Takedown Report

UNCP Athletics Announces 44th Hall Of Fame Class

PEMBROKE –  Unrivaled accolades among six student-athletes, a legendary men’s basketball coach and athletics director, and an avid Braves Club supporter who represents #BraveNation on a global stage as one of the top National Football League referees, will be officially inducted into the UNC Pembroke Athletics Hall of Fame as part of Homecoming Week in late October, athletics department officials announced Thursday. 

The class spans seven sports, represents the better part of 5 different decades, and has accolades such as the NFL, the Olympics, NCAA National Championships and runner-up finishes. “This is an unprecedented class in many ways. I’m so appreciative to the committee for all they do and have done to arrive at this point”, said UNCP Athletics Director Dick Christy.

Olympian and men’s cross country/track & field’s Pardon Ndhlovu, NCAA National Champion Mike Williams, NCAA National runner-up Meghan (Moore) Mitchell, NFL referee Brad Allen, Dan Kenney, who skippered the men’s basketball team to 124 victories from 1985-92 before serving as the head of the athletics department from 1998-2012, men’s golf multi-time all-American and former golf professional Jordan Walor, will join baseball players Linwood Hedgpeth and Johnny Williams (posthumous), in comprising UNCP’s 44^th Athletics Hall of Fame class. 

The 2023 Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony is scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. on October 27 in the University Center Annex. Ticket information will be announced at a later date. 

Members of the 2023 Athletics Hall of Fame committee include Hall of Fame members David Lewis (basketball) and Melanie (Cobb) Hughes (soccer), Braves Club members Crystal Moore and Jerry Elkins, and Dr. Calvina Ellerbe, an associate professor in the Sociology and Criminal Justice Department.

Ndhlovu ran cross country and track for the Black & Gold from 2009-13, and finished 41^st in the Marathon event for his native Zimbabwe at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. A 4-time all-Peach Belt Conference standout, he won the 2011 and 2012 Peach Belt Conference Men’s Cross Country Championship and was named the PBC Runner of the Year both seasons. He also competed in PBC track and field in his senior season in 2013 – the first year the conference held it as a championship sport – and was named the PBC Men’s Track Athlete of the Year, winning the 1,500- 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs. He advanced to the NCAA National Championships and was named an all-American in both the 5000- and 10000-meter runs.

A 4-time all-American and 3-time regional champion, Mike Williams logged 112 victories for the Braves from 2009-13, and captured the program’s first individual national champion when he rolled through the 165-pound tournament at the 2011-12 NCAA Championships. A 2-time NCAA Super Region I Wrestler of the Year honoree as well, he tallied 34 wins as a junior, and then added 38 more victories as a senior on the way to a third-place showing at the NCAA Championships. Williams was also named Most Outstanding Wrestler at the prestigious National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Duals in 2010. … rest of story at … UNCPbraves.com/news/2023/7/19/general-uncp-athletics-announces-44th-hall-of-fame-class

Mitchell is the only all-American in the 23-season history of the women’s golf program, and brought home that national honor twice across her 3-year career (2010-13) in Pembroke. She compiled a 75.8 career stroke average in 34 tournaments and 73 rounds of golf, and tallied 30 top-20 finishes for the Braves, and wrapped up her collegiate career with a then-Peach Belt Conference record nine individual event titles, including the 2013 PBC Championship. An 8-time PBC Player of the Week honoree, Mitchell raked in a trio of all-conference laurels and was named PBC Golfer of the Year following both her junior and senior (co) campaigns.

Allen, a key cog in the ongoing efforts of the department’s Braves Club, earned his bachelor’s degree in history from UNC Pembroke in 1991, and joins his father, Greg, in the distinguished UNCP Athletics fraternity

July 24, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

FUN FARGO FACTS: MILESTONES AND NOTABLES FROM THE 16U AND JUNIOR MEN’S FREESTYLE TOURNAMENTS

Fargo, North Dakota – Let’s geek out over some more data, shall we? Here’s a look at some of the notable nuggets, milestones and achievements from across the 30 mats at the record-setting USMC Junior & 16U Nationals in men’s freestyle at the Fargodome on the campus of North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota.

Alabama: Kyan Simon was the fourth wrestler in state history to reach the Junior men’s freestyle finals. The first was Henry Lavender in 1980 at heavyweight, while the state’s only two champions came relatively recently. The first champ was current Virginia Tech All-American Sam Latona at 106 pounds in 2017 and the second was last year, when current Northern Iowa wrestler Cory Land won at 132 pounds. Simon has moved up to 106 pounds for Greco-Roman.

Arizona: While the state just missed out on hitting the top 10 in the team standings in either age group, the state set a record for most total men’s freestyle medals with 10. Arizona placed four wrestlers in 16U, while six hit the medal stand in Juniors, including champion Kyler Larkin, who won his second all-time title. Larkin’s father Eric was an eight-time placewinner in both age groups from 1994-1998, including four titles – a 16U freestyle title, two Junior Greco-Roman titles and a Junior freestyle title.

California: Cody Merrill joined an exclusive group of Californians with his second Junior men’s freestyle title. Merrill, who won at 220 pounds after winning at 195 pounds in 2022, is only the third wrestler from the Golden State to win two Junior men’s freestyle titles. Laurence Jackson was the first, winning in 1984 and 1985 and Morgan McIntosh won titles in 2010 and 2011.

Colorado: With four All-Americans, Colorado’s medal streak hit 19 tournaments in a row at 16U. It’s also the 10th straight year the state has put multiple wrestlers on the podium. Isaiah Harrison was the runner-up at 113 pounds. He was the first finalist since Dominick Serrano won at 132 pounds in 2019.

Florida: Michael Mocco’s title at 220 pounds was Florida’s first in 16U freestyle since Nic Bouzakis claimed gold at 126 pounds in 2019. Mocco’s father Steve was a 2008 Olympian and a monster in his era in Fargo. Steve Mocco was a six-time men’s freestyle placewinner for New Jersey and won four titles. He won a 16U title in 1997 before reeling off three straight Junior freestyle titles from 1999-2001. Michael does already have something dad doesn’t – a Greco-Roman medal. Michael placed second in 2022. He’s looking to double up with big stop signs this week. …

North Carolina: With Savoy New’s eighth-place finish at 182 pounds in Junior men’s freestyle, North Carolina has placed a wrestler in the division for consecutive years for the first time since 2012-13. Last year, Jeremiah Prince place eighth at 152 pounds. … rest of story at … Teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2023/July/21/Fun-Facts-Mens-Freestyle

July 24, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment