No. 18 UNC-Pembroke Wrestling Steamrolls Emmanuel To Extend Win Streak
PEMBROKE – Visiting Emmanuel went tit-for-tat with the 18th-ranked UNC Pembroke wrestling team through the first four matches of the evening, but the Braves registered 13 takedowns, a trio of near falls and three pins the rest of the way out to post a 34-10 win over the Lions on Thursday at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
It was the fourth-straight victory for the Braves (8-1, 5-0 SACC) who delighted a raucous home crowd in the first appearance on their home mat since November 30. Emmanuel (3-3, 2-3) has now dropped three of its last four outings, and fell to 1-5 all-time in the series with the Black & Gold with Thursday’s result.
Emmanuel used Josh Kincaid’s third-period pin at 141 pounds to grab its second lead of the night, but that signaled the end of the fun for the visitors on the night. Jake Piccirilli knotted the team score back up with a first-period pin at 149 pounds moments later and sparked a run of seven-straight individual victories that closed out the dual.
Rahsaan Vereen pushed the Braves out in front for good with a 10-4 decision in the 157-pound matchup, Loye Burkhead followed with an equally-impressive 13-6 decision at 157 pounds to make it a 16-10 lead for the Braves. Logan Hoffman (174 pounds) and Bryce Walker (197) both recorded pins down the stretch, while Shylik Scriven (184) and Massimo Sullivan both toughed out wins via decision.
The Braves will be back in action again next Thursday when they trek to Harrogate, Tenn., for matchups against a pair of South Atlantic Conference Carolinas foes. UNCP is scheduled to battle both Lincoln Memorial (1-6, 0-3) and King (5-7, 1-3) inside LMU’s Mary Mars Gymnasium. … rest of story at UNCPbraves.com/news/2023/1/12/no-18-wrestling-steamrolls-emmanuel-to-extend-win-streak
Intermat’s SoCon Mid-Season Recap
The SoCon has seen quite a bit of action this season: upsets, match-ups with top-ranked teams, and plenty of traveling. Here’s a breakdown from A to V of what’s been going on in the SoCon.
Appalachian State University, 4-1 overall, 1-0 conference
The season started out on the road to #9-ranked NC State, winning 4 out of 10 matches. Nailbitinig bouts of the evening included #15 Will Formato (165) and #26 Sean Carter’s (133) sudden-victory overtime wins. The Mountaineers lost to the Wolfpack 26-12, but turned around and beat the other ACC foe then-#21 North Carolina 19-16. Carmichael Arena was absolutely electric after Will Miller (174) upset #8 Clay Lautt with a 7-5 decision. This win earned Miller the honor of being named NCAA and SoCon Wrestler of the Week.
In between, App State headed to Vegas and put three wrestlers on the podium at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Jon Jon Miller led the way with a fourth-place finish, while Will Formato was seventh and Tommy Askey eighth.
Varsity Gym’s doors were open on December 20, where Appalachian served up back-to-back shutouts against Bellarmine (39-0) and Queens (50-0). Remember, Queens is a newly-minted Division-I program in North Carolina and in the south…so we may see an addition to the SoCon in the near future.
A New Year’s tradition – The Southern Scuffle – held in Chattanooga, Tennessee; produced three placers from the Mountaineers. There most definitely would have been a fourth; however, Jon Jon Millner (149) did not compete. Caleb Smith (125) earned his third fifth-place finish, Tommy Askey (157) finished seventh, and Sean Carter (133) took home eighth place. This past Sunday, Binghamton traveled to Boone for some dual-meet action. Appalachian won eight of the ten bouts, dropping losses at 184 and heavyweight.
This Friday is definitely going to be special, as #9 Virginia Tech heads to Boone to face off against the #20-ranked Mountaineers. I’m most excited to watch 149 – a likely meeting between two highly-ranked opponents: #8 Jon Jon Millner and #11 Caleb Henson. 125 lbs will surely be a fun match to watch – #21 Caleb Smith and #20 Eddie Ventresca. App State is already 1-1 with ACC competition…let’s see what happens next.
Campbell University, 6-5 overall, 1-0 conference
Campbell started their season off with two back-to-back events – Battle in the River City and Battle at Bragg. The Fighting Camels posted a 2-1 record at the Battle in River City, boasting wins against Little Rock (18-15) and Buffalo (36-3), dropping their loss of the day to #14 Iowa State (34-3). Troy Nation (157) recorded the lone victory against Iowa State, posting an 11-8 decision over Isaac Judge.
The Camels hosted Battle at Bragg, which was truly an event to remember. While there have been matches wrestled on aircraft carriers, I don’t believe there have been any wrestled on a military base, during a hurricane, while being the first collegiate dual streamed on UFC Fight Pass. In an event where competition was stopped to close the aircraft hangar doors in the midst of a literal hurricane, the Camels were met by #5 Michigan and #16 UNC. Campbell lost both duals, picking up two wins at 165 (Dom Baker) and 197 (Levi Hopkins) against the Wolverines (final 26-6), and won three bouts against UNC at 133 (Gabe Hixenbaugh), 157 (Troy Nation), and at heavyweight (Taye Ghadiali).
The Camels traveled to West Point, New York to wrestle in the Black Knight Invitational, bringing home two champions: Taye Ghadiali and Gabe Hixenbaugh and six other place-winners. Mid-December brought the Boilermaker Duals, where Campbell continued to show up, with a 3-0 record for the day. The barnburner dual of the day was against Utah Valley, the Camels posted a 17-16 win, after being tied 16-16, it came down to criteria. Campbell and Utah Valley had split the dual, equally winning 5 matches apiece. After scoring total points scored, Campbell came out on top. Anthony Molton (125) upset Purdue’s #8 Matt Ramos, in a sudden victory overtime win. Campbell won against the EIWA’s Drexel 19-16 and B1G’s Purdue 29-9 – marking a program first for beating a B1G opponent.
Most recently, Campbell hosted a conference competition – beating Gardner-Webb 25-12, and #17 Nebraska, dropping a 37-6 loss. The pair of wins at this dual were earned by heavyweight #12 Taye Ghadiali and #29 Domenic Zaccone. Next up for the Camels is the ever-exciting Virginia Duals, held in Hampton, Virginia where they’ll be up against Kent State, Oklahoma University, Maryland, and South Dakota State.
Gardner-Webb, Davidson and the rest at Intermatwrestle.com/articles/26415
North Carolina D-I Wrestling Results
Gardner-Webb Wrestling Tops Queens 45-0, Falls 20-15 To Army Sunday Afternoon
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Gardner-Webb split a pair of duals Sunday afternoon, falling 20-15 in a tight result to Army before rolling past Queens 45-0 in the finale.
Army posted a 52-0 win over Queens earlier Sunday in the day’s first dual.
Gardner-Webb won six of its 10 individual bouts with Army, but bonus points for the Black Knights in three of its four wins proved to be the difference. Army took a major decision at 157 to start the match, then got a quick pin from 19th-ranked Ben Pasiuk at 174 pounds to open up a 10-3 lead. RJ Mosley, ranked No. 25 nationally at 165 pounds, won a 3-2 decision in between those two results.
Jha’Quan Anderson rallied for a 5-4 win at 184 pounds to pull GWU within 10-6 and Sam Mora followed with a 3-1 win at 197 pounds to pull the ‘Dogs within one team point. The Black Knights picked up decisions at 285 and 125 to push the lead to 16-9, but Todd Carter pulled out a 7-3 win at 133 pound to get Gardner-Webb back within striking distance.
Zach Price nearly pulled off a pin late for Gardner-Webb at 141 pounds, but settled for a 9-3 decision that trimmed Army’s lead to 16-15 with one weight class remaining.
Army held on, as Matthew Williams picked up a 14-2 major decision for the final margin.
Gardner-Webb had little trouble with Queens, scoring bonus points in six weight classes en route to a 45-0 win over the Royals.
Tyler Brignola recorded a pin in just 2:16 to open the action at 157 pounds and, … rest of story at GWUsports.com/news/2023/1/15/gardner-webb-wrestling-tops-queens-drops-nailbiter-to-army
Campbell downs No. 23 Maryland, completes action at Virginia Duals
HAMPTON, VA. – Campbell defeated No. 23 Maryland 21-14 and fell to No. 19 South Dakota State 39-3 on Saturday at the Hampton Coliseum, finishing out competition at the 2023 Virginia Duals.
The Camels (8-7) picked up their second win over a Big Ten opponent this season with the dual victory over Maryland (7-2). Saturday marked the fifth and sixth nationally ranked opponents for CU this season.
Gabriel Hixenbaugh led Campbell with a 4-0 weekend, including a pair of wins on Saturday.
The 133 pounder jumpstarted Campbell against the Terrapins, notching a 15-0 tech fall (5:37) over Conner Quinn. Shannon Hanna followed with a 4-2 overtime win at 141 pounds before Maryland took three of the next four bouts for a 14-11 lead.
No. 27 Caleb Hopkins responded for CU at 184 pounds with a 9-0 major decision, and Levi Hopkins down 11th-ranked Jaxon Smith 8-6 in extra time at 197. No. 12 Taye Ghadiali tacked on another decision to close out the 21-14 win, defeating No. 30 Jaron Smith 3-2, fighting through a scramble with 20 seconds remaining in regulation for the deciding takedown.
The Jackrabbits tallied seven bonus point wins over the Camels, including pins for No. 28 Tanner Jordan at 125 pounds and No. 18 Tanner Cook at 165. Hixenbaugh recorded CU’s lone individual victory against SDSU, topping Derrick Cardinal with a 5-2 decision.
Campbell also defeated Kent State 29-12 while dropping a 22-9 dual to Oklahoma on Friday.
Next up, Campbell returns home to host the 2023 Chippewa Challenge on January 22. … rest of story at GOcamels.com/news/2023/1/14/wrestling-downs-maryland-completes-action-at-virginia-duals
No. 22 App State Rolls Past Previously Unbeaten Bulldogs
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Two days after hosting a top-10 team, App State Wrestling hit the road to face an unbeaten conference opponent.
Short on rest — and with two wrestlers making only their second dual starts of the season — the 22nd-ranked Mountaineers were up to the task in a 34-6 win at The Citadel on Sunday afternoon.
Squaring off against the Bulldogs, who were 4-0 overall and 3-0 at home, App State (5-2, 2-0 SoCon) won nine of 10 matches. Luke Uliano‘s six-point pin in the second match produced the first of four bonus-point victories, with the other three coming in the final three matches from Jon Jon Millner (18-7 major decision), Tommy Askey (15-7 major decision) and Will Formato (19-0 tech fall).
App State’s five decisions (worth three team points each) came from Will Miller (9-4 win), Carson Floyd (11-9), Caleb Smith (6-3), Ethan Oakley (4-3 in his second career dual start) and Heath Gonyer (6-0).
App State returned to action after putting up a strong fight Friday night in a 23-11 loss to No. 9 Virginia Tech and improved to 53-5 in its last 58 conference duals.
Two takedowns, plus back points, gave Miller an 8-1 lead after one period of his dual-opening win against Benjamin Haubert, who took third place at last year’s SoCon Championships. … rest of story at APPstatesports.com/news/2023/1/15/-22-wrestling-no-22-app-state-rolls-past-previously-unbeaten-bulldogs
No. 9 Tech prevails on the road against No. 22 App State
The Hokies win seven of ten bouts to finish out of conference competition
BOONE, NC – The No. 9 Virginia Tech wrestling team wrapped up non-conference slate in convincing fashion with a 23-11 win in hostile territory over scrappy No. 22 App State on Friday night. The Hokies were led by bonus point victories from Andy Smith and Hunter Catka but no victory of the evening bigger than that from freshman Caleb Henson. … rest of story at Hokiesports.com/news/2023/1/14/wrestling-no-9-tech-prevails-on-the-road-against-no-22-app-state
Wrestling rolls to first SoCon victory at Davidson
DAVIDSON, N.C. — The Bellarmine wrestling team wrapped up its weekend trip to North Carolina on a high note, as the Knights defeated Davidson 27-12 for their first SoCon victory of the season.
Bellarmine (2-2, 1-2 SoCon) fell to the Wildcats (2-5, 1-1 SoCon) in heartbreaking fashion 20-19 last season. This year, the Knights used a strong start and a pair of pins to earn the conference win.
“Scoring bonus points is something we have been training and working diligently for, so it was great to see us start off with a pin from Royce at 197 and follow up with the Division 1 pin leader recording another in Thadd Huff,” Knights Head Coach Ned Shuck said. “Jack scoring bonus and Zac Cowan running the table after a slow start to get a tech fall was impressive as well.”
Freshman Royce Hall started Bellarmine’s scoring pinning Davidson’s Gavin Henry (2:35) at 197. After limited action and several tough matches to start the season, Hall’s pin was the first victory of his career. Fellow freshman Thadd Huff followed with a pin of Oliver Tipton (4:41) at 285. Huff now leads all DI wrestlers with 13 pins in his 18 total victories.
Jack Parker kept Bellarmine going with a 14-6 major decision victory over Hale Robinson at 125, and Michael Schiffhauer followed with a 4-1 win by decision against Noah Burstein at 133. Trayce Eckman continued the streak for the … rest of story at Bellarmine.edu/news/2023/1/15/wrestling-rolls-to-first-socon-victory-at-davidson
Black Knights Defeat Queens and Gardner-Webb
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Army West Point wresting team defeated Queens University of Charlotte 52-0 and Gardner-Webb University 20-15 in a tri-dual Sunday afternoon. Ethan Berginc, Trae McDaniel and Kade Carlson went undefeated in their matches.
How it Happened
The Black Knights dominated early on, winning all ten duals against Queens. Army’s Tanner Craig, Dillon Sheehy, Kade Carlson, #32 Ethan Berginc, Ryan Franco, and Trae McDaniel each won their duals by pins. In the dual against Gardner-Webb, #21 Ben Pasiuk also won his dual by a pin.
Tanner Craig kicked things off for Army in the 157 class. Craig went up against Queen’s Toure Moore. After a scoreless first period, Craig scored first with an escape. With 1:30 left in the second period, Craig extended his lead with a takedown making it a 3-0 dual, Craig defeated Moore with a 3-0 fall (4:25).
In the 165-weight class Dalton Harkins faced Vladimir Sukhikh. After a scoreless first period, Harkins struck first after scoring an escape. Harkins defeated Sukhikh by a 7-0 decision after earning four points with a near fall.
In the 174 class, Dillon Sheehy competed against Jay Skalecki where Sheehy bested Skalecki with a 4-2 pin (4:05). Sahm Abdulrazzaq faced Queen’s D’Andree Hunt in the 184 class. Abdulrazzaq struck first with earning two points from a takedown. With a 2-1 lead Abdulrazzaq added points with another takedown. Dominating the match, Abdulrazzaq bested Hunt by a 17-2 tech fall.
Daniel Lawrence competed next in the 197-weight class, … rest of story at Armywestpoint.com/news/2023/1/15/wrestling-black-knights-defeat-queens-and-gardner-webb
UNC WRESTLING COMPLETES SATURDAY DUAL SWEEP
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. – The No. 27-ranked North Carolina completed the New England sweep Saturday afternoon, defeating Harvard (22-12) and Brown (36-4), to close out the non conference portion of the 2022-23 schedule.
Against the Crimson, the Tar Heels collected six victories in the matchup. UNC would jump out to an early lead in the team score, with wins from Jace Palmer (133) and Lachlan McNeil (141). North Carolina would finish the first matchup of the day on the winning side courtesy of Austin O’Connor (157), Gavin Kane (184), Max Shaw (197), and Jack Wagner (125).
Heading down the road to Providence, R.I., the Tar Heels would close the day just hours later, winning nine of 10 matchups against the Bears. Jace Palmer (133), Zach Sherman (149) and Aydin Guttridge (285) picked up decisions for the Heels. Jack Wagner (125), Lachlan McNeil (141), Joey Mazzara (165) and Cade Lautt (197) were on the winning side … rest of story at GOheels.com/news/2023/1/14/wrestling-completes-saturday-dual-sweep
NCAA wrestling award standings debut for the 2023 season
INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA has released updated standings for the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Awards that will be awarded in March at the respective Division I, II and III Wrestling Championships.
The inaugural NCAA Wrestling Awards were presented at the 2012 wrestling championships. The three awards, given in each division, honor the Most Dominant Wrestler as well as the student-athletes that have accumulated the most falls and the most technical falls throughout the course of the regular and postseasons.
MORE: Top names and teams to know for the rest of the 2022-2023 college wrestling season
For falls and tech falls to be counted for the awards they must come against opponents in the same division (i.e. Division II vs. Division II). Ties in the two categories are broken based on the aggregate time.
American’s 125-pounder Maximilian Leete currently paces Division I with nine falls on the season. Lock Haven’s Tyler Stoltzfus trails closely at eight while six wrestlers are right behind at seven.
In Division II, Lake Erie’s Christian Small leads the way with eight. It’s a close race as five wrestlers trail him by one, led by UIndy’s 157-pounder Logan Bailey.
Three wrestlers in Division III have reached 13 falls this season, led by Springfield 157-pounder Myles Leonard who has accomplished the feat in the least amount of time at 3:57. Messiah 157-pounder Garret Cornell and Alfred State 184-pounder Sean Malenfant round out the trio. … rest of the story at NCAA.com/news/wrestling/article/2023-01-11/ncaa-wrestling-award-standings-debut-2023-season
Gardner-Webb’s RJ Mosley Named Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Gardner-Webb’s RJ Mosley was named Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week on Wednesday afternoon following a strong showing.
Mosley (Oklahoma City, Okla.) went 2-0 over the weekend in matches against Campbell and No. 17 Nebraska, wrestling at 165 pounds. In the SoCon opener vs. Campbell, Mosley defeated Dom Baker via 3-2 decision (SV-2) to start the match in style.
Mosley then started the final dual of the night against the Huskers, taking a 4-2 decision (SV-1) over No. 25 Bubba Wilson. The win avenged a loss to Wilson in last year’s NCAA Championships.
Mosley, the defending Southern Conference champion at 165 pounds, was named Big South Wrestler of the Week for the second time this season. He rose to No. 25 in the most recent FloSports national rankings in his weight class.
The redshirt senior is now 12-4 on the season and will lead Gardner-Webb into a long home stand … rest of story at GWUsports.com/news/2023/1/11/wrestling-gardner-webbs-rj-mosley-named-southern-conference-wrestler-of-the-week
Greensboro’s Josh Wilson named ODAC Wrestler of the Week
Forest, VA – The Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) has announced that Greensboro College’s Josh Wilson has been named its Light Wrestler of the Week. Wilson, a two-time NCAA Division III All-American from Greensboro, NC, went undefeated this past weekend at the Jim Ctytzer Invitational to win the 141lb weight class championship. This was Wilson’s second championship this season, having previously won the Messiah Invite, while being named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler. Overall, he is 24-3 in matches this season and is currently ranked #7 nationally at 141lbs. … rest of story at Greensborocollegesports.com/news/2023/1/9/general-greensboros-josh-wilson-named-odac-wrestler-of-the-week
Number 639 – Most Ever
TDR Editor’s Notes ; Coach Pat Pecora led the Pitt-Johnstown Mountain Cats to their 639th win under his leadership. This increases his lead as the winningest college wrestling coach of all-time. Pecora surpassed Dale Thomas of Oregon State at the end of the 2019-2020 season with his 618th win. No dual meets were wrestled in the following covid pandemic plagued season. With 13 wins the following season and an undefeated record so far this season it does not look like Pecora and his Mountain Cats will slow down soon. Congratulations to Coach Pecora and his team.
No. 7 Wrestlers Roll to 39-0 Win Over American International
Pitt-Johnstown, ranked seventh in the most recent NWCA National Poll, used falls from No. 11 Dillon Keane (165 lbs.), Alex Weber (174 lbs.), and No. 5 Isaiah Vance (285 lbs.) in a 39-0 shutout over American International (MA) College, Saturday afternoon at Kutztown University. The Mountain Cats improved to 8-0.
Pitt-Johnstown opened-up a 12-0 with straight wins by decision. At 125 lbs., Trevon Grey earned a 10-4 win over Lima Prichard-Holland, before Dajauhn Hertzog shut out Aaron Morocho, 6-0 at 133 lbs. Following a double forfeit at 141 lbs., top-ranked Jacob Ealy (149 lbs.) defeated Tommy Nichols, 9-4, and No. 9 Nate Smith scored a 6-3 win over Joel Moreth at 157 lbs.
The Mountain Cats then began to add some bonus points to their victories.
Keane pinned Tommy Caracciolo at 2:28 of the 165-lb. bout, and Weber pinned Jaron Brown at 5:50 at 174 lbs. to increase the lead to 24-0.
Pitt-Johnstown kept in going with eight-ranked Brock Biddle’s (184 lbs.) 13-1 major decision over ,,, rest of story at Pittjohnstownathletics.com/news/2023/1/7/wrestling-no-7-wrestlers-roll-to-39-0-win-over-american-international
DIVISION I COACHES POLL: Cornell vaults into Top 10 as dual season picks up speed
Manheim, Pennsylvania – Wins over Arizona State and Virginia Tech buoyed Cornell six spots as the Big Red were one of the nation’s biggest movers as the first NWCA Division I Coaches Poll of 2023 was released on Tuesday.
Cornell opened up the new year topping then-No. 3 Arizona State 19-12 in neutral site dual in Austin, Texas. The Big Red followed by heading into the sold out Moss Arts Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, and picking off then-No. 8 Virginia Tech 22-12.
Unbeaten Penn State (8-0) and Iowa (9-0) remained atop of the poll for the eighth straight poll in the 2022-23 regular season. The Nittany Lions topped then-No. 11 Wisconsin in Madison, while Iowa got past pesky Illinois 25-19 at home before topping Purdue 37-6 on the road.
Iowa State (9-2) and Michigan both earned a pair of weekend wins and ended this week’s voting tied for third. NC State (9-0) moved into the top five for the first time this season. The Wolfpack beat Binghamton 36-3.
Iowa State handed Arizona State its second loss of the week with a gritty 19-15 win over the Sun Devils in Ames. Michigan (5-0) swept a pair of duals in California, first beating then-No. 24 Cal Poly 30-11 and then blanking CSU Bakersfield 36-0. Ohio State (7-1) topped Indiana and remained at No. 7, while Arizona State (2-2) dropped five spots to No. 8. Missouri (4-2) held firm at No. 10 after beating then No. 13 Northern Iowa 24-12.
Northwestern improved to 2-0 after an 18-11 win over then-No. 9 Minnesota. … rest of story at NWCAonline.com/division-i-coaches-poll-cornell-vaults-into-top-10-as-dual-season-picks-up-speed
Missouri and Cornell make most noticeable jumps in WIN Jan. 9 rankings
NEWTON, Iowa — Missouri and Cornell made the most noticeable jumps in WIN Magazine’s Jan. 9 Rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.
The Tigers, featuring eight ranked wrestlers, including a pair of top-ranked wrestlers — Keegan O’Toole (165) and Rocky Elam (197) — have moved ahead of Iowa for second place in WIN’s Tournament Power Index with 67 TPI points. The Hawkeyes, with nine ranked wrestlers and a top-ranked wrestler in Spencer Lee (125), are now in third place with 64 TPI points.
Cornell, meanwhile, made the biggest jump in WIN’s Dual Rankings as the Big Red defeated both Arizona State and Virginia Tech in road victories last week to climb from 15th to No. 9 with a 4-2 record.
WIN’s Tournament Power Index projects where schools will finish in the 2023 NCAA Championships, held this March in Tulsa, Okla. The following is a breakdown of the points from the TPI, based on a wrestler’s ranking: 20 for 1st, 16 for 2nd, 13.5 for 3rd, 12.5 for 4th, 10 for 5th, 9 for 6th, 6.5 for 7th and 5.5 for 8th. Wrestlers ranked 9-12 earn two points each, followed by 1.5 points for wrestlers ranked 13-16 and 1 point for those ranked 17-20.
Defending NCAA champion Penn State features nine ranked wrestlers — including four who are ranked No. 1 nationally at their weight: Roman Bravo-Young (133), Carter Starocci (174), Aaron Brooks (184) and Greg Kerkvliet (Hwt). The Nittany Lions are ranked No. 1 in both WIN’s TPI and Dual Rankings with an 8-0 record. The Hawkeyes remain No. 2 at 9-0. The Big Ten rivals are scheduled to meet Jan. 27 in State College, Pa.
The other top-ranked individual wrestlers remain the same from a week ago. The members of this group are Northern Colorado’s Andrew Alirez (141), Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihalis (149) and Nebraska’s Peyton Robb (157). … rest of story at WIN-magazine.com/2023/01/09/missouri-and-cornell-make-most-noticeable-jumps-in-win-jan-9-rankings
7 Big Stories from the Week in College Wrestling (1/9/2023)
The first full week of the new year in the college wrestling season did not disappoint as we saw plenty of upsets, individually and team-based, along with standout performances from the sport’s best, coupled with some emerging stars.
It also marked the start of the Big Ten dual schedule which always leads to intriguing matchups, again, individually and team-based. In addition, six duals featured top-15 teams squaring off in dual competition.
With so much going on there’s any number of different talking points to hit on, but we’ve narrowed it down to 7 big stories from the week in college wrestling.
#1 Goes Down at 141 lbs
There was some controversy surrounding InterMat’s rankings at 141 lbs. Top-ranked Cole Matthews of Pittsburgh was bested in the All-Star Classic exhibition match in late-November. #3 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) was impressive in his victory over Matthews and looked deserving of the top spot. I don’t disagree with that notion; however, the entire dual was built around the fact that these are exhibition matches which will not count on a wrestler’s record or factor in towards NCAA seeding. … rest of story at Intermatwrestle.com/articles/26406
Division I Results
The following are just some of the matches last weekend.
Pitt Falls to West Virginia in Backyard Brawl Dual
PITTSBURGH—The Backyard Brawl proved to be just that in Sunday’s Pitt-West Virginia wrestling match, with several contests coming down to crazy scrambles and last-second decisions.
Unfortunately for the No. 21 Panthers, the Mountaineers (6-1) won the majority of those crucial moments and emerged from Fitzgerald Field House with a 24-11 dual victory.
Winning bouts for the Panthers were No. 7 Micky Phillippi at 133 pounds with a major decision over WVU’s Davin Rhoads, Luca Augustine at 174 pounds with a nice win over Brody Conley and No. 2 Nino Bonaccorsi at 197 pounds with a typically dominant performance against Brian Finnerty.
Close defeats defined the dual. The Panthers (5-2) fell in tight bouts at 125 pounds, 141, 157 and lost key scrambles that determined outcomes at 165 and 184 pounds.
“Disappointed with losing so many matches that were decided in the third period,” Pitt head coach Keith Gavin said afterwards. “Give credit to West Virginia; they wrestled tough. But we need to work on some things and come back strong next time out.” … rest of story at Pittsburghpanthers.com/news/2023/1/8/wrestling-pitt-falls-to-west-virginia-in-backyard-brawl-dual
NO. 22 MARYLAND WRESTLING SPLITS MATCHES WITH INDIANA, LOSES ON CRITERIA POINTS
COLLEGE PARK, MD — No. 22 Maryland and Indiana each won five matches, including one major decision apiece, but Indiana held a 57-46 advantage in total points to clinch the criteria point tiebreaker and win the dual, 17-16.
After falling behind 9-3 in the team score, the Terps (6-0, 1-0 Big Ten) reeled off three consecutive wins at 197, 285 and 125. Kal Miller put the Terps up 16-13 with a big sudden victory decision over a ranked opponent, but No. 33 Graham Rooks took a 5-3 decision to tie the bout at 16-16. … rest of story at UMterps.com/news/2023/1/9/wrestling-wrest-iu-recap
Key takeaways from No. 1 Penn State wrestling’s 28-11 win over No. 11 Wisconsin
In the first six bouts of Friday’s night dual between No. 1 Penn State and No. 12 Wisconsin, the Badgers did everything they could to keep the score close. They racked up an early tech fall at 125, they won a big ranked bout at 149 and they earned bonus points at 165 pounds. They were in this match, at least through the first half. But, in the end, the Nittany Lions did what they have done so many times: they took over in the upper weights.
LOOKING AHEAD: Biggest names and teams to know in college wrestling in 2023
Headlined by Aaron Brooks’ technical fall over Tyler Dow, Penn State rolled out four of the five most dominant wrestlers in its lineup in the second half of the dual and pulled away for a definitive victory 28-11 against the Badgers. Here’s what we learned about the statement performance from the Blue and White in Madison.
Bonus points defined Friday night’s performances
Between Wisconsin and Penn State, Friday night’s starters put up a total of 169 points across the ten matches, with the Nittany Lions outsourcing their opponents 105-64.
Wisconsin’s Eric Barnett and Penn State’s Aaron Brooks … rest of story at NCAA.com/news/wrestling/article/2023-01-07/key-takeaways-penn-state-wrestlings-28-11-win-over-no-11-wisconsin
New year, new storylines: Top names and teams to know for the rest of the 2022-2023 college wrestling season
Here’s a look ahead at some of the interesting storylines still to come and athletes to watch that may have been under the radar at the start of the year:
Southern Scuffle features another slate of top-tier matchups
The annual Southern Scuffle held in Chattanooga, TN is the best way to start the new year.
MIDLANDS & SOLDIER SALUTE: Here are the key results from the other major winter tournaments
This season, nearly two dozen teams are competing in this southern event with the hopes of picking up some individual-ranked wins and setting themselves up for a strong second half of the year. The Missouri Tigers won this event in 2022, but with the absence of former Scuffle champs Keegan O’Toole and Rocky Elam, the Tigers will have a harder time defending their crown. They’ll be pushed most intensely by fellow Big 12 foe, Oklahoma State, as the Cowboys bring a number of ranked wrestlers and national qualifiers to the mat including three-time NCAA runner-up Daton Fix and All-Americans Travis Wittlake, Dustin Plott and Wyatt Sheets.
On an individual level, Stanford’s Shane Griffith will start the year looking for his second career Scuffle title at 165 pounds while Northern Colorado’s Andrew Alirez works to win his first crown in Chattanooga following a hot start to the season for the veteran Bear wrestler. The Scuffle always brings great storylines and exciting bouts, and this year will be no different. But the excitement doesn’t end when the finals are over on January 2. The rest of the wrestling season brings even more intrigue and interest and teams begin preparing for conference duals and peaking for the postseason.
The rise of Iowa State expected to continue behind strong freshmen and stellar leadership
The Iowa State Cyclones have been one of the biggest stories of the season thus far, as they came out of the gates on fire with dominant wins over Little Rock, Campbell and, most notably No. 11 Wisconsin. The team has no fear and no doubts. Led by NCAA champion David Carr and All-Americans Marcus Coleman and Yonger Bastida, the Cyclones gave the Iowa Hawkeyes everything they had during the annual Cy-Hawk dual, winning five matches and finishing within three points of the 2021 NCAA champion Hawks. … rest of story at NCAA.com/news/wrestling/article/2023-01-01/new-year-new-storylines-top-names-and-teams-know-rest-2022-2023-college-wrestling
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
