Northern Iowa Wrestling Perseveres Despite Facility Instability
Doug Schwab and his UNI wrestlers were forced to relocate from the 98-year-old West Gym and they’ve found a new home across town in Cedar Falls.
The clock on the freshly painted white wall is ticking toward noon on the final day of September and Doug Schwab is yelling instructions to his Northern Iowa wrestlers.
His commands are filled with messages about opportunity and response — words the Panthers have been putting into action in recent weeks.
Their longtime home — the West Gym — has been vacated, forcing Schwab and his team to pack up and move a couple miles off campus to a Cedar Falls training facility that’s been remodeled in short order.
The building belongs to Shawn Kelly, a former Northern Iowa wrestler and the president of Black Hawk Roof Company, and everything about the place is blue collar. On this day, weights are scattered on the cement outside in an area the Panthers have dubbed “The Yard.” Nearby are pallets of shingles, barrels of adhesive and a forklift parked on a trailer.
There’s a strong construction vibe here.
The building was once the site of a weight lifting gym, but the Kelly family turned it into a wrestling room and launched the USA Mat Club. They set out to create an inclusive wrestling environment, purposefully leaving Cedar Falls out of the club name with hopes that wrestlers from other communities would also come here to train.
And they did. Kyven Gadson, who went on to win an NCAA title at Iowa State, … rest of story at … Flowrestling.org/articles/Northern-iowa-wrestling-perseveres-despite-facility-instability
Iowa Wrestling Hosting Inaugural Women’s Home Dual On Nov. 12
The University of Iowa women’s team will host a quadrangular in Iowa City on Sunday, November 12
The wait is finally over.
Iowa women’s wrestling kicks off its home dual season on Sunday, November 12 with a quadrangular against the three other Division I programs: Lindenwood, Presbyterian, and Sacred Heart.
Lindenwood released its full schedule and the University of Iowa Quad stands out. Iowa coach Clarissa Chun referenced the quadrangular during an interview with Andy Hamilton at the NWCA convention.
Presbyterian added a women’s wrestling program during the 2019-20 season, while Sacred Heart is in its third season. Lindenwood is moving up from Division II to Division I.
Presbyterian defeated Sacred Heart, 26-20, at the 2023 NWCA National Duals during the first dual between D1 women’s programs.
All three teams participated at the 2023 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships and placed in the top 20.
7. Sacred Heart
9. Presbyterian
20. Lindenwood
Click here for a collection of interviews with Sacred Heart wrestlers and head coach Paulina Biega.
The 2024 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships are scheduled for March 8-9 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. … rest of story at … Flowrestling.org/articles/Iowa-wrestling-hosting-inaugural-womens-home-dual-on-nov-12
Cal Poly Wrestling to Host 75th Anniversary Celebration on Nov. 3-4
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — The Cal Poly wrestling program will hold a special 75th Anniversary Celebration during its 2023-24 season-opening weekend on Nov. 3-4, featuring a golf tournament, a pair of duals against Rutgers and Duke at Mott Athletics Center, a parade of All-Americans and a scheduled keynote speech from alum Victor Glover, the first Black astronaut to complete a long-term stay on the International Space Station.
The jam-packed weekend celebrating 75 years of Cal Poly wrestling kicks off at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 3, with the program’s 20th annual golf tournament at the Avila Beach Golf Resort. A 75th Anniversary ceremony will take place on Saturday, Nov. 4, with Glover, a former Cal Poly wrestler, giving the keynote speech (subject to change by NASA). Glover served as pilot and second-in-command on the SpaceX Crew Dragon, named Resilience, which launched in November 2020, and was recently named the pilot for the crew that will travel around the moon on Artemis II, the first crewed mission on NASA’s journey to establishing a long-term lunar presence for science and exploration.
Action on the mat gets underway on the evening of Friday, Nov. 3, as the Mustangs host a pair of duals at the Mott Athletics Center to open their 2023-24 season. First at 6 p.m., Cal Poly takes on Duke. Then the team caps the night at 7:30 p.m. by hosting Rutgers, ranked No. 14 in InterMat’s preseason national rankings.
Prior to facing the Scarlet Knights, the Mustangs will hold a parade of All-Americans to honor the 116 Division I and Division II All-Americans during the program’s history.
On Saturday, the program will hold an open practice in the Rec Center wrestling room starting at 9 a.m. Then Cal Poly’s 75th Anniversary Celebration will take place in the Multi-Activity Center on campus, with a cocktail hour and silent action beginning at 2:30 p.m. Dinner will be served at 3:30 p.m. with the program for the event to follow soon after. … rest of story at … GOpoly.com/news/2023/9/30/cal-poly-wrestling-to-open-2023-24-season-with-75th-anniversary-celebration
Hispanic Heritage Month Spotlight: Andrew Alirez
As Hispanic Heritage Month continues, USA Wrestling aims to spotlight athletes in the Hispanic community that have had an impact on the sport both on and off the mat. Andrew Alirez, hailing from Greeley, Colorado, is a strong example of an athlete that represents his heritage while striving to make a difference in the sport of wrestling.
Alirez announced recently that he is taking an Olympic Redshirt to focus on qualifying to represent the United States at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. Alirez, the 2023 NCAA National Champion at 141 pounds, has had a special career at the University of Northern Colorado, becoming the program’s first national champion since 1962. Alirez is a 2018 Pan American Champion at the U20 age group level and most recently won the Waclaw Ziolkowski Memorial at the Senior level in July. In 2020, Alirez was the Senior Nationals champion at 65 kg.
Alirez found his passion for wrestling early on, and decided to continue his wrestling career just a few minutes from home at the University of Northern Colorado. Alirez’s story is not just about personal triumph and dedication to wrestling, it’s also about the influence of his Hispanic heritage and the responsibility he feels to represent his community.
“Being Hispanic is a very important part of my identity, in many ways it shapes who I am. Hispanic fighters are known for their toughness and unstoppable determination, and I try to embody those values within my wrestling and life. Never waiver, don’t complain, and stay solid through tough times,” Alirez shares.
However, his journey in wrestling was not without challenges. … rest of story at … Themat.com/news/2023/september/29/hispanic-heritage-month-spotlight-andrew-alirez
North Carolina University Wrestling ANNOUNCES 2023-24 SCHEDULE
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Entering year one under the direction of head coach Rob Koll, the North Carolina wrestling program announced its schedule Tuesday morning, prior to the 2023-24 campaign.
The slate features seven preseason top-25 matchups, including four ranked matchups inside Carmichael Arena.
The Tar Heels open the season hosting the Carolina Duals on Nov. 2, matching up against Oregon State, Queens, and Greensboro College.
To close the month of November, Carolina will face Buffalo and Arizona State at WrangleMania (Nov. 11), and travel to Illinois for matchups with Central Michigan and the Fighting Illini (Nov. 18).
The first tournament of the season will beginning the final month of the calendar year, with the Tar Heels traveling to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 1-2). After two weeks off, Carolina returns to Chapel Hill to square off with Morgan State (Dec. 16), followed by traveling to in-state foe Appalachian State (Dec. 17) the following day.
After capping off 2023 at Soldier Salute in Iowa City (Dec. 29-30), fans will have back-to-back opportunities to see the Tar Heels against Ivy League programs Penn (Jan. 12) and Harvard (Jan. 13).
To finish the regular season, Carolina will compete at home against Navy (Jan. 28), Pitt (Feb. 9), and Duke (Feb. 23), with road duals against Virginia Tech (Jan. 26), NC State (Feb 2), and Virginia (Feb. 16). … rest of the story … GOheels.com/news/2023/9/26/wrestling-announces-2023-24-schedule
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
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