Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

Dustin Porter Promoted To Head Coach Of Men’s Wrestling Program

Former Terriers Assistant Becomes 5th Head Coach In Program History
By: John Alfes, Hiram SID
HIRAM, Ohio – June 1, 2024 – Hiram Athletics announced the promotion of Dustin Porter to head coach of the men’s wrestling program on Saturday morning. Porter had served as the team’s assistant coach in each of the last two seasons and officially becomes the fifth head coach in program history.
“I’m excited to be back in my hometown working to build the local wrestling community back to its former prominence,” Porter said. “I’m also excited to be able to draw on my past experience of starting a relatively new wrestling program to continue to build upon the success of Hiram’s wrestling team.”
Porter hails from Burton, Ohio, where he began his wrestling career as a two-time state qualifier at Berkshire High School. He went on to compete at Division I Gardner-Webb University (Boiling Springs, NC) beginning in 2006, where he was a four-time Division I National Qualifier and a four-time East Regional Champion with the Runnin’ Bulldogs.
“Dustin’s experience as a premier Division I wrestler and nearly 10 years as an assistant coach made him an ideal candidate to be the next head coach of our men’s wrestling program,” Director of Athletics Scott Pohlman said. “We are looking forward to seeing him take this next step in his coaching career, while also lifting the program to a new level in the PAC.”
In addition to coaching at Hiram (2022-present), Porter also served as an assistant coach with Gardner-Webb University (2010), Tiffin University (2011-17) and Lake Erie College (2017-22). Tiffin had 18 NCAA Division II National Qualifiers while Porter was on its men’s wrestling staff.
It marks an exciting time for both Porter and the Terriers men’s wrestling program, … more at … Hiramterriers.com/Dustin-porter-promoted-to-head-coach-of-mens-wrestling

June 22, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Carr Receives Third Iowa State Male Athlete of the Year Honor

AMES, Iowa – For the third time in his career, Iowa State wrestler David Carr has been named the Gary Thompson Iowa State Male Athlete of the Year. Carr is the second Cyclone to win the award three times in his career, joining Cael Sanderson (1999, 2001-02).
Carr posted a 27-2 record in 2023-24 and won his second national title to become the 17th Cyclone wrestler to win multiple national titles and the first since 2010 (Jake Varner). David and his father, Nate, are one of four father-son duos in NCAA Division I history to each win at least two national titles.
The Canton, Ohio native won Amateur Wrestling News’ Hammer Award for winning the most competitive weight class at the NCAA Championships. The path to his national title included wins over the No. 1, 2 and 5 seeds, and four of his five opponents in the tournament either finished on the podium or had earned All-American honors at some point in their career.
As the No. 4 seed, Carr defeated eventual All-American Hunter Garvin (Stanford) in the second round, returning two-time All-American No. 5 Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) in the quarterfinals, two-time defending national champion No. 1 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) in the semifinals and undefeated freshman No. 2 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) in the national finals.
At the Big 12 Championship, Carr fell to his rival, top-ranked O’Toole of Missouri, in the finals, 8-2. Carr would avenge the loss just two weeks later in the national semifinals on a takedown with 10 seconds remaining to win, 8-6. It capped a historic rivalry where the pair met five times in a two-year span with Carr holding a 3-2 advantage in the series.
Carr owned a 40:3 takedown ratio during the 2023-24 season (80 for, 6 against) and registered 19 bonus-point wins (six falls, nine tech falls, four major decisions). He defeated 10 top-10 opponents, wrested in 14-of-15 duals and led Iowa State with 67 dual points.
Carr helped Iowa State to its first Big 12 team title since 2009 and a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, the Cyclones’ best finish since 2010.
An all-time great, Carr leaves a winning legacy at Iowa State. He finished with a 120-5 career record, … rest of story at … Cyclones.com/Carr-named-iowa-state-male-athlete-of-the-year

June 22, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Norton Named 2024 NWCA Coach of the Year

June 10, 2024 – After building the North Central College women’s wrestling team from scratch, head coach Joe Norton ’10/M’13 was named the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) 2024 Coach of the Year. 
“It’s really cool to receive the National Coach of the Year award. It validates all our hard work and shows recruits that this is a place where your coaching staff will be really invested in your development,” Norton said. 
Norton has been coaching at North Central since 2014, originally starting as the head coach for the men’s wrestling program. Norton was named the head coach of the women’s program in 2018, while the program’s inaugural season was the 2019-20 season. Prior to the 2022-23 season, Norton transitioned as the men’s associate coach and remained the head coach for the women, while Zack Cook was named the head coach of the men’s program. 
Norton credits athletic director Jim Miller and Cook for helping him get to where he is today. Norton said, “I have an outstanding staff of assistant coaches making me look good every day, and the best Athletic Director in America as a mentor. Any success I have is just a reflection of them and their support.”
The Cardinals pride themselves on working hard to become the best in the country and next year will be no different. “The goal is for this team to continue to compete for National Championships and put women on World and Olympic teams. We pride ourselves on development and will continue to do that better than any other program in America,” said Norton. 
Norton and the North Central College wrestlers are eagerly waiting for the 2024-25 season to begin. … rest of story at … Northcentralcardinals.com/Womens-wrestling-norton-named-nwca-coach-of-the-year

June 22, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment