Takedown Report

NCAA Division I News (2022) – # 1 {National}

TDR Editor’s Notes ; Time to look ahead to the 2021-2022 season as team schedules are being posted. Wrestlers, coaches and fans are eager to jump in and see a full season of action and wrestling results. Keep on Wrestling!
Contact us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com Blog # 2989 (10/02/21)
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1 } – 2021-22 NCAA DI Preseason Rankings Disclaimers
InterMat’s 2021-22 preseason rankings have been released! They can be found here !
Since it is early September, these are very fluid. Many schools are trying to figure out weights, so we will likely see some shuffling between now and November. After doing extensive homework for the rankings, we have included wrestlers we expect to see compete during the 2021-22 campaign. Freshmen from the Class of 2021 have not been included. They will be added as they compete and if they warrant inclusion.

Freshmen from the Class of 2020 that did not enroll in school last year have not been included. They will be added as they compete and if they warrant inclusion. Most of the time, preseason rankings focus only on results that occurred during the previous season. This time we have given some additional weight to results before the 2021 season. The reasoning behind this decision is that Ivy League schools did not compete at all and some conferences were limited as to where they could compete. There are some notable wrestlers in the transfer portal. They have not been included. Once they make their transfer intentions known, they may be added. … rest of story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/24920?mc_cid=9193b54186&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

2 } – Steveson presented Hodge Trophy at Minnesota-Ohio State football game
2021 has been quite a year for Gable Steveson, who captured his first NCAA championship in March for Minnesota, then most recently captured an Olympic gold medal for the United States in freestyle wrestling in Tokyo … all around the age of 21.
And on Sept. 2, 2021, the heavyweight wrestler from Apple Valley, Minn., was honored by his Gopher faithful and WIN Publisher Bryan Van Kley, who presented Steveson the 2021 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy, presented annually each year by ASICS, before over 50,000 Gopher fans during Minnesota’s nationally-televised game with Ohio State. … rest of story, video and pictures at https://www.win-magazine.com/2021/09/03/win-and-minnesota-honored-steveson-with-hodge-trophy/?mc_cid=8a41e25d1e&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b#utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=win-and-minnesota-honored-steveson-with-hodge-trophy

3 } – SEASON 5, COLUMN 12: SCHED-ULE PALOOZA IN SUMMER-TIME; LIGHT-NING LUKE & BAKERS-FIELD DREAM-ING BIG
Teams have decided to stop the tease and roll with the please as schedules are posting across the country, Left Coast wrestling lessons from the Book of Luke, a fierce, fiery friend returns to the Scenic City, and more SoCon news stories, please!
FILL IN THE DATES & MAKE IT GREAT
Whoa. The date setters put in some serious overtime the last week or so. Either that or this columns been asleep at the wheel on schedules. Little of both, perhaps. Anywhoo, heres news you can use of whos doing what where and when. The how you know. The why will be speculative.
CLARION
11/7 Clarion Open 11/13 @Davidson, NC/ Quad Meet 10 a.m. Rutgers 11:30 a.m. UTC 1 p.m. Davidson 11/20 Shorty Hitchcock Open 12/1 Bloomsburg 12/3 Ohio University 12/11. Stephens Institute of Technology & Messiah College 12/17-19 Reno Tournament of Champions 12/23 Buffalo 1/7/21 SIUE 1/14 Cleveland State 1/22 Lock Haven 1/30 Hofstra & Kent State 2/5 George Mason 2/6 Navy 2/11 Rider 2/20 Edinboro
The Golden Eagles (Season 5, Column 9) are hunting their 2nd winning season under 8 year Head Coach Keith Ferraro. They need to take flight early, too, as they close with 6 tough duals the last 3 weeks, exactly 1 of which they’ll be favored in on paper. … rest of story at https://morewrestlingplease.wordpress.com/2021/08/29/season-5-column-12-sched-ule-palooza-in-summer-time-light-ning-luke-bakers-field-dream-ing-big-drexel-bring-ing-heat-cheese-steaks-to-chatta-nooga-so-cool-so-hot-socon/?mc_cid=4eecc2a4d7&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

4 } – Gold medalist Steveson having fun as he considers next move
Even an Olympic gold medalist has limits. American wrestler Gable Steveson has been on the go since his dramatic last-second victory in the freestyle heavyweight final put him at the top of the podium in Tokyo. He blew the Gjallarhorn at a Minnesota Vikings preseason game, attended a Bellator MMA event and showed up at World Wrestling Entertainment’s SummerSlam, stepping into the ring to celebrate bringing home the gold in front of more than 50,000 adoring fans.
He’s living it up as he contemplates his next move. “It’s very new and something different that I haven’t experienced, but I think I’m taking it very well and I’m staying the course how I should be,” he said. Even for a 21-year-old who seemingly has the world by the tail, being Gable Steveson can be overwhelming. Reality hit when he became so busy that he opted out of the World Championships in Oslo. … rest of story at https://apnews.com/article/sports-nfl-football-d8dffed05fd8cb48dfde10be5a77eac6?mc_cid=4eecc2a4d7&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

5 } – 5 storylines to watch in the 2021-22 NCAA wrestling season
All roads lead to Detroit. The 2021-22 college wrestling season will culminate on March 19, 2022, in Little Caesar’s Arena at the NCAA championships, but the events leading up to that finale under the bright lights on Saturday night are the moments that will generate the stories to remember. 

NCAA WRESTLING: Complete history of team national champions

After a shortened season in 2021 void of open tournaments and winter classics like the Cliff Keen Invitational, Midlands and the Southern Scuffle, the 2021-22 season is expected to be more traditional, with one unusual twist. All wrestlers were given an extra year of eligibility last season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning that some athletes like Iowa’s Jaydin Eierman and Michael Kemerer will be returning for a seventh season while other athletes like Oklahoma State’s AJ Ferrari are essentially earning a second freshman year. The weights are stacked, the field is deep, and the battle for each individual national title will be intense, dramatic and full of surprises. Here are the major storylines you need to know in advance of what will undoubtedly be an exciting season ahead. 
1. All 10 2021 NCAA champions return, headlined by Olympic Gold Medalist Gable Steveson 
When Minnesota heavyweight NCAA champion Gable Steveson earned his golden takedown against Geno Petriashvili to win the 125kg bracket at the Tokyo Olympics, questions started swirling: Would Steveson return to Minnesota? Would he sign with the WWE? Would he explore other opportunities? 
… rest of story at https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling/article/2021-07-31/5-storylines-watch-2021-22-ncaa-wrestling-season?mc_cid=0b274c55e9&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – The 25 most exciting wrestlers to watch in the 2021-22 NCAA wrestling season
The biggest stars perform best when the lights shine the brightest, and with the return of fans to arenas all over the country, the spotlight will certainly be on the nation’s top college wrestlers this year. But who puts on the biggest show? Which wrestlers compete in a way that makes them must-watch performers every time they step on the mat? Here is a list of 25 of the most entertaining, skilled and flashy competitors on the NCAA wrestling scene this season. While this list is subjective and not based entirely on tournament finishes, all 10 champs from 2021 made the list because, let’s be honest, elite wrestling is exciting. These are the wrestlers you won’t want to miss this upcoming season. 

1. Gable Steveson, Minnesota
With the skill and speed of a lightweight and the power and strength of a heavyweight, Minnesota’s Gable Steveson is the whole package. His Olympic gold medal and his now-iconic back layout celebration doesn’t hurt his brand either. Steveson put himself in a class by himself after running away with the heavyweight title last season, beating the likes of Junior World Champion Mason Parris, Junior World silver medalist Greg Kerkvliet, two-time All-American Tony Cassioppi. He finished the year with his third All-American honor, his second Big Ten title and his first NCAA title.
But the Steveson era is only just beginning.

GABLE FOR GOLD: Minnesota heavyweight champ wins 2021 Olympic title at 125kg 

Following his success at the NCAA tournament, Steveson rolled through Olympic Trials with two finals wins over World Team member Nick Gwiazdowski and earned a spot on the 2021 Olympic Team. Oh, and you know he pulled out the same backflip celebration after that win too. … rest of story at https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling/article/2021-09-21/25-most-exciting-wrestlers-watch-2021-22-ncaa-wrestling-season?mc_cid=94fa238c36&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

7 } – USA WRESTLING RELEASES PRELIMINARY 2021-22 NATIONAL EVENTS SCHEDULE
With the 2021-22 USA Wrestling membership season now underway, USA Wrestling has begun to release its schedule of national events for the new season. There will be a full schedule of USA Wrestling national and regional events held in the season ahead, including competition in numerous age-groups and wrestling styles. As families begin to work on their wrestling competition plans for the 2021-22 season, USA Wrestling wants to make sure you are aware of the dates for its popular national and regional events. At this time, USA Wrestling has posted these events to its online schedule on USAWrestlingEvents.com CURRENT ONLINE EVENT SCHEDULE
September 11-12 – Senior World Team Trials, Lincoln, Neb.
October 15-17- Folkstyle Tour of America – National Club Duals, Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
October 29-31 -USA Wrestling Brian Keck Memorial Preseason Nationals, Des Moines, Iowa … rest of story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/August/31/Save-the-Date-USA-Wrestling-Schedule?mc_cid=ec459aa678&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

8 } – Gene Nighman ’81 Named Executive Director of EIWA
ITHACA, N.Y. – The Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) announced Wednesday the hiring of Gene Nighman ’81 as its executive director. He replaces former executive director Greg Strobel who passed away last October.  A Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame inductee in 1992, Nighman was a three-time All-Ivy first team selection and won the EIWA title at 142 pounds in 1981. He compiled a career record of 71-18-1 highlighted by a seventh-place finish at the 1981 NCAA championships.
Following his graduation from Cornell, Nighman served as the head wrestling coach at SUNY-Cortland for 16 seasons (1983-99), guiding the Red Dragons to a 163-104-3 dual meet record. In 2011, Nighman was inducted into the National Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Following his departure from SUNY-Cortland, Nighman returned to his alma mater where he served as Director of Athletic Ticketing for nearly 20 years. … rest of story at https://cornellbigred.com/news/2021/8/4/wrestling-gene-nighman-81-named-executive-director-of-eiwa.aspx?mc_cid=79d2b15df8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

9} – Patience, Persistence, and Positivity; The Rise of Princeton Wrestling
It was the summer of 2006. Coach Chris Ayres left his comfortable assistant coaching job at perennial powerhouse Lehigh to become the head coach at Princeton. Why do I say comfortable? Well, Lehigh was, essentially, a top ten team year in and year out. Princeton was constantly in the basement of the Ivy League standings. Coach Ayres knew he had a tall order ahead of him. How tall exactly? In his first two seasons, the team had a dual meet record of 0-35. Yes, that is not a typo. Zero and thirty-five. Ayres was no stranger to putting in hard work, even if his results did not show it as much as he’d like. He was, what I consider, a late bloomer himself. He walked onto the Lehigh team without ever winning a state medal in high school. With determination, and finally getting things to “click” on the mat, Ayres earned All-American honors at 157 lbs. Plus, his 120 career wins are good enough for second all-time in Lehigh History. Only Jon Trenge has more, while Lehigh’s latest National Champion, Darian Cruz, is tied with Ayres. He also currently holds the season record for number of wins with 39, while never missing a dual meet in 4 years. Looking at how far Princeton has come, it is literally night and day. From being dead last in the Ivy League every year, unable to bring a complete ten-man line up to dual meets, to now being ranked in the top 25 every year and winning the Ivy League Wrestling Title in 2020. Coincidentally, this title was the university’s 500th Ivy League title across all thirty-seven varsity sports. Princeton is the first Ivy League school to reach this monumental achievement.  … rest of story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/24968?mc_cid=1b9cf77c75&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – A Season Unlike Any Other
STANFORD, Calif. – In the face of a global pandemic and sport discontinuation, the 2020-21 Stanford wrestling team found a way to persevere and remain a family. It was truly an unprecedented time for the Cardinal program. Under the direction of 13^th-year head coach Jason Borrelli, Stanford was 5-3 overall, including 4-0 in Pac-12 duals, and finished the season ranked No. 17 in the InterMat Tournament rankings. Stanford finished third as a team at the Pac-12 Championships, held in Corvallis, Oregon. Redshirt freshman Jaden Abas won the 149-pound title, becoming the eighth freshman in school history to win a conference crown.
The Cardinal qualified seven wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis. Joining Abas as automatic qualifiers were Jackson DiSario (125), Shane Griffith (165), Nick Stemmet (197) and Nathan Traxler (285). Redshirt senior Requir van der Merwe (157) and redshirt sophomore Real Woods (141) received at-large berths to nationals.
Competing on the biggest stage in collegiate wrestling, Griffith cemented his place in Stanford wrestling history. The No. 8 seed at 165 pounds, Griffith knocked off four top-10 seeds (No. 9, No. 1, No. 5 and No. 3) to win just the second individual NCAA title in program history. The redshirt sophomore was also named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the NCAA Championships – the first Cardinal to receive the honor. Griffith, who is now 40-1 in his collegiate career, … rest of story at https://gostanford.com/news/2021/6/17/wrestling-a-season-unlike-any-other.aspx

11 } – FRESNO STATE PRESIDENT AGREES TO MEET WITH MEMBERS OF A COALITION OF COMMUNITY LEADERS WHO ARE ASKING THE SCHOOL TO REINSTATE CUT TEAMS
FRESNO, CA – Fresno State President Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval has agreed to meet with a group of Central Valley community leaders to see if they can find a viable pathway to reinstate all three varsity sports the school cut due to the uncertainty of the pandemic. In a letter delivered on July 21st, the community leaders reaffirmed the need for more opportunities for young people. “Whether it is through an academic scholarship or simply providing the ability to compete as student-athletes, we believe the more avenues available to young people to learn and compete, the more likely they will be able to make valuable and positive contributions to the future of the Central Valley.” The letter is signed by community, education, agriculture, business and government leaders in the Valley, including members of the state assembly Frank Bigelow and Jim Patterson.  “We believe reinstating all of the teams is possible,” … rest of story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/July/29/Save-Fresno-meeting?mc_cid=e223f59fcd&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

12 } – The Pulse: A Look Inside The Fight To Revive Fresno State Wrestling
A dive into Fresno State’s decision to drop wrestling just four years after the Bulldogs returned to the mat and the ongoing fight to revive the program.
The Pulse with Andy Hamilton is a look at the hot topics and interesting angles in wrestling. This week’s edition takes a dive into Fresno State’s decision to drop wrestling just four years after the Bulldogs returned to the mat and the ongoing fight to revive the program. 
The old rosters and records are no longer easily accessible on the school athletic website without the help of a search engine. 
The new wrestling facility that opened just a couple of years ago now serves as a storage space.  The wrestlers who picked Fresno State off the mat and turned it into one of the nation’s top up-and-coming programs have departed, scattering to other schools around the country. 
Fresno State wrestling is gone once again — at least for now — but the fight to bring the Bulldogs back continues.  “I think what’s happened is a travesty in many ways,” said Yero Washington, a two-time All-American for Fresno State in the 1990s and now one of the leaders in the effort to resurrect the Bulldog program.  … rest of story at https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/7156579-the-pulse-a-look-inside-the-fight-to-revive-fresno-state-wrestling?mc_cid=1b9cf77c75&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

October 7, 2021 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment