Takedown Report

Exciting Big 10 Match Results

Michigan, Penn State headline a big weekend of college wrestling results
Another week, another set of crazy, unexpected, exciting college wrestling results. These are the biggest takeaways from the latest slate of duals and what these results could tell us about breakout national stars and team trophy contenders. 
Top Big Ten talent on display as Penn State stays undefeated, Michigan notches key win over Iowa
For the last 16 years, the national championship wrestling team has come from within the Big Ten, a testament to the depth and skill level in the conference. On Friday night, that eliteness was on full display, first in State College and then in Ann Arbor as Penn State roared to a 28-9 win over Ohio State, and Michigan topped No. 2 Iowa, 24-11. 
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Penn State’s win was expected, as the Blue and White were favored in nine of 10 matches, but the Buckeyes came to battle. Ohio State’s fight and grit served as a key takeaway from the match, despite the result.  The Buckeyes came out firing early, with backup Vinny Kilkeary nearly pulling off the upset against No. 3 Braeden Davis. They then carried that momentum in 133 pounds where No. 12 Nic Bouzakis showed his All-American potential with a 13-7 offensive victory over 2023 fifth-place finisher No. 5 Aaron Nagao. Penn State flipped the switch at 141 pounds, as No. 2 Beau Bartlett won the biggest match of the night, 4-1 over No. 3 Jesse Mendez in overtime. The Nittany Lions then went on to win ranked matches at 149, 157, 165 and 174 pounds before Ohio State silenced Rec Hall with a pin from Ryder Rogotzke over Nittany Lion All-American No. 5 Bernie Truax. Despite the fall, Penn State had already sealed the team victory, and NCAA champion Aaron Brooks and All-American Greg Kerkvliet put an exclamation mark on the night with a tech fall and a major decision against No. 22 Luke Geog and No. 12 Nick Feldman, respectively. … story and video at … NCAA.com/news/Michigan-penn-state-headline-big-weekend-notable-college-wrestling-results
And …

Gophers wrestling letting wins speak for themselves
The fear of failure is a foreign concept for Gophers wrestling as the team emphasizes fundamentals and post-match reflections. by Alex Karwowski  Published February 5, 2024
Gophers wrestling has pulled off multiple upset wins recently but is limiting internal conversations about their success. As of Monday, the program sits at No. 10 in the National Wrestling Association Coach’s poll. Their most recent win over Northwestern pushed them to an overall 8-2 record. Head coach Brandon Eggum said the team rarely talks about winning and is instead focused on “wrestling smart.” “The winning and losing part is always going to be there, we’re all human so you’re gonna think about that,” Eggum said. “I think the less you’re consumed by that, the better opportunity you have to go out and compete at your highest level.”
Eggum’s philosophy has proven true for his team with several wrestlers pulling off upset wins, the most prominent being Michael Blockhus. Blockhus defeated then-ranked No. 2 Jared Franek from Iowa on his home mat. Earlier in the season, Blockhus handed Franek his first loss of the season and broke his 15-match winning streak. Blockhus and teammate Patrick McKee often go to La Bodega Fitness and Fight Club in Prior Lake to work on mixed martial arts (MMA) as part of their cardio training. The MMA training allows Blockhus and McKee to get creative with their cardio training while mixing in different workouts. “It’s something fun to do instead of running on a treadmill or doing cardio equipment exercises,” Blockhus said. Prior to the 2023-2024 wrestling season, Blockhus announced via social media his intention to forgo his final season of NCAA eligibility to pursue a career in MMA fighting. He made his debut at Bellator 298, defeating Eli Mefford. He announced his decision to return to the Gophers after the win. Blockhus holds a 5-0 conference record and attributes much of his success to his MMA training. … story at … MNdaily.com/Gophers-wrestling-letting-wins-speak-for-themselves
And …

Penn State’s Bartlett takes over top spot at 141 in WIN’s Feb. 5 rankings
NEWTON, Iowa — Penn State’s Beau Bartlett has taken over the top spot at 141 pounds in WIN Magazine’s Feb. 5 rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic. This advancement by the Nittany Lion comes after he defeated Ohio State’s No. 3 Jesse Mendez last weekend … and before Penn State travels to face Iowa this Friday in Iowa City, where Bartlett is scheduled to meet No. 2 Real Woods. The Hawkeye senior was ranked No. 1 at 141 before he was upset by Michigan’s Sergio Lemley last weekend.
Overall, Penn State (8-0) leads both WIN’s dual rankings and Tournament Power Index with 137.5 points as the Nittany Lions features 10 ranked wrestlers, including four other No. 1-ranked wrestlers: Levi Haines (157), Carter Starocci (174), Aaron Brooks (197) and Greg Kerkvliet (Hwt).
Oklahoma State (12-0), coming off a road victory over Missouri, remains the only other undefeated dual team in NCAA Division I wrestling and is ranked second in both WIN’s dual rankings and TPI with 65.5 points. The Cowboys also feature 10 ranked wrestlers, including seniors like Daton Fix (2^nd/133), Izzak Olejnik (4^th/165) and Dustin Plott (2^nd/184) and four freshmen: Troy Spratley (7^th/125), Tagen Jamison (7^th/141), Jordan Williams (20^th/149) and Brayden Thompson (20^th/174). (Plott does have an additional COVID year of eligibility remaining.)
Iowa and Iowa State are both ranked third and fourth, respectively, in both the dual rankings and TPI. Missouri is ranked No. 5 in the dual rankings, while Michigan is rated fifth in the TPI. WIN’s TPI predicts how high a team would finish in this year’s NCAA Division I Championships based on a point total associated with individual placement and advancement points that could be scored at the 2024 NCAAs. 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., in March, if that event was held now.

 WIN Magazine’s Feb. 5 Dual-Team Rankings

Rk.	School (Record)	Prev.	Upcoming Weekend’s Schedules
1.	Penn State (8-0)	1st	Feb. 9 at Iowa
2.	Oklahoma State (12-0)	3rd	Feb. 10 vs. South Dakota State
3.	Iowa (10-1)	2nd	Feb. 9 vs. Penn State
4.	Iowa State (11-2)	4th	Feb. 11 vs. Northern Iowa
5.	Missouri (8-2)	5th	off until Feb. 16 at North Dakota State
6.	Ohio State (13-2)	6th	Feb. 11 vs. Indiana
7.	Michigan (6-3)	11th	Feb. 9 at Nebraska
8.	NC State (12-2)	8th	Feb. 9 vs. Virginia
9.	Nebraska (10-1)	7th	Feb. 9 vs. Michigan
10.	Cornell (8-3)	9th	Feb. 9 at Princeton; Feb. 10 at Penn
11.	Virginia Tech (6-3)	10th	Feb. 9 vs. Duke; Feb. 10 vs. George Mason
12.	Minnesota (8-2)	12th	Feb. 9 at Illinois; Feb. 11 at Purdue

BONUS POINTS CARRY HUSKERS TO WIN OVER ILLINOIS
Lincoln, Neb. – The No. 6 Nebraska wrestling team used four bonus-point victories and an overtime decision to defeat the Illinois Fighting Illini 28-9 in front of 3,347 fans on Sunday afternoon.  With the win, NU secured its fifth-straight dual victory and improved to 10-1 overall (5-1 Big Ten). Illinois fell to 3-7 on the season and 0-4 in Big Ten competition.  The dual against the Fighting Illini opened with No. 15 Caleb Smith against Justin Cardani at 125. Smith earned a takedown and was awarded a penalty point in the first round. After starting the Period 2 on top, Smith was able to ride out to the end of the period and then recorded another takedown in the third period, to earn the 9-2 victory. At 133, No. 17 Jacob Van Dee wrestled No. 33 Tony Madrigal. Van Dee scored a quick takedown in the first period and recorded over two minutes of riding time before Madrigal escaped. Van Dee led 3-1 to start the second period, but Madrigal was able to ride out, and the two started Period 3 neutral. Madrigal then scored the late takedown and four nearfall points to secure the 8-3 win. 
With the match tied at 3-3, No. 7 Brock Hardy faced No. 27 Danny Pucino at 141 in the dual’s second-straight ranked bout. Hardy got two quick takedowns to lead 6-2 after the first period. After two more takedowns in Period 2, Hardy secured his fourth pin on the season and put the Huskers up 9-3 overall. At 149, Blake Cushing met Jake Harrier, and the duo wrestled a scoreless first period. An escape for Cushing marked the only point for Period 2, but Harrier quickly matched with an escape of his own in the final period to even the score and force overtime. In sudden victory, Harrier scored a takedown and secured the 4-1 victory. 
No. 9 Peyton Robb faced off against Joe Roberts at 157. Robb led 7-0 after the first period, with a takedown and four nearfall points. In Period 2, Robb tacked on another two points with a reversal and earned the riding time point in Period 3 to secure the 10-1 major decision.  After a brief intermission and with the Huskers up 13-6, No. 17 Antrell Taylor wrestled No. 30 Chris Moore at 165. Taylor scored first with a quick escape in Period 2. Moore answered with an escape of his own in the third to tie the score at 1-1 at the end of regulation. In sudden victory, Taylor managed a takedown to win 4-1. 
At 174, No. 33 Bubba Wilson took on No. 9 Edmond Ruth, and the two were tied 0-0 after the first three minutes. An escape for Ruth put him ahead 1-0 going into the third, and a takedown late in Period 3 gave Ruth the 4-0 decision.  With a 15-9 match lead for the Huskers, No. 3 Lenny Pinto wrestled No. 28 Dylan Connell at 184. A takedown for Connell and a reversal for Pinto put the score at 3-2 after the first period. Pinto added another reversal and a takedown in Period 2 and entered the third with a 7-4 lead. Two more takedowns in the final period gave Pinto the 18-6 major decision.  No. 14 Silas Allred met Chase Waggoner at 197. Allred came out with a takedown in Period 1. Waggoner answered with a takedown of his own but was quickly turned into a reversal by Allred. Allred then dominated the second period and earned his sixth pin of the season. … story at … Huskers.com/Bonus-points-carry-huskers-to-win-over-illini
And …

Rosenfeld, Badgers pin Boilermakers 24-15
Wisconsin sweeps B1G duals on weekend
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Gannon Rosenfeld won his first career Big Ten dual match in huge fashion as the redshirt freshman secured a pin and helped Wisconsin claim a 24-15 road win at Purdue on Sunday. UW swept the league duals this weekend after also defeating Northwestern 30-12 at home on Friday. Leading only 18-15 heading into the final bout at heavyweight, Rosenfeld fended off a pin from Purdue’s Tristan Ruhlman in the first period and trailed 9-3 in the start of the second period. Rosenfeld secured a takedown and then turned Ruhlman for the fall at 4:10 to earn his first career dual victory and first Big Ten dual win. The victory propelled Wisconsin (8-4, 2-4 B1G) to the dual-match road win over Purdue (5-8, 0-5 B1G). The Badgers won six of 10 bouts against the Boilermakers, led by pins from Rosenfeld and Dean Hamiti at 165 pounds. The dual match opened with a much-anticipated bout between second-ranked Eric Barnett and top-ranked Matt Ramos. Barnett displayed strong defense by fighting off a Ramos pin in the second period after he was caught for the nearfall. Ramos then held off Barnett’s attacks in the final period to earn a narrow 4-1 victory and give Purdue an early 3-0 lead in the match.
Nicolar Rivera earned Wisconsin’s first win in a thrilling sudden victory 10-7 decision over Dustin Norris. Trailing 7-0, Rivera fought back to tie up the bout 7-7 in the third period with a takedown and a four-point nearfall. Rivera then earned a second takedown in overtime for the victory.  Joseph Zargo defeated Marcos Polanco at 149, winning 11-5 with three takedowns and two escapes. Zargo improves to 15-5 overall this season with two wins this weekend. Hamiti needed only 1:06 to collect his seventh pin and 17th bonus-point victory out of 20 wins this season. He scored an early takedown and then turned Purdue’s Stoney Buell for the fall. The win also gave Wisconsin the go-ahead team score to lead 12-6. … story and video at … UWbadgers.com/Rosenfeld-badgers-pin-boilermakers-24-15
And …

No. 6 Ohio State Picks Up 22-12 Win at No. 14 Rutgers
Buckeyes win seven of 10 bouts, including close wins at 174 lbs., 197 lbs. and heavyweight
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State wrestling team won seven of 10 bouts and picked up a 22-12 victory over No. 14 Rutgers on Sunday at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, N.J. The dual swung on a trio of close wins for the Buckeyes at 174 lbs., 197 lbs. and heavyweight, as Ohio State was able to win all three of those matches by two points or less. The Buckeyes improved to 13-2 this season and are now 5-1 in Big Ten duals. Rutgers in 10-4 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten. In the opening match of the afternoon, Isaac Wilcox got the Buckeyes off to a hot start with critical bonus points in the 157-pound bout against Jacob Butler. Wilcox scored six takedowns – two in each period – and also earned a riding time point. He improved to 14-6 on the season. In the next match, at 165 pounds, 20th-ranked Bryce Hepner did all of his scoring in the first quarter with a takedown and also added an escape in the second period and riding time bonus point for a 5-0 decision over Anthony White. The win gave Ohio State a 7-0 lead. True freshman Rocco Walsh won the first toss-up match of the afternoon with a 4-3 decision at 174 pounds against 13th-ranked Jackson Turley. Walsh scored a takedown in the first period and allowed just two escape points the rest of the way. Rutgers got on the scoreboard for the first time on the afternoon in the 184-pound bout, as Brian Soldano pinned Ryder Rogotzke with 36 seconds remaining in the second period. Rogotzke led 8-6 at the time of the pin. Redshirt freshman Luke Geog was able to swing the momentum back in Ohio State’s favor at intermission with a 4-3 upset of 12th-ranked John Poznanski at 197 pounds. Geog scored a first-quarter takedown and also tacked on a riding time bonus point. … story at … Ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Ohio-state-picks-up-22-12-win-at-no-14-rutgers
And …

Gophers Shut Out Northwestern, 39-0
MINNEAPOLIS – No. 10 Minnesota (8-2, 3-2 Big Ten) won its third straight conference match by shutting out Northwestern (0-6, 0-5) Sunday afternoon, 39-0, in front of a season-high crowd of 3,036.
The win was the second shutout of the season for Minnesota and its first over a conference opponent since a 48-0 win against Maryland in 2021. It’s just the second time in the last 22 years that Minnesota has posted two shutouts in the same season. The last time it happened came in 2018-19, and prior to that, it had not occurred since 2001-02. Three of Minnesota’s 10 wins Saturday came by tech fall, and it added another via forfeit. The victory extended the Gophers’ home win streak over Northwestern to 14, its longest active home win streak versus one program. Overall, the Gophers have won four of the last five in the series and 18 of the last 20 dating to the 1996-97 season. … story at … Gophersports.com/Golden-gophers-shut-out-northwestern-39-0
And …

No. 28 Indiana Climbs Back from 18-0 Deficit to Beat No. 21 Michigan State
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. ––– It took every point and every second of each match, but No. 28 Indiana had just enough gas in the tank to top No. 21 Michigan State, 23-18, on Sunday afternoon in Wilkinson Hall. The Hoosiers dropped the first four matches and trailed, 18-0. From there, Indiana scored 23 unanswered points on six consecutive wins to stun Michigan State. The victory marked Indiana’s third consecutive win and improved the team’s season record to 6-2 and 3-2 in Big Ten duals. It was also Indiana’s first win over Michigan State since 2015 and the first win over Spartans in Bloomington since 2011.
KEY MOMENTS
• The dual began at 157 lbs. with Michigan State’s No. 21 Chase Saldate picking up a win by fall (4:12) over Zack Rotkvich to take an early 6-0 lead.
• Michigan State doubled their advantage to 12-0 after Indiana forfeited the bout at 165 lbs.
• Indiana dropped some close decisions at 174 and 184 lbs., as Michigan State’s DJ Shannon defeated No. 12 DJ Washington (174) by decision, 4-1, and No. 15 Layne Malczewski topped Roman Rogotzke (184) by decision, 5-2.
• Four matches in, and Michigan State held a commanding 18-0 lead. … story at … IUhoosiers.com/Indiana-climbs-back-from-18-0-deficit-to-beat-no-21-michigan-state

February 11, 2024 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized