Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

Olympic medalist Dake leads strong Senior World Team Trials field in men’s freestyle

This weekend, 59 elite athletes will battle in the men’s freestyle division at the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament being held at Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center in Louisville, Ky., May 16-17.
Multiple Olympians, World medalists, Senior World Team members, age-group standouts, college national champions and top high school prospects are in the fold with sights set on securing one of the eight remaining spots at Final X.
Online registration is open through May 15, leaving the door open for more athletes to enter last minute. However, the registration deadline to be eligible for tournament seeding was last Friday, making it unlikely many more entries come in. 
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Eight brackets will be contested in the men’s freestyle division at the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. Each champion in Louisville will face the 2025 U.S. Open champion in a best-of-three series at Final X to determine the Team USA representative at the 2025 Senior World Championships. Final X will take place on June 14 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
There are two Final X matchups already determined in men’s freestyle, 57 kg and 61 kg, which removes those weight classes from the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament field.
ELIGIBLE ATHLETES
Athletes must qualify to enter the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament field. To review the Senior World Team selection process in each discipline, including Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament qualification criteria, visit the Team Selection Criteria page.
A list of qualified athletes for Louisville post-U.S. Open is available on themat.com. A complete list of entries as of May 13 is available below.
13 WRESTLERS TO WATCH
Kyle Dake headlines the group at 86 kg. The two-time Olympic bronze medalist shifted to a new weight class in late April at the U.S. Open. Dake, a four-time Senior World champion, looks to secure the last spot in Final X.
There are six athletes that have competed at a Senior World Championship tournament. Nick Lee, Dake and Chance Marsteller were teammates on the 2023 Senior World Team that competed in Belgrade, Serbia. … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/may/13/olympic-medalist-dake-leads-strong-senior-world-team-trials-field-in-men-s-freestyle

May 15, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | , | Leave a comment

One Year of David Taylor at Oklahoma State

On May 7th, it marked the first anniversary of one of the most surprising and potentially transformative moves in recent college wrestling history. Of course, that was the day that Oklahoma State named David Taylor as their new head wrestling coach. As of only a few weeks prior, Taylor was competing for a spot on the Olympic Team and had no head coaching experience; however, he was one of the most popular and recognizable names in the sport. 
As you might have guessed, the first year under Taylor was very notable. On the mat, on the recruiting trail, in the freestyle world, and much more. We’ve documented some of the key moments of year one under Taylor in one article. 
May 7th, 2024: David Taylor Named Oklahoma State head coach
After about a week of “he is or isn’t he” Taylor made it official in a late-night release that sent shockwaves through the wrestling community. 
May 9th, 2024: Taylor adds Jimmy Kennedy and Thomas Gilman to staff
The addition of Taylor’s brother-in-law, Jimmy Kennedy, was an expected move; however, bringing in Thomas Gilman from the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club was a bit unexpected. 
May 10th, 2024: David Taylor’s introductory news conference
We got to see Taylor in the orange and black for the first time and heard from him along with legendary Oklahoma State head coach John Smith and athletic director Chad Weiberg. … moe at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/big-12/one-year-of-david-taylor-at-oklahoma-state-r100246/

May 15, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Lanham Receives Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award

DURHAM, N.C. — Recently Duke wrestling head coach Glen Lanham was presented with the Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award from the Downstate New York Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.  The ceremony took place April 26 at the Melville Marriott in Melville, N.Y. 
Lanham received the award along with Dave Warren and Leo Palacio.  High school wrestling coaches Joe Condon, Kevin Brodsky and Rob Shaver were also recognized for reaching the 300-win milestone.  The Lifetime Service award is presented to coaches, officials and contributors who have devoted a minimum of 20 years of dedication and service to the sport of wrestling.
In his 13th season as the head coach at Duke, Lanham has led 15 wrestlers to the NCAA Championship, while helping lead a pair of squads to two top 25 team finishes, the best in program history.  This past year, he guided Connor Barket to his first appearance in the NCAA Championship in the heavyweight division. 
Lanham was a New York freestyle and Greco Roman Champion while wrestling for Lindenhurst High School in New York. In college, he was a two-time Outstanding Midwest Regional wrestler and a Division I All-American at both the University of Tennessee as well as Oklahoma State University.
Lanham began his coaching career at Oklahoma State, where the team won two National Championships and three Big Eight team titles. He moved on to coach at Midwest City H.S., where he coached 14 individual State Champions. At the University of North Carolina, … more at … https://goduke.com/news/2025/5/12/lanham-receives-lifetime-service-to-wrestling-award

May 15, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment