Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

2023 World Championships: By the Numbers

At the recent 2023 World Wrestling Championships, Team USA finished with four gold medals and 14 total medals, which was the most in the competition. The squad also brought home the team title in men’s freestyle. The following looks at the overall statistical performance of the squad and some of the top performers.

As a whole, Team USA outscored their opposition 629 to 321 in individual match points. The biggest difference came in men’s freestyle where the team had a 295 to 119 edge. That 176-point advantage edged out the women’s freestyle team who more than doubled up on their opponents 262 to 104. It was a tough tournament for the Greco-Roman squad who were outscored 98 to 72 in the event. … rest of story at … Intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/international/2023-world-championships-by-the-numbers

October 5, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

2023-24 Milestone Watch List

We’re closing in on the start of the 2023-24 wrestling season. Before you get inundated with preview content from InterMat, here are some numbers to watch out for during the upcoming campaign. The following wrestlers/coaches/teams are looking to add some significant accomplishments to their respective resumes, be it individually or as a team. 

The following denotes some huge milestones that are feasible for the upcoming season. 

4x NCAA Champion Watch List

Aaron Brooks (Penn State)

Carter Starocci (Penn State)

3x NCAA Champion Watch List

Keegan O’Toole (Missouri)
5x NCAA All-American Watch List

Daton Fix (Oklahoma State – 4th, 2nd, 2nd, 2nd)

4x NCAA All-American Watch List

Cam Amine (Michigan – 4th, 4th, 7th)

Vito Arujau (Cornell – 1st, 3rd, 4th)

Aaron Brooks (Penn State – 1st, 1st, 1st)

David Carr (Iowa State – 2nd, 3rd, 1st)

Rocky Elam (Missouri – 3rd, 4th, 5th)

Shane Griffith (Michigan – 5th, 2nd, 1st)

Trent Hidlay (NC State – 4th, 5th, 2nd)

Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa – 2nd, 3rd, 3rd)

Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State – 2nd, 4th, 7th)

Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech – 4th, 2nd, 1st)

Brock Mauller (Missouri – 7th, 5th, 6th)

Keegan O’Toole (Missouri – 1st, 1st, 3rd)

Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State – 7th, 2nd, 4th)

Carter Starocci (Penn State – 1st, 1st, 1st)

Bernie Truax (Penn State – 4th, 4th, 4th)

5x Conference Champion Watch List

David Carr (Iowa State – Big 12)

Daton Fix (Oklahoma State – Big 12)

4x Conference Champion  Watch List

Aaron Brooks (Penn State – Big Ten) 

Trent Hidlay (NC State – ACC)

Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa – Big 12)

Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech – ACC)

Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State – Pac-12)

Real Woods (Iowa – 1x Big Ten/2x Pac-12)
 

Coaching
 

100 Coaching Wins (Total)

Matt Azevedo (Drexel) – 94

Chris Ayres (Stanford) – 93

Ryan Ludwig (Northern Illinois) – 93

Zeke Jones (Arizona State) – 85
 

150 Coaching Wins (Total)

Chris Bono (Wisconsin)  – 144

Jay Weiss (Harvard) – 140
 

150 Coaching Wins (at Current School)

Dan Wirnsberger (Bucknell) – 148

Pat Popolizio (NC State) – 143

200 Coaching Wins (Total)

Jim Andrassy (Kent State) – 190

200 Coaching Wins (at Current School)

Tom Ryan (Ohio State) – 198

Cael Sanderson (Penn State) – 191

250 Coaching Wins (Total)

Roger Reina (Penn) – 242

Cael Sanderson (Penn State)  – 235 … rest of story at … Intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/2023-24-milestone-watch-list
 

October 5, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

2023-24 NAIA Women’s Preview (Part One)

Let’s take a look at the top 8 teams from last year’s inaugural NAIA Women’s Championship for an early prediction of how they might stack up for the 2023-24 season.

Please note that not all teams have published lineups and what wrestlers are returning.

2023 Top Returning Teams based on NAIA Championship finishes

1. Southern Oregon (160 teams points)

Southern Oregon ended with a first place finish at the inaugural NAIA Championship under first-year head coach Gabrielle Weyhrich to cap off a dominant season. While 2x champ Carolina Moreno and 4th place finisher Bella Amaro will be returning to the lineup next year, the Raiders graduated their five other All-Americans from last season. 

When asked in an interview how the team will fill this void, Weyhrich says, “I’m not worried at all. We focus on building everyone. When one senior leaves, the next person is ready to step into that position and do just as good as the person leaving.”

In addition to Moreno and Amaro, junior Bailey Dennis is a 2022 All-American. At last year’s tournament, Dennis came in as the 12 seed and lost a close match in consolations after losing in the round of 16 to the 5 seed. Look for her to climb in the rankings throughout the season and reclaim a top 8 spot at the tournament again this year. 

Southern Oregon did pick up Grand View All-American Shenita Lawson in the off-season. Lawson placed 5th at 170 lbs at the tournament last year, and could help fill the gap in the lineup left by Joye Levendusky.
 

2. Life University (139.5 team points)

Life University had an impressive finish but was still more than 20 points away from Southern Oregon’s final score. However, where SOU had 5 of their 7 All-Americans graduate, Life has at least 5 of their 8 All-Americans returning. Head Coach Ashley Flavin described the team as young last year, and they are bringing in a top-ranked class of recruits and transfers. There are quite a few factors on this roster that other top teams will have to contend with to keep Life from taking the top spot.

Sarah Savidge only lost by 3 points to the reigning champ Lexie Basham in the finals of the NAIA tournament after a dominant run of pins and techs. She is also coming off a U20 Pan Am championship win this summer. As a sophomore, she has a lot of runway left in her college career.

All three McBryde sisters are returning after qualifying for the tournament. Jamilah and Latifa McBryde finished as All-Americans. Also, look out for Devyn Gomez to make a real splash her senior year. She is a 2x All American and had a gritty path to an eighth place finish at last year’s tournament. She has gotten close to breaking through on some of her close matches and is clearly capable of a strong mental game to come back from a deficit. I could see her being the type of wrestler who has something to prove this year and ends with an even higher finish at the 2024 tournament. 

Finally, Asia Ray, 5x All-American and 2x National Champ, announced her transfer to Life from Wayland Baptist. She will wrestle unattached for the first part of the season, but will be eligible to compete as part of the team in time for the 2024 tournament.

3. Grand View University (123.5 team points)

Grand View ended their 2023 season with a program record 3rd place finish, 16 points behind Life and just half a point ahead of Menlo. Alexis Gomez was the first Viking to make the finals at the tournament, however 2023 was her final collegiate season as she moved on to compete at the senior level.

The team still has several returning All-Americans, however. Maya Davis came in 3rd at 123 as a freshman with 4 pins during the tournament. Catie Campbell, another freshman finished in 6th place at 123 as well. Both will be returning for their Sophomore years at Grand View. Campbell was ranked no. 2 at the tournament, while Davis was ranked no. 10. … rest of story at … Intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/women/2023-24-naia-womens-preview-part-one

October 5, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NAIA Announces Five New Members

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced on October 2 that the NAIA Council of Presidents has approved five institutions for membership, effective July 1, 2024. All five schools received unanimous recommendations from the NAIA Membership Committee.

New members include Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (Tifton, Ga.), Baptist Bible College (Springfield, Mo.), Defiance College (Defiance, Ohio), New College of Florida (Sarasota, Fla.), and Spartanburg Methodist College (Spartanburg, S.C.).

  • Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College is currently an NJCAA member that is transitioning to a four-year institution. The school has been approved for membership in the Southern States Athletic Conference.
  • Baptist Bible College is currently a member of the NCCAA and has applied for membership with the American Midwest Conference.
  • Defiance College is moving to the NAIA from NCAA Division III.
  • New College of Florida is starting an athletics program with plans for 12 sport programs by 2024-25. New College will join The Sun Conference.
  • Spartanburg Methodist College is currently an NJCAA member that is transitioning to a four-year institution. The school will join the Continental Athletic Conference.

The NAIA has now added 21 new members since 2020, including five institutions that have come from the NCAA.

Schools must meet membership criteria that include … rest of story at … NAIA.org/general/2023-24/releases/NAIA_NewMembersFall_10_2_2023

October 5, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment