Takedown Report

Men’s College Notebook: Week 2 Primer

November 8 

Virginia vs. #8 Lehigh

Navy at #14 Rutgers 

The Journeymen WrangleMania has always been a great day of duals in Bethlehem, Pa. These two battles will be ones to watch.
Leigh is coming off back-to-back 15th place finishes at the NCAAs and gets back four wrestlers that missed last year who all rank in the top 10. If duals start at 125 pounds for Lehigh, they will march out the #5, #2, and #3 ranked wrestlers in the first three bouts this one. Rutgers is primed for a big season; they reloaded at the upper weights in the portal, headlined by #8 Lenny Pinto transferring in from Nebraska.

November 9 

#4 Ohio State at Chattanooga 

Northern Colorado at #23 North Carolina 

Despite the #4 national ranking, Ohio State still has lineup questions to answer. At last week’s Clarion Open, the Buckeyes had three wrestlers in both the 125- and 197-pound brackets. A wrestler from Ohio State won each of those two brackets, but it wasn’t the wrestler most expected in both circumstances. Nic Bouzakis was a two-time NCAA Qualifier at 133 pounds, including being the seventh seed last year, but is coming down to 125 pounds and was presumed to be the starter. However, last year’s starter, Brendan McCrone, is not ready to let go of that spot and scored a 5-4 win over Bouzakis in the final. Up at 197, Luke Geogg took a 10-4 win over Ryder Rogotzke (who has an available redshirt) in the final; this was after presumed starter Seth Shumate fell in his opening match.
The winner continues as the only ‘UNC’ – Northern Colorado and North Carolina will battle it out. Both are young squads, and both have a lot of lineup questions to start the season. Northern Colorado is under first-year head coach Teyon Ware and lost a pair of 2025 All-Americans to Iowa State in the offseason: Stevo Poulin at 125 pounds and Vinny Zerban at 157 pounds. The Tar Heels could feature as many as seven new starters this year and will rely on a deep redshirt freshman class. That said, it could be a pair of veteran transfers leading the charge for the Tar Heels this year: Ethan Oakley at 133 pounds and Bryce Hepner at 165 pounds. … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/november/05/men-s-college-notebook-week-2-primer

November 9, 2025 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Missouri University Wrestling Opens Season With Three Wins in the Missouri Duals

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou wrestling swept all three of its opponents to open the 2025-26 season as part of the Missouri Duels in Hearnes Center.
Mizzou opened the day, shutting out Drury 51-0. The Tigers followed up their first win with a dominant performance over Maryville, 41-3, and capped the day with another shutout, 46-0 over Central Methodist.
MISSOURI VS. DRURY, 51-0
Mizzou scored six victories by fall in the opening duel of the day. Kade Moore, Nate Pulliam, J Conway, Max Mayfield, Aeoden Sinclair, and Jarrett Stoner all registered pins for the Tigers while Evan Bates added a tech fall win in the second period of his bout.
Adding to the Tigers’ shutout triumph was Luqman Masud, who claimed a major decision victory to open the day,  along with Zeke Seltzer and Kolten Oborny, adding decision wins.
MISSOURI VS. MARYVILLE, 41-3
In the second leg of three, Missouri’s lone fall came via Sinclair’s first-period pin. Four other Tiger wrestlers claimed technical fall wins as Josh Edmond, Moore, Mayfield, and Bates put five team points on the board. Other bonus point wins belonged to Mack Mauger, … more at … https://mutigers.com/news/2025/11/2/wrestling-opens-season-with-three-wins-in-the-missouri-duels
And …

Wrestling Claims First at Tiger Style Invite with 146.5 Points
The Tigers had four wrestlers place first in their respective weight classes
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri wrestling ended the day in first place with 146.5 points at the Tiger Style Invite, held at Hearnes Center on Sunday, Nov. 9. The Tigers saw four wrestlers bring home top honors in their respective weight classes. 
Zeke Seltzer was the first Tiger of the day to claim gold, knocking off two National Qualifiers, Oklahoma’s Tyler Wells and Purdue’s Greyson Clark, en route to bringing home the title at 141 pounds. Redshirt senior Josh Edmond immediately joined him on top of the podium when he controlled his way to the 149-pound title. Redshirt senior Max Mayfield claimed the title at 165 pounds in his first Tiger Style Invite, besting Marcus Espinoza-Owens of South Dakota. Missouri’s final winner was redshirt freshman Aeoden Sinclair. Sinclair dominated his way to the final with a technical fall and two pins, before winning by forfeit in the final. Mizzou claimed its fourth consecutive team … more at … https://mutigers.com/news/2025/11/9/wrestling-claims-first-at-tiger-style-invite-with-146-5-points
And …

Ben Askren Announced as National Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee
Missouri wrestling legend Ben Askren has been announced to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Askren joins fellow former Tiger J’den Cox as a distinguished member of the prestigious group. “I am very proud of Ben and everything he represents”, said head coach Brian Smith. “He is a great ambassador for the sport of wrestling, from his accomplishments at Mizzou or the U.S. Olympic Team, to how he has become the model club coach throughout the country. Ben has always lived it right, and even with his mental health, he continues to motivate and teach people how to live it the right way. Congratulations on an amazing accomplishment, making it into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame”.  “The National Wrestling Hall of Fame is honored to announce the Class of 2026, an illustrious group whose enduring contributions exemplify the foundational principles of our sport. Every Hall of Fame class is special, but this one is even more so as it includes Lee Roy Smith, who will be retiring next year after more than 20 years of superb leadership as executive director of the Hall of Fame,” said John Harris III, National Wrestling Hall of Fame Board of Governors Chairman. “These individuals have demonstrated exemplary leadership, discipline, and commitment, both on and off the mat, thereby advancing the legacy and cultural integrity of wrestling.”
The Class of 2026 will be honored and officially inducted during the 49th Honors Weekend on June 5 and 6, 2026, … more at … https://mutigers.com/news/2025/10/30/wrestling-legend-ben-askren-announced-as-national-wrestling-hall-of-fame-inductee

November 9, 2025 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment