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Amateur Wrestling Reports

Toledo wrestling is “On the Rise” in the NCWA

By Mike Finn
Bryan Knepper credits his love for the Detroit Lions as one of the reasons he has such a passion to rebuild a college wrestling program like few others could. “I’m almost an apologist,” laughed Knepper. “We are not really fans, but those who have been beaten down over the years.”
But that opinion of his beloved NFL team has changed as the Lions had a winning record last year and led their division this fall after eleven weeks. What’s more, the HBO-produced “Hard Knocks” series on the Lions inspired him to use such a medium in his higher goal to rebuild the University of Toledo wrestling program. “It got me so pumped up about the Lions and believing in (Lions coach) Dan Campbell and his message,” said the 44-year-old Knepper. “I was so pumped up I said this is what we have to do for our program. We need to get the message out there and let people see what happened in the past, what we are doing right now and where we are trying to move in the future.”
That’s why Knepper (in association with LoudKid Films out of Toledo) is creating the documentary, “Rise: The Fall and Rebirth of College Wrestling” which spotlights Toledo’s program being cut and the misintended consequences of Title IX. And, uses their story of building it as a test case for growing the sport again at the NCAA level. The coach hopes to have it streamed on a platform like Netflix as soon as funds are raised. Until then, LoudKid Films has created a trailer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHGh7Qer4E.

This story appeared in the latest issue of WIN Magazine. Click on the cover or call 888-305-0606 to subscribe.
“I had that lightbulb moment that this is something we can do because so many more people watch these documentaries,” he said. “It’s real. It’s not just some scripted drama. It’s real pain, real people involved. Maybe that’s the way to get to people’s hearts is through this type of media.”
For those who do not know, the Toledo program now competes in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) and Knepper has served as its unpaid head coach for 16 years in two different stints since 1997, three years after the school dropped men’s wrestling as an NCAA program in 1994. Working as a structural engineer, Knepper left Toledo in 2005 to work at an Air Force base in Tennessee, but returned to Ohio in 2013 and eventually became the Rockets coach again in 2015.
Before the sport was dropped, Toledo had qualified wrestlers for the NCAAs in all but three years and produced 22 all-time NCAA All-Americans. Meanwhile, the Ohio community had served as the host site for many national and international events, including the first World Cup in 1973 and 17 of the first 19. This history is part of the documentary.
Knepper grew up in Toledo, and his father, Dale, wrestled for the Mid-American Conference school as a freshman in 1969 when it was a varsity program. He was teammates with Greg Wojciechowski, the two-time NCAA finalist at heavyweight, who became the school’s second national champion in 1971. (The other Toledo NCAA champ was 191-pound Harry Lanzi in 1952.) “I grew up with these guys who became mentors and had heard all their stories of how great they were,” said Bryan, who has also created banners for those great wrestlers which hang in the Toledo wrestling room. “I like recognizing them and rebuilding our alumni base and getting them involved in our program. … rest of story at … WIN-magazine.com/Toledo-wrestling-is-on-the-rise-in-the-ncwa

December 11, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

No. 3 Missouri Wrestling Wins in Style Over No. 18 Oklahoma

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 3-ranked University of Missouri wrestling team took care of No. 18 Oklahoma, 30-12, Friday, Dec. 1, in front of 2,454 fans inside the Hearnes Center. The Tigers improved to 2-0 (1-0, Big 12) in the young season, while the Sooners stumbled to 3-1 (0-1, Big 12).
The Tigers got things rolling with back-to-back decisions. First, redshirt senior Zach Elam (285) got Mizzou on the board by winning a tight 2-1 contest. Following the opening act, redshirt junior Noah Surtin (125) kept the momentum going with a 10-1 major decision, his fifth bonus-point victory of the year. Missouri took a step back as redshirt freshman Zeke Seltzer (133) fell short against Jace Koelzer, 4-1. The Sooners attempted storm back after No. 14 Mosha Schwartz defeated redshirt sophomore Josh Edmond (141) in overtime. However, right before intermission, redshirt junior Logan Gioffre (149) upset No. 22 Willie McDougald with a 4-1 sudden-victory decision to give MU a 10-6 cushion at the halfway mark. The decision was the first win over a ranked opponent for Gioffre as a starter. After the break, it was all Mizzou. Redshirt senior Brock Mauller (157) started the second half with a 12-4 major decision win, recording his fourth bonus-point victory of the season. Missouri put its foot on the gas with junior Keegan O’Toole (165) pinning his opponent in the second period. Back-to-back technical falls by redshirt senior Peyton Mocco (174) and redshirt freshman Clayton Whiting (184) truly separated the hosts from the opposition, leading them to a comfortable 30-12 victory over Oklahoma. … story at … MUtigers.com/news/No-3-wrestling-wins-in-style-over-no-18-oklahoma

December 11, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Don’t tell wrestlers that their matches don’t count

By Tristan Warner
The 53rd edition of the NWCA All-Star Classic proved to be another successful early-season showcasing of some of the nation’s most promising collegiate wrestlers on Nov. 21 in State College, Pa. Pitting some of the highest-ranked individuals against each other in mid-November annually, the All-Star Classic accomplishes several feats simultaneously for fans, coaches, and contestants.  It gives fans a small taste of elite collegiate folkstyle wrestling action and quenches that thirst which has been accumulated since the previous March. It also potentially foreshadows some big-time matchups for the upcoming postseason, especially ones that would not otherwise occur based on schedules. 

This column appeared in the latest issue of WIN Magazine. Click on the cover or call 888-305-0606 to subscribe.
For coaches, the event is not only a prestigious honor in which to have their program represented, but it provides a measuring stick for said coaches’ athlete(s) against high-level foes. From the athletes’ perspective, this event provides wrestlers the opportunity to rise to the occasion and stake their claim early in the season, perhaps setting the tone for the rest of their season.  But one ongoing debate that has encircled this distinguished event for years is whether or not these matches should actually count toward the wrestlers’ records? Or, in other words, is this event an actual competition or merely an exhibition?
An exhibition as it stands today, the NWCA All-Star Classic provides these athletes the risk-free opportunity to duke it out without affecting their record or seed, at least in theory.  But some argue that the result of a seven-minute match between two collegiate wrestlers with all the same scoring guidelines in place should count just like any other wrestling match would. While I know there are many arguments for or against standardizing the NWCA All-Star Classic as an official match, my stance on the matter is that the event is already accomplishing the aforementioned feats as it is, so there is no need to change it.  Evolving the sport of wrestling has been a hot-button topic for a while now and seems to have gained even more steam after the near scare of wrestling being temporarily excluded from the Summer Olympics back in 2013.  Surely, as is the case with any sport, continuing to make adaptations and adjustments to better the longevity of the sport are important.  However, in some ways, changing things about the sport simply for the sake of changing them is worse. That is a whole separate issue, but the concept is not lost on the topic of the All-Star Classic. 
Let’s face it: to the group of constituents that would be most affected by the change, the wrestlers themselves, this already is a real match. No wrestler at this level and of this caliber is treating any wrestling match, whether it is labeled as “exhibition” or not, any differently than he or she would a formal match.  Wrestlers pour too much of their mind, body and soul into their preparation for competition than to take this event for anything less than another wrestling match against a high-level opponent.  However, in theory, this match does provide the athletes the opportunity to “let it fly” with a little less pressure than a typical match may pose since their record and potential future postseason seeds are unaffected, also in theory.  Meanwhile, the quality of matches presents the fans with one of the most exciting contests in college wrestling just as the traditional season is gearing up.  By standardizing this event, the risk is that higher-ranked wrestlers, or their coaches, may tend to shy away from accepting the invitation in order to protect their record or future NCAA seed. … rest of story at … WIN-magazine.com/Dont-tell-wrestlers-that-their-matches-dont-count

December 11, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment