Takedown Report

NCAA Division I News (2021) – # 11

TDR Editor’s Notes ; This weekend most wrestling fans are probably fixated in locating options on how to view the Big Ten and Big 12 Conference Championships on their TVs and/or computer screens. These are the last two Division I national qualifier tournaments. The brackets for the National Championships in two weeks will be released on March 10th. The NAIA National Championships are this weekend with the tightest title race in many years. While looking for these matches you can scan over the following collection of articles about Division I teams and wrestlers. Keep on Wrestling!
E-mail us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1 } – Ethan Laird Earns MAC Co-Wrestler of the Week
Senior heavyweight defeated No. 5 Jordan Wood in Broncs’ win at Lehigh
LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Rider University senior heavyweight wrestler Ethan Laird (Waterford, PA/General McLane) has been named Mid-American Conference Co-Wrestler of the Week, the league office today announced. Laird scored arguably the biggest win of his collegiate career with an 8-5 decision over #5 Jordan Wood of Lehigh on Sunday, clinching the Broncs’ 17-15 dual victory. The Broncs’ senior heavyweight jumped out to a 5-2 lead, before Wood evened the score at 5-5 in the third period. Following an escape with 30 seconds remaining to retake a 6-5 lead, Laird put the match out of reach with a takedown with 16 seconds remaining and rode out the victory. He’s now a perfect 5-0 on the year. … rest of story at _{^{https://gobroncs.com/news/2021/2/10/wrestling-ethan-laird-earns-mac-co-wrestler-of-the-week.aspx?mc_cid=5e3b2f2de3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}
AND Mizzou’s Mauller Named MAC Wrestler of the Week
MAC Announces Wrestler of the Week
Brock Mauller, Missouri, Junior, 149 lbs.              
Columbia, Mo (Father Tolton HS)
No. 3 Brock Mauller went 3-0 at the Cowboy Challenge to improve to 13-0 on the season. He defeated nationally ranked No. 4 Boo Lewallen from Oklahoma State by 7-5 decision in TB-1 to win the 149 pounds weight class. He also picked up a 16-4 major decision over Oklahoma State’s Jarod Kadel. … rest of story at _{^{https://getsomemaction.com/news/2021/2/17/wrestling-mizzous-mauller-named-mac-wrestler-of-the-week.aspx?mc_cid=76aa098ad3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

2 } – Virginia Tech notes: Wrestling team hopes to keep rolling
The Virginia Tech wrestling team is coming off its biggest win of the season, but there is still plenty on the line in its next match. The Hokies, who rose from No. 8 to No. 4 in Tuesday’s national coaches poll, clinched at least a share of the ACC regular-season title by knocking off then-No. 3 North Carolina State last Friday night. If the Hokies (8-0, 4-0) beat 16th-ranked Pittsburgh (3-3, 1-3) in their regular-season finale at 6 p.m. Friday at Cassell Coliseum, they will clinch that crown outright. “We can’t let that [win over State] affect us,” Tech coach Tony Robie said Wednesday in a phone interview. “It was an emotional evening. It was fun. But we’ve got to make sure we stay focused. “Our guys understand what’s at stake, … but it’s always hard. … Sometimes you have a lull after a match like that.” … rest of story at _{^{https://roanoke.com/sports/college/va_tech/virginia-tech-notes-wrestling-team-hopes-to-keep-rolling/article_090dd5c4-6c87-11eb-8c4d-fbe239627cff.html?mc_cid=b6bf9ab19d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

3 } – Bulls Bounce Back with Dominant Win over Bloomsburg
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo wrestling team rebounding from a tough weekend to defeat Bloomsburg, 28-10, on Thursday afternoon at Alumni Arena. With the win, the Bulls closed out the dual season with a record of 4-3. The Bulls won three of the first matches to set the tone. Tristan Daugherty led things off a with an 11-4 decision at 125. Daugherty had two takedowns and a two-point nearfall in the first period and never looked back. Matt Ryan jumped out to a 6-0 lead over Josh Mason in the 141 match with a takedown and a four-point nearfall in the first period. However, after suffering a couple stall calls and a third-period takedown, Ryan was able to hold on for the 7-5 victory. … rest of story at _{^{https://ubbulls.com/news/2021/2/11/wrestling-bulls-bounce-back-with-dominant-win-over-bloomsburg.aspx?mc_cid=b6bf9ab19d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

4 } – Penn State Heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet Not Expected to Wrestle This Season
Penn State wrestling head coach Cael Sanderson doesn’t expect redshirt freshman heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet to compete this season. “If Greg were available, he’d be wrestling,” Sanders told the media Wednesday. “We’re not expecting to get him back this year, unfortunately, so it’s [Seth] Nevills’ opportunity to step up and get things done.” Coming into the year ranked as the nation’s No. 5 heavyweight, Kerkvliet did not see the mat in Penn State’s first three dual meets. The four-time Minnesota state high school champion went 8-0 wrestling unattached during his redshirt season in 2019-20. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.statecollege.com/penn-state-heavyweight-greg-kerkvliet-not-expected-to-wrestle-this-season/?mc_cid=b6bf9ab19d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}
AND Carter Starocci Named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week
Freshman downs second-ranked Wolverine to earn his first weekly laurel
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.  – Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.), ranked No. 5 in this week’s InterMat individual rankings, has been named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for the week ending Feb. 14, 2021.  It is the first such honor for the Penn State freshman. Starocci earned the laurel by defeating sixth-year senior Logan Massa of Michigan in a key bout in the Nittany Lions’ 18-13 victory in Ann Arbor.  Massa entered the day ranked No. 2 by InterMat while Starocci was ranked No. 8 at the time.  The Erie Cathedral Prep graduate battled Massa evenly through regulation, heading to sudden victory tied 1-1 … rest of story at _{^{https://gopsusports.com/news/2021/2/16/wrestling-carter-starocci-named-big-ten-wrestler-of-the-week.aspx?mc_cid=83f6447486&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

5 } – ‘This Is for the Next Generation’: Inside the Fight, at Stanford and Beyond, to Save Olympic Sports
At Stanford and other schools, athletes of discontinued NCAA sports teams are pushing back—and raising money to try to self-fund their programs in the process. The Home of Champions at Stanford is not your normal Hall of Fame. This 18,000-square-foot space on the university’s sprawling campus is a shrine to the country’s most successful college athletic program. The exhibit, opened in 2017, features more than 40 displays chronicling, in a state-of-the-art manner, the 130-year history of Stanford athletics. That includes a nation-leading 152 national championship teams, 270 Olympic medals won by Stanford athletes and the 25 consecutive Learfield IMG College Directors’ Cups, awarded annually to the country’s best athletic program. Visitors can use an interactive interface to watch videos of 21 Stanford greats, see Jim Plunkett’s Heisman Trophy and, in one corner of this giant hall, view some of the most recent sports artifacts on display here, from Olympic fencer Alexander Massialas. Encased in glass before a life-sized photo of a fist-pumping Massialas are the fencing mask and foil he used to claim the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.si.com/college/2021/02/12/stanford-save-cut-sports-movement-ncaa?mc_cid=ffcd6840e0&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}
AND #KEEPSTANFORDWRESTLING: WHAT’S THE REAL REASON STANFORD ELIMINATED 11 SPORTS?
This is the question we ultimately asked Provost Persis Drell that she would not answer.
In addition to the Provost, Patrick Dunkley, Deputy Athletic Director, joined us on the February 9th Zoom meeting. From our side, we had: • KSW co-chairs, Patricia Miranda ’01 and Robert Hatta ’97
• 36 Sports Strong co-chair, Kathy Levinson ’77
• Ohio State University President, Dr. Kristina Johnson BS ’79, MSEE, PhD ’83
To guide our conversation, we used the presentation found here. Through it, we made the ask that the 11 sports be reinstated and allowed to self-endow. We laid out both publicly available and AD-provided budget data that show the cuts made a minimal impact on the overall deficits, which will not only remain but grow even after COVID and the elimination of 1/3 of Stanford’s student athletes. We showed that wrestling’s ability to raise over $12 million over such a short period of time proves that sports can individually endow themselves. We closed with impassioned personal testimonies supporting the diversity of opportunities and excellence that come with a broad-based sports offering (see notes on the very last slide to see our closing statement to Provost Drell). … rest of story at _{^{https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/February/19/Keep-Stanford-wrestling-Why-did-Stanford-drop-11-sports?mc_cid=a32eea18bb&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

6 } – Wrestling’s Schultz Named Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week
SAN FRANCISCO – As announced by the Pac-12 Conference on Wednesday, redshirt freshman Cohlton Schultz has been named Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week for the first time in his Sun Devil career after his performances over the weekend against No. 13 Iowa State and Northern Iowa. Schultz, ranked No. 5 by WIN Magazine, wrestled arguably his most complete weekend of the season as he went 2-0, knocking off two top-10 opponents to end the regular season undefeated with 10 victories. … rest of story at _{^{https://thesundevils.com/news/2021/2/17/wrestlings-schultz-named-pac-12-wrestler-of-the-week.aspx?mc_cid=76aa098ad3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

7 } – CBU Wrestling Accepts Conditional Membership Status from Big 12 Conference
RIVERSIDE – California Baptist University wrestling has received a letter of intent from the Big 12 Conference regarding affiliate membership starting in 2022-23. The Big 12 is currently home to Air Force, Fresno State, Iowa State, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, South Dakota State, Utah Valley, West Virginia and Wyoming. The Lancers would give the conference 12 teams in 2022-23, as Fresno State is set to discontinue its program at the end of this season. … rest of story at _{^{https://cbulancers.com/news/2021/2/16/cbu-wrestling-accepts-conditional-membership-status-from-big-12-conference.aspx?mc_cid=83f6447486&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}
AND 2021 Big 12 Wrestling Championship TV Coverage Announced
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. –Television coverage for the 2021 Big 12 Wrestling Championship, set for March 6-7, at the BOK Center, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has been announced. The first three sessions of the championship will be distributed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, the conference’s digital platform, while the championship matches will be televised live on ESPN2 at 6 p.m. ET. All matches from the championship also will be available on the ESPN App. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPNplus.com, ESPN.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It also is available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month. … rest of story at _{^{https://wvusports.com/news/2021/2/19/2021-big-12-wrestling-championship-tv-coverage-announced.aspx?mc_cid=a32eea18bb&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

8 } – Hastings Earns Big 12 Wrestler Of The Week Honors
IRVING, Texas. (Feb. 16, 2021) – For the second week in a row, and second time this season, a Wyoming Cowboy has been named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week. Hayden Hastings takes the honor after a first-place finish at the Cowboy Challenge Tournament that was held in Stillwater, Okla. The 174 lb redshirt junior went 3-0 in the tournament and sealed first place with a win over No. 7 Dustin Plott (OSU) in the finals. This is the first time in his Cowboy career that Hastings has been named Wrestler of the Week.  At the Cowboy Challenge Tournament Hastings posted back-to-back decision victories to reach the finals outscoring his opponents 11-5 in his first two matches, before he faced off against Plott in the finals.  Plott struck first in the match scoring the first two takedowns and took an early 4-2 lead over Hastings after the first period. … rest of story at _{^{https://gowyo.com/news/2021/2/16/wrestling-hastings-earns-big-12-wrestler-of-the-week-honors.aspx?mc_cid=83f6447486&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

9} – UNC’s Heilmann, Virginia’s Keating Named ACC Wrestlers of the Week
GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – North Carolina sophomore Joe Heilmann and Virginia junior Jake Keating have been named the final 2021 Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestlers of the Week following their wins over ranked opponents in last Saturday night’s regular-season finale. UNC’s Heilmann, an unranked 133-pounder, posted a 2-0 win over Virginia’s Louie Hayes, helping the No. 14 Tar Heels to a 25-9 team win over the No. 21 Cavaliers in a matchup of ranked ACC teams. Hayes earned the No. 7 spot in the 133-pound weight class in last week’s first NCAA coaches panel rankings and was ranked No. 10 by Intermat. Heilmann, who hails from South Plainfield, New Jersey, posted his first win career win over the a top-10 opponent. … rest of story at _{^{https://theacc.com/news/2021/2/16/wrestling-uncs-heilmann-virginias-keating-named-acc-wrestlers-of-the-week.aspx?mc_cid=83f6447486&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

10 } – UNI, Navy sit atop first Mid-Major Top 20 for 2021
Northern Iowa checks in at No. 1 in NWCA Mid-Major Division I Poll
Manheim, Pennsylvania – The National Wrestling Coaches Association released its first Mid-Major Top 20 of the season on Wednesday. Formulated in 2017, the Mid-Major Top 20 concentrates on the programs that fall outside of the traditional “Power 5” conferences. COVID-19 played a significant role in this year’s college sports season, with wrestling being impacted without the participation of seven schools that would qualify for inclusion in the Mid-Major Top 20. The six wrestling Ivy League schools – Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Penn and Princeton along with the lone Division III school sponsoring Division I wrestling, Franklin & Marshall, did not compete this season. Northern Iowa, one of the nation’s top non-Power 5 wrestling programs historically, comes in atop of the poll, followed by the U.S. Naval Academy and first-year head coach Cary Kolat. Traditional Mid-American Conference power Central Michigan is third, followed by Campbell at four and Rider fifth. … rest of story at _{^{http://www.nwcaonline.com/uni-navy-sit-atop-first-mid-major-top-20-for-2021/?mc_cid=76aa098ad3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

11 } – College wrestling season has been one test after another, Penn State’s Cael Sanderson says
As the college wrestling season that basically just started already begins to wind down, Penn State coach Cael Sanderson is certain of one thing and one thing only: every team is in the same proverbial boat. Some may even be in a lifeboat but rest assured that no one is on a pleasure cruise heading toward the NCAA’s postseason championship events. “I’m excited about the challenges this season because everybody is going through the same thing,” Sanderson said on Tuesday. “You talk to the coaches of the other programs and everybody’s tired, everybody’s exhausted. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/2021/02/college-wrestling-season-has-been-one-test-after-another-penn-states-cael-sanderson-says.html?mc_cid=83f6447486&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}
AND Will a college wrestling legend emerge from a global pandemic?
Until his final breath, Dick Hutton insisted that he defeated Verne Gagne in the heavyweight finals of the 1949 NCAA Championships. And he’s not wrong for thinking that way, either.  The Oklahoma State junior (known as Oklahoma A&M at the time) lost by split referees’ decision to Gagne — a senior from Minnesota who won the 191-pound title the year before. The fate of the match was left in the hands of someone else, and the outcome truly wasn’t settled on the mat.  This seminal moment in college wrestling history was multiplied when both pursued professional wrestling careers. It didn’t matter where they were or the circumstances of the gathering: Hutton said he was the rightful winner of the match. Gagne said the same thing. It always led to playful banter whenever they were in a room together. For his part, Gagne — one of the biggest names in professional wrestling history — spoiled the final chance for a college wrestler to win four NCAA championships. At least that’s what everyone assumed.  … rest of story at _{^{https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1613968879360&twSessionId=zydvzxtigz&postId=1079962135&mc_cid=4fc5b594c8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

12 } – Fresno State Duals vs. Oklahoma & Oregon State canceled
Due to COVID-19 contact tracing within the Fresno State wrestling program, the Bulldogs home matches against No. 18 Oklahoma and Oregon State scheduled for Sunday at the Save Mart Center have been canceled. Additionally, the scheduled match between Oklahoma and Oregon State will not be hosted in the Save Mart Center. … rest of story at _{^{https://gobulldogs.com/news/2021/2/10/wrestling-dogs-dual-with-oklahoma-oregon-state-canceled.aspx?mc_cid=5e3b2f2de3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}
AND IOWA RETURNS TO LIMITED IN-PERSON ACTIVITIES; DUAL AGAINST NORTHWESTERN ON FEB. 19 POSTPONED
STATEMENT FROM THE IOWA WRESTLING PROGRAM
At the direction of the University of Iowa medical team, the Iowa Athletics Department announced Monday that the Iowa Wrestling program has returned to limited in-person activities, ending a seven-day pause in response to positive COVID-19 test results within the program. Iowa will continue to follow Big Ten Conference medical protocols and the direction of the UI medical team regarding a full-team return to in-person activities. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/February/15/Iowa-returns-to-in-person-activities-but-Northwestern-dual-postponed?mc_cid=9e45a80a12&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

 

March 7, 2021 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized