Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

Duke Splits Presbyterian, George Mason Duals

CLINTON S.C. – The Duke wrestling team (3-4) split two duals on the road Wednesday afternoon, narrowly defeating Presbyterian, 23-19, and falling to George Mason in a 35-3 decision.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Senior Jonah Niesenbaum secured the Blue Devils’ only three points against George Mason after a 9-2 decision over Donovan Sprouse. Niesenbaum, ranked 19th nationally, improved to 2-0 on the afternoon after a win over Morvens Saint Jean of Presbyterian.
  • Junior Preston Decker‘s major decision over Michael Ramirez started the Blue Devils off strong in the opening match against Presbyterian.
  • Freshman Gaetano Console followed at 165 pounds, earning six more points to extend the Blue Devils’ lead to 10-0.
  • Presbyterian was able to even the score in the final three matches, however, redshirt-junior Patrick Rowland defeated Khalid Brinkley in a major decision, 10-2, to capture the Blue Devils’ victory.

UP NEXT
Duke returns to the mat on Sunday, Jan. 1, opening a two-day stint at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn. … rest of story at GOduke.com/news/2022/12/21/wrestling-duke-splits-presbyterian-george-mason-duals

Mason Starts Season 8-0 after Wins against Duke and Presbyterian

Fairfax, Va.— The George Mason wrestling team is 8-0 in dual action after defeating Duke University and Presbyterian College today in Clinton, S.C.

Mason defeated Presbyterian 32-6 and Duke 35-3 to continue its best start since the 1994-95 season. Ironically, that season the Patriots defeated Duke 36-9, the last win against the Blue Devils. Mason has evened the all-time series at 4-4.

The Patriots won 18 of the 20 matches today.

Josh Jones earned two falls today, his third and fourth of the season, in the 133 pound weight class. Freshman Markel Baker (125) and Drew Dickson (165) each earned a technical fall against Presbyterian. Baker leads the team in tech falls with three. Baker is 14-6 in his inaugural season.

Dickson also earned a major decision against Presbyterian’s Tyler Chittum, 18-6. … rest of story at GOmason.com/news/2022/12/21/wrestling-mason

Miller Named National Wrestler of the Week

BOONE, N.C. — App State’s Will Miller has been named not just the SoCon Wrestler of the Week thanks to a 3-0 mark that included a big win at North Carolina, but the NCAA has also recognized Miller as its National Wrestler of the Week.

Miller’s unbeaten week included a 7-5 decision against eighth-ranked returning All-American Clay Lautt of North Carolina, a result that gave App State its final victory in a 19-16 road win at No. 21 UNC. Competing in a dual for just the second time, Miller delivered a tiebreaking takedown with 36 seconds left and finished on top to preserve the win.

Miller then went 2-0 in Tuesday night’s pair of duals, starting with a 3-1 decision against Bellarmine’s Devan Hendricks, a four-year starter who took a 46-28 career record to Boone. Miller capped the night with a 14-4 major decision against Queens’ Sebastian Shered.

Miller has won nine of his last 11 matches, starting that streak with a 5-0 run to an individual title at the Keystone Classic.

Miller joins Jon Jon Millner and Sean Carter as SoCon weekly winners from App State this season. … rest of story at APPstatesports.com/news/2022/12/21/-25-wrestling-miller-named-national-wrestler-of-the-week

December 31, 2022 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NWCA Releases Division II Men’s Coaches Regular Season Poll #2

MANHEIM, PA – For the third time in as many rankings, there is a new team atop NCAA Division II wrestling. The Central Oklahoma Bronchos took the top spot in decisive fashion, jumping into the top spot with more than 30 points separating them from the No. 2 Nebraska-Kearney Lopers.

The Bronchos, who were last in the top spot in the rankings Feb. 18, 2022, amassed 114 total team points behind 10 ranked wrestlers. Six of those 10 wrestlers are in the top five individually, let by returning National Champion Dalton Abney atop the 197 rankings, while three more from UCO are ranked No. 2: Dylan Lucas at 133, Gabe Johnson at 157 and Shawn Streck at 285.

Nebraska-Kearney held its second-place ranking with 83 points after opening the season at No. 1. Last ranking’s No. 1, St. Cloud State, came in third place this ranking with 75 points, while West Liberty (60 pts.) and Lander (51 points) round out the top five.

INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS

Eight of the 10 top ranked wrestlers held onto their spots, with Devin Flannery of Millersville moving to the top of the 133 ranking, while Lee Herrington of Nebraska-Kearney took over the No. 1 spot at 285. The 10 ranked Bronchos lead the field, while St. Cloud features eight ranked individuals. UNK is the lone institution to feature multiple No. 1-ranked individuals, with Billy Higgins at 184 joining Herrington atop their respective weight classes.

Super Region 5 features six teams ranked in the top 25, with both Super Regions 4 and 6 close behind with five teams ranked in the top 25 each. Super Region 5 also has the most ranked individuals, with 29 ranked individuals. Another 27 ranked individuals come from Super Region 4, while 21 come from Super Region 6. Three of the top 10 ranked individuals come from Super Region 6, with Higgins and Herrington from UNK and Noah Hermosillo at 157 from Adams State. … rest of story at NWCAonline.com/nwca-releases-division-ii-mens-coaches-regular-season-poll-2

December 31, 2022 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

A year away from NCHSAA recognition, girls wrestling makes jump forward in North Carolina

ASHEVILLE — Eva Keefauver remembers what it was like to be the only girl in sight at a wrestling tournament.

She found herself in that position plenty when she began the sport as a middle schooler, receiving looks askance from the boys, then often being overpowered by them in matches even when she had superior technique.

She also remembers her first years wrestling at East Henderson High School, as the number of girl wrestlers, girls teams and girls tournaments began ticking up, and the pressure on the state high school association to sanction the sport increased.

This season – a year before girls wrestling becomes an official NCHSAA sport – Keefauver, her fellow athletes, their coaches and anybody watching one of the many girls wrestling events across the state can see just how much the sport has grown from just a year or two ago, pointing toward a bright future for the soon-to-be newest sanctioned sport in the state.

“This is the first year that we’ve had finals together and full brackets in a lot of tournaments,” Keefauver said. “There’s a whole bunch of girls, and it’s normal now. It’s not just me.”

WRESTLERS TO WATCH:Here are 30 of the top WNC names to watch on the mat this season

YEARSLONG FIGHT:The road to NCHSAA sanctioning girls wrestling

While the sport needed enough participants to get the attention of the NCHSAA, its supporters also expected the numbers to jump after this summer’s news that beginning in the 2023-24 school year, the NCHSAA will officially sanction girls wrestling.

Those projections appear accurate. Three seasons ago, the number of North Carolina girls wrestling in high school was under 400, according to Cheryl Baynard, who organized a group dedicated to getting the sport sanctioned in the state.

Last year, it was up to about 600. This year, it’s jumped to above 900 and potentially crossed four digits. That’s allowed tournaments like the Smoky Mountain Grapple, which concluded Saturday at Harrah’s Cherokee Center, to add a weight class and have fuller brackets than last year.

“We’ve seen the jump,” Enka coach Mark Harris said. “We are learning as we grow, and it’s really been fun to watch the girls create their own culture and their own stamp within that program.” … rest of story at Citizen-times.com/story/sports/high-school/2022/12/22/nc-high-school-girls-wrestling-nchsaa-sanctioned-sport-growth-participation

December 31, 2022 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment