Takedown Report

U.S. ARMY DEFEATS U.S. AIR FORCE, 38-9, TO CLAIM ARMED FORCES MEN’S FREESTYLE TITLE

BREMERTON, Wash. – The U.S. Army won nine of 10 bouts to defeat the U.S. Air Force, 38-9 and claim the men’s freestyle team title at the Armed Forces Championships on Sunday at Naval Base Kitsap on Sunday.

After a forfeit win at 55 kg for PV2 William Sullivan of the Army, 2LT Sidney Flores of the U.S. Air Force won by technical fall at 61 kg to close the Army team lead to 5-4. The Army closed the door from that point on, winning the final eight bouts.

2016 Olympian SPC Jesse Thielke scored a 20 second pin at 65 kg over A1C Mitch Brown, getting two falls in freestyle in a combined 68 seconds.

The rest of the U.S. Army wins were by technical falls from SPC Justus Scott (70 kg), SPC Britton Holmes (74 kg), CPT Michael Hooker (79 kg), SGT Isaac Dukes (86 kg), SPC Spencer Woods (92 kg), CPT Samson Imonode (97 kg) and PFC James Hustoles (125 kg).

The U.S. Army won the first six bouts in their opener against the U.S. Navy, going on to a 34-9 victory. 2016 Olympian SPC Jesse Thielke had a 48 second pin over PO3 Sheldon Ealy at 65 kg. The U.S. Army also had five technical fall victories and a forfeit win.

In the first dual meet of the day, the U.S. Air Force defeated the U.S. Navy 26-14. The Air Force was dominant early, winning the first five matches, with pins from 2Lt Alex Saylor (74 kg) and A1C Sam Adams (79 kg), plus technical falls from 2LT Sidney Flores (61 kg), A1C Mitch Brown (65 kg) and A1C Brenner Vogan (70 kg). The U.S. Navy won three of the last four bouts, but it was too late to close the margin. Included in the Navy run were pins by PO2 Austin Craig (92 kg) and 1stLt Courtney Freeman (125 kg).

The U.S. Army won seven individual titles … rest of story at Teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2023/February/26/Armed-Forces-freestyle

March 6, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The 2023 Canadian Wrestling Championships 

(Senior, Junior, Cadet) are happening in Waterloo, ON March 9-12, 2023

WATERLOO, ON – The slate is now set for the 2023 Canadian Wrestling Championships (Senior, Junior, Cadet).

The Championships are happening March 9-12, 2023 at the RIM Park Manulife Sportsplex in Waterloo, ON and will showcase close to 600 of the country’s top wrestlers in Senior, Junior and Cadet categories.

This is a key event in determining the athletes who will go on to represent Canada at the upcoming Pan Am Games and World Wrestling Championships, as well as identifying the top Canadian wrestlers in each weight category. The 2023 Canadian Wresting Championships are also an opportunity to see future Olympians in action as they start on their path to the podium.

“Wrestling Canada Lutte (WCL) is excited to be hosting the 2023 Canadian Wrestling Championships in Waterloo,” said Tamara Medwidsky, WCL Executive Director. “We know the passion that the region has for sport and we are honoured to be part of it. This is such an important year for Canadian wrestling as it is the first step to Paris 2024. With the stakes being so high, it means the best wrestlers in the country will be competing, resulting in exciting action for fans, family and friends”

Wrestlers who will be competing at the Canadian Wrestling Championships include 2016 Olympic gold medalist Erica Wiebe. Wiebe, who now resides in Calgary, captured gold in Rio at 75kg.  After taking 2022 off, the 34-year-old is looking to once again represent Canada at the 2024 Olympics. Already this season, Wiebe won gold at the Klippan Open in Sweden in February. … rest of story at Wrestling.ca/the-2023-canadian-wrestling-championships-senior-junior-cadet-are-happening

March 6, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

TDR Top 12 – 170 lbs.

TDR Editor’s Note; Posting one weight class each day even while in Ohio. Melton’s selection as 1st at this weight is clear in that none of his losses are to another wrestler in eastern North Carolina. Brown comes in a strong 2nd with a 5th place at states and then the next three are all Regional Champions. Reece edged Brown the week before in overtime but was overcome at States.
We welcome input and views sent to us at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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March 6, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

TDR Top 12 – 182 lbs.

TDR Editor’s Note; Posting one weight class each day even while attending the Southern Conference Tournament at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. Enthusiastic fans, intense coaches and exciting wrestling action. Great chance to see some of the best in college wrestling. It is the time of tournaments this month.
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March 4, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

TDR Top 12 – 195 lbs.

TDR Editor’s Note; Four wrestlers from eastern North Carolina earned medals at the state tournament last month in this weight class. One from each of the divisions. We welcome input at martinkfleming@gmail.com ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

March 3, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Pre-Seeds and Brackets Set for 2023 ACC Wrestling Championship

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) — The Atlantic Coast Conference has announced pre-seeds and brackets for the 2023 ACC Wrestling Championship, which will be held this Sunday (March 5) at NC State’s Valvano Arena at Reynolds Coliseum.
Pitt leads with four No. 1 seeds in their respective weight class brackets, including defending champions Cole Matthews at 141 pounds and Nino Bonaccorsi at 197.
Four-time defending ACC team champion NC State and Virginia Tech each boast two No. 1 seeds, while Duke and North Carolina have one each.
Other defending champions in this year’s field include NC State’s Ed Scott (157) and Trent Hidlay (184), and Virginia Tech’s Mekhi Lewis (174). Lewis won the 2019 NCAA title at 165 pounds and North Carolina’s Austin O’Connor – seeded No. 1 at 157 in this year’s field – was the 2021 NCAA champion at 149.

ACC pre-seeds for this year’s tournament were generated by WrestleStat.com.
Complete 2023 ACC Wrestling Brackets may be found at https://theacc.co/23WRbrackets
Each weight class champion and runner-up at the 2023 ACC Championship will earn All-ACC recognition. In addition to ACC honors, student-athletes will be vying for berths and seeding in the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships, which will be held March 16-18 at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The ACC has been allotted 33 automatic berths and is hopeful of earning several more at-large selections. 
NC State finished the regular season ranked No. 3 in the NWCA Coaches Poll, with Virginia Tech at No. 10 and Pitt at No. 15. Those three teams shared the ACC 2022-23 regular-season dual meet championship, as each finished 4-1 in conference matches.
Tickets are now on sale for Sunday’s all-day championship, and all seats are general admission.. Tickets are priced at $10 for adults (ages 19 and older; ACC students get in free with school ID) and $7 for youth ages 18 and under. Group sales (15 or more) are priced at $5 – please contact the NC State ticket office directly for group sales. Tickets may be purchased online at https://theacc.co/23ACCtix.
First-round action kicks off Sunday’s Championship at 11 a.m. … THEACC.com/news/pre-seeds-and-brackets-set-for-2023-acc-wrestling-championship

Bellarmine’s Nance named SoCon Wrestler of the Week
Sophomore grabbed four wins in the final week of the regular season

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Bellarmine’s Cole Nance has been named the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week for the final week of the regular season. The selection is made by the league office.
Nance went 4-0 last week at 165 pounds. The Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, native defeated Presbyterian’s Tyler Chittum with a pin 2:31 into the match on Thursday to wrap SoCon competition. Two days later, Nance won three matches during the NWCA Great Lakes Championships to claim the title in his weight class. Nance’s first victory of the day came via pin over Akron wrestler Hamza Sawalha in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, the sophomore got a 12-0 major decision win against Ohio State’s Jake Gooding. Nance concluded his day by earning his third pin of the week in the finals against Ohio State wrestler Yury Pozdneev.
Bellarmine (12-4, 4-4 SoCon) defeated Presbyterian (4-11, 1-7), 22-20, to set a school record for wins in a season. Nance and six others were champions during the NWCA Great Lakes Championships as the Knights placed second in points out of nine teams with 132. … rest of story at SOconsports.com/wrestling-bellarmines-nance-named-socon-wrestler-of-the-week

March 3, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

2023 SoCon Championships Preview & Pre-Seeds

2023 SoCon Conference Preview

12 total allocations/25 in 2022

When: Saturday

Where: Boone, North Carolina (Appalachian State University)

How to Watch:ESPN+

Over the past decade, one of the most competitive conference tournaments, from a team standpoint, has been the SoCon. Five times in the last ten years the top-two squads in the team race have finished within six points of each other. The 2022 edition of the SoCon Championships was one of those occasions as Campbell edged Appalachian State (100.5 to 95) to claim their fourth consecutive SoCon title. Can the Camels make it five? As has been the case in each of those four previous tournaments, the Mountaineers have an imposing team and are capable of winning it all. Appalachian State posted a perfect dual record this year with a 22-14 win over Campbell accounting for the only time that a SoCon team posted double-digits in team points against them. Campbell is battle-tested with their tough dual schedule and a history of recent success at this tournament. Also in the mix is Chattanooga. Though it doesn’t appear that the Mocs have the firepower to unseat either of the top-two teams, they are a talented group that looks secure in third place.

In addition to watching out for an exciting team race, there are some excellent individuals to watch. Jonathan Millner will be wrestling in his final conference tournament and has the opportunity to go down as one of the best wrestlers in SoCon history.

The SoCon was hurt on conference allocation release day, as they were only earmarked for 12 total allocations, across ten weights. That’s something that should rise as the young teams in the league improve. But for Saturday, it should make for intense competition as NCAA qualifying slots will be highly-coveted and rare.

Below is our weight-by-weight preview of the action, along with predictions for top-four finishers at all ten weights and a team race projection. Wrestlers bolded are the ones we have pegged to receive automatic qualifying bids at their respective weight classes.

125 lbs

(1 allocation)

It surprised me slightly when allocations were released and the SoCon only received one slot at 125 lbs. The favorite will be #14 Caleb Smith (Appalachian State), a 2022 NCAA qualifier, who has had an excellent season. Smith hasn’t tasted defeat since he finished fifth at the Southern Scuffle. Last year, Smith needed an at-large berth to get to Detroit. He’s hoping that isn’t the case this time…. rest of story at Intermatwrestle.com/articles/=Wrestling+News

Southern Conference announces seeding for 2023 Wrestling Championship

Eight teams set to compete for the championship crown on Saturday

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference has released the seeds for the 2023 SoCon Wrestling Championship, the league office announced Wednesday. The championship is set to take place Saturday, March 5, at the Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, North Carolina. Eight squads will compete for the 2023 SoCon title with 12 NCAA allocations available for the NCAA Championships.
 The SoCon earned two NCAA allocations each at 133 pounds and 174 pounds. The remaining weight classes earned one allocation each, which is the automatic qualifier for the conference tournament champion.
 Campbell seeks to defend its last four tournament titles under third-year head coach Scotti Sentes. The Camels finished second in the conference regular-season standings with their only loss coming to App State on Feb. 19. App State finished first in the conference standings, concluding the campaign with an 8-0 conference record and 12-2 record overall.
App State’s Jonathan Millner (149), the 2022 SoCon Championship most outstanding wrestler, is looking for his third-straight title. Campbell’s Shannon Hanna (141), Caleb Hopkins (184) and Taye Ghadiali (285), Gardner-Webb’s RJ Mosley (165) and Chattanooga’s Matthew Waddell (184) are all looking for a second straight individual crown. Waddell won the title at 197 a season ago.
Millner, Caleb Smith (125), Ethan Oakley (133), Tommy Askey (157) and Will Formato (165) enter the championship as the No. 1 seeds in their respective weight classes for App State. The Mountaineers’ remaining seeded wrestlers include Heath Gonyer (141, No. 3), Will Miller (174, No. 2), Luke Uliano (184, No. 5), Carson Floyd (197, No. 2) and Jacob Sartorio (HWT, No. 3).
Campbell holds four No. 1 seeds for the third consecutive year, with Hanna (141), Caleb Hopkins (184), Levi Hopkins (197) and Ghadiali (HWT) all earning a top spot. The Camels’ remaining seeded wrestlers include Anthony Molton (125, No. 3), Domenic Zaccone (133, No. 2), Chris Rivera (149, No. 3), Troy Nation (157, No. 2), Dom Baker (165, No. 4) and Cole Rees (174, No. 6).
The Citadel’s John Chesser is the No. 2 seed in the heavyweight class and is the Bulldogs’ highest-seeded wrestler. The seeds for the remaining wrestlers for The Citadel are Blair Orr (125, No. 5), George Rosas (133, No. 5), Jacob Silka (141, No. 5), Ethan Willis (149, No. 5), Anthony Allen (157, No. 6), Brodie Porter (165, No. 8), Ben Haubert (174, No. 3), Tim Fitzpatrick (184, No. 6) and Mark Chiad (197, No. 8).
Davidson’s seeds are Devon Diaco (125, No.8), Jackson Sichelstiel (133, No. 6), Josh Viarengo (141, No. 6), Noah Frack, Davidson (149, No. 6), Tanner Peake (157, No. 3), Bryce Sanderlin (165, No. 6), Jaden Hardrick (174, No. 5), Cameo Blankenship (184, No. 8), Gavin Henry (197, No. 7) and Jake Fernicola (HWT, No. 6).
Mosley, Zach Price (141) and Jha’Quan Anderson (184) are all No. 2 seeds in their respective weight classes for Gardner-Webb. The other Bulldogs that will be competing on Saturday are Drew West (125, No.4), Todd Carter (133, No. 4), Parker Corwin (149, No. 8), Tyler Brignola (157, No. 7), Andrew Wilson (174, No. 8), Sam Mora (197, No. 3) and Abraham Preston (HWT, No. 7).
Presbyterian will compete in its third conference championship, as the squad finished its fourth season as a member of the SoCon. Dominic Chavez received the highest seed for the Blue Hose as he is the No. 2 seed at 125 pounds.
Chattanooga secured one No. 1 seed, that being Rocky Jordan (174), entering the championship on Saturday. Noah Castillo (149) is a No. 2 seed and Waddell looks to follow his 2022 title at 197 pounds … rest of story at SOconsports.com/news/2023/3/1/southern-conference-announces-seeding-for-2023-wrestling-championship

March 2, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

TDR Top 12 – 220 lbs.

TDR Editor’s Notes; Next weight class in our provisional final rulings. Some of the win-loss records may need corrections. The rankings are determined by end of season results and head to head competition. We welcome input from fans and coaches. Email us at martinkfleming@takedownreport
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March 2, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

TDR Top 12 – 285 lbs.

The following are the Top 12 scholastic wrestlers in eastern North Carolina ranked based on end of season performance and head-to-head match results. The wrestlers ranked as 13th are tied for honorable mention at this weight. Later this month we will announce the top 35-40 wrestlers who will be awarded a TDR Top 12 wooden plaque with their name engraved on it. We welcome input, reactions and views emailed to us at martinkfleming@gmail.com

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March 1, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

TDR Top 12 Awards – Girls 2023

The following Girls Wrestlers will be recognized as being a TDR Top 12 wrestler in Eastern North Carolina in 2023. They will be awarded an engraved wooden plaque with their name and weight class this spring. The top wrestler will be recognized with the 2nd Annual Olivia Neal Award for their contribution to the growth in girls’ wrestling.

March 1, 2023 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment