Takedown Report

NCAA Division I News (2021) – # 26 {West Coast}

TDR Editor’s Notes ; We are looking forward to a full and complete college wrestling season in the 2021-2022 as teams compete in a full slate of dual meets and tournaments. We look to see all the schools that suspended their teams and did not compete last year will resume their programs. Athletics are important to college life not only for the development of the athletes but also for other students who are inspired by their example. Keep wrestling going on in these schools. E-mail us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com Blog # 2960 (8/13/21)
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1 } – Shane Griffith title caps defiant NCAA Tournament for wrestling
Led by newly minted NCAA National Champion redshirt sophomore Shane Griffith, the embattled Stanford wrestling program shone in an improbable run of success at the NCAA Tournament in St. Louis this weekend. The team, one of eleven cut back in July, scrambled its way to a 17th place overall finish and a triumphant finale to what was probably its last season as a varsity program — a season defined more by struggle off the mat than on it.
Wearing all-black uniforms stripped of Stanford insignia as a protest of the athletic department, individual wrestlers topped highly touted opponents from Rust Belt wrestling powerhouses. 
Pac-12 champion Jaden Abas, a redshirt freshman and the team’s newest All American, lost his first match but worked his way back up over four rounds to a 7th place finish in the 149-pound weight class by a 5-3 decision over Appalachian State’s Jonathan Millner.  Real Woods, a redshirt sophomore, pulled off two big upsets at 141 pounds … rest of story at https://www.stanforddaily.com/2021/03/21/shane-griffith-title-caps-defiant-ncaa-tournament/?mc_cid=7490ba8a46&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

And When the medalists aren’t the money-makers
An insight into Olympic sports at the collegiate level
A row of Olympians walked onto the Stanford football field in September 2016 to enthusiastic applause. All were Stanford students at the time, and the University had decided to honor their achievements during halftime at the first football game of the year. Four years later, in July 2020, Stanford decided to eliminate some of the athletic programs that helped train those very athletes. … rest of story at https://www.stanforddaily.com/2021/06/17/when-the-medalists-arent-the-money-makers/?mc_cid=766ccc313f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

2 } – Shane Griffith uses NCAA championship to highlight ‘Keep Stanford wrestling’ efforts
When the COVID-19 pandemic upended the college sports world and threw athletic department budgets into tailspins, some sports were on the receiving end of cuts.  In some cases, Division I schools went so far as to eliminate programs. The Stanford Cardinal announced over the summer it would cut 11 teams, including the wrestling squad, at the end of the 2020-21 academic year.
That didn’t stop Shane Griffith from reaching the top of his weight class. Griffith won the 165-pound national championship over the weekend by defeating Jake Wentzel of Pittsburgh — he was also named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament — and did so while wearing a black singlet. Griffith and his teammates wore the alternate attire, sans the school logo, to signal their displeasure with the university’s decision to drop the program after this season.  … rest of story at https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/2021/03/22/shane-griffith-ncaa-title-keep-stanford-wrestling/4799900001/?mc_cid=7490ba8a46&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

And Shane Griffith to Stay at Stanford
In July of 2020, Stanford stated that they would eliminate wrestling along with ten other sports following the 2020-21 school year. Griffith and his teammates remained at Stanford and persevered through a season that was shortened via Covid and even forced them to practice outside, at times. Despite these hurdles, Griffith, the eighth-seed at 165 lbs ran through the weight and became only the second Cardinal wrestler to win an NCAA title. Shane’s title and the aftermath, which included the entire arena chanting “Keep Stanford Wrestling”, generated nationwide headlines. Along the way, the boosters and alumni raised enough money to save the program.
After the NCAA season concluded, the Cardinal head coach Jason Borrelli left to take the same position at American University. Over the Memorial Day weekend, the wrestling community was abuzz as former Cornell head coach Rob Koll accepted the Stanford job. With a coach of Koll’s caliber at the helm in Palo Alto, some thought that Griffith would reconsider transferring. He, along with many other Cardinal wrestlers, had been in the transfer portal for most of the 2021 season. Today those hopes were confirmed. Griffith is 40-1 through two years of competition at Stanford. … rest of story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/24690?mc_cid=766ccc313f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3 } – Despite COVID-19, it has been a ‘Fantastic Year’ for new Beaver wrestling coach Chris Pendleton
It wasn’t what Chris Pendleton had in mind when he dreamed about his first year as Oregon State’s wrestling coach.
To begin with, the season was abbreviated due to COVID-19. From January 14 to February 14, five meets were canceled. At one time, the Beavers had seven wrestlers — including a pair of starters — in 14-day quarantine due to contact tracing. “We had kids stuck at home,” Pendleton says. “We had assistant coaches delivering wrestling mats to their apartments to try get their workouts. That made it tough. “There was such a feeling of uncertainty. It was hands in the air and wondering, ‘Are we competing this week?’ By far the toughest year I’ve had in coaching.” On the other hand, there were blessings. On January 27, Chris’ wife, Selanee, delivered their first child — a boy, Ryker. “He is a handful already,” Pendleton says with a chuckle. “He is healthy, happy and keeping us up at night.” The Beavers managed some successes on the mat, too, finishing second to Arizona State at the Pac-12 Championships in Corvallis and qualifying six wrestlers for the NCAA Tournament in St. Louis. … rest of story at https://www.kerryeggers.com/stories/despite-covid-19-it-has-been-a-fantastic-year-for-new-beaver-wrestling-coach-chris-pendleton?mc_cid=cc121404a4&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

4 } – Smith Sheds Interim Tag, Named Wrestling Head Coach
Bakersfield, Calif. – CSU Bakersfield Director of Athletics and AVP of Student Affairs Dr. Kenneth ‘Ziggy’ Siegfried has announced the hiring of Luke Smith as the department’s head wrestling coach. Smith served as the program’s interim head coach during an abbreviated 2020-21 season and was the Roadrunner’s lead assistant for two seasons under Manny Rivera.
“Luke did an excellent job guiding our wrestling student-athletes through a tumultuous season,” said Siegfried. “In the face of adversity, the team remained engaged academically and within the CSUB community, and competed to a high standard in both the Pac-12 Conference and at the National level. Luke is a tremendous leader and role model for our student-athletes, well respected in the wrestling community and believes deeply in the tradition and character of CSUB Wrestling.”  
Chance Rich, Angelo Martinoni and Dominic Ducharme all reached the 2021 NCAA Championship Tournament under Smith’s tutelage, as the `Runners sent a wrestler to the National Event for the 47^th-consecutive season. Rich won three times in St. Louis and finished just one win shy of All-American Honors in the 133 lb weight class.
Ducharme earned his bid to the tournament by winning the Pac-12 Championship at 184 lbs. Rich was the conference runner-up at 133 lbs, while Martinoni placed third in the 141 lb bracket. … rest of story at https://gorunners.com/news/2021/4/21/smith-sheds-interim-tag-named-wrestling-head-coach.aspx?mc_cid=d92d6a4129&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

And Varner Donation Establishes Wrestling Scholarship Fund
Gift Contributes Additional $25,000 per Year to Program’s Recruiting Budget
… story at https://gorunners.com/news/2021/5/3/varner-donation-establishes-wrestling-scholarship-fund.aspx?mc_cid=2136f7bdf1&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

5 } – Alma Mater Coaches Making It Matter
Peyton Clark is a senior in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism who will graduate in the spring of 2021. Originally from Charlottesville, Virginia and moved to Arizona in July of 2016! She has interned at AZ Big Media and Big Times Media Group in her Sun Devil undergraduate career.
Sun Devil Athletics is the home to many coaches and staff members, but for three, being a Sun Devil has been more than just their elaborate coaching careers. Sun Devil Wrestling head coach Zeke Jones, Sun Devil Hockey head coach Greg Powers and Sun Devil Women’s Golf head coach Missy Farr-Kaye began their Sun Devil experiences as undergraduates at Arizona State University over twenty years ago. Now they reflect on how their own collegiate experiences built who they are as coaches today. Zeke Jones began his wrestling coaching career at Arizona State University in April 2014 and is currently the seventh coach of ASU wrestling history.
After attending ASU as a student-athlete from 1985 to 1990, Jones’ love and passion for the sport grew deeper and deeper. “My experience at ASU was life-changing in that I had to come full circle and come back,” Coach Jones stated. Discovering his love for wrestling at just five years old, being a family sport that first began with his older brother, Coach Jones wanted to chase his dreams and his passion, which led him to ASU as a student-athlete. “It was my dream and ASU gave me the platform to be happy and successful in my craft and passion,” Coach Jones said. Coach Bobby Douglas was the head coach at ASU during Jones’ enrollment, which was another reason Jones chose ASU as his launching pad. His coach at the time of his enrollment at ASU, was close friends with Jones’ high school wrestling coach/teacher. Seeing the relationship between the two, gave him even more confidence in attending ASU academically, but also to help achieve his Olympic dream. … rest of story at https://thesundevils.com/news/2021/5/11/wrestling-alma-mater-coaches-making-it-matter.aspx?mc_cid=ce60503c93&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – Bulldog Insider feature: Abas, Olivas reflect on their time as Fresno State wrestlers
FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE) – This weekend in St. Louis, the Fresno State wrestling team added one more name to its list of all-Americans. Kyle Parco became the 23rd wrestler in program history to reach all-American status, the first since Josh Hokit in 2019. After this weekend, the Fresno State wrestling program will be eliminated for the second time since 2006. “I actually could not believe it. It was hard enough to know that they dropped it that first time,” said former Bulldog wrestler Stephen Abas. “It’s horrible news.”
Abas is one of the best athletes to ever come out of Fresno State. A four-time all-American and a three-time national champion, Abas also brought home a silver medal from the 2004 Olympics in Athens. He helped put Fresno State wrestling on the map. “I enjoyed my time there, and I know that there’s opportunities for other kids to have the same success, if we could just keep the team around,” said Abas. The first year that Fresno State returned to the wrestling mat was in 2017, and the roster was stacked with valley athletes: Buchanan, Clovis, Clovis North, Selma, Dinuba, Lemoore and Madera Ranchos were all represented.
One of those wrestlers was Khristian Olivas, a Clovis Cougar, who grew up watching the Bulldogs. “I actually remember when they wrestled OK State and Iowa,” Olivas said. “So just seeing it as a kid, I was all about it and super excited to one day be there.” … rest of story at https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/sports/bulldog-insider-feature-abas-olivas-reflect-on-their-time-as-fresno-state-wrestlers/?mc_cid=7490ba8a46&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

And NCAA: Fresno State assistant coach gave loan to wrestler, one of four rules violations
The NCAA is alleging coaches from the now-terminated Fresno State wrestling program committed four rules infractions, including giving a student-athlete a loan to pay campus parking tickets. Coach Troy Steiner and two former assistants face disciplinary action from the NCAA, which could impact future employment at the college level, and Steiner could face termination of a contract that runs through June 2023 if found in violation of NCAA or university regulations. … rest of story at https://www.fresnobee.com/sports/college/mountain-west/fresno-state/article251965443.html?mc_cid=9db4763a85&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

7 } – ‘Gas Tank Gary’ Traub departs Ohio State wrestling via transfer portal to Oregon State
COLUMBUS – Making the best of a bad situation and flipping the script is an admirable talent in any discipline, let alone sports. By the quirks of the coronavirus pandemic and the leniency of the NCAA through their transfer portal rules, former Sycamore wrestler and Ohio State fan-favorite “Gas Tank Gary” Traub will flip more opponents, just not in Columbus. With NCAA athletes being granted an extra year due to COVID-19 and coming off a limited season due to injury and illness, heavyweight Traub will pack his lunch bucket and work ethic and head 2,278 miles away for Corvallis, Oregon, home of the Oregon State Beavers.
When reached about his new opportunity out west, Traub was fishing for bluegill in Blue Ash. Corvallis has bigger ponds and bigger fish and Traub is happy he took the bait to visit and receive their offer. … rest of story at https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/high-school/high-school-sports/2021/05/04/fan-favorite-gas-tank-gary-traub-departs-ohio-state-for-oregon-state/4940148001/?mc_cid=2f6eda67bb&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

8 } – Oregon State Wrestling Announces Team Awards
CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State wrestling team announced its team awards on Thursday evening as it celebrated the season with its fans during a virtual banquet.  
Eight Beaver wrestlers – Grant Willits, Devan Turner, Ryan Reyes, J.J. Dixon, Matthew Olguin, Lane Stigall, Hunter Willits, and Jason Shaner – were garnered with recognition at the banquet.
Grant Willits was the recipient of the Robin Reed Award as the Most Outstanding Wrestler this season. The redshirt junior earned his third-straight NCAA qualifying bid, along with his second Pac-12 individual championship at 141-pounds. The Pueblo, Colorado native, finished first on the team this season with an 11-4 record and 7-2 dual record as he started all nine duals at 141 for OSU. He was 3-0 in matches decided by major decision and 6-3 in decisions.
The Bill Brickey Most Dedicated Wrestler Award went to Devan Turner. He became a back-to-back Pac-12 Champion at 133-pounds this season after going 2-0 in the Pac-12 Tournament, earning his third straight bid to the NCAA Championships. Turner reached the third round of the consolation bracket at the NCAA Championships and finished the year with three wins over ranked opponents.
In his first season in a Beaver singlet, Ryan Reyes claimed the Joe Wells Team Impact Award. Reyes earned a second-place finish in the Pac-12 Tournament and his first trip to the NCAA Championships at 184. He started eight of nine duals for Oregon State at 184-pounds with 12 of his 13 matches being decided by decision. … rest of story at https://osubeavers.com/news/2021/5/20/oregon-state-wrestling-announces-team-awards.aspx?mc_cid=3a3b8bc793&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

And OSU Adds Graduate Transfers Harvey and Crooks
CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State wrestling team has added graduate transfers Tanner Harvey and Cory Crooks, the program announced Tuesday afternoon. They will both join the program in the fall.  
Harvey, who wrestles at 184, joins the Beavers after spending the last three seasons at American University. … rest of story at https://osubeavers.com/news/2021/4/20/wrestling-osu-adds-graduate-transfers-harvey-and-crooks.aspx?mc_cid=1a96ae13a8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

9} – CBU Wrestling Continues To Build Excitement For the Future – A Season in Review
RIVERSIDE – It was a unique, challenging season across the board for collegiate wrestling, but California Baptist University wrestling continued to improve and make history in year three of its NCAA Division I membership in the 2020-21 season.
Like the rest of the country, the Lancers dealt with a postponed, shortened season that included cancellations and an ever-evolving schedule throughout the campaign. CBU still found time to make some history and build up even more anticipation for the future when it accepted conditional membership status from the Big 12 Conference starting in 2022-23. … rest of story at https://cbulancers.com/news/2021/4/8/cbu-wrestling-continues-to-build-excitement-for-the-future-a-season-in-review.aspx?mc_cid=480d7959b9&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – Evan Wick to Transfer to Cal Poly
Today, three-time NCAA All-American Evan Wick made his transfer destination public. Wick will be returning to his home state of California to compete for the Mustangs of Cal Poly. He, along with 2021 All-American Bernie Truax, will form an impressive 1-2 punch for Jon Sioredas’ team at 165 and 174 lbs. This will mark the first time since the 2006-07 season that the Mustangs have a pair of returning All-Americans on the roster. Evan’s younger brother, Luka, is set to enroll as a true freshman for Cal Poly in 2021-22, too.
Competing for Wisconsin during his first three years of collegiate competition, Wick wrestled in the NCAA third place bout as a freshman and sophomore before being named an NWCA All-American during the 2020 campaign. … rest of story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/24680?mc_cid=57d52f8457&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

11 } – Pac-12 Conference announces series of steps to bolster wrestling membership
SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 Conference announced today a series of measures to strengthen and grow the sport of wrestling in the Conference, including an initiative to add members to its wrestling ranks beyond the current membership of six programs for the first time in more than a decade. With the recent reinstatement of the Stanford University wrestling program, the Pac-12 is committed to building upon the foundation of success earned this past season, which included an individual NCAA champion, a fourth-place team finish at NCAA championships and eight All-American honors. The decision to seek additional wrestling members represents a significant commitment to both bolster competitive opportunities and success for Pac-12 wrestling student-athletes, and strengthen collegiate wrestling on the West Coast.
To support the growth of Pac-12 wrestling, the Conference recently adjusted some of its wrestling policies, including the following:
The Conference eliminated a restriction that capped the number of wrestling affiliates to the minimum number needed to keep NCAA AQ status. … rest of story at https://pac-12.com/article/2021/06/02/pac-12-conference-announces-series-steps-bolster-wrestling-membership?mc_cid=08007c6b87&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

12 } – Chris Chionuma Promoted to Associate Head Wrestling Coach
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Chris Chionuma, heading into his fourth season with the Cal Poly wrestling team, has been promoted to Associate Head Coach, beginning Thursday. “Coach Chewy has made an extraordinary impact on the Cal Poly student-athletes’ development over his first three years as Head Assistant Wrestling Coach,” said Mustang head coach Jon Sioredas. “Our purpose at Cal Poly is to help develop and shape remarkable men for life after wrestling. Coach Chewy not only consistently champions our core values, but he has a sheer focus on our character development with his passionate approach to our sport and to life.”
Chionuma, a former Oklahoma State wrestler and Big XII Conference champion, was hired as Cal Poly’s Head Assistant Wrestling Coach in July 2018. He had spent the previous three years at Army West Point, helping guide the Black Knights, who qualified 12 student-athletes to the NCAA Championships in that time. He also served as head coach at Ouachita Baptist University, an NCAA Division II school, which finished fifth at the NCAA Division II National Championships under his leadership. “He truly raises the level of everyone around him, including myself,” Sioredas said. “He is one of the most genuine people I have had the pleasure to work alongside and I am proud and excited for him to receive this much-earned promotion to become our Associate Head Coach.”
Chionuma is a meticulous recruiter with a keen eye on targeting student-athletes who can also handle the academic rigors. His recruiting experience has transitioned nicely to Cal Poly, where the average incoming GPA exceeds 4.0.
Chionuma’s primary focus has been on the mid to upper weights. … rest of story at https://gopoly.com/news/2021/6/30/chris-chionuma-promoted-to-associate-head-wrestling-coach.aspx?mc_cid=3c07ff5887&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

August 13, 2021 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized