No. 7 N.C. State wrestling team wins Journeyman Collegiate Duals
Wolfpack heads into 2023 undefeated at 8-0
NEW ORLEANS, LA. N.C. State junior Jarrett Trombley strutted through the halls of the New Orleans Convention Center with an over sized cup in his hand.
Trombley earned the right to carry the hardware, which wasn’t a cup, but a championship trophy.
Over the weekend at the Journeyman Collegiate Duals, four individuals went undefeated as the Wolfpack won the Red Pool, 27-12, with a win over No. 22 Northern Iowa.
No. 7 N.C. State (8-0) also defeated Cal-Poly and Lehigh, giving the Pack three wins over ranked teams in two days.
The finals featured seven matches when ranked opponents went head-to-head. Their wins over Lehigh and Northern Iowa were their first wins in program history in those series.
Head coach Pat Popolizio admittedly had question marks at the beginning of the year with a young roster. After a hot start, some of those have been answered.
“The one thing we can see with our team is we are starting to be a little more consistent,” Popolizio said. “Guys are settling into their style of wrestling and building confidence on stuff that we’ve worked on week to week. That’s what we got out of our team this weekend, guys showing up ready to compete.”
N.C. State won the first three matches over the Panthers (2-1), quickly gaining some important momentum right out the gate.
“You look at that match (early) on paper and there’s a lot of splits,” Popolizio said about the early showdowns. “When you can win those matches that are on paper, big toss ups it gives you some breathing room.” … rest of story at GOpack.com/news/2022/12/20/wrestling-young-n-c-state-wrestling-team-wins-journeyman-collegiate-duals
‘Cats Dominate Home Tri-Meet Over Queens and Presbyterian
DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Davidson College wrestling team turned in a dominating performance at its home tri-meet on Friday evening. The ‘Cats cruised past Queens 42-4 in the first dual, then took down Presbyterian in the Southern Conference opener 26-7.
Head coach Nate Carr Jr. picked up his first career win and first conference win as the head coach of the Wildcats wrestling program.
Davidson dominated the Royals in the first match of the night. Marc Koch kicked things off with a pin of David Makupson in just over four minutes during the 157-pound bout to get things started. Bryce and Brett Sanderlin followed suit with two more wins in the 165 and 174-pound matchups. Bryce Sanderlin pinned his opponent in a little over five minutes to earn six points.
In the 184-pound match, Cameo Blankenship persevered in a 13-10 decision, and Gavin Henry pinned Riley Kuhn in two-and-a-half minutes during the 197-pound bout.
During the heavyweight match, Jake Fernicola edged Queens’ Mikey Lytle in a hard-fought 4-2 decision.
To wrap up the first match, Hale Robinson pinned his opponent … rest of story at Davidsonwildcats.com/news/Cats-dominate-home-tri-meet-over-queens-and-presbyterian
Gardner-Webb Drops Duals to Clarion and SIUE in Home Openers
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Runnin’ Bulldogs dropped both of their matches on Friday in the Gardner-Webb Duals. GWU lost to Clarion 33-6 in their first match and lost 22-19 to SIU Edwardsville to close out the day.
Clarion and SIU Edwardsville wrestled against Chattanooga as well before ending their day against each other.
Gardner-Webb opened the morning against Clarion winning the opening two matches. Drew West won 8-6 for a decision at 125 and Todd Carter followed it with a 16-10 decision at 133. The Eagles triumphed in each of the next two by a single point to tie the dual at six each.
Clarion went on to win the remaining six matches including two by falls and one by a tech fall to claim the victory in the dual. The Eagles were also assessed a team point deduction for bench conduct.
In the ‘Dogs second dual, West started GWU with points again as he pinned Austin Macias right before the conclusion of the first period. Carter won his on a major decision and Zach Price won a 4-3 decision. Despite the fast start, the Cougars were victorious in the next four to get to an 18-13 lead in the dual.
The Runnin’ Bulldogs’ Jha’quan Anderson and Sam Mora won theirs on decisions at 184 and 197 to have the dual come down to the final match … rest of story at GWUsports.com/news/Gardner-webb-drops-duals-to-clarion-and-siue-in-home-openers
Gardner-Webb Wrestling Drops 23-15 Decision At Ohio University Monday Night
THENS, Ohio – Gardner-Webb jumped out to a 12-0 lead Monday night at Ohio University before falling to the Bobcats 23-15 in the team’s fifth dual of the season.
The Runnin’ Bulldogs (1-4) got a fall in 5:25 from freshman Drew West at 125 pounds to get off to a resounding start and an early 6-0 edge. Todd Carter followed with another strong effort, beating Mason Brugh 4-2 to push the team lead to 9-0 and Tyler Lamon took a 5-2 decision over Kyran Hagan for a 12-0 lead.
The Bobcats bounced back with wins at 149 and 157 pounds to trim the lead to 12-9 before RJ Mosley halted the rally with a hard fought 2-1 decision in two overtimes at 165 pounds.
Ohio won the final four bouts of the night, getting a 9-3 decision at 174 pounds to cut Gardner-Webb’s lead to 15-12 … rest of story at GWUsports.com/news/12/19/gardner-webb-wrestling-drops-23-15-decision-at-ohio-university-monday-night
Greensboro Wrestling gives back to the Thanksgiving Basket Giving Project
Greensboro, NC – The Holidays are a time to reflect on the blessings we have as a member of the Greensboro College Athletic Family and the Pride programs always make it a priority to give back to the community any way they can. This year the Greensboro College Wrestling team partnered with Spartan ELITE Wrestling Club to gather canned food and donations, which helped build food baskets with a full thanksgiving meal. The meals included a turkey and all of the trimmings and were given to local families who were in need. The 4th Annual Thanksgiving Basket Giving Project is an annual event that assists Greensboro area families with food needs during the Thanksgiving Holiday. It was a great experience for the team and they were thrilled to be play a role in the families’ holiday.
“At Greensboro College we are building Champions on and off the mat, and giving back to the community is a way the we can show a tangible way to help families during the holidays like Thanksgiving”, said Head Coach Justin Harty. “I am proud of our Greensboro College Wrestling team for gathering and donating canned goods and giving donations toward this great giving project benefiting Advance Adamance Charity Families. Learning to give back to others is just as important as anything else we teach in the wrestling room. Being Giving Champions in the community is something we hope all Greensboro College Wrestlers take with them long after they hang up their wrestling shoes. Thanks to all the Pride supporters who helped us with this project this year”. … rest of story at Greensborocollegesports.com/news/greensboro-wrestling-gives-back-to-the-thanksgiving-basket-giving-project
Appalachian State Takes Down No. 21 Tar Heels in Top-30 Showdown
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The first period of the first match wasn’t even complete before a pin-clinching whistle confirmed App State Wrestling’s intentions Thursday night.
The Mountaineers traveled to Chapel Hill ready to put up a tough, wire-to-wire fight against a ranked North Carolina team from the ACC.
In a top-30 showdown, with UNC ranking No. 21 in the NWCA Coaches Poll and as high as No. 17 among the other national polls, App State posted a 19-16 victory in Carmichael Arena to beat the Tar Heels for the second time in the last seven seasons.
Caleb Smith’s first-period pin in a matchup of ranked 125-pound wrestlers gave App State (1-1) six big points right off the bat, and a trio of wins from NCAA-experienced veterans in Sean Carter, Jon Jon Millner and Will Formato pushed the lead to 16-7 with four matches remaining.
The next three matches pitted three ranked wrestlers from UNC against three App State underclassmen, but Will Miller capped just his second career dual appearance by winning a 7-5 decision against returning All-American and eighth-ranked Clay Lautt at 174 pounds. Miller delivered a tiebreaking takedown with 36 seconds left and finished on top to give the Mountaineers a 19-7 advantage.
Close decisions in UNC’s favor at the final three weights resulted in the final nine points for the Tar Heels (1-3), but App State exited Carmichael with its fifth all-time win in the series and the second victory in the modern era, joining the 18-16 home win against a 25th-ranked UNC team in Boone during the 2016-17 season.
The other wins in the series occurred in 1965-66, 1960-61 and 1959-60. … rest of story at Appstatesports.com/news/2022/12/15/wrestling-tops-no-21-tar-heels-in-top-30-showdown
TDR blog
After 20 seasons of publicizing wrestling The TakeDown Report’s (TDR) focus has changed to the collecting of college coaching records from North America since 1903. We will continue to recognize and reward successful wrestlers in eastern North Carolina (east of Raleigh & Fayetteville), assist with schools in starting or re-starting a team and this blog. Join us on our FaceBook Page – “The TakeDown Report” for photos and news. Please send results, stories, links and news to pass along. E-mail us at takedownreport@gmail.com
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