Takedown Report

Beating Army Is Priority #1 At U.S. Naval Academy

Reaching the podium at nationals and winning conference titles are important at Navy — as long as you beat Army
Ask Navy wrestling coach Cary Kolat about facing Army and his demeanor changes. If there was a pecking order of importance, it might look like this:

• Beat Army;
• Fight hard;
• Become a leader

For the alumni, the biggest and most important thing for them is beating Army every single year,” said Kolat, who is in his fourth year at the Academy in Annapolis, Md. “They will let you know if you drop the ball on that one. After that, they’re concerned about the guys competing and always fighting — even if they’re outmatched. They want to see a wrestler in a Navy singlet fight and then they’re concerned about the leadership side that was taught to them before they leave here. 
“Beating Army is a big deal. It’s the entire school at every sport. It’s by design. I’ve wrestled my entire life. I’ve been in some big dual meets as a competitor and as a coach. This one is different from anything you can imagine. It’s designed for two military forces to keep each other sharp.”
Greco-Roman Olympian John Stefanowicz took it a step further. Stefanowicz — a proud Marine — was recently commissioned to the U.S. Naval Academy and was on hand for Navy’s wrestle-offs. 
The event was held side-by-side with Air Force versus Navy boxing matches. The matchups were held in conjunction with the Air Force-Navy football game the following day. It’s nice to beat another service academy but, for Navy, it’s all about beating Army. 
Good luck getting Stefanowicz to say something complimentary about Army. Even he admits his views about the rivalry are extreme. “The Army-Navy matchup is at the forefront of everyone’s minds,” he said. “It’s nice to beat Air Force but Air Force is irrelevant. It’s about beating Army. I’ll gladly take a pay cut and stay a Marine than take a promotion in the Army.” 
Known as the Star Match, the Army-Navy rivalry, which will close out the upcoming regular season, on Feb. 16 in Annapolis, is the prototype of how wrestling can thrive. Build such a strong and deep-seated rivalry that it doesn’t matter how good the action is. 
The boxing matches were mediocre at best, but that had no bearing on the enthusiasm of the crowd. The entire facility erupted when a Midshipman got the better of a Cadet. The action is secondary to the outcome.

“We couldn’t have a conversation right now if Army was boxing Navy,” Stefanowicz said. “This entire place would be wall-to-wall people. You couldn’t move.”
Navy holds an all-time 55-10-5 dual record against Army, … rest of story at … Flowrestling.org/Beating-army-is-priority-1-at-us-naval-academy

November 1, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

A Look Back At Pennsylvania’s Incredible Super 32 Performance

Pennsylvania turned in one of the most dominant Super 32 performances in recent history with 28 medalists and seven champions in the high school division
Pennsylvania turned in one of the most dominant Super 32 performances in recent history, piling up 28 place-winners and seven champs in the high school division, the most for a single state since PA produced eight champs in 2013. 
Among Pennsylvania’s seven champions, two impressive freshmen walked away with their first high school belts. Joe Bachmann, who already had seven Super 32 belts between the elementary and middle school divisions entering the weekend, squeezed out tight wins in both his quarterfinal and semifinal before dominating Rocco Hayes in the finals for the 106-pound title. 
Coming off of a 16U Fargo title this summer, Melvin Miller established himself as a title threat. After pulling off a come-from-behind victory over top seed Jaxon Joy in the quarterfinals, Miller finished the job in the finals over a seasoned senior Cameron Catrobone for the 144-pound title. Bachmann and Miller were also the only two freshmen to make the finals in the High School division. 
Aaron Seidel was dominant all weekend heading into the finals, including a commanding 8-3 victory over fellow returning PIAA AA Champion Ayden Smith in the semifinals. Seidel matched up with 2022 U17 World champion Domenic Munaretto in the 113-pound finals in a rematch of a consolation semifinal at last year’s Super 32, with Seidel coming out on top once again with a turn in the third period and a dominant ride for the 113-pound title. 
After finishing third the last two years at Super 32, Jax Forrest was not going to be denied his title this year. Forrest bonused his way to the finals before meeting up with J.J. McComas in a rematch of a tight Fargo Junior final this summer. Forrest came on top of McComas once again with an escape right into a blast double leg in the third period for his first Super 32 title. 
After taking a loss at 138 pounds at Who’s Number One last month, Bo Bassett made the drop down to a more comfortable weight of 132 pounds and was impressive. Bassett bonused his way to the semifinals where he met up with #2 Kyler Larkin and blasted out to a 9-0 lead before coming away with the 11-6 victory. Many, including Bassett himself, believed #1 Ben Davino would be waiting in the finals out of the top side of the 132-pound bracket, but Sergio Vega spoiled the party by defeating Davino in the semifinals with a late takedown to meet up with Bassett in the finals. Bassett left no doubt in the finals, picking up the 11-0 major decision for his second straight Super 32 title. … rest of story at … Flowrestling.org/Look-back-at-pennsylvanias-incredible-super-32-performance

November 1, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Lander Tops Preseason Edition of NWCA Division II Men’s Coaches Poll

MANHEIM, Pa.- A first-time #1, the Lander Bearcats, will open the 2023-24 season atop the preseason edition of the NWCA Division II Coaches Poll, released Oct. 30 by the Association.
The Bearcats, who finished runner-up at the 2023 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships, top the poll with 82 total points and a poll-high eight ranked wrestlers. West Liberty sits at #2 in the preseason poll, with 69 points behind five ranked wrestlers. Defending National Champion Central Oklahoma is in the three-spot with 63 points, with St. Cloud State (56 points) in fourth with its six ranked wrestlers and McKendree and Upper Iowa tied for the five-spot with 48 points each.

Six of the preseason top-ranked individuals are returning National Champions from a season ago, highlighted by two-time National Champion Dalton Abney of Central Oklahoma at 197. At 133, Gavin Quiocho of Glenville State is back after his title a season ago, as is Tiffin’s Zack Donathan at 141. Nick Novak of St. Cloud State is back and sits at #1 at 157, Chase Luensman of Upper Iowa tops the ranking at 165 and West Liberty’s Ty McGeary comes back to defend his title at 184. Another of the top-ranked wrestlers, Jaxson Rohman of Augustana, comes sits atop the 125 ranking after finishing as National Runner-up at the weight a season ago.
At 149, Wyatt Tunrquist of Northern State is a first-time #1, finishing third last season. Turnquist was ranked as high as seventh last year. James Penfold of Lake Erie tops the 174 ranking for the first time ever after taking fourth a season ago, while Indianapolis’ Cale Gray is #1 at 285 for the first time in his career after taking fourth last season. Penfold topped out at #4 in the rankings a season ago, while Gray was as high as seventh in the rankings last season.
Two weight classes feature nine returning All-Americans among their ranked wrestlers, with 149 and 165 both having nine guys who have been on the podium. Both 141 and 197 feature eight returning All-Americans, while 133 and 184 have seven returning AAs in their top 12 ranked individuals.
Super Region 5 leads the way with 31 ranked wrestlers and seven teams ranked in the Top 25. Super Region 3 has the most #1s, with four among its 23 ranked wrestlers and five Top 25 teams. The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) leads all conferences with 26 ranked wrestlers and six ranked teams.  The season kicks off officially Wednesday, Nov. 1, … rest of story at … NWCAonline.com/news/2023/10/30/ncaa-division-2-men-lander-tops-preseason-edition-of-nwca-division-ii-coaches-poll

also note,
Lander Picked as Conference Carolinas Men’s Wrestling Champions
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Lander, who has won the past two South Atlantic Conference Carolinas regular season titles, has been picked to win the title in the 2023-24 Conference Carolinas Men’s Wrestling Preseason Poll, the conference unveiled on Oct. 26, 2023. Conference Carolinas is the sole sponsor of the sport for the first time.
The Bearcats received 13-of-14 first-place votes (teams can’t vote for themselves) and 169 total points to claim the top spot while Newberry was a close second with 151 points and the remaining first-place vote. UNC Pembroke was picked third with 145 points while Mount Olive (136) and King (119) rounded out the top five.
Belmont Abbey (101) was sixth in the preseason poll followed by Emmanuel (96), Limestone (88), Coker (75), Allen (55), Lincoln Memorial (41), Montevallo (39), Bluefield State (32) and Emory & Henry (27).
The preseason poll was voted on by the league’s head coaches. 
2023-24 Conference Carolinas
Men’s Wrestling Preseason Poll

November 1, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment