Takedown Report

Will the West Coast Need Mountain West Conference Wrestling?

I’ve stepped back a bit from InterMat lately, but there’s a topic I enjoy/hate following, which is conference realignment. And it’s making the rounds in sports news right now. We’re a few weeks from the start of football and the #1 thing everyone in sports is talking about is conference realignment as Colorado jumped ship from the PAC-12 to the Big 12 and, as I write this on Thursday, it looks like the PAC-12 is now on the verge of collapse as Arizona State, Arizona, and Utah are rumored to be in talks of joining the Big 12 while Oregon and Washington are in similar conversations with the Big 10. 

If that happens, the PAC-12 conference will drop to just four members. Oregon State, Stanford, Cal, and Washington State. It’s unknown what would happen to those schools if that were to go down. The PAC-12 could somehow grab a few new members from the Mountain West and use their brand name to stay alive as a conference. Many believe Washington State and Oregon State will get absorbed by the Mountain West, and it’s really unclear what could happen with Cal and Stanford. 

Admitting that no one really knows what will happen in all of this, there’s one thing I believe. In the scenario that the PAC-12 falls, the best thing for the sport of wrestling would be for the Mountain West conference to start sponsoring the sport. The Mountain West already has two teams with wrestling. Air Force and Wyoming. Both are currently affiliate members in the Big 12 conference for wrestling and have had a lot of success in it. Oregon State and Stanford both have wrestling programs and would need a home. The affiliate PAC-12 schools of Cal-Poly, CSU Bakersfield, and Arkansas Little-Rock would also need homes. 

The most reasonable solution for all of that? Add wrestling in the Mountain West. You would have three core members with Oregon State, Wyoming, and Air Force. You could add homes for the three current PAC-12 affiliates, and even if Stanford doesn’t join the Mountain West as a full member. Again, we have no idea what would happen here, but there are rumors they could remain an independent athletic department if they don’t join the Big Ten. That would add the brand of one of the best academic schools in the country to the Mountain West. I would also explore bringing in California Baptist. They joined the Big 12 because the PAC-12 denied their admission to the conference. … rest of story at … Intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/will-the-west-coast-need-mountain-west-conference-wrestling

August 7, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Can D3 North Central Compete With Iowa Wrestling?

North Central returns 19 All-Americans next season. Is it enough to compete with the Hawkeyes?

Iowa sent its full line-up to watch National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, earlier this year. The Hawkeyes made the 15-minute drive north to scout the competition for their inaugural season. 

North Central — a Division III program located in Naperville, Illinois — put on quite a show at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse. The Cardinals had 15 All-Americans, six finalists, and three champions, which was 35 points better than runner-up King University. 

It was a powerhouse performance for a school that does not offer athletic scholarships. 

“We want to win national titles every single year,” North Central coach Joe Norton said following his team’s dominant victory. “We want to win all 10 weight classes every single year. That’s the goal. I don’t care what division we are or what divisions we’re competing against, whoever steps on the line across from us, we want to beat them.”

Battle Of The Birds

The national championship mountain just got steeper when the Hawkeyes added women’s wrestling. Iowa is the overwhelming favorite despite zero sanctioned competitions. 

The National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships includes NCAA teams from all divisions (I, II, and III). There are currently four D1 women’s wrestling programs (Iowa, Lindenwood, Presbyterian, and Sacred Heart) and Iowa is the only Power Five school. 

Clarissa Chun’s team flexed its muscles during opens last season, including a staggering performance at the prestigious Missouri Valley Open where seven future Hawkeyes entered unattached and five won titles. The other two finished second, losing tight matches to teammates. Iowa-Unattached combined for a 36-2 overall record.

“We want to beat them,” Norton said. “We’re going to tell our girls that we can hang with them. Our whole team is back minus Yelena unless I can squeeze a COVID year out of her. I think the team we have right now can compete with their team. 

“Our girls don’t care who they are. Our girls expect to win every time they step foot on the mat. We expect to go with Iowa. We know how good they are. They have a good coach and they have a great administration that supports wrestling, but our goal is to go toe-to-toe with them and try to beat them.” 

Will Yelena Return For A Final Season?

North Central has a squad that could contend next season. The Cardinals return 19 All-Americans (not a misprint) and two national champions. … rest of story at … Flowrestling.org/articles/11177633-can-d3-north-central-compete-with-iowa-wrestling

August 7, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment