Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

DIVISION I COACHES POLL: Cornell vaults into Top 10 as dual season picks up speed

Manheim, Pennsylvania – Wins over Arizona State and Virginia Tech buoyed Cornell six spots as the Big Red were one of the nation’s biggest movers as the first NWCA Division I Coaches Poll of 2023 was released on Tuesday.

Cornell opened up the new year topping then-No. 3 Arizona State 19-12 in neutral site dual in Austin, Texas. The Big Red followed by heading into the sold out Moss Arts Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, and picking off then-No. 8 Virginia Tech 22-12.

Unbeaten Penn State (8-0) and Iowa (9-0) remained atop of the poll for the eighth straight poll in the 2022-23 regular season. The Nittany Lions topped then-No. 11 Wisconsin in Madison, while Iowa got past pesky Illinois 25-19 at home before topping Purdue 37-6 on the road.

Iowa State (9-2) and Michigan both earned a pair of weekend wins and ended this week’s voting tied for third. NC State (9-0) moved into the top five for the first time this season.  The Wolfpack beat Binghamton 36-3.

Iowa State handed Arizona State its second loss of the week with a gritty 19-15 win over the Sun Devils in Ames. Michigan (5-0) swept a pair of duals in California, first beating then-No. 24 Cal Poly 30-11 and then blanking CSU Bakersfield 36-0. Ohio State (7-1) topped Indiana and remained at No. 7, while Arizona State (2-2) dropped five spots to No. 8. Missouri (4-2) held firm at No. 10 after beating then No. 13 Northern Iowa 24-12.

Northwestern improved to 2-0 after an 18-11 win over then-No. 9 Minnesota. … rest of story at NWCAonline.com/division-i-coaches-poll-cornell-vaults-into-top-10-as-dual-season-picks-up-speed

Missouri and Cornell make most noticeable jumps in WIN Jan. 9 rankings

NEWTON, Iowa — Missouri and Cornell made the most noticeable jumps in WIN Magazine’s Jan. 9 Rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.

The Tigers, featuring eight ranked wrestlers, including a pair of top-ranked wrestlers — Keegan O’Toole (165) and Rocky Elam (197) — have moved ahead of Iowa for second place in WIN’s Tournament Power Index with 67 TPI points. The Hawkeyes, with nine ranked wrestlers and a top-ranked wrestler in Spencer Lee (125), are now in third place with 64 TPI points.

Cornell, meanwhile, made the biggest jump in WIN’s Dual Rankings as the Big Red defeated both Arizona State and Virginia Tech in road victories last week to climb from 15th to No. 9 with a 4-2 record.

WIN’s Tournament Power Index projects where schools will finish in the 2023 NCAA Championships, held this March in Tulsa, Okla. The following is a breakdown of the points from the TPI, based on a wrestler’s ranking: 20 for 1st, 16 for 2nd, 13.5 for 3rd, 12.5 for 4th, 10 for 5th, 9 for 6th, 6.5 for 7th and 5.5 for 8th. Wrestlers ranked 9-12 earn two points each, followed by 1.5 points for wrestlers ranked 13-16 and 1 point for those ranked 17-20.

Defending NCAA champion Penn State features nine ranked wrestlers — including four who are ranked No. 1 nationally at their weight: Roman Bravo-Young (133), Carter Starocci (174), Aaron Brooks (184) and Greg Kerkvliet (Hwt). The Nittany Lions are ranked No. 1 in both WIN’s TPI and Dual Rankings with an 8-0 record. The Hawkeyes remain No. 2 at 9-0. The Big Ten rivals are scheduled to meet Jan. 27 in State College, Pa.

The other top-ranked individual wrestlers remain the same from a week ago. The members of this group are Northern Colorado’s Andrew Alirez (141), Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihalis (149) and Nebraska’s Peyton Robb (157). … rest of story at WIN-magazine.com/2023/01/09/missouri-and-cornell-make-most-noticeable-jumps-in-win-jan-9-rankings

7 Big Stories from the Week in College Wrestling (1/9/2023)

The first full week of the new year in the college wrestling season did not disappoint as we saw plenty of upsets, individually and team-based, along with standout performances from the sport’s best, coupled with some emerging stars.

It also marked the start of the Big Ten dual schedule which always leads to intriguing matchups, again, individually and team-based. In addition, six duals featured top-15 teams squaring off in dual competition.

With so much going on there’s any number of different talking points to hit on, but we’ve narrowed it down to 7 big stories from the week in college wrestling.

#1 Goes Down at 141 lbs

There was some controversy surrounding InterMat’s rankings at 141 lbs. Top-ranked Cole Matthews of Pittsburgh was bested in the All-Star Classic exhibition match in late-November. #3 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) was impressive in his victory over Matthews and looked deserving of the top spot. I don’t disagree with that notion; however, the entire dual was built around the fact that these are exhibition matches which will not count on a wrestler’s record or factor in towards NCAA seeding. … rest of story at Intermatwrestle.com/articles/26406

January 12, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Division I Results

The following are just some of the matches last weekend.

Pitt Falls to West Virginia in Backyard Brawl Dual

PITTSBURGH—The Backyard Brawl proved to be just that in Sunday’s Pitt-West Virginia wrestling match, with several contests coming down to crazy scrambles and last-second decisions.
 
Unfortunately for the No. 21 Panthers, the Mountaineers (6-1) won the majority of those crucial moments and emerged from Fitzgerald Field House with a 24-11 dual victory.
 
Winning bouts for the Panthers were No. 7 Micky Phillippi at 133 pounds with a major decision over WVU’s Davin Rhoads, Luca Augustine at 174 pounds with a nice win over Brody Conley and No. 2 Nino Bonaccorsi at 197 pounds with a typically dominant performance against Brian Finnerty.
 
Close defeats defined the dual. The Panthers (5-2) fell in tight bouts at 125 pounds, 141, 157 and lost key scrambles that determined outcomes at 165 and 184 pounds.
 
“Disappointed with losing so many matches that were decided in the third period,” Pitt head coach Keith Gavin said afterwards. “Give credit to West Virginia; they wrestled tough. But we need to work on some things and come back strong next time out.” … rest of story at Pittsburghpanthers.com/news/2023/1/8/wrestling-pitt-falls-to-west-virginia-in-backyard-brawl-dual

NO. 22 MARYLAND WRESTLING SPLITS MATCHES WITH INDIANA, LOSES ON CRITERIA POINTS

COLLEGE PARK, MD — No. 22 Maryland and Indiana each won five matches, including one major decision apiece, but Indiana held a 57-46 advantage in total points to clinch the criteria point tiebreaker and win the dual, 17-16. 

After falling behind 9-3 in the team score, the Terps (6-0, 1-0 Big Ten) reeled off three consecutive wins at 197, 285 and 125. Kal Miller put the Terps up 16-13 with a big sudden victory decision over a ranked opponent, but No. 33 Graham Rooks took a 5-3 decision to tie the bout at 16-16. … rest of story at UMterps.com/news/2023/1/9/wrestling-wrest-iu-recap

Key takeaways from No. 1 Penn State wrestling’s 28-11 win over No. 11 Wisconsin

In the first six bouts of Friday’s night dual between No. 1 Penn State and No. 12 Wisconsin, the Badgers did everything they could to keep the score close. They racked up an early tech fall at 125, they won a big ranked bout at 149 and they earned bonus points at 165 pounds. They were in this match, at least through the first half. But, in the end, the Nittany Lions did what they have done so many times: they took over in the upper weights. 

LOOKING AHEAD: Biggest names and teams to know in college wrestling in 2023

Headlined by Aaron Brooks’ technical fall over Tyler Dow, Penn State rolled out four of the five most dominant wrestlers in its lineup in the second half of the dual and pulled away for a definitive victory 28-11 against the Badgers. Here’s what we learned about the statement performance from the Blue and White in Madison. 

Bonus points defined Friday night’s performances

Between Wisconsin and Penn State, Friday night’s starters put up a total of 169 points across the ten matches, with the Nittany Lions outsourcing their opponents 105-64. 

Wisconsin’s Eric Barnett and Penn State’s Aaron Brooks … rest of story at NCAA.com/news/wrestling/article/2023-01-07/key-takeaways-penn-state-wrestlings-28-11-win-over-no-11-wisconsin

New year, new storylines: Top names and teams to know for the rest of the 2022-2023 college wrestling season

Here’s a look ahead at some of the interesting storylines still to come and athletes to watch that may have been under the radar at the start of the year: 

Southern Scuffle features another slate of top-tier matchups 

The annual Southern Scuffle held in Chattanooga, TN is the best way to start the new year. 

MIDLANDS & SOLDIER SALUTE: Here are the key results from the other major winter tournaments

This season, nearly two dozen teams are competing in this southern event with the hopes of picking up some individual-ranked wins and setting themselves up for a strong second half of the year. The Missouri Tigers won this event in 2022, but with the absence of former Scuffle champs Keegan O’Toole and Rocky Elam, the Tigers will have a harder time defending their crown. They’ll be pushed most intensely by fellow Big 12 foe, Oklahoma State, as the Cowboys bring a number of ranked wrestlers and national qualifiers to the mat including three-time NCAA runner-up Daton Fix and All-Americans Travis Wittlake, Dustin Plott and Wyatt Sheets. 

On an individual level, Stanford’s Shane Griffith will start the year looking for his second career Scuffle title at 165 pounds while Northern Colorado’s Andrew Alirez works to win his first crown in Chattanooga following a hot start to the season for the veteran Bear wrestler. The Scuffle always brings great storylines and exciting bouts, and this year will be no different. But the excitement doesn’t end when the finals are over on January 2. The rest of the wrestling season brings even more intrigue and interest and teams begin preparing for conference duals and peaking for the postseason. 

The rise of Iowa State expected to continue behind strong freshmen and stellar leadership

The Iowa State Cyclones have been one of the biggest stories of the season thus far, as they came out of the gates on fire with dominant wins over Little Rock, Campbell and, most notably No. 11 Wisconsin. The team has no fear and no doubts. Led by NCAA champion David Carr and All-Americans Marcus Coleman and Yonger Bastida, the Cyclones gave the Iowa Hawkeyes everything they had during the annual Cy-Hawk dual, winning five matches and finishing within three points of the 2021 NCAA champion Hawks. … rest of story at NCAA.com/news/wrestling/article/2023-01-01/new-year-new-storylines-top-names-and-teams-know-rest-2022-2023-college-wrestling

January 12, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NWCA National Duals Tournament Results

Perennial Powers Grand View, St. Cloud State, Augsburg Claim Duals Titles

The NWCA National Duals featured breakthroughs by upstart programs and individual upsets, but three longstanding powers stood tallest in the end.

The 2023 edition of the NWCA National Duals featured breakthrough performances by upstart programs and stunning individual upsets, but three of college wrestling’s longstanding powers stood tallest in the end. 

Grand View captured its 11th straight title in NAIA, St. Cloud State returned to the top of the NCAA Division II heap and Augsburg claimed its eighth D3 title Saturday in Louisville. 

Here’s a look at some of the top developments from the second day of the duals:

— Grand View entered the weekend as the prohibitive NAIA favorite and the Vikings made light work of their bracket destruction. Grand View went 18-2 on Friday and scored bonus points in all but four matches and followed that up with a 17-3 day with five bonus-point victories on Saturday. The Vikings notched a 36-0 semifinal win against a Doane squad that withheld several of its top stars and then completed their title run by beating Life in the finals for the National Duals finals for the fourth straight time. 

Grand View swept the first five matches against Life. In a rematch of last year’s NAIA title bout and a showdown between the past two national champions at 125 pounds, Grand View’s Esco Walker scored an overtime takedown to beat Brandon Orum 4-2. The Vikings also picked up a 6-1 win from top-ranked 133-pounder Carson Taylor against #3 Jacob Ruiz and fourth-ranked Blake Gonzalez downed #2 Brevin Balmeceda 9-5 at 149 to help launch Grand View out to a 16-0 dual lead. 

“I just felt like we fought,” Grand View coach Nick Mitchell said. … rest of story at Flowrestling.org/articles/10307657-perennial-powers-grand-view-st-cloud-state-augsburg-claim-duals-titles

NO. 1 GRAND VIEW WINS 11TH-STRAIGHT NWCA NATIONAL DUALS CHAMPIONSHIP

Louisville, KY – No. 1 Grand View competed in the NWCA National Duals the past two days, taking home the championship for the 11th consecutive year defeating Lourdes in the opening round 43-9, shutting out both No. 12 Reinhardt in the quarterfinals, and No. 4 Doane 36-0. and finishing by defeating No. 2 Life University in the championship 22-8. 

OPENING-ROUND

In the opening round, the Vikings would go head to head with Lourdes University who is receiving votes in the latest poll. The Vikings would make easy work of the Ohio team defeating them 43-9. In the lightweight classes, the Vikings would see three wrestlers pin their opponent, Luke Fogleman (FR/Durham, NC ) (125), Kyle Rice (FR/New Plymouth, ID ) (133), and Ben Murphy (SO/Roseville, CA ) (141). Blake Gonzales (149) would see a pass via forfeit, and it would move the Vikings into a strong performance from No. 1 ranked Giovanni Bonilla (SR/Kissimmee, FL ) (157) who would win by tech fall against his opponent 15-0. Tanner Abbas (SR/Kanawha, IA ) (165) would win by decision over Andrew Torres, 9-3. At 174 No. 1 ranked Isaiah Luellen (JR/Rossville, KS ) would cruise past his opponent winning by TF 25-9. Tyson Beauperthuy (SO/Colorado Springs, CO ) would fall by decision in the next round (184), 17-10. No. 3 Owen Braungardt (JR/Rock, KS ) would get a warm welcome back to the mat by pinning his opponent. No. 1 Greg Hagan (JR/Des Moines, IA ) would have an unorthodox go-around in his first match losing to DQ, due to an injury to his opponent.

QUARTERFINALS

The Vikings would square off 12th ranked Reinhardt in the quarterfinals also on Friday, January 6th. No. 1 ranked Esco Walker (SR) (125) would waste no time in his first match of the dual, pinning his 12th-ranked opponent. Following Walker would be No. 1 Carson Taylor (SO) (133) who would win by a major decision to his opponent, 12-1. Ben Murphy (141) would wrestle in his second match of the day winning again by decision, 5-1. Jack Latimer (JR/Camas, WA ) (149) would follow Murphy also winning by major decision versus the No. 20 ranked for Reinhardt. No. 2 Israel Casarez (SR/Reno, NV ) (157) would see his first match of the day against the 5th ranked foe for Reinhardt, … rest of story at GVvikings.com/article/7930?utm_source=Wrestling+News

Bellarmine Wrestling claims NWCA National Duals title

LOUISVILLE, Ky. –  In its second day of competition at the Louisville Expo Center, the Bellarmine wrestling team earned first place in the NCWA Division at the NWCA National Duals.
 
The Knights won all six duals they competed in over the past two days to claim the title.  Each dual featured 11 bouts, including a 235 match.  Seven Bellarmine wrestlers went 6-0 to help propel the Knights to the tournament win.
 
Friday – Pool B Results
-Bellarmine 42 – Queens 9
-Bellarmine 58 – Emory & Henry 6
-Bellarmine 46 – Apprentice School 6
 
Saturday – Tournament
-Bellarmine 48 – Central Florida 6
-Bellarmine 35 – Queens 12
-Bellarmine 29 – Liberty 21
 
“I love how our team continued to grow together as the tournament progressed,” Knights Head Coach Ned Shuck said.  “A dual meet atmosphere is really special and we had a blast with it!” Many of our guys went undefeated on the weekend and wrestled with a dominating style. Getting our arms raised is really cool, but I was more impressed with the level of output they gave in each of the matches.”
 
Jack Parker went 6-0 for the Knights at 125 including two tech-falls and a pin. … rest of story at Bellarmine.edu/news/2023/1/7/wrestling-claims-ncwa-national-duals-title

Men’s Wrestling Finish as Runner-Up at NWCA National Duals

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The No. 2 Life University men’s wrestling team made it to the championship dual of the NWCA National Duals for the third-straight year, but came up short in the final to claim second place this weekend.

Friday’s first dual matched Life U up with (RV) Cornerstone, the Golden Eagles only victories only coming in the first and final bouts. On their way to a resounding, 41-6 victory, Life U earned four total pins and a tech fall. Jacob Ruiz earned the first pin in the least amount of time at just 25 seconds. Jody McAlister followed him up with a pin of his own in 3:13, while Jack Bass earned the third in just 0:28. The final pin came from Zane Lanham in 3:18, while Myles Starke earned the only tech fall, 18-2 to see the team glide to the quarterfinals.

In the quarterfinals against No. 14 Morningside, the Running Eagles did not give up a single point. Despite giving up no scores, it was a closer match as all but three of the matches were won in hard-fought decisions. Brandon Orum and Tyree Johnson started things with tough victories over ranked opponents. At 149 lbs. Francis Morrissey scored a sizable upset, beating a wrestler ranked 8th, 5-2. … rest of story at Liferunningeagles.com/news/2023/1/7/mens-wrestling-finish-as-runner-up-at-nwca-national-duals

Grand View, King repeat; St. Cloud State, Augsburg regain top spots, while Southern Oregon and Bellarmine win for first time at USMC/NWCA Multi-Division National Duals

Louisville, Kentucky – What started as 95 teams battling for dual meet supremacy ended with six divisional champions at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday.

St. Cloud State, Wartburg, Grand View, Bellarmine, King and Southern Oregon took home top honors in each of the six collegiate divisions that came to a close at the 2023 U.S. Marine Corps NWCA Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships presented by ARMS Software, Defense Soap, and Capital Construction hosted by NUWAY Combat.

NAIA Men
Grand View ran its National Duals win streak in the NAIA Division to 11 in a row as the Vikings defeated Life University 22-8 for the fourth straight year in the finals. With the win, Grand View extended its NAIA dual meet win streak to 149 in a row. The dual started off with a tightly contested 125-pound scrap between past national champions. Grand View’s Esco Walker, the champ in 2022, took out Brandon Orum, the 2021 champion, 4-2 in sudden victory. It was one of two overtime wins in the dual by the Vikings. At 133-pounds, it was a 1-2 matchup and it was top-ranked Carson Taylor of Grand View topping Jacob Ruiz 6-1.

Grand View continued its run with a sound victory by Shea Ruffridge at 141 pounds before fifth-ranked Blake Gonzalez knocked off Life’s top-ranked Brevin Balmeceda at 149 pounds. A win by top-ranked Giovanni Bonilla gave Grand View a 16-0 lead before Life’s Jack Bass picked off Marty Margolis 6-4 at 165 pounds. Both wrestlers are returning NAIA finalists. Bass at 157 last season, while Margolis is the returning runner-up at the weight.

Grand View would lock up the title with wins by top-ranked Isaiah Luellen at 174 and second-ranked Ben Lee at 184. Life closed with wins at 197 and 285. At 197, returning national champion Zane Lanham beat … rest of story at NWCAonline.com/grand-view-king-repeat-again-st-cloud-state-augsburg-regain-top-spots-while-southern-oregon-and-bellarmine-win-for-first-time-at-usmc-nwca-multi-division-national-duals

January 12, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

College Women’s Dual Results

SOU captures title at NWCA National Dual Meet Championships

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Southern Oregon University women’s wrestling team hit its biggest program milestone yet Saturday, taking down No. 5 Menlo (Calif.) in the semifinals and No. 2 Grand View (Iowa) in the final to capture the NAIA title at the U.S. Marine Corps/NWCA National Dual Meet Championships inside the Kentucky Expo Center.

The top-ranked Raiders came from behind in both duals, ultimately topping Menlo 25-18 and Grand View 22-18, thanks to a pair of upper-weight seniors: 170-pounder Joye Levendusky and 191-pounder Grace Kristoff. Trailing the Oaks 18-17, Levendusky, ranked No. 3, and Kristoff, ranked No. 5, scored back-to-back technical fall shutouts against Jessica Mendietta and Nikita Dhaliwal. And trailing the Vikings 17-15, Levendusky put the Raiders on top with a 10-0 technical fall over No. 4 Abby McIntyre before Kristoff clinched the championship with a 3-1 decision over No. 11 Olivia Brown.

SOU’s previous best finish at the tournament had been last year’s third-place showing. The team went on to take second place at the NAIA National Tournament. … rest of story at SOUraiders.com/news/2023/1/7/womens-wrestling-sou-captures-title-at-nwca-national-dual-meet-championships

King, SOU Women Win Down-To-The-Wire National Duals Thrillers

It came down to the last match, but King and Southern Oregon pulled off dramatic wins at the NWCA National Duals.

If dramatic finishes are your thing, then King and Southern Oregon delivered must-watch finals at the NWCA National Duals.

The top-seeded Tornado entered the tournament short-handed and still pulled out the win. Head coach Jason Moorman didn’t have a 191-pounder all weekend but he used a strategic move for a 22-20 win over a powerful North Central squad. 

King was ahead 20-15 after 155 pounds when the team forfeited against North Central’s nearly unstoppable Yelena Makoyed at 170 pounds. How good is Makoyed? Well, she won three international ranking tournaments in 2022 and pinned the reigning World champion at the World Cup. 

So, yeah, she’s pretty stellar. 

Moorman bumped up Cheyenne Bowman to take on Traeh Haynes at 191 pounds. Bowman controlled the match from the start for a 5-1 win and a team title for the Tornado.

The turning point was at 136 pounds when King’s Viktorya … rest of story at Flowrestling.org/articles/10306569-king-sou-women-win-down-to-the-wire-national-duals-thrillers

Auggie women take fifth at NWCA National Duals

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — For the second straight year, the No. 5-ranked Augsburg University women’s wrestling team finished in fifth place at the National Wrestling Coaches Association NCAA Women’s National Duals, winning both of its matches on Saturday.
 
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORES: No. 5 Augsburg 27, No. 8 Gannon (Pa.) 18; No. 5 Augsburg 29, No. 7 Presbyterian (N.C.) 17
LOCATION: Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville, Ky.
RECORDS: Augsburg 4-2 overall
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Augsburg, ranked No. 5 in the latest NWCA women’s NCAA national rankings, won seven of the eight matches wrestled in a 27-18 victory over No. 8-ranked Gannon University (Pa.) in the consolation semifinals, then scored three technical falls in five matches wrestled in a 29-17 victory over No. 7-ranked Presbyterian College (N.C.) in the fifth place match. 
• Top-ranked 155-pounder Marlynne Deede (SR, Springville, Utah/Springville HS), top-ranked 136-pounder Nina Makem (SO, Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee HS) and 123-pounder Gabrielle Torgerson (SR, Spooner, Wis./Cumberland HS) all claimed a pair of technical fall wins on Saturday to lead the Auggie attack.
• Deede, now 22-1 on the season and 68-19 in her collegiate career, claimed a 10-0 victory over Gannon’s Annabelle Helm, the No. 7-ranked 170 pounder nationally, and a 10-0 win over Presbyterian’s Isabella Badon. Deede, who had two pins and a technical fall in Friday’s action, now has 14 technical falls and six pins among her 22 victories this season.
• Makem claimed two technical fall wins over ranked opponents to improve to 20-2 on the season, beating Gannon’s No. 8-ranked Lana Perez 10-0 and Presbyterian’s No. 3-ranked Paige Wehrmeister 10-0. She claimed three technical falls and a pin on the weekend. Makem now has 12 technical falls and six pins on the year.
• Torgerson claimed five bonus-point wins on the weekend — two pins and three technical falls — and had two technical falls on Saturday, 10-0 and 11-0, to improve to 20-8 on the season with nine technical falls and seven pins. She is now 61-23 in her collegiate career. … rest of story at Augsburg.edu/news/2023/1/7/

January 12, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment