Takeaways, Random Thoughts, and More from the 2023 Collegiate Duals
Monday and Tuesday of this week featured one of the best new traditions in the wrestling world, the Collegiate Duals. Arranged by Journeymen Wrestling, the Collegiate Duals have taken place in a Southern city without collegiate wrestling for each of the last three years. Frank Popolizio and crew have been able to nab the top teams in the nation and put them together in dual competitions. Looking at the current NCAA dual rankings via InterMat, eight of the current top-ten teams in the country have participated in at least one of the three Collegiate Dual events.
This year’s event took place in Nashville, Tennessee at the Montgomery Bell Academy. For those that have attended all three Collegiate Duals events, the facilities at this school were the best year.
But back to the actual wrestling. Here are some general thoughts about the action on the mat (and a little off the mat) from the 2023 Collegiate Duals.
The Big Red Elephant in the Room
In what has been an all-too-familiar situation, the wrestling community was in an uproar after the first day of the Collegiate Duals. The final round of the three-dual competition on Monday saw then-#3 Cornell face then-#7 Iowa State. It was a rematch of the 2022 Collegiate Duals, which ended up being one of the best duals of the season. Although it was expected to be a star-studded affair, the 2023 version was memorable for all of the wrong reasons.
The Cyclones prevailed 26-15 spurred by big wins from Anthony Echemendia (141 lbs) and Yonger Bastida (285 lbs), but the talk of the dual centered around who wasn’t in the lineup for Cornell. … story at … Intermatwrestle.com/Takeaways-random-thoughts-and-more-from-the-2023-collegiate-duals
NAIA Women’s & Men’s Coaches’ Polls
2023-24 NAIA Women’s Wrestling Coaches’ Top 20 – No. 3 (December 22)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Life (Ga.) heads into the second half of the season and the new calendar year holding down the top spot in the nation. The third NAIA Women’s Wrestling Top 20 had the same top five teams as the previous release, with some shakeup; Menlo (Calif.) climbed to No. 2, Grand View (Iowa) slid one spot to No. 3, Providence (Mont.) and Southern Oregon held strong at their respective ranks of No. 4 and No. 5, 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. … full poll and rankings at … NAIA.org/sports/wwrest/2023-24/Releases/Regular_Season_Ratings_No_3
2023-24 NAIA Men’s Wrestling Coaches’ Top 20 – No. 3 (December 22)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The final NAIA Men’s Wrestling Coaches’ Top 20 before the calendar flips to 2024 saw Grand View (Iowa) once again lead the way. The rest of the Top 5 remain the same from last time with Life (Ga.) in second, Menlo (Calif.) in third, followed by Southeastern (Fla.) and Doane (Neb.). Missouri Valley and Reinhardt (Ga.) are tied at 14.
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. … rest of poll and rankings at … NAIA.org/sports/mwrest/2023-24/Releases/4_National
Central Oklahoma, West Liberty tied for top spot in Division II Men’s Coaches Rankings
MANHEIM, Pa.– For the first time since October of 2007, a pair of teams share the #1 spot in NCAA Division II, with Central Oklahoma and West Liberty tied atop the Division II Men’s Coaches Association team ranking in the latest edition of the poll, released Friday by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
Both Central Oklahoma and West Liberty amassed 69 total points to top the poll. The Bronchos, the defending NCAA Division II National Champions, return to the top of the poll for the first time since the last ranking of last season, while the Hilltoppers find themselves atop the poll for the first time since the poll’s inception in the 1992-93 academic year.
In addition to new names atop the team poll, there are also three new top-ranked individuals. Gabe Hixenbaugh of Montevallo, by virtue of a win over defending National Champion Gavin Quiocho en route to the championship at the Midwest Classic, takes over at 133, while David Hunsberger of Lander now sits atop the 165 rankings after defeating defending National Champion Chase Luensman in the Midwest Classic finale. At 285, Francisco Borsellino of West Liberty took over the top spot, giving the Hilltoppers two top-ranked individuals as he joins teammate Ty McGeary, the defending National Champion at 184, in being ranked #1.
The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) leads with 28 ranked wrestlers and six teams ranked in the Top 25, as well as three top-ranked wrestlers in Jaxson Rohman (Augustana) at 125, Wyatt Turnquist (Northern State) at 149, and Nick Novak (St. Cloud State) at 157. The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) comes in with three Top 25 teams, 17 ranked wrestlers and one #1 in Central Oklahoma’s Dalton Abney at 197.
Super Region Five features more than a quarter of the nation’s ranked wrestlers with 32, including the three NSIC #1s previously mentioned. Seven of DII’s Top 25 teams compete in SR5. Super Region 3 is next with 22 ranked wrestlers, including four #1s in Tiffin’s Zack Donathan at 141, Lake Erie’s James Penfold at 174, McGeary at 184 and Borsellino at 285. Six of the Top 25 teams are out of SR3.
The team rankings featured in this edition of the DII Coaches Association poll will be used as seeding for the 2024 NWCA Multi-Division National Duals, slated for Jan. 5-6 in Cedar Falls, IA. … story at … NWCAonline.com/NCAA-division-2-men-central-oklahoma-west-liberty-tied-for-top-spot-in-division-ii-coaches-rankings
Nebraska and Little Rock make big jumps in WIN’s Dec. 20 Rankings
NEWTON, Iowa – Nebraska and Little Rock made the most noticeable of jumps among the NCAA Division I schools in WIN Magazine’s Dec. 20 national rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.
The Huskers moved up seven spots to No. 2 in WIN’s Tournament Power Index with seven ranked wrestlers, including a No. 1-ranked wrestler in Ridge Lovett and a pair of wrestlers at No. 2: Caleb Smith (125) and Peyton Robb (157). Nebraska earned 74 points in this week’s TPI. Meanwhile, Little Rock, which did not have a college wrestling program until 2019-20, features three ranked wrestlers, including two ranked in the Top 8 of their weight class: 133-pound freshman Nasir Bailey and 197-pound Stephen Little. The Arkansas school is now ranked No. 26 in WIN’s TPI with 12 points.
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 in the 2024 NCAAs. The following is a breakdown of those points: 20 for 1st place, 16 for 2nd, 13.5 for 3rd, 12.5 for 4th, 10 for 5th, 9 for 6th, 6.5 for 7th and 5.5 for 8th. Wrestlers ranked 9-12 earn two points each, followed by one and a half points for wrestlers ranked 13-16 and one point for those ranked 17-20.
Also, it should be noted that WIN’s individual rankings are not necessarily simply an update of recent wins and losses, but more of a prediction at this point in the season of where wrestlers would be seeded at the 2024 NCAAs, which will be held in Kansas City, Mo., next March, if that event was held now. Penn State, the defending champs with eight guys in the top eight, remains No. 1 in both WIN’s TPI and dual rankings with a 131 TPI points and a 2-0 record.
The Nittany Lions are followed by Missouri (4-0), Iowa (5-0), NC State (9-1) and Cornell (3-1) in the dual rankings, while Missouri, NC State and Cornell follow Penn State and Nebraska in the TPI. … story at … WIN-magazine.com/Nebraska-and-little-rock-make-big-jumps-in-wins-dec-20-rankings
College wrestling midseason awards for 2023-24
With the Cliff Keen Invitational and Collegiate Duals in the rearview mirror, it’s time to take stock of where some of the nation’s top wrestlers and early stars stand. Who has had the best start to the season? Who is primed for a breakout moment come January? Which teams have impressed the most? These are all questions that will be answered in the first annual NCAA Wrestling Midseason Awards presentation below.
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Keep in mind, these awards are based on performances from Nov. 1-Dec. 20, 2023. There’s a lot of wrestling still to come before the 10 individual champions are crowned in March. For now though, these are some of the midseason stars who deserve recognition.
Biggest upset of the year: Ryan Crookham (Lehigh) over Vito Arujau (Cornell) 8-4
Finalists: Julian Ramirez (Cornell) over David Carr (Iowa State) 4-3, Lorenzo Norman (Stanford) over Shane Griffith (Michigan) 4-2
Within the first week of the season, absolute chaos broke loose in college wrestling. Lehigh’s Ryan Crookham was the leader of this disruption.
The Mountain Hawk rookie started the season on a hot streak, sweeping his 133-pound bracket at the Princeton Open with 100% bonus, but he really made a name for himself the following weekend, at the Journeymen Classic. He teched Jacob Cox of N.C. State and beat his teammate, then No. 6-ranked Connor McGonagle, before facing off against (and defeating) 2023 senior world champion and NCAA champion Vito Arujau. Cornell’s Arujau, who beat two-time NCAA champion Roman Bravo-Young in last year’s national championship, had not lost a folkstyle match prior to this contest since Jan. 6, 2023 when he dropped to Virginia Tech All-American Sam Latona. Arujau was considered one of the most dangerous wrestlers in the NCAA this season, someone who had jumped level and someone who could compete for an Olympic spot in March. … story at … NCAA.com/news/wrestling/College-wrestling-midseason-awards-2023-24
D-II Mid-Season Highlights
Campbell named RMAC Wrestler of the Week
CHADRON, Neb. — Quen Campbell, a redshirt senior from Tifton, Georgia, was named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Wrestler of the Week on Tuesday after placing second at the 44th Annual Midwest Classic.
Campbell suffered a 9-2 decision in the finals of the classic to #7 Gabe Hixenbaugh of Montevallo. Hixenbaugh transferred from West Virginia this season and defeated #1 Gavin Quiocho of Glenville State in the tournament’s quarterfinals. The loss against Hixenbaugh made Campbell’s record 4-1 for the tournament
Campbell’s first round victory was an 8-3 decision over Tyler Masters of Ashland. He then defeated Dale Van Matre of Adams State by fall in 5:00 before having a 4-2 decision over #15 Matthew Chi in the quarterfinals.
A semifinal matchup against #9 Tommy Frezza of Central Missouri was Campbell’s fourth victory of the classic. … story at … Chadroneagles.com/Campbell-named-rmac-wrestler-of-the-week
Hixenbaugh Named Conference Carolinas Wrestler of the Week
GREENVILLE, S.C. – University of Montevallo Wrestling’s Gabe Hixenbaugh has been named the Conference Carolinas Wrestler of the Week as the league office announced Tuesday.
Hixenbaugh earns the program’s first Player of the Week award this week after going 5-0 in the UIndy Midwest Classic to win the 133 bracket.
The redshirt junior from Alabaster, Alabama improved to 17-0 on the year this week when he defeated the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 5 ranked wrestlers in NCAA Division II in route to his third open tournament Championship Title of the year.
Hixenbaugh earned a bye in the first round and defeated Collin Creach from Newman by major decision 13-0. In round three, Hixenbaugh won by tech fall over Ryan Ripplinger from McKendree.
In the quarterfinals, the 133-pounder topped defending national champion and No.1 Gavin Quiocho from Glenville State, 4-2 – marking the highest-ranked win for Hixenbaugh in his career and in UM’s program history.
Hixenbaugh faced No. 5 Elijah Lusk of Lander in the semifinals and earned a win 11-4 … story at … Montevallofalcons.com/Hixenbaugh-named-conference-carolinas-wrestler-of-the-week
Coach Rock Earns Dual Meet Win 100 as Eagles Start Strong in Reno
Embry-Riddle went 2-0 in their duals Tournament of Champions held at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada on Friday as five Eagles won both their matches and with the Eagles win over Wayland Baptist, coach KC Rock picked up his 100th career dual meet win.
Match 1 vs. Wayland Baptist
In the 125lb match, Jaren Kimura (Mililani, Hawaii) won by forfeit to score six team points for ERAU. Landon Smith (Bethel, Alaska) dropped a tough match at 133lbs, but the Eagles got team points right back when Adam Stanley (Costa Mesa, Calif.) won with a 17-4 major decision at 141lbs. Jonah Chew (Pearl City, Hawaii) won 17-0 in his match at 149lbs to earn a tech fall for Embry-Riddle. Peyton Proper (Marana, Ariz.) lost a close match in the 157lb weight class and then Sheldon Cole (Anthem, Ariz.) and Keller Rock (Chino Valley, Ariz.) both won by fall in their matches. Cole wrestled at 165lbs and Rock at 174lbs. In the 184lb weight class, … story at … ERaueagles.com/sports/2023-24/releases
Defending national champion Bronchos trek to Indianapolis, Ind. for the 44th Midwest Classic
No. 4-ranked Central Oklahoma concludes its first-semester schedule this weekend when the defending national champion Bronchos trek to Indianapolis, Ind. for the 44th Midwest Classic.
UCO will be gunning for its third straight title in the prestigious two-day tournament hosted by Indianapolis, with 51 teams – including 21 ranked in Division II’s top 25 — set to attend.
First-round action begins at 9 a.m. (Oklahoma time) Saturday at Nicoson Hall and Ruth Lilly Gymnasium and runs all day. The largest regular-season tournament in Division II resumes at 9 a.m. Sunday and concludes with the finals at 2 p.m.
Seven top-10 teams highlight the huge field, led by No. 1 Lander, No. 3 Indy, No. 4 UCO, T-No. 5 Mary, No. 7 Wisconsin-Parkside, No. 8 Lake Erie and No. 9 Upper Iowa. … story at … Owrestle.com/Champion-bronchos-trek-to-indianapolis-ind-for-the-44th-midwest-classic
These three wrestling coaches showed their brotherhood
By Tristan Warner
The Friday evening quarterfinal session was getting underway at the 2023 NCAA Division II National Championships at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This was the round that separated the All-Americans from the non. The round where a career’s worth of work is put to the test, and some dreams are realized while others are dashed. Avery Shay, a Division I transfer from Clarion who found a new home at Shippensburg University for his final collegiate campaign, was preparing for his quarterfinal bout in the 157-pound weight class. As the minutes quickly approached the biggest match of his life, Raiders head coach Seth Bloomquist had his sight set on guiding his seventh student-athlete to All-American honors.
This column appeared in the December issue of WIN Magazine. Click on the cover or call 888-305-0606 to subscribe.
The problem was, however, that Bloomquist quite literally was progressively losing his eyesight as the night wore on. “It’s called an ocular migraine,” he recalled. “I couldn’t see out of my left eye. I was not feeling well at all, but I was the only Shippensburg coach present, so I was just trying to get through it to coach Avery.”
Legendary Pitt-Johnstown coach Pat Pecora and Mercyhurst front man Mike Wehler, both highly-esteemed leaders of fellow Super Region I programs and personal friends of Bloomquist, were alarmed when he accosted them. “When I first saw Seth, he looked kind of different,” Wehler remembered. “I could tell something serious was going on. He never complains, so when he told me he was not feeling right, I knew he needed to seek medical attention right away.”
Determined to stay on the floor and coach his athlete, convincing Bloomquist to head to the medical tent was among the toughest coaching obstacles Pecora and Wehler faced that night. Reluctantly, the 15-year veteran head coach obliged and was urged by the NCAA medical personnel to go to the hospital immediately. However, he only managed to stay on his feet momentarily, as Bloomquist collapsed and started convulsing on the arena floor. “We were really worried about him when he went down,” Pecora commented. “It got realistic very quickly. He was going in and out and having a serious medical episode but was still more worried about who was going to coach his athlete.”
While Pecora had a 157-pound Mountain Cat still alive in the tournament, without hesitation, Wehler assured Bloomquist as he was being wheeled into the ambulance that he would coach his Raider in the NCAA quarterfinals.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Wehler would coach an athlete from an opposing school with whom he had virtually zero prior interaction during the most important match of his career.
Mike Wehler (left) of Mercyhurst congratulated Avery Shay of Shippensberg after he helped the 157-pound wrestler earn a NCAA Division II All-American honor last March in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
“It was actually a really cool moment,” Wehler said. “I just told him, ‘You don’t know me and I don’t know you, but just tell me how you want me to coach you.’” “I really just wanted to stay out of the way and not overstep my role, but most importantly, I just wanted Avery to know someone was there to support him. Somebody was there for him in this huge moment.”
Meanwhile, yet another Super Region I coach, Rich Hasenfus, who led the American International College (AIC) program and considers the longtime Shippensburg coach a close friend, grabbed the keys from Bloomquist’s panicked wife, Shellee, and drove her to the hospital. There, Hasenfus sat next to him in the hospital bed, at times holding his hand, and at one point had to use his coaching voice to advocate for urgent medical attention when his friend’s blood pressure dropped to 75/40. … story at … WIN-magazine.com/These-three-men-showed-there-is-a-brotherhood-of-coaches
Buckeyes Down No. 2 NC State, Win Collegiate Duals Title
COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 8 Ohio State (7-1) won a 2023 Collegiate Duals Title Tuesday with a 26-7 win over No. 21 Northern Iowa, a 28-9 win over Lock Haven and an upset victory over No. 2 NC State, 21-20, at the Montgomery Bell Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
Against the Wolfpack, Ohio State redshirt freshman Brendan McCrone (125) got the match underway with a pin of No. 1 ranked Jakob Camacho just 37 seconds into the first period. No. 12 Nic Bouzakis then pinned No. 5 Kai Orine 51 seconds into the 133 pound match to give Ohio State a 12-0 lead.
No. 3 ranked Jesse Mendez then pinned No. 4 Ryan Jack in the 141-pound match for an 18-0 lead for the Buckeyes.
NC State chipped away at the Ohio State lead before true freshman Rocco Welsh won his bout with a late third-period takedown for a 9-6 win by decision and Ohio State’s final points at the event in the 21-20 win.
How it Happened
Ohio State vs. Northern Iowa
125-Brendan McCrone (OSU) def. Trever Anderson (UNI) | D, 10-8 (OSU 3, UNI 0)
McCrone opened the scoring with a takedown and four points for a nearfall. Anderson got on the board with a reversal to trail 7-2 after the first period. An Anderson takedown midway through the second period made it 7-5 McCrone. A Buckeye reversal then made it 9-5 Buckeyes after five minutes. Anderson cut it to 10-8 with a takedown 45 seconds into the third after a McCrone escape. That’s how it ended to give McCrone a win by decision. …
Ohio State vs. North Carolina State
125-Brendan McCrone (OSU) def No. 1 Jakob Camacho (NCST) | F 0:37 (OSU 6, NCST 0)
McCrone wasted no time in getting a takedown and then the win by fall just 37 seconds into the match.
133-No. 12 Nic Bouzakis (OSU) def. No. 5 Kai Orine (NCST) | F, 0:51 (OSU 12, NCST 0)
Bouzakis, not to be outdone, put the Buckeyes up 12-0 in the team standings with a fall of his own 51 seconds into his bout.
141-No. 3 Jesse Mendez (OSU) def. No. 4 Ryan Jack (NCST) | F, 6:54 (OSU 18, NCST 0)
Mendez trailed 3-1 after the first and closed it to 3-2 with an escape early in the second. Jack took a 4-2 lead early in the third with an escape. Mendez took a 5-4 lead with a takedown with 1:20 to go. Jack got a reversal to tie it at 6-all before Mendez got the fall late in the third.
149- No. 5 Jackson Arrington (NCST) def. No. 4 Dylan D’Emilio (OSU) | D, 5-3 (OSU 18, NCST 3)
Arrington took a 4-1 lead into the third period when D’Emilio got an immediate reversal to trail 4-3 but Arrington got the win by decision, 5-3.
157- No. 6 Ed Scott (NCST) def. No. 13 Paddy Gallagher (OSU) | D, 4-2 (OSU 18, NCST 6)
There was no score in the first period. Gallagher took the 1-0 lead with an escape to start the second. Scott tied it at 1-all with an escape to open the third. Scott got the takedown late in the third and won the bout by decision, 4-2.
165- Derek Fields (NCST) def. No. 21 Isaac Wilcox (OSU) | D, 4-1 (OSU 18, NCST 9)
After a scoreless first period, Fields took a 1-0 lead with an escape in the second. Fields added a late takedown for a 4-0 lead going to the third where he won by decision, 4-1.
174-Rocco Welsh (OSU) def. No. 23 Alex Faison (NCST) | D, 9-6 (OSU 21, NCST 9)
Faison led 3-1 after three minutes with an opening-period takedown. Welsh made it 3-2 Wolfpack with an escape early in the second. Welsh scored a takedown followed by a Faison reversal for a 5-all match. Welch escaped to go up 6-5 heading to the third. Faison then escaped to tie it up again at 6-all. Facing overtime, Welch scored a late takedown for the 9-6 win by decision.
184-No. 15 Dylan Fishback (NCST) def. Ryder Rogotzke (OSU) | D, 7-3 (OSU 21, NCST 12)
Fishback got the opening takedown before a Rogotzke escape made it 3-1. Fishback got an escape in the second and Rogotzke escaped in the third to make it 4-2. Fishback then got the winning takedown to earn the win by decision, 7-3.
197- No. 4 Trent Hidlay (NCST) def. No. 23 Luke Geog (OSU) | TF, 22-7 (OSU 21, NCST 17)
Hidlay led 8-1 after the first with a couple takedowns and two stalling points. Geog fought back to make it 11-6 Wolfpack before a Hidlay takedown late made it 15-6 after five minutes. Hidlay then finished off the bout to win by technical fall, 22-7.
HWT- No. 17 Owen Trephan (NCST) def. No. 18 Nick Feldman (OSU) D 8-4, (OSU 21, NCST 20)
There was no score after the first. Feldman got the first score with an escape to open the second for a 1-0 lead. Trephan got the point back with an escape early in the third to make it 1-all. Trephan then got a takedown for a 4-1 lead Feldman added an escape to make it 4-2. Feldman then got his first takedown of the match to go up 5-4. Trephan then escaped to tie it at 5-all before getting the winning takedown with less than 10 seconds to go for an 8-6 win by decision.
OHIO STATE 21, NC STATE 12 OSU NCST
125 Mccrone (OSU) WBF Camacho (NCST), 0:37 6 0
133 Bouzakis (OSU) WBF Orine (NCST), 0:51 12 0
141 Mendez (OSU) WBF Jack (NCST), 6:54 18 0
149 Arrington (NCST) DEC Demilio (OSU), 5-3 18 3
157 Scott (NCST) DEC Gallagher (OSU), 4-2 18 6
165 Fields (NCST) DEC Wilcox (OSU), 4-1 18 9
174 Welsh (OSU) DEC Faison (NCST), 9-6 21 9
184 Fishback (NCST) DEC Rogotzke (OSU), 7-3 21 12
197 Hidlay (NCST) TF Geog (OSU), 22-7 21 17
HWT Trephan (NCST) DEC Feldman (OSU), 8-6 21 20
Up Next
The No. 8 Buckeyes return to Columbus for a bout with No. 3 Cornell Friday, Jan. 5 (8 p.m./BTN) at the Covelli Center. … story at Ohiostatebuckeyes.com/Wrestling-no-8-buckeyes-at-2023-collegiae-duals-updates
And
Wolfpack Wrestling Adds Two More Wins from Collegiate Duals
Nashville, Tenn. – The second-ranked NC State wrestling team (9-1) defeated Lock Haven 34-6 and No. 25 Northern Iowa 25-16 before coming up short to No. 10 Ohio State 20-21 on Tuesday afternoon at the 2023 Collegiate Duals.
Notable Notes
• Out of 30 bouts on the day, the red-and-white took home nine ranked victories
• #5/5 Jackson Arrington (149) upset Ohio State’s #4/4 Dylan D’Emilio, 5-3
• Trent Hidlay (197) and Ed Scott (157) each went 3-0 perfect
• Hidlay dominated the day with one pin and two technical falls
• The team was down 0-18 after the first three bouts with Ohio State but came back to finish 20-21
• Derek Fields (165) re-entered the lineup for the Wolfpack’s ranked matchups and came out on top. He posted a technical fall over Northern Iowa’s Evant Yant and a 4-1 ranked upset over Ohio State’s #24/21 Isaac Wilcox
Pack Pins
• #2/4 Trent Hidlay pinned Lock Haven’s Brad Morrison at the 2:26 mark
• #5/5 Jackson Arrington pinned Northern Iowa’s Adam Allard at the 5:26 mark … story at … GOpack.com/Wolfpack-wrestling-adds-two-more-wins-from-collegiate-duals
Most Dual Wins Top 100 – Active College Coaches – TDR # 31-13
Coaching win totals as of July 2023. This list is of the first 48 coaches while the rest of the list is Page linked in the upper right corner.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ACTIVE Coaches – Top 100 w/ at least 104 wins Wins &-Level
- Pat Pecora (Pitt-Johnstown) 646 – II
- John Smith (Oklahoma State Univ.) 476– I
- Roger Crebs (Lycoming College) 439 – III
- Lonnie Morris (Johnson & Wales) 422 – III
- Tom Borelli (Central Michigan, Lake Superior St.) – 406 – I, II
- Mike Denney (Maryville Univ./Nebr.-Omaha) 389 – II retired in 2023
- Bruce Haberli (New York Univ./Manhattan Coll.) 384 – III
- Ron Beaschler (Ohio Northern Univ.) 374 – III
- Rob Koll (Cornell Univ./Stanford/UNC) 327 – I
- Brian Smith (Missouri/Syracuse) 326– I
- Jim Makovsky (Minn. St.-Mankato/Valley City St.) 324 – II
- Steve Costanzo (St. Cloud St. Univ./Dana College) 319- II
- Dave Mitchell (Luther (IA) 315 – III
- Tom Ryan (Ohio State/Hofstra) 307 – I
- Mark Manning (Nebraska/Northern Iowa) 305 – I
- Tim Fader (Wisc.-Eau Claire, Whitewater, La Crosse) 300 – III
- Martin Nichols (Ithaca College) 299 – III
- Jim Zalesky (Jamestown U./Oregon State/Iowa) 287 – I
- Jon Laudenslager (Wilkes University) – 282 – III
- Tom Brands (Iowa, Va. Tech) – 282 – I
- Paul Keysaw (Fresno City/Moorpark College) 278 – Cal. Jr.Coll.
- John Oostendorp (Coe College) 266 – III
- Jay Jones (Rhode Island College) – 261 – III
- Bryan Brunk (Messiah College) – 255 – III
- Tim Flynn (West Virginia Un./Edinboro Univ.) – 254- I
- Jake Fitzpatrick (Santa Rosa Coll.) 246 – incomplete Calf. Jr. C.
- Joel Greenlee (Ohio University) – 244 – I
- Roger Reina (Pennsylvania, Univ. of) 242 – I
- Brad Bruhn (SUNY-Cortland) – 236 – III retired in 2022
- Joe Renfro (Northeastern Oklahoma, Labette Jr. Coll.) 236 – JuCo
- Robert Fisher (Kutztown University) – 236 – II
- Cael Sanderson (Penn State, Iowa State) – 235 – I
- Franky James (Campbellsville Univ. Tennessee-Chattanooga) – 235 – NAIA,I
- Don Henry (Gannon University) – 233 – II
- Mike Machholz (Missouri Valley) – 232 – NAIA retired in 2022
- Pat Popolizio (North Carolina State, SUNY-Binghampton) – 231 – I
- Kevin Dresser (Iowa State, Virginia Tech Univ.) 228 – I
- Pat Santoro (Lehigh University, Maryland) – 225 – I
- Dave Malecek (Wisconsin-LaCrosse State) – 220 – III
- Drew Black (Wesleyan Univ., Phoenix Coll.) – 219 – III incomplete
- Sebastian Amato (Trinity College) 217 – III
- Johnny Johnson (Wisconsin-Stevens Point) – 213 – III
- Jason Reitmeier (Augustana College, S.D.) – 212 – II
- Heath Grimm (Upper Iowa Univ.) – 210 – II
- James Kisgen (McKendree College) – 210 – II/ NAIA
- Scott Goodale (Rutgers University) – 209 – I
- Mike Wehler (Mercyhurst, West Liberty State) – 207 – II
- Jamie Gibbs (Baldwin-Wallace, U.N.C.-Pembroke) – 205 – III/II
Rest of the list is on the Page with the same title linked in the upper right corner.
New Programs in 2024 – TDR # 31-12
So far we have become aware of the following schools that will restart or revive their wrestling programs in 2024. We hope to see more schools joining this list. Bismark State College, Maine Mariime Academy, Northern Oklahoma College and Cal. State Poly at Humboldt.
Some schools are increasing wrestling opportunities by starting both Men’s and Women’s teams such as Felican University in New Jersey, Maine Maritime Academy, Misericordia University in Pennsylvania, Northern Oklahoma College, Penn State-Altoona, Tarleton State in Texas, and Randolph College in Virginia.
New Women’s teams will be added at Baldwin-Wallace University, Bethany College, Centenary College (NJ), Fort Hays State, Manchester University, McDaniel College, Minnesota North College-Itasca, Mount Union University, Muhlenberg College, Newberry College, Otterbein University, SUNY-Buffalo State, Upper Iowa University, West Liberty University, and Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
New Men’s teams will be started at Andrew College in Georgia and Westcliff University.
Some west coast schools have announced changes in conference affiliation in Division I for next year. We hope that they will take the opportunity to add wrestling to the athletics departments. The BIG 10 has traditionally been then only D-I conference with a wrestling program at every member school. We hope that the west coast teams will see the wisdom in expanding their sports offerings. It is a reasonable expectation since the conference schools will be flooded with TV coverage monies.
The expansion of the number of college programs will encourage the growth of the number of high school teams and the number of opportunities for more students to learn positive life skills that can be found in wrestling.
This listing could be missing other new programs but so far we will have over 30 new programs in men’s (11 teams) and women’s (22) wrestling.
TDR Top 12 Rankings – Mid-Season 106-113 – TDR # 31-11
Editor’s Notes; The preliminary mid-season rankings for male scholastic wrestlers in eastern North Carolina with the final two weight classes. The rankings are imperfect and are intended to generate discussion and interest. The top 12 wrestlers in each weight class are listed in order. Wrestlers listed as #13 are to be considered as honorable mention for the weight class. We welcome reader’s input and information. Email us at martinkfleming@takedownreport +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Rank Wght. Wrestler Team Gr. Yr. Wins Ls Pct Region
| 1 | 106 | Verhow, Abrey | White Oak | 26 | 17 | 0 | 1.000 | 3A-E |
| 2 | 106 | Quincy, Holton | North East Carolina Prep | 27 | 25 | 1 | 0.962 | 1A-E |
| 3 | 106 | Alvarado, Brian Trujillo | New Hanover | 25 | 25 | 2 | 0.926 | 4A-E |
| 4 | 106 | Monks, Alex | Bunn | 25 | 24 | 3 | 0.889 | 2A-ME |
| 5 | 106 | Baker, Trevon | Southern Nash | 25 | 22 | 3 | 0.880 | 3A-E |
| 6 | 106 | Hernandez-Aragon, Jonathan | New Hanover | 25 | 13 | 2 | 0.867 | 4A-E |
| 7 | 106 | Maples, Joseph | South Lenoir | 25 | 16 | 3 | 0.842 | 2A-E |
| 8 | 106 | Boltes, Sam | Washington | 27 | 29 | 8 | 0.784 | 2A-E |
| 9 | 106 | Sanchez, Cameron | Croatan | 25 | 30 | 9 | 0.769 | 3A-E |
| 10 | 106 | Fountain, Weseley | SouthWest Edgecombe | 26 | 9 | 1 | 0.900 | 2A-E |
| 11 | 106 | Fox, Landon | New Bern | 27 | 18 | 5 | 0.783 | 4A-E |
| 12 | 106 | Mundell, Tyler | North Pitt | 27 | 23 | 7 | 0.767 | 2A-E |
| 13 | 106 | Ockerman, Anna | Corinth-Holders | 25 | 7 | 0 | 1.000 | 4A-E |
| 13 | 106 | Dung, Seth | Heritage | 27 | 7 | 1 | 0.875 | 4A-E |
| 13 | 106 | Raines, Michael | Lejeune | 26 | 17 | 6 | 0.739 | 1A-E |
| 13 | 106 | Winburn, Tristan | West Brunswick | 27 | 16 | 6 | 0.727 | 3A-E |
| 13 | 106 | Gibson, Brayden | South Central | 26 | 18 | 7 | 0.720 | 3A-E |
| 13 | 106 | Climie, Brayden | Swansboro | 24 | 12 | 5 | 0.706 | 3A-E |
| 1 | 113 | Perry, Bryce | Washington | 27 | 36 | 2 | 0.947 | 2A-E |
| 2 | 113 | Guthrie, Keller | Ayden-Grifton | 26 | 21 | 2 | 0.913 | 2A-E |
| 3 | 113 | Lewis, Colton | North East Carolina Prep | 25 | 26 | 3 | 0.897 | 1A-E |
| 4 | 113 | McMahon, Carvin | Aycock, C.B. | 24 | 16 | 2 | 0.889 | 3A-E |
| 5 | 113 | Barnett, Alexander | New Bern | 25 | 20 | 3 | 0.870 | 4A-E |
| 6 | 113 | Salazar, Jose | Southern Nash | 25 | 26 | 5 | 0.839 | 3A-E |
| 7 | 113 | Williamson, Redmond | Northern Nash | 25 | 20 | 4 | 0.833 | 3A-E |
| 8 | 113 | Arrington, Ayden | Laney | 25 | 19 | 4 | 0.826 | 4A-E |
| 9 | 113 | Gresham, Bryson | J.F. Webb | 24 | 11 | 3 | 0.786 | 2A-ME |
| 10 | 113 | Bullock, Jeremy | North Pitt | 26 | 16 | 6 | 0.727 | 2A-E |
| 11 | 113 | Tran, Sander | South Central | 26 | 16 | 6 | 0.727 | 3A-E |
| 12 | 113 | Brandow, Maison | Pasquotank Co. | 27 | 20 | 8 | 0.714 | 2A-E |
| 13 | 113 | Duhon, Carter | Southwest Onslow | 24 | 0 | 0 | #### | |
| 13 | 113 | Goodman, Aaron | Swansboro | 27 | 9 | 3 | 0.750 | 3A-E |
| 13 | 113 | Hizer, Michael | West Johnston | 27 | 9 | 3 | 0.750 | 3A-ME |
| 13 | 113 | Smiling, Chayton | St. Pauls | 25 | 11 | 4 | 0.733 | 2A-ME |
| 13 | 113 | Wright, Finley | Heritage | 26 | 13 | 5 | 0.722 | 4A-E |
| 13 | 113 | Carter, Matthew | New Hanover | 27 | 12 | 5 | 0.706 | 4A-E |
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 