Takedown Report

The 2023-24 NCAA D1 Heavyweight Redshirt Report

Here are some of the heavyweight wrestlers we didn’t see last season to keep an eye on during the upcoming season.

Below is a partial list of NCAA D1 heavyweight wrestlers (184, 197, 285) who are returning and will contest for a varsity spot after an interval of at least one year.

Lightweight Redshirt Report
Middleweight Redshirt Report

184 Pounds

Rylan Rogers: Michigan, Freshman
2022-23 record: 13-5

Rogers had eight bonus-point wins as a redshirt but went 0-2 in varsity duals late in the season. He takes over for graduating four-time NCAA qualifier Matt Finesilver. 

Jonathan Loew: Cornell, Senior
2022-23 record: 7-4

Loew returns after missing most of last year with an injury. Loew finished eighth at the 2022 NCAA Tournament after compiling a 30-8 record with wins over Zac Braunagel, John Poznanski, Isaiah Salazar, and Hunter Bolen.

Bennett Berge: South Dakota State, Freshman
2022-23 record: 11-5

Cade King is a returning national qualifier but Berge is the front-runner. He was 11-5 last season but he wrestled tough competition and has the potential to be a factor at this weight.

Dylan Fishback: North Carolina State, Freshman
2022-23 record: 15-6

Fishback replaces Hayden Hidlay who moved up to 197 pounds. He arrived at North Carolina State as one of the top high school wrestlers in the country, so this is his opportunity to take over a weight that was occupied by one of the best wrestlers in program history. 

Seth Shumate: Ohio State, Freshman
2022-23 record: 12-2

Shumate had a solid redshirt year losing only at 197 pounds to Luke Geog and Nick Willham. True freshman Ryder Rogotzke will contend for this spot but Shumate is the front-runner entering this season. … rest of story at … Flowrestling.org/articles/11281140-the-2023-24-ncaa-d1-heavyweight-redshirt-report

October 6, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The 2023-24 NCAA D1 Middleweight Redshirt Report

Here are some of the middleweight wrestlers we didn’t see last season to keep an eye on during the upcoming season.

Below is a partial list of NCAA D1 middleweight wrestlers (149, 157, 165, 174) who are returning and will contest for a varsity spot after an interval of at least one year.

Lightweight Redshirt Report
Heavyweight Redshirt Report

149 Pounds

Ridge Lovett: Nebraska, Junior
2022-23 record: 4-0 

Lovett only wrestled in the Cowboy Open last season, but he returns as the top-ranked 149-pounder in the land. The Husker star reached the 2022 NCAA tournament finals where he fell to Yianni Diakomihalis. 

Michael Gioffre: Virginia, Freshman
2022-23 record: 12-5

Gioffre showed promise when he went 3-1 in varsity duals against Ohio, Navy, Kent State, and Maryland. He is a welcome addition to Steve Garland and his staff. 

Willie McDougald: Oklahoma, Sophomore
2022-23 record: 3-1

McDougald — ranked #17 nationally — returns to the line-up after reaching the Round of 16 of the 2022 NCAA Championships following a 20-7 season. He wrestled four matches in one tournament in January. 

Finn Solomon: Pittsburgh, Freshman
2022-23 record: 16-3

Solomon transferred from North Carolina State to Pittsburgh and had a nice redshirt season. He wrestled in five tournaments but went 0-2 at the prestigious Midlands tournament, dropping matches to Doug Zapf (12-4) and Vinnie Mannella (8-6) of Pennsylvania.

Kyle Dutton: Little Rock, Freshman
2022-23 record: 8-2

Dutton dropped matches to Oklahoma State’s Dusty Hone (18-10) and Michigan State’s Chase Saldate (8-2) but will be a nice addition to the line-up at Little Rock. … rest of story at … Flowrestling.org/articles/11280846-the-2023-24-ncaa-d1-middleweight-redshirt-report

October 6, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Cornell’s Arujau among top-ranked wrestlers; Penn State No. 1 team in WIN preseason poll

NEWTON, Iowa — Cornell’s Vito Arujau, fresh off a World championship in freestyle wrestling, is one of 10 wrestlers who have been tabbed No. 1 at a weight class in WIN Magazine’s 2023 preseason NCAA Division I national rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.

Arujau, a senior, is the top-ranked wrestler at 133 pounds, the weight at which the Big Red wrestler captured his first NCAA title last March in Tulsa, Okla.

Click on the cover of the latest WIN Magazine or call 888-305-0606 to subscribe.

Meanwhile, Penn State features four top-ranked wrestlers, including Carter Starocci (174 pounds) and Aaron Brooks (197 pounds), who each will be shooting to win a fourth national championship at the 2024 NCAA Division I Championships next March in Kansas City, Mo. The other No. 1-ranked Nittany Lions are Levi Haines (157) and Greg Kerkvliet (Hwt), who each finished second last March.

Overall, Penn State features eight returning All-Americans, who played a big part in the Nittany Lions earning the No. 1 spot in WIN Magazine’s 2023-24 Preseason TPI (Tournament Power Index) and individual rankings. Shooting to win a third straight team title and 11th since 2011, Penn State is the only school to have all ten wrestlers ranked in the preseason rankings and tallied 149 TPI points. The other returning Penn State All-Americans are Beau Bartlett (141) and Shayne Van Ness (149), while the other two are transfers: Aaron Nagao (133/Minnesota) and Bernie Truax (184/Cal Poly).

WIN’s TPI is based on a point total associated with individual placement and advancement points that could be scored in the 2024 NCAAs if wrestlers finish where they are ranked in the preseason poll. The following is a breakdown of those points: 20 for 1^st place, 16 for 2^nd, 13.5 for 3^rd, 12.5 for 4^th, 10 for 5^th, 9 for 6^th, 6.5 for 7^th and 5.5 for 8^th. Wrestlers ranked 9-12 earn two points each, followed by one and a half points for wrestlers ranked 13-16 and one point for those ranked 17-20.

Missouri (70.5 points), which features two-time defending national champ Keegan O’Toole, who is table No. 1 in WIN’s preseason rankings, and four other All-Americans Brock Mauller (149), Peyton Mocco (174), Rocky Elam (197) and Zach Elam (Hwt).

Coming in third place in WIN’s TPI is Virginia Tech (64.5) with returning All-Americans Eddie Ventresca (125), Sam Latona (133), Caleb Henson (149), Bryce Andonian (157) and Mekhi Lewis (174).

Rounding out the top-10 in Tournament Power Index is NC State, Nebraska, Arizona State, Michigan, Cornell and Iowa (tied for eight) and Oklahoma State.

The other top-ranked wrestlers are Purdue’s Matt Ramos (125), Iowa’s Real Woods (141), Nebraska’s Ridge Lovett (149) and Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen (184). All have finished second in the past two national tournaments.

These rankings are subject to change as wrestlers finalize what weight class they will wrestle this winter. WIN Magazine, which will update its rankings on Nov. 1, will announce it dual-meet rankings in December.

After November 1, WIN Magazine will release weekly NCAA Division I Rankings. To get all of WIN’s college and high school rankings releases this season and WIN’s 12 monthly issues, subscribe to WIN in print or digitally at www.WIN-magazine.com.

WIN’s 2023-24 Preseason Tournament Power Index (TPI)                                                                  

October 6, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment