Takedown Report

NCAA Division I News (2021) – # 31 {National}

TDR Editor’s Notes ; News from across the summer from a variety of Division I schools across the country. N.C. State Scholar wrestlers are included in the article in item # 10. Keep on Wrestling!
Contact us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com Blog # 2978 (9/08/21)
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1 } – 2021 NWCA DIVISION I SCHOLAR ALL-AMERICA AWARDS
Manheim, PA – On Thursday, the National Wrestling Coaches Association announced the 2021 Scholar All-American Team and Individual honorees for NCAA Division I with awards going to 191 individuals representing 59 institutions. LINK: Top 30 Scholar All-American Teams
LINK: Individual Scholar All-Americans
“It’s my honor on behalf of the NWCA and our Board of Directors to recognize this outstanding list of team and individual award winners,” said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. “These athletes had to navigate a season full of unknowns and the fact they were able to continue to excel in the classroom is a testament to the attack mentality that wrestlers bring to every aspect of their lives.”
In the team race, Long Island University finished atop the field with a 3.5584 GPA followed by #2 North Dakota State University (3.5440) and #3 Cleveland State University (3.5331). The Top Five was rounded out by #4 Stanford University (3.5010) and #5 George Mason University (3.4818).
For the individual awards, Drexel University led the list of honorees with 10 Scholar All-Americans while Hofstra University, Stanford University, and Utah Valley University each had eight honorees. The list also included 126 NCAA National Qualifiers, 37 All-Americans, five Finalists, and two National Champions. … rest of story at https://www.nwcaonline.com/2021-nwca-division-i-scholar-all-america-awards/?mc_cid=3a3b8bc793&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

And {Long Island} Wrestling Earns Scholar All-America Team Championship
BROOKVILLE, N.Y – The LIU wrestling program was honored as the best in the nation Thursday, earning the highest team academic award possible. The National Wrestling Coaches Association announced the 2021 Scholar All-American Team and Individual honorees for NCAA Division I with awards going to 191 individuals representing 59 institutions.  
The Sharks finished with the highest GPA in the country, at 3.5584. “It’s my honor on behalf of the NWCA and our Board of Directors to recognize this outstanding list of team and individual award winners,” said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. … rest of story at https://www.liuathletics.com/news/2021/5/20/wrestling-earns-scholar-all-america-team-championship.aspx?mc_cid=3a3b8bc793&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

2 } – Gomez and Traxler Announce Transfer Destinations
A couple of big name transfers made their destinations public Tuesday night which happens to be the first time since March 2020 that recruiting restrictions were lifted. Both, Austin Gomez and Nathan Traxler, have competed in the NCAA Round of 12 during their impressive careers. They now have new homes. The former Iowa State Cyclone, Gomez, will head to the Big Ten and wrestle for Chris Bono’s Wisconsin squad. Just about six months ago, Gomez announced that he was retiring from the sport after multiple injuries. Within the last month and a half, Gomez has hinted at a return. Austin was a national qualifier in 2019 as a redshirt freshman. That year 
… rest of story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/24637?mc_cid=4557ffe1b6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3 } – Specific Reasons Why Some Seniors Are NOT Returning in 2022
Wrestling fans have been spoiled with the myriad of seniors announcing their return for a final season. Because of the virus, the NCAA granted winter sport athletes an extra year of eligibility and essentially deemed the 2021 season a “free year.” Of course, Hawkeye fans are pumped to see Spencer Lee get his shot at a fourth title, and Pitt fans are thrilled to see NCAA finalist Jake Wentzel take the mat again. (For a full list, check out FloWrestling’s Senior Tracker here.) But what about the seniors who elected to not use their extra year of eligibility? Should fans still continue to cheer on those athletes in their post-collegiate careers?
Every fan wishes their favorite competitors could continue to wrestle, but oftentimes the fans forget that these athletes are young, twenty-something year olds who are also pursuing degrees during the week and kicking butt on the weekend. Would you want to stay in school for six, seven, or eight years with the rigorous routine of a D1 athlete? I doubt it. So let’s talk about the completely valid reasons why certain seniors are not returning in 2022 and why you should still support them. … rest of story at https://www.fancowrestling.com/specific-reasons-why-some-seniors-are-not-returning-in-2022/?mc_cid=48744dd3ab&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

4 } – Willie’s Friday Mailbag: May 21st, 2021
Stanford was saved. What a relief. And a surprise. Throughout the campaign to reinstate the program, I watched with a massive appreciation for their efforts but also with very little optimism.
There’s one reason programs get dropped: poor budget management by today’s athletic departments, who themselves have bloated rosters. And to reverse the decision to drop would mean admitting yet another massive mistake for an administration already mired in controversy. Kind of a miracle. But my message this week is to not depend on the whims of increasingly cruel and incompetent athletic departments. Just 165 miles from Stanford, there’s another war to win to save Fresno State. And again, I’m pessimistic.
The time to endow your wrestling program was 15 years ago. If you haven’t started, do so now. The only way to insulate our 78 DI wrestling programs is to remove all administrative second-guessing and fund it ourselves. There’s been a proliferation of public, online fundraising campaigns for DI wrestling programs, and thanks to you, the fans, they’ve been a massive success. Wrestling programs often outpace any other sports in program donations at many schools. The contributions can go to many things – mats, facilities, travel budget, etc. But coaches would be wise to put much of that into an endowment fund or to seek out more prominent donors to get one started.
… rest of story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/24612?mc_cid=ce44cea415&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

5 } – Updated 2021-22 DI Transfer Tracker (6/13/2021)
Transfers as of 6/13/2021 – received by DI schools. (New school listed first)
Wrestlers added since our last edition have been bolded.
Appalachian State – Diavantae Reddick (Campbell) 165
Appalachian State – Jacob Sartorio (Fresno City College) 285
Arizona State – Kyle Parco (Fresno State) 141/149
Binghamton – Ryan Anderson (Centenary) 141/149
Binghamton – Nick Lombard (Michigan) 149
Buffalo – Trent Svingala (Columbia) 141
Cal Poly – Evan Wick (Cal Poly) 165
Campbell – Anthony Molton (Fresno State) 125
… rest of story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/24674?mc_cid=ddbb246640&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – Wrestling’s Jason Borrelli Named Dan Gable Coach of the Year by WIN Magazine
NEWTON, Iowa – Jason Borrelli, the first-year head coach of American University wrestling, has been honored by WIN Magazine as the 2021 Dan Gable Coach of the Year. Borrelli earned the award for his work at Stanford University during the 2020-21 season, which included coaching national champion Shane Griffith and helping save the program from getting cut.
“I am incredibly honored to be selected as the Dan Gable Coach of the Year,” said Borrelli. “During the 2020-21 season we endured unprecedented obstacles. Our successes were nothing short of remarkable and the result of the hard work of many individuals from the Stanford Wrestling family. It’s satisfying that others recognize what we overcame and achieved in the midst of adversity, which included crowning a national champion and saving a century old wrestling program in the West!” Borrelli led Griffith and teammate Jaden Abas to All-American honors  … rest of story at https://aueagles.com/news/2021/7/6/wrestlings-jason-borrelli-named-dan-gable-coach-of-the-year-by-win-magazine.aspx?mc_cid=9b69983a38&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

7 } – Updated 2021 NCAA DI Coaching Carousel Tracker (7/12/21)
All offseason we have monitored the movement on the coaching front, just like any other year. However, as the spring and summer of 2021 has progressed, we’ve discovered that this year was unlike any other, because of the amount of vacancies still unfilled. Two weeks ago, we provided some reasons why this has happened. Today, we’re circling back around to look at the list of coaches who have accepted new jobs this offseason. Remember, we have only listed signings that have been announced by the schools themselves.
… rest of story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/24761?mc_cid=d1b37a6e41&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

8 } – 5 Landing Spots for Nick Suriano to Transfer that Aren’t Arizona State
When wrestling fans discovered that Nick Suriano entered the transfer portal, they instantly started debating where he should go. Let’s add some more spark to the debate with these 5 landing spots for Nick Suriano.
Why Not Arizona State?
The seemingly obvious choice for Nick Suriano is to transfer to Arizona State. He has been training and competing for the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club, so why wouldn’t he just stay in Arizona? The problem with Suriano transferring to ASU is that their lineup is stacked.
With returning NCAA finalist Brandon Courtney at 125 and All-Americans Michael McGee and Kyle Parco filling in at 133 and 141, respectively, there are not any clear openings for him. Granted, Suriano is good enough to make just about every lineup in the country, but there would definitely be issues for the lightweights at ASU if he stays in Tempe.
… rest of story at https://www.fancowrestling.com/5-landing-spots-for-nick-suriano-to-transfer-that-arent-arizona-state/?mc_cid=608eaeea75&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

9} – Shuck named head coach of Bellarmine wrestling
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Bellarmine University Director of Athletics Scott Wiegandt announced Wednesday that Ned Shuck has been hired as the head coach of the Bellarmine University wrestling team. Shuck becomes the second head coach in the short history of the program, which launched in 2016. A member of the Southern Conference, Bellarmine is coming off its first season in Division I in 2020-21 after making the rise from DII. Shuck spent the previous three seasons at Army West Point, the latter two of which he was the associate head wrestling coach after being promoted in 2019-20. In all three years of his tenure, the Black Knights had seven wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Championship. “I’m excited to welcome Coach Shuck to the Bellarmine Family,” Wiegandt said. “Ned was instrumental in the historic success that Army West Point achieved over the last three years. And that’s nothing new for him — success on the mat and in the classroom has followed him at every coaching stop across multiple collegiate levels. I have no doubt that trend will continue at Bellarmine as our still-young wrestling program continues to evolve and develop, now at the Division-I level.”
… rest of story at https://athletics.bellarmine.edu/news/2021/7/7/wrestling-shuck-named-head-coach-of-bellarmine-wrestling.aspx?mc_cid=9d57322631&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

And New Bellarmine head wrestling coach Ned Shuck – OTM633
Ned Shuck goes On The Mat
The newest head coach to be hired in Division I is Ned Shuck at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky. Shuck was most recently at Army West Point as an assistant coach under Kevin Ward. Prior to that, Shuck was a Division III head coach at UW-Whitewater and Heidelberg after a wrestling career at Iowa. Join Kyle Klingman and Andy Hamilton as they talk about the world of wrestling on the flagship podcast of Trackwrestling.com, part of FloSports. … rest of story at https://www.mattalkonline.com/podcast/trackwrestling/on-the-mat/new-bellarmine-head-wrestling-coach-ned-shuck-otm633/?mc_cid=d1b37a6e41&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – School Record Seven Named NWCA Scholar All-Americans
Seven named was the fifth-best nationally, tops in the ACC
RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State Wrestling team had a school record seven named a NWCA D1 Scholar All-American for the 2020-21 season. That mark was fourth nationally, and once again tops in the ACC.  
Over the past two seasons, 13 have earned the honor for the Pack. The Pack had a pair named an Academic All-American for the fourth time in their careers. 2020 ACC Champions Daniel Bullard (Economics) and Hayden Hidlay (Non-Profit Management) both received the honor for the fourth straight year.  
Both will return as Super Seniors and be enrolled in grad school courses for 2021-22. A trio of redshirt sophomores were all named for the second straight season as well: Jakob Camacho (Business Administration), Jarrett Trombley (Biological Sciences) and Trent Hidlay (Business Administration).
… rest of story at https://gopack.com/news/2021/5/21/wrestling-school-record-seven-named-nwca-scholar-all-americans.aspx

11 } – Wrestling: Non-Conference Schedule Announced
Nebraska will take on North Carolina and South Dakota State in non-conference action
Nebraska’s non-conference schedule was announced Thursday on Twitter.
The Huskers will start the season like most others, with the Nebraska Duals on Nov. 11 where they’ll face off against in-state schools University of Nebraska-Kearney and Chadron State. A year ago, UNK finished just shy of a NCAA Division II National Championship with 105.5 points, falling to St. Cloud State who finished with 107 points. Chadron State, also a DII school, went 4-3 a year ago in dual action. Nebraska defeated UNK 47- -1 and Chadron State 37-3 in 2019.
After only competing against Big Ten Conference foes in 2021 due to Covid-19, Nebraska will get back to a normal schedule in 2021-22. After the Nebraska Duals, Nebraska will play host to North Carolina, one of the top ACC teams in the country. North Carolina will be a solid foe, led by NCAA champion Austin O’Connor. O’Connor defeated Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso in the 149-pound final in March to win North Carolina’s first individual national title since 1995. He’s likely to move up to 157 pounds for his final year. … rest of story at https://www.cornnation.com/2021/8/20/22633531/wrestling-non-conference-schedule-announced?mc_cid=c4a5fbe2c1&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

12 } – The University of Tulsa to Consider Adding New Sports: Why Wrestling Should be it
According to Kelly Hines of the Tulsa World, the University of Tulsa Athletic Director Rick Dickson has said the school is considering adding new sports in an effort to grow enrollment. Unfortunately, in the D1 wrestling world, we’ve seen countless programs get dropped as universities flood money into their revenue sports of football and basketball. On other levels, that has not been the case. Wrestling is growing at a very high pace in D2, D3, NAIA, and on the Junior College level. The reason this works for those smaller schools is those programs in a unique way end up paying for themselves. The massive growth of women’s wrestling has been a game-changer for the sport. Many smaller schools can add both a men’s and women’s program with a fairly minimal investment. … rest of story at https://owrestle.com/the-university-of-tulsa-to-consider-adding-new-sports-why-wrestling-should-be-it/

And Charles Liu Wipes the Floor with Neil deGrasse Tyson
Neil deGrasse Tyson takes us back to his high school days with co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly to break down the physics of Olympic wrestling, featuring our Geek-in-Chief astrophysicist Charles Liu. Is there an ultimate technique to winning gold? … rest of story and video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLKgn_lzB4U

September 10, 2021 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment