Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

High School News (2021) – # 9

TDR Editor’s Notes ; Most of the articles here on high school wrestling are from Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado and other states that have recently held their state championship tournaments. Yet the last article (#12) is the most important for the long run for wrestlers. The Beat The Streets organization continues to expand its outreach at promote and grow wrestling in under served areas where a large population of students need and could benefit from the lesson learned in wrestling. We are greatly encouraged to see this organization and others that promote increased opportunities in wrestling. Keep on Wrestling!
E-mail us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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1 } – (Iowa) Wrestling Mailbag: Previewing the Iowa state tournament, seeding, potential final matches
Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane to start this mailbag. The state wrestling tournament is approaching 100 years, at least under the direction of the Iowa High School Athletic Association. The history is spread all over, including at the state’s three major Division I wrestling programs. Iowa State’s Kevin Dresser was a two-time state champ for Humboldt, in 1980-81. He posted a 112-11-1 career record before becoming a Hawkeye. Iowa’s Tom Brands, from Sheldon, won state in 1986 and finished second in 1985. Northern Iowa’s Doug Schwab won in 1996 and twice took second, in 1993 and 1995, while wrestling at Osage. Their assistants were all Iowa prep stars, too. Terry Brands won two titles, in 1985-86, and finished second in 1987. Ryan Morningstar won three, from 2003-05. Derek St. John won twice, 2007-08. Randy Pugh won in 1996, and took third in 1994. … rest of story at https://www.thehawkeye.com/story/sports/high-school/2021/02/16/wrestling-mailbag-iowa-high-school-wrestling-2021-state-tournament-seeding-potential-finals-matchups/4486943001/?mc_cid=83f6447486&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

2 } – (Iowa) Lisbon 2-time state wrestling champ Robert Avila Jr. powered by family and faith
Junior 145-pounder looks for 3rd title this week
Robert Avila Jr. was just 5 years old when he made an uncommon proclamation for someone so young. He told his mother that he wanted to go to Turkey to wrestle and spread his faith. Avila recalled her reaction, ranging from amazement of his devotion and how he even knew about the country. When his parents received a phone call about an opportunity for a week-and-a-half wrestling trip with stops in France, Bulgaria, Romania and, yes, Turkey, Avila believed he had a special purpose in wrestling. “Just from getting the blessing and achieving something I said I was going to do at 5 years old, I realized God had given me something special,” Lisbon’s top-ranked 145-pound junior said. “I chose to use those talents he had given me to show the world how to be and give the best example of myself to others. “He’s given me the ability. I have to do my part.” Avila has thrived and utilized those gifts to become one of the state’s top wrestlers. He will attempt to win his third state title in the Class 1A state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines this week. Action begins Thursday with the first round at 9 a.m. … rest of story at https://www.thegazette.com/subject/sports/lisbons-robert-avila-jr-powered-by-family-and-faith-20210217?mc_cid=76aa098ad3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3 } – (Colorado) Keeping it light is the name of the game for Pueblo West wrestler Matthew Holdredge
For Pueblo West High School wrestler, Matthew Holdredge wrestling is a part of his everyday life. Growing up with family heavily involved in the sport has influenced his own desire to succeed and do well. However, for Holdredge, performing at his best starts with removing himself from the mindset of thinking about a dual before it happens. In fact, he said if someone asked why they should wrestle he would respond with, ‘I would tell them because we like to play frisbee a lot.’ “It’s a thing with me and Hayden Crosson,” Holdredge said. “(Wednesday) we played an hour of frisbee before weigh ins just to get our mind off the dual, because it’s a simple game. A lot of wrestlers at a higher level like Yianni Diakomihalis, they are always like ‘I always think about the match.’ … rest of story at https://www.chieftain.com/story/sports/2021/02/15/pueblo-west-wrestler-matthew-holdredge-keeping-light-mat-for-chsaa-state/4294868001/?mc_cid=9e45a80a12&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

4 } – (Virginia) VHSL postpones Thursday’s state wrestling, swimming events
Old Man Winter has struck again.
The VHSL has postponed Thursday’s Class 5 and Class 3 state wrestling tournaments, and Class 5 and Class 2/Class 1 state swimming meets because of the forecast of inclement weather. No makeup dates were announced. … rest of story at https://roanoke.com/sports/high-school/vhsl-postpones-thursdays-state-wrestling-swimming-events/article_5b0d34c6-7067-11eb-99e5-933ba340ef4d.html?mc_cid=83f6447486&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

5 } – (Iowa) Wrestlers, coaches grateful to be wrestling a few more days
DES MOINES – Champions will be crowned Wednesday night inside Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
Waverly-Shell Rock wrestling head coach Eric Whitcome never doubted it would happen. The 2021 state dual championships will begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday with Whitcome’s Waverly-Shell Rock squad the top seed in Class 3A as the Go-Hawks go for their fifth state dual championship, but first since 2010. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to hold its grip on the United States and Iowa, testing prep athletic programs and the Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa Girls Athletic Union at every turn, both organizations have found ways to host championship events. … rest of story at https://wcfcourier.com/sports/high-school/wrestling/wrestlers-coaches-grateful-to-be-wrestling-a-few-more-days/article_169ae259-453a-53b0-81fb-db23c1c8a741.html?mc_cid=83f6447486&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – How West Delaware wrestling developed team culture key to state duals success
‘We’re fighting for people in the stands that have watched for years and years’
Wrestling is considered an individual sport. Within the walls of West Delaware’s wrestling room, however, a different attitude prevails. Team means something important to the Hawks. Words like “family” and “brotherhood” are a way of life. Not buzz words or coach speak. It is genuine. They train, battle and compete as one, pooling their blood, sweat and tears to drown opponents. They are motivated by something greater than their personal achievements. They wrestle for each other and for the program. “It’s bigger than us,” Hawks 195-pounder Wyatt Voelker said. “Our wrestling is a lot bigger than we are. It’s West Delaware wrestling. We’re fighting for people in the stands that have watched for years and years. “The black and orange, the name on the singlet, the tradition, all the wrestlers and coaches. It’s for all of them.” … rest of story at https://www.thegazette.com/subject/sports/iowa-prep-sports/wrestling/how-west-delaware-wrestling-developed-team-culture-key-to-state-duals-success-20210216?mc_cid=83f6447486&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

7 } – (Nebraska) State wrestling: Where there’s a championship-caliber wrestler, a great practice partner is not too far behind
If Jeff Rutledge wanted to make some extra cash, he may be on to something. The co-head wrestling coach at Lincoln East has a front-row seat each day in practice to Brandon Baustert and Keith Smith, two of the state’s most talented wrestlers. They’re juniors and have known each other since elementary school. Baustert wrestles at 113 pounds and Smith at 120.
District wrestling: Class A results and state qualifiers
Unable to defend state duals title, Aquinas wrestlers look to make up for it in Omaha this year
Clark Grell
When they wrestle live, that’s when the fireworks start to happen, Rutledge said. “I joke around with them, if I could film them wrestling a live match during practice, I could sell it on the internet and people would pay for it because their level is so high and it’s such fun, exciting wrestling to watch,” the coach said. … rest of story at https://journalstar.com/sports/high-school/wrestling/state-wrestling-where-theres-a-championship-caliber-wrestler-a-great-practice-partner-is-not-too/article_4c2d42c4-5eb0-578d-a4fe-8ed90dbc34ab.html?mc_cid=83f6447486&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

8 } – (Nebraska) Making History 2021
Going for FOUR! — Paul Garcia (Scottsbluff) B126
In 2021, there is just one wrestler going for their fourth state title, Wyoming commit Paul Garcia. Pauly was a big name entering the season his freshman year and didn’t disappoint. He won an exciting 3-1 overtime match against Gabe Grice to kick start his run for four titles. The past two seasons, he has wrestled district opponents in the finals at state as well. In 2019 as a sophomore he beat Jace Russman of Cozad 5-2. Last year he avenged two prior losses to Gering’s Paul Ruff, and won the title with a 4-2 win in overtime. Garcia has moved up one weight class each season after starting his career at 106. His road to the finals at 126lbs will likely go through #5 Thomas Ivey in the semifinals. It’s possible for his finals match to be against a B4 District foe for the third straight year, with both #2 Paul Ruff and #3 Cyrus Wells on the opposite side of the bracket. Paul beat Wells 9-2 to win the district and has split with Ruff this season. The Garcia/Ruff final would garner a lot of hype just because of how well Ruff matches up in that one. … rest of story at https://newrestle.com/2021/02/17/making-history-2021/?mc_cid=76aa098ad3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

9} – (Pennsylvania) PIAA irons out final logistics for team and individual wrestling championships
CD East High School will be buzzing this month as host sites evolve for the PIAA and District 3 Class 2A individual wrestling championships. The Panthers will kick off the individual postseason on Saturday by hosting one of two District 3 sectional championships, then come back on Sunday to host the District 3 championships. Those tournaments are being wrestled on back-to-back days to fit a new, temporary postseason format that now includes a “super regional” round between regionals and the PIAA championships. That extra weekend meant another dose of consolidation in the 2A classification in order to free up Saturday, Feb. 27 for the Southeast Regional wrestling championships. … rest of story at https://www.pennlive.com/highschoolsports/wrestling/2021/02/piaa-irons-out-final-logistics-for-team-and-individual-wrestling-championships.html?mc_cid=76aa098ad3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – (Oklahoma) Cascia Hall’s Ernie Jones nearing end of remarkable coaching career; Glenpool’s Mike Edwards latest wrestler of the week
About halfway through his remarkable career as a high school wrestling coach, Ernie Jones had a chance to do something different and live a normal life. “Here I was, working a 40-hour week, making more money than I ever had, and I was miserable doing it,” he said. When Cascia Hall administrators invited him to start a new program in 1999, he jumped at the chance. Now, 22 years later, he said it’s time to call it quits. Jones, 77, has guided the Commandos to six tournament and two dual-state runner-up finishes, and that isn’t half of the story. He also worked more than two decades for the Tulsa Public Schools, first guiding Booker T. Washington to four state championships and then guiding Webster to four more. … rest of story at https://tulsaworld.com/sports/high-school/cascia-halls-ernie-jones-nearing-end-of-remarkable-coaching-career-glenpools-mike-edwards-latest-wrestler/article_e87ccf48-70e3-11eb-a491-9b63d1cd2ee9.html?mc_cid=76aa098ad3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

11 } – (New Jersey) Mobbin’ Classic tourney showed N.J. can safely run individual wrestling events
The Mobbin’ Classic, which brought together the largest array of New Jersey high school wrestling talent since the barely pre-pandemic state championships last March, may have unknowingly provided a blueprint for the NJSIAA’s postseason wrestling in 2021, mid-pandemic. The tournament, held at St. Joseph in Metuchen Monday, brought together 112 of the state’s rock-star wrestlers. However, the Mobbin’ Classic was also the test tube, the Petri dish, the clinical trial that showed tournament wrestling could be staged in a stringently controlled environment. … rest of story at https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2021/02/mobbin-classic-tourney-showed-nj-can-safely-run-individual-wrestling-events.html?mc_cid=76aa098ad3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

12 } – Launch of Beat the Streets New England Extends Youth Wrestling Engagement to New Communities
Beat the Streets Merges with Boston Youth Wrestling to Create Beat the Streets New England, a Groundbreaking Regional Wrestling Powerhouse
BOSTON – February 18, 2021 – Beat the Streets (Providence) and Boston Youth Wrestling today announced a merger to form Beat the Streets New England (BTSNE), a coalition making history as the nation’s first regional youth wrestling organization. By expanding its reach to the greater New England region, BTSNE will establish new community based regional training centers, collaborate with more schools, engage additional stakeholders and partners, host regional fundraising campaigns, and empower more communities by serving the needs of a broader population of youth wrestlers.
Beat the Streets delivers youth wrestling programs to underserved communities, helping students develop a goal oriented mindset through on the mat training that translates into off the mat life skills. Its programs are designed to encourage a desire for excellence, respect, teamwork, leadership, integrity, and perseverance through the instruction of quality wrestling programs. Coupled with off the mat resources to develop students’ full academic potential, these programs open doors to prestigious universities for a diverse group of young women and men.   “Wrestling creates leaders. These kids become leaders and that’s transformative. … rest of story at https://www.btsne.org/news/official-press-release?mc_cid=279b9a2f50&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 3, 2021 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NCAA Division III Results (2021) – #4

TDR Editor’s Notes ; These results are a scattering of dualsby the active D-III schools as they prepare for their conference tournaments. With over 1/3 of all schools suspending their seasons due to the Covid Pandemic the NCAA National tournament has been cancelled. The National Wrestling Coaches Association will sponsor a national tournament in Iowa for Division III wrestlers. USA Wrestling has announced that they will assist in the event. We are admittedly unclear on the details at this point yet encourage wrestlers and fans to check it out and to join in. Keep Wrestling On!
E-mail us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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1 } – Castleton Wrestling Dominates RIC, Wins 42-3 on Senior Day
CASTLETON, Vt. – The 24th-ranked Castleton University wrestling team earned a dominant victory over Rhode Island College Sunday, winning nine of the day’s 10 bouts en route to a 42-3 win. Castleton won the first eight matches of the day, highlighted by four pins to open the dual. The Spartans remain unbeaten on the season, improving to 5-0 overall. Rhode Island College is now 1-2 after the loss. The Spartans honored their two senior wrestlers—Max Tempel and Frank Darwak—prior to the match. The day began with a pin by Elijah Cyr at 125 pounds for the Spartans, as he scored an early takedown and turned it into a pin against Chris Lavallee just 1:08 into the bout. Wrestling up a weight class at 133 pounds, Darwak followed with a pin of his own, notching a takedown before pinning Julien Vivas in 1:45. … rest of story at https://castletonsports.com/news/2021/2/28/wrestling-dominates-ric-wins-42-3-on-senior-day.aspx?mc_cid=6c7ef6b094&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

2 } – UWL Wins Fifth Straight WIAC Title; Seven Individual Champions
Championship Website
Stevens Point, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse wrestling team captured its fifth straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championship (presented by Culver’s) Sunday night in the UW-Stevens Point Multi-Activity Center. The Eagles finished with 168.0 team points to win their 20th (1994, 1998-99, 2000-11, 2017-21) title in program history. 
UW-Eau Claire placed second with 141.5 points followed by UW-Oshkosh (115.0), UW-Stevens Point (101.0) and UW-Platteville (77.5). UW-Whitewater did not compete in this year’s championships due to COVID-19 protocols.  It is UWL’s 10th (2007-11, 2017-21) conference championship under 15-year head coach Dave Malecek.  He has been selected the Mertz Mortorelli WIAC Coach of the Year on seven occasions (2007-11, 2015, 2017).  UWL earned the WIAC Coaching Staff of the Year Award for the fourth straight season Sunday night.     UWL had seven individual champions on Saturday, including Josh Stenger (125), Tyler Shackle (141), Nolan Hertel (157), Grant Zamin (165), Reed Williams (174), Connor Williams (184) and Konrad Ernst (285). The seven individual titles are the most in the WIAC since UWL captured seven in 2010-11. … rest of story at https://uwlathletics.com/news/2021/2/28/wrestling-uwl-wins-fifth-straight-wiac-title-individual-champions.aspx?mc_cid=6c7ef6b094&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3 } – #2 U.S. Coast Guard Bears Rolls to Win over Rhode Island College
PROVIDENCE, R.I. –Coast Guard, ranked second nationally, won eight of 10 matches including four technical fall wins and a pair of pins as the Bears beat Rhode Island College 38-7 in a dual meet, the first dual meet for the Bears in over a year since a 24-7 win over Merchant Marine on Feb. 12 of last year. “We had three seniors in the lineup tonight,” said head coach Kevin Bratland. “It’s been a crazy season for them, always wondering when their first match will be and when their last match will be. I am excited that our administration granted them the opportunity to wrestle someone other than their practice partner. All three seniors showed why they are leaders on this team with their performances.”
Senior Parker Brunkala (125) and AJ Pagliarulo (141) both won by 16-0 technical falls with Liam Logue recording a pin in just 50 seconds at 133 pounds in between those two matches as the Bears jumped out to a quick 16-0 lead. Brunkala won in just 1:31 while Pagliarulo need only 1:49 to record the win. RIC would pick up back-to-back decisions at 149 and 157 as the Anchormen cut the deficit to 16-6. Returning NWCA All-American Phil Rogers, ranked fifth nationally at 165 pounds, won with a pin in 5:49 before David McCullough won by technical fall at 174 pounds as he won 18-2 in 3:49 to improve to a perfect 10-0 in his career. … rest of story at https://uscga.prestosports.com/sports/wrest/2020-21/releases/20210219rouva0?mc_cid=a32eea18bb&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

4 } – No. 13 T.C.N.J. Wrestling Completes Season Sweep of No. 11 Stevens
Full Results
HOBOKEN, N.J. – The no. 13 TCNJ wrestling team wrestled a familiar foe Wednesday evening, defeating no. 11 Stevens, 27-14. The win for the Lions is the second for the team over the Ducks in the last five days after TCNJ earned a 24-16 victory on Saturday. The Lions improved on their performance from the last dual, winning seven of 10 bouts. “The team competed with grit and determination tonight,” said head coach Joe Galante. ” Each wrestler seemed to want to dominate their opponent. We were controlling ties, positions, and pressing to score points. I loved watching our guys compete tonight.”
Thomas Marretta started the dual by taking a forfeit at heavyweight for the second-straight match giving TCNJ a 6-0 lead. Nick Denora followed by improving to 4-0 on the season, topping Andrew Finateri, 10-2, to push the lead to 10-0. … rest of story at https://tcnjathletics.com/news/2021/2/17/no-13-wrestling-completes-season-sweep-of-no-11-stevens.aspx?mc_cid=76aa098ad3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

5 } – Messiah Falcons Finish on Top in Fall Fest with Aggies
GRANTHAM, Pa. – Tuesday evening’s dual with the Delaware Valley Aggies featured falls in five of the eight contested bouts. The Falcons earned four of the impactful wins en route to the 42-9 victory in Hitchcock Arena. Messiah’s Garret Cornell (149 lbs.) got the first of three-straight pins for the Falcons with Nick Barnhart (157 lbs) and Matt Pangle (165 lbs.) following immediately after. David Stevens (184 lbs.) earned the fourth and final fall for the Falcons on the evening. In addition to the quartet of pins for Messiah, the Falcons earned a pair of forfeits and two decisions. … rest of story at https://gomessiah.com/news/2021/2/16/wrestling-falcons-finish-on-top-in-fall-fest-with-aggies.aspx?mc_cid=83f6447486&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – U.W.-Whitewater Warhawks thrive on mats, in water
The wrestling team continued its season this week with important matches against UW Eau Claire, La Crosse and Platteville. The Warhawks gave a dominant performance Feb. 9 in Whitewater defeating the Eau Claire Blugolds 23-12. The victory moved the team to 2-0 and gave the team confidence after defeating the 14th ranked team in Division III. Junior Jaritt Shinhoster won his match at the 174 pound weight class, ranking fifth in the nation. “My personal model to get rid of stress or anything is to focus on that first take down. Then once I get that first take down, for me everything comes easy,” said Shinhoster. “Team-wise a quick start like this big for us especially having such a young team. Everyone is putting in work and it is great to see.”  … rest of story at https://royalpurplenews.com/30191/sports/warhawks-thrive-on-the-mats-and-in-the-water/?mc_cid=c18c111026&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

7 } – Olivet College Wrestling team wins 2021 MIAA Championship in dominating fashion
ALMA, Mich. – The Olivet College wrestling team won the 2021 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Championship in dominating fashion. The Comets defeated Alma, 35-9; Adrian College, 33-9; and Trine (Ind.) University, 37-9. Olivet won 23-of-30 bouts, and scored bonus points in 17 of the victories.

8 } – Top-Ranked Wartburg Defeats #7 North Central 24-13
WAVERLY, Iowa – The top-ranked Wartburg College wrestling team wrapped up its 2020-21 regular season schedule Friday evening at Levick Arena, defeating the No. 7/12-ranked North Central College Cardinals 24-13.  Wartburg’s win improves the team’s record to 9-1 overall on the year during its final preparation for the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division III National Championships, set to take place March 12-13 in Coraleville, Iowa, at Xtream Arena. The Knights won six of 10 individual matches, including a major decision from Brady Fritz, a fall from Zane Mulder, and a technical fall win for Kyle Briggs. … rest of story at https://go-knights.net/news/2021/2/26/wrestling-top-ranked-wartburg-defeats-7-north-central-24-13.aspx?mc_cid=02f3563d01&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

9} – Six Wins Propel No. 9 Wrestling Over Wilkes, 22-17
Five straight wins send Ducks to first win of the season.
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (February 27, 2021) – No. 9 Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling earned victories in six of the nine contested matches en route to a 22-17 victory over Wilkes University Saturday in a non-conference dual at the Arnaud Marts Sports Center. First-years Andrew Finateri, Luke Hoerle and Nick Boggiano, joined sophomore Kyle Slendorn, junior Michael Dooley and senior Brett Kaliner in earning victories for the Ducks, who added an additional seven victories in exhibition bouts to move to 1-4 on the year. Wilkes earned wins in three of the nine contested matches and added a forfeit win at 285, but dropped to 1-1 on the year. The Ducks’ victory evened the all-time series at four wins each, although Stevens has been victorious in four of the last five meetings. “Great dual win for the guys today,” said head coach Joe Favia. “They are making the progress we hoped they would as we prep for the national tournament – we have one more week to hone our skills. We are looking forward to watching things come together.” … rest of story at https://stevensducks.com/news/2021/2/27/six-wins-propel-no-9-wrestling-over-wilkes-22-17.aspx?mc_cid=02f3563d01&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – Averett Handed First Loss As Falcons Tame Regional Foe
GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah wrestling team handed the Averett Cougars their first loss of the 2021 season on Saturday afternoon by a 24-21 final score in a thrilling final dual of the season. Messiah earned a trio of falls on the afternoon with Garret Cornell (149 lbs.), Nick Barnhart (157 lbs.), and Brian Shermeyer (174 lbs.) all earning key pins to lift the Falcons to victory.   
Dan Swarr (184 lbs.) and David Stevens (197 lbs.) delivered key decisions late in the dual to ice the match and give Messiah their fifth win of the season.  Averett entered Saturday’s dual 10-0 on the season with an average margin of victory of 32.5 points in their first 10 duals of the year. Messiah will be back in action next weekend when they travel to Reading for a Round Robin with Alvernia. … rest of story at https://gomessiah.com/news/2021/2/27/wrestling-averett-handed-first-loss-as-falcons-tame-regional-foe.aspx?mc_cid=02f3563d01&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

11 } – Castleton Wrestling Dominates RIC, Wins 42-3 on Senior Day
CASTLETON, Vt. – The 24th-ranked Castleton University wrestling team earned a dominant victory over Rhode Island College Sunday, winning nine of the day’s 10 bouts en route to a 42-3 win. Castleton won the first eight matches of the day, highlighted by four pins to open the dual. The Spartans remain unbeaten on the season, improving to 5-0 overall. Rhode Island College is now 1-2 after the loss. The Spartans honored their two senior wrestlers—Max Tempel and Frank Darwak—prior to the match. The day began with a pin by Elijah Cyr at 125 pounds for the Spartans, as he scored an early takedown and turned it into a pin against Chris Lavallee just 1:08 into the bout. Wrestling up a weight class at 133 pounds, Darwak followed with a pin of his own, notching a takedown before pinning Julien Vivas in 1:45. … rest of story at https://castletonsports.com/news/2021/2/28/wrestling-dominates-ric-wins-42-3-on-senior-day.aspx?mc_cid=6c7ef6b094&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
AND Wrestling Topples No. 13 TCNJ
EWING, N.J. – The Castleton University wrestling team continued its unbeaten start to the 2021 season Saturday, defeating nationally-ranked The College of New Jersey by a final score of 21-17.  
The Spartans were leading the No. 13 team in the nation by just one point—18-17—heading into the heavyweight bout to end the evening. After falling behind and trailing late in the third period, Chance LaPier registered a critical takedown to claim a one-point win by decision, propelling Castleton to victory. Castleton is now 4-0 on the season, while TCNJ suffered its first loss of the year to fall to 3-1. … rest of story at https://castletonsports.com/news/2021/2/20/wrestling-topples-no-13-tcnj.aspx?mc_cid=4fc5b594c8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

12 } – Falcons Take Rubber Match Against Aggies on the Road
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. – On Tuesday night, the Messiah wrestling team earned their second victory of the season over the Delaware Valley Aggies, claiming a 22-19 win. Joshua Paige (157 lbs.), John Sumner (165 lbs.), and Max Martin (184 lbs.) highlighted the effort for the Falcons with victories at the middle weights. Those three victories, combined with a pair of forfeits at 125 lbs. and 133 lbs., gave the Falcons the 22-19 victory over the Aggies. With Tuesday night’s dual victory, Messiah claims the season series against the Aggies, 2-1. After dropping the first dual against Delaware Valley on Feb. 13 by a 31-22 final score, Messiah claimed a convincing win on Feb. 16 by a 42-9 final before clinching the series this evening with a tight 22-19 margin. … rest of story at https://gomessiah.com/news/2021/2/23/wrestling-falcons-take-rubber-match-against-aggies-on-the-road.aspx?mc_cid=9c47fa024a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 3, 2021 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NCAA Division II Results (2021) – #5

TDR Editor’s Notes ; The following include some of the regional tournament results this past weekend. The qualifiers for the national tournament in two weeks have been determined. They will go on to St. Louis to seek All-American and Champion awards. Keep on Wrestling! E-mail us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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1 } – Historic Regional Win for West Liberty Wrestling
Irwin Voted Regional Coach of the Year; Multiple Hilltoppers Headed to Nationals
TIFFIN, Ohio – The West Liberty University wrestling team overcame a deep and talented field here Saturday night to deliver an historic win in the NCAA Division II Super Region 3 Championships at Heminger Fieldhouse on the campus of Tiffin University.
    Head coach Danny Irwin was voted Super Region 3 Coach of the Year and the Hilltoppers claimed three individual championships while qualifying at least five wrestlers for next month’s Nationals as they brought the first Super Regional title of the NCAA Division II era home for their tradition-laden program.
    It was a true team victory for Coach Irwin’s Hilltoppers as all 10 wrestlers won at least one match, eight of them placed in the top four and at least half of them earned the right to extend their season two weeks from now at the NCAA Nationals.
    “I’m so proud of my guys,” Irwin said. “Going all the way back to when I was wrestling, I have never had 10 guys wrestle as consistently well as our guys did today from start to finish. It was an amazing, amazing effort. We felt coming into the tournament that, with all the team toughness we’ve been developing throughout the year, the deeper the tournament went today, the better off we’d be and that’s exactly how it panned out. When things got tough, we got tougher.”
    Ashland was West Liberty’s closest pursuer in the team standings as the two Top 10 powers separated themselves from the pack during the final few matches. Lake Erie (Ohio), Indianapolis and defending regional champion Notre Dame (Ohio) rounded out the top five. Tournament officials did not select a Most Outstanding Wrestler and Irwin was quick to share credit for his regional Coach of the Year Award.
    “Whenever I receive these awards, I immediately think of all the people behind it,” he said. “I see as a tribute to the 10 guys who laid it all out on the mat, our head trainer Jerry Duncan, our coaching staff, our alumni, our donors and especially our administration. The support our program receives from all those sources is absolutely relentless. There are a lot of people who helped get this program to this point. I’m just the guy lucky enough to lead it.” … rest of story at https://hilltoppersports.com/news/2021/2/28/historic-regional-win-for-west-liberty-wrestling.aspx?mc_cid=02f3563d01&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

2 } – Newberry Caps Off Undefeated Season with 32-18 Win over Coker
Wolves looking strong heading into Super Region Tournament
HARTSVILLE, S.C. — The Newberry Wrestling program completed their first-ever undefeated season Wednesday night, beating Coker 32-18, giving them a perfect 8-0 record this season, with a 7-0 mark in South Atlantic Conference Carolinas action. The dual started at 125 pounds, where reigning South Atlantic Conference Carolinas Wrestler of the Week Zach Shupp continued his first period domination, pinning his opponent in 1:16, giving the Wolves an early 6-0 lead. After Coker forfeited at 133 pounds and Newberry forfeited at 141 pounds, the Wolves picked up another win at 149 pounds when Devan Moore picked up three takedowns en route to a 7-4 decision, giving the Wolves a 15-6 lead. Newberry picked up more bonus points at 157 pounds when Will Evans racked up a 20-5 tech fall, wrapping things up in 6:14. Coker won at 165 pounds before Trevor Mansfield picked up a fall at 174 pounds, pushing the lead to 26-11. Coker would win the next two matches before Newberry’s Devon Rice won a fall at 285 pounds to wrap things up. … rest of story at https://newberrywolves.com/news/2021/2/24/wrestling-newberry-caps-off-undefeated-season-with-32-18-win-over-coker.aspx?mc_cid=7c3cd1ad34&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3 } – #10 Minnesota State Downs #22 UW-Parkside
Mankato, Minn. —  10th-rated Minnesota State got bonus points in three of its matches in claiming a 20-15 win over #22 Wisconsin-Parkside in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference wrestling action in Mankato Thursday night. The Mavericks won five individual matches in the dual victory in the last action of the regular season and will enter the postseason having constructed a 5-1 overall record and a 5-1 imark n NSIC action. Third-rated Joe Arroyo claimed a 5-0 win over Minnesota State senior Trenton McManus, who entered tonight rated eighth in the nation at 125 to start the match.  Brock Luthens used two escapes and riding time in earning a 3-2 win over Lucas Schevikoven at 133 to even the team score at 3-3. Minnesota State junior Kolbe O’Brien got his third pin of the year when he won by fall over Francesco Schiro at 0:58 and now owns a 5-1 record for the season. … rest of story at https://msumavericks.com/news/2021/2/11/wrestling-game-recap-10-minnesota-state-downs-22-uw-parkside.aspx?mc_cid=b6bf9ab19d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

4 } – Bishop Breaks Tech Fall Record as Vikings Win
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Augustana senior Daniel Bishop broke the school record for tech falls Thursday night as the Vikings topped MSU Moorhead 33-6 inside the Elmen Center.  Bishop took the mat in the 197 pound bout tied for first in career tech falls with Todd Kendle (1985-89), each with 22 apiece. By the end of the bout, Bishop had logged 18 near fall points, a takedown, a reversal and a riding time point for a monster 23-4 victory.  Bishop’s teammates found similar success Thursday night as the Vikings recorded nine-consecutive victories in the dual after an open in the 125-pound bout.  Senior Brandon Carroll started the night with a lot of scoring in the 133 pound bout. Carroll had two takedowns, 12 near fall points and a reversal before pinning his opponent at 4:16 of the match. Redshirt-junior Brayden Curry followed Carroll’s performance with a close one in the 141 pound bout. After some back-and-forth action, Curry took his opponent down in overtime for the 12-10 decision while giving Augustana a 9-6 dual-score advantage. … rest of story at https://goaugie.com/news/2021/2/11/wrestling-bishop-breaks-tech-fall-record-as-vikings-win.aspx?mc_cid=b6bf9ab19d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

5 } – Minot State Wrestling Takes Down SMSU 20-17 on Senior Night
MINOT, N.D. – On a night when the Minot State University wrestling program honored seven seniors, it was a junior that came through with the dual-winning moment as Jordan Will (285 lb.) defeated Jacob Dykes by pin to give the Beavers a 20-17 win over Southwest Minnesota State on Senior Night at the MSU Dome. The Beavers (1-5) earn their first victory of the short dual season in comeback fashion on senior night at home. Junior Jordan Will and Head Wrestling Coach Evan Forde spoke after the match. Click the play icon in the image above to watch.  MSU had an early major-decision victory by Oscar Nellis (125 lb), who earned another significant win at that weight class 10-1 over Ben Emrich to get off to a good start and put the home team in front 4-0. … rest of story at https://msubeavers.com/news/2021/2/11/minot-state-wrestling-takes-down-smsu-on-senior-night.aspx?mc_cid=b6bf9ab19d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – Huskies claim fifth consecutive regional title
ABERDEEN, S.D. – If anyone questioned the St. Cloud State University wrestling team’s dominance heading into the Super Region V Championship in Aberdeen, South Dakota, they need not anymore. After one of the most bizarre seasons in recent history, the Huskies once again stood atop the podium, earning their fifth consecutive NCAA Division II Championship with 116.5 points.  St. Cloud State was forced to share the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Title in mid-February due to the COVID-19 shortened season, but the team left little doubt that it’s the best in the region. The Huskies saw seven wrestlers qualify for semifinal matches, with six of those seven reaching the finals. Additionally, Garrett Vos (Bonifacius, Minn. / Waconia), Joseph Bianchini (Elk Grove Village, Ill. / Immaculate Conception), Devin FitzPatrick (Mahtomedi, Minn. / Mahtomedi), Billy Pitzner (Jefferson, Wis. / Milton) and Kameron Teacher (Grove City, Ohio / Central Crossing) all need to make more room in their trophy cases, as they were crowned Regional Champions in their respective weight classes Saturday evening.  No. 1 Voss went 4-0 at 133 pounds, winning his second consecutive regional weight class with a 13-4 major decision win over Augustana’s Brandon Carroll. The junior will make his third consecutive trip to nationals with the win and improves his already impressive perfect season record to 9-0. … rest of story at https://scsuhuskies.com/news/2021/2/27/wrestling-huskies-claim-fifth-consecutive-regional-title.aspx?mc_cid=02f3563d01&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

7 } – Six Wolves Qualify for National Tournament, Wolves Easily Win Team Title
FRANKLIN SPRINGS, Ga. — Six members of the Newberry wrestling team qualified on Saturday for the NCAA Division II national tournament after competing at the Super Region II tournament. Three Wolves won individual championships at their weight with the team taking the overall championship as well. Head coach Cy Wainwright picked up Coach of the Year honors.  Austin Neal (133 pounds), Caleb Spears (174 pounds) and Zebrandon Gant (184 pounds) all took home individual championships, with Zach Shupp (125 pounds) and Will Evans (157 pounds) placing second, punching their ticket to the national tournament. Isiah Royal finished third at 141 pounds, and was awarded a wild card berth into the national tournament. This will be his fourth time qualifying for nationals, and his first appearance since placing 2nd at the 2019 tournament. Shupp started his day with a first round bye. His first action came in the quarterfinal, where he won a 5-4 decision over King’s Preston Soriano. In the semifinals he picked up a 7-3 decision over Limestone’s Kevin Radcliff before falling in the championship match by a 9-4 decision. He will be making his first appearance at the national tournament.  Neal was undefeated on the day after starting with a major decision win before edging Vincent Scollo in the quarterfinals. He won his semifinal match via fall in 4:41 before pitching a shutout in the 1st-place match, winning a 7-0 decision to secure his first national tournament appearance. … rest of story at https://newberrywolves.com/news/2021/2/27/wrestling-six-wolves-qualify-for-national-tournament-wolves-easily-win-team-title.aspx?mc_cid=02f3563d01&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

8 } – Gannon Men’s Wrestling Wins First Region Title Behind Six Individual Champs
THE RUNDOWN

  • Event: 2021 NCAA Division II Super Region 1 Championships
  • Location: Mercyhurst Athletic Center – Erie, Pa. (Hosted by Mercyhurst)
  • Competing Teams: American International, Alderson Broaddus, Fairmont State, Gannon, Mercyhurst, Pitt-Johnstown
  • Result: 1st out of 6 teams

GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER

9} – UNK Rolls at Regionals, Finishes with Team Title, Five Champs & 10 Qualifiers
Kearney, Neb. – The top-ranked Nebraska-Kearney wrestling team advanced its entire starting lineup into the finals at the 2021 NCAA Super Region VI Championships Sunday night in Grand Junction, Colo. Lopers scored 121.50 points to win this meet for a third straight year. This also marks UNK’s 17th region title since 2000. To reach that Kearney went a combined 24-5 on the day, winning its first 15 matches.  UNK went 5-5 in the finals and capped the long day with a win in a “true” second place match. Atop the awards stand this year is Lincoln senior Wesley Dawkins (133 lbs.), Pennsylvania senior Jacob Wasser (157 lbs.), Kansas junior Terrell Garraway (174 lbs.), Kearney sophomore Lee Herrington (285 lbs.), and Kearney redshirt freshman Nick James (141 lbs.). Dawkins and Wasser both repeat as regions champions. 
Coming in second in their respective class was Iowa seniors Matt Malcom (165 lbs.) and Josh Portillo (125 lbs.), Colorado senior Sam Turner (149 lbs.), Kansas junior Austin Eldredge (184 lbs.) and Seward redshirt freshman Joseph Reimers (184 lbs.). The criteria for reaching the NCAA Championships changed this year due to the on-going pandemic. This region was slotted 17 spots for nationals which are March 12-13 in St. Louis. The 10 weight class winners advance with seven of the runners up moving on as well. The seven head coaches determined the “wild cards” at the conclusion of the meet. Three schools — San Francisco State, Simon Fraser (Canada) and New Mexico Highlands — opted out this season. … rest of story at https://lopers.com/news/2021/2/28/wrestling-unk-rolls-at-regionals-finishes-with-team-title-and-five-champs.aspx?mc_cid=6c7ef6b094&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – UCO Currently Leads Super Regional: Awaiting Decision on Final Score
The Division Two Super Regional IV had all the trappings you want in a big tournament. Good wrestling, big upsets, back and forth matches, and a great team race. The semifinals got exciting early for UCO fans and followers. Edmond North product Paxton Rosen has been dominant all season but somewhat mysteriously omitted from the NWCA National rankings all season. Here was his first chance to prove his worth and he took advantage of that opportunity. Rosen matched up with the #1 seed in the tournament and #1 ranked wrestler in the nation Mason Turner in the semifinals. Rosen comfortably upset Turner 8-2 to make the finals. This was followed up by upset wins by Gabe Johnson at 149 and Ty Lucas at 157 who both were lower seeds in the semifinals and both also picked up upsets to make the finals. They were joined by heavy hitters Dalton Abney and Heath Gray who both won their semifinal as well. … rest of story at https://owrestle.com/uco-wins-super-regional-title/

11 } – Curreri Advances to Second-Straight NCAA Championship
FRANKLIN SPRINGS, Ga. The Queens University of Charlotte men’s wrestling team competed in the NCAA Super Regional II Tournament on Saturday inside Emmanuel College’s Shaw Athletic Center taking eighth place as a team with 33.5 points. Additionally, senior Noah Curreri advanced to the NCAA DII Men’s Wrestling Championship for the second consecutive season.  
Curreri, competing in the 174-pound weight class, took just one loss on the day falling to Caleb Spears of Newberry who won the weight class. Curreri would advance in the second-place spot.  
Additionally, Hunter Tobiasson just missed a Championship spot falling in the 197-pound weight class second-place match to Bryce Walker of UNC Pembroke. Noah Gilbert, Lucas Comroe, and Josh Voelkel were able to pick up one win each in the consolations round while Alec Baynard collected his solo win in the opening round. Additionally, Stephon Halliburton made a run through the consolation round before eventually falling to Jaquez Bostic of Limestone. No. 20 Newberry won the Regional Tournament while No. 24 UNC Pembroke finished second…. rest of story at https://queensathletics.com/news/2021/2/27/mens-wrestling-curreri-advances-to-second-straight-ncaa-championship.aspx

12 } – Six Eagle Wrestlers Punch Ticket To Division II Championships
As announced officially on NCAA.com on Monday (March 1) night, Ashland University will send six wrestlers to the 2021 NCAA Division II Championships, March 12-13 at America’s Convention Center Complex in St. Louis, Mo. The six Eagle grapplers moving on to nationals are senior Christian Wellman at 125 pounds, sophomore Luke Wymer at 141, senior Carson Speelman at 149, sophomore Daniel Beemer at 174, senior Aidan Pasiuk at 184, and senior Tristen Weirich at 285.
 Speelman (7-1), Beemer (8-1) and Weirich (10-0) all won Super Region 3 championships at their respective weight classes on Saturday (Feb. 27) in Tiffin, Wellman (6-2) and Pasiuk (9-1) were regional runners-up, and Wymer (8-1) moves on as an at-large qualifier. … rest of story at https://goashlandeagles.com/news/2021/3/1/wrestling-six-eagle-wrestlers-punch-ticket-to-division-ii-championships.aspx

March 2, 2021 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Carolinas’ Colleges’ News (2021) – # 4

TDR Editor’s Notes ; The end of the regular season for college teams of the Carolinas is chronicled here with some of the South Carolina schools in Limestone (article #10), Lander (#6) and Newberry (#5). A preview of the A.C.C. (#3 & # 9). and the final matches for North Carolina schools such as U.N.C.-P. (#7), Belmont-Abbey (#11), Mount Olive (#12), Appalachian State (#4) along with rivals U.N.C. (#2) and N.C. State (#3). Read on and keep on wrestling!
E-mail us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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1 } – Hokies takedown Wolfpack in last second
No. 8 Tech clinches share of ACC Dual Meet Championship
BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech wrestling defeated NC State 17-16, criterion 3.21.c after a takedown and near fall in the final seconds of the dual by redshirt freshman Sam Latona. With the No. 8 Hokies trailing the No. 3 Wolfpack 16-13 going into the final matchup at 125 pounds, eighth-ranked Sam Latona stunned the fourth-ranked Jakob Camacho at the buzzer to not only steal the match, but the night. Latona’s takedown with seconds left tied the meet at 16, but it was the near fall at the very end that put the Hokies ahead on the third criteria, 49-48 in total match points.
With the win, the Hokies clinch at least a share of the ACC Dual Meet Championship and are the only undefeated ACC team remaining. This is the second time in as many seasons that Tech has knocked off the No. 3 team in the country after defeating third-ranked Ohio State on Nov. 17, 2019.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

2 } – University of North Carolina WRESTLING CRUISES PAST LEHIGH 26-6
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – No. 14 North Carolina topped Lehigh, 26-6, on Saturday to finish up a two-win weekend in Pennsylvania. Both Kennedy Monday and Austin O’Connor posted major decision wins to help Carolina to victory. After Lehigh took the match at 125 pounds, Joe Heilmann scored a 5-3 win at 133 pounds to erase the Lehigh lead in the team score, an edge that the Tar Heels would maintain for the rest of the way.  
No. 11 Zach Sherman had a tight match with Lehigh’s Brandon Paetzell at 141 pounds, but used a gritty third period to win, 1-0, leading into the match at 149 pounds. There, top-ranked Austin O’Connor posted his second major-decision victory of the weekend. Against Jimmy Hoffman, O’Connor opened up in the second and third periods to win, 16-4. The Tar Heels continued their run at the middleweights with Josh McClure at 157 pounds. The Tar Heel redshirt senior topped Lehigh’s Luca Frinzi, 5-1, to finish up a two-win weekend. … rest of story at https://goheels.com/news/2021/2/6/wrestling-unc-cruises-past-lehigh-26-6.aspx?mc_cid=18c25877f2&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
AND NO. 14 UNC ROLLS NO. 21 UVA ON SENIOR NIGHT
CHAPEL HILL – No. 14 North Carolina earned its third-straight victory on Saturday evening against No. 21 Virginia, 25-9.
Eight Tar Heel seniors were honored pre-match as part of North Carolina’s senior night in Carmichael Arena. Sawyer Davidson, Andrew Gunning, Ethan Hoffman, Devin Kane, Nick Lirette, Will MacDonald, Josh McClure, and Kennedy Monday were each recognized for their commitment to the Carolina Wrestling family.  
The dual started at the 133-pound weight class with Joe Heilmann donning Carolina Blue. Both wrestlers battled through the first two periods without a score until Heilmann earned an escape 30 seconds into the third period. With a point for riding time, Heilmann knocked off No. 10 Louie Hayes, 2-0, to earn three team points for the Tar Heels. … rest of story at https://goheels.com/news/2021/2/13/wrestling-no-14-unc-rolls-no-21-uva-on-senior-night.aspx?mc_cid=a6cfb4b322&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3 } – #7 N.C. State WolPackWrestling Wins 9 of 10 Matches in 37-6 Win Over Duke
Pack scored five bonus point wins
RALEIGH, N.C. – The #7 NC State wrestling team closed out the dual portion of its season with a 37-6 win over visiting Duke inside Reynolds Coliseum on Friday night. The Wolfpack (6-1, 4-1 ACC) won nine of the 10 bouts on the evening, and went for bonus points in five. The dual started at 125 pounds and #5 Jakob Camacho once again opened with bonus points, as he scored all six takedowns in the bout and added in 1:57 of RT for a 14-5 major decision.  Fr. Ryan Jack got a pair of four-point near-falls and ended his bout in the second period with a 19-3 tech fall.  
The Pack made it three straight to open the dual as #10 (at 133 pounds) Jarrett Trombley bumped up a weight class and claimed an 11-5 decision, with over two minutes of RT, at 141 pounds. … rest of story at https://gopack.com/news/2021/2/12/wrestling-7-packwreslte-wins-9-of-10-matches-in-37-6-win-over-duke.aspx?mc_cid=ffcd6840e0&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
AND #199 Pat Popolizio – Head Coach, North Carolina State
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Pat Popolizio is the head wrestling coach at North Carolina State. He’s widely considered one of the top college coaches in the game.  He’s built NC State into a perennial power, and before that, re-built Binghamton from the ground up.  Awesome conversation here folks, enjoy! … rest of story and podcast at https://wrestlingchangedmylife.com/199-pat-popolizio-head-coach-north-carolina-state/?mc_cid=ad9f03475a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
AND Previewing the Pack at the upcoming ACC Championships – NCS77
Heading into this weekend’s ACC Championships in Raleigh, NC State head wrestling coach Pat Popolizio and host Brian Reinhardt go weight-by-weight on Episode 77 of the #PackMentality Pop-Ins Podcast. There’s an importance with every match at a small conference tournament and with five of the six squads nationally ranked, it should be a good one. We’re also joined by Ryan Tice, an NC State wrestling alum who will be one of the voices fans hear from this weekend’s championships on the ACC Network.  
Show Segments
1:00 – Pat always likes talking wrestling with Brian, when he’s in town.
1:35 – How’s the training going heading into the ACC Championships? … rest of story at https://www.mattalkonline.com/podcast/pack-mentality/previewing-the-pack-at-the-upcoming-acc-championships-ncs77/?mc_cid=9c47fa024a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

4 } – Appalachian State Wrestling Sweeps Chattanooga, PC on Senior Day
BOONE, N.C. — Dramatic takedowns at the beginning and end of App State’s dual with Chattanooga set the stage for a SoCon sweep Sunday in Varsity Gym. The Mountaineers opened Senior Day with a 20-13 victory to hand the Mocs their first league loss, and App State capped the tri-meet with a 54-0 shutout of Presbyterian.  
Codi Russell, Jonathan Millner, Cody Bond, Will Formato, Thomas Flitz and Michael Burchell enjoyed 2-0 days as the Mountaineers (5-2, 5-1) followed a tight win against a longtime rival with their third shutout in six SoCon duals this season. They recorded five pins and nine wins with bonus points in that matchup. In a showdown between top-25 wrestlers at 125 pounds to open the tri-meet, Russell won 4-3 against Chattanooga’s Fabian Gutierrez by erasing a 3-2 deficit on a takedown with 53 seconds left and preventing a tying escape the rest of the way despite several close calls.  … rest of story at https://appstatesports.com/news/2021/1/31/wrestling-sweeps-chattanooga-pc.aspx?mc_cid=8755157a86&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
AND Russell Named SoCon Wrestler of the Week
BOONE, N.C. — After winning a matchup of top-25 wrestlers in dramatic fashion and recording a quick pin in the next dual, App State senior Codi Russell has been named the Southern Conference’s Wrestler of the Week.
A native of Atlanta, Russell improved to 6-0 in SoCon duals this season with a 4-3 decision against Fabien Gutierrez of Chattanooga and a win by fall just 71 seconds into his match against Presbyterian’s Benny Gomez on Senior Day in Varsity Gym. Russell is now 9-1 overall this season … rest of story at https://appstatesports.com/news/2021/2/3/wrestling-russell-named-socon-wrestler-of-the-week.aspx?mc_cid=653cd27934&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
AND Formato Named SoCon Wrestler of the Month
BOONE, N.C. — Thanks to an 11-1 showing with several high-level wins in January, App State redshirt sophomore Will Formato has been named the Southern Conference’s Wrestler of the Month. Facing eight wrestlers with a top-50 ranking in his 12 matches last month, Formato outscored his opponents by a combined 93-7 mark in his 11 victories and didn’t allow a takedown in any of those wins. He went from being unranked to start the season to climbing to as high as No. 10 in the country at 165 pounds.
Formato’s strong month included a 4-0 shutout against then-No. 7 Thomas Bullard of NC State, … rest of story at https://appstatesports.com/news/2021/2/4/wrestling-formato-named-socon-wrestler-of-the-month.aspx?mc_cid=fca48e06b8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

5 } – Wolves Beat Lander 22-21, Win Sixth Straight Conference Championship
NEWBERRY, S.C. — It came down to the final match of the afternoon, but senior Isiah Royal won an 8-4 decision at 141 pounds to propel the Wolves to a 22-21 win over the Lander Bearcats Saturday. The win gives Newberry their sixth consecutive conference championship, and improves their season record to 7-0, with a 6-0 record in South Atlantic Conference Carolinas action. The dual started at 149 pounds, where Newberry’s Devan Moore recorded four takedowns and held off a late takedown attempt to win a narrow 8-4 decision. After the Bearcats won a 5-1 decision at 157 pounds, Newberry’s Will Evans recorded a big fall, putting away his opponent in 5:42 to give the Wolves a 9-3 lead. :
Lander would then rattle off four wins in a row to take a 21-9 lead heading into the 125-pound match, where Newberry’s Zach Shupp recorded a takedown and almost immediately pinned his opponent, picking up six points and keeping the Wolves alive. In the 133-pound match, Austin Neal ran up the score in the third period, recording a pair of reversals and picking up a four-point nearfall to pick up a 11-2 major decision that closed the Lander lead to 21-19. … rest of story at https://newberrywolves.com/news/2021/2/20/wrestling-wolves-beat-lander-22-21-win-sixth-straight-conference-championship.aspx?mc_cid=4fc5b594c8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – Bearcats trounce Coker 53-0 – Will battle Newberry for SACC conference title on February 20
GREENWOOD – The Lander wrestling team left its home fans ecstatic with a 53-0 thrashing of Coker at Horne Arena Thursday night.  Lander advances to 7-3 overall and 6-1 in the SACC while Coker falls to 1-1 overall and in the SACC. The Bearcats were all over the Cobras, with five pins and one tech fall throughout the contest. There were two forfeits by Coker, which gave freshman Kaiden Fisher and sophomore Ryan Humel wins. Freshman Joey Felix earned a close 6-5 decision in the first match to put Lander up 3-0. Sophomore Ezekiel Marquez earned the first pin of the night for the Bearcats. Before winning by the pin, he had also secured two four-point near falls as well. Sophomore Bryson Ethington won in another close 6-5 decision for three more Bearcat points. … rest of story at https://lander.prestosports.com/sports/wrest/2020-21/releases/20210218vhfw20?mc_cid=279b9a2f50&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

7 } – U.N.C.-Pembroke BraveHawk Talk, Episode 36: Jovaun Johnson, Luke McDonough & Donald Bohannon
UNCP Sports Network Associate Director Jon Gross catches up with Jovaun Johnson and Luke McDonough to talk about a unique, but magical, season for the nationally-ranked UNC Pembroke wrestling team. Donald Bohannon stops by to chat about the experience of being an assistant on BOTH the UNCP men’s and women’s basketball staffs. Episode 36 of #BraveHawkTalk is here! … rest of story at https://uncpbraves.com/news/2021/2/15/general-bravehawk-talk-episode-36-jovaun-johnson-luke-mcdonough-donald-bohannon.aspx?mc_cid=9e45a80a12&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

8 } – Davidson Wrestling Pauses Team Activities, Ending the Season Early
DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Davidson wrestling program has paused all team-related activities due to positive COVID-19 test results among Tier 1 personnel, ultimately shutting down the season. Tier 1 personnel include scholar athletes, coaches and any staff member whose job requires close regular contact. The pause stretches through the 2021 Southern Conference Championship. 
 “The 2020-21 season was by no means perfect, however our scholar-athletes can confidently demonstrate great pride in their efforts this season,” said head coach Andy Lausier. “It’s certainly disappointing that we will not be able to compete at the Southern Conference Championships, but we walk away from this past season with our heads high, grateful for every opportunity to compete, and proud of the three SoCon dual meet victories our team achieved.” … rest of story at https://davidsonwildcats.com/news/2021/2/15/wrestling-pauses-team-activities-ending-the-season-early.aspx?mc_cid=83f6447486&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

9} – Pre-Seeds Announced for 2021 ACC Wrestling Championship
Watch Links:
Mat 1 – ACC Network Extra (11 am) Mat 2 – ACC Network Extra (11 am) Finals – ACC Network (7 pm)
Results: Live Results
Brackets: Brackets PDF
ACC Wrestling Weekly Release: http://theacc.co/ACCWrestling2021
GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) — The Atlantic Coast Conference has announced pre-seeds and brackets for the 2021 ACC Wrestling Championship, which will be held this Sunday (Feb. 28) at NC State’s Reynolds Coliseum.
Brackets can be found here.
The host and two-time defending champions Wolfpack leads with four wrestlers seeded No. 1 in their respective weight class brackets. Pitt follows with three No. 1 seeds, while regular-season dual champion Virginia Tech earned two and North Carolina one. Seeds were determined by a vote of the league’s six head coaches. Each weight class champion and runner-up at the 2021 ACC Championship will earn All-ACC recognition. In addition to ACC honors, student-athletes will be vying for berths and seeding in the 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championships, which will be held March 18-20 at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The ACC has been awarded 33 automatic berths and is hopeful of earning several more at-large selections.  The ACC placed five teams among the top 20 of last week’s NWCA national rankings, including Virginia Tech at No. 3 and NC State at No. 7.  Thirty-two Atlantic Coast Conference student-athletes are listed among the top 20 of their individual weight classes in the most recent InterMat national rankings, … rest of story at https://theacc.com/news/2021/2/23/pre-seeds-announced-for-2021-acc-wrestling-championship.aspx?mc_cid=9c47fa024a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – Bearcats overwhelm Limestone for sixth win of the season
GREENWOOD – The Lander wrestling team put on a show at Finis Horne Arena Tuesday night, taking down Limestone 37-6. The Bearcats advance to 6-3 overall and 5-1 in the SACC. Limestone drops to 3-5 overall and 3-4 in the SACC. Although dropping the first match of the night by decision, the Bearcats would storm back, winning the next four to go up 16-3. In his first match of the season, freshman Joey Felix pinned his opponent in the first period to put Lander in the driver seat. Sophomore Ezekiel Marquez won a close 9-8 decision next that saw a late takedown to give him the advantage. Sophomore Bryson Ethington gave Lander three more points, winning in overtime after being tied at one with his opponent through regulation. Limestone would pick up another win by decision before redshirt sophomore Jack Bond … rest of story at https://lander.prestosports.com/sports/wrest/2020-21/releases/20210216wmr56z?mc_cid=83f6447486&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

11 } – Belmont-Abbey College Wrestling Earns 27-13 Victory on Senior Day
BELMONT, N.C. – The Belmont Abbey wrestling team honored its five seniors before the match against Mount Olive. The Crusaders recognized George Uchaker,  Andrew Pegram, Alex Rounceville,  Justin Payne, and Jordan Hawthorne for their commitment to the wrestling program over the past four years. During the pregame ceremonies head coach Kenn Caudell was also recognized on achieving his 100th career victory recently. The Crusaders defeated the Trojans 27-13 to finish the season 5-3 with a 5-2 South Atlantic Conference Carolinas record. Mount Olive moves to 1-4 overall and in league play. … rest of story at https://abbeyathletics.com/news/2021/2/13/wrestling-earns-27-13-victory-on-senior-day.aspx

12 } – Mount Olive Trojans Topple Coker In Home Finale Dual 31-19
MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – The University of Mount Olive wrestling team defeated the Cobras of Coker University 31-19 Sunday afternoon inside Kornegay Arena in a South Atlantic Conference Carolinas Dual. The dual was also the home finale for the Trojans. 
INSIDE THE RESULTS
The match started at the 149 weight class and had Mount Olive fall via decision 9-4. The Trojans then picked up a win at 157 as Colby Teague defeated Noah Inboden in overtime 4-2. The next two matches went split for the each team and UMO trailed 9-7. A forfeit at 184 allowed Mount Olive to regain the lead before Coker took it back with a pin at 197. Jaylin McClammy then defeated Devin Holland via pin fall to put the Trojans back in front 19-15.  The match of the dual happened at 125 as Lens Mathurin pinned Brandon Dasen in the last two second of the final period to secure a much needed six points for the Trojans and put them in front for good. … rest of story at https://umotrojans.com/news/2021/2/21/wrestling-trojans-topple-coker-in-home-finale-dual-31-19.aspx

March 2, 2021 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NCAA Division I News (2021) – # 10

TDR Editor’s Notes ; Another collection of stories of the paths of Division I wrestlers and teams as they build and prepare for their conference tournaments. These tournaments also determine the qualifiers for the Nationals. The “Big Show” in St. Louis in mid-March. Being there at Nationals is spectacular. I have qualified to 10 Nationals and each was memorable. Well, should clarify that our qualification came by buying a ticket. Keep on Wrestling!
E-mail us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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1 } – Family Helped Turn Pitt’s Nino Bonaccorsi into the NCAA Title-Contender he is Today
Family has always played a significant role in Pitt wrestler Nino Bonaccorsi’s wrestling career, even dating back to Nino’s days as a youth competitor. Today, Bonaccorsi, now a redshirt junior wrestling at the University of Pittsburgh, currently ranks as high as No. 6 at 197 pounds, according to FloWrestling. Still, his family’s impact on his wrestling career is readily apparent – perhaps now more than ever before – as Bonaccorsi strives for his first ACC championship and an NCAA title amidst a global pandemic.
Bonaccorsi was a heralded high school wrestling recruit out of nearby Bethel Park Pennsylvania, roughly 12 miles south of the Pitt campus, during the 2016-2017 high school season. He ended his high school tenure with an impressive 147-21 career record as a grappler for the Blackhawks. His 147 wins are second in Bethel Park History, behind only his older brother Nick, who finished his prep career with 156 in 2011. … rest of story at https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2021/02/08/family-helped-turn-pitts-nino-bonaccorsi-into-the-ncaa-title-contender-he-is-today/?mc_cid=82bfd879a8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4

2 } – College wrestling: Iowa wrestling program pausing all activities
Iowa’s top-ranked wrestling team is now dealing with one opponent that at least for the moment has slowed the Hawkeyes’ quest for a national championship. Because of a surge in positive COVID-19 test results within the wrestling program, Iowa announced Monday evening that all team-related in-person activities are being paused for an undetermined period of time. The move has also led to the postponement of Friday’s scheduled dual at fourth-ranked Penn State. In a statement, Iowa said the dual was being postponed “out of an abundance of caution surrounding the health and safety of the participants.’’ … rest of story at https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/college-wrestling-iowa-wrestling-program-pausing-all-activities/article_d97b12a5-1f3c-5338-b318-c13e2788a248.html?mc_cid=82bfd879a8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
AND Penn State wrestling notes: Iowa match postponed due to COVID-19 issues with the Hawkeyes; U.S. Olympic Team Trials will be held elsewhere, refunds to be offered
Penn State’s Friday wrestling match opposite Iowa has been postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Hawkeyes program. Both schools announced the news on Monday night. It‘s unclear when the meeting will be rescheduled, as Iowa has temporarily paused all in-person team activities. “We are appreciative of the Iowa medical staff and respect the decision to pause activities,” Iowa coach Tim Brands said in a released statement. ”We will continue to follow Big Ten protocols and look forward to a return to training and competition.” Head coach Cael Sanderson’s Lions are 3-0 but have had multiple matches postponed this year due to COVID-19. Their next scheduled match is set for Feb. 19 at Ohio State, though changes from the Big Ten conference are possible. In other Penn State-related wrestling news, the 2021 U.S. Olympic team trials will no longer be held in State College this April. The event will be relocated, though it’s unclear where it will be held now. … rest of story at https://www.pennlive.com/penn-state-wrestling/2021/02/penn-state-wrestling-notes-iowa-match-postponed-due-to-covid-19-issues-with-the-hawkeyes-us-olympic-team-trials-will-be-held-elsewhere-refunds-to-be-offered.html?mc_cid=82bfd879a8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3 } – Spencer Lee’s pin streak continues and every other big-time college wrestling story to know 
Iowa’s Spencer Lee continued his pinning streak this weekend and Virginia Tech’s Sam Latona stepped up as a hero for the Hokies. Here’s what you might have missed in college wrestling last weekend and what you need to know as the conference tournaments inch closer. 
Iowa notched two more wins despite COVID-19 absences
Iowa, despite being outside of the welcoming walls of Carver-Hawkeye Arena, had no problem downing two more Big Ten opponents on Sunday. The Hawkeyes got dominant efforts from top-ranked Spencer Lee and Jaydin Eierman, and key victories from bonus-point machines Austin DeSanto and Tony Cassioppi. Lee added another pin to his perfect record in his bout against Ohio State’s Brady Koontz, but he did not see action against Purdue’s Devin Schroder. Instead, Iowa sent out Aaron Cashman for the bout, and Cashman fell by tech to Schroder, putting Iowa in a deficit for the first time all season. In that same Purdue match, DeSanto picked up the first of two tech falls of the weekend against Purdue’s Jacob Rundell to tie the score, and then Iowa went to work against the Boilermakers. Eierman pinned Parker Filius in the second period, and Max Murin notched a bonus point win for himself as well with a tech fall over Trey Kruse. … rest of story at https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling/article/2021-02-08/spencer-lees-pin-streak-continues-and-every-other-college-wrestling-story-know-right?mc_cid=82bfd879a8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

4 } – Buchanan Named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week
Irving, Texas. (Feb. 9, 2021) – For the first time this season, a Wyoming Cowboy has been named the Big 12’s Wrestler of the Week. It is the second career honor for Sophomore Stephen Buchanan, who is the first Cowboy to win the award since he won it last season.  Buchanan became the first Cowboy to defeat a No. 1 ranked opponent since Bryce Meredith in 2017. On Saturday, Buchanan knocked off No. 1 Noah Adams of West Virginia who was previously unbeaten on the season and on a 39-match winning streak.  The match started with Adams leading 2-1 after the first period. In the second Buchanan would roll through on Adams creating a frantic exchange in which he scored a reversal before letting Adams escape. Adams would lead Buchanan 5-4 heading into the third period.  In the third period Adams notched an early escape and from there Buchanan would take over. … rest of story at https://gowyo.com/news/2021/2/9/wrestling-buchanan-named-big-12-wrestler-of-the-week.aspx?mc_cid=a084ab7fd9&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

5 } – Virginia Tech jumps into Top 5; SoCon dual champs Campbell return to Top 25
Manheim, Pennsylvania – Sam Latona’s takedown and nearfall points at the end of the final bout of Friday’s Virginia Tech-NC State dual lifted the Hokies to more than just a dual meet victory. The Hokies jumped four spots to No. 4 nationally in the most recent NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll released on Tuesday. Iowa (5-0) remained a unanimous No. 1, while the Top 10 saw some movement as NC State (5-1) dropped four spots to No. 7, and undefeated Missouri (10-0) moved up a spot to No. 5, past Oklahoma State (9-0). Three new teams entered the Top 25 this week as Campbell came in at No. 23. The Camels (8-1, 7-0 SoCon) won the regular season SoCon title after sweeping a tri-meet against Bellarmine and Chattanooga. Central Michigan (5-2) and Rider (3-1) were also ranked this week, giving the MAC three ranked teams for the first time this season. CMU won three duals last week, beating Cleveland State, Buffalo and Edinboro. Rider’s upset of Lehigh moved the Broncs in at No. 25. … rest of story at http://www.nwcaonline.com/virginia-tech-jumps-into-top-5-socon-dual-champs-campbell-return-to-top-25/?mc_cid=a084ab7fd9&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – Tony Cassioppi Named Big Ten Co-Wrestler of the Week
IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa sophomore Tony Cassioppi has been named Big Ten Co-Wrestler of the Week, the conference office announced Tuesday. Cassioppi shares the award with Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso. Cassioppi, the nation’s third-ranked heavyweight, recorded a pair of falls in Iowa’s triangular sweep of Purdue and Ohio State on Feb. 7. He registered a first-period pin against Purdue’s Dorian Keys in two minutes, 15 seconds, and flattened 10th-ranked Tate Orndorff of Ohio State in four minutes, 52 seconds. Cassioppi has recorded three pins in his last three matches, including two against top 10 opponents. … rest of story at https://www.thepredicament.com/2021/02/tony-cassioppi-named-big-ten-co-wrestler-of-the-week/?mc_cid=a084ab7fd9&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

7 } – Top 10 College Wrestling Performances of the Week – February 8th, 2021
Though the “Big Game” on Sunday night was kind of a dud, the most highly-anticipated dual meet of the season took place last week and it didn’t disappoint. Ninth-ranked Virginia Tech hosted number four NC State in the dual of the year, thus far. We’ve already described that dual meet and the facts associated with it in our “College Wrestler of the Week” feature, so we won’t rehash that here. Suffice to say, that dual meet set the tone for a strong weekend’s worth of action. Some of the notable occurrences include the first #1 going down, the Bedlam Dual, the regular-season SoCon crown being decided, and much more. We’ve got all of this week’s happenings in the “Top Ten College Performances of the Week.” 
10) Campbell
For the third time in as many years, the Campbell Camels finished as the SoCon regular-season champions. The Camels locked up their latest title with a pair of dual wins on Friday afternoon. Campbell took nine out of ten bouts from Bellarmine as they cruised to a 47-3 win. Next up was traditional conference power Chattanooga, which presented a more formidable challenge. The Mocs held a commanding 15-3 lead after the first six weights, but Campbell’s big men came through in a big way. #32 ranked Austin Murphy got the ball rolling in the Camels favor at 174 with a first-period fall. One match later, #32 Caleb Hopkins knocked off #26 Matthew Waddell, 5-2. Chris Kober followed with a 4-3 win at 197, setting the stage for the big men. Taye Ghadiali clinched the win for his team with a 4-1 victory over Grayson Walthall at 285 lbs. Campbell’s latest title comes in their first year under head coach Scotti Sentes. … rest of story at https://news.theopenmat.com/college-wrestling-news/top-10-college-wrestling-performances-of-the-week-february-8th-2021/79993?mc_cid=a084ab7fd9&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

8 } – Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week – Feb. 10, 2021
WRESTLER OF THE WEEK: Nathan Traxler, R-Sr., STANFORD (258, St. Charles, Ill.)
• Won a pair of duals last week, highlighted by a pin which clinched Stanford’s Pac-12 victory over Oregon State.
• With the Cardinal trailing 16-13 entering the final bout, Traxler earned a first-period fall (1:55) to lift the Cardinal to a 19-16 win.
• Closed week with 6-3 dual victory over Chase Trussell of then-No. 20 Utah Valley.
• Competing at the heavyweight class for the first time in his collegiate career, Traxler has posted a 5-1 record so far this season. Compiled a 69-24 record at 197 pounds in previous three seasons.
• As a team, Stanford is now 5-3 overall and 4-0 in the Pac-12. … rest of story at https://pac-12.com/article/2021/02/10/pac-12-wrestler-week-feb-10-2021?mc_cid=5e3b2f2de3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

9} – Penn State wrestling news: Weekend matches still possible, Kerkvliet out, Nick Lee says he’ll return next season
Despite the doom and gloom caused by COVID swirling around college wrestling programs nationwide, and particularly in the Big Ten, Penn State coach Cael Sanderson maintained his optimistic outlook on Wednesday. In fact, he and the Penn State athletic administration are still trying to arrange a competition for this weekend, which is yet another weekend without a match since Iowa shut down its program this week because of coronavirus cases. “Well, it doesn’t really help to get too excited or get disappointed,” Sanderson said in typically stoic Sanderson style. “It’s just what it is. We’re trying to compete this weekend and coordinate something and set it up with Michigan State and Michigan; that’s what we’re working on right now.” … rest of story at https://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/2021/02/penn-state-wrestling-news-weekend-matches-still-possible-kerkvliet-out-nick-lee-says-hell-return-next-season.html?mc_cid=5e3b2f2de3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – The man behind the curtain: Chris Hinderliter’s silent journey as OSU wrestling’s athletic trainer
Broken arms, torn ligaments, rolled ankles and strained muscles. For the past nine years, the Oklahoma State wrestling program has relied on one man to deal with it all.
Chris Hinderliter.
Hinderliter has been the man behind the curtain for the Cowboys for almost a decade, keeping one of the country’s most prestigious college programs running. Nine years of taping ankles, stretching quads and rehabbing wrestlers from Chris Perry to Boo Lewallen and everyone in between. “Is my job to keep kids healthy and get kids back on the mat? Yeah, but simplistically, it’s giving kids the opportunity to live out their dreams,” Hinderliter said. And Hinderliter has done just that. … rest of story at https://www.ocolly.com/sports/the-man-behind-the-curtain-chris-hinderliter-s-silent-journey-as-osu-wrestling-s-athletic/article_08595554-6bfb-11eb-a492-675ce1ecdffe.html?mc_cid=5e3b2f2de3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
AND Master manager: OSU’s beloved wrestling manager nears end of career
Jade Seymour just wanted to see the horses. In April 2016, Keenan Seymour and his family were visiting Oklahoma State University. Seymour, a senior at Mariposa County High School in Mariposa, California, at the time, was considering OSU as a college destination. Then a simple drive past Totusek Arena changed his life. “We drove by the arena and there was a sign advertising the event,” said Seymour, the OSU wrestling equipment manager. “I was mad that my sister was sabotaging my college visit. We have five or six horses at home.” Unfortunately for Keenan, his dad, Scott took Jade to the arena. Keenan tagged along. The chance encounter that followed heavily impacted Keenan’s college decision. Kim Brock, longtime OSU Animal Science Farm coordinator, and father of Cowboy wrestler Kaid Brock, was working in his Totusek Arena office that morning. … rest of story at https://www.ocolly.com/sports/master-manager-osus-beloved-wrestling-manager-nears-end-of-career/article_3b503c7a-6c0f-11eb-b79b-575e294df4de.html?mc_cid=5e3b2f2de3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

11 } – NCAA releases pre-allocations and first coaches ranking for 2021 Division I Wrestling Championships
INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA has announced the pre-allocations and first coaches ranking for the 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The weight class conference champion in each qualifying tournament will earn an automatic qualifier to the national championships. Each conference was awarded additional pre-allocations based on the five-year average (2016-20) of pre-allocations earned by the conference in each weight class. In recent years, pre-allocations have been determined by a formula measuring Division I winning percentage, ratings percentage index and coaches’ ranking. A decrease in overall matches, and in particular non-conference matches, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, led the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee to transition to using the five-year historical average to determine pre-allocations for 2021. For any adjustments in conference alignment over the last five years, historical pre-allocations stayed with the conference where they were earned. The competition status of schools for 2021 also did not impact the calculation of pre-allocations.
POLL: Check out the latest NWCA rankings
“The committee knew that there wasn’t going to be enough regular-season competition to utilize the existing process where wrestlers earned pre-allocations for their conference based on regular season performance,” said Karen Langston, senior associate athletics director at California State University, Bakersfield and chair of the wrestling committee. “The option to utilize the five-year historical average was an equitable alternative, and the way it worked out has opened more at-large spots this year for deserving wrestlers who don’t qualify through their conference tournament.” … rest of story at https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling/article/2021-02-11/ncaa-releases-pre-allocations-and-first-coaches-ranking-2021-division-i-wrestling?mc_cid=b6bf9ab19d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

12 } – Always Aggressive Podcast: Season 2, Episode 16
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – While the 17th-ranked Purdue wrestling team had a tough weekend in Holloway Gymnasium, falling to No. 1 Iowa and No. 11 Ohio State, the matches were not without some bright spots. Head coach Tony Ersland, Cory Palm and Tanner Lipsett caught up on this week’s Always Aggressive Podcast to discuss the tri-dual, this weekend’s matchup at Michigan State and a few of the nationally relevant conversations in wrestling.
 Ersland expresses his distaste for “moral victories,” but was willing to acknowledge the progress his squad is showing and put on display Sunday, taking four of 10 matches from both the Hawkeyes and Buckeyes, including big wins for seniors Devin Schroder and Max Lyon. While he would prefer to win the dual outright, the goal remains peaking in March at Big Ten and NCAA Championships and building towards those performances. … rest of story at https://purduesports.com/news/2021/2/10/wrestling-always-aggressive-podcast-season-2-episode-16.aspx?mc_cid=5e3b2f2de3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
AND Always Aggressive Podcast: Season 2, Episode 18
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – On the heels of history, the Always Aggressive Podcast dives into Purdue wrestling’s outstanding win over archrival Indiana on Monday in Holloway Gymnasium. The Boilermakers won 38-3, taking 9-of-10 matches against the Hoosiers, extending their series win streak to 11 straight and posting the largest margin of victory by either side in the rivalry in 100 years. Head coach Tony Ersland and co-hosts Cory Palm and Tanner Lipsett devote specific attention to the victories by senior Griffin Parriott and freshman Gerrit Nijenhuis, who both won by fall Monday and picked up signature victories on their respective resumes. Six of the Boilermakers’ nine wins came with bonus points, as Purdue finished the Big Ten dual season at 4-5 and will now begin preparation for the 2021 Big Ten Championships, scheduled for March 6-7 at Penn State. … rest of the story at https://purduesports.com/news/2021/2/24/wrestling-always-aggressive-podcast-season-2-episode-18.aspx?mc_cid=7c3cd1ad34&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 2, 2021 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NCAA Division I Results (2021) – #7

TDR Editor’s Notes ; A review of some of the final dual meet results in this abbreviated regular season. Penn State’s victory over Michigan brought them to 2nd place in the final dual meet rankings. Details in (#9) along with stories from scattered points such as Clarion (#2), Missouri (#10), Edinboro (#12) and pther Big 10 schools such as Purdue (#3) . Minnesota (#4), Penn State (#9) and Indiana (#11). Look them over as catch up on the in-box and get these posted. Keep on Wrestling!
E-mail us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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1 } – 2021 COLLEGE POST-SEASON SPECIAL SECTION
NCAA Div. I men’s coverage
Conference coverage
Mizzou wins tenth staight conference title, with four MAC champions
Lehigh wins EIWA title with four champions and 10 qualifiers, Navy takes second
Missouri leads MAC Championships after day one
Previews and information
SoCon Preview: Campbell, App State expected to battle for team honors, 13 NCAA spots up for grabs … rest of the story and links at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/February/26/College-Post-Season-Special-Section?mc_cid=02f3563d01&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

2 } – Clarion University Wrestling Grounds Falcons in Dual Finale
CLARION, Pa. – The Golden Eagle wrestling team closed out their dual match season with a dominant victory at home, cruising to a 35-6 win over Messiah College in Tippin Gymnasium on Friday night. Clarion closes out their dual season with a 3-5 overall record as they prep for the 2021 MAC Championships at Rider in two weeks.  In some ways, the final score was not indicative of the drama throughout the dual, as Messiah kept it close in some crucial moments. The Golden Eagles actually overcame an early team deficit during the team match, eventually taking the lead for good after Joe Sliwoski’s major decision over Jake Coniglio. Though there were close individual bouts the rest of the way, Clarion did not drop a match in the team dual the rest of the way. … rest of story at https://clariongoldeneagles.com/news/2021/2/12/wrestling-grounds-falcons-in-dual-finale.aspx?mc_cid=ffcd6840e0&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
AND Golden Eagle Wrestlers Host Edinboro in Round Robin
CLARION, Pa. – The Golden Eagle wrestling team welcomed Edinboro to Tippin Gym for a small-scale round robin match on Wednesday night, with a number of Clarion grapplers enjoying success against their long-time rivals on the Fighting Scots.  
Clarion will conclude their dual match season a week from this Friday, when they host Messiah at Tippin Gym for Senior Night.
Much of the Golden Eagles’ success came in the middle weights,  … rest of story at https://clariongoldeneagles.com/news/2021/2/3/wrestling-golden-eagle-wrestlers-host-edinboro-in-round-robin.aspx?mc_cid=653cd27934&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3 } – No. 17 Purdue Wrestling Tops No. 22 MSU 21-12
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The 17th-ranked Purdue wrestling team made the most of its final regular-season road trip of 2021, taking 6-of-10 matches at No. 22 Michigan State in a 21-12 victory over the Spartans. Senior Max Lyon picked up the signature win of the night, downing No. 9 Layne Malczewski 6-1 at 184 pounds, while junior Parker Filius and senior Griffin Parriott put up bonus points as Purdue improved to 3-5 overall.  Joining Lyon, Filius and Parriott in the win column were freshman Jacob Rundell, sophomore Kendall Coleman and senior Jamarcus Grant, all winning by decision to shore up the team victory, Purdue’s eighth straight over the Spartans. … rest of story at https://purduesports.com/news/2021/2/12/no-17-wrestling-tops-no-22-msu-21-12.aspx?mc_cid=ffcd6840e0&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
AND No. 17 Wrestling Dominates IU 38-3
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The 17th-ranked Purdue wrestling team put together a historic victory in Holloway Gymnasium, dominating Indiana 38-3 as they won nine of the 10 matches in the dual. The win is the 11th straight for the Boilermakers in the series, marking the longest streak for either side since 1928, and is the largest margin of victory between the two sides since 1920.
The Boilermakers won six of the 10 bouts with bonus points, including a pair of falls, and score the programs’ highest Big Ten dual point total since a 41-point effort at Wisconsin in 2012. Senior Griffin Parriott and freshman Gerrit Nijenhuis came up with Purdue’s two falls on the night, putting up six team points at 149 and 165 pounds, respectively. … rest of story at https://purduesports.com/news/2021/2/22/no-17-wrestling-dominates-iu-38-3.aspx?mc_cid=329018bca1&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

4 } – No. 10 Minnesota Gophers Take Down No. 20 Wisconsin, 27-7, in Madison
MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 10 Gopher wrestling team (6-2) won eight of 10 matches in a 27-7 win at No. 20 Wisconsin on Friday morning. Minnesota has won four duals in a row, while extending its win streak over the Badgers to nine. Top-ranked heavyweight Gable Steveson continued his run through the regular season with his eighth straight win with bonus points. He pinned the Badgers’ Pete Christensen in 3:20 to improve to 8-0 and 58-2 in his career. His 25-match win streak ranks 20th in program history and is five shy of his own career best. Wisconsin took an early lead with an upset at 125 pounds, but the Gophers responded with five straight decisions. Boo Dryden defeated Kyle Burwick, 5-2, at 133 pounds, while Marcos Polanco downed Dominic Demento, 4-0 at 141 pounds. Michael Blockhus broke a 6-6 tie with a reversal to begin the third period at 149 pounds en route to a 13-8 decision against Drew Scharenbrock. … rest of story at https://gophersports.com/news/2021/2/12/wrestling-no-10-gophers-take-down-no-20-wisconsin-27-7-in-madison.aspx?mc_cid=ffcd6840e0&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
AND Gophers Down Northwestern, 29-10, for Fifth Straight Win
MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 12 Gopher wrestling team (7-2) won eight of 10 matches in a 29-10 win against No. 11 Northwestern (2-6) at Maturi Pavilion on Sunday. Gable Steveson completed his third undefeated regular season, while sophomore Patrick McKee upset No. 4 Michael DeAugustino at 125 pounds.   Coming out of intermission with Minnesota leading the dual, 15-4, Steveson cruised to a 16-1 technical fall against the Wildcats’ Jack Heyob at heavyweight. He led 8-0 after the first period with a takedown and six near-fall points en route to his 26th consecutive victory. Steveson is now 9-0 on the season and 59-2 in his career, including a 48-0 regular-season mark. … rest of story at https://gophersports.com/news/2021/2/21/wrestling-gophers-down-northwestern-29-10-for-fifth-straight-win.aspx?mc_cid=4fc5b594c8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

5 } – Utah Valley Univ. DEFEATS FOUR RANKED FOES, TOPS NO. 22 STANFORD 19-16
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Taylor LaMont, Ty Smith, Cameron Hunsaker and Demetrius Romero all defeated ranked opponents en route to helping Utah Valley University knock off No. 22 Stanford, 19-16, on Sunday afternoon at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Oregon.  The sophomore 149-pounder Hunsaker arguably had the win of the day for UVU (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) by recording a first period fall over No. 12 Jaden Abas of Stanford (5-3, 4-0 Pac-12). The redshirt freshman 133-pounder Smith had another strong win for UVU by picking up his second win of the day over a ranked opponent by defeating No. 18 Jason Miranda, 5-1, while two-time UVU NCAA qualifiers and fifth-ranked LaMont and fellow fifth-ranked Romero both remained undefeated on the year by topping No. 26 Jackson DiSario and No. 27 Tyler Eischens, respectively.  … rest of story at https://gouvu.com/news/2021/2/7/wrestling-uvu-defeats-four-ranked-foes-tops-no-22-stanford-19-16.aspx?mc_cid=a4f7af871f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – South Dakota State Univ. ENDS DUAL SEASON ON HIGH NOTE
South Dakota State closed out the dual portion of its wrestling schedule Saturday by defeating Utah Valley, 22-11, at Frost Arena.
The Jackrabbits improved to 5-6 overall in duals and 2-5 against Big 12 opponents. UVU fell to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the Big 12.
SDSU wrestlers rallied to win several close matches in the closing seconds in the early going, building a 15-0 lead in the front half of the dual. Danny Vega started the string of comeback victories, taking down Kase Mauger with about five seconds remaining for a 4-3 victory in the 125-pound matchup. In a battle between ranked wrestlers, 15th-ranked Zach Price pulled out a hard-fought 7-5 decision over 18th-ranked Ty Smith. Price improved to 8-2 on the season. At 141 pounds, 16th-ranked Clay Carlson trailed the Wolverines’ Stockton O’Brien, 6-2 after the first period, but came back with a big third period to score a 13-12 decision. … rest of story at https://gojacks.com/news/2021/2/13/wrestling-sdsu-ends-dual-season-on-high-note.aspx?mc_cid=a6cfb4b322&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

7 } – Franek, Pentz Lift Bison to Pair of Wins in Brookings
BROOKINGS, S.D. – No. 15-ranked Jared Franek won both matches at 157 pounds, including the first pin of his career, to help the North Dakota State wrestling team defeat Air Force 28-19 and Utah Valley 25-12 on Saturday, Feb. 13, in Frost Arena.
 NDSU freshman 197 Owen Pentz added the second and third pins of his career to clinch both victories for the Bison, who finished their dual meet schedule with a 7-3 overall record and 5-2 against Big 12 Conference opponents. Franek, the sophomore from West Fargo, N.D., won his first match of the day 8-2 over Air Force’s Parker Simington. It was one of six NDSU victories against Air Force including a first-period pin at 165 pounds by Luke Weber.
… rest of story at https://gobison.com/news/2021/2/13/wrestling-franek-pentz-lift-bison-to-pair-of-wins-in-brookings.aspx?mc_cid=a6cfb4b322&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

8 } – Five Things to Watch at the Cowboy Challenge Tournament
Getting you ready for the Cowboy Challenge.
There’s a big wrestling tournament this Sunday at 11 a.m. in Stillwater that will include wrestlers from Oklahoma State, Wyoming, Missouri, and West Virginia. Here are five things for fans to watch at the event.
1. The Return of Daton Fix
We covered it earlier this week, but Daton Fix is back and there’s plenty of reasons for Oklahoma State fans to be excited about it. He’s going to be a heavy favorite here but the biggest key is that he needs four matches to be eligible to qualify for the NCAA tournament without winning the Big 12, so just getting on the mat is crucial. … rest of story at https://pistolsfiringblog.com/five-things-to-watch-at-the-cowboy-challenge-tournament/?mc_cid=a6cfb4b322&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
AND Daton Fix Pins His Way to Cowboy Challenge Title in Return
STILLWATER – Three Oklahoma State wrestlers were crowned Cowboy Challenge Tournament champions on Sunday with Daton Fix (133), Travis Wittlake (165) and Austin Harris (HWT) earning the honor.
In an event hosted by OSU, the Cowboys welcomed wrestlers from No. 5 Missouri, Wyoming and West Virginia into Gallagher-Iba Arena for an individual tournament. The Cowboys of Wyoming took home four championships (157, 174, 184, 197), which was the most of any team, while Missouri matched OSU with three. … rest of story at https://okstate.com/news/2021/2/14/wrestling-daton-fix-pins-his-way-to-cowboy-challenge-title-in-return.aspx?mc_cid=c18c111026&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
AND Fix Dominant in Return, Three Cowboys Win Tournaments
A pandemic and a yearlong suspension weren’t able to break Daton Fix, so this snowstorm stood no chance. Fix wrestled four matches in the Cowboy Challenge Tournament, a tournament that was in part made so that he could wrestle four matches before the Big 12 tournament. None of Fix’s bouts went the distance. He kicked off the day with a 16-1 tech fall in a preliminary match against Missouri’s Trey Crawford, who finished third at the event. … rest of story at https://pistolsfiringblog.com/fix-dominant-in-return-three-cowboys-win-tournaments/?mc_cid=c18c111026&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

9} – No. 3 Penn State to ascend in wrestling rankings after trimming No. 2 Michigan, 18-13; Sanderson wins No. 200
Cael Sanderson saw it all coming. He said last week that Penn State simply had to wrestle in this COVID-shortened season to get better, and added that Carter Starocci, despite an upset loss in his debut on Jan. 30, will prove to people he is a bona fide star. After Penn State’s 18-13 win over Michigan on Sunday that included a 7-1 overtime victory by sixth-ranked Starocci over second-ranked Logan Massa at 174, that ability to see into the future might be yet another reason Sanderson won the 200th match of his 15-year coaching career in Ann Arbor. Sanderson is 156-16-2 at Penn State and 200-26-2 overall, counting three seasons at Iowa State. …rest of story at https://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/2021/02/no-3-penn-state-to-ascend-in-wrestling-rankings-after-trimming-no-2-michigan-18-13-sanderson-wins-no-200.html?mc_cid=c18c111026&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
AND No. 3 Penn State Wins at No. 2 Michigan in Another B1G Road Dual
Starocci downs Massa to help Cael Sanderson secure his 200th career coaching victory
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; February 14, 2021 – The Penn State Nittany Lions (4-0, 4-0 B1G), ranked No. 3 in the latest InterMat Tournament Power Index, took down No. 2 Michigan (4-1, 4-1 B1G) for another Big Ten road win.  The Nittany Lions won 18-13 in a dual meet rescheduled from Feb. 7. All team and individual rankings listed are InterMat (2/9/21).  
By virtue of the dual meet win, Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson grabbed his 200th dual meet victory as a collegiate head coach.  Sanderson is now 200-26-2 overall in this, his 15th season as head coach, including a 44-10 mark in three years at Iowa State. He is 156-16-2 in this, his 12th season at Penn State. Sanderson is also 86-11-1 in Big Ten dual meets. Freshman Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.) notched a key win at 174 in the tightly contested dual meet and true freshman Robert Howard (Cranford, N.J.) made his collegiate debut, winning at 125. … rest of story at https://gopsusports.com/news/2021/2/14/wrestling-no-3-penn-state-wins-at-no-2-michigan-in-another-b1g-road-dual.aspx?mc_cid=c18c111026&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
AND College wrestling: Penn State tops Michigan and other headlines from last weekend
Fireworks. That’s the only word to describe the college wrestling matches from this past weekend. The Penn State Nittany Lions returned to the mat and looked as close to championship form as this team has looked all season, Michigan pulled out a narrow, rivalry win against the Buckeyes and Navy topped Army 20-13 in another historic dual. Add the fact that one top-ranked wrestler was taken down by a conference opponent, another top-ranked wrestler made his season debut and a third top-ranked wrestler is out temporarily because of a COVID-19 shutdown, and the intrigue only increases. The first conference tournament is next weekend, Feb. 28 in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it’s clear that athletes are prepping to peak.  … rest of story at https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling/article/2021-02-15/college-wrestling-penn-state-tops-michigan-and-other-headlines-last-weekend?mc_cid=9e45a80a12&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – No. 5 Mizzou Wrestling Dominates in Cowboy Challenge
Dack Punke, Josh Edmond and No. 3 Brock Mauller win respective weight class titles
STILLWATER, Okla. – No. 5 Mizzou Wrestling (10-0, 4-0 MAC) finished the regular season with three champions in the Cowboy Challenge featuring wrestlers from No. 6 Oklahoma State, Wyoming and West Virginia. Redshirt junior Dack Punke took the first place title at 125 pounds, defeating sophomore teammate Noah Surtin in the finals. Freshman Josh Edmond won the title at 141 pounds, to improve to 10-0 on the season. Junior Brock Mauller also took home the championship at 149 pounds, defeating No. 4 Boo Lewallen in the finals. Freshmen Trey Crawford, Sean Harman and Duwayne Villalpondo all secured third place finishes in their weight classes. … rest of story at https://mutigers.com/news/2021/2/14/no-5-mizzou-wrestling-dominates-in-cowboy-challenge.aspx?mc_cid=c18c111026&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

11 } – Indiana Wrestling Takes Down Maryland, 27-13
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – On senior day senior Kyle Luigs pinned his man and two other Hoosiers won by pin as Indiana came away with a 27-13 victory against Maryland on Sunday at Wilkinson Hall.  
Notes
• Indiana improves to 2-5 on the season and they match their most Big Ten dual match wins since the 2016-17 season.
• The Hoosiers got off to a quick start with back-to-back pins from Jacob Moran and Kyle Luigs to jump out to a 12-0 advantage.
• For Moran it was his first career pin, for Luigs it was his third career pin.
• Donnell Washington got the Hoosiers third pin of the day and his second this season, 16 seconds into his match.
• Washington improves his individual record to 5-2 on the season. … rest of story at https://iuhoosiers.com/news/2021/2/14/wrestling-takes-down-maryland-27-13.aspx?mc_cid=c18c111026&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

12 } – Edinboro wrestlers host round robin action welcoming Appalachian State and Buffalo
EDINBORO, Pa. – The Fighting Scots played host to Appalachian State and the University at Buffalo in round robin action Sunday.  Redshirt senior Matthew Dowler picked up two victories on the afternoon, pinning Fabio Preka in his first match and defeating Marcus Petite in his second match of the afternoon by a 16-10 final. Freshman Gabe Willochell picked up two more wins on his young career, defeating Matt Ryan of Buffalo, 5-2, and Heath Gonyer of Appalachian State, 8-4. Fellow freshman Max Millin also picked up two victories, with two decisions over Robbie Unruh from Buffalo.
Other victories on the afternoon came from Ryan Burgos, as he picked up a 9-1 decision over Matt Ryan and P.J. Gohn as he defeated Brett Modecai of Appalachian State, 7-5. … rest of story at https://gofightingscots.com/news/2021/2/14/wrestling-edinboro-gains-valuable-experience-in-home-matches-vs-app-state-and-buffalo.aspx?mc_cid=c18c111026&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 1, 2021 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

2021 COLLEGE POST-SEASON SPECIAL SECTION

TDR Editor’s Notes : This posting comes from USA Wrestling. Our thanks and compliments to them on gathering together information and links for all the conference and regional qualifiers for national tournaments in the NAIA, NCAA Divisions I, II & III and the growing divisions of women’s college teams. We encourage our readers to enjoy and learn more of the support and resources USA Wrestling has for the sport. Keep on Wrestling!
We welcome correspondence and input at martinkfleming@gmail.com.
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NCAA Div. I men’s coverage
Conference coverage
Mizzou wins tenth staight conference title, with four MAC champions
Lehigh wins EIWA title with four champions and 10 qualifiers, Navy takes second
Missouri leads MAC Championships after day one
Previews and information
SoCon Preview: Campbell, App State expected to battle for team honors, 13 NCAA spots up for grabs
ACC Preview: five ranked teams and numerous talented individuals to battle
MAC Preview: Seven wrestlers will attempt to repeat as conference champions
EIWA Preview: Lehigh, Navy, Army among teams to watch
Pac-12 announces 2021 Wrestling Championship brackets
NCAA releases second coaches ranking for 2021
SoCon announces seeding for 2021 Championships
MAC Wrestling Championships pre-seeds announced
Pre-seeds announced for 2021 ACC Wrestling Championships
EIWA Championships Preliminary seeds released
Big Ten co-champs Iowa, Penn State close out year atop NWCA Div. I Coaches Poll
NCAA sets the Div. I men’s Wrestling Selection Show for March 10 at 6 pm ET
NCAA Division I Conference qualifying spots and first Wrestling Coaches Ranking released

NCAA women’s coverage (NCWWC Championships)
Regional coverage and information
NWCA releases NCAA Women’s final poll of the season and NCWWC preseeds
North Central and Augsburg go 1-2 in tightly contested Northwest Regionals
King women take NCWWC Southeast Regional, with seven champions
McKendree women sweep all 10 golds at Southwest Regional
Tiffin women claim Northeast Regional with five champions
Cliff Keen National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships set for Tiffin on March 6

NCAA Div. II men’s coverage
Regional coverage and information
NWCA Div. II releases third regular season poll
NCAA Div. II affirms plans to host winter championships, with wrestling in St. Louis, March 12-13

NCAA Div. III men’s coverage
NWCA Division III releases second regular season poll
NWCA Div. III Coaches Association set to host National Championships in Coralville, Iowa, March 12-13
USA Wrestling set to provide competition for NCAA Div. III wrestlers who lost their national championships
NCAA Div. III cancels 2021 winter championships, including wrestling

NAIA women’s coverage
Conference coverage and information
NAIA No. 6 Jamestown women win third straight KCAC Conference title, led by seven champions
Wayland Baptist women claim Sooner Athletic Conference title with four champions
Campbellsville is No. 1 in final NAIA Women’s Poll
Campbellsville women repeat as Mid-South Conference champions
Grand View women win Heart of America Conference title with five champions

NAIA men’s coverage
NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championships qualifiers announced

Note: Coverage of the NJCAA men’s post-season, as well as the community college women’s post-season will be added when their postseason begins later in the spring. … story and updated links will be posted at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/February/26/College-Post-Season-Special-Section?mc_cid=02f3563d01&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 1, 2021 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Women’s Wrestling News (2021) – # 6

TDR Editor’s Notes ; Focusing on college results for this group of women’s wrestling stories. Some polls, some regular season results and a look at post season championship opportunities. Keep on Wrestling!
E-mail us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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1 } – THIS WEEK’S WOMEN’S COLLEGE SCHEDULE, LISTED BY DAY; THE POST-SEASON BEGINS THIS WEEKEND!!
It seems like the college season just started. Time sure flies by during a pandemic. This week marks the beginning of the post-season for college programs at the NCAA level, as well as the NAIA level. The week starts out with a few dual meets, with NAIA No. 14 York hosting Otttawa and Central Christian on Tuesday, and a pair of NAIA ranked teams battling in a Tuesday dual meet, with No. 9 Midland and No. 19 William Penn doing battle. There are a few other NAIA duals this week. None of the NCAA women’s programs are competing during the week, because this weekend will be the four regional events which set the field for the NCWWC Nationals. On Saturday, the Northeast Qualifier is at Gannon. On Sunday, the Southeast Qualifier is at Emmanuel, the Southwest Qualifier at McKendree and the Northwest Qualifier at UW-Stevens Point. The top four athletes in each weight class will advance to the NCWWC national event at Tiffin on March 6. … rest of story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/February/16/Womens-wrestling-schedule-for-this-week?mc_cid=83f6447486&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

2 } – Saints Suffer Setback at Hands of Blue Hose
GAFFNEY, S.C. – The Limestone University women’s wrestling team continued their trek through the 2021 season as they played host to the Blue Hose of Presbyterian College on Friday, January 22.  Presbyterian proved to be victorious at the end of the night as they were able to take home victories in all but on match on the day taking home the 17-5 win over the Blue and Gold. The first match of the night was at 116 lbs. where Limestone’s freshman Taqwai Seburn (Warner Robins, Ga.) fell in the first period before her freshman counterpart Caroline Schmitt (Orlando, Fla.) dropped a 10-0 tech-fall to Presbyterian’s Jaslynn Gallegos to give the Blue Hose a 9-0 lead. However, the next match would fall in the favor of the Saints as junior Gabriela Ramos-Diaz (Catano, Puerto Rico) made her debut for the Saints in dominating fashion as she was able to pick up a pin in just 1:08 at 130 lbs. over Hannah McElroy to bring the match score back to 9-5. The Blue Hose were able to string together a pair of tech-falls in the last two bouts of the match to bring the final margin out to 17-5. … rest of story at https://golimestonesaints.com/news/2021/1/22/womens-wrestling-saints-suffer-setback-at-hands-of-blue-hose.aspx?mc_cid=63515b3c44&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3 } – Interview with Tucker Black, William Penn Womens Wrestling Coach
By G. Wyatt Schultz for The Predicament
An interview with Tucker Black of William Penn. Talks about the new program, recruiting, competition and more. … rest of story at https://www.thepredicament.com/2021/01/interview-with-tucker-black-william-penn-womens-wrestling-coach/?mc_cid=bf1f14c6db&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

4 } – DOMINANT PERFORMANCE BY DUTY AWARDS HER NAIA WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Kansas City, MO – Cumberlands wrestling earns back-to-back weeks of NAIA Wrestler of Week awards, announced by the national office. After a perfect 4-0 weekend Bridgette Duty takes home the honor this week after Jaine Stephens won the award a week ago. UC is the first team to have two wrestlers from the same team win the honor this year. This is the fifth time a Cumberlands wrestler has earned the award, the most by any program in the NAIA. Duty has also won the award twice in her career. “I have been very impressed with how much Bridgette keeps improving. People watch her and, the God gifted talent is evident but, behind the scenes you see one of the hardest working most dedicated athletes I’ve ever coached, ” said Head Coach Donnie Stephens, “Bridgette has a legitimate chance to win a national championship in any of the three weight classes she chooses to wrestle post season. It’s an honor to win NAIA Wrestler of the Week and Bridgette has earned it!” On Friday #5 Life hosted #7 Cumberlands in a Mid-South Conference dual. … rest of story at https://cumberlandspatriots.com/news/2021/1/27/womens-wrestling-dominant-performance-by-duty-awards-her-naia-wrestler-of-the-week.aspx?mc_cid=bf1f14c6db&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

5 } – 2020-21 NAIA Women’s Wrestling Coaches’ Poll – No. 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In the second poll of 2020-21 season, Life (Ga.) claimed the No. 1 spot in the latest edition of the 2020-21 Women’s Wrestling Coaches Top 20 Poll. Campbellsville (Ky.), Wayland Baptist, Grand View (Iowa) and Southern Oregon rounded out the top five.
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, … rest of story at https://www.naia.org/sports/wwrest/2020-21/Releases/WWrest-Poll2?mc_cid=8a92ee7e2c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
AND NCAA WOMEN’S Regular Season Poll #1
Manheim, PA – With the announcement that Preseason #1 Simon Fraser University will not be competing in NCAA competition for the Spring Semester, the top spot for the tournament team rankings now goes to McKendree University who slides up from #2 in the NWCA Coaches Poll for NCAA Women released on Wednesday. McKendree leads the way by claiming half of the ten #1 spots; Felicity Taylor (116), Camerin Guerin (130),  Emma Bruntil (136), Alara Boyd (143), and Sydnee Kimber (191). King University is the only other school to have multiple athletes ranked #1 with Jaclyn McNichols (101) and Cheyenne Sisenstein (123). Other schools with top-ranked athletes are Augsburg University, Emmanuel College, and North Central College. … rest of story and rankings at http://www.nwcaonline.com/ncaa-womens-regular-season-poll-1/?mc_cid=653cd27934&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – Beat the Streets to Celebrate National Girls & Women in Sports Day
February 3, 2021, marks the 35th Annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day (NGWSD). This year, Beat the Streets Wrestling is hosting a virtual event to help “unite Beat the Streets communities, increase awareness of equity in sport and to meet new role models.” Guest speakers include Olympian Randi Miller and World Champion Tamyra Mensah-Stock. Details and registration information can be found in the press release below.   Beat the Streets Wrestling will celebrate National Girls & Women in Sports Day on February 3rd at 4:30pm EST!  This year our virtual celebration … rest of story at https://www.transitionwrestling.com/beat-the-streets-to-celebrate-national-girls-women-in-sports-day/?mc_cid=ad9f03475a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

7 } – NJCU Women’s Wrestling Featured by CBS2 New York in Historic Segment
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — In a milestone moment for one of the newest varsity athletic programs at New Jersey City University, the Gothic Knights women’s wrestling program was featured by CBS2 New York at the tail end of the station’s 5:00 p.m. evening news last night, Thursday, Jan. 28. The interview, conducted by CBS2 sportscaster Steve Overmyer, featured many brilliant angles of NJCU’s brand new wrestling room as well as countless shots of NJCU women’s wrestlers in action. Overmyer also spoke at length with team captain, freshman Sandra Guerrero (West Orange, N.J./West Orange) — the defending New Jersey high school girls state champion — as well as head coach Elena Pirozhkova — a former world champion and two-time Olympian — and associate vice president/director of athletics Shawn Tucker. NJCU announced the addition of men’s and women’s wrestling as a varsity sports prior to the 2019-20 academic year, with 2020-21 slated as the program’s first year of competition. Shortly after the Gothic Knights’ announcement, the NCAA officially recognized women’s wrestling as an emerging sport. … rest of story at https://njcugothicknights.com/news/2021/1/29/njcu-womens-wrestling-featured-by-cbs2-new-york-in-historic-segment.aspx

8 } – Kiiler Stephens promoted to head wrestling coach
Wayland Baptist assistant wrestling coach Kiiler Stephens has been promoted to head wrestling coach for both the men’s and women’s programs. Stephens, the third head coach in the 11-year history of the program, replaces Aaron Meister, who accepted a similar position at Friends University in his home state of Kansas. Meister had been with the WBU wrestling program since the beginning in 2010, first serving as assistant coach under Johnny Cobb then becoming head coach when Cobb retired prior to the 2014-15 season. Now the job belongs to Stephens, who joined the Pioneers as an assistant this past August. In that short time, he has made a favorable impression on many at Wayland, including athletics director Rick Cooper. “We’re very excited to have such a quality man and successful coach as Kiiler on staff and ready to step into that role,” Cooper said. “He has a lot of people who think very highly of him as a mentor coach and leader. “He and (assistant) Coach (Glenn) Gray will make an excellent team of coaches moving forward.” Stephens is looking forward to leading the Pioneers’ program…. rest of story at https://wbuathletics.com/news/2021/1/20/-1-womens-wrestling-kiiler-stephens-promoted-to-head-wrestlng-coach.aspx?mc_cid=36a2e0aa41&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

9} – Bearcats Remain Undefeated after Going 2-0 in North Central Duals
(NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Jan. 31) – The No.1 McKendree University women’s wrestling team competed in a double dual afternoon, at the North Central Duals Sunday afternoon. The Bearcats went undefeated over University of Wisconsin Stevens Point (UWSP) and No.4 North Central College, and improve to 5-0. Due to transportation troubles, No.1 McKendree only competed against two other programs in the North Central Duals. Sam Schmitz‘s first competition of the afternoon was against UW-Stevens Point, taking eight of the 10 weight classes. The Bearcats had four of the victories come by pin in the 109-lb, 130-lb, 136-lb and 155-lb classes. They would add on two more victories by decision for the 38-8 win. … rest of story at https://mckbearcats.com/news/2021/1/31/womens-wrestling-bearcats-remain-undefeated-after-going-2-0-in-north-central-duals.aspx?mc_cid=8755157a86&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – COMMUNITY COLLEGE WOMEN’S COACHES DEVELOP FIRST INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM RANKINGS, WITH GRAYS HARBOR AT NO. 1
A group of coaches of women’s wrestling programs at the community college level has provided information that was developed into the first Community College women’s wrestling rankings. Both individual and team rankings were included in this inaugural ranking for two-year schools. There were 14 teams included in the team ranking, with Grays Harbor College from Washington state coming in at No. 1. Rounding out the top five were No. 2 Big Bend CC (WA), No. 3 Indian Hills CC (IA), No. 4 Umpqua CC (OR), and No. 5 Southwestern Oregon CC (OR). Teams from seven different states are included in the team ranking. Athletes were ranked in each of 11 weight classes used in women’s college wrestling. Grays Harbor has the most No. 1 ranked athletes with three, Tatum Pine (123), Kamila Montenegro (170) and Sila Fotu (191). Plans are being formed to host the first Community College women’s wrestling national tournament later in 2021. In December, the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) gave women’s wrestling its Emerging Sport Status, which should help increase the number of teams in the future. … rest of story and full rankings at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/January/29/Community-College-womens-wrestling-rankings?mc_cid=ad9f03475a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

11 } – #7 Colorado Mesa Mavericks win big in lone home dual
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Colorado Mesa women’s wrestling team won four of the six contested bouts in the dual in a 31-9 win over Schreiner University on Saturday afternoon in Brownson Arena. It was the lone home dual of the season for Colorado Mesa as they improve to 3-1 all-time in duals in their home gym. Redshirt sophomore Marissa Gallegos earned the Mavericks first contested win of the afternoon with a 39 second pin of Kya Battle at 123 pounds. Gallegos, ranked No. 3 at 123 pounds, gave the Mavericks a 10-4 lead in the dual. Holly Beaudoin kept the Maverick streak of wins going with a 10-0 technical fall win over Karina De La Torre at 130 pounds to make it 14-4. Second-ranked Dalia Garibay picked up a 12-0 technical fall win Sofia De Leon at 136 pounds. It was the National Runner-up’s first match of the season and gave the Mavericks a 18-4 lead in the dual. … rest of story at https://cmumavericks.com/news/2021/1/30/womens-wrestling-7-mavericks-win-big-in-lone-home-dual.aspx?mc_cid=f12b64bb83&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

12 } – CLIFF KEEN NATIONAL COLLEGIATE WOMEN’S WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS SET FOR TIFFIN ON MARCH 6, WITH FOUR REGIONAL QUALIFIERS, FEBRUARY 20-21
Women’s wrestling postseason set for NCAA programs
The Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Coalition has announced the 2021 postseason schedule for the NCAA women’s wrestling programs, including the site and dates for the annual national championships, as well as four regional qualifiers which determine the national field. The Cliff Keen National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships (NCWWC) will be hosted by Tiffin University in Tiffin, Ohio on Saturday, March 6.. This will be the second annual national championships event for NCAA programs. Each of the 10 women’s college weight classes will have 16 participants, with four wrestlers advancing to the national tournament from each of four regional qualifiers. This will be the first year in which there will be a regional qualification system for the competition. All-American awards will be given to the top eight placewinners in each weight class. Team Awards will be given to the top four teams. … rest of story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/February/03/NCAA-women-post-season-announced?mc_cid=653cd27934&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
AND By Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Coalition at http://www.nwcaonline.com/wrestling-championships-set-for-tiffin-on-march-6-with-four-regional-qualifiers-february-20-21/?mc_cid=fca48e06b8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

February 28, 2021 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

TV Coverage Announced for 2021 Big 12 Wrestling Championship

Television coverage has been announced for the 2021 Big 12 Wrestling Championship, March 6-7, at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The first three sessions of the Championship will be distributed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, while the championship matches will be televised live at 5 p.m. CT on ESPN2. All matches from the Championship will also be available on the ESPN App.

All-session tickets are available online at www.bokcenter.com. General admission reserved tickets start as low as $49, while reserved seating is $69 and premium seats are available for $89 and $109. All fans will be in POD seating, which increases distancing and minimizes fan crossover when entering and exiting their seats. Fans must purchase all tickets in a selected POD group, available in select section groupings of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 seats.

A limited number of suites are available for purchase for this event. Price varies by location and includes all-session tickets. For inquiries, contact Leah Taber at ltaber@asmtulsa.com.

2021 Big 12 Wrestling Championship Schedule (times are subject to change)

Saturday, March 6
Session 1: Preliminary & Quarterfinal Matches [Big 12 Now on ESPN+] – 11 a.m. CT
Session 2: Semifinal & Consolation Quarterfinal Matches [Big 12 Now on ESPN+] – 5 p.m. CT

Sunday, March 7
Session 3: Consolation Semifinals, Third & Fifth Place Matches [Big 12 Now on ESPN+] – 10 a.m. CT
Session 4: Championship Matches – 5 p.m.  CT [ESPN2]
… linked from https://big12sports.com/news/2021/2/19/tv-coverage-announced-for-2021-big-12-wrestling-championship.aspx?mc_cid=329018bca1&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

February 28, 2021 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NCAA announces fan attendance policy for upcoming championships


Policies will vary by site, depending on guidance from local health authorities

February 23, 2021 1:13pm

The NCAA will allow up to 25% capacity for its 2021 winter championships and Division I fall championships being held in the spring. Exact capacity percentages will vary by site, depending on state and local health mandates due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Once finalized, announcements will be made for each championship.

The capacities for the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships were announced Friday. The men’s tournament, hosted in the Indianapolis region, will allow up to 25% capacity in all rounds. The women’s tournament, hosted in the San Antonio region, will allow a limited capacity of up to 17% from the Sweet 16 through the Final Four, with all of those rounds being played at the Alamodome.

“Our partnership with state and local health authorities will continue to be vital to providing safe championship experiences,” NCAA Chief Medical Officer Brian Hainline said. “Each championship site presents different circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic and, therefore, allow varied capacities. Still, team testing and safety protocols will remain consistent as our No. 1 priority surrounding all championships remains the safety and well-being of all involved.”

Championships hosted in cities and states that do not permit spectators or where the site is deemed to lack capacity for spectators from a health and safety standpoint will allow only essential personnel within the competition venue. … rest of story and details at https://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/ncaa-announces-fan-attendance-policy-upcoming-championships?mc_cid=9c47fa024a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

February 28, 2021 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

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