Takedown Report

NCAA Division I News (2021) – # 16

TDR Editor’s Notes ; We have a backlog of the many stories written about the NCAA Division I (D-1) Championships, wrestlers, coaches and teams. Wrestling needs to have more D-1 schools in action next year. They generate more attention and publicity and provide greater educational opportunities for wrestlers. While it is disheartening to hear of schools such as Old Domion, Fresno State and Stanford announcing that they will drop wrestling in spite of their successes there has been amazing growth in other college groups. University of Arkansas-Little Rock has been the only new D-I program in the past two seasons, 2019 – 2021 and announced for next season. Also during that time there have been 6 Division II and 11 Division III teams started. The NAIA has 14 new programs and the National Junior College Association has started 7 new teams. Thus almost 40 new men’s teams are increasing opportunities to wrestle on the college level. There are also over 45 new women’s teams that have started or will begin next season. Yet D-I schools plead poverty and say they can not afford inexpensive Olympic sports while they seek another assistant coach for their football or basketball teams. Encourage your local or favorite D-I school to start a wrestling program or to re-start one! Keep on Wrestling! E-mail us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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1 } – NICK LEE OF PENN STATE TO RECEIVE AMATEUR WRESTLING NEWS’ HAMMER AWARD
Amateur Wrestling News will present The Hammer, its annual award, to Penn State’s Nick Lee. The award is presented to the wrestler who wins the NCAA national title at what the writers at AWN feel is the most competitive weight class of the season. Lee won the 141-pound NCAA Division I title this year in St. Louis, defeating Iowa’s three-time All American Jaydin Eierman in the finals. There were six returning All Americans at the weight. Lee finished the season 13-1, with that lone loss being to Eierman in the Big Ten finals.
Past Hammer recipients include Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State), Logan Stieber (Ohio State), Spencer Lee (Iowa), Zahid Valencia (Arizona State), and Bo Nickal (Penn State). An award is only as prestigious as the quality of those who have previously won it. … rest of story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/March/24/Nick-Lee-wins-AWN-Hammer-Award?mc_cid=3727c6a762&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

2 } – NCAA wrestling notes: Iowa’s Spencer Lee grows legendary status with latest national title
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Iowa’s Spencer Lee elevated his legendary status with his latest feat. Not that it needed a boost at all. Top-ranked Lee produced another dominant national tournament, beating Arizona State’s Brandon Courtney, 7-0, for the 125-pound title at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Saturday night at Enterprise Center. He’s Iowa’s seventh three-time NCAA champion and first since Joe Williams (1996-98). The how might just outweigh the feat itself. Lee reluctantly told media after the victory that he had torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee eight to 10 days earlier. It was the opposite knee from the one he injured in his freshman championship run. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to wrestle. Forfeiting was mentioned, but Lee said if he was going to lose it would be on his terms. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ Lee said. ‘I’m not one that’s going to make an excuse. If I lost, I would have probably said nothing, because that’s just how I am. You’ve got to win no matter what is wrong with you and no matter what’s going on. That’s what defines a champion. You go through whatever.’ … rest of story at https://www.thegazette.com/iowa-hawkeyes/ncaa-wrestling-notes-iowas-spencer-lee-grows-legendary-status-with-latest-national-title/

And Brands voted InterMat Coach of the Year for second straight year
Tom Brands guided the Iowa Hawkeyes to an undefeated dual meet season, share of the Big Ten dual meet championship, Big Ten tournament championship and the program’s first national championship since 2010. On Thursday, Brands was named 2021 InterMat Coach of the Year. It’s the second straight year Brands has received the award.
This award, presented each year since 2006 to the best college wrestling coach for his/her college wrestling coaching performance during the 2019-2020 season, is based exclusively on the balloting of writers at InterMat. Each staff member is asked to select five coaches and rank them from first to fifth. Point values are assigned to each placement, ranging from one point to a wrestling coach listed fifth on a voter’s ballot, up to nine points for a first-place vote. Brands received a total of 71 points — including four of the 10 first-place votes from the InterMat staff — to propel him to the top of the balloting for the 2021 season. Penn State coach Cael Sanderson and Arizona State coach Zeke Jones both received three first-place votes. Sanderson and Jones finished second and third respectively in the voting. Oklahoma State coach John Smith and Oklahoma coach Lou Rosselli rounded out the top five vote getters. Other coaches receiving votes included Pat Popolizio (NC State), Tony Robie (Virginia Tech), Kevin Dresser (Iowa State), Jason Borrelli (Stanford), Omi Acosta (Life), Steve Costanzo (St. Cloud State), John Hangey (Rider) and Cary Kolat (Navy). … rest of story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/24457?mc_cid=e6e4e842ef&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3 } – Ferrari named InterMat Freshman of the Year
A.J. Ferrari “talks a big game and he shows a big game.”
Those were the words of Oklahoma State head wrestling coach John Smith when discussing his true freshman 197-pounder after Ferrari captured the NCAA title this past Saturday night in St. Louis, becoming only the third Cowboy true freshman to win a national title, joining Richard Hutton (1947) and Pat Smith (1990)
On Wednesday, Ferrari was named InterMat Freshman of the Year.
This award, presented each year since 2006 to the best college freshman wrestler, is based exclusively on the balloting of writers at InterMat. Each writer is asked to select five freshman wrestlers and rank them from first to fifth. Point values are assigned to each placement, ranging from one point to a wrestler listed fifth on a voter’s ballot, up to nine points for a first-place vote.
Ferrari received eight first-place votes (out of 10) from the InterMat staff, for a total of 86 points to put him No. 1 in this year’s InterMat Freshman of the Year voting. In second place was 174-pound NCAA champion Carter Starocci of Penn State, who was the top choice among two InterMat writers, earning a total of 74 points. No other wrestler received a first-place vote for the award.
NCAA third-place finisher Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) finished third in the voting with 30 points, while All-Americans John Poznanski (Rutgers) and Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) rounded out the top five. … rest of story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/24454?mc_cid=3727c6a762&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

4 } – Wrestling Mailbag: Recapping the NCAA Wrestling Championships, plus Spencer Lee, David Carr, Austin DeSanto, and more
A standing ovation is in order for the sport of wrestling, because at the collegiate level, the coaches, athletes, administrators, parents and everybody else involved navigated the biggest time of the year during a pandemic without any COVID-19 hiccups.
The National Wrestling Coaches Association hosted the Division III national tournament at Xtream Arena in Coralville. All wrestlers, coaches, tournament workers and more were tested multiple times that week. Zero positive tests.
The NCAA Division II national championships, held in St. Louis, also had all wrestlers, coaches, tournament workers and more tested multiple times that same week. Zero positive tests.
Then came the NCAA Division I national championships, held in the same city with more than twice as many wrestlers, coaches, tournament personnel, plus many more people considered Tier 1 from the NCAA, teams and more. Again, all were tested multiple times that week. Again, zero positive tests.
Wrestling has always been uniquely suited for extra health screening situations. Before wrestlers weigh in for their competitions, there’s a skin check, a hair and nails check, a general health check, then they step on the scale. Then, this season, they added tests for COVID-19 to the list. During the week of the national championships, they needed negative tests to enter the building before competition, then they took them again every day of competition. Most coaches and wrestlers I talked to were sick of them by the time the tournament ended Saturday night. … rest of story at https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/college/iowa/wrestling/2021/03/24/wrestling-mailbag-recapping-ncaa-wrestling-championships-spencer-lee-david-carr-austin-desanto-iowa/4804747001/

5 } – The man behind the upset: NDSU’s Owen Pentz long journey back to the mat
FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Every athlete has their own way of getting to the college level. One NDSU wrestler who had to wait three years for his shot, and took full advantage. Owen Pentz, a freshman from Morgan Utah, sent shockwaves through the NCAA tournament pinned the second-ranked wrestler in his bracket to move on to the next round. Pentz, who came in as an at-large bid, ranked 31st in the 197 pound weight class. “I’m not going to lose. That’s one thing I kept saying to myself in my head. Losing isn’t an option.” Pentz said about his match with Nebraska’s Evan Schultz, “There was a lot running through my head but when the ref slapped the mat I got super excited. I was like ‘Holy Crap I just pinned the #2-seed kid in the bracket.’”
This moment on the mat was a culmination of a long journey for this grappler. Pentz just got back into wrestling after taking two years off to serve on an LDS mission. After getting married last summer, he decided he wasn’t done with that college wrestling dream and signed to Fresno State. When we asked about why he decided to come back, Pentz said that “College wrestling was always something I wanted to do so I wasn’t stepping away from it forever. But I was taking a pretty big break I guess.” Fresno State closed their wrestling program forcing Pentz to wait just a bit longer before he took a call from NDSU and transferred in, a move which he says led to the perfect fit. … rest of story at https://www.valleynewslive.com/2021/03/25/the-man-behind-the-upset-ndsus-owen-pentz-long-journey-back-to-the-mat/?mc_cid=3727c6a762&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

And Golden Gopher Podcast Episode 77: Gable Steveson
Golden Gopher Podcast Episode 77: Gable Steveson
Don’t miss the Golden Gopher Podcast hosted by KFAN’s Justin Gaard every Wednesday! Listen on GopherSports.com, iHeartRadio, KFAN.com or wherever you download your podcasts. Brought to you by Red’s Savoy Pizza and Schuler Shoes. … rest of story at https://gophersports.com/news/2021/3/25/wrestling-golden-gopher-podcast-episode-77-gable-steveson.aspx?mc_cid=e6e4e842ef&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – ORANGE PRATTLE: Putting perspective on Fix’s loss in NCAA finals
Daton Fix felt he had lost his edge on the mat from high school, but if he wants to truly get it back, he just needs to read all the social media hate.
The Oklahoma State fans and passionate wrestling fans used words like “disappointment” … “pathetic” … “choke” … But wrestling legend John Smith, who has had 33 national champions in his 30-year coaching career, had a different word to sum it up: rust. The reality – that thing sports fanatics rarely live in – was Fix just wasn’t properly prepared to face Penn State’s Roman Bravo-Young, an international competitor in his own right.
While Fix was serving a suspension, Bravo-Young – who went 19-2 last season, with his only two losses being to the top two seeds for the NCAA tournament – was wrestling in exhibitions to fill the gap created by the pandemic. He dominated a national runner-up, Jack Mueller, and he wrestled an exhibition against a 30-year-old three-time NCAA qualifier. And he had wrestled two ranked opponents prior to this year’s NCAA tournament. “I feel like he’s not real seasoned,” Smith said of Fix following his loss in the finals. “… Just felt like his top and bottom was a little behind. … rest of story at https://www.stwnewspress.com/sports/orange-prattle-putting-perspective-on-fix-s-loss-in-ncaa-finals/article_35f3239e-8b74-11eb-9c55-3bbe4670faab.html?mc_cid=1bb3332bd3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

And Two-time NJSIAA wrestling champion transfers to Rutgers
Nick Raimo, a two-time NJSIAA champion during his scholastic career at Hanover Park High School, announced Thursday on Instagram he has transferred to Rutgers University from Arizona State.  “I thought about it basically all year.  It’s not just something you think of one day and just go with it,” Raimo said Thursday from his family’s home. “I thought I would do better at home, and around a bigger support system, somewhere I’m more comfortable.”
Raimo was at Arizona State the last two seasons and wrestled at 133 pounds. However, he still has all four years of eligibility remaining.  He redshirted during the 2019-20 season and competed in open tournaments.
Raimo wasn’t in the starting lineup but wrestled in two extra bouts during the recently completed season. He went 13-4 overall.  … rest of story at https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/sports/college/rutgers/2021/03/25/two-time-njsiaa-champion-transfers-rutgers-wrestling/6998526002/?mc_cid=e6e4e842ef&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

7 } – ‘They Believed in Me’: Wrestler Makes the Most of His Time on Grounds
As both a wrestling prospect and a prospective college student, Louie Hayes didn’t look great on paper. Most coaches believed Hayes, who wrestled at 113 pounds at Carl Sandburg High School in suburban Chicago, was too small to wrestle at the college level. Academically, Hayes had good grades, but his standardized test scores were the lowest of all the student-athletes University of Virginia head wrestling coach Steve Garland had been recruiting for his 2016 class. So it turns out to be a good thing that Garland – who had once been told that he didn’t have what it took to wrestle in college, before going on to an All-American career at UVA – went with his gut. “I thought, ‘Well if I could do it, he could do it,’” Garland said. “He was better than me and I was the same size.”
Garland also had a feeling that Hayes’ academic résumé wasn’t indicative of his potential. “The word on the street was that there was nobody more mentally tough than this kid,” he said. “In my opinion, that goes a long way.”
In Hayes’ case, it certainly has.
Wrestling at 133 pounds in the NCAA Championships last Friday night, the redshirt senior pinned his opponent from California State University-Bakersfield to clinch All-America honors. He went on to place eighth in his weight class. “It was such a good feeling,” Hayes said. “All-American was so much better than anything I would have thought. Just that feeling of finally accomplishing it and seeing the work pay off – it was surreal and by far the greatest memory from my college wrestling career.” Hayes’ academic highlights haven’t been too shabby, either. … rest of story at https://news.virginia.edu/content/they-believed-me-wrestler-makes-most-his-time-grounds?mc_cid=e6e4e842ef&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

8 } – WRESTLING: TO GET BACK ON TOP, OHIO STATE HAS TO GET BETTER ON BOTTOM THIS OFFSEASON
Ohio State finished 9th in the final standings of the NCAA Wrestling Championships Saturday night in St. Louis, behind national champion Iowa, runner-up Penn State and fellow Big Ten foes Michigan and Minnesota. For a program that had finished no worse than third in the five most recent NCAA tournaments, it was a down year.
The Buckeyes were paced by a trio of All-Americans, including national runner-up Sammy Sasso at 149 pounds, 5th-place finisher Ethan Smith at 165, and 8th-place finisher Tate Orndorff at heavyweight. Three is the fewest number of All-Americans the team has placed since 2014, when Nick Heflin and Logan Stieber went 2nd and 1st, respectively. … rest of story at https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-wrestling/2021/03/121892/wrestling-to-get-back-on-top-ohio-state-has-to-get-better-on-bottom-this-offseason?mc_cid=3727c6a762&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

9} – THE RECORD FIVE BLACK NCAA DIV. I CHAMPIONS THIS YEAR ALL HAVE STRONG USA WRESTLING BACKGROUNDS
The wrestling community may have seen on social media in recent days a number of posts concerning the fact that a record five Black wrestlers won NCAA Div. I individual championships in St. Louis this past weekend.
These champions were (in weight order): Roman Bravo-Young of Penn State (133), David Carr of Iowa State (157), Carter Starocci of Penn State (174), Aaron Brooks of Penn State (184) and Gable Steveson of Minnesota (285). Obviously, the three Penn State wrestlers are teammates with the Nittany Lions. However, the athletes have also been teammates at various times on USA Wrestling World Teams and have developed friendships during their years in the sport.
The group came together after the championship finals. They celebrated their success and historic moment as a group with a number of photos and video clips that were posted on their own social media, as well as on other platforms on the historic night in St. Louis. In one photo, they flashed five fingers, recognizing their achievement as a group. … rest of story and photos at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/March/24/Five-Black-champions-from-NCAAs-and-their-USA-Wrestling-connection?mc_cid=3727c6a762&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – PITT’S WENTZEL, HARVEY ANNOUNCE PLANS TO RETURN IN 2022
PITTSBURGH—The University of Pittsburgh wrestling program received extremely welcome news on Wednesday when a pair of senior wrestlers – NCAA finalist Jake Wentzel and NCAA qualifier Gregg Harvey – announced their plans to return for the Panthers in 2022.  
Both Wentzel and Harvey were eligible for another year of competition after the NCAA’s decision to make the 2020-21 season not count against a student-athlete’s eligibility clock due to the pandemic.  
The decision by the pair of Pitt NCAA qualifiers was certainly welcomed by head coach Keith Gavin, who just led the Panthers to their best NCAA team finish (11th, 40.5 points) since 1970. … rest of story at https://pittsburghpanthers.com/news/2021/3/24/wrestling-pitts-wentzel-harvey-announce-plans-to-return-in-2022.aspx?mc_cid=3727c6a762&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

11 } – Pac-12 announces 2021 Pac-12 wrestling honors
SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 Conference announced today the 2021 Pac-12 wrestling honors, as voted on by the Pac-12 coaches. STANFORD swept this year’s awards with redshirt sophomore Shane Griffith (165) earning Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year, redshirt freshman Jaden Abas (149) winning Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year and head coach Jason Borrelli taking home Pac-12 Coach of the Year accolades. 

2021 PAC-12 WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: Shane Griffith, R-So., STANFORD (Westwood, N.J.)

• Last year’s Pac-12 Wrestler and Freshman/Newcomer of the Year earned a No. 2 seed at the Conference championship and No. 8 seed at the NCAA Championship following a strong regular season. 
• Became the second wrestler in program history to win a national championship, winning the 165-pound title, 6-2, over Pittsburgh’s Jake Wentzel. 
• First Cardinal to win Most Outstanding Wrestler for the Tournament honors at the NCAA Championship. … rest of story at https://pac-12.com/article/2021/03/25/pac-12-announces-2021-pac-12-wrestling-honors?mc_cid=977ea0b267&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
  And Myles Martin Comes Home, joins Scarlet Knights Wrestling Club
  Former Ohio State Buckeye and 2016 NCAA champion Myles Martin is coming home. Martin , a Penns Grove, New Jersey native, has joined the Scarlet Knights Wrestling Club as a resident athlete according to sources. Though from New Jersey, Martin competed in high school at the McDonough School in Maryland. While attending McDonough, Martin won three Maryland State titles and three Prep National titles.

Martin went on to wrestle at Ohio State where he was a four-time All-American, placing 1st, 5th, 2nd, and 3rd at the NCAA tournament. Martin has continued his career in freestyle at the senior level, representing the Ohio RTC. … rest of story at https://rutgers.rivals.com/news/myles-martin-comes-home-joins-scarlet-knights-wrestling-club?mc_cid=7490ba8a46&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

12 } – Former Pitt Wrestler, Matt Wilps, Finds Success in NASCAR Pit Crew
The professional path for an NCAA Division I wrestler after their collegiate career ends usually has three options for continued participation in sport: training for the Olympics, coaching, or something in the MMA, UFC or boxing realm. However, there is a fourth viable option that many former collegiate athletes, including wrestlers, are now embarking on with regularity: joining NASCAR pit crews.
Sometimes, when you play a sport from the time you were in the second grade until your early twenties, you can get burned out and need a bit of a change of pace – even if you were great at that sport.
This is the exact scenario Matt Wilps, a former two-time All-American wrestler at the University of Pittsburgh, found himself in after the 2013-14 college wrestling season, his first and only season on the coaching staff at his alma mater. “I enjoyed it [coaching],” Wilps said. “I enjoyed helping guys achieve what they could. Coaching just seemed like the next logical step. And I gave it a try. But I’ve been involved in wrestling so long, I wanted to try something else. I wanted to transition to something new.”
The “something new” was very new indeed to Wilps. He would try to become part of a NASCAR pit crew – a sport and occupation Wilps admittedly had zero familiarity with prior to his initial tryout with Hendrick Motorsports in late summer 2014. … rest of story at https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2021/03/21/former-pitt-wrestler-matt-wilps-finds-success-in-nascar-pit-crew/?mc_cid=7490ba8a46&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

April 19, 2021 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized