Division I match results across the nation
Cornell Wrestling Remains Unbeaten In EIWA Competition, Knocks Off Army West Point
WEST POINT, N.Y. — The Cornell wrestling team jumped out to a 12-0 team lead and was never threatened, rolling past Army West Point 27-12 on Saturday afternoon at Gillis Field House for its seventh straight dual meet win. The Big Red improved to 8-2 (4-0 EIWA) with the win, while the Black Knights slipped to 4-5 (2-2 EIWA) in the loss.
Six Cornell ranked wrestlers picked up wins, with one coming in overtime and four total in hard-fought decision victories. That started right from the beginning, with freshman Brett Ungar’s escape in rideouts accounting for the only point in a 1-0 decision over No. 33 Ethan Berginc at 125 pounds. That got Cornell off to a strong start, and third-ranked VIto Arujau gave the visitors some distance by the end of 133. Arujau shut out Richard Treanor 15-0 for a tech fall victory to make it 8-0 Big Red.
Vince Cornella also earned a shutout victory, with his 12-0 triumph at 141 over Eddie Hummel staking Cornell to a 12-0 team lead. Army won consecutive matches at 149, where three-time national champion Yianni Diakomihalis took a rest day, and 157, before Cornell reeled off four wins in the final five matches.
Both Julian Ramirez and Chris Foca protected their top 10 rankings with strong, but narrow, wins at 165 and 174, while Jacob Cardenas out-pointed Kyle Swartz 3-1 at 197. Brendan Furman’s second period fall closed out the win. Only Jonathan Loew’s injury default loss at 184 ruined the second half shutout, as he led 5-2 when injured in the second period. … rest of story at Cornellbigred.com/news/2023/1/28/wrestling-remains-unbeaten-in-eiwa-competition-knocks-off-army-west-point
Virginia Takes 23-15 Win Over American
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia wrestling team (7-5) used three bonus-point victories, including a pair of technical falls, to pull away and grab a 23-15 win over American (7-8) on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Gym.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After American won the first two weight classes, Brian Courtney gutted out a decision at 141 pounds to kick off a stretch of four straight victories for the Cavaliers. Jarod Verkleeren posted a technical fall at 149 pounds before Jake Keating (157) and Justin McCoy (165) would notch back-to-back decisions and claim a 14-9 lead for the Cavaliers.
After another American victory at 174 pounds, Virginia would get a tech fall from Neil Antrassian (184) and a major decision Michael Battista (197) to lock up the dual. The Hoos won six weight classes on the afternoon.
NOTES ON THE DUAL
• Virginia improved to 14-1 all-time against American with the victory on Saturday afternoon.
• The Hoos have won eight consecutive matches in the series with the Eagles dating back to the 1990-91 season.
• Michael Battista continues to build on his team-leading win total and is now 24-6 on the season. … rest of story at Virginiasports.com/news/2023/02/04/virginia-takes-23-15-win-over-american
Bison Close Strong for Win at Northern Colorado
GREELEY, Colo. – The No. 13/16 North Dakota State Bison overcame an early deficit with a strong second half performance to defeat Northern Colorado 23-15 Saturday night at the Bank of Colorado Arena.
After #16 Stevo Poulin picked up a tech fall to defeat Carlos Negrete Jr. in the opening match at 125, McGwire Midkiff scored the first points of the evening for the Bison with a 4-1 win over Jace Koelzer at 133 pounds. Midkiff scored a takedown in the first and rode Koelzer for the entire second period to take control. He would add his escape and riding time point in the third for the victory.
The Bears would add another bonus point victory as #1 Andrew Alirez defeated #31 Dylan Droegemueller at 141 pounds with a major decision, 13-5.
The Bison would respond as #16 Kellyn March picked up a win in sudden victory to defeat Chris Sandoval 5-3. March had a takedown in the first and led 3-1, before Sandoval scored a takedown after review as time expired in the third. In the sudden victory period, March fought off an attack and reattacked for the win. March picked up his fifth straight win and his 10th overall in his last 11 matches.
North Dakota State would level the dual at 9-9 in the 157-pound match as #2 Jared Franek picked up a 6-2 decision over #31 Vinny Zerban. Franek scored a takedown in the first and added another in the third to go along with an escape and a riding time point for his 28th career ranked victory and his 17th straight win. … rest of the story at GObison.com/news/2023/2/4/wrestling-bison-close-strong-for-win-at-northern-colorado
Late Wins Lift Hofstra To Victory Over George Mason
Hempstead, NY – Hofstra rallied from a 16-10 deficit, winning the final four weight classes, to post a 26-16 victory over visiting George Mason Friday night at the David S. Mack Physical Education Center. The win snapped a two-match losing streak for the Pride.
Hofstra moved to 3-4 on the season with the non-conference victory. George Mason slipped to 10-5 with the loss.
After dropping the opening bout at 125 pounds, Hofstra roared back with a win by fall at 133 by Chase Liardi and a major decision from Justin Hoyle at 141 to take a 10-3 lead. The Patriots responded with three consecutive wins, including one by fall and one by major decision, to go up by six, 16-10.
Hofstra 174-pounder Ross McFarland got things started for the Pride with a 15-5 major decision over Logan Messer and No. 23 Jacob Ferreira followed with a gritty sudden victory win (6-4) over Tyler Kocak to put the Pride back on to, 17-16. No. 30 Trey Rogers followed with an 11-5 decision over Jon List at 197 and Zachary Knighton-Ward ended the night with an exclamation point as he won by fall over Donovan Sprouse in 17 seconds. … rest of story at GOhofstra.com/news/2023/2/3/wrestling-late-wins-lift-hofstra-to-victory-over-george-mason
Ohio Wrestling Dominates on Senior Night, Defeating Kent State 28-9
ATHENS, Ohio—The Ohio wrestling team (4-7, 3-2 MAC) dominated their match against the Kent State Golden Flashes (0-10, 0-5 MAC) at the Convocation Center on Senior Night (Feb. 3), winning 28-9.
Graduate student Alec Hagan (Eureka, Mo.) kicked off the night with an exciting sudden victory at 149 pounds. He entered the first sudden victory period tied with Kent State’s Kody Komara, 1-1, but quickly secured a takedown to win, 3-1. Redshirt freshman Peyten Kellar (Cutler, Ohio) followed at 157 pounds, winning with a 12-2 major decision.
The Bobcats continued to dominate. Redshirt junior Jordan Slivka (Indianapolis, Ind.) won his dual at 165 pounds with a technical fall while redshirt freshman Garrett Thompson (Murrysville, Pa.) pinned his opponent 1:51 seconds into the 174-pound match.
Sophomore Zayne Lehman (Akron, Ohio) continued Ohio’s winning streak, winning by 9-3 decision at 184 pounds. Redshirt junior Carson Brewer (Avon, Ind.) controlled his dual at 197 pounds, winning with a 12-2 major decision.
Graduate student Kyran Hagan (Eureka, Mo.) wrapped up the night … rest of story at Ohiobobcats.com/news/2023/2/3/ohio-dominates-senior-night-defeating-kent-state-28-9
Gardner-Webb Tops VMI 20-14 Friday Night in SoCon Wrestling Action
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Gardner-Webb rattled off three key wins in the lower weight classes Friday night to beat VMI 20-14 in Paul Porter Arena.
Friday’s Southern Conference battle started at 157 pounds.
The Runnin’ Bulldogs (5-8, 3-2 SoCon) trailed 10-9 after six matches, but responded with a 9-0 major decision by Drew West at 125 pounds to take the lead for good.
Todd Carter followed with an 8-3 decision at 133 pounds and Zach Prie was dominant early in a 12-4 major decision at 141 pounds that sealed the team win.
VMI picked up a major decision from Job Chisko to start the night, and also got wins from Hoover (174), Josh Evans (285) and Ryan Vigil (149).
After Chisko’s major, RJ Mosley came through with a 3-1 win at 165 pounds and Jha’Quan Anderson’s 6-1 decision at 184 pounds was followed by a 5-0 decision by Sam Mora at 197 pounds.
Evans took a 6-2 decision at 285 before the Runnin’ Bulldogs pulled away. … rest of story at GWUsports.com/news/2023/2/3/gardner-webb-tops-vmi-20-14-friday-night-in-socon-wrestling-action
Penn State-Iowa Match Crushed Its Big Ten Network Record
The match between the nation’s top-ranked programs drew a record 388,000 viewers on BTN
Penn State and Iowa should do this every year. The nation’s top-ranked wrestling teams once again broke their own Big Ten Network viewership record last Friday, as 388,176 viewers tuned into the prime-time match of the season.
No. 1 Penn State’s 23-14 win over No. 2 Iowa was the-most watched wrestling match in BTN history, overtaking last year’s 1-2 battle in Iowa City for the top spot.
Penn State-Iowa also was the most-watched regular-season wrestling match on any network in the past eight years, BTN said in a news release. And the three most-watched wrestling matches in BTN history are Penn State vs. Iowa. According to the network:
- 2023 Iowa at Penn State: 388,176
- 2022 Penn State at Iowa: 362,917
- 2020 Penn State at Iowa: 347,760
Penn State and Iowa tied the attendance for an indoor college wrestling match, as 15,998 fans packed a sold-out Bryce Jordan Center last Friday night in State College. Penn State and Iowa previously had set that record at the BJC in 2018. … rest of story at SI.com/college/pennstate/wrestling/penn-state-wrestling-iowa-match-sets-big-ten-network-viewership-record
Eight ways wrestlers can kill postseason performances
By Jeff and Gene Zannetti
The following list is one of the examples of the resources Wrestling Mindset provides to help wrestlers reach their potential. For more information on Wrestling Mindset, go to https://www.wrestlingmindset.com.
1. Wasting time and energy on social media. Stop focusing on what your opponents are doing on social media. This often adds pressure and is a major distraction for many wrestlers. We recommend a social media “blackout” during the season/postseason.
2. Focusing too much on records, rankings, predictions and seedings. This adds pressure and does little to help you. Focus on scoring points and winning each position. The result will take care of itself. You are 0-0 now. Rankings and predictions mean nothing.
3. Not training your mind. Wrestling is 90 percent mental. You cannot outwork a bad mindset. You need to develop mental skills and focus on the right things to wrestle your best in the postseason. Talk to a mindset coach weekly.
4. Blaming the referee. Bad calls happen and mistakes are made. You cannot control the ref, but you can control how you respond to them. Stop complaining! “Sometimes you have to win the match two or three times”— Zeke Jones. Control the things you can control, your effort and attitude.
5. Wrestling like you have something to defend or wrestling “not to lose”. Maybe you won a state or national title last season. Don’t let last year’s title … rest of story at WIN-magazine.com/2023/01/31/24405/
2022-23 NAIA Men’s Wrestling Coaches’ Top 20 Poll – No. 5
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Grand View (Iowa) now leads the NAIA Men’s Wrestling Coaches’ Top 20 Poll for the sixth consecutive rankings of 2022-23. The rest of the Top Five remains identical with Life (Ga.), Southeastern (Fla.), Doane (Neb.), and Indiana Tech. Missouri Valley moves into the Top 20, replacing Southern Oregon.
Poll Methodology
- The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the eight conferences.
- Two days prior to the national poll, 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.
| Rank | Last | Team | Conference | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Grand View (Iowa) | Heart | 299 |
| 2 | 2 | Life (Ga.) | Appalachian | 280 |
| 3 | 3 | Southeastern (Fla.) | Appalachian | 241 |
| 4 | 4 | Doane (Neb.) | Great Plains | 181 |
| 5 | 5 | Indiana Tech | Wolverine-Hoosier | 175 |
| 6 | 7 | Menlo (Calif.) | Cascade | 163 |
| 7 | 6 | Marian (Ind.) | Wolverine-Hoosier | 162 |
| 8 | 11 | Eastern Oregon | Cascade | 143 |
| 9 | 8 | Providence (Mont.) | Cascade | 130 |
| 10 | 12 | Reinhardt (Ga.) | Appalachian | 117 |
2022-23 NAIA Women’s Wrestling Coaches’ Top 20 Poll – No. 4
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Grand View (Iowa) takes over the top spot in the latest Yes! Athletics NAIA Women’s Wrestling Coaches’ Top 20 Poll. Life (Ga.) also moves up one play while former top ranked Southern Oregon sits third. Cumberlands (Ky.) leaps four spots into the Top Five while Menlo (Calif.) remains fifth.
Poll Methodology
- The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the five conferences.
- Two days prior to the national poll, each qualifying group rater submits the top six 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 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.
| Rank | Last | Team | Conference | Points |
| 1 | 2 | Grand View (Iowa) | Heart | 194 |
| 2 | 3 | Life (Ga.) | Mid-South | 186 |
| 3 | 1 | Southern Oregon | Cascade | 181 |
| 4 | 8 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | Mid-South | 141 |
| 5 | 5 | Menlo (Calif.) | Cascade | 132 |
| 6 | 9 | Texas Wesleyan | Sooner | 125 |
| 7 | 5 | Providence (Mont.) | Cascade | 123 |
| 8 | 4 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | Mid-South | 122 |
| 9 | 11 | Iowa Wesleyan | Heart | 104 |
| 10 | 7 | Indiana Tech | Mid-South | 103 |
How the Top 25 (and more) Fared: January 23-30
How all the Division I wrestling teams fared in this week’s dual meet competition, formatted in a How The Top 25 Fared breakdown.
| Rank | Team | Record | Wins This Week | Losses This Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Penn State | (11-0) | #2 Iowa 23-14 | |
| 2 | Iowa | (12-1) | #1 Penn State 23-14 | |
| 3 | Michigan | (9-2) | Maryland 44-5 | #6 Ohio State 23-15 |
| 4 | Iowa State | (12-2) | #10 Oklahoma State 18-11, Oklahoma 25-12 | |
| 5 | Cornell | (9-2) | Army West Point 27-12, Columbia 30-3 | |
| 6 | Ohio State | (11-1) | #3 Michigan 23-15, #22 Michigan State 36-3 | |
| 7 | Virginia Tech | (7-3) | #24 Pittsburgh 26-12 | |
| 8 | NC State | (11-1) | Duke 46-3 | |
| 9 | Missouri | (6-2) | ||
| 10 | Oklahoma State | (9-2) | #15 Northern Iowa 17-15 | #4 Iowa State 18-11 |
| 11 | Nebraska | (7-3) | #13 Wisconsin 23-11 | |
| 12 | Minnesota | (11-2) | #20 Illinois 24-9 |
B1G Takeaways from Week Four of Conference Dual Season
This week had a Rivalry Week theme in the Big Ten as No. 1 Penn State and No. 2 Iowa clashed in State College, Ohio State dominated the state of Michigan and Indiana laid claim to The Hoosier State by beating Purdue.
Here are our takeaways from the week, and BIG Awards at the bottom!
Penn State shows why it’s the team to beat with a win over Iowa
All the hype preceding the No. 1 vs. No 2 clash between Penn State and Iowa last Friday paid off, as the 15,998 fans inside the BJC tied the NCAA record for the largest crowd for an indoor dual meet, and the 388,000 who tuned in on the Big Ten Network set a new viewership record.
While some fans – and coaches – would have liked to have seen action in the individual matches (the team totaled 18 takedowns between them), the overall takeaway from the Nittany Lions’ 23-14 win – their 39th consecutive – was clear: Penn State is going to be pretty darn difficult to beat in March.
Sure, the Nittany Lions have some work to do. But as head coach Cael Sanderson said, “Iowa always does a good job of showing you what you need to work on.”
Penn State’s younger wrestlers, particularly at 141 and 149, weren’t very dynamic on offense – or really offensive at all. Aside from the opening exchange, Beau Bartlett didn’t get a good shot in against Real Woods until the third period. They also struggled to get out from bottom. Max Murin rode Shayne Van Ness for all but about 30 seconds of the second period, and not being able to get out after being taken down early in the first period proved costly for Bartlett in his 4-1 loss.
But those weaker moments were countered by two massive wins to close out the dual. Penn State’s Max Dean used a punishing third-period rideout to extend his record against Jacob Warner to 3-0. Despite the close 2-0 score, Dean never appeared in danger and made it seem less likely that Warner will flip the result of their 2022 NCAA final.
At heavyweight, Greg Kerkvliet bounced back big from his loss to Michigan’s Mason Parris the week prior, recording his first official win (not counting his 8-5 win at the NWCA All-Star Classic) over Tony Cassioppi, 4-1. The victory was significant, as it shows Kerkvliet’s progression, having lost by major decision to Cassioppi in their first matchup, a decision, then in sudden victory, now a win. It’s also significant, as this match is likely to be a semifinal come March.
Penn State’s other three NCAA champs (in addition to Dean) took care of business – although Carter Starocci had to work a little harder for it. True freshman Levi Haines also officially came out of redshirt, recording his 15th win of the season. Despite their losses Friday, Penn State is still poised to score more points at 149 and 165 than it did last year. And while Bartlett can’t make up for the points lost by Nick Lee’s graduation, he should be an All-American contender.
The bottom line is – it looks like the Nittany Lions are well on their way to their 10 NCAA title in 12 seasons.
Indiana breaks 12-year drought against Purdue to own the state
The Indiana Hoosiers traveled into enemy territory on Sunday to face intrastate rival Purdue, and came away with a 17-16 victory – its first over the Boilermakers since 2010. This also marks the first time Indiana has had three conference wins since the 2015-16 season. … rest of story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/26470
No. 2 Lander wrestling eviscerates Newberry on the road – Stays perfect in conference
NEWBERRY, S.C. – The No. 2 Lander wrestling rolled into Newberry College and quieted a sold-out Eleazer Arena with a dominant 31-6 victory Wednesday evening.
Lander moves to 19-2 overall and 9-0 in the SACC while Newberry falls to 9-5 overall and 7-2 in the SACC.
The Bearcats began the match up 13-0 with three straight victories. Lander first saw James Joplin record a first-period pin at 125 to establish a 6-0 edge before Elijah Lusk recorded a flawless 9-0 major decision to run the score to 10-0 while Zeth Brower recorded a 7-3 win by decision to give Lander its 13-0 advantage to begin. Joplin now has five pins on the season along with 15 wins. Lusk is up to 24 wins on the season and has won by major decision four times while Brower moves to 26-0 on the season.
Newberry would take its first three points at 149 before Lander picked back up with a win at 157. Gage Bernall recorded a 9-2 win that saw a reversal and a four-point near fall in the third period. David Hunsberger picked up his 25th win of the year after he took down his opponent with a 6-2 win by decision at 165 to put Lander up 19-3.
Newbery would claim its final three points at 174. Logan Hall picked up his 28th win of the season with a 3-1 sudden victory at 184. After Hall and his opponent both earned points from escapes, Hall battled his way in overtime before taking advantage of an opening to claim the win. With the victory, Hall has set a new program record for total wins in a season. Darius Parker previously held that title with 27 wins in the 2019-20 season.
Up 22-3, the Bearcats would see more points roll in as Anthony Yacovetti earned a 3-1 win by decision after getting a takedown in the second period and an escape in the third. Yacovetti now has 21 wins on the year and is one of five wrestlers to have 20 or more wins this season. Juan Edmond-Holmes ended the match the same way it began. Tied 1-1 heading into overtime … rest of story at Landerbearcats.com/news/2023/2/1/wrestling-no-2-lander-wrestling-eviscerates-newberry-on-the-road-stays-perfect-in-conference
Bout at the Ballpark Preview: #12 Oklahoma State vs. #6 Michigan
If you are a fan of high-level wrestling in unusual atmospheres then this event is for you. On Friday, No. 12 Oklahoma State will host No. 6 Michigan, at Globe Life Field, the home of the MLB’s Texas Rangers in the “Bout at the Ballpark”. Last season, the Cowboys dropped a dual against Iowa in the stadium, and they are underdogs going into this bout. However, the match actually sets up quite well for Oklahoma State, and Michigan is dealing with some injuries at key weight classes. The following is a weight-by-weight preview of the dual.
The dual will broadcast live on the MatScouts Rokfin Page. This is not a pay-per-view event so you can watch if you already subscribe to InterMat or MatScouts on Rokfin.
125: No. 20 Jack Medley (Michigan) vs. Reece Witcraft (Oklahoma State)
Medley wrestled in only one dual prior to the holiday break, but he has assumed the starting role in the second semester. Since January, he has gone 6-2 including victories over Tristan Lujan (Michigan State) and No. 7 Eric Barnett (Wisconsin). Last weekend, Medley dropped a 4-3 decision against No. 10 Malik Heinselman (Ohio State) on Friday before receiving a forfeit against Maryland on Sunday.
Trevor Mastrogiovanni was the starter at this weight for the Cowboys until recently. During his absence, his main substitute has been true freshman Zach Blankenship who has an 8-5 overall record, but is 0-4 in dual meet matches. Earlier this week, coach John Smith announced on his radio show that Reece Witcraft has cut down from 133 pounds and will make his 125-pound debut this weekend.
Witcraft qualified for the NCAA tournament at 133 pounds as a true freshman in 2020. Since then he has mostly been a spot starter. Last season, he competed in a pair of open tournaments at 125 before moving back to 133 for this season. Witcraft holds a 14-4 record on the year and last wrestled at the Southern Scuffle where he went 3-2 with losses coming against Zach Redding (Iowa State) and Connor Brown (Missouri).
Prediction: Medley decision over Witcraft
133: No. 12 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) vs. No. 2 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)
Ragusin has qualified for the last two NCAA tournaments, but he is still looking to lock down a spot on the All-American podium. His season so far has been filled with both ups and downs. In Big Ten duals, Ragusin has picked up victories over No. 30 Taylor LaMont (Wisconsin) and No. 16 Joe Heilmann (Rutgers), but he has also dropped matches against No. 18 Rayvon Foley (Michigan State) and No. 9 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State). … rest of story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/26471
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 