Takedown Report

NWCA National Duals

Day 1 D2, D3, NAIA Notes

Friday was filled with fireworks at the NWCA National Duals, where a D2 upstart pulled off a big win while D3 and NAIA powers rolled.

 Friday morning began with a bang at the NWCA National Duals — and West Liberty was on the ear-ringing end of it. 

Minutes after the tournament’s opening whistle, Cole Laya, the reigning Division II NCAA champion at 125 pounds, got knocked off in overtime by returning All-American Dawson Collins of Colorado Mesa. 

It was the first of two consecutive narrow defeats for West Liberty, which put the Hilltoppers in a stressful situation early. It became a theme of the day for West Liberty. 

Thanks to a pair of victories by Francesco Borsellino in winner-take-all heavyweight bouts, the Hilltoppers advanced with one-point dual wins against Colorado Mesa and Lander to advance to Saturday’s semifinals in Louisville. 

Borsellino’s major decision lifted West Liberty past Colorado Mesa 20-19 and his decision against Lander helped the Hilltoppers win by criteria. 

The stage was set for the late dramatics in part due to seventh-ranked 133-pounder Vincent Scollo’s 3-1 overtime win against #6 Elijah Lusk. 

West Liberty will take on top-ranked Central Oklahoma in Saturday’s semis. The Bronchos rolled into the semis with wins over Augustana (22-12) and Indianapolis (25-9). St. Cloud State will take on the University of Mary in the other D2 semi. 

Here’s a look at five more interesting developments from Friday’s men’s competition in Louisville:

— Nebraska-Kearney has been a perennial Division II power for more than a decade. The Mary Marauders are trying to elevate their program to that level. Mary took a big step Friday. 

The Marauders pulled off what the school website called the “biggest victory of the school’s NCAA era” on Friday when they downed the reigning NCAA champion Lopers 21-12 in the quarterfinals. 

Mary registered six match wins against Nebraska-Kearney, highlighted by third-ranked Max Bruss’ 7-4 win at 174 against #2 Austin Eldredge. The Lopers had a mathematical chance going into 197, but #10 Hayden Prince suffered an apparent knee injury early in the third period of a 2-2 match against Matt Kaylor. Prince injury defaulted later in the period. 

— Wartburg, Augsburg, UW-La Crosse and Johnson & Wales entered Friday unbeaten … rest of story at Flowrestling.org/articles/10290866-nwca-national-duals-day-1-d2-d3-naia-notes

NCAA, NAIA divisions set for semifinals at USMC/NWCA Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships

Louisville, Kentucky – Five of the six divisions in action at the Kentucky Exposition Center have reached the semifinals and in all five, the returning champions are in the mix to repeat, while there’s a party crasher or two in the mix.

Central Oklahoma, UW-La Crosse, Grand View, King University and Life each pushed through winning in early-round competition on Friday at the 2022 U.S. Marine Corps NWCA Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships presented by ARMS Software, Defense Soap, and Capital Construction hosted by NUWAY Combat. The NCWA men’s division wrestles its quarterfinals on Saturday morning.

WHAT: U.S. Marine Corps NWCA Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships
HOST: NUWAY Combat
PRESENTED BY: ARMS Software, Defense Soap, Capital Construction, U.S. Marine Corps
WHERE: Kentucky Expo Center, Louisville, Kentucky
WHEN: January 6-7, 2023
WATCH: Flowrestling (Subscription Required)
RESULTS via Trackwrestling.com: NCAA Men | NAIA Men | NCWA Men
NCAA Women | NAIA Women

Division II Men
Top-seeded Central Oklahoma won both its duals on Friday, but it wasn’t exactly easy for the returning National Duals champion Bronchos. Winning six of the 10 bouts against Augustana (S.D.) in the opening round, a couple of high-profile upsets soured what might have been a stellar day for coach Todd Steidley’s squad.

The win over Augustana wasn’t cemented until a 6-1 win at 197-pounds by top-ranked and returning Division II champion Dalton Abney and second-ranked Shawn Streck’s major decision at 285 pounds. The win got them a matchup with No. 8 Indianapolis, which needed a fall at 285 to knock-off upset-minded Gannon 21-19 in the opening round. Trailing by four in the dual, UIndy’s Cale Gray pinned Gannon’s Gehrig Hutchison in 24 seconds to propel the Greyhounds into the quarterfinals.

In the quarters, UCO won seven of the 10 bouts, but UIndy’s wins came over … rest of story at NWCAonline.com/ncaa-naia-divisions-set-for-semifinals-at-usmc-nwca-multi-division-national-dual-meet-championships

January 7, 2023 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized