Wichita to host NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championships
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — For the next three years, Wichita will play host to the National Association of Interscholastic Athletics (NAIA) Men’s Wrestling National Championships.
The Championships will take place at Hartman Arena. Wichita hosted the event in 2020, 2021, and 2022. It will also host in 2023 and through 2025.
“We are pleased to continue holding the men’s wrestling championship in Wichita, Kansas,” said Austin Bennett, NAIA Director of Championships. “Visit Wichita has been an outstanding host for the championship and excels at organizing a fantastic student-athlete experience.”
Visit Wichita says the event will bring in nearly $800,000 in local economic impact each year it is held.
The 2023 championship will take place on March 3 and 4. It will be open to the public.
Girls Wrestling News
NEW YORK BECOMES 37TH STATE TO HOST A RECOGNIZED GIRLS STATE HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING TOURNAMENT
USA Wrestling’s Girls High School Development Committee has determined that New York has become the 37th state high school association to host a recognized girls state high school wrestling tournament.
On July 29, 2022, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) announced that girls wrestling “has now met the criteria to be considered an emerging sport.” At that time, the NYSPHSAA also announced that a statewide committee for girls wrestling would be formed.
On January 12, 2023, the NYSPHSAA announced that it would conduct the first Girls Wrestling Invitational Tournament on Friday, January 27 at SRC Arena on the campus of Onondaga County Community College in Syracuse, N.Y.
The USA Wrestling Girls High School Development Committee, co-chaired by Joan Fulp and Andrea Yamamoto, has determined that the NYSPHSAA has met the standard required to be included in the list of states with official girls high school wrestling programs.
The decision to give girls wrestling emerging sport status in New York, along with the fact that the NYSPHSAA will conduct the state-level Girls Wrestling Invitational Tournament (rather than another organization) were factors in recognizing New York along with the other state associations which have stepped up for girls wrestling. The NYSPHSAA has put girls wrestling on the administrative path to become an official state championships sometime soon. … rest of story at Teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2023/January/18/New-York-becomes-37th-state-with-girls-HS-wrestling-program
Plainwell wrestler climbs ranks, grows girls division in Michigan
Madison Nieuwenhuis is 27-7 this is season
PLAINWELL, Mich. — “When I started I only wrestled boys because there wasn’t that many girls but now you can choose to wrestle boys or girls,” said Plainwell Freshman wrestler Madison Nieuwenhuis. Madison Nieuwenhuis has been a wrestler since she was four. Watching her older cousin compete in Wisconsin and has been on the mat ever since. “My dad started a club here in Vicksburg and I was always wrestling with my little brother,” said Madison. Since middle school, Madison has been traveling the country to compete. Now as a freshman at Plainwell, she’s helping grow the newly emerging girls division in Michigan.
“The culture that she brings into the room as far as her work ethic goes upgrades our team as well, especially those smaller weight classes where she’s wrestling. Which makes everyone motivated to do better better because of the competition it brings to the room,” says Head wrestling Coach Rodd Leonard. While she does compete at girls only tournaments in the 100 pound weight class, Madison doesn’t shy away from wrestling boys on her team or tourneys. Even though she says it’s been challenging at the high school level. … rest of story at Fox17online.com/sports/blitz/plainwell-wrestler-climbs-ranks-grows-girls-division-in-michigan
GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP: SPARKMAN WINS ALABAMA STATES, DUAL MEET STATES HELD IN TEXAS, GEORGIA & UTAH, NO. 8 MARINA WINS AYALA INVITE (CA)
Katey Valdez of Doherty High School (CO) competing in Fargo in 2022. Valdez became the first two-time girls champion at the Colorado Springs Metro Championships. Photo by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers Are Warriors.
Throughout the rest of the scholastic season, we will review some of the biggest events and activities in the high school girls wrestling season across the nation. Hopefully, as more information is shared, we will help promote and grow girls high school wrestling.
Sparkman edges No. 20 Daphne to win Alabama States; Eight champions finish year unbeaten
Sparkman scored 191 points, to finish 11 points ahead of No. 20 Daphne to win the Alabama girls state championships. Sparkman was led by champions Akerah Artis (145) and Reagan Grant (152), plus third-place Aliza Wix-Amaya (235). State champions for Daphne were Alanah Girard (100) and Kalyse Hill (132), plus a runner-up and two third-place finishers. Sparkman displayed more depth, scoring more points from their team members who did not place in the top four.
National No. 24 Evelyn Holmes-Smith of Enterprise won the 120-pound title, going unbeaten. Eight of the individual champions had no losses: Holmes-Smith, Hill, Artis plus Juliana Eldridge of Wetumpka (107), Lena Johnanson of Weaver (138), Mackenzie Schultz of Enterprise (165), Aniyah Griffin of Pinson Valley (185) and Tamara Reed of Baldwin County (235).
Texas THSWCA Duals shake up rankings: Dumas wins 5A title and Euless Trinity claims 6A honors
Texas has great depth in its high school girls wrestling program, … rest of story at Teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2023/January/24/Girls-HS-Roundup
NCAA releases first coaches’ ranking for 2023 Division I wrestling championships
INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA has announced the first coaches’ ranking for the 2023 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
The coaches’ rankings are determined by a vote of 14 coaches in each weight class with two head coaches from each of the seven conferences. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. Wrestlers must have eight Division I matches in the weight class to be considered with at least one within the last 30 days.
Of the 10 weight classes, six are led by members of the Big Ten Conference and no school has two individuals in the top spot.
A pair of national champions sit atop the 165-pound and 174-pound weight classes with Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole and Penn State’s Carter Starocci.
Minnesota’s Patrick McKee sits atop 125 pounds, while Oklahoma State’s Daton Fix leads at 133 pounds. Andrew Alirez of Northern Colorado boasts the top spot at 141 pounds, while Austin Gomez of Wisconsin leads 149 pounds.
At 157 pounds, Nebraska’s Peyton Robb was ranked first by the coaches, while Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa sits atop 184 pounds.
Pittsburgh’s Nino Bonaccorsi debuts atop 197-pounds, while Michigan’s Mason Parris is the top ranked heavyweight.
The coaches’ ranking is one of several criteria that will be evaluated by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee … rest of story and rankings at Guillotine.com/2023/01/ncaa-releases-first-coaches-ranking-for-2023-division-i-wrestling-championships
ACC Conference Recap (1/23/23)
Opening night for the ACC did not disappoint. The Virginia Tech vs NC State dual got the national spotlight and they put on a show. North Carolina and Pitt both took lopsided wins on the road. We are off and running in conference competition; let’s take a look at how the weekend played out.
#28 North Carolina at Duke
North Carolina took on their Tobacco Road rival and left Cameron Indoor Stadium with a statement win. The Tar Heels won the first eight matches, including seven bonus-point victories to open ACC competition.
One of the highlights of the evening was the return of Clay Lautt to the UNC lineup. Lautt has been out since the Appalachian State dual in mid-December. He returned to put on an offensive showcase, taking an 18-3 tech fall over Gaetano Console. Lautt’s season record moves to 6-2 for the season. Lautt will be favored in his next two matches before a top-10 showdown with Mekhi Lewis.
It was a difficult evening for Duke, but they ended the dual with two big wins. Vince Baker edged Max Shaw at 197 to stretch his season record to 5-3; this was a quality win for Baker who has quietly started off strong for the Blue Devils; two of his three losses are to top-12 ranked wrestlers. Jonah Neisenbaum ended the night on a positive note for Duke, gritting out a hard-fought 3-1 sudden victory win over Brandon Whitman.
The Tar Heels put on an offensive display after opening the dual with a forfeit win for Jack Wagner. Their lowest match point total on the evening was from Jace Palmer in a 7-6 decision over Logan Agin. The next six matches were bonus point victories for UNC. Lachlan McNeil dominated in a 17-2 tech fall over Jarred Papscy. Zach Sherman bounced back after a loss last week, gaining his first bonus point win of the year with a 12-1 major decision over Patrick Rowland. Austin O’Connor continued his undefeated season, adding his 11th bonus point victory with a first-period pin of Preston Decker. … rest of story at Intermatwrestle.com/articles/26443
NWCA Releases Division II Men’s Coaches Regular Season Poll #3
MANHEIM, PA – The Central Oklahoma Bronchos stayed atop the NCAA Division II wrestling rankings, in the latest edition of the NWCA Division II Coaches Poll, released Jan. 20 by the Association.
The Bronchos held at number one, but a new team is on their heels, with Lander jumping from four to the two spot with 66 points. Nebraska-Kearney moved to No. 3 with 63 points, followed by West Liberty (58 pts.) and St. Cloud State (56 pts.) rounding out the nation’s top five teams.
All 10 of UCO’s starters are nationally ranked, highlighted by Dalton Abney (197) and Shawn Streck (285) both in the two-spot in their respective weight classes. St. Cloud State has seven ranked wrestlers, headlined by Abner Romero in the top spot at 174. Lander, UW-Parkside, and Augustana all have six ranked individuals.
There are two new top-ranked wrestlers, with Logan Seliga of UNC-Pembroke moving into the top spot at 125, while returning National Finalist Derek Blubaugh of Indianapolis is the new No 1 at 197. The Lopers of UNK are the lone program with more than one top ranked wrestlers, with Billy HIggins at 184 and Lee Herrington at 285 representing Nebraska-Kearney.
Just under half of the top ranked wrestlers come from two of the nation’s six regions, with 32 top-12 ranked individuals coming from Super Region 5, while another 25 come from Super Region 4. Super Region 5 has three teams in the Top 10 in SCSU (5), UW-Parkside (7) and Upper Iowa (10), while both Super Region 4 and Super Region 6 each have two programs in the Top 10. Three of the top-ranked wrestlers in D2 come out of Super Region 6, with the two UNK Lopers and Adams State returning National Champion Noah Hermosillo (157).
The final edition of the NWCA Division II Coaches Rankings will come out Feb. 17, prior to the 64 teams heading to NCAA Division II Super Regionals the weekend of Feb. 25-26. … rest of story and rankings at NWCAonline.com/nwca-releases-division-ii-mens-coaches-regular-season-poll-3
NWCA Releases Regular Season NCAA Women’s Coaches Poll #4
MANHEIM, PA – The latest set of National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) NCAA Women’s Wrestling rankings saw a change at the top of the tournament rankings. North Central College edged King University by one point to regain the top spot. King stayed atop the dual rankings following their NWCA National Duals championship earlier this month.
North Central takes over the top spot with 107 points while King isn’t far behind at 106. King and North Central are the only teams with at least 10 individuals ranked as the Tornado lead the way with 14 and North Central has 13. McKendree University jumped Colorado Mesa University into the third spot with 73 points while Colorado Mesa has 63 points. McKendree has eight individuals ranked while the Mavericks have seven. Augsburg University held steady at fifth with 50 points and five ranked individuals.
Simon Fraser University has six ranked individuals and stayed sixth with 40 points while Presbyterian College remains at seventh with 23 points and three ranked individuals. Sacred Heart University jumped into the top 10 at eighth with 21 points and three ranked individuals while Gannon University and Lock Haven University round out the top 10. Gannon is ranked ninth with four individuals ranked while Lock Haven has two individuals ranked and jumped from tied for 18th to 10th with 17 points.
There are three four individuals ranked No. 1, starting with King’s Jessica Corredor at 101 pounds. McKendree’s Payton Stroud takes over the top spot at 116 pounds. Ashlynn Ortega of King took over the top spot at 143 pounds from her teammate and North Central’s Tiera Jimerson moved up to the top line at 155 pounds.
The University of the Ozarks makes an appearance in the poll for the first time in program history as Rewa Chababo is the first Eagle to crack the rankings. She is ranked eighth at 191 pounds. … rest of the story and rankings at NWCAonline.com/nwca-releases-regular-season-ncaa-womens-coaches-poll-4
No. 5 Lander University returns home to defeat No. 2 NAIA Life University
GREENWOOD – The No. 5 Lander wrestling team returned to Horne Arena for the first time since December 3 and took down the No. 2 team in the NAIA, Life University, 19-14 Thursday evening.
Lander moves to 14-2 overall while Life drops to 5-2 overall.
The Bearcats started with three straight wins to begin the match. James Joplin began with a 3-1 decision to put Lander up 3-0. Elijah Lusk then turned in a 7-3 performance to push the lead to 6-0 before Zeth Brower picked up his sixth major decision and 22nd win of the season to give the Blue and Gold a 10-0 lead.
Life would take wins at 149 and 157 to cut into Lander’s lead to 10-6.
David Hunsberger would respond with his 21st win of the season with a 6-4 win at 165 to put Lander up 13-6 after getting a pair of takedowns in the third period.
Life would get points back at 174 before Logan Hall notched a win at 184 with a 6-4 sudden victory.
Lander would lock the match up with a 7-3 victory by Anthony Yacovetti that saw an escape and takedown in the third period at 197.
Life would earn a tech fall at 285 to conclude the match with the Bearcats winning 19-14. … rest of story at Landerbearcats.com/news/2023/1/19/wrestling-no-5-wrestling-returns-home-to-defeat-no-2-naia-life-university
No. 18 UNC-Pembroke Powers Past Lincoln Memorial, King
HARROGATE, Tenn. – The 18th-ranked UNC Pembroke wrestling team racked up 34 takedowns and nine near falls on the way to posting 16 individual victories in just more than two hours as the Braves rolled to wins over Lincoln Memorial and King on Thursday evening inside LMU’s Mary Mars Gym.
The Braves (10-1, 7-0 SACC) steamrolled the host Railsplitters (1-7, 0-4) by a 53-0 count in the opening matchup of the LMU Tri-Meet, and then pulled away late to fight off a pesky King (7-8, 2-4) squad. The results marked the fifth- and sixth-straight victories for the Black & Gold.
The rout of the Railsplitters was the most lopsided win for the Braves since a 60-0 drubbing of Spartanburg Methodist on Feb. 11, 2020. It is also the most points scored by the Black & Gold since that dual as well.
Logan Seliga (125 pounds), Logan Robinson (133), Jake Piccirilli (149), Rahsaan Vereen (157), Shylik Scriven (184) and Bryce Walker (197) all tacked up a pair of victories on the day. Seliga tallied a pair of pins in just less than two minutes at the event.
The Braves will get a 2-week break from action before resuming their 2022-23 schedule on February 4 with a SACC Tri-Meet at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. The Braves will take on league foe Emory & Henry … rest of story at UNCPbraves.com/news/2023/1/19/no-18-wrestling-powers-past-lincoln-memorial-king
UNC WRESTLING DEFEATS DUKE TO BEGIN ACC DUALS
DURHAM, N.C. – Winning the first eight matches of the night, the No. 28-ranked North Carolina wrestling program (5-6, 1-0 ACC) cruised Friday night, defeating Duke 37-6, to kickstart the ACC dual schedule.
Following the Blue Devils’ forfeit at 125-pounds, Jace Palmer (133) picked up the lone decision for UNC in the matchup. Zach Sherman (149), Joey Mazzara (165) and No. 14 Gavin Kane (184) collected major decisions for the Tar Heels.
No. 13 Lachlan McNeil (141) and No. 9 Clay Lautt (174) defeated the Blue Devils by way of technical fall, and No. 4 Austin O’Connor (157) picked up the lone pin of the night in the dual.
In the lone extra match of the night, Wil Guida (149) capped off the Tar Heel effort winning by fall. … rest of story at GOheels.com/news/2023/1/20/wrestling-tar-heels-defeat-duke-to-begin-acc-duals
USA WRESTLING WENT OVER 200,000 MEMBERS ON JANUARY 18, REACHING THAT MILESTONE IN THE SHORTEST TIME EVER
USA Wrestling is pleased to report that it went over 200,000 members for the 2022-23 membership season on Wednesday, January 18, 2023.
The USA Wrestling membership season runs from September 1 through August 31, which matches the organization’s fiscal year.
January 18 is the earliest time in the history of USA Wrestling that the organization has reached the 200,000-member milestone. Previously, the earliest date USA Wrestling surpassed 200,000 members was February 5, 2020.
The membership number includes both athlete memberships and Wrestling Leader memberships with USA Wrestling.
“USA Wrestling membership is a direct result of our state associations and our leaders at the grassroots level. We strive to provide safety, security and opportunity for our members. Knowing we have reached our 200,000th member earlier than any year in USA Wrestling’s history speaks to our state associations and clubs doing just that,” said Tony Black, USA Wrestling’s Director of State Services.
It has been a remarkable season for USA Wrestling in terms of membership.
• Through December 31, 2022, 47 USA Wrestling state associations have shown an increase in Year-to-Date membership in comparison to the prior season
• USA Wrestling has reached over 3,800 chartered clubs at this time, the most ever Year-To-Date
• At this time, the top five states in terms of membership Year-To-Date are 1) Illinois, 2) California, 3) Kansas, 4) Missouri, 5) Wisconsin. … rest of story at Teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2023/January/19/200-000-member-milestone
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
