Takedown Report

Carolinas Colleges News & Results

Reyes Tabbed as Women’s Wrestling Coach
MONTREAT, N.C.— Montreat College Athletics has announced the hiring of Koby Reyes as the third head coach in the history of its women’s wrestling program. Reyes begins his duties with the team immediately.
Prior to Montreat, Reyes spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the men’s wrestling squad at Southeastern University. Through his time at SEU, the Fire amassed 23 national qualifiers, 12 All-Americans and a pair of national champions.
From 2021 into 2022, Reyes was an assistant with the Arizona Christian University Firestorm. The Billings, Mont. native saw five national qualifiers and an All-American go through the program while on the staff.
Before coaching, Reyes competed as an athlete at a trio of NCAA Division I institutions. He began his career at Arizona State, wrestled at Boise State in 2017 and finished his college career at Purdue from 2017 to 2019. “I am grateful to be selected by the Montreat College administration to lead the women’s wrestling program,” said Reyes of his hiring. “I believe the Lord has made it clear that my family … story at … Montreatcavaliers.com/Womens-wrestling-reyes-tabbed-as-womens-wrestling-coach
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No. 24 Wrestling Ends Regular Season with 45-3 SoCon Win
BOONE, N.C. — Ranked No. 24 in the country, App State Wrestling closed the regular season with a 45-3 home win against Gardner-Webb on Senior Day in Varsity Gym.  
The Mountaineers (10-4, 7-1 SoCon) won 62 of 70 individual matches in their seven SoCon victories during the regular season, including nine of 10 on Sunday against the Runnin’ Bulldogs (7-9, 3-5). Will Miller (165 pounds), Luke Uliano (174), Chad Bellis (125) and Kaden Keiser (in the 149 finale) all recorded pins for App State, which earned at least one bonus point in all nine victories.
Tommy Askey opened the dual with a tech fall at 157, while wins by major decision came from Carson Floyd (197), Triston Norris (season debut at heavyweight), Ethan Oakley (133) and Ike Byers (141).
Gardner-Webb’s Jha’Quan Anderson, a two-time NCAA qualifier ranked 28th at 184 pounds, won a 7-3 decision against freshman Tomas Brooker.
The Mountaineers improved to 66-6 in SoCon duals over the past 10 years. Miller needed just 99 seconds to record his pin, and Keiser ended the dual just 43 seconds after he took the mat for his first start at 149 pounds. He opened the regular season with a start at 141. Before the dual, App State recognized four wrestlers on Senior Day: Byers, Cody Bond, Jacob Sartorio and Heath Gonyer. … story at … APPstatesports.com/Wrestling-ends-regular-season-with-45-3-socon-win
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Davidson University Sweeps Queens and Presbyterian on Senior Day
DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Davidson wrestling team sent their seniors out in style with a pair of 40-point shutouts over Queens and Presbyterian on Friday night. In all, the Wildcats collected a dozen extra-point wins between the two duals. Davidson’s seniors went 7-0 in regulation with three pins, a major, and three decisions. Jake Fernicola pinned his opponent late in the third period during his first match of the night then won 4-1 in his second match. Bryce Sanderlin picked up a 10-2 major decision over Queens and an 8-1 decision against Presbyterian. Cameo Blankenship earned a 4-1 decision over Queens before a stunning first-period pin over Presbyterian. Jaden Hardrick won his match at 174 pounds with a comeback 7-4 victory against the Royals.
Tyler-Xavier McKnight reached the 20-win milestone with a 19-4 tech fall over Queens and a win by forfeit in the second dual. He became just the third Wildcat to do so since 2015 after Sanderlin eclipsed 20 wins last year and Scott Patrick in 2015. Tanner Peake got a win by forfeit then ripped off a second-period tech fall over Presby to end the day 2-0. Hale Robinson earned a pair of gritty wins in 3-1 and 2-1 decisions at 133. Joshua Viarengo also got a tech fall, 18-3, in his match with Queens along with a 4-0 shutout in his second bout. Freshmen Wyatt Ferguson and Brady Joling earned a pair of wins. … story at … Davidsonwildcats.com/Wrestling-sweeps-queens-and-presbyterian-on-senior-day
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UNC Wrestling Defeats Duke Friday Night, 41-9
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – On Senior Night, the North Carolina wrestling team (11-7, 3-2 ACC) won eight matches on the night over Duke, cruising to a 41-9 victory in Carmichael Arena. The win for the Tar Heels is the largest margin of victory over Duke since the 2019-20 campaign.  Against the Blue Devils, Carolina collected three falls, two technical falls, one major decision, one decision and a forfeit. Beginning the night at 125 pounds, Spencer Moore earned the first period pin over Logan Agin. The Tar Heels then rattled off seven-straight victories, started by a decision from Jace Palmer (133). Carolina earned back-to-back technical falls courtesy of Jayden Scott (149) and Sonny Santiago (157), followed by a fall from Isaias Estrada (165) and a forfeit win credited to Tyler Eischens (174). Rounding out the Carolina victories, Gavin Kane (184) and Max Shaw (197) cruised in their matchups, with a major decision and fall, respectively. … story at … GOheels.com/Wrestling-defeats-duke-friday-night-41-9
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Connaghan Promoted to Head Men’s Wrestling Coach
MONTREAT, N.C.— Jim Connaghan, who was named the associate head coach for the Montreat men’s wrestling program in May, has been promoted to head coach as announced by the athletic department this month.  
Connaghan captained the Cavaliers to a 4-10 overall record and a 4-6 record in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) in his first year at the helm. Montreat won three straight duals in January of 2024, and a pair of athletes captured AAC Wrestler of the Week honors under his guidance.
During the 2022-23 school year, Connaghan assisted with the wrestling programs at Montreat. While obtaining his degree in exercise science from the college, the Englewood, Fla. native held a student assistant position with men’s wrestling and acted as a strength and conditioning coach for both wrestling programs. … story at … Montreatcavaliers.com/Connaghan-promoted-to-head-mens-wrestling-coach

February 28, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

End of Season D-I College Matches – part 3

Ohio Wrestling Remains Undefeated at Home with 22-17 Win Over SIUE
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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio wrestling team (7-5) remained undefeated at home tonight (Feb. 17) with a comeback 22-17 win over SIUE. Ohio was helped by five wins on the night, led by an impressive pin from redshirt sophomore Peyten Kellar (Cutler, Ohio).  With the win, Ohio improved to 3-3 in the MAC and preserved their undefeated, 5-0 record at the Convocation Center. 
After four tight losses to open the meet, Peyten Kellar recorded a win by fall with 3:52 remaining. It was a crucial six points for the Bobcats, cutting the deficit to seven. Kellar remains undefeated in conference matches and improves to 17-2 overall.  Sophomore Jack Lledo (Penn Valley, Pa.) picked up his first MAC dual-meet win of his career. Lledo went down to the wire with his opponent, taking home a critical three points with a win by way of sudden victory. 
Junior Sal Perrine (Northfield, Ohio) earned his 16th win on the season with a strong performance in a 7-3 decision win. Perrine had the upper hand in the match, holding off his opponent and securing three points for Ohio.  At 197, redshirt sophomore Austin Starr (Indian Creek, Ohio) … story at … Ohiobobcats.comOhio-wrestling-remains-undefeated-at-home-with-22-17-win-over-siue
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Cleveland State Wrestling Extends Win Streak to Four, Defeating Bloomsburg, 40-5
BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – Cleveland State (7-7, 5-2) won their fourth straight match on Saturday afternoon after defeating Bloomsburg (4-15, 0-8), 40-5. The Vikings got on the board first as Ben Aranda recorded a 6-4 decision at 125-pounds to make it 3-0. Nick Molchak followed with a 9-0 major decision at 133-pounds as the margin grew to 7-0. A forfeit at 141-pounds gave the Green and White six more points to lead 13-0. Ethan Mitchell recorded a fall in 1:19 at 149-pounds to stretch the advantage to 19-0. At 157 pounds, Marcus Robinson picked up a 20-4 technical fall to make it 24-0.
Bloomsburg got on the board with a technical fall at 165-pounds to trail 24-5. The Green and White came right back with a 4-2 decision from DeAndre Nassar at 174-pounds and a 5-0 shutout from Joey Lyons at 184-pounds to lead 30-5. The Vikings ended the match with back-to-back technical falls from No. 33 Ben Smith at 197-pounds by a score of 18-2 and 17-0 by No. 20 Daniel Bucknavich at 285-pounds to win the match, 40-5. … story at … CSUvikings.com/2023-24/releases/20240217
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No. 24 Camels top Chattanooga 33-6 on senior day
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – No. 24 Campbell raced out to a 30-0 lead, dealing visiting Chattanooga a 33-6 defeat Saturday at the Pope Center / Gore Arena. CU moved to 12-3 overall and 6-0 in SoCon duals, while the Mocs dropped to 10-5 on the season and 4-3 in conference matchups. The win marked Campbell’s ninth straight, and its fifth consecutive in the series over the Mocs.
During the match, Campbell’s three graduating seniors, Riley Augustine, Caleb Hopkins and Austin Murphy were recognized. After a pair of one-point decisions for Justin Rivera at 149 pounds and Chris Earnest at 157, 165-pounder No. 28 Dom Baker and the No. 23-ranked Murphy added 5-0 and 4-2 wins to give Campbell a 12-0 advantage.
The Camels’ lead swelled to 30-0 with three straight pins, with a third period fall from Caleb Hopkins at 184 pounds (5:14), followed by a pair of first stanza pins from No. 17 Levi Hopkins (1:16) and N. 8 Taye Ghadiali (1:40). No. 29 Brayden Palmer put the Mocs on the board at 125 with a 3-0 decision. Chattanooga took two of the final three bouts of the day with the match already in hand for the Camels, … story at … GOcamels.com/No-24-camels-top-chattanooga-33-6-on-senior-day
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Schultz Caps Off Thriller With Cardinal, Helps No. 12 Sun Devils Win Fourth Straight Against No. 21 Stanford
TEMPE, Ariz. – Cohlton Schultz did it again! With the No. 12 Sun Devils trailing No. 21 Stanford, 17-12, with one bout remaining, Schultz stepped on the mat and delivered a heroic performance, pinning Peter Ming (4:52) for the six-point victory, clinching an 18-17 ASU victory.
The Sun Devils have now won four consecutive duals against the Cardinal, including five of their last six, and are a perfect 3-0 while competing at Mullett Arena. “Cohlton Schultz continues to define leadership, success, and ultimately winning,” head coach Zeke Jones said. … story at … Sundevils.com/Schultz-caps-off-thriller-with-cardinal-helps-no-12-sun-devils-win-fourth-straight-against-no-21-stanford
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Mountain Hawks Celebrate Seniors And Alumni With 31-6 Triumph Over Princeton
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Celebrate the seniors. Welcome back alumni. Beat Princeton. That’s what No. 15 Lehigh accomplished Saturday night in the Mountain Hawks’ home finale inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks won seven of nine contested bouts to defeat Princeton 31-6 as Lehigh closed out its home schedule with its seventh straight dual win.
Junior Michael Beard posted his Division I-leading 14th technical fall victory of the season, while junior Malyke Hines and sophomore Nathan Taylor added major decisions for the Mountain Hawks, who improve to 7-3 overall and complete a perfect 7-0 dual slate against EIWA opponents.
“We wrestled pretty well,” Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. “It was nice for the seniors. They seniors who wrestled tonight represented the entire senior class so it was nice to see them get those wins.”
Princeton (5-7, 3-5 EIWA) did not weigh in a wrestler at 125 so sophomore Sheldon Seymour received the forfeit. With first-year Ryan Crookham still out at 133, first-year Ethan Smith stepped in and held Nick Kayal to a 7-3 decision as the Tigers picked up the first of their two victories.  
Hines started a Lehigh run of five straight bouts with an 18-5 major decision over Tyler Vazquez at 141. He totaled five takedowns and an impressive second period reversal plus more than two minutes of riding time advantage. … story at … Lehighsports.com/Mountain-hawks-celebrate-seniors-and-alumni-with-31-6-triumph-over-princeton
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Pucino’s Pin Lifts Illinois over Northwestern in Season-Finale Dual, 21-20
EVANSTON, Ill. – The Illinois wrestling team won their season-finale dual against Northwestern, 21-20, on Sunday (Feb. 18). Redshirt sophomore No. 25 (141 lbs.) Danny Pucino pinned Kolby McClain (NU) in 2:25 which led to Illinois winning the dual in tiebreakers.
The dual was tied 20-20 after all ten matches and was destined for tie-breaking criteria. The first criteria is match wins which was also even at five each team. The second criteria is pins which made Pucino’s an important one since it was the only one of the night and granted Illinois the tie-breaking point. “I thought this was a good weekend of team wrestling for the guys,” said head coach Mike Poeta. “They fought hard for each other and showed a lot of heart. A big weekend for Danny Pucino getting two massive pins for us, especially today since it broke the tie. That wouldn’t have mattered though if it wasn’t for Peter Marinopoulos. You’re never happy about a loss, but that’s the best loss you can take if it wins the dual for the team. He did everything we asked, showed tremendous guts and wrestled like a gangster through that last match. Edmond Ruth looked good showed a lot more offense which is exciting. Congrats to Chris Moore with the big win knocking off a good, ranked opponent. Tony Madrigal and Justin Cardani did a great job of setting the tone early in this dual.” … story at … Fightingillini.com/Pucino-pin-lifts-illinois-past-northwestern-in-season-finale-dual
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American University Posts Two Decisive Wins to Close Out the 2023-24 Home Slate
WASHINGTON – Five pins were included among 15 total wins as American University wrestling went 2-for-2 against Queens University and Lindenwood on the Eagles’ Senior Day. After a 34-14 win over Queens, the Eagles took it up a notch with a 44-9 victory against Lindenwood.
Notable

• The Eagles posted two pins, a tech fall and two major-decision victories in their 34-14 win over Queens to start the day.
• The second match saw AU post three pins and two major decisions among the seven bouts that were contested in the dual.
• Jack Nies (149) and #33 Will Jarrell (HWT) got pins in 2:10 and 2:09, respectively, to put six points on the board apiece against Queens in dual number one. Nies was up 6-1 at the time of his pin, while Jarrell had a 3-0 lead.
• Nies later got his hand raised in a forfeit victory against Lindenwood, while Jarrell had a 7-1 lead against Lindenwood before getting the victory by injury default to go 2-for-2 on the day.
• With two four-point near falls and four takedowns, Maximilian Leete (133) cruised to a 21-3 tech fall win over Griffin Gonzalez in the first dual against Queens.
• At 141 pounds, Cael McIntyre tallied two takedowns and one four-point near fall in an 11-3 major against Connor Goodman of Queens.
• The Eagles got a key win from Ryan Zimmerman at 165 pounds as he edged Sebastian Shered of Queens, 5-4. In the second dual against Lindenwood, Zimmerman made it 2-for-2 with a 12-3 major decision thanks to six points in the third period in addition to riding time.
• Liam Volk-Klos had three takedowns in a major decision win over Riley Kuhn with the third coming late in the final period and pushing him past the eight-point margin to finish at 11-2. Volk-Klos capped the day with a pin against Ryan Golnick of Lindenwood, wasting little time as he earned his fourth fall of the season in 1:23.
• After a second forfeit at 125 for American, Raymond Lopez saw his first action of the day at 133 pounds against Lindenwood, and got AU’s first pin of dual number two in 4:06. Lopez had a 15-1 lead at the time after three takedowns along with four-point and two-point near falls. … story at … AUeagles.com/Wrestling-posts-two-decisive-wins-to-close-out-the-2023-24-home-slate

February 28, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NAIA College News

#8 Braves Captured their Fourth Straight KCAC Tournament Title on Saturday
YORK, Neb. – The #8 Ottawa University men’s wrestling team secured the KCAC Tournament title on Saturday in York, Nebraska. This is the fourth consecutive title for the Braves and Coach Colby Crank. Ottawa had eight wrestlers who qualified for NAIA Nationals on Saturday, Bobby Robinson, Irish Furthmyre, Francis Morrissey, Kevon Freeman, Dayton Hill, Braden Anderson, JD Perez and Tucker Tomlinson. There may be some other additional wrestlers that can qualify for NAIA Nationals and that information will be released by the NAIA next week.
Braden Ledford won two matches in the 133lb weight division and earned fourth place. Bobby Robinson secured his spot to Nationals by winning three matches in the 133lb weight class as well.
A first place finish for Irish Furthmyre in the 149lb weight class earns him a spot to NAIA Natioals, Furthmyre won his matches by a fall, major decision and technical fall. Brandon Bollinger placed fourth with two in the 149lb weight division.
Francis Morrissey also placed first in his weight division of 157lb and a trip to Nationals, Morrissey won by technical fall and a 4-2 decision. Ben Mitchell wrestled in the 157 and placed fourth overall.
Kevon Freeman and Dayton Hill both qualified for Nationals, Freeman earned first place and Hill secured second in the 165lb weight division. Freeman won three matches on the day and Hill won two.
In the 174lb weight division, Braden Anderson defeated two opponents on the mats to take home first place and a trip to Park City. JD Perez won the 184lb weight division and also qualified for Nationals, Perez won three matches on the day, two by falls and one by decision. Jordan Lomeli defeated two opponents and earned fourth in the 184lb as well. … story at … Ottawabraves.com/Wrestling-8-braves-captured-their-fourth-straight-kcac-tournament-title
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Life’s Men’s Wrestling Dominate the AAC Tournament Claiming Nine of Ten Weight Classes
LAKELAND, Fla. — The Life University men’s wrestling team held an incredible hitting percentage Saturday, having nine Running Eagles claim individual titles out of the 10 weight classes as the team pulled away for the Appalachian Athletic Conference Championship.
The one-day tournament was held at Southeastern in Lakeland, Fla. The Running Eagles tallied 217 points to edge second-place Southeastern (180 points). Reinhardt finished third with 161 points with St. Thomas (79.5 points) and Montreat (52 points) rounding out the top five. Making up the rest of the field are Brewton-Parker (50) in sixth, Truett McConnell (32.5) in seventh, WVU Tech (31.5) in eighth, St. Andrews (15) in ninth, Keiser (11.5) in 10th, Pikeville (10) in 11th, and Bluefield (0) in 12th.
Brevin Balmeceda was named the AAC Wrestler of the Year, Omi Acosta was named the AAC Coach of the Year, and Cole Manion was crowned the AAC Assistant Coach of the Year. … story at … Liferunningeagles.com/Mens-wrestling-dominate-the-aac-tournament-claiming-nine-of-ten-weights
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Grand View University Vikings Collect 9th Straight Conference Title
OSKALOOSA, IOWA – NO. 1 Grand View University Vikings stormed Oskaloosa to claim the 2024 Heart of America Conference Championship, winning the school’s ninth straight conference title. 10 Grand View wrestlers earned individual titles as well, four of which are co-champions at 133 and 174. The Vikings won the team race with 212 points, ahead of second-place Graceland University with 148.5 points. Grand View also auto-qualified eleven individuals for the 2024 NAIA Championships in two weeks.   
This is Grand View’s 9^th consecutive conference title, having also won in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2016* (*Dual Tournament). In the last six years, the Vikings have earned 49 total Heart individual champions. The Vikings tied their own record by sending 12 to the semifinals and 10 to the finals. 10 wrestlers emerged victorious, with four being considered co-champions (Carson Taylor (133), Jackson Cockrell (133), Isaiah Luellen (184), and Jameel Coles (184).
Aden Reeves earned an individual title for the Vikings by picking up a 20-6 major decision over Jose Gonzalez from Dickinson State at 125lbs. The team had two Co-Champions – Carson Taylor and Jackson Cockrell, who solidified their position following a forfeit. Similarly, Isaiah Luellen and Jameel Coles also became Co-Champions due to a forfeit. No. 1 Blake Gonzalez had his toughest match of the weekend in the finals, but he earned his title by a 6-2 decision over 3rd-ranked MoVal wrestler Zollman. True freshman Dylan Whitt won his first title by winning a 3-0 decision over a CMU Eagle. Alex Reynolds earned his second title in his career by pinning his opponent in the final match. Braungardt won his back-to-back title by a 7-3 decision after a late takedown against Karibo. Greg Hagan was unstoppable … story at … GVvikings.com/Vikings-collect-9th-straight-conference-title
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2023-24 Daktronics NAIA Men’s Wrestling Scholar-Athletes Released
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) released the 2023-24 Daktronics NAIA Men’s Wrestling Scholar-Athletes on Wednesday. Life (Ga.) has the most nationally with 18 followed by Grand View (Iowa) with 14. Cumberland (Tenn.) and Cumberlands (Ky.) are tied for third with 12 each. 
The 2023-24 list features 253 student-athletes from across 54 institutions, who achieved at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average (GPA) at their institution. In order to be nominated by an institution’s head coach or sports information director, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, must appear on the eligibility certificate for the sport and have attended one full year at said institution.
For full list of honorees, CLICK HERE. … story at … https://www.naia.org/sports/mwrest/2023-24/Releases/Scholar_Athlete

February 28, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment