College wrestling notebook: Iowa women get statement win, Stanford upsets in Ames, and eight teams dual on USS Yorktown
The college wrestling season is in full swing following an exciting week two of competition. Fans were treated to several premier events, including a series of dual meets on the USS Yorktown, the Journeymen Wranglemania and Collegiate Classic, and a matchup of two premier women’s teams expected to compete for national titles.
Here are five things to note week two of the college wrestling season.
Dual of the week
It was a battle of the second-ranked NCAA team versus the second ranked NAIA team on the women’s wrestling front as Iowa defeated Life 30-14 in Marietta, Georgia, on Friday.
Iowa 30, Life 14
103 lbs. – Rianne Murphy (Iowa) fall Brianna Funakoshi (Life), 1:33
110 lbs. – Anaya Falcon (Life) tech. fall Valarie Solorio (Iowa), 12-2 …
…
Upset of the week
The No. 20 Stanford Cardinal went into Ames and took down No. 6 Iowa State, 23-21, to pick up the first major dual meet upset of the season. True freshmen Aden Valencia and Grigor Cholakyan secured falls to spearhead the Stanford effort.
Stanford 23, Iowa State 21
125 lbs. – Adrian Meza (Iowa State) won by forfeit
133 lbs. – Tyler Knox (Stanford) maj. dec. Garrett Grice (Iowa State), 10-0
141 lbs. – Aden Valencia (Stanford) fall Zach Redding (Iowa State), F5:50
149 lbs. – Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State) dec. Jaden Abas (Stanford), 11-5
157 lbs. – Grigor Cholakyan (Stanford) fall Kane Naaktgeboren (Iowa State), F5:32 … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2024/november/11/college-wrestling-notebook-iowa-women-get-statement-win-stanford-upsets-in-ames-and-eight-teams-dual-on-uss-yorktown
And …
No. 2 Iowa women’s wrestling dominates all weekend at top-ranked Life University
Rianne Murphy shined for the Hawkeyes throughout the weekend, picking up two dual victories along with a first-place finish.
The No. 2 Iowa women’s wrestling team had an outstanding weekend against a big opponent this weekend, picking up wins in both of its duals meets and crowning six champions at the Eagle Madness Open in Marietta, Georgia.
On Friday, Iowa dominated No. 11 Hastings with a 46-1 win. And the Hawkeyes took down top-ranked No. 1 Life in a much tighter dual meet, 30-14, the next day.
First-year Rianne Murphy opened the weekend with a win via forfeit at 103 pounds. Iowa quickly gained a 19-0 lead following two consecutive technical-fall victories from second-years Ava Bayless and Brianna Gonzalez at 110 and 117 pounds, respectively.
Iowa increased its lead to 19-0 after first-year Valarie Solorio picked up a win via forfeit at 124.
Iowa third-year Skye Realin defeated Larissa Katz by a 15-2 tech fall at 131 pounds. And second-year Nanea Estrella made her first appearance since 2023, when she suffered a season-ending injury, to pin Reagen Gallaway in just 1:57.
After falls for Ella Schmit, Rose Cassioppi, and Naomi Simon, third-year Katja Osteen wrapped up the dual for the Hawkeyes, pinning Taylor Rickley in just 21 seconds at 207 pounds to secure the 46-1 victory. Back-to-back
About five hours later, Iowa returned to action, taking on No. 1 Life. The Hawkeyes were in no way at full strength, missing three Senior World medalists in Macey Kilty, Kennedy Blades, and Kylie Welker.
Murphy again opened the dual with another win at 103 pounds, securing a fall.
Life immediately responded by winning back-to-back matches at 110 and 117, where Bayless and first-year Valarie Solorio and Bayless lost.
The Hawkeyes got back on the board with a 12-3 Gonzalez victory over All-American Anna Krejsa at 124 pounds. Realin followed up with an impressive 45-second fall over Life’s two-time NAIA national finalist Sarah Savidge.
Iowa’s Estrella continued her impressive day with a 12-2 tech victory, followed by a 10-0 tech win from reigning national champion Reese Larramendy. … more at … https://dailyiowan.com/2024/11/10/no-2-iowa-womens-wrestling-dominates-all-weekend-at-top-ranked-life-university/
NCAA D1 Wrestling Week 2 Roundup: Journeymenmania
The world’s finest collection of noteworthy happenings from the 1st week of the 2023-24 NCAA D1 wrestling season.
This week’s D1 schedule featured a mix of tournaments, both of the bracketed and round robin variety, and out-of-conference dual meets, as is common this early in the season as teams get their match counts up and continue to figure out their lineup questions and roster battles.
We’ll start the week as we did last week, with the Dual of the Century of the Week, because this is a pro-dual space. Duals are the lifeblood of the college season. No duals, no season. No season, no fans. No fans, fewer new wrestlers, and then the sport is forever diminished.
The Dual of the Week, of the Century
Last week we celebrated Wyoming starting the season on Halloween with the Dual at the Daddy. This week we celebrate the Citadel for locking down a dang aircraft carrier as setting for their double dual meet. UVA won seven matches to spoil the party for the hometown Bulldogs, winning 24-11, while the Runnin Dawgs of Gardner-Webb were stopped in their tracks by a stout Army squad that put a 35-6 thumping G-WU.
Thing is though, an outdoor match next to the South Carolina shore in early November sometimes has a humidity problem. And so the two duals that were scheduled to take place later in the evening (Army vs the Citadel and UVA vs GWU) did not happen. But ya know, that’s life and that won’t stop me from celebrating that we still got do dual meets on the deck of an aircraft carrier.
There was also a collegiate women’s dual between Presbyterian and Campbellsville, and it was a thriller. Campbellsville led by two points heading into the final match, but Ella Beam secured the 10-0 tech to score 4 team points for the Blue Hose (and no points for the Tigers) which put Presbyterian on top 23-21 (freestyle dual meet scoring is a little different but we don’t have time for that now). Additionally, Division II power Lander triumphed over Newberry, 31-6. … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/12985683-ncaa-d1-wrestling-week-2-roundup-journeymenmania
Gable Steveson Returning to Gopher Wrestling Team
MINNEAPOLIS – He’s back.
Olympic gold medalist, two-time NCAA champion and two-time Hodge Trophy winner Gable Steveson is returning to the University of Minnesota wrestling team for a fifth season of competition in the 2024-25 campaign, head coach Brandon Eggum announced Tuesday. “First I would like to thank the University of Minnesota for their time, their effort and their persistence with me to push me to the man I am today,” Steveson said in his comeback video. “Minnesota has given me everything, and now it’s my turn to give it right back to them: to put my feet back on the wrestling mat, to be the champ, one more time.”
Steveson has the opportunity to return by utilizing NCAA waivers due to an Olympic redshirt and the extra year of eligibility that was granted in 2020 due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19. He is expected to make his season debut on Nov. 24 against Campbell. “Gable has the burning desire to compete for the Maroon and Gold one last time,” Eggum said. “We are thankful he has chosen the opportunity to add to his historic legacy with our program. He is one of the best to ever compete in the sport of wrestling, and we are grateful for the impact has had at our program.”
Steveson, who last competed during the 2021-22 campaign, is one of the most decorated wrestlers in Minnesota wrestling history. The heavyweight is one of six in program history to win multiple NCAA championships (2021-22), one of eight to win three Big Ten titles (2020-22) and one of 11 to be a four-time All-American (2019-22). He boasts the best winning percentage in Gophers history with an 85-2 career record (.977), including a perfect 48-0 mark in dual competition and a 36-0 tally against Big Ten opponents. … more at … https://gophersports.com/news/2024/11/12/gable-steveson-returning-to-gopher-wrestling-team
WIN’s First Regular-Season Rankings include 34 Newcomers, 9 Freshmen
NEWTON, Iowa — The college season has been going on for two weeks and opened the door for 34 wrestlers to join WIN Magazine’s Nov. 11 NCAA Division I Individual Rankings and Tournament Power Index, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.
Among those newcomers are six who are ranked in the Top 10 of their weight classes: Chris Cannon (Northwestern) and Tyler Knox (Stanford) at 133; Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) at 141; Lorenzo Norman (Stanford) and Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) at 174; and Gabe Arnold (Iowa) at 184.
Knox, Norman and Arnold are also among nine freshmen in WIN’s first weekly rankings. The others include Illinois’ Kannon Webster and Penn’s Cross Wasilewski at 149 pounds, Cornell’s Simon Ruiz at 174, Minnesota’s Max McEnelly at 184, Iowa State’s Christian Carroll at 197 and Iowa’s Ben Kueter at heavyweight.
All wrestlers, ranked No. 1 at their weight in WIN’s preseason ranking, remain on top at their weights. That includes former national champs Richard Figueroa (125) of Arizona State, Jesse Mendez (141) of Ohio State, Caleb Henson (149) of Virginia Tech, Keegan O’Toole (174) of Missouri, Carter Starocci (184) of Penn State and Greg Kerkvliet (Hwt) of Penn State. Other defending champs Levi Haines (Penn State) and Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) are rated No. 2, respectively, at 174 and 184 pounds.
Defending national champ Penn State remains No. 1 in WIN’s Tournament Power Index, which is team-race prediction at this point in the season for the 2025 NCAA Division I Championships, March 20-22, in Philadelphia; and based on where their wrestlers are ranked in WIN’s individual ratings.
The following is a breakdown of those individual TPI points per ranking: 20 for 1st, 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.
The Nittany Lions, which feature nine ranked wrestlers and eight ranked in the Top 8 of their weight class, earned 125.5 TPI points in these rankings. … more at … https://www.win-magazine.com/2024/11/11/wins-first-regular-season-rankings-include-34-newcomers-9-freshmen/
NCWA Teams’ Rankings
NCWA Men’s Team Rankings
Now that the 2x Defending National Champions, Bellarmine University, have moved on to full NCAA-D1 status, the battle for the 2025 NCWA Men’s National Championship seems to be a dog-fight between around 5 programs. Liberty graduated some top talent including National Champions but also brought in a stellar recruiting class. Thomas More and Apprentice re-loaded their rosters with several key returners. Menlo College will be in a NCAA-transition year along with Vanguard University. Tarleton State will be in their first year with a NCAA-recruited team. Then there are the upstart programs that have made a recent mark such as Washington State, Utah Tech, and Springfield Tech.
1. Thomas More University (Crestview Hills, KY) – NCAA-D2 Transition
2. The Apprentice School (Newport News, VA) – NCWA-D1
3. Menlo College (Atherton, CA) – NCAA-D2 Transition
4. Liberty University (Lynchburg, VA) – NCWA-D1
5. Tarleton State University (Stephenville, TX) – NCWA-D1
6. Washington State University (Pullman, WA) – NCWA-D1
7. Vanguard University (Costa Mesa, CA) – NCAA-D2 Transition
8. Utah Tech University (St. George, UT) – NCWA-D1
9. University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL) – NCWA-D1
10. Springfield Tech CC (Springfield, MA) – NCWA-D1
11. West Chester University (West Chester, PA) – NCWA-D2
12. University of Florida (Gainesville, FL) – NCWA-D1
13. University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV) – NCWA-D1
14. University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) – NCWA-D2
15. The Ohio State University (Columbus, OH) – NCWA-D2 … more at … https://ncwa.net/news/2024/ncwa-mens-team-rankings
And …
NCWA Women’s Team Rankings
The women’s division has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years; however, the division remains top heavy with four teams at the top and then the rest. Look for Ottawa-Arizona to attempt to get back to the top of the podium (1st in 2023, 2nd in 2024) and Washington State, Utah Tech, and UNLV to battle it out for the top spot.
1. Ottawa University – Arizona (Surprise, AZ)
2. Washington State University (Pullman, WA)
3. Utah Tech University (St. George, UT)
4. University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV)
5. Liberty University (Lynchburg, VA)
6. Tarleton State University (Stephenville, TX)
7. Grand Canyon University (Phoenix, AZ
8. Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO)
9. The Apprentice School (Newport News, VA)
10. University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL)
11. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
12. Springfield Tech CC (Springfield, MA)
13. Texas A & M University (College Station, TX)
14. Santa Rosa Junior College (Santa Rosa, CA)
15. The University of Texas (Austin, TX) … more at … https://ncwa.net/news/2024/ncwa-womens-team-rankings
Carolinas Colleges News & Results
Wolves Dominate in Season Home Opener 44-10 Against Bluefield State University
Newberry, SC: The Wolves dominate in season home opener 44-10 against Bluefield State University.
The first win of the night goes to Sophomore Ethan McCullough who went up against Luke Roberts at 133 pounds. Roberts couldn’t keep up with McCullough as the match ended with a technical fall 21-4.
Caelen Alderman, 149 pounds, was up next against Enrique Sanchez where he brought the pressure. Alderman was the first and only Newberry pin of the night with a time of 4:06. … more at … https://newberrywolves.com/news/2024/11/13/general-wolves-dominate-in-season-home-opener-44-10-against-bluefield-state-university.aspx
And …
Crusaders Move to 2-0 in Conference With Victory at LMU
HARROGATE, Tenn. — The Belmont Abbey wrestling team earned its second straight Conference Carolinas victory thanks to a 35-16 victory over Lincoln Memorial Wednesday evening at Mary Mars Gymansium.
The Crusaders won three of the six bouts contested Wednesday while winning the other four via forfeit. Freshman Stone Busler (149) led the way for the Crusaders with a win via tech fall over LMU’s Graham Rocha.
Additionally, Alex Ropski (165) and Palmer Smith (174) won their respective bouts by decision to help clinch the match for the Abbey.
Belmont Abbey is now 2-0 overall in dual matches with the same record in Conference Carolinas competition. Lincoln Memorial is now 0-2 overall and in conference play. … more at … https://abbeyathletics.com/news/2024/11/13/wrestling-crusaders-move-to-2-0-in-conference-with-victory-at-lmu.aspx
And …
Issac Sheeren Named Conference Carolinas Wrestler of the Week
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Freshman Issac Sheeren has been named the Conference Carolinas Wrestler of the Week, the league annouced on Tuesday afternoon. This is the first award for Sheeren this season and the first Bearcat to earn a weekly honor from the conference since the 2022-23 season.
Sheeren also earned Wrestler of the Week honors from Wrestle Report
A freshman from Houston, Texas, Sheeren opened his career with a dominant 18-2 tech fall over Ruban Izzard Jr. of Allen. He then raised eyebrows on Friday as he took down a former Junior College national champion in Kale Schrader of Newberry with a takedown in the last ten seconds to secure a 6-5 win.
Issac then wrapped his week by winning the Georgia Open on Sunday which included him taking down the #3 ranked heavyweight in NAIA, 8-2, in the finals. … more at … https://landerbearcats.com/news/2024/11/12/wrestling-issac-sheeren-named-conference-carolinas-wrestler-of-the-week.aspx
And …
A wrestler’s journey from Afghanistan to Newberry College
NEWBERRY COUNTY – The start of a new season for the Newberry College wrestling team means a crop of new wrestlers with unique backgrounds and stories. One of those unique stories is that of Bashir Rostami, an Afghanistan refugee who, after wrestling for his high school in Florida for one year, found his way to Newberry.
Rostami was born in Kabul (the capital city of Afghanistan), and grew up in the Parwan Province before once again living in Kabul. His sister, Malalai, had a high-level position at the Kabul International Airport and according to Bryant Blanton, associate head wrestling coach at Newberry college, she bravely risked her own life helping to get American soldiers out of Afghanistan.
This heroic act led to the troops offering to get her and her family out of Afghanistan, to which they took advantage. The family then came to the United States, specifically Tampa, Florida. Rostami attended Freedom High School for two years. While he was unable to wrestle his junior year, he did participate during his senior year.
And wrestled he did as Rostami said he won over 20 matches with just one loss. This was not Rastami’s first experience with wrestling, or contact sports in general. He said he wrestled for about six or seven years in Afghanistan, as well as practicing kung fu, muay thai, mixed martial arts and soccer.
Rastami said he has a goal of being a UFC world champion and that his family is his motivation to succeed, especially that of his father who passed away two years ago. … more at … https://www.newberryobserver.com/sports/72714/a-wrestlers-journey-from-afghanistan-to-newberry-college
NWCA All-Star classic match order, Penn State wrestling bout previews, how to watch, and more
The eyes of the college wrestling world will turn toward State College this weekend. The No. 1 Penn State wrestling team opens its 2024-2025 season and NCAA title defense on Sunday when Drexel visits for a 1 p.m. ET dual meet. Of course, that is not the only event Rec Hall is hosting this weekend. One day earlier, the NWCA All-Star Classic, an exhibition event featuring top wrestlers from around the country, will feature 16 bouts, five of which will feature a Nittany Lion.
The NWCA All-Star Classic starts at 7 p.m. ET. Flo Wrestling is streaming it live for its subscribers here. And, some tickets are still available here.
Which Penn State wrestlers are in the NWCA All-Star Classic?
Penn State was set to have six competitors in this event. Now, however, the list is down to five. Heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet dropped out earlier this week due to a family obligation. But, he will be in action Sunday against the Dragons. His teammates competing on Saturday, though, are unlikely to be. The Nittany Lions are represented by Beau Bartlett, Shayne Van Ness, Tyler Kasak, Levi Haines, and Carter Starocci.
“It looks like the majority of them will not be wrestling Sunday,” head coach Cael Sanderson said this week. “I think there’s a couple of them that are considering it, but I think their focus right now is the all-star match. If something changes, obviously they’re on weight, but they’re wrestling some of the best guys in the country, so we want them to focus on that match. We have a lot of really tough and able bodied kids that are ready to jump in there, if the opportunity presents itself.”
NWCA All-Star Classic bout order
Here’s the order of competition, courtesy of the NWCA:
110: 1 Emma Baertlein, Southern Oregon vs #4 Kendra Ryan, North Central … more at … https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/news/nwca-all-star-classic-match-order-penn-state-wrestling-bout-previews-how-to-watch-and-more/
TDR blog
After 20 seasons of publicizing wrestling The TakeDown Report’s (TDR) focus has changed to the collecting of college coaching records from North America since 1903. We will continue to recognize and reward successful wrestlers in eastern North Carolina (east of Raleigh & Fayetteville), assist with schools in starting or re-starting a team and this blog. Join us on our FaceBook Page – “The TakeDown Report” for photos and news. Please send results, stories, links and news to pass along. E-mail us at takedownreport@gmail.com
Martin Fleming, Editor
Takedown Report
Takedown Report 