Takedown Report

TDR Top 12 – Best Girl Wrestlers in Eastern North Carolina – 2023

TDR Editor’s Notes; The following is a list of the 36 best female scholastic wrestlers in Eastern North Carolina. They are recognized for their successful in competition for this season. Last year the 1st Olivia Neal Award was presented to Isabel Rodriguez of Dixon H.S. for her contributions to the growth in opportunities for female wrestlers in the TDR coverage area. We also awarded wooden engraved TDR Top 12 plaques to the top 5 female wrestlers last season. This year we will present the 2nd Annual Olivia Neal Award and TDR Top 12 plaques to the top 12 wrestlers. As the number of female wrestlers in all age groups has grown by a 30-50% rate each year it becomes challenging to keep track of the numbers. This is encouraging for the sport and for their opportunities in competition. Next season over 30 states will have sanctioned championships for girl wrestlers and over 130 colleges will have women’s varsity teams. Our award winners will be announced in early March.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

February 21, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

2022-23 NAIA Men’s Wrestling Coaches’ Top 20 Poll – Final

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Grand View (Iowa) now leads the NAIA Men’s Wrestling Coaches’ Top 20 Poll for the seventh straight rankings period this year. With the rest of the Top Five remaining the same, the biggest movement comes from Morningside (Iowa) and Cumberlands (Ky.) each leaping four spots. The Cascade and Mid-South Conferences lead the way with five institutions each represented. 

Poll Methodology

• The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the eight conferences.
• Two days prior to the national poll, each qualifying group rater submits the top 10 individuals from each weight class in his conference into the system. Only wrestlers listed on a conference ballot are considered for the national ballot.
• The top 25 individuals in each weight class is based on how each voter ranks the best individuals. An individual receives 25 points for each first place vote, 24 for second place and so on through the list. This same point system is used to determine the team ranking.
• The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) is removed and the team’s ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot
• For the complete Top 20 calendar, click here. … rest of story at NAIA.org/sports/mwrest/2022-23/Releases/7_National=Wrestling

February 21, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Perfect dual season behind them, Pitt-Johnstown turns focus to tournaments

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – When Pat Pecora talked about his Pitt-Johnstown wrestling team prior to the start of the season, he raved about how much he liked his Mountain Cats as people.

They’re good students, he’d say. They don’t need a schedule to get in the weight room or the mat room for an extra workout.

They do it on their own. As he looked over his starting lineup, his assessment was peppered with comments such as “He’s a good kid,” and “You couldn’t ask for a better young man.”

To the outsider, that might have sounded like coachspeak for “We’re producing impressive young men, but we might not be a great wrestling team.”

By the end of the dual meet season, which wrapped up on Feb. 10 with a 34-7 rout of PSAC rival Mercyhurst, Pecora had a new superlative for the Mountain Cats: perfect.

Pitt-Johnstown went 15-0 in dual meets for the school’s first unbeaten season in 25 years.
After the victory against Mercyhurst, Pecora was asked if he expected his team to win every dual.

“No. Never. If somebody said to me at the beginning of the year, would you take an undefeated season? I’d have said, ‘Oh, yeah, right!’ ” Pecora said.

“There are so many times in a match that one or two things can go wrong – someone gets caught in a throw, you get a pin, people staying healthy, missing matches.”

Everything didn’t go Pitt-Johnstown’s way … rest of story at Tribdem.com/sports/perfect-dual-season-behind-them-pitt-johnstown-turns-focus-to-tournaments

February 21, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

#20 Appalachian State Tops Camels, Wins Another SoCon Title

BOONE, N.C. — During a marathon day with 30 matches, the first two set the tone for a dominant, title-clinching sweep of a SoCon tripleheader.
App State Wrestling carried a strong start in a battle of conference unbeatens to a 22-14 victory against Campbell in a packed Varsity Gym on Sunday, with nearly 1,000 fans in attendance, then followed that with a 43-0 shutout of Presbyterian and 47-0 shutout of Davidson.
Finishing as unbeaten, outright SoCon regular season champions for the second straight season, the 20th-ranked Mountaineers (12-2, 8-0) also secured their sixth title in the last eight years and 14th championship over the last three decades.
The first two matches in the App State-Campbell dual were ranked showdowns, and the Mountaineers collected two huge victories to help them claim six of the first seven matches.
Battling sickness that kept him out of several practices during the week, Caleb Smith earned a tiebreaking takedown with 25 seconds left in a 4-1 win at 125 pounds against 32nd-ranked Anthony Molton, who entered Sunday with three top-15 victories. Ethan Oakley then delivered a takedown with 57 seconds left in the Sudden Victory overtime period at 133 pounds to win 3-1 against 22nd-ranked Domenic Zaccone. That result gave Oakley dramatic wins against top-25 wrestlers from Chattanooga and Campbell in the last two duals.
After a ranked wrestler from Campbell (16-9, 7-1) won by major decision at 141, App State turned a 6-4 edge into a 22-4 advantage thanks to four-point major decisions from Jon Jon Millner (8-0 at 149), Tommy Askey (11-3 at 157 against Troy Nation, who had a top-33 RPI ranking), Will Formato (12-0 at 165) and Will Miller (16-3 at 174).
With three matches remaining and an 18-point margin in the team score, Campbell would need pins … rest of story at APPstatesports.com/news/2023/2/19/-20-wrestling-strong-start-carries-no-20-app-state-to-win-over-camels

Zaccone named SoCon Wrestler of the Week

BUIES CREEK, N.C. – After going 2-0 with another ranked win, Campbell’s Domenic Zaccone has been named Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week.

Zaccone went 2-0, with both wins coming against SoCon competition at 133 pounds. The redshirt junior, ranked No. 22 in the latest NCAA coaches’ panel and No. 18 in the RPI, defeated No. 17 Brayden Palmer 4-2 in overtime on Sunday, helping CU down Chattanooga 24-13, his second straight victory over a ranked opponent after topping No. 18 Chance Rich of CSU Bakersfield 3-1, also in overtime, in January.

The Orland Park, Ill. native also defeated Bellarmine’s Michael Schiffhauer in an 18-6 major decision on Friday in Campbell’s 34-15 SoCon win over the Knights. Zaccone is now 16-3 overall this season with a perfect 5-0 SoCon mark. … rest of story at GOcamels.com/news/2023/2/15/wrestling-zaccone-named-socon-wrestler-of-the-week

Black History Month Spotlights: Randall Diabe

During Black History Month, App State Athletics is highlighting some of the accomplishments and perspective of coaches, administrators and staff members who serve as role models to our student-athletes.
Today, we hear from Randall Diabe, an App State alum who followed a standout career on the Mountaineers’ wrestling team by becoming an assistant coach at his alma mater. Born in Liberia, he moved to the United States when he was 8 years old.

Q: Why is it important that we acknowledge and celebrate Black History Month?
Diabe: At App State, where the community is predominantly white, we have athletes of color, and by acknowledging it, it shows those athletes that equality and representation are important here at App State. It has an effect on people like me, too, because beyond some of us just being known as athletes, it lets people know that black people matter in this community.
Q: What’s the impact of having more representation in wrestling, like younger guys on the team seeing you go from an App State student-athlete to coach?
Diabe: For me, it’s leading by example. In my upbringing, I had people that I looked up to and that helped lead me to pick the path I’m on now. Having a lot of people help me, it makes you feel like, when you grow up, you want to help others, too. Just giving back to the guys and having them see what I’ve experienced and how far I’ve come to being on staff, they realize they can achieve high things and the bigger goals that you set for yourself if you just believe in the process and do the right things.
It’s an honor being here on staff and having those guys feel like they’ve got somebody they can talk to. I hope I can stay here long as possible and keep leading by example and making an impact.
Q: Is it a point of pride to be a role model for some of the younger guys that you coach?
Diabe: It does make you feel good. Some people know my background, that it wasn’t the easiest path, … rest of story at APPstatesports.com/news/2023/2/10/-20-wrestling-black-history-month-spotlight-randall-diabe

February 21, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Gardner-Webb Wrestling Rolls To 30-10 Win Over Duke Wednesday Night On The Road

DURHAM, N.C. – Gardner-Webb scored bonus points in four matches to handle Duke on Wednesday night by a score of 30-10.

The Runnin’ Bulldogs (6-10) got started quickly, getting a pin in just 39 seconds from Drew West in the opening bout. It was West’s 20th win of the season.

Todd Carter followed with a pin in just 2:46 to put Gardner-Webb up 12-0 after his match with Logan Agin at 133 pounds and Zach Price gave the Runnin’ Bulldogs a 17-0 edge with a tech fall at 141 pounds, dominating the match 19-3.

Duke’s Patrick Rowland stemmed the tide with a 10-3 decision at 149 pounds, but Gardner-Webb got back on track quickly, getting a 5-2 decision from Tyler Brignola at 157 pounds and a 13-5 major decision from No. 29 RJ Mosley at 165 pounds to take a commanding 24-3 lead on the scoreboard.

Brignola’s win started a string of four in a row for Gardner-Webb, as Andrew Wilson followed Mosley with a 7-4 decision at 174 pounds and Jha’Quan Anderson took a comfortable 10-4 win at 184 pounds to push the lead to 30-3.

Duke won the final two bouts, but the night was dominated by the visiting Runnin’ Bulldogs. … rest of story at GWUsports.com/news/2023/2/15/gardner-webb-wrestling-rolls-to-30-10-win-over-duke

February 21, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Austin O’Connor surges to the top of 157 pounds in latest college wrestling power rankings

The latest coaches rankings published last week by NCAA.com inspired a wave of commentary about the purpose and value of rankings. Who should be ranked? What criteria should be used in rankings? How many matches does it take to be ranked?

Everyone has an opinion, but let’s keep the conversation going. Here’s another different subjective set of rankings, listing each of the top five athletes in each weight based on recent results, momentum and quality of opponent. 

125 pounds

1. Spencer Lee, Iowa
2. Patrick Glory, Princeton
3. Liam Cronin, Nebraska
4. Matt Ramos, Purdue
5. Killian Cardinale, West Virginia 

Spencer Lee, of course, leads the 125-pound weight class after recording another bonus point win, this time coming by major decision against Michigan’s Jack Medley. Much like Patrick McKee last week, Medley fought tough and forced Lee into the third period before ultimately dropping the match. 

Glory notched two nice decision wins to keep himself at No. 2 this week, beating Ryan Miller of Penn 8-6 and topping Carter Bailey of Lehigh 12-5. The win over Miller may not have been as dominant as his major decision victories last week, but Glory continues to put reps in at 125 and prep himself for what will be his final NCAA tournament in a few weeks. 

Outside of Lee and Glory, Cronin has separated himself as the No. 3 guy, and while he may not have been anyone’s pick for this spot at the beginning of the year following his 3-3 injured season last year, Cronin is doing what he needs to do to stay competitive. He beat two tough, ranked Big Ten foes over the weekend in Dean Peterson and Malik Heinselman by identical 3-1 scores, and his ability to win these matches will serve him well in the postseason. Matt Ramos, similarly, notched two Big Ten wins to stay at No. 4, … rest of story at NCAA.com/news/wrestling/article/2023-02-13/austin-oconnor-surges-top-157-pounds-latest-college-wrestling-power-rankings

O’CONNOR NAMED ACC WRESTLER OF THE WEEK

GREENSBORO, N.C. – North Carolina wrestling graduate student Austin O’Connor has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestler of the Week, the league announced Tuesday afternoon.

The recognition comes following O’Connor’s major decision (11-3) against Virginia Tech’s fifth-ranked Bryce Andonian Friday night. O’Connor, who currently sits at 15-0 on the season, has registered 14 bonus point victories on the season, with the lone decision coming in his season debut on Dec. 16 against Appalachian State. 

A four-time All-America honoree and the 2021 National Champion at 149-pounds, O’Connor climbed one spot in this week’s InterMat Wrestling rankings to No. 2 in the nation, following Friday night’s top-five victory. 

Austin and the Tar Heels close out the regular season this Friday night, welcoming No. 8 NC State to Carmichael Arena for Senior Night. … rest of season at GOheels.com/news/2023/2/14/wrestling-o-connor-named-acc-wrestler-of-the-week

February 21, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

DIVISION I COACHES POLL: Dual season builds to a close; Penn State wins another Big Ten dual title

Manheim, Pennsylvania – The last full weekend of the regular season in Division I wrestling has arrived. Penn State wrapped up another Big Ten dual meet title over the weekend and the top-ranked Nittany Lions remain the nation’s lone unbeaten Division I team and remain No. 1 in the most recent NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.

Iowa and Iowa State remained at second and third, while Cornell moved up a spot to No. 4 after picking up a weekend win over Binghamton. Coupled with Nebraska’s win over Ohio State, NC State moved back into the top five as the Wolfpack dispensed with then-No. 17 Pittsburgh.

Oklahoma State topped then-No. 16 South Dakota State and returned home to top Stanford over the weekend. The Cowboys moved up to No. 6. Nebraska’s pair of ranked wins over Ohio State and Rutgers moved the Huskers up to No. 7. Ohio State fell four spots to No. 8, while Virginia Tech and Missouri round out the top 10.

This Week
Thursday: No. 6 Oklahoma State will host Bedlam against rival Oklahoma, while CSU Bakersfield is at No. 18 Arizona State.

Friday: No. 5 NC State will visit North Carolina, No. 23 Michigan State will head to Central Michigan and No. 9 Virginia Tech will host Virginia.

Saturday: No. 4 Cornell heads south to Tampa, Florida to face No. 8 Ohio State, No. 13 Northern Iowa continues its late-season series against No. 19 Wisconsin and Duke will travel to No. 16 Pittsburgh.

Sunday: Oklahoma State closes out its season at No. 2 Iowa, it’ll be a battle for the Border Bell in Fargo as No. 17 South Dakota State will take on No. 15 North Dakota State, No. 18 Arizona State is at No. 7 Nebraska, No. 25 Indiana travels to Chattanooga, top-ranked Penn State hosts Clarion, No. 11 Michigan hosts Central Michigan, No. 20 Appalachian State will host Campbell with the SoCon regular-season title on the line. … rest of story at NWCAonline.com/division-i-coaches-poll-penn-state-unanimous-no-1-after-beating-iowa-in-battle-of-big-ten-unbeatens

February 21, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment