Greensboro Wrestling gives back to the Thanksgiving Basket Giving Project
Greensboro, NC – The Holidays are a time to reflect on the blessings we have as a member of the Greensboro College Athletic Family and the Pride programs always make it a priority to give back to the community any way they can. This year the Greensboro College Wrestling team partnered with Spartan ELITE Wrestling Club to gather canned food and donations, which helped build food baskets with a full thanksgiving meal. The meals included a turkey and all of the trimmings and were given to local families who were in need. The 4th Annual Thanksgiving Basket Giving Project is an annual event that assists Greensboro area families with food needs during the Thanksgiving Holiday. It was a great experience for the team and they were thrilled to be play a role in the families’ holiday.
“At Greensboro College we are building Champions on and off the mat, and giving back to the community is a way the we can show a tangible way to help families during the holidays like Thanksgiving”, said Head Coach Justin Harty. “I am proud of our Greensboro College Wrestling team for gathering and donating canned goods and giving donations toward this great giving project benefiting Advance Adamance Charity Families. Learning to give back to others is just as important as anything else we teach in the wrestling room. Being Giving Champions in the community is something we hope all Greensboro College Wrestlers take with them long after they hang up their wrestling shoes. Thanks to all the Pride supporters who helped us with this project this year”. … rest of story at Greensborocollegesports.com/news/greensboro-wrestling-gives-back-to-the-thanksgiving-basket-giving-project
Appalachian State Takes Down No. 21 Tar Heels in Top-30 Showdown
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The first period of the first match wasn’t even complete before a pin-clinching whistle confirmed App State Wrestling’s intentions Thursday night.
The Mountaineers traveled to Chapel Hill ready to put up a tough, wire-to-wire fight against a ranked North Carolina team from the ACC.
In a top-30 showdown, with UNC ranking No. 21 in the NWCA Coaches Poll and as high as No. 17 among the other national polls, App State posted a 19-16 victory in Carmichael Arena to beat the Tar Heels for the second time in the last seven seasons.
Caleb Smith’s first-period pin in a matchup of ranked 125-pound wrestlers gave App State (1-1) six big points right off the bat, and a trio of wins from NCAA-experienced veterans in Sean Carter, Jon Jon Millner and Will Formato pushed the lead to 16-7 with four matches remaining.
The next three matches pitted three ranked wrestlers from UNC against three App State underclassmen, but Will Miller capped just his second career dual appearance by winning a 7-5 decision against returning All-American and eighth-ranked Clay Lautt at 174 pounds. Miller delivered a tiebreaking takedown with 36 seconds left and finished on top to give the Mountaineers a 19-7 advantage.
Close decisions in UNC’s favor at the final three weights resulted in the final nine points for the Tar Heels (1-3), but App State exited Carmichael with its fifth all-time win in the series and the second victory in the modern era, joining the 18-16 home win against a 25th-ranked UNC team in Boone during the 2016-17 season.
The other wins in the series occurred in 1965-66, 1960-61 and 1959-60. … rest of story at Appstatesports.com/news/2022/12/15/wrestling-tops-no-21-tar-heels-in-top-30-showdown
Fresno City Reclaims Wrestling Title on Championship Saturday
LEMOORE, Calif. – The Fresno City Wrestling team reclaimed its spot at the top of the state as the Rams finished with 214 points to lead the field as all 12 of their wrestlers earned spots on the podium at the 2022 CCCAA Wrestling State Championships.
FCC also had five state champions with Devin Murphy (133lbs), Jackson Morgan (157lbs), Jake Prudek (174lbs), Luke Meyer (184lbs), and Rudy Garcia (197lbs), helping them secure their fifth championship since 2016 and 18th in school history.
Mt. San Antonio and Cerritos jousted for second place all tournament and saw their battle come down to the wire. With 154.5 points, Mounties held off the Cerritos Falcons who finished just short at 153.5 points.
The Mounties showed their depth with 11 wrestlers placing while Christopher Bentancourt (125lbs) claimed an individual championship. … rest of story at CCCAasports.org/sports/wrest/2022-23/releases
Mount Olive tallies two wins at Trojan Duals
MOUNT OLIVE (Dec. 11) – The University of Mount Olive men’s wrestling team secured 13 victories and posted a pair of wins over Emmanuel and Greensboro on Sunday afternoon at the Trojan Duals hosted in Kornegay Arena.
With the wins, the Trojans improve to 8-2 overall and with the victory over Emmanuel move to 3-0 this season in conference action. Mount Olive remains undefeated in the league alongside UNC Pembroke and Lander, who both have three wins.
Below are the team scores for today’s dual meets.
Mount Olive over Emmanuel, 29-17
Emmanuel over Greensboro, 42-12
Mount Olive over Greensboro, 41-12
Against Emmanuel, the Lions took an early 3-0 advantage following a win by a 5-1 decision in the 125 weight class before freshman Jeffrey Richards (133) battled to a 3-0 decision over Harvey Ridings to tie the meet at 3-3. Emmanuel responded with an 11-2 major decision at 141 to take a 7-3 lead before the Trojans rattled off four-straight wins. Redshirt freshman Dallas Wilson (149) had a dominant performance to post an 18-1 technical fall over Clayton Frost to give UMO an 8-7 advantage. Redshirt junior Michael Vernagallo followed with another impressive showing after recording a 16-0 technical fall against Gage Shetley in the 157 weight class. At 165, sophomore Jake Nicolosi registered a 19-3 technical fall versus Connor Smith before redshirt freshman Seth Thomas notched a 17-1 technical fall over Grady Tisdale to extend the lead to 23-7 over Emmanuel. … rest of story at OMOtrojans.com/news/2022/12/11/wrestling-mount-olive-tallies-two-wins-at-trojan-duals
UNC-Pembroke Wrestling Steamrolls Bluefield State, Davis & Elkins
ELKINS, W.Va. – The UNC Pembroke wrestling team recorded 16 bonus-point victories, including 13 pins, to roll to a pair of victories at the Davis & Elkins Tri-Meet inside D&E’s McDonnell Center. The Braves opened the day with a 49-3 rout of Bluefield State, and closed out the trip to northwest West Virginia with a lopsided 49-6 win over the host Senators.
The Braves (6-1) amassed 53 takedowns and six near falls across the two matches to improve to 4-1 away from Pembroke this season. Bluefield State (2-1) absorbed their first setback of the season, while Davis & Elkins (1-5) closed out the event with a split after picking up their first win of the season against the Big Blue. Both teams are led by former UNCP wrestlers Blaze Shade (BSU) and Andrew Colborn (D&E).
Bluefield State got on the board first with a 6-2 decision by Luke Roberts in the opening match of the afternoon, but the Braves closed out the dual with nine-straight individual victories. Four wrestlers – Logan Robinson (133 pounds), Cody Williams (141), Caleb Grau (165) and Logan Hoffman (174) – all posted wins via pin, … rest of story at UNCPbraves.com/news/2022/12/12/wrestling-steamrolls-bluefield-state-davis-elkins
Individual Honors
Millner Named SoCon Wrestler of the Month
BOONE, N.C. — App State Wrestling’s Jon Jon Millner has been named the SoCon Wrestler of the Month for November, when he posted a 10-0 record and climbed to No. 2 in the national rankings at 149 pounds.
Millner opened the season with a 6-0 shutout of NC State’s Jackson Arrington, who has moved into the top 20 of their weight class, before making unbeaten runs to titles at the Mountaineer Invitational and Keystone Classic. Three of the other nine wins were against wrestlers with top-25 rankings, and he posted four pins in November.
After opening December with four wins at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Millner is 14-2 this season and 106-23 in his career. He has the sixth-most career victories in the history of App State’s program. … rest of story at APPstatesports.com/news/2022/12/6/wrestling-millner-named-socon-wrestler-of-the-month
Gardner-Webb’s Mosley named SoCon Wrestler of the Week
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Gardner- Webb’s RJ Mosley has been named the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week for all competition from Nov. 30 to Dec. 6. The selection is made by the league office.
Mosley went 6-0 last week as he grabbed two wins in a tri-meet with Bloomsburg and George Mason on Friday, Dec. 2, and four victories at the Arms Software Patriot Open in Fairfax, Virginia, on Sunday, Dec. 4. In the tri-meet, hosted by George Mason, the redshirt senior won over Bloomsburg wrestler Josh Bonomo via technical fall, 18-2, and defeated George Mason’s Drew Dickson by a score of 10-5. Two days later, … rest of story at SOconsports.com/news/2022/12/7/wrestling-gardner-webbs-mosley-named-socon-wrestler-of-the-week
David Hunsberger named SACC Wrestler of The Week
GREENVILLE, S.C. – For the second time this season, the No. 4 Lander wrestling team has been awarded a conference weekly award.
David Hunsberger was announced as the South Atlantic Conference Carolinas Wrestler of The Week by the conference office on Tuesday.
Hunsberger went 4-0 at the Carolina Clash this past Saturday. He finished with a tech fall, a pin and two wins by decision.
He started the day off strong as he recorded a 16-0 tech fall against Kentucky Wesleyan before recording a pin against Simon Fraser in the first period in his second match. Hunsberger then recorded a solid 10-5 win by decision that saw takedowns in all three periods along with a pair of escapes in the third period against No. 12 Glenville State. … rest of story at Landerbearcats.com/news/2022/12/6/wrestling-david-hunsberger-names-sacc-wrestler-of-the-week
NCAA Week 6 Roundup: Bedlam Delivers
The biggest stories from the sixth week of the 2022-2023 college wrestling season.
It’s going to be a short roundup this week as I’m sitting in a hotel room here in Coralville, Iowa after having watched the USA men’s freestyle complete ‘the double‘. That’s right, America just won the World Cup after winning the World Championships earlier this year in Serbia. And now I only have a couple of hours to get this blog up on your favorite wrestling website.
So let’s get to the roundup before I cause an international incident and get deported.
Stone Cold Laser Lock Dual of the Century, of the Week
BEDLAM: Oklahoma State vs Oklahoma
This year’s edition lived up to its reputation. Bedlam means madness, and that’s exactly what wrestling fans in the state of Oklahoma got on Sunday.
The Cowboys haven’t lost to the Sooners in many years (I’d look up the exact number of years, and many other facts, for this blog but I have the plane to catch in like 5 hours and this deadline isn’t looming and smaller). … rest of story at Flowrestling.org/articles/10148836-ncaa-week-6-roundup-bedlam-delivers
Penn State, Iowa remain unbeaten and atop NWCA Division I Coaches Poll
Manheim, Pennsylvania – The nation’s top six remained unchanged and Virginia Tech’s win over Missouri reshuffled the bottom half of the Top 10 as the most recent NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll was released on Tuesday.
Penn State remained unbeaten after beating visiting Oregon State 31-3 before another sold-out Rec Hall crowd on Sunday. Iowa improved to 7-0 with a 27-12 victory on the road at Chattanooga and remained second in the poll. Penn State did pick up an additional first-place vote this week, giving the Nittany Lions 13 of the possible 14 first-place votes.
Third-ranked Ohio State improved to 4-0 with a 32-6 win against Kent State. … rest of story at NWCAonline.com/penn-state-iowa-remain-unbeaten-and-atop-nwca-division-i-coaches-poll
NO. 3 OHIO STATE KNOCKS OFF KENT STATE, 32-9
COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 3 Ohio State (4-0) took care if intrastate foe Kent State (0-1) Sunday 32-9 at the Covelli Center (Att: 3,460).
Freshman Nic Bouzakis (133) and redshirt freshman Mike Misita (HWT) won their first matches in dual competitions.
How it Happened
125 | Malik Heinselman (OSU) def. Jake Ferri (KSU) | 4-3
Heinselman scored the match’s first takedown with less than 30 seconds left in the first period for a 2-0 lead. He added another point with an escape to start the second. Ferri escaped with a minute left in the third and added a late takedown to tie it at 3-all. With a point for riding time, Heinselman won by decision, 4-3.
133 | Nic Bouzakis (OSU) def. Brendon Fenton (KSU) | D, 5-0
Bouzakis recorded a takedown in the first minute for the 2-0 lead after one. Bouzakis added two more with a reversal to start the second to lead 4-0 headed to the third. With a point for riding time, Bouzakis won by decision, 5-0. It was his first dual win as a Buckeye.
Final Results
OSU KSU
125 | Malik Heinselman (OSU) def. Jake Ferri (KSU) | D, 4-3 3 0
133 | Nic Bouzakis (OSU) def. Brendon Fenton (KSU) | D, 5-0 6 0
141 | Dylan D’Emilio (OSU) def. Louis Newell (KSU) | D, 3-1 9 0
149 | Sammy Sasso (OSU) def. Kody Komara (KSU) | TF, 19-3 14 0
157 | Keegan Knapp (KSU) def. Isaac Wilcox (OSU) | D, 6-3 14 3
165 | Enrique Munguia (KSU) wins by MFF 14 9
174| Ethan Smith (OSU) def. Mason Karpinski (KSU) | TF, 21-6 19 9
184 | Kaleb Romero (OSU) def. Tyler Bates (KSU) | TF, 25-10 24 9
197 | Gavin Hoffman (OSU) def. Ryan Boyle (KSU) | TF, 21-6 29 9
HWT | Mike Misita (OSU) def. Jacob Cover (KSU) | D, 9-2 32 9
Next Up:
No. 3 Ohio State travels to New Orleans for the 2022 Collegiate Duals Dec. 19-20. The Buckeyes will open the event vs. Lock Haven at noon followed by a match vs. Northern Iowa at 2 p.m. Dec. 19.
#GoBucks … rest of story at Ohiostatebuckeyes.com/no-3-ohio-state-knocks-off-kent-state-32-9
Oklahoma State Rallies for Bedlam Win Behind Luke Surber Pin
STILLWATER – With the match tied at 15 a piece heading into the final bout of the dual, Luke Surber pinned No. 28 Keegan Moore 34 seconds into the first period to give the Oklahoma State wrestling team its 16th straight win over the Sooners, 21-15.
“I knew I was going to have to win to win the dual,” Surber said. “I went out and got in on my shot and went for the cradle and he rolled onto his back. I had him pinned like five times probably.”
Oklahoma jumped out to a 12-4 lead after the first five matches, with the lone Cowboy victory coming in a 14-5 major decision from No. 2 Daton Fix over No. 30 Wyatt Henson.
Following intermission, Kaden Gfeller got Oklahoma State back on track with a 7-1 decision over No. 29 Jacob Butler. Gfeller used a reversal in which he caught Butler on his back for a four-point near fall to separate the score in the second period on his way to a comfortable win. … rest of story at OKstate.com/news/2022/12/11/cowboy-wrestling-oklahoma-state-rallies-for-bedlam-win-behind-luke-surber-pin
Upcoming Collegiate Duals feature ten teams in WIN’s Dec. 12 Rankings
NEWTON, Iowa — The holidays are nearly here and so too are the first of several holiday college wrestling events. That includes the Journeymen Collegiate Duals that will take place next Monday and Tuesday in New Orleans, La., and will feature ten teams that are ranked in WIN’s Dec. 12 Rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.
Teams competing at the New Orleans Convention Center will wrestle in one of four pools of three teams on Dec. 19, where those results will determine where teams, on Dec. 20, will face another school that finished at the same level in another pool.
Penn State, which is ranked No. 1 in WIN’s dual rankings with a 4-0 record, will compete in the event. Other ranked teams competing in the “Big Easy” will be No. 3 Ohio State, No. 5 Iowa State, No. 8 NC State, No. 15 Cornell, No. 18 North Carolina, No. 20 Northern Iowa, No. 21 Lehigh, No. 24 Cal Poly and No. 25 Oregon State.
The Nittany Lions are also ranked No. 1 in WIN’s Tournament Power Index with 95 TPI points. That includes eight ranked wrestlers and four wrestlers ranked No. 1 at their weight class: Roman Bravo-Young (133), Carter Starocci (174), Aaron Brooks (184) and Greg Kerkvliet (Hwt).
The remaining Top-5 schools in WIN’s latest TPI are No. 2 Iowa, … rest of story at WIN-magazine.com/2022/12/12/upcoming-collegiate-duals-feature-nine-teams-in-wins-dec-12-rankings
Women’s Wrestling News
PC Starts Fast, Breezes by Mount Olive in First Home Appearance of Season
CLINTON, S.C. – Capturing the match’s first four falls to give them more than enough leeway for a decisive victory in front of a rowdy Templeton Center audience, the Presbyterian College women’s wrestling squad dispelled Mount Olive on Sunday afternoon by a 37-10 margin, the second straight bout in which head coach Zach Shaeffer’s lineup posted a 25+ point differential in dual competition.
Moving to 2-1 in head-to-head play beside a wealth of impressive performances in two tournaments earlier this month, the sixth-ranked Blue Hose handed the Trojans their first defeat in three outings at the tail end of the weekend, taking eight out of the 10 standard matches on their home base with a couple of exhibition W’s for added significance. Over the team’s last two dual showings, Presbyterian has scooped up 16 total victories, sending their 2022 win accumulation to 57 after five events.
Next to a pair of UMO forfeits, coach Shaeffer’s group had little trouble building their second blowout result of the past two weeks. Samantha Miller and Catherine “CG” Bertrand gifted the Blue Hose their first pinfall decisions of the first-time matchup, totaling only one minute and five seconds to increase PC’s already-large advantage.
Ainslie Lane – ranked fourth among all 116-lb. competitors in the nation – returned to Presbyterian’s lineup … rest of story at GObluehose.com/womens-wrestling-pc-starts-fast-breezes-by-mount-olive-in-first-home-appearance-of-season
Women Are Choosing Wrestling Over Other Sports
Korina Blades, Peyton Prussin, and Marissa Gallegos tried other combat sports before falling in love with wrestling
How many times have you heard the following scenarios?
A wrestler tells his or her backstory and it includes rings, ropes, and theatrics. Many entered wrestling thinking that the first day of practice would include slamming someone through a table. They thought wrestling was actually its entertainment-driven professional wrestling counterpart.
They eventually stuck with it and fell in love with the sport.
Or, basketball didn’t work out and there were no other options. Maybe he wasn’t tall enough or she wasn’t fast enough so wrestling came calling.
The above examples are common entry points. Some still don’t understand the wonderful intricacies of wrestling as we do, but they often get hooked once the sport grabs hold.
Finding wrestling through professional wrestling or through basketball isn’t necessarily bad, but there’s a negative connotation that can come with it. It makes wrestlers feel like secondary athletes and that they are simply misfits from another activity that is more popular.
There are other ways to find wrestling, of course. Most likely had a parent, sibling, or friend who participated, which is the best way to find any activity. … rest of story at FLOwrestling.org/articles/10082994-women-are-choosing-wrestling-over-other-sports
The NWCA Announces the NCAA Women’s National Wrestler of the Month for November
MANHEIM, PA – The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) announced their first women’s wrestling National Wrestler of the Month for this season. It was the same as the final recipient last spring. Yelena Makoyed of North Central College earns the distinction for the second time, taking home the first national award of the 2022-23 season.
ARTICLE: NCAA Women’s Regional Wrestlers of the Month for November
Makoyed earned regional for the third time earlier this week and now winning the national award for the second time. At 170 pounds, Makoyed is 15-0, taking six wins against ranked foes, six wins by pin, and eight more by technical fall. All her matches have ended in the first period, and she is yet to be scored this season. She took home titles from the Pointer Open and the Adrian Invitational. Makoyed defeated Augsburg University’s Ashley Lekas, then fourth-ranked, … rest of story at NWCAonline.com/the-nwca-announces-the-ncaa-womens-national-wrestler-of-the-month-for-november
USA, Ukraine win World Cups
CORALVILLE, Iowa (December 11) — The USA claimed its 15th World Cup after beating Iran 6-4 in the final Sunday. In a thrilling dual, It was tied at 3-3 after Ali SAVADKOUHI (IRI) stunned everyone by beating Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) at 79kg. But Kyle SNYDER (USA) sealed it with a 5-0 win over Kamran GHASEMPOUR (IRI) at 97kg,
Earlier, Ukraine defeated China 6-4 to clinch the women’s World Cup. A story that will be told for years to come. … rest of story at UWW.org/article/usa-ukraine-win-world-cups
UKRAINE WOMEN CLAIM 2022 WORLD CUP TEAM TITLE, WITH INSPIRING WIN OVER CHINA, 6-4
CORALVILLE, Iowa – The Xtream Arena echoed with cheers as Ukraine downed China in the women’s freestyle finals of the 2022 UWW World Cup, 6-4. It was a historic first-time win for Ukraine at the Women’s World Cup, and first time they made the podium at this annual international dual meet championships.
Ukraine advanced from Group A with wins over Mongolia and Japan. China, coming from Group B, defeated Team USA and the All-World Team. Ukraine and China both advanced to the finals on criteria wins—needing a high number of classification points over their respective opponents.
The first-place match was tightly contested with both teams boasting numerous World and Olympic medalists. With six wins total, Ukraine’s lightweights did their part to set up success. They won three of the opening four matches before going back and forth with China throughout the conclusion of the dual.
Oksana Livach’s comeback victory at 50 kg over Jiang Zhu of China was a critical win. Zhu led 4-0 with two takedowns, but in the final 30-seconds of the match, Livach hit a 4-point throw and pulled off the win on criteria. … rest of story at Teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2022/December/11/Ukraine-wins-World-Cup-womens-title
USA MEN BEAT IRAN, 6-4, TO WIN WORLD CUP TITLE; IN 97 KG WORLD CHAMPION SHOWDOWN, SNYDER BEATS GHASEMPOUR TO SEAL TEAM VICTORY
CORALVILLE, Iowa – The top two teams in the world in men’s freestyle made the finals of the World Cup, the annual World dual meet event within United World Wrestling. With a full night of great action, the United States scored an imspiring 6-4 win over Iran to the delight of their home fans.
The dual meet met all expectations, with some unexpected results. With the USA leading five matches to three, Iran moved up its two-time World champion Kamran Ghasempour from 92 kg to 97 kg to take on 2016 Olympic champion and three-time World champion Kyle Snyder of Team USA.
Snyder controlled the action, never in threat of being scored upon. He scored first when Ghasempour was placed on the shot clock and did not score, leading 1-0 at the break. Snyder added two step out points and the only takedown of the match to win 5-0. His victory clinched the U.S. team title.
The World Cup finish matched the 2022 Senior World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, where the USA won the title and Iran was second. … rest of story at Teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2022/December/11/USA-wins-FS-World-Cup-title
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
