Takedown Report

This Week….A Year Ago

Now that we’ve finished the DI regular season, it seems like the year is just about over. Right? Only two more tournaments for each team. With about four full months of data points, we’ve figured out how March will play out. Right? 
Maybe not. We’ve used last year as an example. What did the landscape look like in the final week of February? How did it change from February to mid-March? There were some huge chances. At this time last year, there was some uncertainty about the availability of two of the sport’s biggest stars (Both ended up winning titles. Congrats Vito and Carter). 
Two tournaments shouldn’t change THAT much right? You might be surprised how much opinion can be formed or changed over the next couple of weeks.  They always say that hindsight is 20/20, so let’s try to avoid looking at last season through the lens of what we know now. We’re getting into our DeLorean’s and traveling back to February 26th of 2024 to check the pulse of college wrestling fans. 
The eventual national champion at 125 lbs, Richie Figueroa, finished the regular season ranked #19th in the country. He hit a skid at the beginning of February that saw him lose three of four matches. He did show hints of righting the ship as he defeated Luke Stanich and Caleb Smith during the final weekend. 
Braeden Davis, the eventual Big Ten champion at 125 lbs, was ninth in the nation. In his final Big Ten dual of the season, Davis was majored by Caleb Smith. He later won the Big Ten tournament with wins over three straight past All-Americans. 
At this point, we were wondering if Vito Arujau would be … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/this-weeka-year-ago-r100047/

February 28, 2025 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Carr Defeats Takatani In Night in America Freestyle Event

In a change of pace before the college postseason gets underway, FloWrestling’s Night in America: Lee vs Ono freestyle event, pitted some of our country’s top freestyle wrestlers against each other in a fun exhibition in Coralville, Iowa. Additionally, a pair of Japanese stars participated in the main event and co-main event against two of the best recent wrestlers from Iowa universities. 
The co-main event was an action-packed contest that saw Iowa State’s two-time national champion David Carr take on 2024 Olympic silver medalist Daichi Takatani at 76 kg.  The pair started off with plenty of handfighting and fakes but no dedicated offensive attack through nearly the first two minutes of the bout. That led to the former Cyclone getting placed on the activity clock. With the :30 second clock about to expire, Carr struck with a low leg attack for a takedown and immediately transitioned into a leg lace. Carr was able to get a pair of turns from the leg lace and was suddenly ahead, 6-0. 
Takatani countered with less than :10 seconds remaining in the first period with a big double leg for two points. That narrowed Carr’s lead to 6-2 at the break.  Carr showed no signs of slowing down in the second with a head fake and a snap down, followed by a spin and two more points with a takedown. Once again, Carr was able to take advantage on the mat and turned Takatani with a gut wrench. As he went for a second turn, his Japanese counterpart stepped over for a pair of exposure points of his own. Takatani was also able to work from par terre and got an additional two points from a gut wrench of his own. Even so, Carr held a 10-6 lead. … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/international/carr-defeats-takatani-in-night-in-america-freestyle-event-r100049/
And …

Carr defeats 2024 Olympic silver medalist Takatani at FloWrestling Night in America event in Iowa
Feb 27, 2025, 12:46 AM EST
by Savannah Asmann, USA Wrestling
The 2025 FloWrestling Night in America midweek event featured an exciting lineup of 13 matches, featuring top athletes from the United States, Japan and Mexico, inside Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. David Carr had the highlight win of the night when he defeated 2024 Olympic silver medalist Daichi Takatani of Japan, 10-7. Carr picked up an early 6-0 lead after tying up a leg lace. Takatani countered with a double leg takedown to cut the score to 6-2 as time expired in the first period.
Carr added four points early in the second, securing a takedown and a gut wrench. On his second gut wrench attempt, Takatani slipped through and ended up on top to make it a 10-4 match. Takatani turned Carr once to push it to 10-6, added a point on a step out, but was unable to make a comeback after Carr’s early surge. With the crowd in Coralville on their feet, Carr celebrated one of the biggest wins at the point in his freestyle career.
2024 Senior and U20 World Champion Masanosuke Ono of Japan defeated 2024 Olympic silver medalist Spencer Lee, 3-2, in the main event of the night. Ono secured a 3-0 lead in the first, with all points generated from push outs. A caution and one got Lee on the board, and another was added with seconds remaining in the match. In the ninth match on the main card, 2023 … more at …https://www.themat.com/news/2025/february/26/carr-defeats-2024-olympic-silver-medalist-takatani-at-flowrestling-night-in-america-event-in-iowa

February 28, 2025 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Penn State goes wire-to-wire as No. 1, finishes as only undefeated team in Division I

Manheim, Pennsylvania – The final week of regular season action in college wrestling saw plenty of fireworks. Penn State extended its win streak to 71 in a row while old rival Oklahoma State and Iowa got reacquainted in iconic Carver-Hawkeye Arena. When everything finally shook out, the Nittany Lions finished the season where they began and Iowa reclaimed the No. 2 spot in the final NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll of the 2024-25 season released on Tuesday. 
Penn State (15-0) beat American 50-3 in Rec Hall and finished the season averaging 9,007 fans across seven home dates. It’s the second-highest mark for average attendance in school history behind the 2022-23 season, which drew an average of 9,224. 
Penn State’s 71-match win streak will enter next season as the sixth longest in college wrestling history. NAIA Grand View holds the collegiate record with 117 in a row, while Division II St. Cloud State holds the NCAA record at 77 straight. Oklahoma State won 76 in a row from 1937-1951, which is tops among current Division I schools. 
Iowa finished 14-1 after a 21-16 win in the final Division I dual meet of the season on Sunday night in Iowa City in front of a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena crowd of 14,847. The loss was the first of the season for Oklahoma State, which finished third in the poll and 13-1 on the season.  
Northern Iowa finished fourth, capping a 14-1 season with a 28-12 win at Wisconsin. It’s the highest regular-season finish in the NWCA Coaches Poll in school history. 
The Big Ten held the next three spots, with Nebraska (11-3), … more at … https://nwcaonline.com/news/2025/2/25/ncaa-division-1-men-penn-state-goes-wire-to-wire-as-no-1-finishes-as-only-undefeated-team-in-division-i.aspx

February 28, 2025 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment