Active College Coaches – Top 25 part 1- NAIA, Women’s & Junior College – TDR # 31-82
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
ACTIVE NAIA Coaches – Top 25 with at least 54 wins
- Franky James (Campbellsville) 251
- Mike Machholz (Missouri Valley) 232 – retired in 2022
- Nick Mitchell (Grand View College) 182
- Corey Ruff (Cumberlands/Lindsey-Wilson) 135
- Tyson Thivierge (Montana State Northern) 121
- Omi Acosta (Life University) 109
- Jake Stevenson (Morningside College) 104
- Dana Vote (Doane, Midland, Concordia) 101
- Jeff Bedard (Reinhardt Univ.) 101
- K.C. Rock (Embry-Riddle College) 98
- Thomas Pompei (Indiana Institute of Technology) 96
- Rik Dahl (Northwestern College) — 90
- Joey Martinez (Menlo) — 88
- James Hicks (Cumberland Univ./Darton — 77
- Todd Allen (Williams Baptist Coll., Cumberlands) – 69 – retired in 2022
- Colby Crank (Ottawa College) 68
- Steven Bradley (Marian Univ.) — 66
- Brian Jackson (Missouri Baptist) — 66 inc.
- James Kisgen (McKendree College) — 66 school now in Div. II
- Joe Privitere (Briar Cliff) — 62
- Brandon Jorge (Southeastern) 60
- Lennie Zalesky (Calif. Baptist Univ.) — 55 – now a D-I school
- Beau Vest (Dana-Midland) — 55 – coaching now at another level
- Dustyn Azure (Eastern Oregon) — 54
- Cody Garcia (Baker College) — 54 —coaching now at another level
ACTIVE Women’s Coaches across all divisions – Top 25 with 25 or more wins
- Jason Moorman (King Univ.) 172
- Lee Miracle (Campbellsville) 112
- Donnie Stephens (Univ. of the Cumberlands) 89
- Sam Schmitz (McKendree Univ.) 77 – retired in 2022
- Ashley Sword-Buster (Life University) 73
- Paul Rademacher (Indiana Institute of Tech./South. Oregon) 65
- Brian Jackson (Missouri Baptist) 56 – inc. – retired in 2022
- Aaron Meister (Friends/Wayland Baptist) 55
- Carl Murphree (Missouri Valley College) 52 — inc
- Joe Norton (North Central College) 48
- Nick Goebel (Tiffin Univ.) 44
- Travis Mercado (Colorado Mesa Univ.) 43
- Pauline Biega (Sacred Heart University) 40
- Tony DeAnda (Presbyterian Jamestown) 39 – inc.
- Mahdi Bigdely (Ottawa Univ.) 36
- Joel Gibson (Southern Oregon) 35
- Joey Bareng (Menlo College) 33 – inc. retired in 2022
- Angelo Crinzi (Grand View Univ.) 31
- Devane Dodgens (Brewton-Parker) 30
- Annabel Nieves (East Stroudsburg Univ.) 30
- Cliff Cushard (Adrian College) 29
- Matt Stevens (Oklahoma City Univ.) 29
- Shaunna Isbell Kent (Jamestown) 29
- Bryce Killian (Emmanuel College) 28
- Cole Spree (Indian Hills C.C.-Ceentreeville) 26
- Cody Griswold (Elmira College) 25
ACTIVE Coaches– Top 25 JUCO with at least 22 wins
- Joe Renfro (NE Okla. A&M/Labette, Kan.) 244
- Luke Moffitt (Iowa Central Comm. Coll.) 205
- Josh Rhoden (Clackamas Comm. Coll.) 169 – retired in 2022
- Keith Maute (Niagara County C.C.) 100
- Jim Zeigler (Northwest Wyoming) 100 inc.
- Josh Watts (Iowa Western Comm. Coll.) 90 inc.
- Art Castillo (Western Wyoming) 84 inc.
- Cole Spree (Indian Hills C.C./Ellsworth) 79
- Cody Alesch (Iowa Lakes Comm. Coll) 67
- Dan Loprieno (Harper College) 62 — inc
- Ken Krepley (Pratt Comm. Coll.) 61
- Adam Whitlach (S.Wern Oregon C.C.) 56 inc.
- Greg Papa (Camden County Comm. Coll.) 55 inc.
- Philip Pine (Grays Harbor College) 55 – retired in 2022
- Steve Kelly (North Iowa C.C.) 54
- Justin Signorelli (SUNY-Alfred/SUNY-Ulster) 41
- Beau Vest (Cowley Comm. Coll.) 41
- Paul Schmidt (Nassau Comm. Coll.) 39 inc.
- Chris Leese (Penn State Mont Alto) 38 inc.
- Mike Bammes (Barton Comm. College) 36
- Jeff Vest (Labette Comm. Coll.) 34
- Tim Duggan (Triton C.C.) 32
- John Chillem (Camden Co. C.C.) 28
- Kimball Bastian (Snow College) 23
- Jake Lords (Carl Albert) 22
West Carteret’s Kenley Riley earns All-American
All-American Kenley Riley!
Riley took 7th at the National High School Coaches Association’s Virginia Beach Nationals last weekend. Her record there was 6-2 and becomes the 4th West Carteret wrestler to achieve All-American status. Previous All-Americans are Roy Heverly ’84, Ty Roach ’04, Wood Mancuso ’14. Kenley is the first female wrestler to gain this honor.
College Conference Honors
2023-24 InterMat’s Year-End MAC Awards
The 2023-24 season is in the record books, but before moving on, it’s time to salute the top performers in each conference. Yesterday, we started with the Big 12 conference; now, onto the MAC.
MAC Wrestler of the Year: Anthony Noto (Lock Haven)
This makes for the third consecutive year that Anthony Noto has been honored in our year-end awards. He was named the conference wrestler of the year in 2023, and in 2022, the freshman (newcomer) of the year.
Noto came into the 2023-24 season ranked second in the preseason after a fourth-place finish in 2023. At two points during this year, Noto held the number one spot in the nation. A few weeks after competing in the All-Star Classic, Noto defeated the eventual ACC champion, Jakob Camacho (NC State), who was ranked #1 in the country, at the time.
At the 2024 MAC Championships, Noto used a 13-5 major decision over Blake West to claim his third consecutive conference title. In doing so, Noto became the first Lock Haven wrestler to win three conference championships since 1997. Despite dominating the MAC, Noto was given the 12th seed … more at … Intermatwrestle.com/MAC/2023-24-intermats-year-end-mac-awards
And …
2023-24 InterMat’s Year-End Big Ten Awards
This season we saw a ton of parity. Outside of the Happy Valley dominance, we saw Iowa defeat Nebraska, Nebraska defeat Michigan, and Michigan defeat Iowa. Not to mention how 125-pound wrestlers basically all defeated each other and couldn’t hang on to the top ranking. But with all that, no team shined brighter than Penn State which is why they swept our B1G awards.
B1G Ten Wrestler of the Year: Aaron Brooks (PSU)
What a dominant year for Brooks who capped off his career with a fourth title, an undefeated record and a near 91% bonus rate. In addition to a flawless season that included 11 technical falls, six pins, and three major decisions, Brooks also had a 96.74%-win percentage with just three losses in five years – two of which he avenged during that same season.
But this season was by far his best as he increased his Bonus % by a little over 25%. His only wins that came by regular decision were against Iowa’s Zach Glazier during the dual meet – a win he then impressed up by recording a 19-3 tech fall over in the conference tournament and NC State’s Trent Hidlay in the NCAA finals. … more at … Intermatwrestle.com/BIG-10/2023-24-intermats-year-end-big-ten-awards
And …
2023-24 InterMat’s Year-End SoCon Awards
The 2023-24 season is in the record books, but before moving on, it’s time to salute the top performers in each conference. We’ve already hit on the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 , EIWA , MAC and Pac-12. Let’s finish up with the SoCon!
SoCon Wrestler of the Year: Taye Ghadiali (Campbell)
He got his hand raised 36 times throughout the 2023-24 season, but none was bigger for Taye Ghadiali than when it happened in the NCAA bloodround after a win over #5 Nathan Taylor (Lehigh) the EiWA champion. In doing so, Ghadiali became just the second Campbell wrestler to earn NCAA All-American honors and the first under current head coach Scotti Sentes. Earlier in the tournament, Ghadiali earned wins over both ACC finalists. He would go on to finish eighth in the nation. One of the highlights of the regular season for Ghadiali was a third-place finish at the loaded Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. In six matches, Ghadiali notched wins over four eventual national qualifiers.
Coming into Vegas, Ghadiali started the year 7-0 with bonus points in each of his seven contests – including three falls over eventual NCAA qualifiers. In the SoCon, Ghadiali was head and shoulders above the competition. None of his regular season duals or conference tournament matches went the full seven minutes. That meant that Ghadiali made his fourth SoCon final and captured his third title with little resistance. Ghadiali finished the season with a 36-6 record … more at … Intermatwrestle.com/SoCon/2023-24-intermats-year-end-socon-awards
And …
2023-24 InterMat’s Year-End ACC Awards
The 2023-24 season is in the record books, but before moving on, it’s time to salute the top performers in each conference. We’ve already hit on Big Ten, Big 12 , EIWA and MAC; so now we’re onto the ACC.
ACC Wrestler of the Year: Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech)
The Virginia Tech Hokies got their second-ever NCAA individual championship as Caleb Henson prevailed over the field at 149 lbs in Kansas City. After a controversial ACC finals loss, Henson was saddled with the fourth seed, though he spent a large chunk of the 2023-24 campaign ranked second in the country. That didn’t matter to Henson as he reeled off three straight wins to earn a place in the NCAA semifinals.
In the semifinals, Henson was able to keep the dangerous, top-seeded Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) in check and pulled the slight upset, 1-0. Henson’s mat wrestling made the difference, as he was able to escape and Lovett did not choose bottom. The two had met earlier in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational finals and Lovett prevailed, 4-3. With the win over Lovett, Henson had earned victories over both of the wrestlers who had defeated him this season (He had beaten ACC finals opponent Jackson Arrington in their dual meet).
More importantly, the Lovett win ensured Henson a spot in the national finals, a feat only three wrestlers in Hokie history had accomplished before him. On the raised mat, Henson gave up an early takedown to the explosive Austin Gomez (Michigan) but never wavered. He kept his composure and put Gomez on his back in a sequence that blew open the finals contest. Henson poured it on to the tune of a 15-7 major decision. Not only did Henson make history for his school, but also for his home state. His win made him the first Georgia native to ever win a DI national title. … more at … Intermatwrestle.com/ACC/2023-24-intermats-year-end-acc-awards
And …
Bostic Named Conference Carolinas Men’s Wrestling Scholar Athlete of the Year
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Graduate JaQuez Bostic (Columbia, S.C.) of the Limestone Univeristy men’s wrestling team has been named Conference Carolinas Winter Scholar-Athelete of the Year as announced by the conference on Wednesday, April 3.
Bostic put together a solid run on his way to third place after picking up a win in the second round over Mount Olive’s Colby Teague. After falling in the third round, Bostic came back strong in the elimination bracket, taking a 2-1 decision over Dickey from UNC Pembroke. In the third-place bout, Bostic battled out a 4-2 decision over Kyler Pickard of Belmont Abbey.
The Scholar-Athlete awards Presented by Hudl are awarded annually to one individual in each Conference Carolinas sponsored sport. The Scholar-Athlete of the Year winners are chosen by the Conference Carolinas Student-Athlete Affairs and Awards Committee. To be considered, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.25 or higher. … more at … GOlimestonesaints.com/Bostic-named-conference-carolinas-mens-wrestling-scholar-athlete-of-the-year
At least eight Buffalo wrestlers enter transfer portal following head coach’s sudden exit
The list of transfers includes Nick Stampoulos and Sam Mitchell, who wrestled at the NCAA Championships
At least eight UB wrestlers have announced that they’ve entered the transfer portal in the five days since UB Athletics announced that wrestling head coach John Stutzman would not be returning for the 2024-25 season.
The list of transfers includes Nick Stampoulos and Sam Mitchell, who competed at the NCAA championships. Mitchell advanced to the second round, according to NCAA results. “Coach Stutz I will never forget all you have done for me. Hard work is not appreciated anymore, they will never understand the passion we have for the sport,” Stampoulos said in an Instagram post announcing his entrance into the transfer portal. “I am beyond grateful for all the opportunity to compete this year.”
At least three freshmen — Max Elton, Sam Ewing and Zach Evans — also announced they would be entering the portal. … more at … UBspectrum.com/Wrestlers-transfer-portal-john-stutzman
2024 D3WRESTLE.COM COACH OF THE YEAR
The 2024 d3wrestle.com Coach of the Year is Tim Fader of UW-Eau Claire. Fader coached the Blugolds to the best season in the 64-year history of the program in 2023-2024. UW-Eau Claire had a school-record four All-Americans at this year’s NCAA Championships on the way to a 5th place team finish. Jared Stricker became the second NCAA champion in school history and the first since 2006.
During the regular season, UW-Eau Claire won 19 duals, the highest in school history. The team also tied with UW-La Crosse for the team title at the WIAC Championships, giving UW-Eau Claire its first ever conference championship in wrestling. Three Blugolds won WIAC titles at the event. Stricker was named Co-Wrestler of the Year in the conference and also set the career wins record at UW-Eau Claire.
The 2023-2024 season was Fader’s ninth in Eau Claire. Previously, he had been the head coach for ten years at UW-Whitewater and six years at UW-La Crosse. … more at … D3wrestle.com/2024-d3wrestle-com-coach-of-the-year
College Coaching Marks – TDR # 31 – 81
We all seem to be fascinated with round numbers or maybe just the O.C.D. parts of our minds that recognize when someone achieves a round number of victories. Se the following are some of the notable marks achieved in the past season.
Coach that passed 450 wins
Roger Crebs (Lycoming College) D-III
Coaches passing the 300th dual meet victory
Martin Nichols of Ithaca College – III
Tim Fader of Wisconsin-Eau Claire – III
Coaches passing 250th dual victory
Franky James (Campbellsville) – NAIA/I
Joel Greenlee (Ohio Univ.) – D-I
Coaches passing the 200th dual meet victory mark
Luke Moffitt (Iowa Central Comm. College)
Heath Grimm (Upper Iowa Univ.) – D-II
Duane Ritter (SUNY-Oneonta) – D-III
Jim Andrassy (Kent State) D-I
Coaches passing the 150th dual meet victory mark
Joe Galente (The College of New Jersey) – III
Leo Kocher (Chicago Univ.) – III (yet incomplete totals here)
Jamie Gibbs (Baldwin-Wallace College) III (150th D-III win, not overall)
Steve Marianetti (Elmhurst) – III
College Coaches who reached their 100th dual meet victory
Lee Miracle (Campbellsville – NAIA-Women’s)
Omi Acosta (Life University) – NAIA
Jake Stevenson (Morningside) – NAIA
Jeff Bedard (Reinhardt) – NAIA
Bill Schindel (Adrian College) -III
Nathan Searer (Washington & Lee) – III
Scott Legacy (Vermont-Castleton) – III
If we missed someone or some Mark please let us know.
TDR Top 12 Team Plaques – TDR # 31 – 80
The plaques for wrestlers at Corinth-Holders, Ayden-Grifton, Jacksonville and Swansboro have been mailed out. The only ones that have not been sent are for wrestlers from North East Carolina Prep and Tarboro High. They will be presented before the NECP at Tarboro baseball game on April 16th. We appreciate coaches and wrestlers letting us know when they arrive at their school.
College Coaching Promotions & changes
Two-Time National Champion Matt Valenti C’07 To Succeed Roger Reina C’84 As Penn Head Wrestling Coach in 2025-26
PHILADELPHIA – The torch is being passed from Penn wrestling’s all-time winningest coach to its all-time winningest student-athlete. Two-time NCAA wrestling champion and Penn Athletics Hall of Famer Matt Valenti C’07 will return to coaching effective immediately as associate head coach and will succeed Roger Reina C’84 as the program’s head coach on April 1, 2025. Reina will remain the head coach in 2024-25, culminating in Penn’s co-hosting of the NCAA Wrestling Championships at the Wells Fargo Center, and will serve as head coach emeritus for his final year of coaching in 2025-26. “I am absolutely thrilled for Matt, Roger and our wrestling program that we were able to successfully and thoughtfully plan for this leadership transition,” Alanna Shanahan, the T. Gibbs Kane, Jr. W’69 Director of Athletics and Recreation said. “The opportunity for these two alumni to work together for two years will be powerful and impactful for our student-athletes.”
Valenti is the program’s career leader in wins (137) and won NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007 at 133 pounds. He was a three-time NCAA All-American, a three-time EIWA champion, three-time first-team All-Ivy selection and the 2007 Ivy League Wrestler of the Year. Valenti was inducted into the Penn Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017 and the EIWA Hall of Fame in 2014. “Matt’s incredible success as a student-athlete at Penn was worthy of induction into our Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility,” Shanahan said. “That athletic background, combined with his prior coaching experience at Penn, strong ties to the alumni and campus community, and robust administrative experience in student-athlete success, mental health and as our admissions liaison made him the ideal choice to succeed Roger and lead the Penn wrestling program. Matt has been successful during every stage of his career and I’m confident his return to the coaching ranks will benefit our current and future student-athletes in competition, in the classroom and in the community.” “As a proud alumnus, it is a tremendous honor to step into a leadership role with the Penn wrestling program,” Valenti said. “Roger’s legacy is unparalleled, and I am committed to continuing and enhancing the tradition of excellence that he has cultivated through the years. Together with the Penn wrestling team, alumni, staff, and community, I look forward to forging a path of continued success both on and off the mat.” “This thoughtful transition will enable our Penn wrestlers, families, staff and alumni to work together over the next two years to effectively navigate the change and empower the successful future of Penn wrestling. Our community is committed to a lasting legacy of excellence,” Reina said. “I am excited to begin working with Matt along with our staff in the continued pursuit of our goals.” … story at … Pennathletics.com/Two-time-national-champion-matt-valenti–to-succeed-roger-reina-as-penn-head-wrestling-coach-in-2025-26
And …
Shaun Lally Named Inaugural Head Men’s & Women’s Wrestling Coach
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Director of Athletics Troy Tucker has announced that Shaun Lally has been named the inaugural Head Men’s & Women’s Wrestling Coach at Northampton, effective April 2, 2024. “Coach Lally’s experience, not only at the college level, but in the Lehigh Valley, really resonated with the committee,” remarked Tucker, “he has shown the ability to recruit on the college level and his teams had success not only on the mat, but in the classroom as well.”
A former head coach at the Junior High, High School, Club, NCWA (National Collegiate Wrestling Association), and NCAA levels, Lally’s programs have won various awards for marketing, branding, fundraising and academics. Lally is one of only a handful of college coaches to attend all three of the National Wrestling Coaching Association’s (NWCA) Leadership Academies; Men’s Collegiate, Women’s Collegiate, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). A USA Wrestling bronze-certified coach, Lally attended the first-ever Women’s Leadership Academy at Lock Haven University in 2013. He went on to coach two women’s wrestlers who were National Qualifiers in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) in 2013-2014. From 2012-2017, Lally coached 12 collegiate national qualifiers and 7 Academic All-Americans.
In 2014, Coach Lally led a resurgence at nearby Muhlenberg College. The Mules, a NCAA Division III team, finished 4-9 overall in his first season, doubling the program win total from the five previous years combined (2-60). In addition, they broke a 37-match losing streak in the Centennial Conference … story at … NCCspartans.com/2024-25-shaun-lally-named-inaugural-head-mens-womens-wrestling-coach
And …
Pine resigns after successful run at head of Grays Harbor College women’s wrestling program
After a highly-successful reign leading one of the top junior college women’s wrestling programs in the nation, Grays Harbor head coach Kevin Pine has decided to step down. Pine, who has been the Chokers women’s wrestling head coach since 2019 and is coming off a National Collegiate Wrestling Association national championship, tendered his resignation on Monday. “It’s time to move on,” Pine said. “I have a few month left of my term as (Grays Harbor County) Commissioner. This is going to be an opportunity to focus on that. … This will free up some of my free time and I can devote that toward being a good public servant for my community.” Pine’s resignation ends a prolifically successful era for the GHC women’s wrestling program.
Under Pine’s tutelage, the Chokers have had a long list of accomplishments. Over the past five seasons, GHC has earned 40 NCWA All-American honors, eight USA Wrestling medals at the prestigious World Team Trials, five top-three NCWA national team finishes, a Collegiate Cup victory in 2023 and the NCWA women’s national championship this past season. “I’ve been real fortunate to be able to recruit some of the kids we’ve got to come here,” Pine said. “We were doing something right. We had kids that would come here and, for the most part, everybody stayed for two years.” … story at … Pine-resigns-after-successful-run-at-head-of-grays-harbor-college-womens-wrestling-program
Michael Childs Named Head Women’s Wrestling Coach
GLENSIDE – The Arcadia University Department of Athletics and Recreation has announced the hiring of Michael Childs as the first head women’s wrestling coach in program history. Childs will begin his duties at Arcadia on April 8th as he prepares for the program’s first season of competition in 2025-26. “I am tremendously excited and thankful for the opportunity to lead a new women’s wrestling program at a wonderful institution like Arcadia University,” Childs explained. “I’m grateful to the hiring committee at Arcadia for their thoughtfulness throughout the interview process. There was a unique kindness and respect all through my interactions that made me feel comfortable and incredibly excited to begin this journey.”
Childs comes to Arcadia after serving as an assistant men’s wrestling coach for five seasons and an assistant women’s wrestling coach for two seasons at Ursinus College. While with the Bears, Childs assisted in practice planning, helped teach technique, and assisted with match day preparation. Childs also assisted in recruiting, video analysis, and goal setting/action steps. “Coach Childs is a very accomplished wrestler and has an extensive background as a wrestling coach at the collegiate level,” Executive Director of Athletics Brian Granata said. “He is uniquely positioned to leverage his network of coaches and various connections to develop our women’s wrestling program and help it be successful in short order. We are excited to welcome him into our Arcadia Athletics community and look forward to seeing him executive his vision for our program.”
Prior to his time at Ursinus, Childs gained experience as an assistant coach at Division I Franklin & Marshall from 2012-2015, helping coach the first All-American for the Diplomats in 32 years. Childs gained his first collegiate coaching experience at Division I Davidson for two seasons. Childs began his coaching career at numerous Philadelphia-area high schools before transitioning to the collegiate level. … story at … Arcadiaknights.com/Michael-childs-named-head-womens-wrestling-coach
And …
Frank resigns as Gettysburg head wrestling coach
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Gino Frank, who has served 17 years on the Gettysburg wrestling coaching staff and last four as head coach, has stepped down from his position.
Frank was instrumental in guiding the Bullets through a head coaching transition in the midst of the pandemic. “I want to thank Gino for his 17 years of energy, effort, and dedication to the wrestling program,” Executive Director of Athletics Mike Mattia said. “He has had a positive impact on a generation of Gettysburg wrestlers, and he certainly left his mark on the program. I wish him nothing but the best.” In his 17 years on staff, he helped Gettysburg produce four All-Americans, 12 national qualifiers, 23 Scholar All-Americans, 11 Centennial Conference (CC) champions and 61 conference placewinners. In his first season leading the way in the corner, he mentored the CC Most Outstanding Wrestler Eric Mougalian, who captured the individual crown at 149. That same year, Luke Kowalski claimed Rookie of the Year honors and has since gone on to win conference titles the last two seasons at 133 in 2023 and 141 in 2024 under Frank’s tutelage. Kowalski’s 2023 crown earned him Most Outstanding Performer honors, making it back-to-back winners for the Bullets. He went on to finish third at the regional meet and seventh at the national championship to become the program’s first All-American since 2016 and first under 157 pounds in 44 years. Prior to Gettysburg, … story at … Gettysburgsports.com/Frank-resigns-as-gettysburg-head-wrestling-coach
And …
Alnutt Announces Change in Leadership of Wrestling Program
BUFFALO, NY – University at Buffalo Vice President and Director of Athletics Mark Alnutt announced today that John Stutzman will not be returning as head wrestling coach next season. “I want to thank Coach Stutzman for his dedication and service to the UB wrestling program for the last 11 years. While his tenure was marked with many highlights and accomplishments, after much discussion and thorough evaluation of our program, at this time, I believe a fresh start will move the program forward. We wish John and his family nothing but the best in the future.” … more at … UBbulls.com/Alnutt-announces-change-in-leadership-of-wrestling-program
Top 40 All-Time Women’s College Coaches – TDR # 31 – 79
The coaches are ranked by the number of dual meet wins while they were a head coach of a Women’s College Team in any division. Totals include matches from the 2023-2024 season.
ALL-TIME Women’s Coaches– Top 40 with 15 or more wins
- Jason Moorman (King Univ.) 172 (9)
- Archie Randall (Oklahoma City Univ.) 160
- Lee Miracle (Campbellsville) 112 (13)
- Donnie Stephens (Univ. of Cumberlands) 89 (11)
- Sam Schmitz (McKendree Univ.) 77
- Link Davis (Emmanuel College) 74
- Ashley Sword-Buster (Life University) 73 (23)
- Paul Rademacher (Indiana Inst. Of Tech./South. Oregon St.) 65 (17)
- Aaron Meister (Friends/Wayland Baptist Coll.,) 55 (2)
- Brian Jackson (Missouri Baptist) 54 – inc.
- Carl Murphree (Missouri Valley College) 52 – inc. (5)
- Joe Norton (North Central College) 48 (13)
- Nick Goebel (Tiffin University) 44 (14)
- Travis Mercado (Colorado Mesa Univ.) 43 (11)
- Paulina Biega (Sacred Heart University) 40 (17)
- Lee Dale Allen (Menlo Colleg) 40
- Tony DeAnda (Northern Michigan/ Jamestown) 39 (2)
- Mahdi Bigdely (Ottawa Univ.) 36 (11)
- Joel Gibson (Southern Oregon State) 35 (10)
- Joey Bareng (Menlo College) 33
- Angelo Crinzi (Grand View University) 31 (13)
- Devane Dodgens (Brewton-Parker College) 30 (3)
- Anibal Nievas (East Stroudsburg State) 30 (13)
- Matt Stevens (Oklahoma City University) 29 (12)
- Shaunna Isbell Kent (Jamestown) 29 (10)
- Cliff Cushard (Adrian College) 29 (4)
- Bryce Killian (Emmanuel Coll.) 28 (13)
- Cole Spree (Indian Hills Comm. Coll.) 26 (9)
- Cody Griswold (Elmira College) 25 (10)
- Johnny Cobb (Wayland Baptist College) 25
- Tucker Black (William Penn) 23 (9)
- Kirwyn Adderley (Missouri Baptist) 22 (9)
- David Mathews (Life University) 22
- Brieanna Delgado (Central Methodist Coll) 21 (3)
- Chuck Kearney (Univ. of Saint Mary) 20 (6)
- Breonnah Neal (Gannon Un./Ferrum Coll.) 19 (2)
- Beau Vest (Midland Lutheran) 17
- Dany DeAnda (Presbyterian University) 16
- Kevin Corbett (Lyon College) 16
- Craig Jaxkson (Umpqua Comm. Coll.) 15 inc. (0)
- Jake Short (Augsburg College) 15 (1)
Women’s Wrestling News – Apr. 7th
2023-2024 Women’s College Commitment List
A running list of current college commitments for girls’ high school wrestlers.
Mar 30, 2024 by Kyle Klingman
Below is a partial — but not complete — commitment list of current high school wrestlers and colleges they plan to attend along with an approximate college weight. There are thousands of high school wrestlers and over 150 women’s college wrestling programs (NAIA, NJCAA, and NCAA D1, D2, and D3), so this is an ongoing list. Contact Kyle Klingman at kyle.klingman@flosports.tv to add your wrestler to the list. … story at … Flowrestling.org/2024-womens-college-commitment-list
And …
The NCAA Women’s Freestyle Transfer Portal Is Open
Look at the NCAA women’s freestyle wrestlers who have entered the transfer portal.
Apr 6, 2024 by Kyle Klingman
Keep of the NCAA women’s freestyle wrestlers entering the transfer portal, and where they transfer to. Email kyle.klingman@flosports.tv if someone is missing or needs to be added.
2024 NCAA D1 Wrestling Off-Season Transfer Tracker
| Wrestler | Date Entered | Transferring From | Division |
| Janida Garcia | 4/5/2024 | Tiffin | II |
| Cindy Zepeda | 4/4/2024 | Menlo | II |
| Samantha Barragan | 4/4/2024 | Menlo | II |
| Samantha Miller | 3/28/2024 | Mount Olive | II |
And …
Clearwater high school student rewriting narrative for women in wrestling
Cerenity Whiting is an honors student and state champion who only started wrestling three years ago.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Stepping onto the wrestling mat, Cerenity Whiting is a trailblazer who’s rewriting the rules. In a sport where muscle meets grit, the Countryside High School student-athlete has shattered expectations.
She’s just a junior in high school and has only been wrestling for a couple of years, but she’s already a state champion and she got her eyes set on even bigger goals. As we celebrate Women’s History Month – it’s important to remember history isn’t just in the past, but it’s being written right now on the wrestling mat.
Cerenity Whiting is not just a wrestler, she’s a trailblazer, as both an honors student and state champion. “I just needed to stay humble, try my best and I knew I would win,” she said. When she stepped onto the mat three years ago, Whiting said she didn’t even know how to execute a headlock. “I used to watch a lot off WWE when I was younger and when I got to high school, I saw they had a wrestling program and thought it be fun,” she said.
But in that short span of time her coach, Joe Logano, said he watched her transform her skills and take the sport by storm. “She kept grinding and kept grinding and stuck to the process, listened to her coaches, followed the plan and it all worked out” Logano said. Whiting said wrestling became her sanctuary, a place where she could grapple with life’s challenges both on and off the mat. … story at … WTSP.com/Student-athlete-clearwater-wrestling-women-champion
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Area grapplers growing girls wrestling
Seven local girls qualified for state tournament
COLUMBUS — For the second straight year, the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) sponsored the girls state wrestling tournament, hosting the event at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, where it ran simultaneously with the 87th annual boys tournament.
Ohio is just one of several states to recently give its stamp of approval on girls wrestling, which has become one of the fastest-growing sports in the country. The National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) said in September that high school girls wrestling participants had increased by 55% year-over-year and had multiplied by nearly five times in the last decade.
“It almost feels like it’s doubling every year. When we started, we’d see pretty much the same girls all the time,” Howland assistant wrestling coach Mike Burns said. “It’s pretty wild to see where it’s going. It’s just going to continue to grow more, and more people are going to come here and learn about it. It’s just gonna keep growing to be as big as the boys here.”
Sloane McNally, a state qualifier in the 105-pound girls division from Boardman, said she has personally seen the expansion of girls wrestling. “It’s changed a lot. We went from having almost no girls — maybe like a couple girls in your weight class, if you were lucky — to [a point that] we had to add a pre-regionals just to qualify for state, so it’s changed a lot. It’s grown a lot,” McNally said.
When Boardman head coach Hadi Hadi began coaching more than 30 years ago, girls wrestled, but there just weren’t very many of them. With no girls-only division or tournaments, many shied away from the sport due to the inevitability of wrestling boys. … story at … Tribtoday.com/Area-grapplers-growing-girls-wrestling
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Tinley Park state champ Jade Hardee keeps wrestling success ‘going to girls’
Tinley Park Bulldogs boys youth wrestling coach Mickey Griffin is stepping down after 15 years of helping produce some of the top wrestlers in the area and state. He never imagined that his final state champion would be a girl. Eighth grader Jade Hardee is such a special wrestler that in January he had her working out with the Bulldogs boys team and joined Bulldogs girls coach Jamie Ruggio Hubbard in overseeing Hardee’s development. Hardee became the first person from Tinley Park to win an Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation girls state championship when she won the 93-pound division March 9 at the BMO Center in Rockford, needing just 42 seconds to pin her opponent in the title match.
It was a big accomplishment, but Hardee was not jumping around and going crazy after the referee’s hand smacked the mat. “I was pretty cool about it, I didn’t do any of that stuff,” Hardee said. “I’m the type where if I could have done a little better in a match, I’m a little bit harder on myself. But then the next time I know to give it my all.” … story at … Chicagotribune.com/Tinley-park-state-champ-jade-hardee-keeps-wrestling-success-going-to-girls
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Prendergast avenges loss, wins historic state title
GREENSBORO — The only time South Brunswick senior wrestler Lillian Prendergast was on her back this season was when dad and coach, David, fell on top of her while celebrating her championship Saturday in the state championships. Prendergast won the 100-pound title in the first girls wrestling state tournament sanctioned by the N.C. High School Athletic Association. The girls — in one classification — wrestled on one mat in the center of the cavernous Greensboro Coliseum at the same time the boys wrestled on four mats — for four classifications — beside the center mat. The Coliseum was nearly a sellout. The significance of the event meant as much to Lillian as her championship. “It’s definitely amazing to see,” she said. “I remember going to tournaments, before I got to high school, seeing one or two girls in a tournament. There wasn’t very much out there. My brother wrestled a girl here at the state tournament in 2011, when it was basically unheard of to hear a girl wrestle. “So to see the growth and the amount of people that have come out, that have done it, even though it is one of the most uncomfortable sports, it’s great to see the passion that a lot of these girls are getting from it. You have your few wrestlers at the top and you have your younger girls — they go out and get beat but they’re still coming back, they’re still coming to practice and they’re still competing.”
Lillian’s mom, Shawna, was the scorekeeper at Lillian’s high school matches. Shawna, too, was thrilled by the state event. “I think the thing that excited me the most,” she said, … story at … https://stateportpilot.com/sports/article_42c0cca8-d0f3-11ee-8539-ffc4beaa36c4.html
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Girls are falling in love with wrestling, the nation’s fastest-growing high school sport
MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (AP) — Jody Mikhail was a sophomore at Pennsylvania’s Cumberland Valley High School when a poster for a new girls’ wrestling club caught her eye. So Mikhail, a senior now, tried the sport. “I fell in love with it the first time,” she said.
Unlike previous generations, she’s hardly alone.
Girls’ wrestling has become the fastest-growing high school sport in the country, sanctioned by a surging number of states and bolstered by a movement of medal-winning female wrestlers, parents and the male-dominated ranks of coaches and administrators who saw it as a necessity and a matter of equality. Where once girls wrestled on boys teams and against boys, increasingly they are wrestling on girls teams and against girls. And now that they are wrestling in sanctioned and official tournaments against girls, their names are going onto plaques on their high schools’ walls and into state record books.
This year, Kentucky, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania held their first state-sanctioned girls’ wrestling championships, while Louisiana became the 45th state to sanction the sport. At the collegiate level, women’s wrestling is designated as an “emerging” sport and is on track to become a championship-level sport in 2026, the NCAA said.
A rapidly growing sport
In Pennsylvania — where the Penn State men are ranked No. 1 and the state’s male and female wrestlers dominated last year’s 16-and-under national team championships — the number of girl wrestlers in high schools nearly doubled this year as the state rocketed to more than 180 high school teams from none in 2020.
Hundreds of girls competed in Pennsylvania’s first sanctioned state tournament, including Mikhail, after years of girls having no choice but to wrestle boys or, if they did wrestle girls, seeing the same handful of faces, year after year, in tournaments organized by local wrestling organizations.
Even for girls who compete nationally or hope to wrestle in college, wrestling in state-sanctioned tournaments brings status. “It really does bring this level of, I think, having these girls feel seen,” said Brooke Zumas, a former wrestling coach who was active in the movement to get the sport sanctioned in Pennsylvania.
Girls who have competed for years are seeing new faces and big crowds in this year’s state-sanctioned championship tournaments. … more at … APnews.com/Wrestling-girls-high-school
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 