Ockerman and Marshall named Olivia Neal Award winners.
Anna Ockerman of Corinth-Holders and Sophia Marshall of Rosewood named Olivia Neal Award winners for outstanding wrestling.
State Champions Anna Ockerman of Corinth-Holders High School and Sophia Marshall will be presented the 4th Annual Olivia Neal Awards as the 2025 Most Outstanding Female scholastic wrestlers in eastern North Carolina. The award is for inspirational and successful senior female wrestlers in eastern North Carolina that encourage more girls to take advantage of opportunities in wrestling
The first award was given to Isabel Rodriguez of Dixon in 2022. Other previous award winners include Angelica Steffey of Havelock in 2023, Lillian Prendergrast of South Brunswick and Kamilah Brooks of Pasquotank County in 2024. All award winners were included in The TDR Top 12 Girls’ teams with their name engraved on a wooden plaque.
Girls’ wrestling is rapidly growing with 45 states having sanctioned girls state wrestling championships. North Carolina sponsored the first sanctioned state championship tournament in the 2023-2024 last season. This increases the opportunities for student development. In 2008 Olivia Neal became the first female wrestler in North Carolina to qualify for the varsity state tournament. She wrestled for Rosewood High School for four years. Her participation generated publicity for the sport, and she pinned her first state tournament opponent. This inspired a growing number of girls in eastern N.C. to try wrestling.
‘Most Shocking Final I Can Remember.’ Reactions To Wyatt Hendrickson’s Win
Gable Steveson was upset by Wyatt Hendrickson in the NCAA Final. Here’s how people reacted.
An Olympic Champion and No.1 ranked wrestler in the country, regardless of weight class, was stunned in the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 22 in Philadelphia as Oklahoma State heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson beat Gable Steveson in the final match of the night.
The US Air Force Second Lieutenant, who transferred to Oklahoma State this offseason, was the No. 2 seed to Minnesota Wrestling legend Steveson, who won an Olympic gold medal in Tokoyo and was the 2023 USA Open Champion.
Steveson hadn’t wrestled in college since 2022, but returned for his final year of eligibility to seek another title after trying his hand in WWE and the NFL.
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Steveson was incredible all season, winning the Big Ten Wrestling Championship and getting the No. 1 seed in the tournament.
But Hendrickson beat him 5-4 to stun the crowd in Philly… and the crowd on the internet. Here’s how people reacted.
Biggest NCAA Wrestling Upset Ever? … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/13988757-most-shocking-final-i-can-remember-reactions-to-wyatt-hendricksons-win
Penn State Sets Team Scoring Record During Memorable NCAA Finals
It was truly a historic night in Philadelphia! Penn State casually re-established a team scoring record – one that they had set just a year ago. Cael Sanderson’s team totaled 177 points after rolling to 172.5 points in 2024. The Nittany Lions total came from two national champions and ten All-Americans overall. The latter statistic made them the only second team in DI history (Minnesota 2001) to put their whole team on the medal stand.
Making individual history for Penn State was 184 lber Carter Starocci who became the first wrestler to earn five DI national titles. Barring a change in eligibility requirements, it should be a mark that stands for eternity. Starocci started the night with a win over the weight class’ returning champion Parker Keckeisen in one of the most anticipated of the finals bouts.
Oh yeah, by the way, we might have seen the biggest upset of our lifetime at this event. Wyatt Hendrickson stunned two-time national champion, two-time Hodge Trophy winner, and Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson. Hendrickson stopped Steveson’s 70-match winning streak with a late takedown and rideout to seal a 5-4 victory. It was the third All-American honor for Hendrickson, who was third at this event in each of the last two seasons. Hendrickson earned those placements competing for the Air Force Academy – this title was won as a member of David Taylor’s first Oklahoma State University team. Teammate Dean Hamiti also claimed a title in his final opportunity by downing two-time champion Keegan O’Toole. Both Hamiti and Hendrickson had to defeat two national champions to get their titles.
The Hendrickson title was made all the more unique after his entrance carrying the American flag and the fact that the match took place … more … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/penn-state-sets-team-scoring-record-during-memorable-ncaa-finals-r100150/
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 