Takedown Report

Carolinas’ Colleges’ News (2021) – # 5

TDR Editor’s Notes ; The following articles are just some of the news of teams in North and South Carolina as all have completed their conference tournaments to qualify for nationals in St. Louis. The Division I schools gathered in the ACC tournament at N.C. State and the Southern Conference at Appalachian State. The Division II schools competed in the Super Regional at Emmanuel College. Read on and Keep Wrestling.
Contact us with your input at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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1 } – Runnin’ Bulldogs Earn Six Third-Place Finishes at 2021 SoCon Championship
BOONE, N.C. – Gardner-Webb had six men earn third-place finishes as the Runnin’ Bulldogs took part in the 2021 Southern Conference Wrestling Championship Sunday at the Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, N.C.
Todd Carter, Trevon Majette, Taylor Parks, Evan Schenk, Jha’Quan Anderson, and Anthony Perrine each brought home third-place finishes in their weight classes, while RJ Mosley earned a fourth-place result. At 133 pounds, Carter won his first match of the day against Chattanooga’s Colton Landers before falling in the semifinals to Appalachian State’s Sean Carter.  In the consolation rounds, Carter defeated Presbyterian’s Dominic Chavez and again defeated Landers in the third-place match. Majette blanked The Citadel’s Tyler Seeley by major decision in the opening bout at 141 pounds before falling in a tiebreaker to App State’s Anthony Brito in the semifinals.  Majette then claimed both matchups in the consolation rounds to place third. At 157 pounds, Taylor Parks fell in the opening round to VMI’s Blake Showers, but went through the consolation rounds to pin Chattanooga’s Weston Wichman in the third-place bout.  … rest of story at _{^{https://gwusports.com/news/2021/2/28/wrestling-runnin-bulldogs-earn-six-third-place-finishes-at-2021-socon-championship.aspx}}

2 } – Three-Peat: @PackWrestle Claims ACC Gold for Third Straight Year
Wolfpack Claims Five of the 10 Individual Titles
RALEIGH, N.C. – Powered behind five individual ACC Champions, the NC State wrestling team claimed its third straight ACC Championship Sunday night in Reynolds Coliseum.  NC State claimed top team honors with 89.5 team points. Virginia Tech was second with 65.5 and North Carolina third with 63. Virginia (55), Pitt (45) and Duke (7) rounded out the team scoring. In the process, the Pack qualified eight of its 10 starters for the NCAA Championships, and the remaining two will wait to earn if they earned an at-large selection.
 ACC Championship Finals
The ACC Finals started at 133 pounds.
 141 ACC Finals | #8 Tariq Wilson vs. #9 Zach Sherman, UNC
Wilson reached the ACC Finals for the third straight year, and became an ACC champion for the first time in his career. … rest of story at _{^{https://gopack.com/news/2021/2/28/wrestling-three-peat-packwrestle-claims-acc-gold-for-third-straight-year.aspx?mc_cid=6c7ef6b094&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

3 } – 3-peat! Camels clinch 3rd straight SoCon title
BOONE, N.C. – Campbell held off a late Appalachian State surge to claim its third consecutive Southern Conference Wrestling Championship on Sunday at the Holmes Convocation Center. With eight Camels making finals appearances, Campbell held an 83-70 advantage heading into the consolation finals before the Mountaineers took an 87-86 lead, winning five individual titles at 125, 133, 141, 149 and 157. Four of those included head to head matchups between the Camels and Mountaineers (125, 141, 149 and 157). Austin Murphy gave Campbell the go-ahead title clinching points at 174 pounds, earning first period back points and hanging on for a 9-3 decision over App State’s Thomas Flitz. Chris Kober added to CU’s lead at 197 pounds, defeating Chattanooga’s Logan Andrew 3-1, securing a third individual Campbell champion. Campbell finished with 92 team points, staving off Appalachian State’s 87. Chattanooga took third with 64 points, followed by Gardner-Webb (50), The Citadel (43.5), VMI (18) and Presbyterian (6.5). … rest of story at _{^{https://gocamels.com/news/2021/2/28/wrestling-3-peat-camels-clinch-3rd-straight-socon-title.aspx?mc_cid=6c7ef6b094&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

4 } – ACC PREVIEW: FIVE RANKED TEAMS AND NUMEROUS TALENTED INDIVIDUALS BATTLE FOR 33 NCAA BERTHS
The ACC is set for the 2021 ACC Wrestling Championship with five of its six teams finishing the dual meet season ranked in the NWCA’s top 20. A conference championship full of talent, the event is set to feature stars up and down the brackets, potentially resulting in a very tight team race. Nine of last year’s 10 ACC champions return this year, looking to win back-to-back conference titles. The tournament will start strong at 125 pounds, with returning champion Jakob Camacho of NC State ranked as the second seed behind Virginia Tech’s top-seeded Sam Latona. The two faced each other in a dual meet on February 5, with Latona scoring in dramatic fashion late to win and secure the team victory for Virginia Tech. Colton Camacho of Pittsburgh, Patrick McCormick of Virginia, Wil Guida of North Carolina and Logan Agin of Duke will also compete at a weight that has three automatic qualifier spots up for grabs. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/February/25/ACC-Conference-preview?mc_cid=327be7a669&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

5 } – Southern Conference announces seeding for 2021 Wrestling Championship
Seven teams set to compete for the championship crown on Sunday
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference has released the seeds for the 2021 SoCon Wrestling Championship, the league office announced Wednesday afternoon. The No. 1 seed in each weight class will receive a bye for the first match. The championship is set to take place Sunday, Feb. 28,  at the Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, North Carolina. Seven squads will compete for the 2021 SoCon title with  13 NCAA allocations available for the NCAA Championships.  Campbell seeks to defend its last two tournament titles under first-year head coach Scotti Sentes. The Camels won their third straight regular-season title, going undefeated in SoCon action this season. App State, the 2021 preseason favorite, finished second in the conference standings with its only loss to Campbell as the Mountaineers look to uphold the preseason prediction at home. … rest of story at _{^{https://soconsports.com/news/2021/2/24/southern-conference-announces-seeding-for-2021-wrestling-championship.aspx?mc_cid=7c3cd1ad34&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

6 } – After 8-0 SoCon slate, Russell leads App State wrestling into postseason
Codi Russell, a senior on App State’s wrestling team, said he’s been involved with the sport since he was about three and half years old – far earlier than most dream of joining a college team. Russell’s dad, George, wrestled at Gardner-Webb University, so naturally, he passed the sport down to his sons; first Sean, and then Codi. “When I came along, as soon as I could walk, my dad just went ahead and started making me and Sean wrestle each other,” Russell said. Both brothers played baseball, football and wrestled, and Codi said they were super competitive in everything from an early age. He said they ended up focusing on wrestling because it was the sport they enjoyed the most success in. “I think for me and Sean, we liked the one-on-one aspect,” Russell said. … rest of story at _{^{https://theappalachianonline.com/after-8-0-socon-slate-russell-leads-app-state-wrestling-into-postseason/?mc_cid=9e45a80a12&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

7 } – Formato Named SoCon Wrestler of Year as Four Mountaineers Honored
BOONE, N.C. — App State’s Will Formato has been named the SoCon Wrestler of the Year, and he is one of three Mountaineers representing his weight class on the 10-man All-SoCon team. Formato (165 pounds) is joined on the All-SoCon team by Codi Russell (125) and Jonathan Millner (149). All three wrestlers went 8-0 in SoCon duals this season and are top seeds for Sunday’s SoCon Championships at the Holmes Center in Boone. Additionally, App State’s Tristan Pugh (149) made the All-Freshman team. The league’s awards were voted on by the nine head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their student-athletes.
Formato is tied for the national lead in victories, as he’ll take a 13-1 record into this weekend’s conference championships. He outscored his opponents 120-9 and didn’t allow a takedown in his 13 victories during the regular season. … rest of story at _{^{https://appstatesports.com/news/2021/2/25/wrestling-formato-named-socon-wrestler-of-the-year-as-four-mountaineers-honored.aspx?mc_cid=327be7a669&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

8 } – O’CONNOR WINS ACC TITLE AT 149 POUNDS, TAR HEELS FINISH 3RD
RALEIGH — For the second year in a row, Austin O’Connor won the ACC tournament title at 149 pounds, leading North Carolina to a third-place finish at the 2021 ACC Wrestling Championship. Both Zach Sherman (141) and Clay Lautt (174) posted runner-up finishes for the Tar Heels at Reynolds Coliseum on Sunday. Devin Kane took third at 184 pounds, while Max Shaw also earned the third podium spot at 197 pounds. In total, seven Tar Heels earned NCAA automatic qualifier spots from Sunday’s competition. Josh McClure (157) and Andrew Gunning (285) both took fourth place at their respective weight classes, good to qualify for NCAAs, which will take place March 18-20 in St. Louis.  O’Connor cruised to a win over Duke’s Josh Finesilver in the semifinals early in the day to set up a 2020 ACC finals rematch against Virginia Tech’s Bryce Andonian. In that finals match, Andonian scored on a dramatic early flurry, a takedown and four near fall points to open up an early 6-0 lead over O’Connor. However, the Tar Heel junior chipped his way back into the match and ultimately wrapped up a 10-8 decision to win his second ACC title for Carolina. … rest of story at _{^{https://goheels.com/news/2021/2/28/wrestling-o-connor-wins-acc-title-at-149-pounds-tar-heels-finish-3rd.aspx}}

9} – No. 24 Wrestling Grabs Runner-Up Honors At Super Regional Tournament
FRANKLIN SPRINGS, Ga. – Junior Nick Daggett and seniors Luke McDonough and Ryan Monk each registered unblemished runs through their respective weight classes to lead the way for the 24^th-ranked UNC Pembroke wrestling team’s run to a second-place finish at the NCAA Super Regional II Tournament on Saturday inside Emmanuel College’s Shaw Athletic Center. Sophomore Logan Seliga and redshirt senior Bryce Walker both shook off tough quarterfinal losses to post a pair of wins in the consolation portion of their respective tournaments to finish in third place. Walker thwarted Hunter Tobiasson of Queens in the “True 2^nd Place” matchup at 197 pounds to lock up a berth into next month’s NCAA Division II Championships, while Seliga dropped a tough 3-2 decision with Belmont Abbey’s Ben Fielding in his True 2^nd Place bout. Seliga, however, was announced as a wild card entry into the national tournament in a post-event meeting by the NCAA Super Region II head coaches. … rest of story at _{^{https://uncpbraves.com/news/2021/2/27/no-24-wrestling-runner-up-ncaa-super-regional.aspx}}

10 } – Finesilver Earns NCAA Bid; Duke Competes at ACC Championships
RALEIGH, N.C. – Redshirt junior Josh Finesilver earned himself an automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Championships after placing third at the ACC Wrestling Championships at Reynolds Coliseum on Sunday.
Finesilver was Duke’s top finisher at the event and qualified for his third career NCAA Championship after also achieving the mark in 2018 and 2019. With his accomplishment, Duke has now sent a wrestler to the national event in 13-straight seasons. It also continues a long Finesilver family tradition of participating in the postseason tournament as the Blue Devils have sent at least one of four Finesilver brothers to every event since 2015. Older brothers Mitch and Zach were both four- and three-time qualifiers, respectively, while twin brother Matt, who was sidelined this year due to injury, has participated in two. … rest of story at _{^{https://goduke.com/news/2021/2/28/wrestling-finesilver-earns-ncaa-bid-duke-competes-at-acc-championships.aspx}}

11 } – Three Greensboro Wrestlers Ranked or Mentioned in D3Wrestle.com’s Rankings
GREENSBORO, N.C.—Greensboro College Men’s Wrestling boasts two ranked wrestlers one other wrestler getting mentioned in this week’s D3Wrestle.com individual rankings, marking the first time in program history that the Pride have boasted three wrestlers either ranked or mentioned in the rankings. Hai Siu remains ranked in the 149-pound weight class, moving up three spots in his previous ranking to sixth place in the current individual rankings. Siu boasts three pins on the 2020-2201 season with his only loss coming at Southern Virginia, wrestling two weight classes up in the 165-pound class. In 2019-2020, Siu collected two wins at the NCAA Southeast Regional in February to climb the Division III ladder. Siu collected a fall victory over Waynesberg’s Matt Lascola in 2:17 while earning a 5-1 decision over Garret Cornell of Messiah in the quarterfinal. Siu faced Averett rival Brandon Woody in the semifinals in an overtime two-point takedown to advance to the finals. Siu placed second in the weight class at the Division III Southeast Regional as he finished the tournament facing top-ranked Troy Stanich of Stevens. … rest of story at _{^{https://greensborocollegesports.com/news/2021/2/16/mens-wrestling-three-greensboro-wrestlers-ranked-or-mentioned-in-d3wrestle-coms-rankings.aspx}}

12 } – Sanderlin Earns SoCon All-Rookie Recognition
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wrestling newcomer Bryce Sanderlin was named to the Southern Conference All-Freshman Team, announced by the league Thursday. Sanderlin finished the condensed, SoCon-only schedule at 4-2 at 157 pounds, and ended his rookie campaign on a three-bout win streak.  “Bryce had an excellent start to his college career,” said head wrestling coach Andy Lausier. “Although the season was short, I am confident that he gained invaluable experience, setting the tone for great career ahead of him.  Bryce’s success this season comes as no surprise – he is incredibly talented, disciplined, and motivated. We are all hopeful and excited to see him return to for a full season next year.” Davidson’s rise over the last few years should not come at as a shock – Sanderlin made it three consecutive seasons a Wildcat rookie has landed on the All-Freshman Team. Junior’s Kyle Gorant and Mitchell Trigg earned the recognition in 2019, with sophomore Cian Fischer joining them in 2020. … rest of story at _{^{https://davidsonwildcats.com/news/2021/2/25/wrestling-sanderlin-earns-socon-all-rookie-recognition.aspx}}

March 9, 2021 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized