Division I Match Results
THE FIRST UPSET OF THE 2023-2024 NCAA SEASON
He Ran Out Of A Military Jet, He Faced A Nationally Ranked Opponent, He Completed A Come From Behind Upset Victory In His First NCAA Match And Convinced Himself It Was Just Another Wednesday. The Battle At Liberty Was Good To Campbell’s Chris Earnest.
n his first collegiate dual, Campbell University’s Chris Earnest made good on his opportunity and almost stole the spotlight of the Battle At Liberty.
The opening seconds of the Battle At Liberty went exactly as expected, with the unranked Campbell freshman being on the wrong end of college wrestling’s first three-point takedown. To the surprise of few, the 25th ranked 157-pounder from Army, Nate Lukez, was appearing to grind out a hard-fought match and add three to the team score straight out of the gate.
Earnest had several “promising” moments in the first, but closed out the first period down 6-2 with reason to believe he’d be a solid starter with room to improve. … rest of story at … UFC.com/news/first-upset-2023-2024-ncaa-season
And
Penn State Wrestling: Lions Showcase Veterans, New Talent at Journeymen Classic
The two-time defending champs introduce some new wrestlers into a loaded lineup.
Penn State provided a preview of its 2023-24 wrestling roster Sunday, one that could take its place among the best in program history. The top-ranked Nittany Lions delivered a standout performance at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic, winning 75 percent of its bouts at the round-robin tournament in Bethlehem, Pa.
Penn State, the two-time defending NCAA team champion, went 45-15 at the event, with most of its elite wrestlers competing. The Lions have wrestlers ranked in the InterMat top 20 at all 10 weight classes, with eight ranking among the top three. Returning NCAA champs Carter Starocci (174) and Aaron Brooks (197) dominated as usual, while the lineup newcomers made strong debuts.
Here’s a look at how coach Cael Sanderson’s team fared at the Journeymen Classic.
At 120, Robby Howard returned from a 2022 injury to go 1-2. Howard has not wrestled significantly since his 2020-21 freshman season, when he went 7-6 and qualified for the NCAA championships. Meanwhile, freshman Braeden Davis went 3-0 with two technical falls and a win over teammate Gary Steen.
Aaron Nagao (No. 3 at 135) did not compete but will take over Roman Bravo-Young’s weight class when he returns. Nagao transferred to Penn State after placing fifth at last year’s NCAA championships as a redshirt freshman at Minnesota.
Beau Bartlett, ranked No. 1 at 141, did not compete at the tournament, giving junior David Evans a chance to wrestle. … rest of story at … SI.com/college/Penn-state-wrestling-nittany-lions-dominate-journeymen-collegiate-classic
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Navy Wrestling Defeats No. 16 Pitt to Sweep Navy Quad Meet
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy wrestling team (4-0) won all three of its duals at the Navy Quad Meet on Sunday at Alumni Hall in Annapolis, Md. The Mids claimed victories over Morgan State (39-0), VMI (40-6) and No. 16 Pitt (21-12). “I think today was an awesome day for the team and the coaching staff. We have depth and coming out on top in three duals today showed that,” said head coach Cary Kolat. We had the ability to mix up different guys in the lineup and that’s when your program is truly strong. I saw a lot of great things from multiple guys today, especially in that last dual against Pitt. We were down a man with the injury to (Andrew) Cerniglia, but other guys stepped up to get the job done. That’s a testament to these athletes. I know we’re a good team, but it’s up to us as a coaching staff moving forward to peak them at the right time. I think we’re going to continue to get better as we compete more and that’s very motivating.”
Navy vs. Morgan State – Final Score: Navy 39, Morgan State 0
Navy began the event with a 39-0 win against Morgan State (0-3). The Mids won all 10 bouts to earn the shut-out win and claim their second win against the Bears.
Evan Tallmadge (125) and No. 17 Brendan Ferretti (133) both posted technical fall wins to put Navy ahead, 10-0, through the first two matches. Tallmadge didn’t surrender any points to Julian Dawson to win by a 16-0 technical fall (5:00). Ferretti followed up with a 17-2 (5:00) technical fall victory.
With the early lead, Frank Antonelli (141) was given the opportunity to wrestle in his first dual against Khalid Brinkley. Brinkley took a 3-0 lead with a takedown in the first period. Antonelli quickly answered with an escape to cut Brinkley’s advantage to 3-1 through three minutes. Antonelli scored another escape in the second to make the score, 3-2, heading into the final period. Antonelli took his first lead with a four-point near fall and was awarded another point for posting over a minute of riding time (1:22) to win the match by a 7-3 decision. His victory gave the Mids a 13-0 lead.
Navy also claimed decision wins at 149, 157 and 165 pounds to take control with a 22-0 cushion. … rest of story at … Navysports.com/Wrestling-defeats-no-16-pitt-to-sweep-navy-quad-meet
Lock Haven’s Noto new No. 1 in WIN rankings
NEWTON, IOWA — Lock Haven’s Anthony Noto has taken over the top spot at 125 pounds in WIN Magazine’s Nov. 14 rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.
Noto, a junior and 2023 All-American, has scored a pair of technical falls two weeks into the season and earned the No. 1 spot after Matt Ramos, who was previously top-ranked, lost to NC State’s Jakob Camacho last weekend. For his efforts, the Wolfpack junior, who missed last season because of injury moved up six spots from last week’s rankings to claim the No. 2 spot at 125.
Penn State, which features four top-ranked wrestlers — Levi Haines (157), Carter Starocci (174), Aaron Brooks (197) and Greg Kerkvliet (Hwt) — remains the No. 1 team with 148 TPI points. The Nittany Lions are followed by Missouri, Cornell, NC State and Iowa.
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 simply an update of recent wins and losses, but more of a prediction at this point in the season of where wrestlers would be seeded at the 2024 NCAAs, which will be held in Kansas City, Mo., next March, if that event was held now.
The other top-ranked wrestlers include defending champs Vito Arujau (133) of Cornell and Keegan O’Toole (165) of Missouri … as well as Iowa’s Real Woods (141), Nebraska’s Ridge Lovett (149) and Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen (184). … rest of story at … WIN-magazine.com/Lock-havens-noto-is-new-no-1-at-125-in-wins-nov-14-rankings
Five B1G Takeaways from Week Two (11/14/2023)
We’re two weeks into the season and the upsets have poured in. There have been some heavy hitters in just about every conference that has taken an unexpected loss already this season. And while we’ve seen some big timers fall, we’ve also seen some serious flexing as well and the B1G Ten has definitely done its share. Here are the 5 things that caught our eye in the second week of the season.
Penn State Brings Sell Out Crowd In Debut
This is obviously no surprise, but the reigning champs did a lot of winning in their season debut. In Bethlehem, PA, a hotbed of great wrestling (excuse my hometown bias, but you know it’s true) the fans packed the Freedom High School gym to get an up-close look at some of the Nittany Lions new additions as well as their perennial champs. In front of that packed Lehigh Valley crowd, 11 Nittany Lions finished undefeated in their respective pools. Notable unblemished performances came from freshman U20 Champion Mitchell Mesenbrink (165) and Bernie Truax (184) who were both wrestling in the white-belted singlet for the first time. Also of note, Braeden Davis was the outlier at 125 as went undefeated as well with three wins in Pool C. One of those wins came against Gary Steen, who manned the spot last year, and went 1-2. Robert Howard also went 1-2 in his return to action after being sidelined by injury for a few years.
Ohio State Comes Out Swinging, Tom Ryan Collects 200th Win
In the biggest early season dual meet matchup, Ohio State walked into Virginia Tech’s Cassell Coliseum as the underdog and came out victorious with a 24-12 win. The Hokies sported a #3 ranking as they hosted tOSU which was #7 to start the season, but when it was all said and done, the Buckeyes had a convincing win under their belt. Virginia Tech was favored in nine of the 10 bouts with higher-ranked wrestlers at all weights except for 141, … rest of story at … Intermatwrestle.com/Five-b1g-takeaways-from-week-two
Three Takeaways from Week Two of the Women’s Collegiate Season
Historic Trailblazer Duals and Surprising Upsets
At the first-ever Trailblazer Duals at Carver-Hawkeye Arena over the weekend, a tough lineup of ranked teams that represent the four Division 1 programs with women’s wrestling faced off: #5 Sacred Heart, #8 Iowa, #11 Lindenwood and #13 Presbyterian.
#11 Lindenwood walked away with a loss to Iowa and a close upset loss to Presbyterian. However, the Lions team was able to come out with a victory against #5 Sacred Heart winning 22-20. The team saw impressive showings by several freshmen including a pin from Megan Valdez at 101 lbs, an 8-0 decision from Kate Cooper at 109 lbs, and a 12-2 decision by Marissa Sanabria at 135 lbs. Decision wins from Amanda McAleavey at 123 lbs, Cayden Condit at 130 lbs, and Alana Duggan at 143 lbs were enough to secure the Lions the victory.
On the flip side, #13 Presbyterian got their own close upset win over Lindenwood 25-20. Another young team with some dominant freshmen on the roster, the Blue Hose kept it close throughout the dual starting off strong with a tech fall from junior Chiara Barbieri. After the Lions got a tech of their own at 109 lbs, freshmen Alyssa Mahan picked up a pin at 123 lbs and Charlee Shuler battled for the decision win at 116 lbs. The team clinched it with back-to-back pins from freshman Maddie Kubicki at 155 lbs and Henlee Haynes at 170 lbs.
The remaining duals all went along with the team’s rankings except for the upset win for #8 Iowa over #5 Sacred Heart. While Sacred Heart did not have all their ranked wrestlers either at the event or in this dual specifically, the Hawkeyes still controlled almost every match. Each win in this dual came by pin or tech fall besides a forfeit at 123 lbs against Felicity Taylor. Madeline Hodges brought in the only Pioneer win in this dual, getting the 7-0 decision against Iowa’s Alivia White. Fans missed out on what could have been a very exciting matchup in the dual against Iowa’s Kylie Welker and Sacred Heart’s Cara Broadus. Broadus came in fourth last year at NCWWC’s and is the second-highest-placing returner at the weight this year. Hopefully, this matchup may happen in the future.
Of course, the biggest headline is the more than 8,200 fans in attendance for these duals, shattering the record for the largest crowd at a women’s wrestling event. It seems that Trailblazer Duals is a very fitting name for this historic event.
2. King University Crowns 9 Champs
Fifteen teams competed this past Saturday at the Eagle Madness Open hosted by Life University. The #2 ranked King University Tornados showed out with champions at nine different weight classes. They also had five additional places in the top 4, with three making the finals. There were also some significant wins for the Tornados on their way to the 1st place finish. Jessica Corredor beat returning NAIA All-American Devyn Gomez of Life in the semifinals at 101 lbs. Also, Danielle Garcia took down Elizabeth Dosado from the University of the Cumberlands who … rest of story at … Intermatwrestle.com/Three-takeaways-from-week-two-of-the-womens-collegiate-season
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Girls wrestling continues to grow
By Cheyenne Roche, The Creston News Advertiser, Iowa
Fri, Nov 10, 2023, 3:46 PM EST·4 min read
Nov. 10—Since being sanctioned last season, girls wrestling has become the fastest growing female sport in Iowa. In the second year of the Highway 34 wrestling program consisting of girls from Creston, East Union and Lenox, a new coach has taken over. Maggie Arnold, cross country and track and field coach will now add a third sport to her repertoire as she heads the Highway 34 team.
“We have 15 girls out this year which is great numbers,” Arnold said. “The girls are excited to be a part of history.” The program is expected to continue to expand as the Creston Junior High program alone had 20 girls attend their start-of-season meeting.
Returners from last year include Mila Kuhns, Zoey Vandevender, Grace Keeler, Quynn Foster, Hope Woods and state medalist Savannah Sistad. Woods was injured for a majority of last year, but all others competed at the regional competition in Des Moines.
The team will be led by three seniors — Woods, Sistad and Brylea Woollums. “Savannah is the one who has had the most success in girls wrestling in our program,” Arnold said. “We look to Savannah to continue to be great for us this year.”
Arnold said she hopes to keep Woods healthy this year, so she will be able to participate in more matches. This will be Woollums first year on the mat. “It’s a brave thing for a senior to do, go our for a brand new sport,” … rest of story at … Girls-wrestling-continues-to-grow
Quakers Win First Dual Since 2010 in Thriller Against Muskingum
(WILMINGTON, Ohio) – For the first time since Tuesday, January 5, 2010 (a 25-22 win at Baldwin Wallace University), the Wilmington College wrestling team won a dual match. They defeated the Muskingum University Fighting Muskies Tuesday night on Hermann Court, 27-26, in a dual that went down to the fourth point of criteria, Most NON Pin, Def, ID, DQ, Near Fall Points.
It began with an exhibition match where Quakers heavyweight Tim Lewellen pinned Muskingum’s Dakota Tennant in just under a minute.
The 125-and 133-pound weight classes were forfeited by the Quakers to give Muskingum a 12-0 advantage. Freshman Michael Louison got the Quakers on the board with a 14-2 major decision win over the Muskies Hunter Heck for his first collegiate victory, which cut the lead down to 12-4.
The Muskies won by major decision at 149 and 157 pounds to push the score to 20-4. Freshman Cooper Rack then got the Quakers back in the dual with a pin at 165 pounds, giving him his first collegiate victory and bringing the score to 20-10.
Muskingum won by fall at 174 to push the score to 26-10. Muskie forfeits at 184 and 197 pounds made it 26-22, with the dual coming down to the heavyweight showdown between Wilmington’s Caleb Tackett and Muskingum’s Noah Dehainaut.
Tackett picked up his first point in the second period and the 1-0 score held going into the final two minutes of action. Tackett got Dehainaut on his back and nearly pinned him but settled with three takedown points and four near fall points for an 8-0 win.
However, this was a major decision to tie the score at 26-26. Who was the winner? We would soon find out as madness ensued around the scorer’s table. The Muskingum head coach broke out his rule book to make sure everyone was on the same page with the criteria rules. … rest of story at … Wilmingtonquakers.com/sports/wrest/2023-24/releases
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
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