Takedown Report

NCAA D-III FIELD TO EXPAND FROM 180 TO 210

The NCAA governance structure has approved a plan to increase the size of the NCAA Championships field from 180 to 210 for the 2024-2025 season. To accomplish this, a seventh region will be added. Wrestlers must still place in the top three of the region to qualify for the championships.
The Division III Wrestling Committee will finalize a proposal for regional alignment by May 31st. The Championships Committee, Management Council, and Presidents Council will vote on the proposal later in the summer. Coaches should receive a draft of the proposal by the end of June. … rest of story at … D3wrestle.com/ncaa-field-to-expand-from-180-to-210

June 21, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Navy Wrestling Welcomes Former Olympian Barry Davis To Coaching Staff

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy wrestling head coach Cary Kolat announced the addition of Barry Davis to his staff as an assistant coach on Wednesday.  
Davis comes to Annapolis following a 25-year stint as the head coach at Wisconsin. During his tenure with the Badgers, he coached three national champions, 26 All-Americans, 62 NCAA qualifiers and eight Big Ten champions. He is Wisconsin’s all-time winningest coach (227-167-11) and led the Badgers to 15 top-20 finishes at the NCAA championship, which included a fourth-place finish in 2010 that tied the best placement in school history. Davis was named the National Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association for his team’s finish during the 2009-10 campaign. 
“With the rapid changes in recruiting trends over the past few years, I’m excited to announce that coach Barry Davis will be spearheading our recruitment with the Naval Academy wrestling program. Barry has a wealth of experience as both an athlete and a coach,” said Kolat. “He has been an assistant coach for Dan Gable at the University of Iowa and then eventually led his own program at the University of Wisconsin. Coach Davis will make a significant impact on our program. His addition to our coaching staff not only strengthens our team, but will enhance the experience of our athletes here at the Naval Academy. He will bring valuable contributions to our program and I’m excited to welcome him aboard.”  
Davis is well known for having top-level talent in the 165-pound weight class.  
He coached two-time 165-pound NCAA champion Donny Pritzlaff (2000, ’01) at Wisconsin. Along with his two national titles, Pritzlaff was named an All-American at 150 pounds (sixth) in 1998 and 165 pounds (fifth) in 1999. Additionally, he won three Big Ten titles at 165 under Davis (1999, 2000, ’01).  
Davis aided Andrew Howe to his first NCAA Division I title at 165 pounds and a perfect 37-0 overall record in 2010. Howe also garnered All-America distinction in 2009 and 2011 for placing second and third, respectively, at nationals. Howe dominated the Big Ten during his three years as a Badger, winning the 165-pound conference title in 2009, ’10 and ’11. 
Isaac Jordan claimed All-America accolades four times under Davis’ guidance. … rest of story … Navysports.com/Navy-wrestling-welcomes-former-olympian-barry-davis-to-coaching-staff

June 21, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Joll Earns Prestigious Schalles Award

By: Alex Pearce, Assistant Athletic Communications Director

NEWTON, IOWA –Scott Joll added one last accolade to his historic season as he earned the prestigious Schalles Award, presented annually by WIN Magazine and awarded to the best collegiate-wrestling pinner.
The Belle Vernon, Pa. native finished his season with a 35-1 overall record and a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships at 174 pounds, and becomes the first non-Division I wrestler to win the award since 2005. Joll led the country with his 21 pins, and brought home the Gregorian Award earlier this year, as well, after recording the most pins in the least amount of time at the NCAA Championships.
The Schalles Award is named for Wade Schalles, a two-time NCAA champion at Clarion (Pa.) University that went 153-6 in his career with 109 pins. … more at … UNCPbraves.com/Joll-earns-prestigious-schalles-award

June 18, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

ACC Summer Roundup

It’s been a minute since we took a step back and examined the conference as a whole and looked at all of the moving pieces. Let’s see what’s happening in the ACC as we enter the summer months. 

West Coast to the Atlantic Coast Conference
The biggest change we will see in the conference this season is the addition of Stanford to the conference (California and Southern Methodist are also joining but do not have wrestling programs). The Cardinal has a strong core with an impressive #2 ranked recruiting class moving into Palo Alto this season. Current North Carolina head coach Rob Koll came to Chapel Hill after a stint as the head coach at Stanford. He was succeeded by Chris Ayres after his long tenure as head coach at Princeton. The addition of a scrappy Stanford team could provide some interesting wrinkles in the conference competition this year. We will take a deeper look at this as schedules are released and logistics are figured out. 

Coaching Changes
Adam Hall left his post as Associate Head Coach at NC State to take the head coaching job at Utah Valley. Replacing Hall in Raleigh is an experienced and highly accomplished Coach Zack Esposito. Pat Popolizio and Esposito both have Oklahoma State ties; Esposito was on staff at OSU for several years, but his most recent post was as the Developmental Coach for the USOPTC.  
Cody Brewer moved north to take the Head Assistant Coach position at Princeton after several years on staff in Blacksburg. Moving south to join the staff is Zach Tanelli who had spent the previous eight seasons as the Head Coach at Columbia University and will serve as the Associate Head Coach for the Hokies. Tanelli wrestled under Jared Frayer in his first year coaching at Wisconsin and they have maintained a close relationship. 
Another former head coach will be joining an ACC staff, this time in Pittsburgh with Lou Rosselli joining as an Assistant Coach. Rosselli was the long-time Head Coach of the Ohio RTC – where he coached Pitt Head Coach Keith Gavin and was most recently the Head Coach for the University of Oklahoma, where Gavin spent a year before coming to Pittsburgh. 

Transfer Portal
There are a lot of new faces joining the ACC via the transfer portal; as of the time of this article, nine wrestlers left the conference for new teams while 10 will be transferring into three teams in the ACC. The portal this year seemed to be very heavy with Ivy League wrestlers who have remaining eligibility after exhausting their allowed time at their schools – the Ivy League doesn’t allow grad students to compete in athletics. 
North Carolina was very active in the portal, adding four new wrestlers to the team. Ethan Oakley (133) will be moving across NC from Appalachian State, while Ryan Boersma (285) will be joining from Mizzou. Two former Columbia wrestlers will be donning a new shade of blue with Josh Ogunsanya (157) and Nolan Neves (285) joining the Tar Heels. 
Pittsburgh also took advantage of the portal; they have been very successful adding talent to their roster since the transfer portal became an option, with multiple starters coming from transfers in the past three years. The Panthers are also adding a Columbia wrestler in talented lightweight Nick Babin (125). They added a second lightweight in Evan Tallmadge (125) from the Naval Academy. Mateo de la Pena (165) transfers from California Baptist and Chase Kranitz (184) from Buffalo. 
Virginia Tech was the final ACC team to add wrestlers from the portal. The two new Hokies will be immediate impact guys in the lineup. Lennox Wolak (174) is the final Columbia wrestler making the move to the ACC; he announced his transfer prior to Tanelli being added to the staff. They also added Connor McGonagle (133) from Lehigh who will slide in at 133 with Sam Latona moving up to 141 next year. 

LIVE WRESTLING!
As we all know, there is no real off-season from wrestling. Usually, freestyle takes center mat during the summer, but we will see ACC wrestlers competing in a couple different folkstyle and folkstyle-esque events in the next few weeks as two organizations are putting on showcase events in hopes of developing a professional wrestling league. … more at … Intermatwrestle/ACC-summer-roundup

June 17, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Love of wrestling leads Fike’s Farmer to Mount Olive

By Paul Durham paul@wilsontimes.com

Wrestling has been part of Jacob Farmer’s life since the newly minted Fike High graduate started school, so he’s happy the end of his high school career isn’t the end on the mat for him, too.
Farmer, who graduated with his senior class at Fike on Saturday morning, signed recently to join the wrestling program at the University of Mount Olive. Farmer, who plans to major in exercise science at the NCAA Division II Conference Carolinas school, said that he took the initiative to contact Trojans head coach Dan Willis after attending a match at UMO to watch some of his friends wrestle for the Trojans. “I have friends that I’ve been wrestling with since I was a little kid from club with Coach Jake Brown at The SPOT in Wilson,” Farmer explained. “Timothy Decatur, Christian Decatur and then Aaron Bancroft (Fike assistant coach George Bancroft’s son) — they all used to wrestle when I was in club and then just seeing them wrestle at UMO and I just wanted to go there and it’s a small school and Christian-based. So that really helps me too.”
Bancroft, a two-time state champion at Fike; and the Decatur brothers helped the Trojans to an 11-3 overall mark and a third-place finish in Conference Carolinas. UMO placed fifth in the NCAA Div. II Southeast Regional tournament.
Farmer, who said he also received interest from UNC Pembroke, graduated in just three years from Fike. The son of Claudia and Percy Arrington of Wilson said that he plans to major in exercise science. … more at … Restorationnewsmedia/Love-of-wrestling-leads-fikes-farmer-to-mount-olive

June 17, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Hixenbaugh Named Wrestler of the Year by TheOpenMat.com

THEOPENMAT.COM RELEASE
MONTEVALLO, Ala. – 2024 133-LB National Champion, Gabe Hixenbaugh has been named the NCAA Division II Wrestler of the Year by TheOpenMat.com, Friday.
Hixenbaugh, who finished the season 31-0 as the 133-LB National Champion, was chosen as the top wrestler, regardless of weight class, in all of Division II by TheOpenMat.com.
Since winning the 133-LB bracket at the Midwest Classic in December, Hixenbaugh has been ranked No. 1 in the 133-LB rankings by TheOpenMat.com.
Hixenbaugh’s historic season saw him become the first All-American in program history and the first National Champion in all of Division-II history at Montevallo – in the wrestling program’s inaugural season.
With his 31-0 record he tallied a team-leading 72 takedowns, … more at … Montevallofalcons.com/Hixenabugh-named-wrestler-of-the-year-by-theopenmat

June 16, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Joey Simcoe Named The Open Mat DII Wrestling Coach of the Year

Grand Valley State first-year head coach Joey Simcoe was named The Open Mat DII Wrestling Coach of the Year it was announced Friday. Simcoe played a major role with the resurgence in wrestling that GVSU made during if first year as a varsity program after a 32-year hiatus. Simcoe took over as the program’s head wrestling coach after spending the previous 11 seasons leading the Tiffin University wrestling program.
It was a groundbreaking season for GVSU. Josh Kenny secured the national title at 174 pounds and Wyatt Miller earned All-America honors with an eighth-place finish at 197 pounds to help the Lakers finish 13th at the 2024 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships. 
Kenny, seeded No. 4, reached the national finals at 174 pounds with an overtime victory, a major decision and a technical fall in the semifinals. In the finals, Kenny pinned Central Oklahoma’s Anthony Des Vigne in the second period, becoming GVSU’s first national champion since 1988. He finished the season with a 32-5 record.
The unseeded Miller defeated multiple All-Americans to reach the podium at 197 pounds. He won his round of 12 match in overtime. … more at … GVSulakers.com/Joey-simcoe-named-the-open-mat-dii-wrestling-coach-of-the-year

June 16, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Joll Racks Up Major Awards To Cap Off Season

By: Alex Pearce, Assistant Athletic Communications Director

INDIANAPOLIS – Graduate student Scott Joll put the final touches on his historic season, as he earned the Division 2 Most Dominant Wrestler Award, Most Falls Award, and Gregorian Award following the completion of the NCAA Championships.

The Belle Vernon, Pa. native finished his season with a 35-1 overall record and a third-place finish at 174 pounds, and becomes the first non-national champion wrestler to win the Most Dominant Award. Joll led the country with his 17 pins against D2 competition to win the Most Falls Award, and brought home the Gregorian Award for good measure, as well, …. more at … UNCPbraves.com/Joll-racks-up-major-awards-to-cap-off-season.

WIN-Magazine
JOLL WINS SCHALLES AWARD – Scott Joll, the 174-pound All-American from UNC-Pembroke, became the first non-Division I wrestler since 2005 to win college wrestling’s pinning award as he secured 21 falls in a 35-win season. … more at … WIN-magazine.com/WIN-magazines-annual-awards-issue-is-now-available

June 8, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Top 100 Teams in Historic Dual Meet Wins

June 4, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Former Navy Wrestling Coach Reggie Wicks Passes Away at the Age of 79

Reginald “Reggie” Paul Wicks, 79, wrestling coach and professor at the Naval Academy, passed away peacefully on April 24 of Parkinson’s and Lyme’s Disease at his home in Crownsville, Md.
A native Iowan from Decorah, Wicks attended Decorah High School where he met Linda Grinna, his future bride and wife of 55 years.  
Wicks had a distinguished career in wrestling.  He was a four-year letter winner in high school and was twice named team MVP.  He was a Northeast Iowa Conference Champion at 154 pounds in 1963.  In 1964, he was a district champion at 154 pounds and finished second at the state championship, finishing with a 19-2 record.  
Wrestling for Iowa State University under head coach Harold Nichols, Wicks was a three-time conference place winner and a three-time NCAA qualifier.  In 1968, Wicks won the NCAA National Championship at 160 lbs and earned All-American distinction.  Wicks, who was also the Iowa State team captain in 1968, finished his career with a 44-12-4 record with six of his losses coming by two points or less.
His coaching career started as an assistant coach at Mankato State from 1969-1971, where he also earned his master’s degree.  Wicks earned his first head coaching job in 1971, where he served for four years and coached two All-Americans.
Wicks coached for 28 years at the Naval Academy, assisting Ed Peery from 1974-1987, before taking the reins of the program from 1987-2000.  During his time as the head coach in Annapolis, the Midshipmen were 175-60-5, winning the EIWA tournament in 1990 and finishing second four times (1988, 1991, 1992 and 1994). Wicks coached 17 EIWA champions, 35 NCAA qualifiers and six NCAA place winners at Navy. He was the EIWA Coach of the Year in 1990. Wicks was 10-1-2 against Army. 
Wicks retired from coaching in 2000 with a career record of 200-80-6. Wicks was inducted in several Hall of Fames: Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame (1998), National Wrestling Coaches Association, 25 years award, National Wrestling Hall of Fame (2001) for Life Service, Iowa High School Hall of Fame (2005), and Iowa State University Hall of Fame (2016).  After retirement from coaching, Wicks continued as a full professor at the USNA until 2010.  He also remained active within both the national and local wrestling community.  Wicks enjoyed working in his garden, traveling, and spending time with his family and Jack Russell Terriers.
Reg will be lovingly remembered by his high school sweetheart, Linda Wicks, … more at … Navysports.com/Former-navy-wrestling-coach-reggie-wicks-passes-away-at-the-age-of-79

June 2, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment