NCAA Division III Championships – 2024
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! Auggies win 15th men’s wrestling title
LIVE RESULTS/BRACKETS (TRACKWRESTLING.COM)
AUGSBURG NATIONAL TOURNAMENT PAGE
LA CROSSE, Wis. — With two individuals winning national titles and six earning All-American honors, the Augsburg University men’s wrestling team claimed its record-tying 15th NCAA Division III national title, and second in a row, at the national tournament at the La Crosse Center on Saturday.
THE BASICS
TOP 10 TEAM SCORES: 1. Augsburg (Minn.) 95.0; 2. Wartburg (Iowa) 87.5; 3. Wisconsin-La Crosse 82.5; 4. Johnson & Wales (R.I.) 76.0; 5. Wisconsin-Eau Claire 69.0; 6. Baldwin-Wallace (Ohio) 61.5; 7. U.S. Coast Guard Academy (Conn.) 52.5; 8. North Central (Ill.) 42.5; 9. The College of New Jersey 37.0; 10. Loras (Iowa) 34.0.
LOCATION: La Crosse Center, La Crosse, Wis.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Augsburg won the national title with 95.0 points, bettering second-place Wartburg (Iowa) with 87.5 points and third-place Wisconsin-La Crosse with 82.5 points. The lead shifted back and forth between the three schools throughout the day on Saturday, with the Auggies clinching the crown after the first of its two individual titles in the evening session.
• With its 15th national title, Augsburg has now tied Wartburg for the most NCAA Division III men’s wrestling team titles in tournament history. It’s the first time Augsburg has claimed back-to-back national titles since the 2000-02 championships and 1997 and 1998 championships.
• Top-seeded 184-pounder Bentley Schwanebeck-Ostermann (SR, Loyal, Wis./Marshfield HS) claimed his first national title in dramatic fashion, with his third technical fall win of the tournament, … story at … Augsburg.edu/news/2024/3/16/mwr021624
And …
Men’s Wrestling takes second at NCAA Championships
LA CROSSE, Wis.– The Wartburg men’s wrestling team placed second at the NCAA Championships with 87.5 points.
Semifinals
133: Jaden Hinton (Baldwin Wallace) win by 9-6 dec vs. Joe Pins (WB)
149: Tyler Goebel (UW-La Crosse) win by 4-1 dec vs. Charlie Dojan (WB)
174: Zane Mulder (WB) win by 7-0 dec vs. Zeb Gnida (Loras)
197: Massoma Endene (WB) win by 9-4 dec vs. Montgomery Mills (Westminster) … story and notes at … GOknights.net/Wrestling-at-ncaa-championships-saturday
And …
UWL Places Third at NCAA III Championships; Hertel Wins Title; Four Other All-Americas
Team Scores
Brackets
La Crosse, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse wrestling team placed third at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championships Saturday night at the La Crosse Center. The Eagles finished with 82.5 team points while Augsburg University (Minn.) won the team title with 95.0. Wartburg College (Iowa) was second with 87.5 and Johnson & Wales University (R.I.) fourth with 76.0. UW-Eau Claire was fifth (69.0) and Baldwin-Wallace University (Ohio) sixth with 61.5. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy was seventh (52.5) followed by North Central College (Ill.) eighth (42.5), The College of New Jersey ninth (37.0) and Loras College (Iowa) 10th (34.0). A total of 55 teams scored points. UWL now has 24 top-10 finishes at the NCAA III Championships since joining the NCAA III in 1992, … story at … UWLathletics.com/2024/3/16/wrestling
And …
JWU Wildcats place fourth at National Championship
Fry captures second-straight crown at 125 lbs.
LA CROSSE, Wis. – The JWU (Providence) wrestling team placed fourth at the 2024 NCAA Division III Wrestling National Championship Saturday night at the La Crosse Center in Wisconsin.
The Wildcats finished the event with 76 points, which was behind national champion Augsburg (91.0 points), Wartburg (87.5), and Wis.-La Crosse (82.5). As a result, they will bring home a trophy for the third time in program history (2017 – fourth place; 2019 – third-place) and remain the only program in New England to have carried home hardware from a national championship.
Complete Results
Two JWU student-athletes – graduate student Ryan DeVivo (184 lbs.) and junior Joziah Fry (125 lbs.) – advanced to the finals of their respective bracket. Fry left ‘The Badger State’ with his second-consecutive national championship following an 18-8 major decision win while DeVivo fell 19-2 in his match. Fry open the national semifinals with a 19-4 tech fall … story at … JWUathletics.com/Wildcats-place-fourth-at-national-championship
And …
Augsburg wins 15th NCAA Div. III Nationals team title, as Schwanebeck-Ostermann and Kim are champions
Mar. 16, 2024, 11:39 PM (ET) by Jon Gremmels, Special to TheMat.com
LA CROSSE, Wis. — A pair of seventh-place finishes put Augsburg in position to repeat as NCAA Division III national champion, and Bentley Schwanebeck-Ostermann sewed it up in dominating fashion. Schwanebeck-Ostermann sealed Augsburg’s 15th national title, continuing a season of domination with a 19-2 technical fall victory against Ryan DeVivo of Johnson & Wales in the final at 184 pounds Saturday night in the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships at the La Crosse Center. “Winning with your team is way better than by yourself,” Schwanebeck-Ostermann said, comparing the titles. “Just having that whole team with you there, and we’re all champs, that’s what really matters.”
Tyler Kim added a second individual title for the Auggies at 285 pounds to give them a team total of 95 points and tying them with Wartburg for the all-time lead in team championships. Wartburg was second with 87, followed by Wisconsin-La Crosse (82), Johnson & Wales (76) and Wisconsin-Eau Claire (69). After an up-and-down day that saw La Crosse vault into the lead … story at … Themat.com/Augsburg-wins-15th-ncaa-div-iii-nationals-team-title
And …
Furious Finish Lifts Augsburg To Top Of Dramatic NCAA D3 Wrestling Race
Augsburg won its final six matches to pass Wartburg and UW-La Crosse, securing its second straight national title and 15th in program history.
Mar 16, 2024 by Andy Hamilton
There was a moment Saturday afternoon when it appeared three decades of Division III dominance might come to an end with another school poised to hoist the national title trophy for the first time. Wisconsin-La Crosse won all four of its semifinal matches and rocketed past perennial powers Augsburg and Wartburg and into the lead at the NCAA Division III Championships.
But in the end — just as it’s been every year since 1995 — it came down to The Burgs. Augsburg won its final six matches of the tournament and picked up two pins and a technical fall along the way to secure its second straight national title and 15th in program history.
The Auggies locked up the team race when Bentley Schwanebeck-Ostermann notched a technical fall in the 184-pound title bout and heavyweight Tyler Kim a title of his own to help Augsburg finish the tournament with 95 points — 7.5 more than second-place Wartburg. UW-La Crosse finished third with 82.5 points. Wartburg and La Crosse each entered the finals with a path to a team title, … story at … Flowrestling.org/Furious-finish-lifts-augsburg-to-top-of-dramatic-ncaa-d3-wrestling-race
2024 EIWA Championship Finals Recap
By Austin Sommer
The 120th EIWA Championships has concluded and the team scoring was as close as it’s been in awhile. The 2024 EIWA Team Championship was won by Cornell University with 164.5 team points, three champions, and nine NCAA qualifiers. In second place was Lehigh with 159.5 points, four champions, and eight NCAA qualifiers.
Finishing in the top-three as a team was Army West Point with 95.5 points and six NCAA qualifiers. Columbia and Penn tied for fourth place with 90.5 each. Columbia had two champions and will qualify three wrestlers to NCAAs. Penn did not have any champions, but qualified five wrestlers to NCAAs.
For all results, see link here 2024 EIWA Results
Key Takeaways:
Lehigh crowned four individual champs, Cornell finished with three, Columbia with two, and Navy with one champion.
Anthony D’Alesio becomes LIU’s first NCAA D1 qualifier in school history
Ryan Crookham was named Outstanding Wrestler after winning 133lbs title
Kevin Ward of Army West Point ws voted EIWA Coach of the Year
Michael Joyce is Brown’s first NCAA qualifier since 2019
Julian Ramirez of Cornell is the lone repeat champion
125 (5 Automatic Bids – NCAA qualifiers in bold at all weights below)
The top two seeds met in the finals. Lehigh’s Luke Stanich proved why he was the top seed with a 6-0 win over Cornell’s Ungar. Stanich widened the gap from their previous meeting in January. Army’s Berginc took out Brown’s Joyce 5-3 for third. Max Gallagher of Penn won via medical forfeit ovr Sotelo of Harvard. Some ranked wrestlers looking for an at-large bid include Sotelo of Harvard, who had to medically forfeit to 6th place. The other is American’s Jack Maida. He placed 8th after medically forfeiting both matches on day 2.
1st – Luke Stanich (Lehigh) DEC Brett Ungar (Cornell), 6-0
3rd – Ethan Berginc (Army West Point) DEC Mike Joyce (Brown), 5-3
5th – Max Gallagher (Pennsylvania) M FOR Diego Sotelo (Harvard), 0-0 0:00
7th – Robert Sagaris (Long Island University) M FOR Jack Maida (American), 0-0 0:00
133 (5 Automatic Bids)
The top two seeds were in the finals here also. This was one of the most anticipated match-ups in the entire country – and it lived up to the hype. Crookham scored a takedown with under 30-seconds left to secure the win. Braden Basile of Army kept the momentum rolling for him and the team, with another 3rd place finish for the Black Knights. In a winner-take-all bout for 5th place, American’s Max Leete won a thrilling match in tiebreakers over Sacred Heart’s Andrew Fallon. To add to the drama, Fallon was a teammate with Leete at American before transferring to Sacred Heart. There are a few ranked wrestlers who failed to place at 133 looking for an at-large selection. Michael Colaiocco of Penn and Mason Leiphart of Franklin & Marshall fall into this category. Micah Roes of Binghamton earned 7th place, and will be on the bubble to earn an at-large bid.
1st – Ryan Crookham (Lehigh) DEC Vito Arujau (Cornell), 10-6
3rd – Braden Basile (Army West Point) DEC Kurt Phipps (Bucknell), 9-3
5th – Maximilian Leete (American) DEC Andrew Fallon (Sacred Heart), 2-2 TB2 … story at … EIWAwrestling.org/sports/wrest/2023-24/releases
And …
The Six Biggest Storylines At The 2024 EIWA Championships
A breakdown of the biggest storylines heading into the 2024 EIWA Championships set to go down March 8-9 in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.
Mar 5, 2024 by Jon Kozak
The 2024 EIWA Championships are set to go down March 8-9 and will feature some of the nation’s top wrestlers with over 50 NCAA qualifying spots on the line. This event will be live-streamed only on FloWrestling but before it begins, check out the below article to get a breakdown of the biggest storylines leading into the EIWA Championships.
2024 EIWA Championship
More Content for the 2024 EIWA Championships
Schedule | Seeds | Crookham vs Arujau Preview
Who Wins The Ryan Crookham vs Vito Arujau Rematch?
We took a deep dive into the potential rematch between Crookham and Arujau in this article, but it’s worth highlighting it here because it is the biggest potential match that could go down at EIWAs (or any conference). Crookham took the college wrestling world by surprise when he defeated world and NCAA champion Arujau in the second week of the college season. However, almost immediately after the match, the popular opinion was that Arujau would win in the rematch.
Since then, Crookham has proven throughout the season that the win over Arujau may not have been the fluke most thought. He’s currently 15-0 on the season with notable wins over Connor McGonagle, Vince Santaniello, Aaron Nagao, and Michael Colaiocco. On the other side of things, Arujau took about a month off the mat after the loss to Crookham but has rattled off 8 straight wins and looks to be rounding back into last season’s championship form. I expect the potential final match between Arujau and Crookham to be highly competitive and one of the best matches of the entire weekend. … story at … Flowrestling.org/6-biggest-storylines-at-the-2024-eiwa-championships
North Carolina State Wrestling News
NC State Carrying Momentum From Record ACC Showing Into NCAA Championships
North Carolina State is rolling into the NCAA Wrestling Championships after a record-setting performance last weekend at the ACC Championships.
Mar 16, 2024 by Brian Reinhardt
March Matness is upon us, every college wrestling fan’s favorite time of the year. The NC State wrestling team closed out one tournament with another ACC trophy, and now the Wolfpack focuses on earning more hardware at the 2024 NCAA Championships.
The Pack is coming off an ACC Championships performance to remember. NC State captured its sixth straight ACC title, with seven individual championships – both school records. The Pack also scored 116 team points, the most in school history and the most at the conference meet since Virginia had 117 points in 1974, and the 29.5 margin of victory over second-place Virginia Tech (116-86.5) was the most at the ACC Championship since 2017. “It was not an easy task by any means with the development and improvement of this conference,” NC State coach Pat Popolizio said. “Those accomplishments are a reflection of everybody involved with our program. Everybody was on the same page, everybody showed up and met those high expectations going in. We attacked the plan that we had laid out dating back to the end of last year.”
NC State won conference titles at 125 pounds (Jakob Camacho — the third of his career), 133 (Kai Orine — for the second straight year), 141 (Ryan Jack), 149 (Jackson Arrington), 157 (Ed Scott — the second of his career), 197 (Trent Hidlay — the fourth of his career), and heavyweight (Owen Trephan — for the second straight year). “Good momentum for all of those guys,” Popolizio said. “The field that they competed against was really good competition. I think as we get to this time of the year, you want to see that tough competition to know that you are ready, in shape and technically sound for the NCAAs.”
Since the 2017-18 campaign, NC State has claimed at least a share of 12 of the last 14 ACC Wrestling trophies (six ACC Championships and six ACC Dual/Regular Season Championships). “I love the fact that our guys love to compete,” Popolizio said. “They embrace the challenges of wrestling tough competition and that is what makes this group special. When the stakes get high, they elevate their game. That was the case at ACCs.
Onto Kansas City
NC State will head to Kansas City on Monday to avoid any travel hiccups, or as the team encountered last year, early 3 a.m. wakeup calls to get one of those early morning flights out of RDU Airport. “We were able to get some good recovery in after ACCs,” Popolizio said. … story at … Flowrestling.org/NC-state-carrying-momentum-from-record-acc-showing-into-ncaa-championships
And …
Esposito Named Associate Head Coach
RALEIGH – NC State head wrestling coach Pat Popolizio has announced that Zack Esposito will join his staff and serve as an associate head coach. The veteran coach comes to the Wolfpack after a stint with USA Wrestling. “Zack is a big impact hire”, said Popolizio. “He comes from an elite background of wrestling, has produced at all levels and is a proven winner. His values mirror everything that our program stands for and I am confident that we will continue to build on the momentum that has continued to grow in the past several seasons. He shares the same goals as the rest of us, to win a national title.”
After previously holding the associate head coach position at Oklahoma State for seven years, he was most recently the National Freestyle Development and Resident Coach for USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States.
In his position, Esposito coordinated the U.S. Pan American and World Teams at the U15, U17 and U20 levels. He also managed USA Wrestling’s Elite U20 Resident Program, which trains at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. He worked directly with National Freestyle Coach Bill Zadick and Manager of Freestyle Programs Joe Russell on many other projects as part of USA Wrestling’s professional national freestyle coaching staff. “This is bittersweet, because I really respect Zack and his family,” said National Freestyle Coach Bill Zadick. “We wish him great success in his new opportunity. We know he will continue to be a longtime contributor to USA Wrestling in his new position. We value our Developmental position as one of our most important roles, and will look for another great coach to influence our future.”
Esposito is a familiar face to Popolizio, as they both wrestled for John Smith, … story at … GOpack.com/Esposito-named-associate-head-coach
PAC – 12 Championships
Little Rock’s Three Conference Champions, Four NCAA Qualifiers Highlight Pac-12 Championships
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Three conference champions. Four NCAA qualifiers. Eight placers. A second-place team finish. The Wrestler of the Meet award-winner. The 2024 Pac-12 Championships was a day like no other for the Little Rock wrestling team. “Wow! What a day,” agreed head coach Neil Erisman at the conclusion of the tournament. “We set a lot of new standards today. There were a lot of ups and downs; I’m super happy for those who get to go on, but also hurting for those who didn’t. As a team, we are going to get back to work and get ready for the NCAA Tournament. It’s a great day to be a Trojan!”
Conference Champions
Before today, only one Trojan had ever advanced to the first place match: Paul Bianchi in 2020, the program’s very first year of competition. He placed second to set the standard for the program, and four years later Nasir Bailey, Joseph Bianchi and Stephen Little surpassed that standard by becoming Little Rock’s first-ever conference champions. Earning an 8-3 decision over Arizona State in the evening, Nasir Bailey was crowned conference champion at 133 pounds as a true freshman after pulling ahead 7-0 in the first period and never looking back. He was awarded Wrestler of the Meet as the cherry on top. … story at … LRtrojans.com/Little-rocks-three-conference-champions-four-ncaa-qualifiers-highlight-pac-12-championships
And …
FINAL 2024 PAC 12-CHAMPIONSHIPS BRACKETS
Arizona State wins 2024 Pac-12 Wrestling Championship
Mar. 11, 2024, 1:08 AM (ET) by Pac-12 Conference
CORVALLIS, ORE. – Arizona State won their 22nd Pac-12 Wrestling Championship and their fourth in the last five years on Sunday. The Sun Devils final score of 137.5 is the highest by a Pac-12 champion since ASU had 138.0 in 2021. Arizona State won the championship in five of the 10 weight classes, highlighted by a fourth straight championship by heavyweight Cohlton Schultz, a fourth title in five years for 157 lb. Jacori Teemer and a three-peat for Kyle Parco at 149. Little Rock finished in second place at 114.5 thanks to their first ever three individual titles at the Pac-12 Championships, including the Wrester of the Meet Nasir Bailey, who won the 133 pound weight class.
Team Results
- Arizona State University: 137.5 points
- Little Rock: 115.5 points
- Oregon State: 111.0 points … story at … Themat.com/news/Arizona-state-wins-2024-pac-12-wrestling-championship
And …
Leaders of the Pac! Sun Devils Close Pac-12 Championships With Sixth Conference Title Since 2017
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Back on top! Backed by five individual victories, the Sun Devils captured the 24th Pac-12 Championship title in school history on Sunday evening at Oregon State’s Gill Coliseum, scoring 137.5 team points to outlast runner-up Little Rock (114.5). The Sun Devils shot a jolt through the arena from the get-go when they won four of the first five bouts of the final session, courtesy of Richard Figueroa (125), Jesse Vasquez (141), Kyle Parco (149) and Jacori Teemer (157). They closed the tournament with an emphatic finish via Cohlton Schultz’s big win (285), who pinned Oregon State’s Boone McDermott just 1:01 into the championship match. It was Schultz’s second fall of the day, as he combined to wrestle just 2:06 across both wins. … story at … Thesundevils.com/Leaders-of-the-pac-sun-devils-close-pac-12-championships-with-sixth-conference-title-since-2017
Nebraska Wrestling News
Nebraska Chasing School History At NCAA Wrestling Championships
Nebraska is positioned to make program history at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, where the Huskers are after their fifth team trophy.
Mar 18, 2024 by Dylan Guenther
Nebraska is fresh off a third-place finish at the Big Ten Championships and heads into this week’s NCAA tournament as one of the favorites to earn a team trophy. Led by Big Ten champion Ridge Lovett at 149 pounds, Nebraska saw nine of its wrestlers place at Big Tens. The Huskers had a trio of third-placers in Peyton Robb (157), Lenny Pinto (184) and Silas Allred (197).
Redshirt freshman Jacob Van Dee finished fourth at 133, while Brock Hardy (141) and Antrell Taylor (165) both finished fifth. Football player-turned-wrestler Nash Hutmacher finished sixth at 285 to qualify for NCAAs, while Caleb Smith finished eighth at 125. The lone Husker starter that didn’t receive a spot at NCAAs was Bubba Wilson at 174. Ranked #18 in the country, Wilson is the highest-ranked guy at any weight to not receive an NCAA qualification. The next highest-ranked non-qualifier was #22 Vincent Santaniello of Pitt at 133.
Now that there are only three team trophies instead of four, the margin for error has eroded even further. Nebraska has finished as high as third at NCAAs just once — in 1993. The Huskers also took home team trophies for fourth place in 1984, 2008 and 2009.
Based on the seeds, Nebraska is projected to finish third behind Penn State and NC State. With 58 projected points, Nebraska is followed closely by Lehigh (57), Oklahoma State (55), Iowa State (53.5), Arizona State and Cornell (52 each) and Iowa (49.5). There is a pool of up to 12 teams that have a realistic chance to finish in the two spots behind Penn State, so nothing is guaranteed, but Nebraska has as good a chance as anyone this year.
Now, let’s see how this year’s Huskers got to a point where they’re in the trophy hunt. Top-ranked Ridge Lovett locked up the top seed at NCAAs with his 5-4 win over Michigan’s #5 Austin Gomez in the Big Ten final, his second win over the Wolverine this year. Lovett is 24-1 this season with 14 bonus-point wins, including a team-leading seven pins. Lovett has recorded 47 takedowns this year and given up just seven to pace the team. “Great work by him,” Nebraska coach Mark Manning said of Lovett’s conference tournament. “Obviously, Austin Gomez is a tough competitor and obviously a really good wrestler – he just won (an Olympic qualifying spot for Mexico at) Pan-Ams. Ridge is special. It’s not an easy road to win a championship and he showed a lot of mental toughness.”
At Big Tens, Lovett was dealing with a hand injury. According to Manning, Lovett “crushed” his left hand recently — he had it heavily wrapped last weekend, but it’s been improving. “It’s a lot better and getting better all the time, and we’re just padding it up and protecting it,” Manning said.
As for Allred, he’ll be the #10 seed at NCAAs after his third-place finish at Big Tens where he only lost to three-time national champ Aaron Brooks. In the third-place match, Allred had arguably the best win of his season when he downed then-#3 Jaxon Smith of Maryland 10-3. Allred leads Nebraska in both wins (24-6 record) and bonus-point wins with 17. He also leads the team with 88 takedowns on the year. … story at … Flowrestling.org/Nebraska-chasing-school-history-at-ncaa-wrestling-championships
And …
Wrestling: Nebraska in the Trophy Hunt Going into NCAA Championships
Nebraska qualified nine of its 10 starters with six Top-10 seeds, including 1-seed Ridge Lovett at 149 pounds
If you’re a wrestling fan, March is the best month of the year. With conference weekend behind us, we’re heading into the NCAA Championships this week starting Thursday morning in Kansas City.
The Huskers are one of a number of contenders that will challenge for a team trophy — after awarding team trophies to the top 4 each year previously, the NCAA will only be awarding trophies to the top 3 finishers this year and going forward.
Having only finished in the top-3 once in program history in 1993 (although they finished fourth twice in 2008 and 2009 and received team trophies), it goes without saying that this year’s team will have to put together a historic national tournament performance to get it done.
With nine qualifiers and six of them seeded in the top 10, the Huskers appear to have the firepower to contend for one of those two trophy spots behind the presumptive winner Penn State. The Nittany Lions are heavy favorites to win their third team title in a row and their 11th in their last 13 tries. In wrestling, Penn State is a dynasty right now and there’s no end in sight, so the rest of the field is really just wrestling for 2nd place and individual glory from their wrestlers.
Based on seeds, Penn State is projected to win the tournament with 131.5 points (doesn’t include potential bonus points adding to their total). NC State is projected to get second with 83. That’s a 48.5 point cushion between #1 and #2, which is likely to be even larger once bonus points are factored in. Nebraska is projected at third place with 58 points, while Lehigh (57), Oklahoma State (55), Iowa State (53.5), Arizona State (52), Cornell (52), Iowa (49.5), Virginia Tech (46) and Michigan (45.5) will all be in contention for a team trophy. The 3rd-ranked Huskers went an impressive 12-2 in their dual season this year. In tournaments, Nebraska was just as impressive with its second-place finish at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas in early December. Then just over a week ago, the Huskers placed third at the Big Ten Championships behind just Penn State and Michigan. … story at … Cornnation.com/Nebraska-in-the-trophy-hunt-going-into-ncaa-championships
Big 12 Championships
Iowa State Wins First Big 12 Title Since 2009
TULSA, Okla. – Iowa State clinched its first Big 12 title since 2009 Sunday night inside the BOK Center. The Cyclones crowned two champions and finished the weekend with 152.5 team points, the fourth-most in a tournament in league history and the most ever by an ISU team in the Big 12 era.
The team title marked ISU’s 18th conference championship in program history and snapped Missouri’s two-year winning streak in the tournament. The Cyclones prevailed in a tight team race throughout the entire weekend and bested Oklahoma State’s 141.5 points.
Anthony Echemendia won his first individual Big 12 title courtesy of a 4-2 decision over UNI’s Cael Happel at 141 pounds. He is the fifth Cyclone to win a conference title at 141 pounds and the first since Ian Parker did so in 2020.
Yonger Bastida was victorious in one of the most anticipate matches of the season against Air Force’s Wyatt Henrickson. Bastida hit a crafty counter while Hendrickson was in on a leg for a six-point move which proved to be the difference in a 10-7 decision. Bonus points were key for Iowa State throughout the tournament as the Cyclones registered six falls, six tech falls and seven major decisions for 28 extra points. The Cyclones’ bonus-point tally was the difference in the team race as the Cowboys finished with just 13 bonus points.
Head coach Kevin Dresser was named Big 12 Coach of the Year for the second time in his seven-year stint at Iowa State. Three other Cyclones were unsuccessful in their title bids. At 133 pounds, Evan Frost was outmatched against Oklahoma State’s No. 1 Daton Fix. Frost secured a late takedown to cut his deficit to 8-5 but it wasn’t enough to dethrone the four-time defending conference champion … story at … Cyclones.com/Iowa-state-wins-first-big-12-title-since-2009
And …
Daton Fix Becomes First Five-Time Champion in Big 12 History
Cowboys finish second as a team with the highest runner-up point total in tournament history.
Final Brackets
TULSA, Okla. – Oklahoma State 133-pounder Daton Fix became the first and only wrestler in Big 12 history to claim five individual conference titles Sunday night, defeating second-seeded Evan Frost of Iowa State, 8-5, in front of a hometown crowd at the BOK Center. Already holding the 133-pound titles from 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023, Fix took advantage of an extra year of eligibility provided by the NCAA in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to add a fifth and final conference championship in 2024.
The top-seeded Fix made it look easy, too. He jumped out to a 7-1 lead with a takedown in each of the first two periods and then cruised to an 8-5 win to move to 17-0 on the year.
He was already just the 10th wrestler in Oklahoma State history to win four conference titles, and now he is the only one to win five. With the addition of the title, OSU now has 121 Big 12 individual championships and 296 conference individual championships in its wrestling history.
As a team, the Cowboys finished in second place with 141.5 points to mark the highest score for a runner-up team in the history of the Big 12 Championships and the seventh-highest total for any team in tournament history. Iowa State claimed the team title with 152.5 points. “By no means did we lose the tournament – Iowa State won it,” coach John Smith said. “We score a lot of points. If you told me we were going to score in the 140’s, I would have told you we won the tournament.” In addition to Fix, three other Cowboys reached Sunday night’s finals, including Troy Spratley at 125 pounds, Jordan Williams at 149 pounds and Dustin Plott at 184 pounds. … story at … OKstate.com/Cowboy-wrestling-daton-fix-becomes-first-five-time-champion-in-big-12-history
And …
Five Thoughts on the Big 12 Wrestling Championships
On a disappointing night, reassuring afternoon and more.
TULSA — Oklahoma State finished the Big 12 Wrestling Championships in second place with one champion in Daton Fix, who I wrote about here. The Cowboys were in a tight team race with Iowa State until an overall disappointing Sunday night at the BOK Center.
Here are five thoughts on the final day of the Big 12 Wrestling Championship.
1. Worst Way to End
It was an intense team race all weekend and OSU 149-pounder Jordan Williams was in the midst of capping a dramatic turnaround season, but these two storylines had a Game of Thrones-esque ending Sunday night.
After losing his starting job and winning it back this season as a redshirt freshman, Jordan Williams made a run to the finals in his first Big 12 Wrestling Championships. Williams upset top seed Casey Swiderski of Iowa State 8-7 in the semis to get to the finals, but near the end of the match he injured his shoulder. With an obviously injured Williams down 7-0 the next night, West Virginia’s Ty Watters slammed Williams to the mat. That ultimately ended his tournament, as he injury defaulted in the second period of that bout. The injury not only ripped an individual Big 12 championship from Williams, but also ended OSU’s chances at ending its two-year drought without a team title. With Troy Spratley losing OSU’s first finals appearance at 125 and Daton Fix winning at 133, the Cowboys needed both Williams and Dustin Plott to win to have any chance of surpassing Iowa State in the team standings. But the loss clinched the team title for the Cyclones instead. … story at … Pistolsfiringblog.com/Five-thoughts-on-the-big-12-wrestling-championships
A.C.C. Championship Results
Wolfpack Win Sixth Straight ACC Championship Title
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (theACC.com)– NC State placed eight wrestlers in the finals and claimed seven individual gold medals to run away with the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestling Championship title for the sixth consecutive year on Sunday, March 10, in front of 3,251 fans in attendance at Carmichael Arena on the campus of the University of North Carolina.
With their sixth consecutive title, the Wolfpack are just the second wrestling program to capture at least six consecutive ACC titles and the first since former conference member Maryland won 20 in a row from 1954 through 1973.
This year’s league wrestling championship is the 21st overall for NC State, the most among current ACC programs, and the seventh overall under head coach Pat Popolizio. NC State finished with 116.0 points, the most by an ACC wrestling champion since Virginia totaled 124 points on its way to the championship in 1974. Virginia Tech placed second with 86.5 points, while host North Carolina took third with 54. Pitt took fourth place with 47.0 points, followed by Virginia (35) and Duke (4). Virginia’s Nick Hamilton was selected as the Championship’s Most Outstanding Wrestler in a vote of the six head coaches and the media in attendance. Hamilton, who entered as the No. 4 seed at 165 pounds, posted a 14-2 major decision win … story at … ACC.com/Wolfpack-win-sixth-straight-acc-championship-title
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N.C. State Wrestling Tallies Its Sixth Consecutive ACC Championship Title
Chapel Hill, N.C. – The NC State wrestling team made history by dominating the 2024 ACC Championships with a new school record of seven individual champions to secure its sixth-straight conference title Sunday evening.
The Wolfpack finished its conference season perfect with full ownership over both the regular season title and tournament title. The highest team score in the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1994 and new program record of 116 points was carried by pure authority across the 10 weight classes. Seven members of the Pack were were crowned individual champions in addition to second and third place podium spots. Ed Scott at 157 pounds, Trent Hidlay at 197 pounds, Owen Trephan at heavyweight, Jakob Camacho at 125 pounds, Kai Orine at 133 pounds, Ryan Jack at 141 pounds, and Jackson Arrington at 149 pounds ensured that NC State would be adding another trophy to their case.
Hidlay was inducted into the four-time ACC Champions club at NC State, making him the sixth member in program history to do so, his older brother Hayden is also a part of this exclusive group. After missing last year due to injury, Camacho secured his third career conference title at 125 pounds. Orine and Trephan picked up their second career trophies after both winning last year as well. By successfully avenging losses to their opponents from earlier in the season, Jack and Arrington entered the victor squad, each winning their first-ever individual conference crowns. … story at … GOpack.com/Wrestling-tallies-its-sixth-consecutive-acc-championship-title
Big Ten Championships Results & News
Penn State Wins Big Ten Wrestling Title
Nittany Lions capture second-straight Big Ten crown
FINAL RESULTS
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Penn State won the 2024 Big Ten Wrestling Championships title on Sunday with a team score of 170.5. The Nittany Lions earned their eighth Big Ten Championship crown overall and second consecutive title. Penn State won five individual titles from Braeden Davis (125), Levi Haines (157), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165), Aaron Brooks (197) and Greg Kerkvliet (285).
Michigan finished in second place with 123.5 points, followed by third-place Nebraska with 118 points. Iowa claimed fourth place with 110.5 points and Ohio State rounded out the top five with 89 points. Penn State’s Aaron Brooks was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Year and the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Championships, while teammate Mitchell Mesenbrink received the Big Ten Freshman of the Year honor. Cael Sanderson was named Big Ten coach of the Year for the second consecutive year and eighth overall. Penn State freshman Braeden Davis claimed the Big Ten Championship at 125 pounds, following an 8-1 decision over Minnesota’s Patrick McKee. At 133 pounds, Rutgers’ Dylan Shawver earned his first-ever Championship with a 23-8 tech fall win over Michigan’s Dylan Ragusin.
At 141 pounds, Jesse Mendez claimed first place with a 4-1 decision over Penn State’s Beau Bartlett. Nebraska’s Ridge Lovett topped Michigan’s Austin Gomez, 5-4, to win the 149-pound title. At 157, Levi Haines earned a 4-1 sudden victory vs. Michigan’s Will Lewan for his second-straight 157-pound title. Mesenbrink earned the title at 165 in a 13-11 comeback victory over reigning Big Ten Champion Dean Hamiti of Wisconsin. Edmond Ruth of Illinois earned the Big Ten title at 174 pounds. At 184, Isaiah Salazar of Minnesota earned an 8-1 sudden victory over Penn State’s Bernie Truax, Salazar’s first title of his career.
Now a four-time Big Ten Champion, Brooks earned a 19-3 tech fall win over Iowa’s Zach Glazier to win the title at 197. The Nittany Lions capped the evening with a win from Greg Kerkvliet at 285 over Ohio State’s Nick Feldman. The complete list of Big Ten individual awards and All-Big Ten honorees can be found below, while the full results are in the link above.
BIG TEN WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Wrestler of the Year: Aaron Brooks, Penn State
Freshman of the Year: Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State
Coach of the Year: Cael Sanderson, Penn State
Outstanding Wrestler of the Championships: … story at … https://bigten.org/news/2024/3/10/penn-state-wins-big-ten-wrestling-title.aspx
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Wrestling Roars to 2024 Big Ten Championship
Nittany Lions claim 8th conference crown under Sanderson, crown five champions
COLLEGE PARK, MD.– The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (12-0, 8-0 B1G) won the 2024 Big Ten Championship, winning the team’s eighth conference crown since the arrival of head coach Cael Sanderson. Five Nittany Lion wrestlers won individual Big Ten titles as well. Penn State won the team race with a school record 170.5 points, far outdistancing second place Michigan’s 123.5.
Penn State has qualified nine individuals for the 2024 NCAA Championships in Kansas City on March 21-23 with the tenth in the mix or an at-large bid, announced Tuesday by the NCAA selection committee. All rankings listed are InterMat as of Feb. 27, 2024.
This is Penn State’s eighth conference championship, having also won in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019 and 2023. Penn State now has 64 Big Ten Champions spread among 35 individuals. Penn State’s five champions ties the school record, also set in 2011. Penn State swept the Big Ten post-season awards as well. Cael Sanderson was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the eight time. Mitchell Mesenbrink was named … story at … GOpsusports.com/Penn-state-wrestling-roars-to-2024-big-ten-championship
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Penn State wins 2024 Big Ten wrestling championships
Dominant. That’s the only way to describe the Penn State wrestling team’s performance this weekend at the 2024 Big Ten championships. The Nittany Lions put seven of their ten athletes in the conference finals and won five of those bouts. They outscored second place Michigan by over 40 points and likely qualified all ten wrestlers for the NCAA tournament (pending an at-large bid decision for three-time NCAA Carter Starocci who injury defaulted out). This is a program with historic talent, and that talent was on full display in College Park.
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Davis kicked things for Penn State off with a strong victory in the 125-pound finals match against McKee in which he scored three back points, a takedown, an escape and a riding time point. Levi Haines, Mitchell Mesenbrink, Aaron Brooks and Greg Kerkvliet followed with titles of their own at 157, 165, 197 and 285 pounds. Nittany Lion All-Americans Beau Bartlett and Aaron Nagao picked up a silver and bronze respectively while true freshman Tyler Kasak secured bronze at 149 pounds.
FINAL RESULTS: Brackets | Team Score
Rutgers, Ohio State, Nebraska, Illinois and Minnesota … story at … NCAA.com/Penn-state-wins-2024-big-ten-wrestling-championships
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Penn State’s Haines keeps cool under pressure to win second Big Ten title
By Clay Sauertieg For the Gettysburg Times
Biglerville High School product Levi Haines has wrestled in plenty of big matches. From PIAA state finals to Big Ten and NCAA championship finals, Haines has seen it all. So when his 2024 Big Ten wrestling finals match with Michigan’s Will Lewan went to sudden victory overtime on Sunday in Maryland, Haines remained poise en route to a 4-1 victory. “I was just kind of doing my thing,” Haines said of the situation. “Sometimes wrestling matches are closer than we want them to be. But that’s just the way it is sometimes, you’ve got to wrestle your way out of those positions.”
It was the third time Haines and the notoriously stingy Lewan have wrestled in Haines two seasons at Penn State. The first was a 3-1 sudden victory win at the Bryce Jordan Center in 2023. While the second saw Haines take a narrow 2-1 win on a stalling call … story at … Gettysburgtimes.com/sports/article
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Cael Sanderson Discusses Carter Starocci Injury Default Decision
Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson discussed the decision for three-time NCAA champion Carter Starocci to injury default from the Big Ten Championships.
Mar 10, 2024 by David Bray
Penn State three-time NCAA champion Carter Starocci went 0-2 at the 2024 Big Ten Championships after a reported leg injury forced him to injury default from both of his matches. Starocci had apparently hoped to compete at this weekend’s event.
Nittany Lion head coach Cael Sanderson spoke with Nate Cobler of the Centre Daily Times. “He wanted to wrestle the whole tournament and was planning on wrestling the tournament. It is really tough for him. He’s having a hard time about this. He’d wrestle if both of his legs were hurt,” Sanderson said. “He’s just so competitive. He’s pretty upset, but there’s just no reason, when he meets the criteria to get an at-large (bid), to put himself in a position to set himself back. “He’s not happy, with me, but that’s why he’s Carter Starocci.” Read Cobler’s full Centre Daily Times Article here.
Starocci, along with 197 lbs teammate Aaron Brooks, has the opportunity to become a four-time NCAA champion in two weeks, something only five previous wrestlers haver accomplished. Starocci is also the only wrestler with the opportunity to compete next season for a fifth NCAA title, assuming he wins his fourth in Kansas City. … story at … Flowrestling.org/Cael-sanderson-discusses-carter-starocci-injury-default-decision
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Wolverines Claim Runner-Up Finish at Big Ten Championships Behind Nine Placewinners
By: Leah Howard
» Michigan took second place at the Big Ten Championships with 123.5 points and nine total placewinners, including eight top-four finishers; it was the second-highest Big Ten point total in program history.
» Dylan Ragusin (133 pounds), Austin Gomez (149), Will Lewan (157) and Shane Griffith (174) all dropped their championship matches, including one in overtime and another by one point.
» Nine Wolverines earned automatic qualifying for the NCAA Championships.
Site: College Park, Md. (XFINITY Center)
Event: Big Ten Championships (Day 2 of 2)
U-M Standing: 2nd Place of 14 Teams (123.5 points) … story at … Mgoblue.com/Wolverines-claim-runner-up-finish-at-big-ten-championships-behind-nine-placewinners
NAIA Women’s National Championships previews & results
2024 NAIA Women’s National Championship Preview
This weekend will be the 2nd annual NAIA Women’s Freestyle Championships. Here are some previews for each weight.
101 lbs: Top seed – Erin Hikiji, Providence
Erin Hikiji is hoping to cap off a tremendous season with a redemption finals result to end up on top. Standing in her way will be a few tough wrestlers that Hikiji has previously beaten on that side of the bracket with Alyssa Quezaire of Missouri Baptist, whom Hikiji teched at the Warrior Open, and Esther Walker of Midland, whom Hikiji teched at the North Central Open. However, 2-seed Stefana Jalacic of Lourdes will certainly press Hikiji in the finals, if she can make it past a tough Kayla McKinley-Johnson of Menlo. There is also an unseeded but tough Devyn Gomez here who could certainly shake things up.
109 lbs: Top seed – Mia Palumbo, William Penn
Mia Palumbo has already teched the 2-seed Alexsys Jacquez of St. Mary earlier this season, but there are plenty of ways this finals match could shape up. I would keep an eye on Providence’s Paige Morales at the 4 seed and Tehani Soares of Indiana Tech to make things interesting in their respective halves of the bracket. Regardless, I think Palumbo is on her way to an individual championship here as a leader on this William Penn team.
116 lbs: Top seed – Juliana Diaz, Missouri Baptist
Diaz got the win over Avery Ashley of Oklahoma City at conferences to claim the top spot, but I wouldn’t guarantee you’d see the same result if they were to meet up again. … story at … Intermatwrestle.com/NAIA-womens-national-championship-preview
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The Complete NAIA Women’s Championship Preview
The NAIA Women’s Championships begin Friday in Jamestown, North Dakota. Get ready for all the action with our comprehensive preview.
Mar 6, 2024 by Derek Levendusky
The 2024 NAIA Women’s Championships are almost here. On Friday and Saturday, the top NAIA women’s wrestlers in the country will converge in Jamestown, North Dakota, for the second sanctioned women’s championship. Southern Oregon will look to defend its title while other top-ranked NAIA programs bring their firepower to make a run at the top spots.
Wrestlers to Watch
Providence’s Erin Hikiji (101 pounds)
Except for a loss to high school U17 world medalist Jaclyn Bouzakis at the Warrior Women’s Open, Providence’s Erin Hikiji went undefeated this year. A returning finalist, she was oh-so-close last season, falling in the finals to teammate Ira Navarro 2-1. She and #2 seed Jelacic haven’t hit in college, but if the final happens, it will be one to watch.
Doane’s Cristelle Rodriguez (123 pounds)
Cristelle Rodriguez took third last year at 130, but the 2019 Cadet World silver medalist has the stuff to win this weight and goes in as the favorite. She went undefeated this season at 18-0, winning every match by pin or technical fall except for her match against #4 seed Sophia Smith, an 8-4 win in a dual against Oklahoma City.
Southern Oregon’s Carolina Moreno (130 pounds)
Carolina Moreno, one of the anchors of last year’s national championship team, returns as a two-time national champion, seeking her third title to keep her hopes of being a four-timer alive. Life’s #2 seeded Sarah Savidge, a finalist last year at this weight, looks to be her greatest obstacle. Moreno moved up a weight this season, setting up the potential final against Savidge in Jamestown.
William Penn’s Adaugo Nwanchukwu (136 pounds)
William Penn’s Adaugo Nwachukwu heads to nationals with two titles already under her belt, which she secured while wrestling … story at … Flowrestling.org/NAIA-womens-championship-preview
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Menlo, Life top contenders for NAIA Women’s Nationals title in Jamestown, N.D., March 8-9
Mar. 6, 2024, 4:27 PM (ET) by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
NAIA Women’s preliminary brackets
NAIA Women’s coverage page on FloWrestling
FloWrestling live broadcast
The 2023 season was historic for women’s wrestling within the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). It was the first year that women’s wrestling was an official NAIA championship sport. In previous seasons, it was considered a national invitational. The NAIA was the first college organization with an official women’s wrestling championships.
Southern Oregon won the initial NAIA Women’s Nationals in Jamestown, N.D., making history for their coach Gabrielle Weyhrich the first female head coach to lead a women’s college wrestling team to a national team championships. Another NAIA head coach, Ashley Flavin of Life, was the first to lead a women’s college team to a National Duals title.
The 2024 NAIA Women’s Nationals returns to Jamestown, March 8-9. No. 4 Southern Oregon is a contender to repeat as team champions, but the clear top favorites for the team title are No. 1 Menlo and No. 2 Life. The NAIA uses a similar system that Div. I men’s wrestling uses, … story at … Themat.com/Menlo-life-top-contenders-for-naia-women-s-nationals-title-in-jamestown
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Menlo Women’s Wrestling Claim NAIA National Championship with Ten All-Americans Placed
By: Ally Salzwedel
JAMESTOWN, ND. – Menlo Women’s Wrestling completed their season inside Harold Newman Arena on Saturday where 10 Oaks placed at the National Championships to take home 1st place and the Red Banner! Menlo led the tournament with 172 team points which included a National Champion, four 3rd place finishers, a 4th place finisher, a 6th place finisher, and three 7th place finishers. Across the two day tournament, Menlo was able to total up 16 pins and 8 tech falls to earn bonus points and clinch the Championship title before the Championship rounds even began. Tavia Heidelberg-Tilltoson becomes Menlo College’s most star-studded athlete after winning the 191-National Champion to suitably send a farewell to her college Wrestling career.
Head Coach Michael Ayala led the Women’s program to their second ever National title in his first year at the helm. After the Championship celebration, Coach Mike said, “today is a special day. I have never taken home a red banner before, I have never been a part of a team to take home a red banner, so this is a first for me. I have a young group so to get it done and bring it back to the Bay, it’s special”. After his first season, Ayala was named Cascade Collegiate Conference, NWCA, and NAIA Coach of the year for his unconditional leadership. What a way to begin a legacy! … story at … Menloathletics.com/Menlo-womens-wrestling-claim-naia-national-championship-with-ten-all-americans
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Heidelberg-Tillitson punctuates NAIA team title for Menlo College, Moreno and Nwachukwu become three-timers, Rodriguez named OW
Mar. 10, 2024, 12:42 AM (ET) by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
JAMESTOWN, N.D. – Entering Saturday evening’s championship session with the team trophy in hand, Menlo College saw Tavia Heidelberg-Tillitson take the top spot at 191 pounds to put an exclamation mark on the Oaks historic run at the 2024 NAIA Women’s Wrestling Championships.
The fifth-year heavyweight from Sacramento, Calif., finally broke through for a college national title with a gutsy 4-3 win over No. 2 seed Joanna Hendricks of Waldorf. It is the fifth All-America honor for Heidelberg-Tillitson, who now holds three at the NAIA level with Menlo, plus two NCWWC finals appearances from her time at King University.
Four Menlo athletes battled back for third place honors— Mayla Mckinley-Johnson at 101 pounds, Alana Vivas at 123 pounds, Shannon Workinger at 155 pounds and Kalila Shrive at 170 pounds. The Oaks tacked on a fourth-place finisher, a sixth-place finisher and three seventh-place finishers to round out the All-America rounds on Saturday morning.
Head coach Michael Ayala helped guide Menlo to its first NAIA national title in his first season at the helm of the program and was named NWCA/NAIA National Coach of the Year. The Oaks outdistanced second place … story at … Themat.com/Heidelberg-tillitson-punctuates-naia-team-title-for-menlo-college-moreno-and-nwachukwu-become-three-timers-rodriguez-named-ow
And …
Moreno wins 3rd NAIA title, Davis tacks on another for SOU
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
SOU ALL-AMERICANS
1ST PLACE |Carolina Moreno (130), Caitlyn Davis (155)
3RD PLACE | Emma Baertlein (109), Bella Amaro (143)
4TH PLACE | Shenita Lawson (170)
5TH PLACE |Lia Ferreira (101)
7TH PLACE |Marissa Kurtz (116)
JAMESTOWN, N.D. – Southern Oregon’s Carolina Moreno and Cailtyn Davis left the NAIA Women’s Wrestling Championships the same way they came into them: utterly untouchable. Moreno, a junior at 130 pounds, and Davis, a sophomore at 155, topped off their undefeated seasons with individual titles Saturday at Newman Arena, boosting the Raiders to third place in the final team standings. Moreno was never scored on in her third consecutive championship run and Davis beat up her opponents 38-3 combined, both proving worthy of their No. 1 seeds. SOU went 6-1 in its placing matches, … story at … SOUraiders.com/Moreno-wins-3rd-naia-title-davis-tacks-on-another-for-sou
And …
Vikings Place 5th at 2nd Annual NAIA National Championship
JAMESTOWN, NORTH DAKOTA – The Vikings took the mat for the final time this weekend. The Vikings would see two wrestlers eyeing a spot at the program’s first Individual National Championship title. Grand View University finished the weekend with a fifth place, adding 7 All-Americans and two runner-ups to the record books.
The Vikings sent two for the first time to the finals. Maya Davis would lose by a TF to her opponent in the finals, resulting in a runner-up placing, bettering her mark from last season. In a rematch from Heart action, Abby McIntyre would drop a heartbreaker in the final seconds against Lekas.
Grand View finished the team race with 106 points, earning them fifth place. They finished their tournament with 7 All-Americans and 7 placers. The top spots in the finishes were Menlo in first with 172 points, Life University with 138, Southern Oregon with 134, and William Penn in fourth with 111.5 points.
TEAM SCORES
| 1 | Menlo | 172 | |
| 2 | Life | 138 | |
| 3 | Southern Oregon | 134 | |
| 4 | William Penn | 111.5 | |
| 5 | Grand View | 106 |
NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships
The Complete National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships Preview
Get ready for this weekend’s National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships by checking wrestlers and weights to watch and a look at the team race.
Mar 6, 2024 by Derek Levendusky
The moment wrestling fans have been waiting for is here. For the first time in the history of NCAA women’s wrestling, Iowa will compete at the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships. On Friday and Saturday, the best NCAA women will converge upon the Alliant Energy PowerHouse Arena in Cedar Rapids with team trophies and national titles on the line.
North Central not only looks to defend its first national title, the Cardinals look to flip the script on their 21-20 loss in the finals of National Duals against Iowa. Here’s a closer look at this weekend’s competition.
Wrestlers to Watch
McKendree’s Shelby Moore (123 pounds)
Since the calendar turned to 2024, McKendree freshman Shelby Moore has beaten a collection of high-caliber opponents, including North Central’s Amani Jones, the #2 seed heading into Cedar Rapids. After a remarkable high school career, where she doubled up at Fargo in 2021, the freshman has put herself in a prime spot to win her first college national title.
North Central’s Yele Aycock (136 pounds)
North Central’s returning national finalist is seeded #1 and is the heavy favorite heading to Nationals. It would be her first title in her third trip to the event. She did not place in 2022 and lost in the finals last year to King’s Ana Luciano.
North Central’s Alara Boyd and Iowa’s Reese Larramendy (143 pounds)
Upsets happen, but if seeds hold, top-seeded Boyd of McKendree and #2-seeded Larramendy of Iowa are on a collision course to meet in the national finals this weekend. Two-time national champion Emma Bruntil’s return was short-lived, as she lost in the regional final to Larramendy and scratched from the NCWWC. That leaves Iowa’s Ella Schmit … story at … Flowrestling.org/Complete-national-collegiate-womens-wrestling-championships-preview
And …
HAWKEYES CROWN 6 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS AND TAKE HOME THE TEAM TITLE
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The second-ranked University of Iowa women’s wrestling team finished the 2024 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Tournament with six champions and 12 All-Americans. The Hawkeyes brought home the team title with 204 total points. At 101, the Hawkeye pair of No. 1 Emilie Gonzalez and No. 2 Sterling Dias faced off in the championship bout. The two fought all the way to the end, keeping it a close matchup the whole six minutes. In the end, Gonzalez came out on top with a 4-0 decision, earning the first national title for the program.
Second-ranked Ava Bayless followed, also keeping a close match against Lock Haven’s No. 4 Kaelani Shufeldt. The redshirt freshman brought home her first title after defeating Shufeldt via decision, 2-, at 109. Hawkeyes met again for an all-Iowa finals match at 116, with No. 3 Brianna Gonzalez facing No. 4 Felicity Taylor. With a tough battle back and forth, Taylor capped off her senior season with the title, defeating Gonzalez via decision, 9-2. At 143, second-ranked Reese Larramendy came out hot in her match against King’s No. 6 Aine Drury, picking up the first pin for Iowa in the finals. After running through the tournament finishing every match with a tech. fall, the redshirt freshman decided to finish her season with a fall in 4:10 over Drury. Defending National Champion, Marlynne Deede captured her second title, and first as a Hawkeye. At 155, the top-ranked senior took the, 9-3, decision over No. 2 Cheyenne Bowman of King. … story at … Hawkeyesports.com/Hawkeyes-crown-6-national-champions-take-home-the-team-title
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Welker beats Makoyed in last match, as Iowa edges North Central to win its first NCWWC team title
Mar. 9, 2024, 11:58 PM (ET) by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – In its first national championship as a varsity program, with its top star winning in the final match of the evening, the University of Iowa won its first National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships team title, edging returning champion North Central before a loud and excited local crowd. Trailing by 17 points going into the finals round, Coach Clarissa Chun’s Hawkeyes needed nearly a perfect final round to make up the difference.
Organizers decided to make the 170-pound finals the last match of the finals, where Iowa star Kylie Welker, the No. 1 seed, battled second seeded Yelena Makoyed of North Central, a three-time NCWWC champion and the USA Wrestling Women’s College Wrestler of the Year. As if in a movie script, the team title went down to that last match. The winner would also clinch the team title for their school. Welker got on a roll early, jumping to a 6-0 lead, putting Makoyed in danger of being pinned. In the second period, Welker popped a hip toss for four points and held Makoyed on her back for most of the period. Makoyed battled herself free, but Welker had secured a 10-0 technical fall. A North Central challenge was denied, making the final score 11-0. With the win by Welker, Iowa won the team title with 204 points, … story at … Themat.com/Welker-beats-makoyed-in-last-match-as-iowa-edges-north-central-to-win-its-first-ncwwc-team-title
And …
Iowa Wrestling Clinches Women’s Title During Final Match
Iowa narrowly defeated North Central in the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships.
Mar 9, 2024 by Kyle Klingman
It wasn’t easy, but the University of Iowa won the 2024 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships during its inaugural year. North Central, a Division III team from Naperville, Illinois, almost beat one of the world’s most legendary college wrestling programs in a team battle for the ages.
The Cardinals had a 17.5-point lead entering the finals, but Iowa had nine finalists compared to North Central’s three, with two matches being Hawkeye vs. Hawkeye. New Jersey City’s Sandy Guerrero secured a “win” for North Central by pinning Iowa’s Jaycee Foeller in the first period.
Then Iowa started to roll.
101: Emilie Gonzelez defeated teammate Sterling Dias, 4-0.
109: Ava Bayless won a war of attrition over Kaelani Shufeldt of Lock Haven, 2-1.
116: Spillville, Iowa, native Felicity Taylor bested teammate Brianna Gonzalez, 9-2, to go out on top during her senior campaign.
North Central got one back at 123 when Amani Jones defeated King’s Virginia Foard, but Jones’s teammate, Yele Aycock, lost in the 136-pound finals.
Iowa concluded the tournament with a fall from Resse Larremendy at 143 and a 9-3 decision by returning champion Marlynne Deede at 155.
The thrilling finale was everything that fans had hoped for. It featured Kylie Welker from Iowa and Yelena Makoyed from North Central — the two best college wrestlers in the country representing their respective teams. The final match was the deciding factor for the team championship.
Makoyed was the returning three-time NCWWC champion at 170 pounds who used her COVID year. Welker is a freshman phenom who reached the 2020 Olympic Trials final as a teenager. Both have qualified for the final Olympic Trials in April. … story at … Flowrestling.org/Iowa-wrestling-clinches-womens-title-during-final-match
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 