Women’s Wrestling Approved as Club Sport Program at Oklahoma State
It’s not quite the massive announcement of an official program directly associated with the school athletic department, but some positive news on the women’s wrestling front at Oklahoma State was announced this week.
The women’s wrestling club at Oklahoma State was accepted as an official Club Sport Program.
Announced via their Instagram on Tuesday, the club that was started in 2022 by Cadence Dare has officially been approved by the university.
Adam Engel chronicled the beginnings of the program in a story with the O’Colly last December. At the time they were still needing additional team members to get approved.
The online roster now lists seventeen athletes ranging from freshmen to juniors. OCU, Carl Albert, and Northern Oklahoma College all have official teams, but this is the only known girls’ college club team in the state.
From the school website.
“Club Sports are responsible for their own administration, expenses and management. Club Sports are required to have a faculty/staff advisor, and may or may not have a coach. Club Sports travel to other college and universities to compete, and schedule their own practices, games and tournaments.” … rest of story at … Owrestle.com/womens-wrestling-approved-as-club-sport-program-at-oklahoma-state
LAUTT, SANTIAGO TO COMPETE IN U23 CHAMPIONSHIPS
TAMPERE, FINLAND – The North Carolina wrestling duo of Cade Lautt and Sonny Santiago will represent the United States and Puerto Rico, respectively, at the 2023 U23 World Championships, set to begin Monday morning.
Lautt, competing in the 97 KG Greco Roman division, will begin his tournament Friday, October 27, in the qualification rounds. The tournament will continue later that day with the semifinal rounds, and the medal matches will take place on Saturday, October 28.
The Olathe, Kan. native continues a busy stretch of international competition this offseason, after finishing runner-up at the 2023 Senior World Team Trials in May and a seventh-place showing at the US Open in April.
For Santiago, the Downey, Calif. product will begin his tournament in the 74 KG freestyle bracket Monday morning, … rest of story at … GOheels.com/news/2023/10/20/wrestling-lautt-santiago-to-compete-in-u23-championships
GRAPPLING WITH HISTORY: GREG HATCHER AND THE RISE OF ARKANSAS WRESTLING
Wrestling may be considered the oldest sport in the world, but it is relatively new to Arkansas.
Given its growth, however, it seems like wrestling has been in the state a lot longer than it has.
In 15 years, Arkansas has become the first state to sanction wrestling from high school to the collegiate NAIA and NCAA Division I, Division II and Division III levels and is among the first states to sanction the sport for girls. Beginning with 44 in 2008, there are now more than 100 boys and girls wrestling programs combined at the high school level.
“I come from Oklahoma, which Oklahoma has had wrestling for maybe 120 years, and we have more colleges wrestling in our state than Oklahoma does,” said Pat Smith, the collegiate legend at Oklahoma State who heads the Arkansas Wrestling Academy. “That is mind-boggling.”
Pushed by businessman Greg Hatcher and a coalition of allies, Arkansas has embraced a sport that can be traced at least to ancient Greece, if not further. The timeline for Arkansas is not quite as long, and according to some, is remarkably short.
“If it wasn’t for Greg Hatcher, we would never have been moving at this pace,” Smith said.
Hatcher
Arkansas and Mississippi were the only states that did not have scholastic wrestling when Hatcher began his efforts to grow the sport in 2005. “If you look across the country, only the SEC does not have wrestling,” Hatcher said. “Football and basketball dominated, and they didn’t have it. Plus, we were a small state.”
Hatcher was a nine-time varsity letterman at Michigan’s Alma College, where he graduated in 1983. As a senior, he was named All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association in wrestling and was a member of three hall-of-fame wrestling teams, two hall-of-fame baseball teams and, thanks to his multiple sports, six MIAA championship teams.
In 1984, he joined his family in Arkansas, where his father, Joe, had moved to become president of Hendrix College in 1981. Greg Hatcher worked for a computer company and enjoyed the South, but he missed sports and returned north. After a stint as baseball graduate assistant at Notre Dame and as a summer coach, he quickly returned to Arkansas to work for Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield. “I realized there wasn’t anything wrong with Arkansas,” Hatcher said. “I just missed the sports.”
A public relations major in college, Hatcher knew he had a flair for salesmanship, and in 1990, he founded the Hatcher Agency in Little Rock, now the state’s largest health insurance provider. Hatcher also established the Mighty Bluebirds in Little Rock to create athletic opportunities for kids. The organization now has soccer fields, baseball fields and a gym.
By 2005, the Mighty Bluebird wrestling team was already beginning to build a reputation through competition. “When the Mighty Bluebirds rolled up at tournaments out of state, people knew who we were,” said Hunter Jones, a four-time state champion at Little Rock Christian who wrestled collegiately at Ouachita Baptist in Arkadelphia.
Then Hatcher got a call from northwest Arkansas businessman Don Schuler (not to be confused with National Wrestling Hall Of Famer Don Shuler), who ran a wrestling club. “He called me one day and said, ‘I heard you were a college wrestler. We sure need high school wrestling in this state,’” Hatcher said. “‘Somebody said I ought to call you.’” … rest of story at … Armoneyandpolitics.com/greg-hatcher-arkansas-wrestling
Every Returning NCAA Wrestling All-American This Season (2023-2024)
A list of every past NCAA wrestling All-American that will be competing this season.
Wrestling season is here. While new names will surely arise and establish themselves, here are the men who have already proven themselves to be the best wrestlers in the country.
125
Returning 2023 All-Americans
Matt Ramos – 2nd
Anthony Noto – 4th
Eddie Ventresca – 7th
Other All-Americans In The Field
Patrick McKee – 3rd in 2021, 5th in 2022
Michael DeAugustino – 4th in 2022
Eric Barnett – 8th in 2021, 7th in 2022
Brandon Kaylor – 8th in 2022
133
Returning 2023 All-Americans
Vito Arujau – Champ
Daton Fix – 4th
Aaron Nagao – 5th
Sam Latona – 7th
Kai Orine – 8th
Other All-Americans In The Field
Lucas Byrd – 5th in 2021 and 2022
Chris Cannon – 7th in 2021 and 2022
141
Returning 2023 All-Americans
Real Woods – 2nd
Beau Bartlett – 3rd
Lachlan McNeil – 4th … rest of story at … Flowrestling.org/articles/Every-returning-ncaa-wrestling-all-american-this-season-2023-2024
Longest D1 Winning Streaks Entering The 2023-24 College Wrestling Season
See the wrestlers who have the longest active winning streaks heading into the 2023-24 Division 1 College Wrestling Season
It’s almost college wrestling season! Before the 2023-24 Division 1 season kicks off, get to know the wrestlers who are carrying the longest winning streaks into this year.
5). Aaron Brooks , Penn State – 13
Last Loss: December 20, 2022 – Iowa State dual to Marcus Coleman (Iowa State)
Aaron Brooks is entering his final college season as a 3-time national champion and is looking to make history as just the 6th ever 4-time national champion (7th if Starocci wrestles before him at NCAAs). Many believe Brooks’ loss to Marcus Coleman last year was a fluke, and Brooks’ performance at NCAA’s proved that after he won consecutive matches against Kaleb Romero (4-1), Trent Hidlay (6-3), and Parker Keckeisen (7-2) to win the 2023 NCAA title at 184 pounds.
This year, Brooks will make the move up to 197 pounds where he’ll face an entirely different group of contenders. Of the wrestlers ranked in the top 10 at 197, Brooks has only wrestled Trent Hidlay (also making the move up from 184). Brooks is the pre-season favorite, but the new challenges will make it fascinating to watch him during his final college season as a Nittany Lion. … rest of story at … Flowrestling.org/articles/Longest-d1-winning-streaks-entering-the-2023-24-college-wrestling-season
2023-24 College Preseason Coverage Hub
The start of the 2023-24 college season is rapidly approaching and over the next few weeks InterMat will bombard you with coverage, previews, and content from all angles. It might be too much to keep track of! With that in mind, here’s a spot to look for all of InterMat’s 2023-24 preseason coverage.
This page will be updated as more content is posted!
Top 50 List
#26-30
#31-35
#36-40
#41-45
#46-50
ACC
NC State Team Preview
Pittsburgh Team Preview
Virginia Team Preview
Big 12
2023-24 Big 12 Team Tiers
2023-24 Big 12 Predictions
Big 12 Breakdown Podcast: Preseason Part One
Big 12 Breakdown Podcast: Preseason Part Two
Big Ten
Maryland Team Preview
Michigan Team Preview
Seven Reactions from the Big Ten Schedule Release … rest of story at … Intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/2023-24-college-preseason-coverage-hub
Breakout Stars for the 2023-24 Season
With every new season there’s a new group of stars emerge or breakout. Today we’re focusing on some of them.
What constitutes a “breakout” star? For the purposes of this article, we’re not focusing on a top-25 freshman from the high school Class of 2023 who hasn’t had the opportunity to make his mark in college yet. That article is in the works too! The wrestlers we’re talking about are veterans who have been on the collegiate scene for a few years and have yet to compete at the NCAA Tournament.
Below are representatives from each conference and a little bit of background information on their careers to date.
ACC
Spencer Moore (North Carolina)
Last year, UNC saw graduate transfer Jack Wagner make the NCAA tournament at 125 lbs. Despite the growth of the program over the last decade, finding success at 125 lbs has proven to be difficult for the Tar Heels. Wagner’s trip to nationals marked only the third time since 2006 that UNC has sent a wrestler at that weight to nationals. That trend might get ruined in the future with the development of Spencer Moore. … rest of story at … Intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/breakout-stars-for-the-2023-24-season
Top True Freshman To Watch This 2023-24 NCAA D1 Season
All the recent high school grads to keep an eye on during this upcoming 2023-24 NCAA D1 wrestling season!
A new NCAA collegiate wrestling season brings with it new speculation on which true freshman will have breakout seasons.
The recent NCAA rule that allows true-freshman to wrestle in up to five varsity events while retaining the ability to redshirt has added a little mystery to the process of projecting lineups. Coaches have more leeway to experiment with matchups and can test the waters with their first-years before officially using up a year of eligibility, which makes deciding postseason lineups in the preseason even more difficult.
We tried to stick to listing wrestlers who were in high school last season and who we think will be wrestling in this next postseason, but it’s not always so simple. Not everyone is going to be wrestling in March for one reason or another, though we feel pretty confident everyone here will at least get a start or two on the varsity level. And if you think we’ve overlooked someone, please let us know!
To check out some notable names who are coming off a year of deferred eligibility, check out our redshirt report here: lightweights, middleweights, heavyweights.
To peruse the Class of 2023 Big Board, click here.
125 Pounds
Marc-Anthony McGowan, Princeton: When it comes to having big shoes to fill, McGowan is at the top of the list, as he will be following in the footsteps of Princeton legend Pat Glory, who was the Tigers’ first national champ since 1951. McGowan was #21 on the Class of 2023 Big Board and was a 2019 U17 World Champ in freestyle. … rest of story at … Flowrestling.org/articles/Top-true-freshman-to-watch-this-2023-24-ncaa-d1-season
Campbell announces 2023-24 wrestling schedule
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – The Campbell wrestling program and head coach Scotti Sentes have announced the 2023-24 schedule.
The schedule is highlighted by a strong non-conference slate and four Southern Conference matches at home.
Ticketing information for the events held at the Pope Convocation Center will be announced soon.
The Fighting Camels open the season at the Battle at Liberty on November 1 against Army. The match will be held at Fort Liberty in Fayetteville. This is the second year in a row the Camels will take part in a wrestling match on the military base. The event will be the first of four broadcasts featuring the Fighting Camels carried on UFC Fight Pass, the most of any school in the country.
Campbell follows that up with four consecutive road trips. They will go to Viriginia to take part in the Southeast Open on Nov. 4, hosted by Virginia Tech.
The next week, the Camels will take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln, Nebraska on Friday, Nov. 10. The next Friday, Campbell travels to take on the Wyoming Cowboys in Laramie on Nov. 17 for the Battle at the Barnyard.
The Camels open December by participating in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 1st and 2nd.
Campbell will host its first match in Buies Creek on Tuesday, Dec. 19th, as it hosts the Campbell Quad event. They will go up against Purdue, Stanford, and North Dakota State in the Pope Convocation Center.
The Fighting Camels then travel to Pennsylvania to take part in the Franklin & Marshall Open on Friday, January 5th.
That event will be followed by their final non-conference event on Jan. 14. The Camels will travel to Bakersfield, Calif., to participate in the annual Chippewa Challenge against Central Michigan, CSU Bakersfield, and American. … rest of story at … GOcamels.com/news/2023/10/16/wrestling-campbell-announces-2023-24-wrestling-schedule
2023 Super 32 Entries By State
Check out which wrestlers from your state are registered for Super 32. Plus a bonus heat map!
With a total of 2,231 wrestlers in the high school division alone, Super 32 will once again be massive this year. Without sacrificing quantity for quality there will be 160+ nationally-ranked boys wrestlers (you can see that list HERE) and 140+ nationally-ranked girls wrestlers (you can see that list HERE).
2023 Super 32
Take a look at this beautiful heat map to see how the states that will be sending the most wrestlers in the high school division. … rest of story with map at … Flowrestling.org/articles/11328519-2023-super-32-entries-by-state
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 