STAR WRESTLER SHOWS HOW ATHLETICS PRODUCES LEADERS
By Randy Roughton
U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications
U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. – Cadet 1st Class Sam Wolf’s wrestling teammates often tell each other to work hard in all aspects of life, and each endeavor will “meet at the top.” Wolf’s excellence as a cadet and on the mat for the U.S. Air Force Academy wrestling team demonstrate his devotion to his team’s athletic-academic adage.
The 184-pound wrestling team co-captain is also a two-time NCAA Division I Men’s Scholar All-American. Wolf, a Systems Engineering major planning to attend pilot training after graduation, attributes his success to three dominant character traits. These align with the Academy’s core values, mission and vision. “My work ethic, leadership and passion encompass what I have been doing both in and out of the wrestling room since I arrived as a freshman,” Wolf said. “All three traits are part of my vision of who I want to be as a cadet and future U.S. Air Force officer, as well as a leader and a man.”
How athletics develop leadership
The Academy’s mission to educate, train and inspire men and women to become officers of character is integrated across all mission elements. The Athletic Department offers intercollegiate cadets this development through competition and teamwork. Student-athletes experience leadership opportunities in challenging environments while they develop warrior ethos and a heightened will to win.
Head Academy wrestling coach Sam Barber said he has seen Wolf’s leadership skills, passion for competition and work skills in action since his first practice in 2020. Barber said Wolf’s work ethic is “at the top of a distinguished list of hard-working student-athletes” during his 30-year coaching career. “I most appreciated the attributes he demonstrated daily on and off the mat,” Barber said. “He approached his goals with focus and determination but with a lightheartedness that allowed him to enjoy the process and spread positivity throughout the program. I valued his high-level communication skills, honesty and infectious personality. He is a tireless worker and a ferocious competitor.” … more at … USAFa.edu/star-wrestler-shows-how-athletics-produces-leaders
NBC Universal to present record-setting U.S. Olympic Trials coverage; Check out Wrestling Trials schedule here
Editor’s Note: This week, NBC released its U.S. Olympic Team Trials coverage for a number of sports. We will post the wrestling information first, and provide the additional information on the NBC coverage of other sports for those who wish to enjoy the programs.
WRESTLING
NBCU will present live primetime coverage of the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials from the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State University in State College, Pa., from Friday, April 19 to Saturday, April 20, with over 60 hours of live coverage across USA Network and Peacock.
Multiple Tokyo Olympic medalists are expected to vie for Olympic spots, including reigning Olympic gold medalist and world men’s 86 kg champion David Taylor; two-time Olympic men’s freestyle 97 kg medalist Kyle Snyder, who in 2016 became the youngest wrestler ever to win an NCAA, world, and Olympic title in the same year; and Helen Maroulis, a two-time Olympic medalist, who became the first U.S. woman to win a gold medal in wrestling when she won the 53 kg event in Rio. … listing at … Themat.com/NBC-universal-to-present-record-setting-u-s-olympic-trials-coverage-check-out-wrestling-trials-schedule
2024 Women’s Nationals Collegiate Recap
Just over a month after the conclusion of the Women’s Collegiate Wrestling season, many athletes showed out to claim a World Team spot at Nationals this past weekend. In addition to current collegiate athletes, many commits also competed and gave fans a glimpse at the talent they will be bringing to college lineups in seasons to come. For this overview, I will be focusing on U20 and U23 results.
U20 Women’s Nationals
In the finals at 50kg, future Life Running Eagle, Anaya Falcon, got two dominant wins over Iowa’s Nyla Valencia in their best-of-three series. Valencia was a runner-up at U20s last season wrestling unattached. Falcon is continually ranked in the top 25 pound-for-pound for her class and is a 3x California state champ. She will certainly be an exciting addition to Life’s roster.
Iowa’s first champ of the day was Brianna Gonzalez at 53kg. Gonzalez was the runner-up at NCWWCs this season after losing the finals match to Felicity Taylor. Gonzalez secured her top spot here with several dominant wins including two tech falls over King commit Clare Booe. Booe will be an immediate impact athlete for the King team with two Fargo titles, a Super 32 championship finish, and a first-place finish at last season’s East Stroudsburg Open as a high school senior.
This season’s NAIA National Champ Cristelle Rodriguez of Doane put on another dominant performance at Nationals, winning her final series with two pins in under three minutes total. Lexi Janiak of Aurora claimed the top spot at 59 kg over 2023 Fargo Champion Aubre Krazer with an 11-0 first match, and a closer 8-4 decision win in their second bout. Janiak finished third at NCWWCs this past season and is a 2023 U20 Bronze Medalist. 62kg had one of the tightest matchups, with future Iowa Hawkeye Cadence Diduch dropping … more at … Intermatwrestle.com/Womens-nationals-collegiate-recap
And …
‘They’re as tough as anybody’: As women’s wrestling is on the rise nationwide, Spokane hosts this year’s national championships
By Roberta Simonson and Alexandra Duggan The Spokesman-Review
As 15-year-old Raenah Smith looked around at the thousands of women and girls filling the Podium in Spokane, all there to wrestle in the U.S. Marine Corps Women’s National Championships, she marveled at how the sport has given her trailblazing female role models in a male-dominated sport. “I look up to a lot of the college women wrestling right now,” Raenah said at the tournament on Friday. “And I want to be like them.”
Raenah is home-schooled, but wrestles for Mead High School. She’s competing this week in the championship but has wrestled girls and boys since age 9. In the last six years, she’s seen the sport grow significantly, she said at the tournament on Friday. No longer are girls wrestling only boys; they’re able to have a tournament to themselves. “I try my best against boys. They’re stronger. It’s hard. But it gives me a sense of confidence because you’re beating someone bigger,” she said.
Women’s wrestling is the fastest-growing high school sport in the United States, according to data from the National Federation of State High School Associations. The number of high school girls who competed in wrestling more than quintupled from 2013 to 2023, growing from 6,545 to over 50,000. The championships hosted in Spokane span eight divisions, ranging from age 7 to 23.
Champions in the four age divisions this weekend are eligible to earn a spot on Team USA for the Pan-Am and World championships later this summer. “This tournament has been going on for so long. But every single year it grows, and so does women’s wrestling,” 21-year-old Yele Aycock said, just as she stepped off the mat after winning her first round. Women and girls fly in from around the country just to be part of the championship. Some were sporting shirts from Iowa, California, Montana, Idaho and more.
Aycock is competing in Spokane from North Central College in Illinois, but she’s from a small town in New Mexico – a town that never had girls and women’s wrestling tournaments. “Coming from there where there’s no girls tournaments, to here, where it’s all women’s wrestling and we’re taking up 18 mats – I think it’s super cool,” she said. “It’s amazing to see.”
Aycock and Smith both grew up watching their brothers wrestle. And they both knew they could do it, too. “I think it’s a really big confidence booster where, maybe you lose a match to a guy just because he’s a lot bigger. But when you win a match, it’s because you’re just better at wrestling,” Aycock said. “Now that women are wrestling women, it’s really a show of skill and how good you are at the sport.”
With more than 70 schools intending to sponsor the sport in 2023-24, the National Collegiate Athletic Association announced plans in February for its first women’s wrestling championship in 2026.
This is the second time the city has hosted this event. In 2022, Spokane was selected as the host city for the championships for three consecutive years starting in 2023. “Last year we had 1,473 athletes, and this year we already have 1,520 athletes registered. … more at … Spokesman.com/Theyre-as-tough-as-anybody-as-womens-wrestling
And …
NCAA Women’s Wrestling Faces Dilemma Prior To Sanctioned Status
NCAA women’s coaches are divided on a proposal that could significantly alter the course of the 2024-25 season.
It doesn’t get closer than a tie.
A survey was sent to all NCAA women’s college coaches asking if more than 10 wrestlers should be allowed to participate at regionals next season.
The results?
YES: 36
NO: 36
Note: Several coaches didn’t vote.
The next question on the survey was not split. If you answered yes, what should the number of qualifiers be? The results were 63.9 percent for 12 or less and 36.1 (10) percent for 15 (26 votes).
A maximum of 15 wrestlers from each team can participate at regionals, which means a maximum of 15 can compete at the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships.
Women’s wrestling is projected to be an NCAA-sanctioned sport by 2026. The assumption is that each team will qualify a maximum of one wrestler per weight for the national championships (10 total).
The argument for switching to 10 is that powerhouse programs like Iowa, King, McKendree, and North Central can stockpile their line-ups. Quality wrestlers might go elsewhere if multiple wrestlers from the same team couldn’t qualify.
Other teams lose out on high-caliber wrestlers and qualification spots as they fight an uphill battle against top programs.
A Change Of Heart
North Central coach Joe Norton used to think that was the way to go, and he understands the arguments for moving to 10, but he’s swung completely the other way. His team won the 2023 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships with 15 All-Americans and finished second this year with 14. “The recruiting part of sending 15 is over because we’d go to 10 in 2026,” Norton said. “This is the last year I can recruit by saying in 2025 we can bring 15. Once we’re NCAA-sanctioned next year, I can’t recruit under that model anymore because 2026 will presumably be 10.
“When you throw the recruiting argument out of it, which is the biggest argument for going to 10, it’s a no-brainer to bring 15 because we’re trying to draw eyes to women’s wrestling. We’re trying to make people women’s wrestling fans. We’re trying to make men’s wrestling fans into women’s wrestling fans.” … more at … Flowrestling.org/NCAA-womens-wrestling-faces-dilemma-prior-to-sanctioned-status
And …
Increasing popularity in girls wrestling leads school board to hire more coaches
The increasing interest and popularity of girls wrestling led the Marshalltown Community School Districr board members to hire two extra coaches during the regular Monday meeting.
Director of Athletics and Activities Ryan Isgrig asked the board to hire a head coach for the Marshalltown High School team and another for Miller Middle School. The move would help enhance the relatively new program, he said. “When we first came here two years ago, we sat in front of you for esports and girls wrestling,” Isgrig said. “We continued to evaluate those programs and I think they have trended in the right direction.”
Some highlights of the program are the increased number of athletes. Isgrig said they had no idea of the turnout they could expect when the program was introduced. Initially, about 25 girls signed up to wrestle. The main question was how many of them would complete the season, much less the first week since many had never wrestled before. “We were really excited with the number of girls interested,” he said. … more at … Timesrepublican.com/Increasing-popularity-in-girls-wrestling-leads-school-board-to-hire-more-coaches
Accomplished wrestling coach Denney to give Dakota Wesleyan commencement address
The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.
Mon, Apr 15, 2024, 7:49 PM EDT·2 min read
Apr. 15—MITCHELL — Micheal “Duke” Denney, a 1969 graduate of Dakota Wesleyan University, will be the keynote speaker at the DWU commencement at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 5, at the Corn Palace. The title of Denney’s speech is “This is Holy Ground.”
The Clearwater, Nebraska, native came to DWU on an athletic scholarship to play football and to wrestle. After graduating in 1969, he and his wife, Mitchell native Bonnie Gaetze, moved to Omaha, where Denney spent 10 years teaching math and coaching high school wrestling before moving to the University of Nebraska-Omaha, where he coached until 2011. He then moved to Maryville University in suburban St. Louis and started the wrestling program. Denney retired in 2023.
His record and résumé are filled with records, including multiple national NCAA Division II team championships; many NCAA Division II individual champions; hundreds of Division II All-Americans and scholar All-Americans; and academic national team championships. Denney was named 2011 InterMat Coach of the Year which recognized him as the top college wrestling coach across all NCAA divisions; was named the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coach of the Year three times and is a member of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame. He is a member of the DWU Athletics Hall of Fame, was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 2021 and was the DWU Alumni Coach of the Year in 1997. … more at … Sports.yahoo.com/accomplished-wrestling-coach-denney-dakota
Penn State Wrestling Gets a Home Game at the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials
Sixteen current, former or future Nittany Lions will compete at the Bryce Jordan Center for a trip to the Olympics.
Penn State wrestling gets a home game at the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials, where 16 current, former and future Nittany Lions are scheduled to compete for a trip to the 2024 Summer Olympics. The group includes an astonishing six wrestlers from Penn State’s 2024 roster that recently set a scoring record to win its third consecutive team title at the NCAA Wrestling Championships.
Here’s a look at the wrestlers from Penn State’s past, present and future who will compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials:
Nittany Lions legacies
Three-time world champ, and returning Olympic champion, David Taylor leads the way, as he seeks to defend his 86 kg freestyle title in Paris. Taylor has a bye into the best-of-three championship series finals Saturday night at the Bryce Jordan Center. The loaded 86 kg field features five other current, former or future Penn State wrestlers, including NCAA champs Mark Hall (2017) and Max Dean (2022).
Three-time NCAA champ Zain Retherford is among the favorites at 65 kg and has a bye into the challenge tournament semifinals. … more at … SI.com/Penn-state-wrestling-2024-usa-wrestling-olympic-trialy-bryce-jordan-center
And …
How to watch live U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Wrestling live on Peacock and USA Network
Wrestling Olympic Trials from Penn State University in State College, Pa., Begin This Friday at 10 a.m. ET on Peacock
Commentators: Jason Knapp, Jim Scherr, and Zora Stephenson
Wrestling Coverage Continues NBC Sports’ Record Coverage of U.S. Olympic Team Trials Ahead of Paris Olympics
All Events Stream Live on Peacock
STAMFORD, Conn. – April 17, 2024 – NBC Sports presents live coverage of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Wrestling with over 60 hours of live coverage across Peacock and USA Network over two days from the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State University in State College, Pa., beginning on Peacock this Friday, April 19, with all four mats from Session 1 at 10 a.m. ET. Live coverage of the Wrestling Trials concludes on Saturday, April 20, with the finals at 6:30 p.m. ET on USA Network and Peacock.
Throughout Friday and Saturday, Peacock will individually stream all four mats for both morning sessions, as well as a quad box option for each. Additionally, the Challenge Tournament will be presented on USA Network and Peacock on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET, with the Finals on Saturday also on USA Network and Peacock on 6:30 p.m. ET. All Olympic Trials coverage this weekend will also stream via NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app. … more at … Themat.com/How-to-watch-live-u-s-olympic-team-trials-wrestling-live-on-peacock-and-usa-network
And …
SIX HUSKERS TO COMPETE AT U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS
Six Nebraska wrestlers will compete in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials this weekend at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pa. The two-day event on Friday, April 19 and Saturday April 20, will determine the United States’ representatives at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
Six former Huskers have qualified for the event, as Liam Cronin (57 kg), James Green (65 kg), Jordan Burroughs (74 kg), Tyler Berger (74 kg), Eric Schultz (97) and Christian Lance (125 kg) will all compete.
This group is led by the most decorated champion in U.S. wrestling history and top-seeded Burroughs who will wrestle the winner of Levi Haines and Alex Facundo first. No. 3 seed Green also received a bye in the opening round and will face the winner of Jesse Mendez and Joey McKenna in the quarterfinals. Lance was awarded the sixth seed and will wrestle Greg Kerkvliet in the finals, while Cronin and Schultz both received a seventh seed with Cronin wrestling Jax Forrest and Schultz facing Isaac Trumble. Rounding out the group is Berger who is a 10th seed and will meet Alex Marinelli in the opening round. The event begins on Friday with sessions at 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. (CT). … more at … Huskers.com/Six-huskers-to-compete-at-us-olympic-team-trials
TDR Top 12 Team includes 4 Tarboro wrestlers – TDR # 31 – 85
Pictured above are (L-R) the old TDR Editor Fleming, Tarboro High catcher Stephen Rubistello, N.E.C.P. wrestlers Holton Quincy, Ryan Mann and Colton Lewis.
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On Tuesday April 16th, before the Tarboro baseball game with North East Carolina Prep, The TakeDown Report presented the TDR Top 12 team plaques to four outstanding wrestlers in the town of Tarboro. TDR Editor Martin Fleming presented the award plaques to State Champion Ryan Mann, State Champion Holton Quincy, State Placer Colton Lewis and State Placer Stephen Rubistello (who is also a pretty good baseball player).
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Iowa State’s David Carr claims Amateur Wrestling News’ 9th annual Hammer Award
Iowa State’s David Carr claims Amateur Wrestling News’ 9th annual Hammer Award for winning most competitive weight at NCAAs
Amateur Wrestling News will present The Hammer, its annual award, to Iowa State’s David Carr.
The award is presented to the wrestler who wins the national title at what the writers at AWN determine to be the most competitive weight class during the NCAA Tournament.
Carr won the 165-pound title in Kansas City, defeating Penn State’s Mitchell Mesenbrink in the finals and two-time NCAA champ Keegan O’Toole in the semifinals. Carr won his first NCAA title in 2022, but at 157 pounds. There were eight returning All Americans at 165 pounds. Carr finished the season 17-2.
Past Hammer recipients include Logan Stieber, Alex Dieringer, Spencer Lee, Zahid Valencia, Bo Nickal, Nick Lee, Keegan O’Toole, and Vito Arujau. … more at … Themat.com/Iowa-state-s-david-carr-claims-amateur-wrestling-news-9th-annual-hammer-award
Active College Coaches – Top 25 part 3- NCAA Division I & All Colleges – TDR # 31-84
Top 25 Active College Coaches’ Lists as of March 2024
Recent retirees are included and noted in the lists. The following are active head coaches now or in a recent year. We welcome input and corrections. Contact us at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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2024 ACTIVE Coaches – Top 30 w/at least 245 wins Wins &-Level
- Pat Pecora (Pitt-Johnstown) 661 – II (15)
- John Smith (Oklahoma State Univ.) 490– I (14) to retire in 2024
- Roger Crebs (Lycoming College) 450 – III (11)
- Lonnie Morris (Johnson & Wales) 446 – III (24)
- Tom Borelli (Central Michigan, Lake Superior St.) – 414 – I, II (8) to retire 2024
- Bruce Haberli (New York Univ./Manhattan Coll.) 394 – III (10) up 1
- Ron Beaschler (Ohio Northern Univ.) 391 – III (17) up 1
- Mike Denney (Maryville Univ./Nebr.-Omaha) 389 – II — retired in 2023
- Rob Koll (Cornell Univ.) 345 – I (11)
- Brian Smith (Missouri/Syracuse) 336—I (10)
- Steve Costanzo (St. Cloud St. Univ./Dana College) 333 II (14) up 1
- Dave Mitchell (Luther (IA) 327 – III (12) up 1
- Jim Makovsky (Minn. St.-Mankato/Valley City St.) 326 – II (2) down 2
- Tom Ryan (Ohio State/Hofstra) 322 – I (15)
- Tim Fader (Wisc.-Eau Claire, Whitewater, La Crosse) 319 – III (19) up 1
- Mark Manning (Nebraska/Northern Iowa) 315 – I (12) down 1
- Martin Nichols (Ithaca College) 313 – III (14)
- Jim Zalesky (Jamestown/Oregon State/Iowa) 297 – I/NAIA (6)
- Tom Brands (Iowa, Va. Tech) – 294 – I (12) up 1
- Jon Laudenslager (Wilkes University) – 290 – III (8)
- Paul Keysaw (Fresno City/Moorpark College) 287 – Cal. Jr.Coll. (9)
- John Oostendorp (Coe College) 278 – III (12)
- Jay Jones (Rhode Island College) – 274 – III (13)
- Bryan Brunk (Messiah College) – 266 – III (11)
- Tim Flynn (West Virginia Un./Edinboro Univ.) – 264- I (10)
- Joel Greenlee (Ohio University) – 251 – I (7)
- Franky James (Campbellsville/U. Tenn.-Chattanooga) – 251 – NAIA/I (16) up 4
- Roger Reina (Pennsylvania, Univ. of) 248 – I (6) down 1
- Cael Sanderson (Penn State, Iowa State) – 247 – I (12) up 1
- Pat Popolizio (North Carolina State, SUNY-Binghampton) – 245 – I (14) up 3
Top 25 Division I ACTIVE Coaches with at least 135 Wins
- John Smith (Oklahoma State Univ.) 490 — retiring in 2024
- Tom Borelli (Central Michigan) 368 — retiring in 2024
- Rob Koll (U.N.C./Stanford/Cornell U.) 345
- Brian Smith (Missouri/Syracuse) 336
- Tom Ryan (Ohio State/Hofstra) 322
- Mark Manning (Nebraska/Northern Iowa) 315
- Tom Brands (Iowa & Virginia Tech) 294
- Jim Zalesky (Oregon State/Iowa) 278 now at NAIA school
- Tim Flynn (W.V.U./Edinboro St.) 264
- Joel Greenlee (Ohio Univ.) 251
- Roger Reina (Pennsylvania, Un. Of) 248
- Cael Sanderson (Penn State, Iowa State) – 247
- Pat Popolizio (North Carolina St., SUNY-Binghampton) – 245
- Kevin Dresser (Iowa State/Virginia Tech Univ.) 241
- Pat Santoro (Lehigh University, Maryland) 232
- Scott Goodale (Rutgers University) – 221
- Jim Andrassy (Kent State Univ.) 203
- Steve Garland (Virginia University) 188
- John Stutzman (Buffalo SUNY, Bloomsburg) – 186
- Dan Wirnsberger (Bucknell, Bloomsburg) 178
- Chris Bono (Wisconsin/South Dakota/U.Tenn.Chatt.) 153 up 1 spot
- Jay Weiss (Harvard Univ.) – 151
- John Mark Bentley (Appalachian State) – 144
- Jason Borelli (American/Stanford Univ.) – 139
- Mark Branch (Wyoming Univ.) – 137
Oklahoma State Legend John Smith Announces Retirement
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State legend John Smith announced his retirement Thursday, ending a 33-year run as head coach of the Cowboy wrestling program. The legacy of his career is astounding.
Under his watch, OSU produced five NCAA team championships, 33 NCAA individual championships, 490 dual wins, 153 All-America honors, 23 team conference championships, 132 individual conference championships and two Hodge Trophy winners. His accomplishments place him among the top coaches in the history of the sport.
Smith, 58, is the longest tenured wrestling coach in Oklahoma State history and trails only James Wadley (men’s tennis) and Henry Iba (men’s basketball) as the longest tenured head coaches at OSU, regardless of sport.
His 490-73-6 career dual record gives him the most wins in school history and the third-most wins in the history of Division I wrestling. His numbers for All-Americans, conference championships and individual conference champions are the most at OSU by a wide margin and are believed to be the most in NCAA wrestling history.
He also coached his teams to eight perfect dual season records, an all-time conference record of 171-24-5 and 21 top-five finishes at the NCAA Championships. His wrestlers won better than 70 percent of more than 16,000 bouts during his time as head coach and went on to claim double-digit spots on Team USA at the world level. “It has been an honor to coach for more than 32 years at the same institution,” Smith said. “I can’t even begin to tell you what Oklahoma State has done for me, my wife, my immediate family and brothers and sisters who all graduated from OSU. My journey started at age 17 here at Oklahoma State and it has allowed me to accomplish everything I ever wanted.”
Beyond the numbers, Smith is recognized widely for his contributions to the sport. He is a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, a two-time selection as the National Wrestling Coaches Association coach of the year and a 15-time selection as conference coach of the year. He was also the first wrestler to be inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and is a member of the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. “Coach Smith is a hero and truly the greatest of all time,” … rest at … OKstate.com/Cowboy-wrestling-oklahoma-state-legend-john-smith-announces-retirement
Active College Coaches – Top 25 part 2- NCAA Divisions II & III – TDR # 31-83
Top 25 Active College Coaches’ Lists as of March 2024
Recent retirees are included and noted in the lists. The following are active head coaches now or in a recent year. We welcome input and corrections. Contact us at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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Top 25 Division II ACTIVE Coaches with at least 79 wins
- Pat Pecora (Pitt-Johnstown) 661
- Mike Denney (Maryville Univ./Nebr.-Omaha) 389 – retired in 2023
- Steve Costanzo (St. Cloud Univ.&Dana College) 333
- Jim Makovsky (Minn. St.-Mankato/Valley City St.) 326
- Robert Fisher (Kutztown Univ.) 241
- Doug Henry (Gannon Univ.) 234
- Heath Grimm (Upper Iowa Univ.) 229
- Jason Reitmeier (Augustana College-S.D.) 225
- Mike Wehler (Mercyhurst, West Liberty State) 215
- James Kisgen (McKendree) 173 {II} since 2010
- R.C. LaHaye (Lander/Grand Canyon) 135
- Othello ‘O.T.’ Johnson (U. N.C.-Pembroke) 133
- Jason Warthan (Indianapolis Univ.) 132
- Jason Ramstetter (Adams State College) 131
- Chuck Piper (Colorado Mesa) 129– retired in 2022
- Kenn Caudell (Belmont-Abbey College) 127 – retired in 2023
- Dalton Jensen (Nebraska-Kearney) 112
- Shawn Nelson (Findlay Univ.) 107 inc.
- Seth Bloomquist (Shippensburg State) 105
- Todd Steidley (Central Oklahoma) 101
- Dax Charles (Colorado State-Pueblo) 94
- Dock Kelly (Anderson) 93 now at NAIA school
- Brett Hunter (Chadron State) 88
- Brian Tucker (Seton Hill) 87
- Joey Simcoe (Grand Valley/Tiffin) 79
- Danny Irwin (Wheeling Jesuit/West Liberty) 79
ACTIVE Coaches(D-III)– Top 25 (or so) with at least 150 wins
- Roger Crebs (Lycoming College) 450
- Lonnie Morris (Johnson & Wales) 446
- Ron Beaschler (Ohio Northern Univ.) 391
- Bruce Haberli (New York University) 345
- Dave Mitchell (Luther College) 327
- Tim Fader (Wisc.-Eau Claire/Whitewater/La Crosse) 319
- Martin Nichols (Ithaca College) 313
- Jon Laudenslager (Wilkes University) 290
- John Oostendorp (Coe College) 278
- Jay Jones (Rhode Island College) 274
- Bryan Brunk (Messiah College) 266
- Brad Bruhn (SUNY-Cortland) 236 – retired in 2022
- Dave Malecek (Wisconsin-LaCrosse State) 232
- Sebastian Amato (Trinity College) 228
- Drew Black (Wesleyan Univ.) 227
- Duane Ritter (SUNY Oneonta State) 207
- Jon Egan (Roger Williams) – 193
- Mike Howard (SUNY-Oswego State) 189
- Eric Keller (Wartburg College) – 183
- Jon McGovern (Dubuque University) – 178
- Craig Thurber (Thiel College) – 171
- Jamie Gibbs (Baldwin-Wallace) – 169
- Brian Anderson (Wabash College) – 167
- Joe Galente (College of New Jersey) 158
- Leo Kocher (University of Chicago) 154 – inc. retiring in 2024
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 