Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

Helen Maroulis exclusive: “Wrestling helped me to heal”

In 2019, two-time Olympic medallist and three-time world champion Helen Maroulis was on the verge of retiring from wrestling after sustaining numerous concussions throughout her career. But the 32-year-old told Olympics.com that her focus on her mental health, dancing, and love of the sport, helped bring her back to the top of the wrestling world.
Helen Maroulis is on a spectacular medal-winning streak. In September, at the 2023 Wrestling World Championships in Belgrade, Maroulis won bronze in the women’s 57-kilogram class — her 17th medal at a major international tournament in the last 15 years. It’s an incredible achievement for the 32-year-old American, one that is testament to her skill, character and sheer force of will – especially when you consider all that Maroulis has battled through these past four years: anxiety, post-traumatic stress (PTSD), vertigo, light sensitivity, and suicidal thoughts. Several of these issues developed as a result of the numerous concussions Maroulis has sustained throughout her career, which would eventually push her to the brink of leaving the sport altogether … rest of story at … Olympics.com/Helen-maroulis-exclusive-interview-wrestling-helped-me-heal

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Little sis Jaclyn Bouzakis is making a name for herself
By Mike Finn

As the youngest of three siblings in a well-known wrestling family, Jaclyn Bouzakis is neither a spoiled brat nor princess to her older brothers Nic and Vince. Even at age 15, Jaclyn already knows that she is her own person, especially on the wrestling mat. “Growing up, I was always referred to as Nick’s little sister or Vince’s little sister,” she said. “When I was little, that was OK because they were pretty big names and had accomplished a lot. But I want to accomplish my own goals and make a name for myself. I want to become my own person and not be referred to as someone else’s little sister. I am Jaclyn Bouzakis.” Jaclyn is a freshman at Wyoming Seminary, which sits five miles from her home in Shavertown, Pa. She has tons of respect for Nick — also a U20 World bronze medalist and 133-pound redshirt freshman at Ohio State — and Vince, a junior at Wyoming Seminary and ranked No. 3 by WIN at 150 pounds after winning a Junior national freestyle championship this past summer in Fargo, N.D.

This story appeared in the Nov. 2 issue of WIN Magazine. Click on the cover or call 888-305-0606 to subscribe. The next WIN will be printed Nov. 22.

On the mat, Jaclyn also has her accomplishments, including winning a U17 World bronze medal this past summer and most recently a Super 32 Challenge title at 95 pounds last month in Greensboro, N.C. She was also ranked No. 2 nationally in the USA Wrestling/Flowrestling/NHOF preseason poll. She also understands she is different than her brothers when it comes to wrestling. “Nick has always been like short, stocky and muscular,” she said. “Vince is the total opposite in that he’s more tactical and smoother. Growing up with them, I became a combination of both. When you see us wrestle, there are three different styles.”
She knows she has to stay grounded to find mat success. “I try to stay humble,” she said. “I know what I may be doing is pretty great, but there are so many more things I am working towards. Each thing I win and everything I succeed in is one more step in the big picture, which is wrestling at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. That is my biggest goal, but I can’t get there until I finish the smaller steps.” There is certainly a lot more to this young woman than just succeeding on the mat. She shows a maturity well beyond her years. “Growing up and watching my brothers and trying to do what they’ve done, it kind of made me snap into reality faster,” she said. “Especially when my other brother passed away from cancer on the brainstem.”
She is referring to her late brother Greco, who died in 2016 at the age of 5 from diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma; a story that has inspired many in wrestling, including Nick who continues to wear a stocking cap with the words “Team Greco” after many of his wrestling matches. … rest of story at … WIN-magazine.com/Little-sis-jaclyn-bouzakis-is-making-a-name-for-herself

November 10, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NCAA Division I Results & Rankings

Top 10 teams roll in opening weekend; Top 25 sees few changes
Lock Haven and Purdue also enter the Top 25
Manheim, Pennsylvania – With just a limited number of duals with ranked teams competing during the first week of action, there was minimal movement in the first regular-season NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll released on Tuesday.
Four teams ranked in the Top 10 opened up with victories, including second-ranked Iowa, ninth-ranked Nebraska and 10th-ranked Iowa State. Third-ranked NC State had a pair of victories to start the season 2-0, beating Presbyterian at Fort Liberty, North Carolina 48-0 and Appalachian State 40-3 in Boone.
Iowa trekked to the Pacific Coast and shut out California Baptist 40-0, while Nebraska went to Fargo and dispatched North Dakota State 31-12. Iowa State went to the old high school gym of national champion David Carr at Perry High School in Massillon, Ohio and beat Cleveland State 43-3.
The only matchup of ranked teams came in North Carolina as then-No. 20 Oregon State topped former No. 25 North Carolina 24-13. The Beavers also shutout Division III Greensboro College and transitional Division I Queens University.
Elsewhere in the Top 25, Rutgers started the year 2-0 with a trip to Cal Poly, beating the host Mustangs 31-10 and Duke 47-0. Wisconsin beat Lindenwood 41-3 in Madison. Like Queens, Lindenwood is also in the midst of a transition to NCAA Division I. Illinois fell out of the rankings after splitting a pair of duals last week. … rest of story … NWCAonline.com/11/7/national-wrestling-coaches-association-top-10-teams-roll-in-opening-weekend-top-25-sees-few-changes

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WIN announces first regular-season NCAA Div. I rankings and TPI
NEWTON,  Iowa — The 2023-24 college wrestling season has officially begun and WIN Magazine has produced its first national weekly individual rankings and Tournament Power Index, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.
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. The following is a breakdown of those points: 20 for 1st place, 16 for 2nd, 13.5 for 3rd, 12.5 for 4th, 10 for 5th, 9 for 6th, 6.5 for 7th and 5.5 for 8th. 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.
Also, it should be noted that WIN’s individual rankings are not necessarily an update of recent wins and losses, but more of a prediction at this point in the season of where wrestlers would seeded at the 2024 NCAAs, which will be held in Kansas City, Mo., next March, if that event was held now.
In the team race, defending champ Penn State — which begins its season this Sunday at the Journeyman Collegiate Classic in Bethlehem, Pa. — holds the No. 1 TPI ranking with nine ranked wrestlers. That includes four Nittany Lions — Levi Haines (157), Carter Starocci (174), Aaron Brooks (197) and Greg Kerkvliet (Hwt) — who are ranked No. 1 at their weight classes. The Nittany Lions are followed by Virginia Tech, … rest of story … WIN-magazine.com/2023/11/06/win-announces-first-regular-season-rankings-and-tpi

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Dozens Of Upsets Kick-Off Week 1 Of The NCAA D1 Wrestling Season
All the upsets between D1 NCAA wrestlers from week 1 of the 2023-24 season.
Just one week into the 2023-24 NCAA D1 wrestling season (technically just five days) and already we’ve got dozens of upsets!
Check out all the upsets based on our national rankings.

Top Ten Upsets

133: Gabe Whisenhunt, Oregon State over #4 Sam Latona, Virginia Tech – D;10-9
133: Vincent Santaniello, Pittsburgh over #8 Nic Bouzakis, Ohio State – D;11-4
133: #17 Angelo Rini, Columbia over #8 Nic Bouzakis, Ohio State – D;14-8

Top Twenty Upsets

125: Spencer Moore, North Carolina over #14 Brandon Kaylor, Oregon State – D;2-0
125: Jett Strickenberger, West Virginia over #14 Brandon Kaylor, Oregon State – D;4-1 SV
165: Garrett Thompson, Ohio over #14 Peyton Hall, West Virginia – D;8-5
184: #19 Caleb Hopkins, Campbell over #14 Benjamin Pasiuk, Army West Point – M;8-0 … rest of story … Flowrestling.org/Dozens-of-upsets-kick-off-week-1-of-the-ncaa-d1-wrestling-season

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Notable upsets and ranked team wins headlined Week 1 of the 2023-2024 college wrestling season
How all the Division I wrestling teams fared in this week’s dual meet competition, formatted in a How The Top 25 Fared breakdown.
College wrestling is back, and with the start of the season inevitably comes fun new faces, exciting storylines and early dominance from some of the best teams in the country. Here’s what we learned after Week 1 and who made early, impressive statements in their 2023-2024 debut. 

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N.C. State, Stanford, Iowa, Rutgers, NIU start strong with DI shutout wins

Five men’s programs earned at least one DI shutout win this weekend, with the Wolfpack of NC State earning the first of those notable victories with a 48-0 performance against Presbyterian on the opening day of the season. Redshirt freshman Dylan Fishback and Chase Horne led the Pack in this bout with first period falls, while Jacob Cox, Jackson Arrington, AJ Kovacs and Christian Knop added big points to the team score with techs at 133, 149, 165 and 197 pounds. 

PRE-SEASON RANKINGS: Breaking down the best teams in the country ahead of the 2023-2024 season

Fishback and Arrington picked up their second bonus point wins of the weekend against App State as well, notching a fall and a tech fall respectively as part of the Pack’s 40-3 win over the Mountaineers, the team’s largest margin of victory this century. Jakob Camacho and Trent Hidlay also contributed tech falls in N.C. State’s dual against App State, while heavyweight Owen Trephan notched a fall. App State’s lone win came at 133 pounds when Ethan Oakley stopped Jarrett Trombley 4-2. Neither Oakley nor Trombley was ranked coming into this bout, though both have previously qualified for the NCAA tournament, with Trombley advancing as far as the Round of 16 in 2023 and 2021. N.C. State will travel to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania next weekend for “WrangleMania” where they will take on Bloomsburg and Purdue in duals the Pack will be expected to win with dominance, especially after this weekend’s performance. … rest of story … NCAA.com/news/wrestling/2023-11-06/notable-upsets-and-ranked-team-wins-headlined-week-1-2023-2024-college-wrestling

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How the Top 25 (and more) Fared: Nov. 1-5
How all the Division I wrestling teams fared in this week’s dual meet competition, formatted in a How The Top 25 Fared breakdown. … rest of story … Mattalkonline.com/Top-25-fared/how-the-top-25-and-more-fared

November 10, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Ghadiali & Baker take top spots, 15 Camels place at Southeast Open

SALEM, Va. – Camel heavyweight Taye Ghadialiand 165 Dom Baker each went 4-0 to claim top spots on the podium at the Southeast Open hosted by Virginia Tech at the Cregger Center on the campus of Roanoke College on Saturday. Ghadiali controlled all four of his matches on the day, starting with a 17-1 tech fall (4:04) over B. Jackson from VMI and Z. Lanham (Life University) in 5:16 (19-4). He followed that up with two consecutive fall victories over Oregon State’s No. 21 B. McDermott (6:26) in the semifinals and in the finals over No. 22 ranked M. Wolfgram (3:13) from West Virginia University. Baker also had two tech falls to start his competition, the first at 5:43 over Maryland’s A. Rodrigues. He followed that with a last second tech fall over J. Palmucci from Franklin & Marshall (7:00). His semifinal victory was a 16-7 major decision of P. Brooks (Life University). In the finals, he faced K. Munro from UT-Chattanooga. The two were tied at 5 after three periods. Baker earned the takedown to take the 8-5 sudden victory. Along with Ghadiali and Baker, 13 other Camels finished in the top-6 of their respective divisions. True freshman Chris Earnest continued … rest of story at … GOcamels.com/news/2023/11/4/wrestling-ghadiali-baker-take-top-spots-15-camels-place-at-southeast-open

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NC State Wrestling Piling Up Early-Season Points | Wolfpack Insider
College wrestling’s new three-point takedown has helped NC State pile up points early in the season and the Wolfpack have an in-house battle at 165 pounds.
There were plenty of rule changes that went into effect this collegiate season for athletes and coaches to grasp before the action started hitting the mat with duals on Nov. 1. The purpose of many of these scoring changes was to see an increase in scoring and activity.  Coming off a fifth straight ACC Championship last year, the NC State Wolfpack is one squad that welcomes the chance to light up the scoreboard a bit more now. “Offensive takedowns are obviously going to get rewarded, and if you are good on top you can now get a set of two, three or four points this year,” said head coach Pat Popolizio as he enters his 12th year at the helm of the program. “If you are good in both of those positions, you are going to win a lot of matches at the college level (with the new scoring rules). “We are confident we can score both on our feet and on the mat. So, if we can’t find a takedown from our feet, we feel confident starting on top and getting a turn.”
It has been only a small sample size, but the Pack outscored its first two dual opponents last week 88-3 … rest of story at … Flowrestling.org/NC-state-wrestling-piling-up-early-season-points-wolfpack-insider

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Walker Added To Wrestling Coaching Staff, Joins Daggett
PEMBROKE –  UNC Pembroke head wrestling coach, OT Johnson, has announced the addition of former #BraveTough wrestler, Bryce Walker, to his coaching staff. Walker joins another former Braves wrestler, Nick Daggett, to make up the assistant coaching staff for the Black & Gold.
Walker, a two-time NCAA qualifier, wrestled five seasons for UNCP, logging a 66-50 career record, as well a 27-22 record in conference duals. “I am really excited about what Coach Walker is bringing to the program from his time as an athlete, and I am really looking forward to him bringing his strong skills and energy to the this side of the team,” said Johnson. “I am looking forward to learning from him as well.” … rest of story at … UNCPbraves.com/11/7/walker-added-to-wrestling-coaching-staff

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Wrestling Dominates Emory & Henry To Take Conference Carolinas Opener
EMORY, VA.– Homestanding Emory & Henry was no match for the Braves wrestling team Wednesday night, as the Black & Gold used seven pins, two tech falls, and a forfeit to take a 58-0 victory in their Conference Carolinas dual match opener.  
The Braves (1-0, 1-0 CC) moved to 2-0 all-time against the Wasps (0-1, 0-1 CC) after taking a 54-3 win last season in Pembroke. UNCP’s Logan Seliga got the night off to a good start with a pin in just 49 seconds in the 125 pound match. Logan Robinson (133), Keegan Roberson (157), Will Lowery (165), Scott Joll (174), Jose Zambrano Canuto (184), and Ryan Walker (285) would all follow Seliga with pins of their own. Chance Cottingham picked up five points via tech fall … rest of story … UNCPbraves.com/11/8/wrestling-dominates-emory-henry-to-take-conference-carolinas-opener

November 10, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Mount Olive wins thrilling conference opener at Emmanuel, 20-19

FRANKLIN SPRINGS, Ga. (Nov. 8) – Redshirt sophomore Jayln McClammy anchored the Trojans with a critical 12-4 major decision at heavyweight, as the University of Mount Olive men’s wrestling team edged Emmanuel by a 20-19 margin in Conference Carolinas action on Wednesday night.
With the win, the Trojans improve to 1-0 overall and earned its first win in league action after being selected fourth in the Conference Carolinas preseason poll. It marks the first season that the Conference Carolinas will solely sponsor the sport between two divisions with 14 programs competing. Meanwhile, the Lions drop to 0-1 in dual meets with an identical record in conference play.
At 125, junior Lens Mathurin built an early 3-0 advantage for the Trojans following an 11-5 decision over Alex McMiller in the first match of the night. He established a 5-1 advantage following the first period and a four-point near fall in the third sealed the win. In the 133-weight class, redshirt freshman Logan Tortual held a 6-5 edge after the initial period before Eli Holton registered a fall at the 4:30 mark to put the Lions ahead, 6-3. Redshirt sophomore Taylor Robinson, a 2023 national qualifier, responded with an 11-7 win at 141 to tie the meet at 6-6 before Davin Lundquist of Emmanuel posted a narrow 13-12 decision against senior Isaiah Olive in the 149-weight class.
With the Lions leading 9-6, No. 12 nationally ranked junior Jake Nicolosi made his first appearance of the season and dominated with a first-period pin at 157 to flip the advantage back to UMO, 12-9. At 165, Emmanuel registered an 8-3 decision to tie the meet at 12-12. No. 7 ranked Calan Staub also made his debut for Mount Olive this season and delivered a critical 17-8 major decision with eight points in the third period to give the edge back to UMO, 16-12. The Lions answered back with a 2-1 decision at 184 … rest of story at … UMOtrojans.com/11/8/wrestling-umo-wins-thrilling-conference-opener-at-emmanuel-20-19

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No. 12 UMO drops dual meet at No. 16 Emmanuel, 39-11
FRANKLIN SPRINGS, Ga. (Nov. 8) – Despite claiming the initial two matches via fall, the No. 12 Trojans fell by a 39-11 margin to No. 18 Emmanuel in a dual meet contest on Wednesday night. With the loss, the University of Mount Olive women’s wrestling team drops to 0-1 in dual competition. It marked the second meeting between the sides, as the Lions earned their second straight win in the series. Meanwhile, Emmanuel begins the 2023-24 campaign with a 1-0 record following a 13-8 mark the previous year. Junior transfer Samantha Miller had a strong start to her career at Mount Olive after registering a victory by fall in the first period over Lynnlie Rountree at 101 to put UMO ahead by a 5-0 margin. Miller joined the Trojans after being a three-time All-American at Presbyterian and opened the season No. 5 nationally in her weight class. At the 109-weight class, freshman Mallory McDonald delivered another stellar performance after recording a first-period fall over Giavanna Ablonsky to extend the advantage to 10-0. The Lions countered with three consecutive pins over the next three matches before Gianna Anaya posted an 18-7 technical fall to take a 19-11 lead. Emmanuel would register four more victories by fall to close out the contest, … rest of story at … UMOtrojans.com/11/8/womens-wrestling-no-12-umo-drops-dual-meet-at-no-16-emmanuel

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King edges #18 in Conference Carolinas opener
BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University men’s wrestling team came back from a deficit against Belmont Abbey College to take the Conference Carolinas opener 23-22 on criteria. The dual turned as Ashtan Hendricks pinned second-ranked John Carayiannis, starting a 22-0 run for the Tornado. King then held off three straight Crusader wins at the end of the dual and took the win on criteria.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: King 23, #18 Belmont Abbey 22 … rest of story at … Kingtornado.com/11/8/mens-wrestling-king-edges-18-in-conference-carolinas-opener

November 10, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment