Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

Twenty five years later, Morgan State University’s wrestling team is back

By Ariyana Griffin 
Special to the AFRO
Morgan State University’s (MSU) wrestling team has made a comeback after a 25-year hiatus, making it the only historically Black college or university (HBCU)  to offer a Division 1 men’s wrestling program.  The sport was cut from MSU during the 1996-1997 season due to lack of funding. The organization, HBCU Wrestling, donated $2.7 million to the institution to restart the program, supporting its goal to diversify the sport and provide opportunities to HBCU students. 
HBCU Wrestling is “committed to restoring and establishing women’s and men’s wrestling programs at historically Black colleges and universities.” They execute this by pledging “to make up to a 10-year commitment to NCAA-sanctioned wrestling programs,” along with providing “scholarship opportunities, coaches with salaries comparable to top programs and competitive operating budgets,” according to information released by the organization. 
This opportunity opened the doors for the highly decorated wrestler, Kenny Monday, to become the head coach for the team. Monday is a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and earned an Olympic Gold medal in 1988 and a silver medal in 1992. … story at … Afro.com/twenty-five-years-later-morgan-state-universitys-wrestling-team-is-back

December 26, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

D-I Teams’ December Results & News

Nebraska Cornhuskers TOP SDSU, 21-17
Lincoln – No. 8 Nebraska wrestling used a pin and five wins by decision to defeat No. 14 South Dakota State, 21-17, at the Devaney Center in front of 2,401 fans on Saturday night.
In the first bout of the night, No. 8 Caleb Smith used a pair of reversals and two backpoints to secure a win at 125 over No. 18 Tanner Jordan. South Dakota State’s Jordan struck first with a takedown in the first period, but Smith answered with six straight points en route to the 6-4 victory.
At 133, Kyle Burwick fell to No. 13 Derrick Cardinal in a 6-1 decision. Cardinal managed a takedown in the first period and a reversal in the second. In the third, Burwick scored a point off an escape, but Cardinal took the riding time point to put the Jackrabbits on the board.
No. 6 Brock Hardy (141) sparked the Huskers, defeating Caleb Gross with a dominant first-period pin in 2:06, and NU took the 9-3 overall lead with seven matches to go. 
Top-ranked Ridge Lovett continued the momentum at 149 with a 5-1 decision over Alek Martin.  … story at … Huskers.com/Huskers-top-sdsu-21-17Wrestling+News

No. 3 Missouri Wrestling Grounds Air Force, 38-3
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 3-ranked University of Missouri wrestling team overwhelmed Air Force, 38-3, on Sunday, Dec. 17, in front of 2,439 fans at Hearnes Center. The Tigers improved to 4-0 (3-0, Big 12), while the Falcons fell to 2-2 (0-2, Big 12).
Mizzou used eight bonus-point victories to outlast Air Force, starting off with a (10) Noah Surtin technical fall at 125, his sixth bonus-point win of the year. At 133, Kade Moore stepped in to claim his first bonus-point victory in a dual this season, taking down Gavin Caprella, 12-3. After (20) Josh Edmond‘s decision at 141 and (22) Logon Gioffre‘s major at 149, the Tigers had a commanding 16-0 lead. Then, (9) Brock Mauller gave the Tigers their second tech fall of the afternoon at 157, pushing MU’s lead to 21-0 heading to the break.
A high-scoring affair ensued at 165, as (1) Keegan O’Toole earned a major decision, 24-12. The bonus-point victory was his eighth of the year in eight matches. At 174, (9) Peyton Mocco gave Missouri its third tech fall of the afternoon, stretching the Tiger lead to 30-0. After a tough-fought sudden victory loss at 184, Mizzou claimed the last two matches of the dual, capped off by Zach Elam‘s 10th bonus-point victory of the season. … story at … MUtigers.com/No-3-wrestling-grounds-air-force-38-3

Gomez Joins Wolverine Program as Grad Transfer for 2023-24
By: Leah Howard
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — University of Michigan wrestling head coach Sean Bormet announced Thursday (Dec. 14) the addition of graduate transfer Austin Gomez to the Wolverine program. Gomez, an NCAA All-American at Wisconsin, is immediately eligible and has one year remaining.
“Austin is one of the most electrifying wrestlers in the country,” said Bormet. “He is a special talent, has an exceptional work ethic and a competitive fire, and he brings a lot of excitement to the mat. I’ve known Austin since he was a young kid in my Overtime programs, and obviously Kevin [Jackson] has a great relationship with him as well, so we really know we’re getting a high-character individual and a great competitor. We are thrilled to welcome him to our team and fired up to coach him.”
Gomez wrestled collegiately at Wisconsin (2022-23) and Iowa State (2018-21), … story at … Mgoblue.com/Gomez-joins-wolverine-program-as-grad-transfer-for-2023-24

Bastida Racking Up Takedowns, Surging In Rankings For Iowa State Wrestling
Iowa State’s Yonger Bastida is settling in at heavyweight, where he’s ranked third nationally and has scored 44 takedowns and allowed just one this season.
Yonger Bastida saw an opening and sprang for a shot. It didn’t land in his first bout of the season a month and a half ago against Daniel Bucknavich of Cleveland State a month and a half ago. Instead, Bastida — a two-time NCAA qualifier and 2022 all-American for Iowa State — got taken down himself.
It’s an error in judgment and execution that sticks with the third-ranked heavyweight Cyclone wrestler, but he’s been stellar on the mat ever since. Bastida rolled past three straight ranked opponents earlier this month at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational … story at … Flowrestling.org/Bastida-racking-up-takedowns-surging-in-rankings-for-iowa-state

Ohio State Wrestling Seeking Wisdom From Loss To Pitt
After an upset loss at home against Pittsburgh, Ohio State wrestling is analyzing what went wrong and trying to learn from it
The sting of Ohio State’s upset home loss to Pittsburgh didn’t sour Tom Ryan’s perspective.  Ryan spoke of the defeat while delineating the difference between knowledge and wisdom. “The biggest takeaway from the loss is the difference between those two,” he said. “We gain knowledge as a result of anything we go through. Wisdom is the correct application of knowledge — applying what we learned in the future so we don’t do it again. 
“I thought we were flat. You can’t show up that way against a tough team. We got going slowly. We looked flat and tired. That’s not only on the student-athletes. Some of that is on us as coaches.  “You assess after every match; … story at … Flowrestling.org/Ohio-state-wrestling-seeking-wisdom-from-loss-to-pitt

Oklahoma State Wrestling’s Depth, Freshmen Tested This Season
Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith has been impressed with what he’s seen from his freshman class this season
In Stillwater, things are on the up and up. The #9 Oklahoma State Cowboys have earned their first Top 10 ranking of the season. 
Considering the adversity the team has faced this early in the year, it has been a solid job by coach John Smith and company to keep things rolling. Smith has enjoyed seeing the progression of his young wrestlers, and he gives a brief update on injuries.  
It is no secret Oklahoma State has already been riddled with injuries just two short months into this season. Most notably, #3 Daton Fix at 133 pounds, but also #13 197-pounder Luke Surber. Seventh-ranked Tagen Jamison, Oklahoma State’s breakout freshman at 141 pounds, suffered an apparent right arm injury Sunday against  Oklahoma. He continued the match and went on to post a 6-3 victory against Kaden Smith. … story at … Flowrestling.org/Oklahoma-state-wrestlings-depth-freshmen-tested-this-season

December 26, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Little Rock Wrestling Takes Out Queens and Chattanooga at Tri-Dual

Commanding performances in December set a program-high dual win streak
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Eight technical falls and six pins helped the Little Rock wrestling team come home with not one but two wins on the road today, moving to 5-1 on the season and setting a program record four-match win streak. The Trojans shut out Queens 55-0 before turning right around and besting Chattanooga 30-11 to close out the day, winning 17 of the 20 total bouts.
“It’s awesome, and it’s part of the process of getting to the next level,” said head coach Neil Erisman of the recent match success. “We’re not satisfied, but we’re doing good things. While today was more of a struggle than I wanted it to be, it was good for our guys to push through some hard moments. They found a way to get it done, and that’s important.”

How They Got It Done
Every single Trojan earned wins by technical fall or fall in the match against Queens: an even 5 and 5 split. In the Chattanooga dual, Jeremiah Reno, Triston Wills and Stephen Little duplicated their results, taking home a pair of technical falls throughout the day. Meanwhile, Josiah Hill took home two pins, scoring a team-high 12 team points for Little Rock. His first win by fall was the quickest of his career, at just 23 seconds. Despite a few changes in the lineup from dual to dual, Brennan Van Hoecke and Tyler Brennan also went 2-0 on the day, moving the latter up to double digit wins this season – a 10-1 record so far. In addition, Matty Bianchi, Joseph Bianchi and Chase Tebbets were undefeated today, going 1-0 as both the older Bianchi and Tebbets made their first dual start this year. 

New, Competitive Mindset
A new mindset is fueling the Trojans through their progress – setting a goal going into each competition week of how many points as a whole the team will score in combined matches. “I think that’s really helped our guys give them a tangible goal in the middle of the match that’s more than just win or lose, and helps us focus on the right things,” remarked Coach Erisman. … story at … LRtrojans.com/Little-rock-wrestling-takes-out-queens-and-chattanooga-at-tri-dual

December 26, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment