2023-24 NAIA Women’s Preview (Part One)
Let’s take a look at the top 8 teams from last year’s inaugural NAIA Women’s Championship for an early prediction of how they might stack up for the 2023-24 season.
Please note that not all teams have published lineups and what wrestlers are returning.
2023 Top Returning Teams based on NAIA Championship finishes
1. Southern Oregon (160 teams points)
Southern Oregon ended with a first place finish at the inaugural NAIA Championship under first-year head coach Gabrielle Weyhrich to cap off a dominant season. While 2x champ Carolina Moreno and 4th place finisher Bella Amaro will be returning to the lineup next year, the Raiders graduated their five other All-Americans from last season.
When asked in an interview how the team will fill this void, Weyhrich says, “I’m not worried at all. We focus on building everyone. When one senior leaves, the next person is ready to step into that position and do just as good as the person leaving.”
In addition to Moreno and Amaro, junior Bailey Dennis is a 2022 All-American. At last year’s tournament, Dennis came in as the 12 seed and lost a close match in consolations after losing in the round of 16 to the 5 seed. Look for her to climb in the rankings throughout the season and reclaim a top 8 spot at the tournament again this year.
Southern Oregon did pick up Grand View All-American Shenita Lawson in the off-season. Lawson placed 5th at 170 lbs at the tournament last year, and could help fill the gap in the lineup left by Joye Levendusky.
2. Life University (139.5 team points)
Life University had an impressive finish but was still more than 20 points away from Southern Oregon’s final score. However, where SOU had 5 of their 7 All-Americans graduate, Life has at least 5 of their 8 All-Americans returning. Head Coach Ashley Flavin described the team as young last year, and they are bringing in a top-ranked class of recruits and transfers. There are quite a few factors on this roster that other top teams will have to contend with to keep Life from taking the top spot.
Sarah Savidge only lost by 3 points to the reigning champ Lexie Basham in the finals of the NAIA tournament after a dominant run of pins and techs. She is also coming off a U20 Pan Am championship win this summer. As a sophomore, she has a lot of runway left in her college career.
All three McBryde sisters are returning after qualifying for the tournament. Jamilah and Latifa McBryde finished as All-Americans. Also, look out for Devyn Gomez to make a real splash her senior year. She is a 2x All American and had a gritty path to an eighth place finish at last year’s tournament. She has gotten close to breaking through on some of her close matches and is clearly capable of a strong mental game to come back from a deficit. I could see her being the type of wrestler who has something to prove this year and ends with an even higher finish at the 2024 tournament.
Finally, Asia Ray, 5x All-American and 2x National Champ, announced her transfer to Life from Wayland Baptist. She will wrestle unattached for the first part of the season, but will be eligible to compete as part of the team in time for the 2024 tournament.
3. Grand View University (123.5 team points)
Grand View ended their 2023 season with a program record 3rd place finish, 16 points behind Life and just half a point ahead of Menlo. Alexis Gomez was the first Viking to make the finals at the tournament, however 2023 was her final collegiate season as she moved on to compete at the senior level.
The team still has several returning All-Americans, however. Maya Davis came in 3rd at 123 as a freshman with 4 pins during the tournament. Catie Campbell, another freshman finished in 6th place at 123 as well. Both will be returning for their Sophomore years at Grand View. Campbell was ranked no. 2 at the tournament, while Davis was ranked no. 10. … rest of story at … Intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/women/2023-24-naia-womens-preview-part-one
NAIA Announces Five New Members
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced on October 2 that the NAIA Council of Presidents has approved five institutions for membership, effective July 1, 2024. All five schools received unanimous recommendations from the NAIA Membership Committee.
New members include Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (Tifton, Ga.), Baptist Bible College (Springfield, Mo.), Defiance College (Defiance, Ohio), New College of Florida (Sarasota, Fla.), and Spartanburg Methodist College (Spartanburg, S.C.).
- Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College is currently an NJCAA member that is transitioning to a four-year institution. The school has been approved for membership in the Southern States Athletic Conference.
- Baptist Bible College is currently a member of the NCCAA and has applied for membership with the American Midwest Conference.
- Defiance College is moving to the NAIA from NCAA Division III.
- New College of Florida is starting an athletics program with plans for 12 sport programs by 2024-25. New College will join The Sun Conference.
- Spartanburg Methodist College is currently an NJCAA member that is transitioning to a four-year institution. The school will join the Continental Athletic Conference.
The NAIA has now added 21 new members since 2020, including five institutions that have come from the NCAA.
Schools must meet membership criteria that include … rest of story at … NAIA.org/general/2023-24/releases/NAIA_NewMembersFall_10_2_2023
Penn State Wrestling Announces 2023-24 Schedule
Seven Home Duals, Monday Night Wrestling in the BJC and the NWCA All-Star Classic in Happy Valley
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, under the direction of veteran head coach Cael Sanderson, has announced its 2023-24 schedule. The Nittany Lions will host seven home duals this season, one in the Bryce Jordan Center, and will also serve as the hosts of the 2023 NWCA All-Star event, an exhibition event in Rec Hall. Times for the Big Ten portion of the schedule will be announced soon when the Big Ten Network announces its full wrestling broadcast slate.
Penn State’s official season begins on Sunday, Nov. 12, when the team takes part in the individual round-robin portion of the Journeymen Collegiate Classic in Bethlehem, Pa. The event takes place at Freedom High School and begins at 9 a.m. The next weekend, Penn State travels to West Point, N.Y., for the Army Black Knight Invite, a bracketed individual tournament hosted by Army West Point on Sunday, Nov. 19.
On Tuesday, Nov. 21, Penn State’s Rec Hall will be the site of the 2023 National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic, an exhibition event that does not count towards any wrestler’s official NCAA record. The matchups for the event will soon be announced in full by the exhibition’s organizer, FloWrestling. While Penn State is serving as the host of the 2023 NWCA All-Star Classic, the event is not part of Penn State’s season ticket package. A number of Nittany Lions are under consideration for the event and information on ticketing will be forthcoming. The event will begin at 7 p.m. Eastern.
The Nittany Lions compete in their first official dual meet on Sunday, Dec. 3, when they welcome Lehigh to Rec Hall at 2 p.m. Penn State then hosts Hofstra in Rec Hall on Sunday, Dec. 10, also at 1 p.m. Following the Hofstra dual, Penn State will not compete in an official NCAA event until January, but many Nittany Lions will look to take part in the 2023 U.S. Senior National Championships on Dec. 15-17 in Fort Worth, Texas. This year’s Senior Nationals replace the U.S. Open in the 2024 Olympic qualification cycle and the tournament is an opportunity to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Trials, also hosted by Penn State in the Bryce Jordan Center in April of 2024. … rest of story at … GOpsusports.com/news/2023/10/2/penn-state-wrestling-announces-2023-24-schedule
2023-24 Big Ten Wrestling Schedule Announced
Conference duals begin January 12 and culminate with Big Ten Championships March 9-10
2023-24 BIG TEN WRESTLING SCHEDULE
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference office announced the dates and opponents for the 2023-24 wrestling season Monday. The schedule features eight conference duals for each of the 14 Big Ten programs and concludes with the 2024 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, to be held over the second weekend in March at Maryland.
All 14 teams will open Big Ten action Jan. 12-21. On opening night, Jan. 12, Maryland, Nebraska and Rutgers will play host to Michigan, Iowa and Indiana, respectively. The final regular-season dual will take place on Sunday, Feb. 18, with Indiana traveling to Northwestern, Iowa hosting Wisconsin and Nebraska visiting reigning Big Ten Champion Penn State.
The 110th Big Ten Wrestling Championships will be held March 9-10, 2024, at XFINITY Center in College Park, Md., with Maryland playing host to the event for the first time. All 14 conference schools will participate in the championships, which begins Saturday, March 9, with the first-round, quarterfinal, semifinal and wrestleback matches taking place during Sessions I and II. Action continues Sunday, March 10, with consolation semifinals and seventh-place matches getting underway during Session III and the first-, third- and fifth-place matches highlighting Session IV. … rest of story at … Bigten.org/news/2023/10/2/general-2023-24-big-ten-wrestling-schedule-announced
Seven Reactions from the 2023-24 Big Ten Schedule Release
Earlier this afternoon, the Big Ten announced its conference dual schedule for the 2023-24 season. The Big Ten is typically the last conference to release schedules as they typically have to work around many of the same venues for basketball and because of broadcast plans. The B1G Wrestling Twitter (X?) account did a good job with a handy graphic that can serve as a master schedule.
After a glance or two at the master schedule and perusing some of the Big Ten schedules that have been posted here are seven immediate reactions.
Shane Griffith versus Carter Starocci – January 19th in Ann Arbor
The Big Ten added a past national champion as Shane Griffith joined the Michigan team as a graduate transfer. Griffith is expected to move up from his customary 165 lb weight class to compete at 174 for the Wolverines. A new face at a new weight makes for some interesting potential matchups. First and foremost is against three-time national champion Carter Starocci of Penn State. The two are slated to battle in the second week of the conference schedule on a Friday night. It’s possible that two could scrap at the conference tournament and nationals too. Another key bout for Griffith in his new conference would be a week later against All-American Carson Kharchla (Ohio State). The two wrestled at the 2021 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and Griffith prevailed, 5-4. … rest of story at … Intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/big-10/seven-reactions-from-the-2023-24-big-ten-schedule-release
Morgan State University wrestling team returns after 25 years
The university reinstates its program and becomes the only Division I HBCU wrestling team in America.
Morgan State University has revived its wrestling program after a 25-year-long hiatus.
HBCU Wrestling donated $2.7 million to Morgan for the purpose of reinstating its men’s wrestling program. This enabled the university to hire Kenny Monday, who won an Olympic Gold medal in 1988, a silver medal in 1992, was a distinguished member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and long–time supporter of HBCU wrestling, as the head coach of Morgan’s newly reformed wrestling team.
“My mindset is what I’ve always had: I’m a winner, I have big goals, and that’s what I expect,” Monday said.
Monday said he has high expectations for the team and pushes them to be their best by making the team members practice in both comfortable and uncomfortable situations. He believes this will prepare them for the meets to come.
Jacob Marsh, graduate student majoring in finance and Princeton University transfer, recalled a time he asked Monday what they were doing in practice that day. “He said, ‘you’re running five miles.’ I said I ain’t never ran five miles,” said Marsh. “He said, ‘and you’ve never been a national champion.’ ”
Morgan originally disbanded its wrestling program due to lack of funding in its ‘96-’97 season. HBCUs across the nation cut wrestling programs from the late 80s to early 2000s because the programs were seen as, “expensive and difficult to maintain.” According to hbcuwrestling.org, Delaware State was the last HBCU to have a wrestling program, and dropped it in 2009 due to lack of funding.
The school’s newly reinstated wrestling team is the only HBCU Division I wrestling program and only one of its kind in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
“Being from Baltimore, understanding your city and seeing what’s being done to it – like bringing the wrestling community back and bringing the sport back to the school – it just seems right. Everything feels right.” said Ky-El Ali, freshman physical education major.
Monday chose to accept Morgan’s offer following an initial call from the school. He and several members of his family had attended and graduated from HBCUs, which led him to consider and accept the position. … rest of story at … MSUspokesman.com/15219/sports/morgan-state-university-wrestling-team-returns-after-25-years
Northern Iowa Wrestling Perseveres Despite Facility Instability
Doug Schwab and his UNI wrestlers were forced to relocate from the 98-year-old West Gym and they’ve found a new home across town in Cedar Falls.
The clock on the freshly painted white wall is ticking toward noon on the final day of September and Doug Schwab is yelling instructions to his Northern Iowa wrestlers.
His commands are filled with messages about opportunity and response — words the Panthers have been putting into action in recent weeks.
Their longtime home — the West Gym — has been vacated, forcing Schwab and his team to pack up and move a couple miles off campus to a Cedar Falls training facility that’s been remodeled in short order.
The building belongs to Shawn Kelly, a former Northern Iowa wrestler and the president of Black Hawk Roof Company, and everything about the place is blue collar. On this day, weights are scattered on the cement outside in an area the Panthers have dubbed “The Yard.” Nearby are pallets of shingles, barrels of adhesive and a forklift parked on a trailer.
There’s a strong construction vibe here.
The building was once the site of a weight lifting gym, but the Kelly family turned it into a wrestling room and launched the USA Mat Club. They set out to create an inclusive wrestling environment, purposefully leaving Cedar Falls out of the club name with hopes that wrestlers from other communities would also come here to train.
And they did. Kyven Gadson, who went on to win an NCAA title at Iowa State, … rest of story at … Flowrestling.org/articles/Northern-iowa-wrestling-perseveres-despite-facility-instability
Iowa Wrestling Hosting Inaugural Women’s Home Dual On Nov. 12
The University of Iowa women’s team will host a quadrangular in Iowa City on Sunday, November 12
The wait is finally over.
Iowa women’s wrestling kicks off its home dual season on Sunday, November 12 with a quadrangular against the three other Division I programs: Lindenwood, Presbyterian, and Sacred Heart.
Lindenwood released its full schedule and the University of Iowa Quad stands out. Iowa coach Clarissa Chun referenced the quadrangular during an interview with Andy Hamilton at the NWCA convention.
Presbyterian added a women’s wrestling program during the 2019-20 season, while Sacred Heart is in its third season. Lindenwood is moving up from Division II to Division I.
Presbyterian defeated Sacred Heart, 26-20, at the 2023 NWCA National Duals during the first dual between D1 women’s programs.
All three teams participated at the 2023 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships and placed in the top 20.
7. Sacred Heart
9. Presbyterian
20. Lindenwood
Click here for a collection of interviews with Sacred Heart wrestlers and head coach Paulina Biega.
The 2024 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships are scheduled for March 8-9 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. … rest of story at … Flowrestling.org/articles/Iowa-wrestling-hosting-inaugural-womens-home-dual-on-nov-12
Cal Poly Wrestling to Host 75th Anniversary Celebration on Nov. 3-4
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — The Cal Poly wrestling program will hold a special 75th Anniversary Celebration during its 2023-24 season-opening weekend on Nov. 3-4, featuring a golf tournament, a pair of duals against Rutgers and Duke at Mott Athletics Center, a parade of All-Americans and a scheduled keynote speech from alum Victor Glover, the first Black astronaut to complete a long-term stay on the International Space Station.
The jam-packed weekend celebrating 75 years of Cal Poly wrestling kicks off at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 3, with the program’s 20th annual golf tournament at the Avila Beach Golf Resort. A 75th Anniversary ceremony will take place on Saturday, Nov. 4, with Glover, a former Cal Poly wrestler, giving the keynote speech (subject to change by NASA). Glover served as pilot and second-in-command on the SpaceX Crew Dragon, named Resilience, which launched in November 2020, and was recently named the pilot for the crew that will travel around the moon on Artemis II, the first crewed mission on NASA’s journey to establishing a long-term lunar presence for science and exploration.
Action on the mat gets underway on the evening of Friday, Nov. 3, as the Mustangs host a pair of duals at the Mott Athletics Center to open their 2023-24 season. First at 6 p.m., Cal Poly takes on Duke. Then the team caps the night at 7:30 p.m. by hosting Rutgers, ranked No. 14 in InterMat’s preseason national rankings.
Prior to facing the Scarlet Knights, the Mustangs will hold a parade of All-Americans to honor the 116 Division I and Division II All-Americans during the program’s history.
On Saturday, the program will hold an open practice in the Rec Center wrestling room starting at 9 a.m. Then Cal Poly’s 75th Anniversary Celebration will take place in the Multi-Activity Center on campus, with a cocktail hour and silent action beginning at 2:30 p.m. Dinner will be served at 3:30 p.m. with the program for the event to follow soon after. … rest of story at … GOpoly.com/news/2023/9/30/cal-poly-wrestling-to-open-2023-24-season-with-75th-anniversary-celebration
Hispanic Heritage Month Spotlight: Andrew Alirez
As Hispanic Heritage Month continues, USA Wrestling aims to spotlight athletes in the Hispanic community that have had an impact on the sport both on and off the mat. Andrew Alirez, hailing from Greeley, Colorado, is a strong example of an athlete that represents his heritage while striving to make a difference in the sport of wrestling.
Alirez announced recently that he is taking an Olympic Redshirt to focus on qualifying to represent the United States at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. Alirez, the 2023 NCAA National Champion at 141 pounds, has had a special career at the University of Northern Colorado, becoming the program’s first national champion since 1962. Alirez is a 2018 Pan American Champion at the U20 age group level and most recently won the Waclaw Ziolkowski Memorial at the Senior level in July. In 2020, Alirez was the Senior Nationals champion at 65 kg.
Alirez found his passion for wrestling early on, and decided to continue his wrestling career just a few minutes from home at the University of Northern Colorado. Alirez’s story is not just about personal triumph and dedication to wrestling, it’s also about the influence of his Hispanic heritage and the responsibility he feels to represent his community.
“Being Hispanic is a very important part of my identity, in many ways it shapes who I am. Hispanic fighters are known for their toughness and unstoppable determination, and I try to embody those values within my wrestling and life. Never waiver, don’t complain, and stay solid through tough times,” Alirez shares.
However, his journey in wrestling was not without challenges. … rest of story at … Themat.com/news/2023/september/29/hispanic-heritage-month-spotlight-andrew-alirez
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 