Takedown Report

End of Season D-I College Matches – part 5

TDR Editor’s Notes ; The upcoming weekend will be busy with the NAIA Nationals in Kansas and the NJCAA Nationals in Council Bluff, Iowa. NCAA Division II & III Regional and Conference Qualifying tournaments will be held across the country to select qualifiers for Nationals. This weekend will be quiet for Division I teams. They are preparing for their qualifying tournaments which next weekend.
The following are the last reports from D-I schools about their end of the regular season matches.
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South Dakota State wrestling enjoying perhaps the best season in program history
Damion Hahn had to rebuild after Chris Bono left, and he’s taken the Jackrabbits back to an elite level
BROOKINGS — Damion Hahn faced a difficult task when he was named the head coach of South Dakota State wrestling in 2018. It was the first head coaching job for the former national champion and longtime Cornell assistant, and he was replacing powederkeg Chris Bono, who had saved Jackrabbit wrestling from near extinction and built it into a Division I contender before leaving for Wisconsin and taking part of his staff and eventually national champion wrestler Seth Gross with him.
So while Bono had done an incredible job of building a program in Brookings, he had left the cupboard a little bare. Hahn faced a significant rebuild, in addition to having to succeed a charismatic coach who’d helped SDSU set countless attendance records through the force of sheer will. Six years later, the Jackrabbits are once again reaching heights they never have before.
They reached the top 10 in the Division I poll for the first time ever (they currently sit at No. 11). They saw all 10 starters ranked nationally for the first time, and their win over Michigan back when the Wolverines were ranked 6th in the country marked the highest-ranked team they’ve ever defeated. … story at … Siouxfallslive.com/SD-state-wrestling-enjoying-perhaps-the-best-season-in-program-history
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Army Wrestling Defeats American on Senior Night
WEST POINT, N.Y. – America’s Team. That’s exactly how Army Black Knights Wrestling looked in Sunday’s dual meet win over American.  Army (7-4, 6-1 EIWA) won eight of the dual’s 10 matches on its way to a 28-5 team victory. Four wins came via major decision, and the Black Knights cruised to 28 unanswered team points after dropping the first two matches by one point each.  On a night dedicated to the program’s firsties, the five seniors who wrestled in Sunday’s matches all secured wins, with Logan Brown and Matthew Williams securing decisions, and Nate Lukez, Ben Pasiuk, and Dillion Sheehy winning by major decision.  13 wrestlers and four managers were honored in the pre-match senior day ceremony. The Black Knights finish the regular season winners of six of their final seven dual meets … story at … GOarmywestpoint.com/Army-defeats-american-on-senior-night
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Bellarmine Wrestling storms back for 18-16 win over Chattanooga on Senior Day
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Down 16-6 with just three weight classes to go, the Bellarmine University wrestling team stormed back for an exciting 18-16 win over University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Senior Day at Knights Hall. “I’m really grateful for the atmosphere our fans created for us today,” Bellarmine head coach Ned Shuck said. “It was loud, they got behind us, they got on the official and the opposing team and they just brought a ton of energy.”
With the win, Bellarmine moves to 14-5 on the year, 4-4 in Southern Conference play. The 14 wins marks a new standard for duals wins in a season for Bellarmine while the win over the Mocs is the first in program history, having lost each of the first three matchups since joining Division I in 2021.
“A couple of years ago, I think we lost to these guys 50-0 and to be able to turn it around and have every match be competitive and to come out at the end with our hands raised feels really good.” Said Shuck. “It’s a testament to all our guys’ attitude and fight.” Chattanooga took control early on, winning each of the first three weights to quickly jump out to a 10-0 lead.
The Knights finally got on the board after the 149 bout, thanks to redshirt Sophomore Zac Cowan. Cowan attacked early and often, earning the first victory of the day for Bellarmine in a 14-7 decision to put the Knights on the board, down 10-3. Chattanooga answered immediately, taking another decision at 157 to retake a 10-point lead, up 13-3, entering the intermission. … story at … Bellarmine.edu/Wrestling-storms-back-for-18-16-win-over-chattanooga-on-senior-day
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#17 Little Rock Wrestling Shuts Out Lindenwood to Conclude Historic Dual Season
LITTLE ROCK – Claiming their 15^th team win of the season against Lindenwood this afternoon, the Little Rock wrestling team effectively tripled their dual win total from year-to-year. The Trojans rolled over the Lions with a 57-0 result to conclude the regular season.
The final score is the highest that Little Rock has ever collected in a single dual and marks the third time that the Trojans have blanked a team in program history. Today, the squad finished the job with five pins and three technical falls along with two forfeits. “We finished our season strong, and I think our guys looked sharp and on point,” said head coach Neil Erisman. “It was a great way to finish before the Pac-12 Tournament. We’re ready.”
Today’s dominant numbers contributed to the stats for several wrestlers on Little Rock’s team, particularly Stephen Little and Tyler Brennan. The former collected his 11^th technical fall of the season and his 10^th against DI opponents while the latter hit a program-high 11 pins with the quickest fall of the match. Little was 8^th on the top 10 DI tech falls leader list going into this weekend and should move up with another added to his total.
A trio of Trojans collected their second falls of the season: Nasir Bailey, Cael Keck and Kyle Dutton. Bailey and Dutton both pinned their opponents in the first period, while Keck stuck his foe in the second. Joseph Bianchi rounds out the group that wrestled their way to six team points with a second-period pin of his own and his 21^st win of the season. Jeremiah Reno and Triston Wills joined Little with wins by tech fall. The lightweight picked up his sixth of the season, ending it in the first period. Wills hit a career-high 17 wins in his final season with his result, with 15 of those coming from duals. … story at … LRtrojans.com/Little-rock-wrestling-shuts-out-lindenwood-to-conclude-historic-dual-season
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SDSU CLOSES DUAL SEASON WITH BORDER BELL WIN
South Dakota State received pins from Tanner Cook and Bennett Berge as part of a seven-match winning streak to send its senior class and Frost Arena off in style with a 34-6 wrestling dual victory over North Dakota State before a crowd of 2,241 Sunday afternoon. In retaining the Border Bell traveling trophy, the 11^th-ranked Jackrabbits closed out the dual portion of their schedule with a 13-4 overall record, including a 7-2 mark against Big 12 Conference opponents. NDSU dropped to 3-11 overall and 2-6 in the Big 12.
Tanner Jordan opened the dual with a 13-0 major decision over Ryan Henningson in which the SDSU wrestler racked up more than four minutes in riding time. The 14^th-ranked Jordan scored on a takedown and four-point near-fall for a 7-0 first-period lead, adding a reversal in the second period and another takedown in the final stanza. … story at … GOjacks.com/SDSU-closes-dual-season-with-border-bell-win
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#9 Cornell University Wrestling Finishes Regular Season Strong On Senior Day
ITHACA, N.Y. — Benny Baker, Lewis Fernandes and Wyatt Yapoujian had memorable Senior Day victories in the No. 9 Cornell wrestling team’s strong finish to the regular season on Sunday afternoon at the Friedman Wrestling Center.  The Big Red defeated in-state EIWA foe Binghamton 33-6 in front of an energetic crowd, capping its dual slate with a 12-4 record. Cornell has won that many duals in all three seasons under Mike Grey (36-10 career record), the David Dunlop ’59 Head Coach of Wrestling. 
The Big Red got on the board at 174 pounds with Baker’s 4-1 win over Dimitri Gamkrelidze after Binghamton’s Brevin Casella started the dual with a 4-2 decision over Brody Oleksak. Baker, who recorded an escape to tie the match at one in the third period, won in sudden victory with a takedown.  Baker has won three straight matches after losing nine in a row entering last weekend’s duals at North Carolina State and Appalachian State. … story at … Cornellbigred.com/Wrestling-finishes-regular-season-strong-on-senior-day
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Bastida’s Top-Five Win Highlights ISU’s 41-3 Victory Over Mizzou
AMES, Iowa – No. 5 Iowa State (13-2, 6-1 Big 12) dominated a limited No. 7 Missouri (10-4, 6-3 Big 12) lineup, 41-3, Sunday afternoon inside Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State won six matches with bonus points, including David Carr’s pin vs. Jeremy Jakowitsch at 165 pounds. It was the final home appearance for the illustrious Carr, who ended his amazing career with a perfect 67-0 dual record. MJ Gaitan (174) added a fall, and Evan Frost (133) and Casey Swiderski (149) each earned technical fall victories. The marquee match was at 285 where a pair of unbeatens in No. 3 Yonger Bastida (19-0) of Iowa State and No. 5 Zach Elam (21-0) of Missouri went to battle. The match was all Bastida, as the Cyclone established control early with a first-period takedown and added takedowns in each of the final two periods in an impressive 13-4 major decision win over Elam. Iowa State held a 27-3 advantage in takedowns.
No. 7 Evan Frost used five takedowns and a 4-point near fall in a dominating technical fall (19-3) over Drew Stanfield at 133 pounds. Frost, now 15-3 on the season, had three takedowns in the first period and then put the match out of reach when he turned Stanfield for back points in period two. … story at … Cyclones.com/Wrestling-bastidas-top-five-win-highlights-isus-41-3-victory-over-mizzou
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Wolverines Close Out Dual Slate with Shutout Win at Central Michigan
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team pitched a shutout in its dual-meet finale, rolling to a dominant 39-0 win at in-state foe Central Michigan on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 25) at the Chippewas’ McGuirk Arena. U-M claimed bonus points in six bouts, including each of the first four. It was the Wolverines’ first shutout win since defeating CSU Bakersfield 36-0 on the road last season. Michigan claimed four straight bonus wins, including three technical falls, to set a dominant tone in the dual. Sophomore/freshman Nolan Wertanen stepped into the lineup and earned a bonus for the second straight dual with a 16-1 tech against Grant Wahl at 125 pounds. Wertanen scored three takedowns and six back points — on a two-point suck back and four-point tilt in the first period. He ended the bout with a go behind at the 3:28 mark. … story at … Mgoblue.com/Wolverines-close-out-dual-slate-with-shutout-win-at-central-michigan
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Panther wrestling takes down No. 7 Missouri, 31-6
UNI scores its highest ranked win of the season in 25-point win over Tigers. Panthers host Wisconsin on Sunday for Senior Day.
Officials – Jake Frias, Jeremy Chen Attendance – 3,411
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — UNI’s lineup rose to the occasion and grabbed eight wins on Friday night as the Panther wrestling team rolled to a 31-6 dual win over the defending Big 12 champion Missouri Tigers inside the McLeod Center. Grabbing their first win over the Tigers since 2020, the Panthers went on the attack against a short-handed Missouri squad recording a 25-point win, the fifth-largest victory over the Tigers in program history and largest since winning by 23 points in 1986.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After Trever Anderson earned a victory by forfeit at 125 pounds, Julian Farber launched into action at 133 pounds with a takedown and a tough ride out for the first period against Drew Stanfield. Staying ahead, Farber grabbed a second takedown, but gave up … story at … UNIpanthers.com/Panther-wrestling-takes-down-no-7-missouri-31-6
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HUSKERS CLOSE REGULAR SEASON WITH 26-9 VICTORY OVER ASU
Tempe, Ariz. – Five-straight bout wins helped the No. 3 Nebraska wrestling team secure the 26-9 victory over No. 19 Arizona State on Sunday afternoon in the Huskers’ regular-season finale.  NU used a bonus-point win and seven dual victories overall to improve to 12-2 (6-2 Big Ten) on the year, while Arizona State slipped to 7-6 on the season (4-1 Pac 12). Action started at 125 with No. 7 Caleb Smith facing No. 24 Richard Figueroa. Figueroa held the 4-0 advantage after two periods. Smith then got the escape and was awarded two points due to Figueroa stalling, but it was not enough as Smith fell by decision, 4-3. No. 16 Jake Van Dee met Arizona State’s No. 27 Julian Chlebove at 133. Van Dee attacked early and got a takedown and two nearfall points to lead 5-1 with two periods remaining. Chlebove then cut the lead with an escape and a late takedown, but Van Dee held on for the 8-6 decision and his third-straight victory. With the teams tied 3-3, No. 7 Brock Hardy (141) … story at … Huskers.com/Huskers-close-regular-season-with-26-9-victory-over-asu
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No. 23 Pitt Beats Virginia on Senior Night, 35-7
PITTSBURGH—Pitt wrestling honored seven seniors on Friday night at Fitzgerald Field House and sent out the Class of 2024 as winners with a 35-7 dual victory over Virginia. The 23rd-ranked Panthers (10-8, 2-3 ACC) crushed the Cavaliers (7-6, 1-4 ACC) with eight match wins, including six victories by bonus-point decisions. On his Senior Night, Cole Matthews earned his 100th career win and a standing ovation from the fans in another memorable moment in the career of the ACC champion and NCAA All-American. “I thought it was a good performance, probably one of our better ones of the season,” Pitt head coach Keith Gavin said after the dual. “It was nice to score a lot of points in our last home match in front of the fans after recognizing the seniors. That’s what we want to see heading into the postseason.” “It hasn’t hit me that was my last time wrestling at the Fitzgerald Field House,” Matthews said. “I’ll be sad about that after the season. But right now, I’m just proud of getting to 100 career wins and thankful to have six incredible seasons here at Pitt. That means a lot to me.” … story at … Pittsburghpanthers.com/Pitt-beats-virginia-on-senior-night-35-7
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Huskies Win MAC West Title; First Undefeated Home Season in 20 Years
DeKALB, Ill.—A historic night for the Northern Illinois University Huskies wrestling program as the Huskies defeated the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Cougars, 22-13. With the win, the Huskies won the Mid-American Conference West Division title and achieved the first undefeated season at home in over 20 years.  Blake West (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee) completed an undefeated season, the first of his career. The Huskies have won the last 11 meetings between the two programs.
“Tonight was a hard fought, up and down the lineup, team victory,” said NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig. “To have an undefeated season at home and win the MAC west, it is a testament to how hard the guys have worked since stepping foot on campus this fall. The work isn’t done yet and we will continue to prepare for the MAC Championships.”
West opened the scoring for the Huskies, taking to the mat at 125 pounds. West faced off against Davian Guanajuato and won in a 4-3 decision. West improves to 24-5 overall, 15-0 in duals, and 8-0 against MAC opponents. … story at … NIUhuskies.com/Huskies-win-mac-west-title-first-undefeated-home-season-in-20-years
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Harvard Wrestling Earns the Win over Brown in Final Dual Meet of the Season
PROVIDENCE, R.I. –– Harvard wrestling faced Brown in the final dual meet of the year before the championship tournament season. The Crimson came out victorious, winning 23-17 on the road. 
HARVARD HIGHLIGHTS
Jack Crook, sophomore 149-pound wrestler, started off the dual with a win by tech fall over Brown’s Sam McMonagle. This is Crook’s 14th win on the year and 5th in the dual season. The RPI’s No. 4 174-pound-wrestler Philip Conigliaro won yet another match, completing his perfect dual meet record for the year before heading into the EIWA championships. Conigliaro won by major decision over Jonathan Conrad. Leo Tarantino ended his senior dual campaign with a win over Colby Isabelle in a gritty 2-1 finish. Tarantino improves his season total record to 9-8. … story at … GOcrimson.com/Win-over-brown-in-final-dual-meet-of-the-season
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Princeton Wrestling Downs Bucknell at Home, 18-15
PRINCETON, NJ – The Princeton wrestling team took down Bucknell in Jadwin Gym Friday evening in their final dual match of the season. The Tigers secured five out of the ten bouts on their way to a 18-15 win. “Always good to end the season on a winning note good to beat a tough Bucknell team,” said head coach Joe Dubuque. “They definitely scrapped really hard. I was proud of Aidan Connor stepping in there and essentially locking up the dual for us. I feel like we can definitely do a little bit more, but the good thing is we have a few more weeks until EIWAs where we can get some work in and we can also get some of our guys healthy as possible so we can make a big run at the EIWA championships.” … story at … GOprincetontigers.com/Wrestling-vs-bucknell-recap
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Wrestling Secures Perfect Conference Record with 23-12 Win at Cleveland State
Broncs capture second straight MAC East Division dual title
CLEVELAND, OH– The Rider University Wrestling team wrapped up their dual season by capturing their second consecutive MAC East Divison Dual championship with a perfect 8-0 record in the Mid-American, after the Broncs defeated Cleveland State 23-12 on Friday afternoon. With the win, Rider moves to 8-7 with an undefeated conference record of 8-0, while Cleveland State falls to 8-8 and 6-3 in the MAC. The Broncs started off the dual with wins at both 125 and 133 as Tyler Klinsky and Richie Koehler. Klinsky took down Ben Aranda in a tightly contested bout to kick off the dual. Klinsky and Aranda both went scoreless in the first and traded escapes in the second and third leading the bout into sudden victory. In the extra period, Klinsky scored the takedown to move to 6-2 in the MAC and 14-11 on the year. Koehler took down Nick Molchak 7-2 following the Klinsky win to cap off his perfect in conference season at 7-0 in MAC duals. … story at … GObroncs.com/Wrestling-secures-perfect-conference-record-with-23-12-win-at-cleveland-state
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Terps Run Away With 27-15 Win Over Drexel On Senior Night
COLLEGE PARK, MD —  Maryland wrapped up its 2023-24 regular season with a Senior Night victory over Drexel, 27-15. The Terps won five matches on the night, all by bonus points.  The night started early, with seniors Jordan Gabriel and Kevin Makosy both picking up wins in extra countable matches before the dual began. In the official action, the Terps fell behind 9-0 early after starting at the 157-pound weight class, but back-to-back pins by Chase Mielnik and Jaxon Smith put Maryland up 12-9 heading into the intermission break. The win was Mielnik’s second dual victory of the season.  The Terps kept that momentum up coming out of the locker room as Seth Nevills dominated to an 18-2 win … story at … https://umterps.com/news/2024/2/23/wrestling-wrest-drexel

February 29, 2024 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized