College Wrestling News – # 110
TDR Editor’s Notes ; An update on various college programs with new head and new assistant coaches being named. Also the last article is about another new college team in Iowa that will provide opportunities for wrestlers.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1 } – Tom Molony Named Head Wrestling Coach at Calumet College of St. Joseph
WHITING, Ind. – Rick Torres, Athletic Director, is excited to hand over the reins of the Calumet College of St. Joseph wrestling program to Tom Molony. Molony comes to Whiting with a wealth of wrestling experience – ranging from youth to collegiate, spanning 30 years.
“When I began my journey in wrestling more than 30 years ago, I had no idea where it would lead. I am honored beyond words to become the new head coach at Calumet College,” Molony stated. “I am excited to be part of the rich, deep history that is wrestling in the state of Indiana, specifically in the northwest region. I look forward to building this program to the potential it has always deserved to fulfill.”
Most recently, Molony has been on the sidelines at Elmhurst College, serving as an assistant coach in his second of two stints with Blue Jays. During his three seasons at the NCAA Division II level, he coached four College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) champions, seven NCAA DII National Championship qualifiers and two NCAA DII All-Americans. While serving as the Head Assistant Coach at Triton College (Ill.), Molony had the honor of coaching 15 wrestlers who advanced to the NJCAA IV National Championship, including one All-American. He also co-founded the Triton Wrestling Club. Molony’s competitive experience includes three years of Olympic Freestyle at Whiteman Air Force Base, while serving our country in the US Air Force. Prior to that, he competed at Downers Grove Community High School South. Prior to coming to CCSJ, Molony served as the Associate Director of Military Veteran Student Services at Loyola University (Ill.). Molony holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Northern Illinois University and an Associated Degree in General Studies from the College of DuPage. Malony’s wrestling resume also includes assistant coaching stints at numerous area high schools, including Fenwick Catholic High School (Oak Park, Illinios), Montini Catholic High School (Lombard, Illinois), St. Ignatius College Prep (Chicago) … rest of story at http://baseball.victorysportsnetwork.com/Clip/news/tom-molony-named-crimson-wave-head-wrestling-coach.htm?mc_cid=45fdbe861d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
2 } – Coach’s Corner: Guesseppe Rea
Former Division III All-American Guesseppe Rea joined the Muhlenberg wrestling coaching staff in 2018 and has been an instrumental part of the program’s success, which includes a national ranking and three national qualifiers in 2020. Here’s a closer look at the Mule assistant:
What do you like most about coaching? What I like most about coaching is the relationships I build with my athletes and the joy I get watching them succeed.
What do you like most about coaching at Muhlenberg? Coaching here at Muhlenberg has been great. The number one thing I like is the support athletics gets. Our Athletic Department does a great job at showcasing our sports and athletes.
What is your most memorable Muhlenberg coaching moment? My most memorable coaching moment here has to be experiencing the “switch.” The Muhlenberg wrestling program has flipped and become a national quality program.
Fill in the blank: If I wasn’t a coach, I would probably be _______: A Spanish teacher. … rest of story at https://muhlenbergsports.com/news/2020/8/26/wrestling-coachs-corner-guesseppe-rea.aspx?mc_cid=1f5a8a16f5&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
3 } – Gillespie Named Lakeland University Head Women’s Wrestling Coach
Gillespie is a former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler and an experienced coach and competitor with more than 30 years of national and international experience in the sport. Most recently he was the head coach at Homewood-Flossmoor High School in Flossmoor, Ill., where he spent the past three years.
Gillespie also has considerable experience as a coach and advocate for women’s wrestling. At Homewood-Flossmoor, he coached boys and girls wrestling teams and organized and hosted the two largest girls high school wrestling tournaments in Illinois to date. He also was head of the Illinois Girls Wrestling Coaches Alliance, leading a successful push to make girls wrestling a championship sport in Illinois starting in 2021-22.
Before his time at Homewood-Flossmoor, Gillespie was an assistant coach with the men’s wrestling program at NAIA member Lincoln (Ill.) College for one year. His coaching experience also includes eight years from 2004-12 at the U.S. Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Mich. He was a national team staff coach for USA Wrestling, training players and coaches for international competition.
In all, Gillespie by his count has coached at 34 national championships, 12 international tournaments and camps, four world championships and one Pan American championship. … rest of story at https://portal.nwcaonline.com/articles/NWCA_News/Gillespie-Named-Lakeland-University-14-9-2020?lId=00n00000000001D00da&lname=NWCA%20Articles
4 } – Drendel named assistant coach with Lakeland men’s wrestling program
Nick Drendel has been named the graduate assistant coach with the Lakeland University men’s wrestling program, head coach Ben Rosen has announced.
Drendel is a recent college graduate who comes to Lakeland after having twice been an All-American at the collegiate level. He earned All-America honors at the NCAA Division III level as a freshman at the University of Dubuque (Iowa) in 2014, and later was an NAIA All-American at Williams Baptist (Ark.) University in 2018 as the Eagles finished as NAIA runners up.
Drendel completed his degree in history at Williams Baptist in May. A native of North Aurora, Ill., he also was a successful high school and USA Wrestling Greco-Roman grappler and has more than 20 years of experience in the sport. Drendel was an Illinois Class 3A state finalist as a junior and as a senior finished third at state with a 43-1 record. … rest of story at https://lakelandmuskies.com/news/2020/9/8/09-08-20MWRDrendel.aspx?mc_cid=99708d813d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
5 } – KIMBALL BASTIAN JOINS UVU WRESTLING COACHING STAFF
OREM, Utah – Utah Valley University head wrestling coach Greg Williams has announced the hiring of former standout UVU wrestler Kimball Bastian to his coaching staff.
Bastian, who was a three-time NCAA qualifier and a four-time NWCA Scholar All-American on the mat for the Wolverines at 174 pounds, will now move into the coaching ranks as the team’s volunteer assistant.
“We are excited to have Kimball join the UVU coaching staff. He is a great addition,” Williams said. “Not only has he been a successful wrestler for us the past five years, he has also been a great example to his teammates. … rest of story at https://gouvu.com/news/2020/9/4/kimball-bastian-joins-uvu-wrestling-coaching-staff.aspx?mc_cid=72ed629a09&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
6 } – Is there a better way to track college wrestling dominance?
In a sport that values domination, high school and college wrestling seem out of touch with its own standard. We call it a blowout if a football team beats another team, 70-0. If a basketball team wins 100-50, we call it improbable. If a wrestler wins, 1-0, 10-5, 11-4, 14-7, 3-2, or 8-1 we call it a decision. Regardless of how competitive a wrestling match is, one team gets all the points and the other team gets nothing.
The above sports comparisons are a bit skewed, of course. A 7-6 win in wrestling equates to a 70-60 win in football, and basketball allows its participants to score more points throughout the course of a 48-minute game. Regardless, there is no denying this: A 1-0 win in college wrestling is worth as many points as a 14-7 win (3 team points), and a 14-0 win is worth as much as a 16-8 win (4 team points). Although dual and tournament scoring is antiquated and amiss, there is a solution to add more excitement to our sport and to add a meaningful statistic to a sport that values a win-loss record above all else.
The NCAA currently awards the most dominant wrestler of the year. The highest possible score is a 6, which means a wrestler went undefeated and pinned everyone he faced. Every decision is worth 3, a major decision is 4, a technical fall is worth 5 and a fall is worth 6, while the opposite is true if you lose by the predetermined amounts. … rest of story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1599103750581&twSessionId=qldjtnbeil&postId=864531135&mc_cid=48f6ce54f3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
7 } – St. Cloud State wrestling update from Coach Costanzo
(The following is an open letter to SCSU wrestling fans and followers from head coach Steve Costanzo)
As we start the 2020-21 school year and complete the first week of classes, I thought it would be appropriate to recap and pass along what we currently know about our upcoming season!
It’s hard to believe that almost six months ago to the day, we shut down our training rooms on campus ending the 2019-20 season. Not only did we miss our NCAA championship tournament, we also missed recognizing this teams amazing run and last year’s senior class. Unfortunately, we won’t get the championship back nor will those athletes get relief from the NCAA to get that season back. However, we were able to provide a virtual season recap, recognize top performances and hear from our seniors regarding their careers as Huskies. It was very important for us to recognize these young men and this team. They were much more deserving of their accomplishments than a virtual presentation, but we tried to make the best of it. Going forward … rest of story at https://scsuhuskies.com/news/2020/8/29/st-cloud-state-wrestling-update-from-coach-costanzo.aspx?mc_cid=45fdbe861d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
8 } – Eye Openers: Iowa, Minnesota cuts are only the beginning
You just knew when the University of Iowa eliminated four sports for budgetary reasons a few weeks ago, it was only the beginning of what likely will be an avalanche of reductions around the Big Ten Conference. Minnesota followed suit last week by also trimming four men’s sports: indoor track & field, outdoor track & field, gymnastics and tennis. The hits are going to keep on coming in the weeks and months ahead. Every Big Ten school is being decimated by the loss of millions of dollars in football revenue. How long before Michigan State and Wisconsin chop their men’s tennis and men’s swimming programs?
When will Indiana and Maryland, who get pummeled in wrestling by the powerhouse programs in the league, decide to just trash their programs? Will Michigan and Ohio State decide that having men’s lacrosse is a luxury they can’t afford? Will there be any men’s gymnastics programs left in the league when this is over? … rest of story at https://qctimes.com/sports/college/eye-openers-iowa-minnesota-cuts-are-only-the-beginning/article_131d24e2-eb91-584b-9d18-b5baa6069a74.html?mc_cid=26de816f3c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
9} -Shannyn Gillespie named new Lakeland head women’s wrestling coach
Shannyn Gillespie has been named the new head women’s wrestling coach at Lakeland University, director of athletics April Arvan has announced. Gillespie is a former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler and an experienced coach and competitor with more than 30 years of national and international experience in the sport. Most recently he was the head coach at Homewood-Flossmoor High School in Flossmoor, Ill., where he spent the past three years. Gillespie also has considerable experience as a coach and advocate for women’s wrestling. At Homewood-Flossmoor, he coached boys and girls wrestling teams and organized and hosted the two largest girls high school wrestling tournaments in Illinois to date. He also was head of the Illinois Girls Wrestling Coaches Alliance, leading a successful push to make girls wrestling a championship sport in Illinois starting in 2021-22. … rest of story at https://lakelandmuskies.com/news/2020/9/14/09-14-20WWRGillespie.aspx?mc_cid=aa5954ac13&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
10 } – St. Ambrose University in Davenport to add men’s wrestling program in 2021-22
Another Iowa college is adding a wrestling program. St. Ambrose University announced Tuesday it will be adding a men’s wrestling program, as well as co-ed competitive winter guard, beginning during the 2021-22 academic year. The Davenport-based school will compete in the NAIA. “These programs make sense for St. Ambrose Athletics and they will bring their own unique energy to campus,” Mike Holmes, St. Ambrose’s athletic director, said in a release. “Wrestling has a vast footprint in Iowa and college wrestling has a storied history in this state and this region.”
St. Ambrose becomes the eighth NAIA wrestling program in Iowa — the others: Briar Cliff, Graceland, Grand View, Morningside, Northwestern College, Waldorf, William Penn — and the 28th overall across junior college, NAIA, and NCAA Divisions I, II and III. A national coaching search is currently underway so a hire can be made in an effort to bring in 2021 recruits. Holmes said he expects the initial roster to feature 20 athletes, and hopes for as many as 35 by the 2023-24 season. … rest of story at https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/college/iowa/wrestling/2020/09/08/st-ambrose-university-davenport-add-mens-wrestling-program/5749114002/?mc_cid=99708d813d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
and at the official site of the St. Ambrose Fighting Bees http://www.saubees.com/article/4600.php?skipSplash=1&mc_cid=99708d813d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b&skipSplash=1
MatTalk Online via Patreon
TDR Editor’s Notes ; Highly recommend MatTalk On-line to wrestling fans who enjoy and utilize podcasts to gain their wrestling news and insights via the sources mentioned below. Sign up for your subscription soon.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jason Bryant’s new patron-only release: “Ad Free: Five Point Move with Sam Hazewinkel and Jesse Porter
Ad Free: Five Point Move with Sam Hazewinkel and Jesse Porter
The 40th episode of the podcast sees Hall return from a brief hiatus to discuss why the US Nationals, despite talk of limited participation and general uncertainty, should be a tournament top athletes consider entering, as well as what his general approach might be as a competitor if faced with the same decision. Three-time U23 World Team member Jesse Porter then makes his first appearance on the program and shares a slew of inspirational insights related to his current training plan. After that, the one and only Sam Hazewinkel is welcomed back with open arms to break down the process behind our upcoming Greco-Roman rankings before delving into a few other peripheral topics affecting the sport.
Another episode delves in this series includes ;
Show Notes: Short Time
One of the more underrated wrestling club coaches in the nation is past Division III All-American Johnny “J Rock” Johnson out of New Jersey. Picking up wrestling as a freshman in high school, Johnson placed three times for what was then known as Trenton State College at the NCAA Division III championships. After getting into college coaching at his alma mater under the legendary Dave Icenhower, Johnson ended up taking Brett Matter under his wing.
A few years later, RAW 241 was born and a new wrestling pedigree permeated wrestlers from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware with a ferocious style of wrestling that highlighted neutral wrestling. A long line of accomplished wrestlers came through RAW 241 and we find out how that all developed, as well as some chatter about marketing, mat size, singlets and the nuances of why the anklet is pointless.
If you’d like to SUPPORT THE SHOW and all the on-demand audio offerings, free newsletters and historical research AND you want to get some of that cool Compound gear, you can support this program by making a small monthly contribution to the network by following this link.
YOU COULD HAVE ALREADY HEARD THIS ON ROKFIN!
Subscribe to Rokfin, a content-creator driven news outlet with exclusive and dynamic content and know your subscription revenue goes to help the independent content creators, like Mat Talk Online. Sign up and endorse @mattalkonline at Rokfin.com/mattalkonline and you can get early, ad-free access to Short Time (on Patreon, too!)
The Short Time Time Wrestling Podcast is proudly supported by Compound Sportswear. And if you haven’t already, leave a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts.
SUBSCRIBE TO SHORT TIME
Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spreaker | iHeartRadio | TuneIn | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS
Short Time Wrestling Podcast: Episode 617 – September 14, 2020
RICH BENDER COLUMN: SUPPORT WRESTLING’S STRONG COMEBACK IN 2021
TDR Editor’s Notes ; Passing aong Rich Bender’s column with ideas, plans and possibilities for wrestling in the coming year. We have high hopes that the pandemic situation and it’s impact on our country will improve. Then we can have increased wrestling opportunities yet none of us knows what the fture will bring. As wrestlers we will hope for the best and work the best we can to bring good results and success.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
By Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director | Sept. 11, 2020,
As the Summer of 2020 ends and we head into autumn, who would have expected that we are still dealing with COVID-19 challenges after the whole world shut down way back in March? The pandemic has remained a harsh reality in our lives and continues to affect every aspect of what we do on earth.
For many, it may seem like all that has been going on in wrestling has been the postponement or cancellation of competition and training. For sure, that has happened. However, there has been much work at USA Wrestling and within the entire sport planning for the safe return of wrestling at all levels.
USA Wrestling has formed four COVID-19 committees of experts who are helping educate the sport and guide our decisions. We have developed Return to the Mat Guidelines and Return to Events Guidelines to organize wrestling in the safest environment possible. We have been very creative in how we engage the wrestling community through new methods of communication and training. We have also fully participated in the national discussion about social justice and equality, with a unified commitment to be better moving forward.
USA Wrestling has been blessed during the pandemic to continue working hard for our sport and members. Due to many prudent financial decisions by our volunteer leaders over the years, much shared sacrifice at all levels, and some fortunate timing of when the pandemic hit, USA Wrestling has been able to maintain its commitment and financial support for its National Team athletes, while employing its national staff in full. We understand that there are many more challenges in front of us, and that there will be additional hard decisions to make. We truly believe we can weather this storm by working together towards a common goal of bringing back our sport completely.
Since the pandemic has affected our nation differently, not only on a state-by-state basis, but also depending upon the status in local communities, we have been able to host some USA Wrestling summer wrestling competitions. This allowed us to not only provide opportunity for athletes to compete, but also a chance to put our planning and safety guidelines into practice. We continue to learn and adjust, always putting the health and safety of our members as the first and dominant priority.
We are already seeing massive changes in what high school and college wrestling will look like in 2020-21. All across the nation, we are seeing delayed seasons, shortened seasons, cancelled championships and reduced opportunity. These decisions have a real impact on those who participate in our sport. USA Wrestling stands ready to fill the void when a need arises and we can provide events and programs in a safe way.
Our organization is blessed to have both a strong national structure, as well as an effective state and local system through our state associations. USA Wrestling has the ability and desire to host competitions for youth, high school and college athletes as needed, while keeping our pledge to follow all state and local health requirements. Through our high school team membership program, as well as our club structure, we can provide opportunities to wrestle. We are here to help.
There is one way that you, as a USA Wrestling member, can help us to move forward and bring back our sport. If you are in a situation where you are financially able, we ask that you purchase your 2020-21 USA Wrestling membership now. The ability to renew membership for the new season opened up on August 20. Wrestling may not be back in full in your community at this time, but the sport is coming back. Your membership purchase will not only give you a full year of benefits, including exciting new programs, but also allow USA Wrestling the financial ability to continue its work on behalf of the entire sport. Our Olympic-caliber athletes will be able to continue to prepare, and our national, state and local events and programs can continue to be organized.
Likewise, if you are a fan of wrestling, continue to follow the sport by watching broadcasts, reading magazines and visiting websites, thus supporting our media companies. You can continue to be a consumer of wrestling products and services, keeping our wrestling businesses alive. There are other ways you can participate in wrestling during this tough time.
The 2021 year has the potential to be an exciting time for wrestling. … restof the story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/September/11/Rich-Bender-column-Join-in-Wrestlings-Comeback?mc_cid=aa70f844b7&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Sacred Heart First In New England with NCAA D1 Women’s Wrestling
FAIRFIELD, Conn.– The Sacred Heart University Pioneers will set a regional precedent with the launch of an NCAA Division I women’s wrestling team.
This new athletics program officially begins in the fall of 2021. With this team, SHU now has 33 NCAA Division I sports — including 20 for women. And in true pioneering fashion, the University will become the first college in New England to offer Division I women’s wrestling.
It’s a vision turned into reality for John Clark, men’s head wrestling coach. “This is a goal I had since I started three years ago,” he said. “This is great for women, this is great for Sacred Heart; this is great for so many people.”
“I think it’s important that the NCAA recently labeled women’s wrestling as an emerging sport,” Clark said. “But even before that, I saw the potential. Anything that guys can do, girls can do, too. This is an equal opportunity.”
Clark has worked for the past year on launching the program, which plans on hiring its first coach this coming January. Competition will then start the coming fall. Clark expects rapid growth for the women’s team. After all, his men’s team has doubled in size — from 26 athletes to 51 — since his arrival.
“We see tremendous opportunity here,” Clark said. “If I had to start a program from scratch, I don’t know how much better of a location you could put that program than right here. New York, New Jersey and New England are rich in talent and quantity in terms of both men and women wrestlers. Our location is a huge draw. I am excited to take this step as a University and this wouldn’t be possible without the tremendous support from the dedicated leadership on campus. Sacred Heart University is such a special place to be and the addition of women’s wrestling will continue to provide broad-base opportunities for the student-athletes on campus.”
Clark also expects support from the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), which has already helped him tremendously in organizing the new program. In particular, he thanks Mike Moyer, the NWCA executive director.
“The Sacred Heart men’s wrestling program has experienced incredible growth and success under head coach John Clark, and we are absolutely certain his leadership will propel the women’s program to similar heights,” Moyer said. “The NWCA was thrilled to help facilitate the solicitation of substantial start-up funds in support of this historic announcement. Included in this support was a very generous gift-in-kind donation of uniforms from adidas/wrestling.”
Moyer lauded Sacred Heart’s “extraordinary leadership” in setting this important precedent. … rest of the story at https://portal.nwcaonline.com/articles/NWCA_News/Sacred-Heart-First-In-New-England-with-21-9-2020
State Champs C. Decatur & T. Hughes presented James Johnson Award at C.B. Aycock H. S.
Undefeated State Champions Christian Decatur & Tyler Hughes of C.B. Aycock High School were awarded the 23rd and 24th James Johnson Award trophy as top senior scholastic wrestlers in eastern North Carolina in 2020. The presentation was in front of the High School on Saturday morning. The award is named in honor of 3-time Greco-Roman National Champion & Olympic Coach James Johnson. Decatur & Hughes share the award this year also with undefeated state champion Bryan Aragao of North Brunswick. Aragao was presented the 22nd J. J. Award in May and will wrestle at Mount Olive University this year.
C.B. Aycock’s Coach Brian Doyle shared that Tyler Hughes “is one of the best ever to wrestle for CBA and would be #1 and hold every record had he not lost his entire sophomore season due to an injury. In a pre-season event he blew out his knee…needed full reconstruction.” In his freshman season at 152 lbs. Tyler won the 3A East Region to qualify for the State Championships. He finished the season with a 49-13 record. No matches the next year but Tyler bounced back to win two more Regional Championships and then 3rd at the States his junior year, (losing to the eventual champion in the semis) and 1st place in his senior year. He won 117 of his last 121 matches wrestled in high school. Undefeated in his last 61 matches his final career record was (166-17).
Coach Doyle mentioned that the only “other that can make the #1 claim is Ngu Tran, our 1st ever State Champ. He, like Tyler, wrestled 3 years. Tyler had 3 Regional titles, Ngu had 2, Tyler placed twice at State 3rd and 1st and DNP his first time a State. Ngu placed 4th, 2nd and won his title on his last and third trip to state.” Tran won the 6th James Johnson Award in 2007, and Doyle shared “Tyler started wrestling in Middle School with our youth program. He’s a quiet kid, yet has a confidence about himself that comes across wrong to his opponents. Once you get to know him, you realize he’s a really great kid…just humble and confident. He has a GREAT work ethic, determined and focused. He has been doing Jiu Jistsu for the past 5 years and has done pretty well. That helped him immensely on the mat. He was an honor graduate, making him well rounded with regards to sports/academics. He received a scholarship to wrestle at Mount Olive University this year.”
Christian Decatur is a 4-time State Medal winner and holds the school record for most wins in a season and most career wins by a wrestler in North Carolina since the current annual match limit has been in effect. He is a 3-time state champion, 4-time state finalist, and a 4-time regional champion and the New Era all time wins leader at 238 (238-10 career), ended his career with a 154 consecutive wins. Doyle shared with a chuckle that “He is like his nickname, ‘Hollywood’ since at all the events, other wrestlers, parents, officials, coaches all wanted to talk with him, take photos, etc. How he conducted himself was great…never got big headed…always handled it with humility, good cheer and gratitude.” Decatur has earned All-American status in wrestling and is an honors graduate. He received a scholarship to wrestle at University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
Decatur is well known to The TakeDown Report’s readers. He started his career at Rosewood High School and in his freshman year his (57-9) record and 2nd place finish at state put him on the TDR Top 12. His sophomore year, (62-1), 1A East Regional Champ, State Champ and the TDR’s Lee Carroll Award winner as top underclassmen in the northern coastal plains. Junior year (56-0) – 1A East Regional Champ, State Champ, and the TDR’s Roy Heverly Award as the Top Underclassmen in eastern North Carolina. Then he moved to Aycock H.S. and as a Senior (63-0), 3A East Regional Champ, State Champ.
Both coaches, Doyle and assistant Mark Bass, boasted that “both wrestlers have worked extremely hard and demonstrated day in and day out they have what it takes to become a champion. It is truly an honor and privilege to say I was their coach.” Bass emphasized that he was more pleased by seeing that both wrestlers will go on to college. “They will work hard and do well in their academics and in wrestling.”
Previous award winners were Christian’s brother, Timothy Decatur of Rosewood in 2019, Beau Studebaker of East Carteret, Jeremiah Derby of First Flight and Thomas Hudson of Dixon in 2018. Carlos Martinez of First Flight (2017), Will Newbern of West Carteret (2017), Tanner Stamper-Smith (2016) of Havelock, Joe Mondragon (2015) of Ashley H.S., De’Andre Jones (2014) of New Bern, Alex Bray (2013) of Croatan, Jon Wiley (2012) of South Brunswick, Marquin Hill (2011) of Washington H.S., Branden Lietz (2010) of J.H. Rose, Mamour Camara (2009) of Louisburg, Anthony Rogers (2008) of Knightdale, Ngu Tran (2007) of C.B. Aycock, Victor Hojillo (2006) of West Carteret, Raymond Jordan (2004) of New Bern, Shaun Sheffield (2003) of Havelock, David Pelsang (2005), and Paris Dottery (2002) of White Oak.
The TakeDown Report has promoted amateur wrestling in eastern North Carolina and sponsors the award. This award is for the most successful senior wrestlers in eastern North Carolina. Editor Martin Fleming noted, “While it is more expensive to have multiple awards, yet each undefeated state champion senior wrestler is deserving to be recognized. It encourages wrestlers with teams in the eastern part of the state with an opportunity to realize the hard work, determination and discipline it takes to be a top-notch wrestler,” he added. The TDR also ranks wrestlers in a TDR Top 12 List that is displayed on the TDR Blog page. Contact the TDR at takedownreport@gmail.com, & https://takedownreport.wordpress.com/
James Johnson started wrestling his junior year for D.H. Conley High School in Greenville with Milt Sherman as his coach. James was Coney’s 1st state champion in any sport in 1976. He was North Carolina’s 1st Eastern Junior National Champion in 1975 and North Carolina’s 1st Junior Nationals All-American with 3rd in 1976. He started four years at the University of Kentucky. He coached the Phoenix-based Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club. He specialized in unique training in fitness with public speaking, sports training techniques, and health and fitness. He was inducted as an “Outstanding American” in the North Carolina State Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. In 2012 he was a coach for the U.S.A. Olympic Greco-Roman team in London.
“J.J.” as his friends called him died last September in Arizona due to health complications developed while coaching the USA Juniors Greco-Roman team at the World Championships in Estonia. He was on the USA National Wrestling team for 12 years, winning 3 National Championships, USA Athlete of the Year, AIM Christian Athlete of the Year, and Olympic Team Alternate. He was an Ambassador for the United States Olympic Committee, USA wrestling and The Sunkist Kids Wrestling organization for over 20 years. More at http://jjchamp3x.com/.
2020 Super 32 at MYRTLE BEACH CONVENTION CENTER!
2020 Super 32 will be held October 24-25 at the MYRTLE BEACH CONVENTION CENTER!
One big change for this year is that there will not be an Elementary Division. We know that you are disappointed, and we are too. With everything going on at this time, we want to ensure we can still put on a high quality event while also following proper health protocols. Unfortunately, we could not see a way to hold the event to include all divisions and the same number of entries that we have in previous years.
We are so sorry and hope you can understand that we have done everything we can on our end to find a workable solution, and we believe we have.
Registration details will be posted by this weekend! … rest of story at this page https://www.super32.com/
Jason Bryant has ‘The Fire Inside’
TDR Editor’s Notes ; Passing along this article from TrackWrestling about an enthusiastic, effective adovocate for our sport in Jason Bryant. We applaud his efforts and appreciate his activities in broadcasting, writing, and recognizing great wrestling. Keep up the work young man! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
By Justin Hoch
Jason Bryant is arguably the voice of wrestling.
He was the English-speaking public address announcer for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, and will be in Tokyo, as well. He’s also filled that role for all the United World Wrestling senior world championships since 2015. (So if you have any questions about how to pronounce Arsen Julfalakyan or Aik Mnatsakanian or Odunayo Adekuoroye or Bat-Ochir Bolortuyaa – Jason is the one you want to talk to.) Add in the NCAA Division I and Division III national championships, the NAIAs, World and Olympic team trials in the US and Canada, and dozens of other tournaments, and his PA calendar is pretty full.
But that’s not even his full-time job.
That would be Mat Talk Online, which is “a marketing and promotion medium designed for a specific niche audience with a professional talk show delivered across the internet.” He produces, hosts and distributes 15 different podcasts for the likes of Virginia Tech, the NWCA, Five Point Move, and Trackwrestling, as well as the flagship podcast on the network, Short Time, which he hosts out of his basement studio (and speakeasy) in New Brighton, Minnesota. That’s added up to over 2,700 individual episodes.
If that weren’t enough, he produces a prodigious fan guide for the NCAA Division I Championships, which is the “the most complete preview guide ever created.” Coming in at over 200 pages, it has an absurd amount of information inside. He also keeps meticulous data on the Cadet & Junior National Tournaments (colloquially known simply as Fargo). He’s owned probably over 1,000 wrestling t-shirts. He’s currently serving his fifth term as President of the National Wrestling Media Association.
All of this work has been repeatedly recognized, with 14 national awards for journalism, broadcasting, and announcing to his credit. Astonishingly, at only 37 years old, Jason was inducted into the Virginia Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for Lifetime Service to Wrestling in 2017.
And it all started as a sophomore in high school when he watched his first wrestling dual. He wrestled for a spell in high school, sure, but found much more success behind the mic and was encouraged by his coach to keep at it. With stops at the National Wrestling Coaches Association, The Open Mat, and USA Wrestling in media roles, he’s carved out a niche for himself that has made him ubiquitous across the wrestling media landscape and brings him all over the world covering the sport he loves. Pretty impressive body of work, … rest of the story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1599493975008&twSessionId=iopndevxwf&postId=864827135&mc_cid=72ed629a09&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
NCAA SCHOOLS CRY POVERTY, USE PANDEMIC TO CUT SPORTS THEY DIDN’T WANT ANYWAY
TDR Editor’s Notes ; AN interesting opinion piece which makes many valid points. Changes need to be made before the for profit big sports drown everyone else.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
by GREG COUCH
We keep seeing touching stories about college athletes in minor sports losing their scholarships and their dreams. Their teams have been cut. University officials cite the pandemic as the reason. I’m calling BS on schools that keep dropping non-revenue sports, saying it was an economic necessity. This doesn’t add up. Major college athletic departments have been splitting billions of TV dollars from the College Football Playoff and the NCAA Tournament. Billions! And now, six months into the pandemic, they’re falling to pieces?
Universities have massive athletic debt. Iowa is more than $200 million in the hole. The Pac-12 has secured a $1 billion loan as a relief fund for its schools. And the solution is always the same: Coaches take a temporary pay cut while the men’s gymnastics team is permanently eliminated. Or tennis. Or swimming. They are dropping as many non-revenue sports as possible. Stanford, Iowa. It’s happening everywhere. William & Mary cut seven sports last week. Something is wrong with the scale here. Non-revenue teams don’t cost much. Cutting them barely helps the debt problem.
“I think they are camouflaging,’’ said Andy Schwarz, an antitrust economist and co-founder of the Professional Collegiate League, a basketball league that challenges the NCAA’s amateurism model by offering pay and education to athletes. “Never let a good crisis go to waste.’’
What that means: Major athletic departments were looking for a way to drop many non-revenue sports anyway. They are using Covid-19 as an excuse to do it. The pandemic isn’t creating the problem so much as revealing it. Or as Schwarz puts it: There’s a false connection between football profits and field hockey expenses.
Of course losing a year of football revenue would hurt a major athletic department. But what’s revealed now is the bloated business aspect of college sports, a model of college athletics that already wasn’t working. Major athletic departments had massive revenues and already had massive debt anyway. And it wasn’t because of the golf team. College sports is a bursting bubble. A new model needs to be re-imagined fast, before non-revenue sports are all gone. There are now just 13 college men’s gymnastics programs left.
Here is my suggestion for the power five conferences. Schwarz helped to shape it: Take football and men’s and women’s basketball out of the athletic departments and make them their own pro sports department; call it College Sports, Inc. And let them live within their means, pay for their own stadiums out of their revenues. Pay the players, who then must pay income tax. Don’t charge students an athletics fee. Meanwhile, let the non-revenue sports have their own model, not one where they are surviving on scraps of the football and basketball teams. They can have their own department with small scholarships, where athletes pay most of their own way. Much like at smaller colleges, their tuition dollars will pay for the programs.
Non-revenue, or Olympic, sports are dying in the current model. They can’t survive in the increasingly for-profit, professional model that football and basketball have turned athletic departments into now; they can’t live under the same roof with football. At this point, football isn’t keeping rowing and swimming afloat, but rather sinking them. (Under my model, football profits would pay for the scholarships needed for women athletes under Title IX). Schwarz believes this idea for a new model can work. He says that as it stands, power five schools are using accounting tricks to hide just how big football profits truly are. For example, let’s say the sticker price for a college for tuition, room, board and fees is $50,000 a year. Schwarz says that universities will give football players a full-ride scholarship and count that as a $50,000 expense.
In reality, schools rarely get the sticker price from any student. Let’s say the average student after academic and other scholarships might pay $15,000. So if the school doesn’t give a full-ride scholarship to a tight end, it is likely to get $15,000 from a different student. That means a football player’s scholarship isn’t really worth $50,000, and 85 full-ride football scholarships would be counted as roughly $3 million more in cost than the school is really incurring. Why would a school want to make it look like its football profits are smaller than they really are? Schwarz says it’s so they can cry poor and claim that they can’t afford to pay football players.
Stanford dropped 11 Olympic sports in July, citing lost revenues because of Covid-19. Men’s and women’s fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men’s rowing, co-ed and women’s sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men’s volleyball and wrestling.
But Schwarz said that Stanford didn’t need to make those cuts. “I don’t think Stanford was losing money (on those Olympic sports),’’ he said. “Most of the scholarships in those sports there are endowed.’’ He said that to Stanford, sports is just a “long-term branding strategy’’ and that the university simply decided it wanted to have fewer athletes. He did say that Stanford would have no difficulty replacing athletes on scholarship with non-athletes paying more of their own way, so there was some financial gain in the cuts. “But do people really think football revenues won’t come back to where they were?’’ he said. … rest of the story at https://www.outkick.com/ncaa-schools-cry-poverty-use-pandemic-to-cut-sports-they-didnt-want-anyway/?fbclid=IwAR1DqH6PLr3AWyT1CYWcsr0JLqGdcUNEBG00aQz3PwluuJJz7HrdO6404qY
2020-21’s New Women’s Collegiate Programs
By Earl Smith – The Open Mat
With most colleges back underway, it’s time to look at and salute those that have added women’s wrestling programs. 17 collegiate teams, across four different classifications, are set to hit the mat for the first time in the 2020-21 season. Of course, with all of the fallout from the pandemic and some schools/conference on lockdown and others with fall seasons cancelled/delayed, it’s unclear when these teams may actually wrestle for the first time. As of now, they are scheduled to compete this school year.
We’ve only included the programs which are wrestling at the varsity level in 2020-21. Additionally, the University of the Ozarks and Northern Michigan are set to compete as a club sport this year and will have a full season in 2021-22. They will be included in next year’s edition. Hopefully, that list is twice as big as this one, which is impressive itself.
Carthage Lady Reds – Kenosha, Wisconsin (DIII)
Head Coach: Alberto Quiros
Carthage is the third women’s program to be added in Wisconsin in the last three seasons. The other two, Lakeland and UW-Stevens Point, have already produced national champions. With the blossoming girl’s scene in Wisconsin, there’s no reason to think that Carthage won’t have success early on, as well.
Corban Warriors – Salem, Oregon (NAIA)
Head Coach: Stryder Davis
Look for this program to impact the NAIA sooner, rather than later. Coach Stryder Davis brought in a gigantic freshmen class that garnered an honorable mention notice in TOM’s Class of 2020 recruiting rankings. Ivy Kraight was a top-50 senior in the nation, and joins Grace Nelson, Taylor Ohlson, and Brigid Shannon as freshmen with strong pre-collegiate credentials that could have an impact in year one. Additionally, Kyleigh Lopez, a top-100 wrestler from the Class of 2019, will transfer over from Southern Oregon.
Davenport Panthers – Grand Rapids, Michigan (DII)
Head Coach: Jamie Boyd
Before the 2020-21 season, Michigan had only one women’s college program, but Davenport will be one of two that has been added in the last year. The Panthers will be led by Jamie Boyd, who currently serves as the men’s head coach, as well. The program’s first signee was Hannah Becker, who was a Michigan state runner-up in 2020.
Delaware Valley Aggies – Doylestown, Pennsylvania (DIII)
Head Coach: Leigh Jaynes
The Delaware Valley program was supposed to start in 2019-20, but ended up getting pushed back a year. At the helm in year one for the Aggies is 2015 World bronze medalist Leigh Jaynes. It’s always great to see notable women’s wrestlers have the opportunity to lead as a head coach and Jaynes will undoubtedly be a great mentor to build the program around. She has assembled a small group primarily from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York to get the program rolling in 2020-21.
Elmira Soaring Eagles – Elmira, New York (DIII)
Head Coach: Cody Griswold
New York finally has a four-year school that offers women’s wrestling with Elmira’s addition (Currently Nassau CC does also). That is important since New York has excelled in Fargo of late. The first group of Screaming Eagles wrestlers hail primarily from the northeast. Expect to see that trend continue as head coach Cody Griswold has coached for the last five years in Vermont. He’s also a Connecticut native.
Emory & Henry Wasps – Emory, Virginia (DIII)
Head Coach: Pete Hansen
Emory & Henry is a DIII school that has added a men’s and women’s program for the Fall of 2020. Andreia Langley is currently the only woman on the Wasp’s roster. She was a transfer from Ferrum, who previously had the state’s lone women’s program. Once the program is up and running, they could be a nice geographical rival for King University, who is only about 25 miles away.
Greensboro Pride – Greensboro, North Carolina (DIII)
Head Coach: Kevin Birmingham
In February, Greensboro became the first school in North Carolina to offer women’s wrestling at the collegiate level, though they were later matched by St. Andrews. The Pride will be led by Kevin Birmingham, a four-year starter for Davidson. Birmingham coaches the men’s team and has been with the school since the 2017-18 season. Participation has doubled at North Carolina’s unsanctioned state tournament from 2019 to 2020, so there should be some good in-state prospects to scoop up in the next few years.
Hastings Broncos – Hastings, Nebraska (NAIA)
Head Coach: Cara Romeike
2019 NAIA runner-up for Jamestown, Cara Romeike, has been pegged to lead the Hastings program during their first year of existence. Romeike’s first roster is of women from Arizona, Idaho, and Utah. The latter makes sense because Romeike spent the last year coaching girls at the high school level in Utah. In addition to those areas, expect to see some of the future Bronco wrestlers come from her home state of Texas, which is always a great place to recruit.
Indian Hills CC Falcons – Ottumwa, Iowa (NJCAA)
Head Coach: Cole Spree
With three new programs in 2020-21 after another last year, Iowa is really making a push at the collegiate level. Hopefully, that translates to the high school scene, as well. Some of Iowa’s top high school seniors will be competing for Indian Hills this year with state champion Chloe Clemons and runner-up Kari German. One of the many out-of-state additions is Heaven-Leigh Jackson, who was a four-time Florida state medalist that racked up 100 wins competing against boys.
Indiana Tech Warriors – Fort Wayne, Indiana (NAIA)
Head Coach: Paul Rademacher
The new program with the highest-ranked recruiting class was Indiana Tech’s, who was labeled #11 in the country by TOM. Coach Paul Rademacher has a handful of women who will make an impact on the college scene immediately. Autumn Terhune and Jaden Johnson are two Indiana products that finished the year nationally ranked. Tehani Soares was a Junior freestyle All-American in Fargo and Samantha Snow is a top-six finisher in California. If this group pans out as expected, they’ll be a factor at NAIA nationals in 2021. Indiana Tech was the first school in the state to offer women’s wrestling at the collegiate level.
Iowa Wesleyan Tigers – Mount Pleasant, Iowa (DIII)
Head Coach: Shawn Contos
Another Iowa program getting underway this year is Iowa Wesleyan, which will be the state’s first at the NCAA level. The Tigers will be led by Shawn Contos, who will also coach Iowa Wesleyan’s men’s team. Coach Contos has a strong coaching pedigree after spending time at Penn State and Iowa State as the team’s strength coach, under Cael Sanderson.
Lincoln College Lynx – Lincoln, Illinois (NAIA)
Head Coach: Jordon Bakely
With Illinois sanctioning women’s wrestling in 2021-22, expect the sport to blow up in the state. It produces excellent wrestlers on the boy’s side, so there’s no reason to think more high school girls won’t be involved. … rest of the story at https://news.theopenmat.com/womens-wrestling/2020-21s-new-womens-collegiate-programs/78825?mc_cid=72ed629a09&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Wrestling History – # 16
TDR Editor’s Notes ; Some of the stories go back almost 100 years in wrestling history while othes involve coaches that are still active. To learn history is to learn perspective on the present. One can learn from the successes and mistakes in the past by others and also learn of examples that we choose to follow. Keep wrestling, keep working to become better for yourself and for the good of others. Wear Masks, Stay Safe, Stay Healthy! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1 } – Tom Clum: My Greatest Loss
Note: This is the second edition of the ‘My Greatest Loss’ series. In the weeks ahead, we’ll interview some of wrestling’s past and present stars to hear their thoughts on the losses that helped shape their careers and put them on a higher trajectory toward greatness.
In 2001, Tom Clum, a senior at Pomona High School, entered the final match of his scholastic high school career with a 148-0 record and three Colorado state championships. He was on track to become the first Colorado wrestler to go undefeated. Clum led 12-8 with 10 seconds remaining the 125-pound 5A state championship when he was headlocked for five points, losing to Brett Roller of Wasson, 13-12.
Clum attended the University of Wisconsin where was a two-time All-American, placing third at the 2005 NCAA championships and fifth in 2006. The following are Tom Clum’s words on his match … rest of story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1597806724837&twSessionId=rymmfakhff&postId=859578135&mc_cid=503739b0f8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
2 } – .Harold DeMarsh: The First NCAA Wrestling Champion
A look at Oklahoma A&M’s wrestling program nearly a century ago.
Oklahoma State has countless footnotes in the history of the sport of wrestling. It’s no secret to people surrounding the sport or university as they’ve all likely heard bits and pieces about the legacy of the program in one way or another. One footnote in the history of the program that we don’t often hear discussed is Harold DeMarsh, the first-ever NCAA tournament champion. According to his obituary, DeMarsh was born into a family of five and lived in the Tulsa area for a bit before his father disappeared and was never seen or heard from again. His mother was then forced to give up all of their children. Some went to live with other family and Harold was ultimately placed in an orphanage. Before being split up from his family, they lived in the Tulsa area. After the split, he ended up in Cushing and was a National AAU champion in 1925, while still in high school! .. rest of story at https://pistolsfiringblog.com/harold-demarsh-the-first-ncaa-wrestling-champion/?mc_cid=503739b0f8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
3 } – .Penn State legend Kerry McCoy reflects on training Daniel Cormier, his legacy after his final fight
Kerry McCoy has never stepped foot in the Octagon professionally or pursued an MMA career. But the two-time Olympian has been around enough wrestlers turned fighters to know part of what gives them all — especially former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier — an edge: a wrestling background. “Right now, the greatest compliment that wrestling and MMA share is that if you’re successful in one, the odds of being successful in the other one are pretty good,” McCoy told The Daily Collegian. “So obviously, if you’re a successful wrestler, the odds of you being a successful fighter are pretty high.”
Cormier, who retired after a unanimous decision loss on Saturday night, made his mark as one of the UFC’s best fighters ever. But before that, he left his mark as a wrestler. The 41-year old Lafayette, Louisiana, native won two JUCO national champions at 197 pounds before transferring to Oklahoma State where he was a two-time NCAA qualifier and NCAA finalist in 2001 when he lost to Penn State coach Cael Sanderson in the finals. He also captured a World bronze medal and made two Olympic teams before bursting onto the MMA scene. .. rest of story at https://www.collegian.psu.edu/sports/wrestling/article_1c4836bc-e0f9-11ea-a9c2-6b0d6267b042.html?mc_cid=503739b0f8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
4 } – Sesker: Daniel Cormier is still a champion in my book
Daniel Cormier fell to Stipe Miocic at UFC 252 on Saturday night in their trilogy fight. He announced his retirement from MMA following the fight. Read Craig Sesker’s tribute to Cormier from August of 2019.
Daniel Cormier is an athlete I’ve seen at his very best. And very worst. I witnessed first-hand the struggles he had during an up-and-down wrestling career during my time at USA Wrestling. I saw him running sprints in the middle of the night down a hotel hallway in Guangzhou, China, to make weight in 2006. I saw him shed nearly 30 pounds in less than two weeks at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing before the tough weight cut cost him a chance to compete. I also saw him battle back with a courageous effort to win a bronze medal at the 2007 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. He was the lone U.S. freestyle medalist that year and he also qualified the weight class for the Olympics. I interviewed him after he won his first and only world medal and he was as articulate, well-spoken and engaging as ever. He’s always been an excellent interview and that has translated to him becoming an outstanding broadcaster. I also watched Cormier’s ascent to becoming one of the best mixed martial artists of all-time. He made history by holding two belts from the Ultimate Fighting Championships at the same time. He turned his life and his fortunes around when he embarked on his post-wrestling career in the sport of MMA. I’m not sure many people in 2008 could have envisioned Cormier going on to this type of career in mixed martial arts. … rest of story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/22267?mc_cid=38a5eef6bd&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
5 } – Coe College Head Coach, John – Coach ‘O’ – Oostendorp
Oostendorp is a two-time Iowa Conference Coach of the Year and 2009 NWCA National Coach of the Year, leading the Kohawks to a second-place finish in 2008. His teams have consistently been nationally ranked and have been picked to be part of the NWCA National Duals the past six years. Oostendorp led the Kohawks to back-to-back fourth place finishes at the 2008 and 2009 NCAA Championships, the two highest finishes in school history. Oostendorp has coached 51 All-Americans during his time at Coe.
Oostendorp is a graduate of the University of Iowa, where he wrestled for legendary coach Dan Gable and graduated with a B.A. in sociology in 1993. At Iowa, Oostendorp was a four-year starter at heavyweight, where he posted an overall record of 108-26 with 40 pins. He was a two-time All-American and Big Ten Champion for the Hawkeyes, placing fifth and third in the NCAA Championships. Oostendorp also has considerable international experience. He was a member of the United States Greco Roman National Team from 1993-1998. His redshirt freshman year at Iowa, he … rest of story at https://wrestlingchangedmylife.com/john-oostendorp/?mc_cid=27a5988c78&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
6 } – Eye Openers: Q-C native Pendleton won silver a century ago
Here is a trivia question that probably very few people can answer.
Who is the only native born Quad-Citian ever to win a medal in the summer Olympics? The answer: Nat Pendleton.
If you didn’t know that, it could be because it happened 100 years ago. Or it might be because Pendleton wasn’t a Quad-Citian for very long. In any case, he did win a silver medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. Pendleton was born in Davenport in 1895. His father, Nathaniel, an attorney, moved the family here about a year before that and Nat was less than a year old when the family moved again, to Cincinnati.
Nat attended high school in New York and developed into an outstanding wrestler at Columbia University, winning the AAU national championship at 175 pounds in 1916. He won another AAU title as a heavyweight in 1920 and very nearly added an Olympic gold medal.
After defeating wrestlers from Finland and Sweden in Antwerp, Pendleton dominated the gold medal match against Robert Roth of Switzerland and initially was declared the winner by the referee. But officials then overturned the decision, leaving Pendleton with the silver medal. … rest of story at https://qctimes.com/sports/baseball/professional/mlb/eye-openers-q-c-native-pendleton-won-silver-a-century-ago/article_1a787c83-7bfb-592f-b25e-a599402f60e2.html?mc_cid=3e7422f8f7&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
7 } – Whether Wrestling or Horse Racing, Caruso Has Excelled at Highest Levels
By Bill Finley
What Mike Caruso missed most when his collegiate wrestling career was over was the competition, the fierce desire to win and the nervous excitement that would build up in him before every match. It wasn’t just that he was good, it was that he felt he had to win every time. Forty-three years after he last wrestled and wrapped up his third NCAA championship, Caruso has recaptured those feelings, discovering them in horse racing. “I get butterflies in my stomach before every race,” he said. “That means it is meaningful. That’s what my coaches tried to communicate to me. He said that the really great athletes are great because winning and doing their best means everything to them We had kids on the team with a lot of talent but it wasn’t a big deal to them. If they lost they almost didn’t care.”
So he knows how he is going to feel watching at home before Uni (GB) (More Than Ready), a horse he owns along with Mike Dubb, Sol Kumin and Robert LaPenta, goes into the gate for Saturday’s GI Fourstardave H. at Saratoga. His stomach will churn and his palms may get a little sweaty. He says he will feel the same way when his $20,000 claimer Heavy Roller (Malibu Moon) goes in the day’s fourth race. … rest of story at https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/whether-wrestling-or-horse-racing-caruso-has-excelled-at-highest-levels/?mc_cid=3e7422f8f7&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
8 } – Waverly wrestling coaching legend Jim McCloe dies at 69
Jim McCloe, one of the winningest high school wrestling coaches in New York state history, has died at age 69. The longtime Waverly High School head coach died Aug. 17 at home in Williamsburg, Virginia, according to his obituary. He had been battling an aggressive form of cancer. McCloe retired from coaching after the 2006-07 season. Over 32 seasons, he guided Waverly to two small-school state titles, 14 Section 4 team championships and seven sectional runner-up finishes. He finished with 435 coaching victories, which at the time ranked first in Section 4 wrestling history and seventh in New York state history. Vestal’s Tony Policare passed McCloe for the Section 4 wins record in 2014. “Just a great all-around guy,” Policare said Thursday. “It saddens me because so many people looked up to Jim. He was a mentor to a lot of people. The impact that he had on many, many people’s lives I’m sure was immense, not only as a coach but as a teacher and administrator. … rest of story at https://www.stargazette.com/story/sports/high-school/2020/08/20/waverly-wrestling-coaching-legend-jim-mccloe-dies/5619479002/?mc_cid=3e7422f8f7&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
9} – Friday Features: The Greatest Wrestling Team Of All Time
Bronchos Set A Record That Still Stands Today
EDMOND – The University of Central Oklahoma is reviewing all of its 20 national championship teams and this week’s Friday Feature focuses on the 1980-81 wrestling team, which won the program its second national title.
What was evident in Hamilton Field House, March 1981 – Central put on one of the most dominating performances in the sports history – still holds true today nearly 40 years later. The Bronchos won the national title with ease, scoring 155 1/4 team points. That mark was 69 1/2 points more than the national runner-up. But what still makes that performance so great was how Central got that many points.
The Bronchos had six individual national champions that day. Six!
No other school in the history of collegiate wrestling has ever put a team on a mat and produced the same result. Many teams have had five national champs. That was the record before Central had six. And teams have had five since. But no other team has ever duplicated what the Bronchos did that day. Dennis Kendrick (118 pounds), Todd Osborn (126), Ronnie James (134), Alan Maddox (142), Benny Coleman (167), and Bill Ameen (177) all won national titles. Central also had two other national qualifiers earn All-American recognition alongside the champs. Will Allen (158) and Ronnie Hawkins (190) finished fourth and eighth respectively.
In what also could be considered an astonishing achievement, Kendrick, Osborn, James, and Coleman were all freshmen that season. Ameen just a sophomore. … rest of story at https://bronchosports.com/news/2020/8/21/friday-features-the-greatest-wrestling-team-of-all-time.aspx?mc_cid=3e7422f8f7&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
10 } – Jim Moulsoff: My Wrestling Hero
Today’s installment of My Wrestling Hero features Jim Moulsoff. The Augsburg coach hares his thoughts on his wrestling heroes, including former North Dakota State coach Bucky Maughan, the Peterson brothers and the Zilverberg brothers. These are Moulsoff’s words on his wrestling heroes: “I grew up in Breckenridge, Minnesota, so I think about the wrestling experience there. I think about Bucky Maughan since North Dakota State was close. They were so tough and going to camp in 1979 and there were only 30 kids. I think about those experiences.
“I think about the great coaches in our area, like Spencer Yohe and how it would be cool to wrestle for Spencer. “I remember in 1976 really watching the Olympics and I was really tuned into the Peterson brothers. I remember going to the Bison Open and Minnesota was there and I remember the Zilverbergs — Dan and Larry Zilverberg. It was another set of brothers and I thought that was so cool. I remember sitting behind them and being fascinated by the Zilverbergs. It’s embarrassing when I tell Dan that it was a highlight moment getting that close to him in the bleachers. “Fast forward into the middle 1980s and the Morgan brothers … rest of story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1598239612325&twSessionId=azfdajuchr&postId=861090135&mc_cid=22b2bd575c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
TDR blog
After 20 seasons of publicizing wrestling The TakeDown Report’s (TDR) focus has changed to the collecting of college coaching records from North America since 1903. We will continue to recognize and reward successful wrestlers in eastern North Carolina (east of Raleigh & Fayetteville), assist with schools in starting or re-starting a team and this blog. Join us on our FaceBook Page – “The TakeDown Report” for photos and news. Please send results, stories, links and news to pass along. E-mail us at takedownreport@gmail.com
Martin Fleming, Editor
Takedown Report
