG 12 WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
NORMAN — Oklahoma redshirt senior Justin Thomas was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week, it was announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon. Thomas, ranked No. 16 entering his match with Arizona State’s No. 10 Jacori Teemer on Friday, used a pair of takedowns to collect his eighth-career win over a ranked opponent. His win over No. 10 Teemer marked the first top-10 win of the two-time NCAA qualifier’s OU career. The accolade marks the 50th time that a Sooner has been named the league’s wrestler of the week and first since Dom Demas in Dec. 2019.   
It’s the first weekly Big 12 honor awarded to the Huntington Beach, Calif., product, but the 157-pounder is no stranger to accolades. He is a three-time Academic All-Big 12 first team honoree and a 2020 NWCA Scholar All-American. Thomas has risen up the rankings as a Sooner, climbing as high as No. 13 last season. … rest of story at _{^{https://soonersports.com/news/2021/1/12/wrestling-thomas-named-big-12-wrestler-of-the-week.aspx?mc_cid=7d0bae3ce9&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

8 } – Jason Borrelli: What I learned from Tom Borrelli
Stanford coach Jason Borrelli shares thoughts on what he learned from his father, Central Michigan coach Tom Borrelli. Jason wrestled for his father at Central Michigan from 2001-2006. 
“I think a lot of people think of me as a wrestling coach and my dad as a wrestling coach and they think I’m naturally going to say what I’ve learned from him as a coach. I’ve learned how to be a good husband and a great father from him. Things that are more important than our professional lives.” “I learned how to be loyal, how to be committed to something, and how to be strong during times of extreme difficulty. I watched my mom and dad through the death of their first son and the effects of that on our family. There are greater tragedies in life than some of the small things that people get worked up about. How you respond to the big things are more important.” “I’ve learned commitment and loyalty and seeing things through. My dad showed that in a lot of ways. Not just having a long and great marriage to my mom but being there for his kids. Those things carry into coaching.” “As a coach, I’ve learned the same things. It’s a people business. It’s not necessarily about what someone knows. It’s more about people and relationships and being loyal to those around you and making sure they know how much you care.” “If I broke it into a few words, I would say consistency, discipline, loyalty, and integrity.” … rest of story at _{^{https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1609895708226&twSessionId=evbzyskvbo&postId=932476135&mc_cid=afb669e366&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

9} – SPENCER LEE NAMED BIG TEN CO-WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
IOWA CITY, Iowa — For the second week in a row, University of Iowa senior Spencer Lee has been named Big Ten Co-Wrestler of the Week, the conference office announced Tuesday. Lee shares the award with Wisconsin’ Eric Barnette. Lee, ranked No. 1 at 125 pounds, pinned No. 9 Mitch McKee of Minnesota in one minute, 53 seconds, to lead No. 1 Iowa to a 35-4 win over the No. 15 Gophers on Jan. 22. Lee led 14-0 before securing the fall, registering a takedown 31 seconds into the match and piling up 12 nearfall poins. The first-period fall was his second this season and 18th of his career. Lee improved to 24-0 all-time in Big Ten duals and extended his winning streak to 25 matches. The weekly conference honor is the third of his career and the second for Iowa this season. … rest of story at _{^{https://hawkeyesports.com/news/2021/01/26/spencer-lee-named-big-ten-co-wrestler-of-the-week-2/?mc_cid=bf1f14c6db&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}
And College wrestling: Iowa adjusts after losing marquee match
It was one of those dates that had been circled on the calendar. Second-ranked Michigan was scheduled to be at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday for a wrestling dual with top-ranked Iowa, a welcomed in-season challenge for a lineup full of returning all-Americans. “We were looking forward to it. They’re number two. They were going to have all of their big guns in the lineup,’’ Hawkeye 197-pounder Jacob Warner said Tuesday. “We were getting ready to roll.’’
Instead, Iowa is getting ready to host only Illinois, an improving ninth-ranked team that will be the Hawkeyes’ sole opponent in what will be an 11 a.m. dual. “We’ll make the most of it. We still have an opponent coming in to prepare for,’’ Warner said.
The Hawkeyes have little choice. It was announced late Saturday night that the entire Michigan athletics department went on a two-week pause because of COVID-19 issues within the department. … rest of the story at _{^{https://wcfcourier.com/sports/college/iowa/college-wrestling-iowa-adjusts-after-losing-marquee-match/article_2ce6619f-ea10-54b1-b065-e663deb8fd9a.html?mc_cid=348fe62197&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

10 } – Wrestling’s Braunagel Brothers: Born to be Captains
By Mike Pearson, FightingIllini.com
Over the years, the Fighting Illini wrestling program has featured some incredibly successful brother acts. From the Sapora brothers in the 1920s and ’30s to the Tirapelle trio in the 1990s and 2000s, sibling DNA has led to exemplary leadership and exceptional results.
The current era of Illini wrestling features a pair of feisty identical twins from southern Illinois: Danny and Zac Braunagel. Early in the Fall of 2019, little more than a month after their 19th birthday, UI head coach Jim Heffernan confidently bestowed the title of co-captains to his then redshirt freshman phenoms. “So much of wrestling and being successful in wrestling is about living a certain lifestyle,” Heffernan said. “There’s a lot of things that go into it. Tons of discipline … diet … obviously, work habits … dedication. Danny and Zac came in and impressed me so much. Their work ethic and the example they set made it a pretty easy choice. “And I did it for a couple of other reasons, too. This is what we’re looking for. To be a high caliber team, you need everybody moving in the same direction. So, … rest of story at _{^{https://fightingillini.com/news/2021/1/26/wrestlings-braunagel-brothers-born-to-be-captains.aspx?mc_cid=348fe62197&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

11 } – Parker Earns Weekly Conference Award
IRVING, Texas – The Big 12 Conference announced its weekly wrestling awards on Tuesday afternoon, and for the third time of his career, Ian Parker was named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week. Parker’s 4-3 decision over No. 5 Dom Demas helped pushed Iowa State past Oklahoma, 18-16 in an exciting dual in Cedar Falls last Sunday. In their sixth meeting, and a rematch of the 2020 Big 12 finals, Parker toed the line with Oklahoma’s Demas at 141 pounds. Trailing 3-2 in the third period, Parker locked in a takedown with 0:30 on the clock and rode Demas out for the 4-3 victory. … rest of story at _{^{https://cyclones.com/news/2021/1/26/wrestling-parker-earns-weekly-conference-award.aspx?mc_cid=348fe62197&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}
And WIBN Speaker Series: Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby
Bob Bowlsby has been the Commissioner of the Big 12 Conference since 2012. A native of Waterloo, Iowa, Bowlsby wrestled at Minnesota State Moorhead as a college athlete before getting into the world of college athletics administration. After leaving Moorhead, he took a job in athletics at Northern Iowa before ascending to the role of Athletics Director. He left UNI to take the same job at the University of Iowa. At Iowa, Bowlsby led the Hawkeyes athletic programs for 16 seasons, overseeing the merger of the men’s and women’s departments into one cohesive system.  In 2006, Bowlsby headed to Stanford, where he was the Athletics Director for until he left for the Big 12 in 2012. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.mattalkonline.com/podcast/state-of-wrestling/wibn-speaker-series-big-12-commissioner-bob-bowlsby/?mc_cid=63515b3c44&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

12 } – #195 Kellen Russell – 2x NCAA Champion, Michigan Assistant Coach
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Kellen Russell is a 2x NCAA champion and currently coaches for the University of Michigan under head coach Sean Bormet.  Back in high school, Kellen wrestled for the great Jeff Buxton at Blair Academy.  Enjoy it folks! … rest of story at _{^{https://wrestlingchangedmylife.com/195-kellen-russell-2x-ncaa-champion-michigan-assistant-coach/?mc_cid=7d0bae3ce9&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}
And Brooks eager to start sophomore season at Penn State
With the way Aaron Brooks ascended so quickly in the sport of wrestling, racking up titles and accolades in seemingly nonstop fashion in both freestyle and folkstyle, it’s hard to believe it’s now been over 10 months since he last competed. But one thing the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t been able to stop is his training. Brooks — a 2018 North Hagerstown graduate and a four-time state champion for the Hubs — is more than ready to finally get his sophomore season started at Penn State. The wait is almost over. On Saturday, the Nittany Lions are set to open with a dual meet at Rutgers. “I’m ready to go,” Brooks said. “I honestly feel more ready than I ever have to compete. I’m feeling really good, really confident. “I know my wrestling has jumped levels. Even though I haven’t competed in months, I’m really excited to show the growth I’ve made.”
Rutgers return
The last time he competed also was at Rutgers, which hosted the Big Ten championships early last March. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.heraldmailmedia.com/sports/brooks-eager-to-start-sophomore-season-at-penn-state/article_130d41f0-5426-11eb-a0f5-9b2341250172.html?mc_cid=01186bea70&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

February 12, 2021 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized