How the Top 25 (and more) Fared: January 23-30
How all the Division I wrestling teams fared in this week’s dual meet competition, formatted in a How The Top 25 Fared breakdown.
| Rank | Team | Record | Wins This Week | Losses This Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Penn State | (11-0) | #2 Iowa 23-14 | |
| 2 | Iowa | (12-1) | #1 Penn State 23-14 | |
| 3 | Michigan | (9-2) | Maryland 44-5 | #6 Ohio State 23-15 |
| 4 | Iowa State | (12-2) | #10 Oklahoma State 18-11, Oklahoma 25-12 | |
| 5 | Cornell | (9-2) | Army West Point 27-12, Columbia 30-3 | |
| 6 | Ohio State | (11-1) | #3 Michigan 23-15, #22 Michigan State 36-3 | |
| 7 | Virginia Tech | (7-3) | #24 Pittsburgh 26-12 | |
| 8 | NC State | (11-1) | Duke 46-3 | |
| 9 | Missouri | (6-2) | ||
| 10 | Oklahoma State | (9-2) | #15 Northern Iowa 17-15 | #4 Iowa State 18-11 |
| 11 | Nebraska | (7-3) | #13 Wisconsin 23-11 | |
| 12 | Minnesota | (11-2) | #20 Illinois 24-9 |
B1G Takeaways from Week Four of Conference Dual Season
This week had a Rivalry Week theme in the Big Ten as No. 1 Penn State and No. 2 Iowa clashed in State College, Ohio State dominated the state of Michigan and Indiana laid claim to The Hoosier State by beating Purdue.
Here are our takeaways from the week, and BIG Awards at the bottom!
Penn State shows why it’s the team to beat with a win over Iowa
All the hype preceding the No. 1 vs. No 2 clash between Penn State and Iowa last Friday paid off, as the 15,998 fans inside the BJC tied the NCAA record for the largest crowd for an indoor dual meet, and the 388,000 who tuned in on the Big Ten Network set a new viewership record.
While some fans – and coaches – would have liked to have seen action in the individual matches (the team totaled 18 takedowns between them), the overall takeaway from the Nittany Lions’ 23-14 win – their 39th consecutive – was clear: Penn State is going to be pretty darn difficult to beat in March.
Sure, the Nittany Lions have some work to do. But as head coach Cael Sanderson said, “Iowa always does a good job of showing you what you need to work on.”
Penn State’s younger wrestlers, particularly at 141 and 149, weren’t very dynamic on offense – or really offensive at all. Aside from the opening exchange, Beau Bartlett didn’t get a good shot in against Real Woods until the third period. They also struggled to get out from bottom. Max Murin rode Shayne Van Ness for all but about 30 seconds of the second period, and not being able to get out after being taken down early in the first period proved costly for Bartlett in his 4-1 loss.
But those weaker moments were countered by two massive wins to close out the dual. Penn State’s Max Dean used a punishing third-period rideout to extend his record against Jacob Warner to 3-0. Despite the close 2-0 score, Dean never appeared in danger and made it seem less likely that Warner will flip the result of their 2022 NCAA final.
At heavyweight, Greg Kerkvliet bounced back big from his loss to Michigan’s Mason Parris the week prior, recording his first official win (not counting his 8-5 win at the NWCA All-Star Classic) over Tony Cassioppi, 4-1. The victory was significant, as it shows Kerkvliet’s progression, having lost by major decision to Cassioppi in their first matchup, a decision, then in sudden victory, now a win. It’s also significant, as this match is likely to be a semifinal come March.
Penn State’s other three NCAA champs (in addition to Dean) took care of business – although Carter Starocci had to work a little harder for it. True freshman Levi Haines also officially came out of redshirt, recording his 15th win of the season. Despite their losses Friday, Penn State is still poised to score more points at 149 and 165 than it did last year. And while Bartlett can’t make up for the points lost by Nick Lee’s graduation, he should be an All-American contender.
The bottom line is – it looks like the Nittany Lions are well on their way to their 10 NCAA title in 12 seasons.
Indiana breaks 12-year drought against Purdue to own the state
The Indiana Hoosiers traveled into enemy territory on Sunday to face intrastate rival Purdue, and came away with a 17-16 victory – its first over the Boilermakers since 2010. This also marks the first time Indiana has had three conference wins since the 2015-16 season. … rest of story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/26470
No. 2 Lander wrestling eviscerates Newberry on the road – Stays perfect in conference
NEWBERRY, S.C. – The No. 2 Lander wrestling rolled into Newberry College and quieted a sold-out Eleazer Arena with a dominant 31-6 victory Wednesday evening.
Lander moves to 19-2 overall and 9-0 in the SACC while Newberry falls to 9-5 overall and 7-2 in the SACC.
The Bearcats began the match up 13-0 with three straight victories. Lander first saw James Joplin record a first-period pin at 125 to establish a 6-0 edge before Elijah Lusk recorded a flawless 9-0 major decision to run the score to 10-0 while Zeth Brower recorded a 7-3 win by decision to give Lander its 13-0 advantage to begin. Joplin now has five pins on the season along with 15 wins. Lusk is up to 24 wins on the season and has won by major decision four times while Brower moves to 26-0 on the season.
Newberry would take its first three points at 149 before Lander picked back up with a win at 157. Gage Bernall recorded a 9-2 win that saw a reversal and a four-point near fall in the third period. David Hunsberger picked up his 25th win of the year after he took down his opponent with a 6-2 win by decision at 165 to put Lander up 19-3.
Newbery would claim its final three points at 174. Logan Hall picked up his 28th win of the season with a 3-1 sudden victory at 184. After Hall and his opponent both earned points from escapes, Hall battled his way in overtime before taking advantage of an opening to claim the win. With the victory, Hall has set a new program record for total wins in a season. Darius Parker previously held that title with 27 wins in the 2019-20 season.
Up 22-3, the Bearcats would see more points roll in as Anthony Yacovetti earned a 3-1 win by decision after getting a takedown in the second period and an escape in the third. Yacovetti now has 21 wins on the year and is one of five wrestlers to have 20 or more wins this season. Juan Edmond-Holmes ended the match the same way it began. Tied 1-1 heading into overtime … rest of story at Landerbearcats.com/news/2023/2/1/wrestling-no-2-lander-wrestling-eviscerates-newberry-on-the-road-stays-perfect-in-conference
Bout at the Ballpark Preview: #12 Oklahoma State vs. #6 Michigan
If you are a fan of high-level wrestling in unusual atmospheres then this event is for you. On Friday, No. 12 Oklahoma State will host No. 6 Michigan, at Globe Life Field, the home of the MLB’s Texas Rangers in the “Bout at the Ballpark”. Last season, the Cowboys dropped a dual against Iowa in the stadium, and they are underdogs going into this bout. However, the match actually sets up quite well for Oklahoma State, and Michigan is dealing with some injuries at key weight classes. The following is a weight-by-weight preview of the dual.
The dual will broadcast live on the MatScouts Rokfin Page. This is not a pay-per-view event so you can watch if you already subscribe to InterMat or MatScouts on Rokfin.
125: No. 20 Jack Medley (Michigan) vs. Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma State)
Medley wrestled in only one dual prior to the holiday break, but he has assumed the starting role in the second semester. Since January, he has gone 6-2 including victories over Tristan Lujan (Michigan State) and No. 7 Eric Barnett (Wisconsin). Last weekend, Medley dropped a 4-3 decision against No. 10 Malik Heinselman (Ohio State) on Friday before receiving a forfeit against Maryland on Sunday.
Trevor Mastrogiovanni was the starter at this weight for the Cowboys until recently. During his absence, his main substitute has been true freshman Zach Blankenship who has an 8-5 overall record, but is 0-4 in dual meet matches. Earlier this week, coach John Smith announced on his radio show that Reece Witcraft has cut down from 133 pounds and will make his 125-pound debut this weekend.
Witcraft qualified for the NCAA tournament at 133 pounds as a true freshman in 2020. Since then he has mostly been a spot starter. Last season, he competed in a pair of open tournaments at 125 before moving back to 133 for this season. Witcraft holds a 14-4 record on the year and last wrestled at the Southern Scuffle where he went 3-2 with losses coming against Zach Redding (Iowa State) and Connor Brown (Missouri).
Prediction: Medley decision over Witcraft
133: No. 12 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) vs. No. 2 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)
Ragusin has qualified for the last two NCAA tournaments, but he is still looking to lock down a spot on the All-American podium. His season so far has been filled with both ups and downs. In Big Ten duals, Ragusin has picked up victories over No. 30 Taylor LaMont (Wisconsin) and No. 16 Joe Heilmann (Rutgers), but he has also dropped matches against No. 18 Rayvon Foley (Michigan State) and No. 9 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State). … rest of story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/26471
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
Martin Fleming, Editor
Takedown Report
Takedown Report 