Takedown Report

BIG 10 Conference Results – Jan. 27th

Five B1G Takeaways from the Big Ten (1/25/24)
Dual meets, dual meets and more dual meets. As we go into another weekend of B1G Ten dual meets, we look back at last week’s matchups. We had some duals that lived up to some of our expectations, a few guys whose stock is going up and another that’s going down and Claunch delves into his experience on the call for Michigan’s dual last week. 
Stock up: Michael Blockhus; Stock down: Peyton Robb
There might not be anyone having a better start of the new year than Michael Blockhus. He returned with one goal in mind and so far it looks like he’s on the right track. Last week he took out Jared Franek with a last minute takedown then followed it up with a dominating win over Peyton Robb four days later. Now he’s jumped to No. 6 in the rankings. Earlier this week, I got to catch up with Blockhus to talk about his big wins, returning to the Gophers’ lineup for his final year, and his fighting future. 
On the opposite side is Robb who didn’t just take a loss to Blockhus last week, but was pinned by Joey Blaze of Purdue. That notched Robb’s fourth straight loss. This weekend the Huskers head to Evanston, IL to face Northwestern where Robb will look to get back to his winning ways. 
A Curse at 125 Ends …
We all know what kind of powerhouse Penn State has been for the last million years, but a spot in Coach Cael Sanderson’s lineup that hasn’t been at the championship level is at 125-pounds. As mentioned in the season preview, Nico Megaludis was the last guy in this weight class to sport a Nittany Lion singlet and make the podium. All of that could be over as freshman Braeden Davis has been a very bright, and so far undefeated, presence in their line up. It took a bit for him to stand above PSU’s other options here, but now he’s manning the spot in the line up and in the No. 4 spot in the rankings. He’s also the only guy in the weight class who hasn’t taken a loss yet this season. 
… And Another Curse at 125 Continues
It seems like ages ago when we would occasionally get a No. 1 versus No. 2 battle in the regular season. It doesn’t always happen, but it certainly feels like it used to happen more often than it has of late. Last Friday night, we were lucky enough to see it with Purdue’s Matt Ramos, then ranked second in the country at 125, facing off against Iowa’s No. 1 ranked Drake Ayala in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Purdue, as a team, wasn’t expected to win the dual meet as a whole, but in what was clearly the biggest match of the night, the Boilermaker got a solid win and once again beat a top ranked Hawkeye in a big moment. Was it purposeful that they wore the silver and gold singlets that were worn on that fateful night last March? Probably right? Either way Iowa ran away with the majority of the other matches as expected. Shoutout to Joey Blaze wrestling tough against Jared Franek, and James Rowley getting the win at 184, but Iowa as a unit is still proving to be one of the toughest teams in the country. Iowa will be traveling to Illinois this weekend as they take on the Fighting Illini this Friday, and Northwestern this Sunday. Purdue, as referenced above, will be taking on the Hoosiers in Bloomington Saturday night.
Terrapins v Hoosiers did not disappoint … story at … Intermatwrestle.com/Big-10/five-b1g-takeaways-from-the-big-ten

And …

Feldman Delivers Late to Down Michigan 20-19 In Columbus
COLUMBUS, Ohio — It came down to the final bout of the night at heavyweight before No. 7 Ohio State (12-1, 4-0) defeated No. 13 Michigan (5-3, 3-2) when Nick Feldman defeated No. 4 Lucas Davison 4-3 to give the Buckeyes the 20-19 win before a sellout crowd (4,759) at the Covelli Center in Columbus.  … story and video at … Ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Wrestling-no-7-ohio-state-vs-no-13-michigan-live-updates

And …

HUSKERS TOP WILDCATS BEHIND LOVETT’S PIN, FOUR TECHNICAL FALLS
Behind six bonus-point victories, including a pin and four tech. falls, the No. 6 Nebraska wrestling team routed Northwestern 39-3 on Friday evening. With the dominating defeat, the Huskers improved to 8-1 on the season overall and 3-1 in Big Ten play, while Northwestern dropped to 0-3 (0-2 Big Ten) on the year. 
Action started at 125 as No. 12 Caleb Smith faced Northwestern’s Massey Odiotti. Smith scored three takedowns, an escape and the riding time point to claim the 11-3 major decision.
With the 4-0 team lead, No. 19 Jacob Van Dee matched up with Patrick Adams at 133. Van Dee tallied an early takedown in the first period and the rideout to lead 3-0 with two periods to go. Van Dee then scored three more takedowns and three nearfall points for the 17-2 tech. fall.
After two-straight bonus-point victories, Blake Cushing met Kolby McClain and made it three-straight. Cushing scored six takedowns en route to the 23-7 tech. fall and the 14-0 team lead.  At 149, No. 1 Ridge Lovett earned his second-straight pin and fifth of the season as he got the fall over Northwestern’s Aiden Vandenbush in the second period. He tallied four takedowns and four nearfall points to push the team up by 20.  Ethan Stiles then faced No. 19 Trevor Chumbley at 157. Stiles got on the board first with a takedown, but Chumbley responded with an escape and nearfall to claim the 8-5 decision.  With the 20-3 lead, No. 18 Antrell Taylor wrestled No. 15 Maxx Mayfield at 165. After each wrestler tallied an escape, the pair was tied 1-1 after three periods and went into overtime. Taylor then tallied the takedown in sudden victory to earn the 4-1 decision. … story at … Huskers.com/Huskers-top-wildcats-behind-lovetts-pin-four-technical-falls

And …

Michigan State Wrestling Upsets No. 17-ranked Wisconsin for First B1G Victory
EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan State wrestling team welcomed No. 17-ranked Wisconsin to Jenison Field House on Friday evening to cap off its three-match homestand. On a night led by three bonus point victories, MSU took five matches to upset the Badgers, 22-15. For the Spartans, it was it’s first victory over a Top 20 opponent since the 2021-22 season when they defeated then No. 14-ranked Rutgers, 20-14.
A win on Friday helped Michigan State snap a three-dual skid as the team improves to 8-3 overall and 1-3 in the Big Ten. Friday’s win over Wisconsin guarantees the Spartans a .500 or better finish for the third consecutive season. Wisconsin falls to 6-3 and 0-2 in B1G duals. “I’m happy to see the fruits of the labor coming out tonight for these guys with the work and the effort they put in,” said Michigan State head wrestling coach Roger Chandler. “These guys never quit, they keep fighting and you can see it with no one hanging their head. Look at Andy Hampton, he’s going through a rough spell, but you see he’s fighting for the whole seven minutes and that’s what we need out of him.” … story at … MSUspartans.com/Wrestling-upsets-no-17-ranked-wisconsin-for-first-b1g-victory

And …

HAWKEYES BLOWOUT ILLINI, 36-6
CHAMPAIGN, Illinois – The third-ranked University of Iowa men’s wrestling team won eight of 10 matches to roll to a 36-6 victory over Illinois on Friday night at Huff Hall. The Hawkeyes won six bouts via bonus points, including ending five matchups early via technical fall or pin. “I like bonus points,” said head coach Tom Brands. “I like tech. falls, I like major decisions and I like pins. Hill had a pin, we had four tech. falls. Good stuff.”
Iowa opened the night at 133 for the first time this season. Cullan Schriever got things rolling for the Hawkeyes with a major decision over 30th ranked Tony Madrigal, winning 9-1. At 141 Brody Teske came out and extended the Iowa lead with a 5-0 decision against Will Baysinger. Illinois got on the board with a decision in sudden victory as No. 8 Kannon Webster defeated No. 11 Caleb Rathjen.
Jared Franek and Michael Caliendo sent the Hawkeyes to intermission with a pair of tech. falls. Franek needed 6:01 to dispatch Joe Roberts, 21-5 at 157. At 165 Caliendo defeated 24th ranked Chris Moore, 17-2, in 4:30. … story at … Hawkeyesports.com/Hawkeyes-blowout-illini-36-6

January 27, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NAIA Rankings & News

2023-24 NAIA Men’s Wrestling Coaches’ Top 20 – No. 5 (January 25)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Grand View (Iowa) returns to the top of the ratings after a one week hiatus, edging out Life (Ga.) by two points. Menlo (Calif.) remains third while the Fire of Southeastern (Fla.) rejoins the Top 5; Campbellsville (Ky.) slides down one spot. The same 20 teams are located in the rating this period, with Providence (Mont.) having the most positive upward movement. 

Rating Methodology

• The rating was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the eight conferences/groups.
• Two days prior to the national rating, each qualifying group rater submits the top 10 individuals from each weight class in his conference into the system. Only wrestlers listed on a conference ballot are considered for the national ballot.
• The top 25 individuals in each weight class is based on how each voter ranks the best individuals. An individual receives 25 points for each first place vote, 24 for second place and so on through the list. This same point system is used to determine the team ranking.
• The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) is removed and the team’s ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot
• For the complete Top 20 calendar, click here. … story and rankings at … NAIA.org/sports/Releases/6_National?utm_source=Wrestling+News

And …

2023-24 NAIA Women’s Wrestling Coaches’ Top 20 – No. 4 (January 25)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Menlo (Calif.) claimed the top spot in the fourth NAIA Women’s Wrestling Coaches’ Top 20. Life (Ga.) who was the top ranked program in the country for the previous three rating cycles slid to No. 2. Texas Wesleyan jumped into the top five for the first time this season as Missouri Valley and Wayland Baptist (Texas) joined the rankings at No. 19 and No. 20, respectively.

Rating Methodology

• The ratings were voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the five conferences.
• Two days prior to the national rating, each qualifying group rater submits the top 10 individuals from each weight class in the conference into the system. Only wrestlers listed on a conference ballot are considered for the national ballot.
• The top 20 individuals in each weight class is based on how each voter ranks the best individuals. An individual receives 20 points for each first place vote, 19 for second place and so on through the list. This same point system is used to determine the team ranking.
• The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) is removed and the team’s ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot
• Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes.”
• For the complete Top 20 calendar, click here. … story and rankings at … NAIA.org/Releases/Regular_Season_Ratings_No_4?utm_source=Wrestling+News

January 27, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

TDR Top 100 Girls Wrestlers Eastern North Carolina 2024 – part 3 – TDR # 31-32

TDR Editor’s Notes; The following are the Top 7 in the 4 lightest weight classes. Wrestlers with an 11 before their name are in the Honorable Mention category. We are tracking wrestlers from over 60 schools with female wrestlers in the eastern North Carolina TDR coverage area. The area includes over 120 schools in 30 counties.  80 of these schools have over 3,000 students participating in and benefiting from wrestling. Yet there are over 40 schools (25 – 1A, 15 – 2A and one 3A school) are without a wrestling program. We are seeking ways and methods of how we can encourage more schools to offer participation in Wrestling. We welcome input and ideas martinkfleming@gmail.com
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January 26, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Week in Women’s Collegiate Wrestling

This Week in Women’s Collegiate Wrestling (1/24/2024)
Key Takeaways from the week
Several teams are in the heart of their dual seasons and taking on ranked and conference opponents. While the weather took a toll on the number of events that actually happened, there was still some great wrestling this past week. Let’s take a look at some of those results, a few open tournament results, and a huge dual matchup between two #1 teams.
Bearcats Shred the Competition at MoBap Open
McKendree finished the day with 5 champions at the Missouri Baptist Open. A few notable wins were Julia Vidallon, who is listed on the roster as a 123lber, winning the tournament at 116lbs including a 7-4 decision win in the finals over #6 Caitlyn Thorne of Lindenwood. Vidallon had a tough draw at National Duals losing to both #2 Sydney Petzinger of North Central and #4 Melanie Mendoza of King. The win over Thorne is a big one, and seeing that 116 lbs is one of three weights where McKendree does not have a ranked wrestler, we could see Vidallon continuing to battle it out at the weight. 
#2 Cam Guerin showed her dominance winning her first three matches by fall in under a minute. Cayden Condit of Lindenwood held out a little longer in the finals match, but inevitably took the loss via fall to Guerin after 1:56 seconds. Guerin has been consistently dominant this season, with her toughest match being a close loss to then #3, now #1 Victoria Baez-Dilone of King. If the brackets line up correctly, these two could find themselves at the finals of the NCWWC in March, and I think after the close decision last time, I would take Guerin to get her revenge and win for the title. Nichole Moore at 123 lbs, #5 Alex Szkotnicki at 136 lbs, and #6 Viktorya Torres at 143 lbs were the other champs on the day for McKendree. The team had plans to compete in their own Bearcat Open, but that was unfortunately canceled due to weather. Their next dual will be Senior Night against Missouri Baptist before competing at regionals and then NCWWCs. It will be interesting to see how many Bearcats qualify for nationals and the much-anticipated return of Emma Bruntil. If I had to guess, I think that McKendree will outperform their fourth-place team ranking at Nationals.
A Top-10 Conference Dual More Lopsided than Expecte
The #8 William Penn Statesmen hosted the #3 Grand View Vikings in a conference matchup this past week with potential for several ranked matchups. While the Vikings have more ranked wrestlers in their starting lineup, the Statesmen certainly have the talent to keep duals interesting. However, in this matchup, Grand View came out swinging winning the first 6 matches. Jalen Bets got the Vikings started with a tech fall followed by teammate Judy Sandoval getting a pin at 109 lbs. At 116 lbs, Mayagelie Colon got the upset win over #9 Catherine Steinkamp. … story at … Intermatwrestle.com/This-week-in-womens-collegiate-wrestling

And …

HAWKEYES DOMINATE IOWA DUALS
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The second-ranked University of Iowa women’s wrestling team defeated Missouri Valley College and top-ranked NAIA, Life University in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday afternoon. The Hawkeyes outscored their opponents 77-47 in team points, recording five pins and ten technical falls. Iowa started its day of competition with a, 42-0, win over Missouri Valley College. Emilie Gonzalez, Brianna Gonzalez and Alivia White all notched wins via pin over their opponents in the first period. Ava Bayless, Emily Frost and Lilly Luft recorded, 11-0, tech. falls, while Felicity Taylor, Ella Schmit, and Bella Mir downed their opponents with 10-0 tech. falls. The Hawkeyes kept the momentum going into final dual of the afternoon, capturing a, 35-6, win against NAIA National Duals Champions, Life University. Sterling Dias started things at 101 with a win over Devyn Gomez via a 10-0 tech. fall. Bayless downed Diana Gonzalez at 109, also earning a quick 10-0 tech. fall. B. Gonzalez worked a pin in 2:07 over Ariana Martinez at 116, followed by Taylor taking the 10-0 tech. fall against Anna Krejsa at 123. … rest of story at Hawkeyesports.com/Hawkeyes-dominate-iowa-duals

And …

D’Youville Wrestling Goes 4-0 at the Terrier Duals
HIRAM, OH – D’Youville Women’s Wrestling had a successful Saturday after winning all four duals at then Terrier Duals hosted by Hiram College.
The Saints (8-7) won their duals against John Carroll, Slippery Rock, Alfred State and Hiram.
D’Youville University 26 vs John Carroll University 6
The first six bouts of the dual resulted in forfeits with three coming from double forfeits, John Carroll winning one and the Saints winning two. D’Youville’s Alessandra Elliott (Staten Island, N.Y./ Tottenville) won 10-0 by technical fall in her first dual and was quickly followed by Saniyah Ward (The Colony, TX/ The Colony) earning the 13-9 win by decision and Elizabeth Stricklin (San Antonio, TX / Winston Churchill) getting the 11-0 win by technical fall. Riley Wentlent (Cheektowaga, N.Y. / Depew) wrapped up the dual with a forfeit win to give the Saints the 26-6 lead.

D’Youville University 25 vs Slippery Rock University 5
After the first three weight classes were double forfeits, Slippery Rock earned their five points after a fall. Following another double forfeit, Madison Wellen (East Berlin, Pa / Wyoming Seminary) won her matchup with a fall. Ward, Elliott, Stricklin, and Wentlent all earned the Saints points by forfeit in their matches. … rest of story at Dyusaints.com/Wrestling-goes-4-0-at-the-terrier-duals

January 26, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

DI Live Streaming Guide (1/26 – 1/28/2024)

We’re officially in the second half of the collegiate wrestling season and have a full schedule of DI duals this week. A total of 45 duals will be contested. Since it can be difficult to figure out where and when to watch all of these events, InterMat has put together a list of all of the live-streamed events occurring this week. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match (with links).  
All times listed are Eastern.
Friday, January 26:
George Mason at Bloomsburg  7:00 PM  PSAC Digital Network
Ohio at Cleveland State  7:00 PM  FloWrestling
Virginia at Duke  7:00 PM  ACC Network Extra
Wisconsin at Michigan State  7:00 PM  B1G+
Michigan at Ohio State  7:00 PM   Big Ten Network
NC State at PIttsburgh  7:00 PM  ACC Network
Columbia at Princeton  7:00 PM  ESPN+
Lock Haven at Rider  7:00 PM  ESPN+
North Carolina at Virginia Tech  7:00 PM  ESPN+
Missouri at West Virginia  7:00 PM  ESPN+
Wyoming at Northern Colorado  8:00 PM  FloWrestling
Nebraska at Northwestern  8:00 PM  B1G+
Iowa State at Oklahoma  8:00 PM  ESPN+
Northern Iowa at Oklahoma State  8:00 PM   ESPN+
Air Force at South Dakota State  8:00 PM  FloWrestling
Iowa at Illinois  9:00 PM  Big Ten Network
Little Rock vs. Oregon State at Hillsboro, OR 9:00 PM

Saturday, January 27:
Appalachian State at Appalachian Open  9:00 AM … story and listing at … Intermatwrestle.com/D-I-live-streaming-guide-126

January 26, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

State high school wrestling tourneys in 2024

Several state high school wrestling tourneys have new homes in 2024
By Rob Sherrill
It’s only January, but there have been enough thrills and excitement to last a whole season … and the 2024 state tournaments haven’t even started yet. But they will and sooner than you think. In fact, one’s already in the books.
Alaska started the state tournament parade in 2023, the week before Christmas. Starting later this month, four states, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and New York, take center stage with the start of dual state tournaments. Leading the parade of state tournament site changes is a state that normally doesn’t make this kind of news. For the first time since 2000, Indiana’s state tournament won’t be contested in Indianapolis’s main arena, Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The arena, which is also the home of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, is hosting the NBA All-Star Game the same weekend, Feb. 16-17.

This column appeared in the January issue of WIN Magazine. Click on the cover or call 888-305-0606 to subscribe. 
That conflict necessitated moving the wrestling tournament south to the Ford Center in Evansville. As the home of University of Evansville basketball and the minor-league hockey Evansville Thunderbolts, the Ford Center has wrestling experience. It will host the Evansville semi-state qualifying tournament the previous weekend with Evansville’s Reitz High serving as the host school. It will mark the 12th time the Ford Center has hosted the semi-state since opening in 2011. Hawaii and Nevada are also moving to first-time host sites. The Aloha State migrates across the island of Oahu to the George Q. Cannon Events Center, on the campus of Brigham Young University-Hawaii, in Laie on Feb. 23-24.
Nevada’s state tournaments, shortened from two days to one day this year, debut at the Anderson Auto Group Fieldhouse in Bullhead City on Feb. 16. The state alternates between northern and southern sites and it’s the South’s turn to host this year; Bullhead City is about 100 miles south of Las Vegas. After a three-year hiatus that originated during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kentucky has returned to its traditional single-site state tournament format at Alltech Arena, located at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The boys state tournament will take place on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 15-16, followed by the girls state tournament on Saturday, Feb. 17. The previous pandemic-based format saw the state tournament conducted over two weekends at high school sites.
Click here to view an entire listing of dates and locations of boys state wrestling tournaments

The National Prep Championships return to Stabler Arena at Lehigh University, the tournament’s home before the pandemic necessitated a similar move to The Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Md. That facility will continue to host Maryland’s sanctioned state tournament.
Kansas, meanwhile, condensed from three state tournament sites to two. Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina, previously the host of the 4A state tournament, will host both the state’s smaller classifications, as Class A-2A-3A joins 4A under the same roof Feb. 22-24. Fort Hays State University had hosted the smallest classification in previous years. The state’s two largest classifications, 6A and 5A, remain at Wichita’s Park City-Hartman Arena the same weekend. Tennessee and Utah conduct their individual state tournaments across two weekends; the only states to do so (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire conduct New England qualifying events the week following their state meets). Tennessee’s Division II, which comprises the state’s private schools, is the nation’s only group of sanctioned schools permitted by its NFHS association, the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, to compete in the National Prep Championships.
Iowa and Missouri have expanded their individual state tournaments to four full days at the same site. All three Iowa classifications compete all four days at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, starting on Wednesday, Feb. 14. Missouri’s two smaller classes, 1 and 2, compete on Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 21-22, at the Mizzou Arena, with big-school Classes 3 and 4 competing on Friday and Saturday. … story at … WIN-magazine.com/Several-state-high-school-wrestling-tourneys-have-new-homes-in-2024

And …

2023-24 high school individual state champions list, as of January 23, adding Alabama and D.C. girls
Once again, USA Wrestling will publish regular updates on the 2023-24 state high school champions for both boys and girls. 
Winning a state high school title is an amazing achievement for a high school student-athlete. We will post the champions from official state high school championships for boys, as well as the girls who have won official state high school titles, as well as the recognized state competitions which are not run by their state high school association. We will also post the team champions at the state level as available. As available, we will include the state champion’s year in school and final record.
This week, we add the Alabama girls state champions, who competed in Birmingham this past weekend. Daphne won its third state team title in the last four years, led by state champions Alanah Girard (100), Emily Smith (114) and Kalyse Hill (132). 
The DCSSA, which runs high school wrestling in Washington, D.C., ran its Girls Invitational this past weekend, featuring athletes and teams from the surrounding area. We once again include the champions from this Invitational in our state champions list. State champions will be updated on a weekly basis until the state championship season has been completed in mid-March.
Alabama Girls State Championships at Birmingham, Ala. January 18-19
100 – Alanah Girard (Daphne) 26-2, Fr.
107 – Kloe Robb (Sparkman) 28-3, Sr.
114 – Emily Smith (Daphne) 38-0, Sr.
120 – Evelyn Holmes-Smith (Enterprise) 37-0, Jr. … story at … Themat.com/news/High-school-individual-state-champions-list-as-of-january-23-adding-alabama-and-d-c-girls

And …

Upcoming State Dual Championships
Six state dual championships are coming during the next two weekends. First will be New York’s this Saturday, followed by Iowa, Nebraska, Louisiana, Tennessee and North Carolina the following weekend.
Tournaments for New York, Iowa, Louisiana and North Carolina will stream live here on Flo, while the Nebraska and Tennessee tournaments will be available as archives after the individual duals end. Touching on a few of these tournaments, we’ll start with New York where there will be new dual state champs in both Division 1 and 2 as neither Tioga or Starpoint are in the field after both won a year ago. In both divisions, 12 teams will take part in four three-team pools with the winners advancing to a four-team bracket to determine the champion.  
In Division 1, Minisink Valley is looking to get back on top after winning in both 2020 and 2022 (there was no tournament in 2021). In D2, last year’s runner-up Central Valley Academy is the likely favorite.
In Iowa, regional dual tournaments will take place on Jan. 30 with the top 24 teams in each class (1A, 2A and 3A) competing at eight regionals per class. The top-ranked team at each regional hosts the event and gets a bye to the final with the other two teams dualing to face them. The eight winners advance to the state dual team tournament on Feb. 3 at the Xtream Arena in Coralville. 
Southeast Polk is the favorite in Iowa’s big-school class — Class 3A. In 2A, Osage, Mount Vernon and Sergeant Bluff-Luton are all in the mix, while Alburnett, Don Bosco and Wilton are the leaders in 1A.
Just to the west, Nebraska’s dual championships will also take place on Feb. 3 with the top eight teams battling it out. In Class A, the state’s biggest class, Millard South has won seven of the past eight tournaments and has dominated the state, even showing to be competitive nationally. 
Last year’s champs, Omaha Skutt Catholic, will battle it out with 2022 champs Bennington, Waverly and Blair in Class B. In Class C, Broken Bow won a year ago as well as in 2018 and 2019. The Class C champ in both 2020 and 2022 was Aquinas Catholic who dropped down to Class D last year and has dominated, winning the dual title in its first try last season.

January 26, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Wisconsin-Eau Claire Wrestlers defeat UW-Platteville to set new record for dual victories

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire wrestling team set a new program record for single-season dual victories by defeating UW-Platteville 42-3 on Friday at Williams Fieldhouse. The Blugolds took nine of 10 matches to earn their 18th dual win of the season, besting the previous record of 17 set last season.
The Blugolds reeled off six bonus-point victories to roll past the Pioneers and move to 18-4 on the season. UW-Eau Claire is now 3-1 in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) duals.
UW-Eau Claire had one pin, four technical falls and a major decision in the victory. Izzy Balsiger (So. – Chippewa Falls, Wis.) started things off with a technical fall at 125 pounds, and seventh-ranked Tyler Fleetwood (Sr. – Fulton, Ill.) did the same at 133 pounds.
Drew Kested (So. – Sterling, Ill.) won by 2-0 decision at 141 pounds. Sixth-ranked Zach Sato (Jr. – Oswego, Ill.) followed with a technical fall at 149. The Pioneers’ lone win came in the next match at 157, where Colton Sund (Jr. – Prior Lake, Wis.) fell in a narrow 2-1 decision.
Sixth-ranked Tristan Massie (Sr. – Hillsdale, Wis./Barron) got the Blugolds back on track with a technical fall at 165 pounds and started a run of five straight wins for UW-Eau Claire. Preston Carlisle (So. – Red Wing, Minn./Cannon Falls) prevailed in a shutout 6-0 decision at 174. Connor Collins (Sr. – Oshkosh, Wis./West) scored a pin in the first period at 184. Cole Matulenko (Fr. – Libertyville, Ill.) picked up a 15-2 major decision at 197, and Jackson Schichel (Sr. – Hastings, Minn.) closed out the dual with a win by injury default in the heavyweight class. … story at … Blugolds.com/Wrestlers-defeat-uw-platteville-to-set-new-record-for-dual-victories

January 26, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

New College Rankings

TDR Editor’s Notes; There are many different rankings to view and here are just a few from Intermat, The NWCA, WIN Magazine, and The NCAA Coaches. There are rankings for teams and wrestlers in Divisions I, II, and III, the NAIA, Junior Colleges, the NCWA and the growing number of Women’s teams. So read on, enjoy, discuss and disagree, in a polite manner of course.
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NCAA DI Rankings Updated (1/23/2024) from Intermat
It sounds like a broken record, but we have a new number one at 125 lbs…again. And again, it’s Purdue’s Matt Ramos. Ramos was previously ranked number two and defeated then-number one Drake Ayala in a dual Friday night. His notable wins this year are now Ayala, Dean Peterson, Tanner Jordan, Anthony Molton, Diego Sotelo, and the unofficial All-Star Classic major decision over Anthony Noto. 
The decision for #1 this week came down to Ramos or freshmen Luke Stanich and Braeden Davis. Stanich has notable wins over Eric Barnett, Cooper Flynn, Brett Ungar, and Sotelo. His only loss is to Troy Spratley, who was pinned over the weekend. Davis is unbeaten with wins over Michael DeAugustino and Brandon Kaylor. Each of the three have huge matches remaining on their respective schedules, so this could certainly change before the conference tournament season.  157 is another weight that has been difficult near the top. Levi Haines continues to win but the previous Michael Blockhus has recent wins over … story at … Intermatwrestle.com/NCAA-di-rankings-updated-1232024

And …

Little Rock breaks into rankings for first time in school history from NWCA
Trojans fastest Division I men’s start-up to reach Top 25 in poll history
Manheim, Pennsylvania – Growing pains have been apparent for Little Rock’s five-year-old wrestling program. With just one NCAA qualifier in school history and nine total dual wins coming into this season, Coach Neil Erisman’s path to success has been a slow one.
But it’s also apparently pretty steady.
Little Rock’s first ranked win in school history last week against then-No. 24 Arizona State vaulted the Trojans (10-4) into the NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll for the first time in program history, coming in at No. 25 in the most recent poll released on Tuesday. It’s also the quickest a Division I men’s start-up program has hit the Coaches Poll since the poll was first published by Amateur Wrestling News in 1960. The NCAA’s divisional structure began in 1973-74.
The Top 10 remained unchanged with Penn State remaining the unanimous No. 1 after a pair of weekend wins over Michigan State 35-0 and No. 11 Michigan 27-9. The Nittany Lions improved to 6-0 on the season and won their 50^th dual in a row, which ranks 13^th all-time. Penn State’s previous dual win streak was 60, which ran from 2015-2019.  
Third-ranked Iowa (8-0) beat Purdue 34-6, while fifth-ranked Oklahoma State (8-0) also stayed unbeaten after topping No. 16 Oregon State 27-6. No. 6 Nebraska won a back-and-forth affair with No. 9 Minnesota 19-14. The Cornhuskers (7-1) also beat Purdue 27-14 over the weekend. Ohio State improved to 11-1, topping then-No. 22 Wisconsin 27-15 and Maryland 38-4.
No. 10 South Dakota State won a pair of home matches, beating California Baptist 39-3 and Northern Colorado 26-16. Arizona State, despite dropping an 18-15 match to Little Rock, did rebound to pick up an unusual 21-20 criteria win over then-No. 15 Pittsburgh. The Sun Devils ended up getting the deciding criteria from an injury default win from heavyweight Cohlton Schultz in the dual’s final bout. The win tied the dual at 20, but after the teams were split in the first criteria (bouts won), the default carried the weight for the second criteria.
Lehigh moved up two spots after beating then-No. 18 Navy 24-15 and … story at … NWCAonline.com/National-wrestling-coaches-association-little-rock-breaks-into-rankings-for-first-time

And …

Minnesota’s Blockhus makes big jump in WIN Magazine’s Jan. 22 rankings
NEWTON, Iowa – Fewer NCAA Division I wrestlers had a better week last week than Minnesota’s Michael Blockhus. The Gopher senior turned in a pair of upset performances against All-Americans Jared Franek of Iowa and Nebraska’s Peyton Robb at 157 pounds, which moved Blockhus from No. 17 to No. 3 in WIN Magazine’s Jan. 22 rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.
Penn State, meanwhile, held its grip as the top-ranked team in both WIN’s dual rankings and Tournament Power Index. The Nittany Lions used a pair of road victories over Michigan and Michigan State to improve to 6-0 on the season. Penn State also has wrestlers ranked at all 10 weight classes. This includes four No. 1-rated wrestlers: Levi Haines (157), Carter Starocci (174), Aaron Brooks (197) and Greg Kerkvliet (Hwt) and added freshman Braeden Davis (125) as a newcomer to the weekly rankings.
Missouri and Iowa also remain the No. 2 and No. 3 teams, respectively in both the dual and TPI rankings. The Tigers (7-0) feature nine ranked wrestlers, including the top-ranked wrestler at 165 pounds: Keegan O’Toole. The Hawkeyes (8-0) feature eight ranked wrestlers, including No. 1 Real Woods at 141.
WIN’s TPI predicts how high a team would finish in this year’s NCAA Division I Championships based on a point total associated with individual placement and advancement points that could be scored at the 2024 NCAAs. … story at … WIN-magazine.com/Minnesotas-blockhus-makes-big-jump-in-win-magazines-jan-22-rankings

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Central Oklahoma tops Division II Men’s Coaches Rankings
MANHEIM, Pa. – Central Oklahoma held onto the top spot in NCAA Division II men’s wrestling, and is alone atop the rankings in the latest edition of the National Wrestling Coaches Association DII Men’s poll, released Monday afternoon. 
The Bronchos, who have all 10 of their starters individually ranked as well, amassed 93 total points. Lander comes in at #2 with 71 total points behind seven ranked wrestlers, with West Liberty in third with 55 points. UW-Parkside (54 points) and St. Cloud State (52 points) round out the top five. 
A pair of top-ranked wrestlers highlight the 10 UCO wrestlers ranked, with both defending champions Dalton Abney (197) and Shawn Streck (285) topping their respective weight classes. Lander also features a pair of No. 1s, in David Hunsberger (165) and newly-named #1 James Joplin at 125. In addition to the 125 and 285 weight classes, there is also a new #1 at 149 in 2023 National Finalist Christian Small of Lake Erie, while UNC-Pembroke’s Scotty Joll took over the top spot at 174 for the first time this season as well. Super Region 5 again produced more than a quarter of DII’s ranked wrestlers, with 33 coming from SR5. Super Region 4 has 25 ranked wrestlers, while Super Region 2 features the most top-ranked wrestlers with four among its 13 ranked wrestlers. The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference has 30 ranked wrestlers competing for its members, while the 
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association has 22 ranked wrestlers representing its institutions.
The next ranking will be released Feb. 22, prior to the NCAA Super Regionals … story at … NWCAonline.com/NCAA-division-2-central-oklahoma-tops-division-ii-mens-coaches-rankings

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Matt Ramos’ domination and 5 other college wrestling storylines from the weekend
With conference duals in full swing, the drama and intensity in men’s college wrestling is heating up. Here’s what we learned after a jam-packed week of action and what these results could mean come March: 
Purdue’s Matt Ramos goes 2-0 on the weekend to claim the No. 1 spot at 125 pounds 

It’s no secret that the 125-pound weight class has been the craziest weight this year. 
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Purdue’s Matt Ramos started the year ranked No. 1 after pinning Spencer Lee in the semifinals of the national tournament last year and ultimately finishing second at the 2023 NCAA tournament behind Princeton graduate Patrick Glory. Without Glory at the weight, this was expected to be Ramos’ year. 
HOW RAMOS BEAT LEE: Complete play-by-play of the history upset
The Purdue Boilermaker, however, took a few early losses, one to high schooler Marcus Blaze, one to N.C. State’s Jakob Camacho, one to Stanford’s Nico Provo and one to Nebraska’s Caleb Smith. These performances dropped Ramos out of the top spot in the rankings and led to a rankings carousel in which Camacho and Provo both, at one point, slid into the No. 1 spot. 
Heading into last weekend, Iowa’s Drake Ayala had overtaken Provo and Camacho for the top spot after wins over Smith and two-time All-American Patrick McKee. This set the stage for another Matt Ramos vs. No. 1 Iowa lightweight battle.  … story at … NCAA.com/news/Matt-ramos-domination-and-5-other-college-wrestling-storylines-weekend

And …

NCAA releases first coaches’ ranking for 2024 Division I Wrestling Championships
INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA has announced the first coaches’ ranking for the 2024 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
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The coaches’ rankings are determined by a vote of 14 coaches in each weight class with two head coaches from each of the seven conferences. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. Wrestlers must have eight Division I matches in the weight class to be considered with at least one within the last 30 days.
Of the 10 weight classes, five are led by members of the Big Ten Conference with wrestlers from Iowa leading the way in three classes. Drake Ayala leads at 125, Real Woods at 141 and Jared Franek at 157 pounds.
HAWKEYE HEROS: Full history and championship performances from Iowa’s program
Two-time national champion Keegan O’Toole of Missouri sits atop the 165-pound weight class.
Lehigh’s Ryan Crookham leads at 133 pounds while Ridge Lovett of Nebraska leads 149 pounds.  At 174 pounds, Edmond Ruth of Illinois was ranked first by the coaches and Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen debuts atop 184 pounds. North Carolina State’s Trent Hidlay leads at 197 pounds.  Wyatt Hendrickson at Air Force rounds out the rankings by coming in first for the heavyweights. The coaches’ ranking is one of several criteria that will be evaluated by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee during the at-large selection and seeding process along with head-to-head competition, quality wins, Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), conference tournament placement, results versus common opponents and win percentage.
A full description of the entire selection process for the 2024 Division I Wrestling Championships is available at ncaa.org. The 2024 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships take place March 21-23 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City as the event returns for the first time since 2003. … story at … NCAA.com/news/NCAA-releases-first-coaches-ranking-2024-division-i-wrestling-championships

January 26, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

TDR Top 100 Girls Wrestlers Eastern North Carolina 2024 – part 2 – TDR # 31-31

TDR Editor’s Notes; The Top 7 in the 4 middle weight classes. Wrestlers with an 11 before their name are in the Honorable Mention category. We are tracking wrestlers from over 60 schools with female wrestlers in the eastern North Carolina TDR coverage area. The area includes over 120 schools in 30 counties.  80 of these schools have over 3,000 students participating in and benefiting from wrestling. Yet there are over 40 schools (25 – 1A, 15 – 2A and one 3A school) are without a wrestling program. We are seeking ways and methods of how we can encourage more schools to offer participation in Wrestling. We welcome input and ideas martinkfleming@gmail.com
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January 25, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

North Carolina College Results – Jan. 24th

Montreat Men’s Wrestling Picks Up Close Win at St. Andrews
LAURINBURG, N.C.— The Montreat men’s wrestling team extended its win streak to three duals as the Cavaliers claimed a tight 25-19 triumph over the St. Andrews University Knights in an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matchup on the road Friday evening. With the come-from-behind victory, the Cavs improved to 3-7 overall and 3-4 in AAC duals on the year.
Thanks to a 14-2 major decision by Zeke Grabowski and a 14-10 decision from Coy Reid, Montreat jumped ahead 7-0 through a pair of bouts. Though SAU leveled the score with similar outcomes in the ensuing two matches, Branson Bennett responded to hand the Cavaliers a 10-7 lead with an 11-5 win at 157.
Caleb Johnson-White pinned his opponent in just 1:40 at 165 to put the visitors up 16-7; however, the Knights answered with a fall and a forfeit to lead 19-16 with two bouts left. Needing a pair of results to take the battle, the Cavs prevailed. At 197, Seth Williamson collected a key 12-8 decision win to knot the overall score at 19, and Grant Trotter, the reigning AAC Wrestler of the Week, sealed the team triumph thanks to his pin at 285.
Men’s wrestling now travels to Cleveland, Ga. to wrestle a handful of teams at the AAC Duals next Saturday, Jan. 27. Bouts are expected to begin at 10 a.m. … story at … Montreatcavaliers.com/Mens-wrestling-picks-up-close-win-at-st-andrews

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Chattanooga Wrestling Blitzes Duke for 6th Win
Sergio Desiante and the Chattanooga Mocs dominated the Duke Blue Devils Friday evening in Durham
RESULTS
DURHAM, N.C.—The Chattanooga Mocs ran away with a 33-11 win at Duke Friday evening. The Mocs won the first seven matchups to move to 6-2 on the campaign. In all six wins, the match was clinched within the opening seven bouts.
It began with a decision for Brayden Palmer at 125. That was followed by tech falls for Blake Boarman (133) and Isaiah Powe (149). Noah Castillo extended the lead to 17-0 with an 11-2 major decision getting the bonus point with two takedowns in the final minute of the bout.
Lincoln Heck kept the pressure on with a 17-3 major decision at 157. Kamdyn Munro got a decision at 165 before Sergio Desiante clinched the match at 174 by way of a dominant 18-2 tech fall. David Harper claimed another major at 197 sandwiched between losses at 184 and 285.
RECORDS – Chattanooga (6-2) | Duke (4-8) … story and results at … GOmocs.com/Wrestling-blitzes-duke-for-6th-win

And …

Molton named SoCon Wrestler of the Week for second consecutive week
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – For the second consecutive week, redshirt senior Anthony Molton has been named the SoCon Wrestler of the Week. The conference made the announcement Wednesday afternoon. Molton was 3-0 on the week at 125 pounds, helping the Camels win their first Chippewa Challenge. His week was highlighted by a dominant tech fall victory over Jack Maida of American University. Molton defeated Maida, who was ranked in the top-15 in some publications, in 5:59 with a 25-7 score. He would also go on to defeat Sean Spidle of Central Michigan, 3-1, in the first tiebreak round. His day ended with a 6-3 decision over Richard Castro-Sandoval of CSU Bakersfield.
After sitting out the first couple weeks of the season, Molton now sits at 11-4 on the year and 5-2 in dual matches. He has racked up three falls and three tech falls. This past week, Molton broke into multiple top-30 rankings. He is ranked #26 on Intermat, #30 by FloWrestling and #29 by The College Wrestling Report. … story at … GOcamels.com/Molton-named-socon-wrestler-of-the-week-for-second-consecutive-week

And …

V.M.I. Wrestling earns two dual wins Sunday
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Competing in two non-conference duals before starting SoCon action next weekend, the VMI wrestling team earned two wins Sunday by rallying to defeat Sacred Heart, 24-17, before topping host Queens, 42-3, Sunday afternoon at Curry Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina.
With two wins on the day, VMI improves to 6-5 in dual action this season.
VMI 24, Sacred Heart 17
Down 7-0 early on to Sacred Heart, Patrick Jordon trimmed the deficit to 7-3 with an 11-5 decision over the Pioneers’ Vincent Milazzo. With Sacred Heart ahead 10-3, VMI 157-pounder Josh Yost pinned SHU’s Connor MacDonald in 3:53 to cut the Pioneer to 10-9 with five bouts to go. … story at … VMIkeydets.com/Wrestling-earns-two-dual-wins-sunday

And …

Early 17-Point Flurry Lets Blue Hose Breeze By Queens
CLINTON, S.C. – Establishing Templeton Gymnasium as a tough venue for opponents to attempt a W, the Presbyterian College men’s wrestling team moved to their second victory in as many home contests by vanquishing Queens on Sunday in a 30-15 final margin.
The school’s second home appearance in seven days proved to pay major dividends – just like the 44-6 beatdown over Truett McConnell only last week – gifting PC a doubled-up victory over the Royals and their second straight triumph against their Charlotte-based foe.
Each of the first four meetings went head coach Mark Cody‘s way, as a 4:24 pin by Trenton Donahue and a 20-5 Rey Ortiz technical fall helped boost the deficit to 17-6 nearing the match’s halfway point. A 10-2 major decision in Caleb Roe’s favor made the sophomore (along with Ortiz) 3-0 in the past eight days coming off of respective W’s against Bellarmine just 48 hours ago.
While the Blue Hose were going to emerge as the victors … story at … GObluehose.com/Mens-wrestling-early-17-point-flurry-lets-blue-hose-breeze-by-queens

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Wilson Earns 2nd ODAC Wrestler of the Week Award
Greensboro, NC – Junior wrestler Josh Wilson has earned his second ODAC Lighter Weight Wrestler of the Week award for the week of January 15-21. Wilson also won the Wrestler of the Week after the first week of the season.
Wilson defeated Porter Kinne from Southern Virginia on Saturday by Technical Fall (21-5) and then defeated his third NCAA Division I wrestler of the season, Isaac Byers from Appalachian State, by Decision (4-1). Wilson is now 20-1 on the season … story at … Greensborocollegesports.com/Wilson-earns-2nd-odac-wrestler-of-the-week-award

And …

Barket Named ACC Wrestler of the Week
DURHAM — Duke heavyweight sophomore Connor Barket was named ACC Wrestler of the Week on Tuesday afternoon, coming off an impressive week on the mat. Barket earned the recognition for the first time in his collegiate career.
A native of West Lafayette, Ind., Barket is coming off two dominating wins last week against Gardner-Webb and Chattanooga. On Jan. 16, Barket claimed his victory with an efficient pin in the second period against Gardner-Webb’s Peyton McComas. In Friday’s match against Chattanooga, Barket tallied his third tech fall of the season, showcasing his dominance early and resulted in a 18-2 victory over Kendrick Curtis. Barket has won five out of his last six dual matches with wins against Chattanooga, Gardner-Webb, Queens, The Citadel and Davidson. Barket leads the Blue Devils with a team-high 13 victories. … story at … GOduke.com/Connor-barket-named-acc-wrestler-of-the-week

January 25, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment