The TakeDown Report

High School Wrestling News — # 14

NHSCA Nationals moved to May 19-21
The NHSCA is pleased to announce that the 31st Annual High School Nationals will be hosted May 19-21, 2020 in the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Weigh-Ins will take place on May 19 and competition will run May 20-21. Full event schedule will be made available soon. Registration for High School Nationals will be extended until May 12, 2020 and participants who have already registered will be honored for the postponed date. Members who have purchased an all-event pass will be honored for High School Nationals. This pass will provide you coaching access for both High School Nationals and the National Duals. All-event passes will remain open for purchase until May 18, 2020. …. story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/23412?mc_cid=dd3ca5e7e5&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

(Kansas)
Days before State, Beloit coaches, teacher save student-athlete’s life
HAYS, Kan. – On Wednesday, Beloit junior Cooper Adams lightly rolled around with a teammate just before practice started. Adams, a JV wrestler who had been injured, was not yet dressed out. They stood up, and about a minute later, Adams collapsed. Beloit head coach Andy Niemczyk and assistants, Wyatt Frohling and Ryan Malay, quickly administered CPR. Garry Lowry, a Beloit teacher, rushed in with the AED. The quartet saved Adams. As of Friday night, the family had not learned a diagnosis. He went to Wichita and is expected to go to Denver for further testing. “Revived him, and it was by the grace of God that he revived,” Niemczyk said. “It’s a tremendous story. The kid is doing all right.” Niemczyk has served as Beloit head wrestling coach for the last 34 years. Malay is in his 15th year as a Trojan assistant. Frohling was a head coach for 32 years, notably at WaKeeney-Trego and Russell, and been on Beloit’s staff since ’18. Niemczyk said he had never performed CPR on a kid. Malay and Frohling said it marked the first time for them. “It was a total team effort,” Niemczyk said. “I was so proud of my assistants for what they did, and how everybody reacted. Nobody panicked, and the kids were asked to leave the room and everything worked out tremendously like it had been rehearsed.” On Friday, Beloit was in third place with 52 points after Day 1 of the Class 3-2-1A state championships at Fort Hays State University’s Gross Memorial Coliseum. Norton led with 95, while Hoxie was second at 88. Beloit has one finalist with junior Hunter Prochaska (28-7) at 152. Beloit’s goal was a top-three finish and team trophy. Rossville is fourth at 51 points. The top-10 all have at least 40 points. …. story at https://www.catchitkansas.com/content/news/Days-before-State-Beloit-coaches-teacher-save-student-athletes-life-568324781.html?mc_cid=0403468de8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

(In New Jersey)
Princeton wrestling: Cheers, tears all part of being a parent
Carin Stresemann took her seat in the lower bowl of Xcel Energy Center on Friday morning with both excitement and apprehension. She fully admits to being “one of those moms” who is rather intense when it comes to watching her sons wrestle. But this was no ordinary competition. This was the state tournament. And while both of her sons – Zach and Tyler Wells – entered the event unbeaten, a level of uncertainty remained. How to deal with the overflow of emotions is a work in progress. “It’s incredibly emotional. I get teary even talking about it,” Stresemann said. “Your heart is on that mat. Those are my kids. To see that hand raised, it’s the greatest feeling in the world. If it doesn’t go that way, it’s heartbreaking. There’s nothing like wrestling. It’s you and one other opponent. You don’t have a team to rely on. When you win, it’s elation. When you lose, it can be devastating. “It’s been a nerve-wracking week and has been incredibly busy. The moms got together and we made ‘state’ signs and stuck them in the road on 169 so the kids could see all their names coming down here. We’re all very excited. The adrenaline has us going.” …. story at https://www.hometownsource.com/union_times/princeton-wrestling-cheers-tears-all-part-of-being-a-parent/article_6c8626aa-5e38-11ea-8d16-cbc663c3567b.html?mc_cid=dc3b99f003&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

High School Insider: Sparks lights up California state meet, drama in Michigan, stars shine in New York
Plenty of arguments can be made nationwide for which state is the toughest to win an individual state championship. Of course, you’ve got powerhouse states like Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Ohio. There’s also Illinois and single-class New Jersey. It might just be out in California where thousands of wrestlers compete in a single class for the right to be called a state champion. This past weekend, Cali crowned 14 more state champions and left us with plenty of storylines along the way. Perhaps the biggest of those storylines came at 160 pounds with Calvary Chapel senior Andrew Sparks. Sparks came into the tournament as the No. 2 seed, but the senior had never won a title prior. He ripped through his side of the bracket, picking up three pins, a major decision, and a 9-2 win to reach the finals against heavily favored Cael Valencia of St. John Bosco. Valencia was 2-0 on the year against Sparks, having beaten him at Doc Buchanan and just a week ago at the CIF Masters tournament. This time, however, the story was different. The unranked Sparks was dominant, earning a 7-1 decision victory and winning the first state championship of his career. …. rest of the story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1583381293976&twSessionId=wnxqsujufo&postId=766527135&mc_cid=dc3b99f003&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

(Ohio)
Indoor OHSAA Championships To Be Played With Limited Crowds
TDR Editor’s Notes – Note one does not ‘play’ at wrestling
The Ohio High School Athletic Association state basketball, wrestling, ice hockey championship events will be played with limited spectators in attendance. That decision mirrors a recommendation from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Tuesday afternoon. “For indoor events, we are asking for no events with spectators other than the athletes, parents, and others essential to the game. Right now, outdoor events can continue,” the governor tweeted. “Through the limiting of large events, our goal is to dramatically slow down the spread of COVID-19 and save lives. Now is the time to take action.” “The truth is that COVID-19 is dangerous. We can’t ignore it. We can’t wish it away. We have to call it as it is,” he said. The governor also asked all institutions of higher learning to:

Screen students returning from international travel or cruise ships
Eliminate international travel
Cancel/postpone university-sponsored travel and large meetings
Move toward online/remote learning …. story at https://theozone.net/2020/03/governor-dewine-announces-major-restrictions-for-indoor-events/?mc_cid=11ed9cb2ed&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

(Mar. 9th)
Pittsburgh Classic announces Pennsylvania & WPIAL Lineups
Pittsburgh, PA – On Monday, the Pittsburgh Classic announced the Pennsylvania and WPIAL lineups for the March 14 event to be held in the historic Fitzgerald Field House at the University of Pittsburgh. …. full line-ups and story at http://www.nwcaonline.com/pittsburgh-classic-announces-pennsylvania-wpial-lineups/?mc_cid=178e8cf0d6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

(Mar. 12th)
Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic canceled
The Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic — formerly known as the Dapper Dan — has been canceled due to the spread of coronavirus. The event was scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 14. Directors Kraig Nellis and Phillip Mary issued the following statement:

The Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic has been canceled for this weekend.
The Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic local organizing committee thanks the wrestlers, parents and coaches for your patience and understanding.
For the fans who purchased tickets we ask for time enabling us to determine our next course of action because we will make every effort to reschedule the event. …. story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/23404?mc_cid=dd3ca5e7e5&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 31, 2020 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

College National Championships Results (#86)

Clackamas repeats as NJCAA National champion, led by individual champion Jason Shaner
BY GARY ABBOTT, USA WRESTLING | MARCH 08, 2020,
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – Led by individual champion Josh Shaner (133), two runners-up and seven All-Americans, Clackamas repeated as the NJCAA Nationals champion on Saturday night. Shaner defeated Ladamien Sturdivant of Iowa Western, 5-3 in the finals, giving coach Josh Rhoden his only individual champion of the night. Cougars Martin Margolis III (149) and Joel Romero (157) placed second. It was the second straight year that Romero was NJCAA runner-up. Rhoden was named Coach of the Year for scholarship programs. Clackamas scored 133.5 points, ahead of second place Northeast Oklahoma with 108.5 points and a third-place tie with Iowa Western and Rochester at 104 points. Rochester was the non-scholarship division national champion with its strong finish. Rochester Coach Randy Rager was named Coach of the Year for non-scholarship teams.
Northeast Oklahoma had an individual champion in Blake Gonzalez (141). Iowa Western had a champion in Isaiah Crosby (165). …. story and complete listing of All-Americans at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/March/08/Clackamas-wins-NJCAA-title?mc_cid=2240f0215d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

No.1 McKendree Women’s Team Wins NCWWC Championship Title
(ADRIAN, Mich. – Mar. 7) – McKendree University No.1 women’s wrestling competed in the inaugural Cliff Keen National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championship (NCWWC) Friday and Saturday afternoon at Adrian College. The Bearcats finished in first place with 191.0 team points and five individual champions. This was the first national-level tournament and championship in the NCAA for affiliated women’s wrestling programs. The Bearcats had five national champions including Pauline Granados (Rialto, CA/Wilmer Amino Carter High School), Alexia Ward (Portland, OR/Westview High School), Emma Bruntil (), Alexandria Glaude (West Sacramento, CA/Christian Brothers High School) and Sydnee Kimber (Sitka, AK/Mt Edgecombe High School). In addition, they had two second-place finishes, one fourth-place finish, one fifth-place finish, one sixth-place finish, two seventh-place finishes and one eighth-place finish. Below are the individual results for the Bearcats: …. rest of the story at https://mckbearcats.com/news/2020/3/7/no-2-womens-wrestling-becomes-wins-first-ever-ncwwc-championship-title.aspx?mc_cid=2240f0215d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

REED NAIA NATIONAL CHAMPION FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT SEASON; WRESTLING FINISHES IN FIFTH AT CHAMPIONSHIP
PARK CITY, Kan. – Brandon Reed claimed his second straight NAIA National Championship in the heavyweight class as the Lindsey Wilson wrestling team finished in fifth place. The Blue Raiders totaled 76.5 points throughout the two-day championship. Reed (No. 1 at HW) squared off with Tanner Farmer (No. 2 at HW) of Concordia (Neb.) in the championship bout. After a scoreless first period, Farmer managed the first points of the night with an escape after starting the period down. Reed wasted no time responding as he bullied his opponent into a two-point takedown which nearly resulted in near fall points but the pair transitioned out of bounds. Farmer managed a takedown of his own in the third period to take a 3-2 lead with a minute left but Reed was awarded one stalling point with six seconds remaining to force the extra period. Reed made quick work of claiming his second straight national title in the sudden victory period scoring a takedown to win on a 5-3 decision just over 20 seconds in. Reed opened his second day of competition and his championship run with a close 3-2 decision win over Nick Fowler (No. 5 at HW) of Calumet St. Joseph (Ind.). Trevor Lawson wrestled in the championship bracket semifinals where he was pinned by Riley Jaramillo (No. 7 at 184) of Saint Mary (Kan.) to fall to the consolation semifinals. Lawson closed out his championship with two straight wins to take third place. He defeated Colton Gonzalez (No. 4 at 184) 2-1 in the top-bottom overtime one period. Lawson then produced a 2-1 decision win over Antonio Stewart (No. 2 at 184) of Reinhardt (Ga.) to take third place. …. story at http://www.lindseyathletics.com/article/12553.php?mc_cid=2240f0215d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

NAIA 2020 Women’s Wrestling Invitational Qualifiers Announced
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – (Qualifiers by Weight Class | Qualifiers by School | Qualifiers by First Name) The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes (NAIA) has officially announced the qualifiers for the 2020 NAIA Women’s Wrestling National Invitational on Wednesday. The Invitational is hosted by University of Jamestown, N.D.
This is the second year of invitational status for NAIA Women’s Wrestling.
Preliminary brackets will be released on Friday, by 5 PM. …. story at https://www.naia.org/sports/wwrest/2019-20/releases/Wwrest-Qualifier?mc_cid=178e8cf0d6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

NO. 1 GRAND VIEW COLLECTS 9TH-CONSECUTIVE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Wichita, KS – BRACKETS | TEAM SCORES | No. 1 Grand View claimed their ninth consecutive national title tonight while crowning two individual national champions at the 2020 NAIA National Championship at the Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas. Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (SR/Buffalo, NY) earned his first national title at his respective weight, 157, after defeating Casey Dobson of Providence in sudden victory, 4-2. Evan Hansen (SR/Kimballton, IA) also earned his fourth-consecutive national championship making Grand View history in being the first wrestler to earn four-straight national championships and the eighth wrestler in the NAIA. Hansen made his mark in the championship when he pinned Isaac Bartel of Montana-State in a fall of 6:37. Grand View scored a total of 157 team points to take the 2020 NAIA Team Title. A 72.5 point gap from the second-place team, Menlo, Grand View dominated throughout the tournament. No. 1 Vikings head coach, Nick Mitchell, tied the longest collegiate championship-winning streak alongside Dan Gable at the University of Iowa. Justin Portillo (JR/Clarion, IA) made his first national championship final appearance where he fell to Nick Kunz of Montana-State by decision 4-1. Portillo finishes the 2020 season 25-7. Kendon Lee (JR/Addis, LA) also made his first championship final appearance where he was pinned in the third period at 6:46. Lee recorded a 22-5 record. Tanner Abbas (FR/Kanawha, IA) fell in the third-place match by decision 4-1 from Devin Everk of Menlo. Abbas finished the tournament in fourth. Teammate Dalton Jensen (FR/Downs, IL) finished 6th while earning All-American honors. ….. story at http://www.gvvikings.com/article/6612?mc_cid=2240f0215d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Looking at the seven freshmen who won their conference tournaments
BY MIKE WILLIS, USA WRESTLING | MARCH 10, 2020,
Every season there are elite freshmen who come in immediately ready to contend for an NCAA title. Last season only produced one freshman champion, Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech. Lewis had a strong freshman season, only taking two losses and winning his conference title. This year, there are seven freshman conference champions and all of them are having fantastic debut seasons. Will any of these up and comers win an NCAA title? We’ll find out in two weeks, but until then let’s take a look at the contenders.
*Note the EIWA, MAC and SoCon did not have any freshman champions.
ACC – 1 freshman champion
125 pounds Jakob Camacho (NC State)
Camcho was in the midst of a solid, 18-6, freshman campaign and ranked No. 15 in the country by Flowrestling before entering the conference tournament. He didn’t have a signature win and he took a couple questionable losses, including getting pinned by unranked VMI freshman John McGarry at the Southern Scuffle. At the ACC tournament, Camacho got his signature win in stunning fashion in the finals. The freshman took out returning NCAA finalist Jack Mueller of Virginia, 11-4. Mueller, who is a two-time All-American, was undefeated on the season and had beaten Camacho at a dual meet in January, 5-2. While Camacho, who is now ranked ninth, will have monsters like Iowa’s two-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee and Princeton’s undefeated returning All-American Pat Glory in his bracket, he is someone you need to follow at the NCAA tournament. ….. Story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/March/10/Looking-at-the-seven-freshmen-who-won-their-conference-tournaments

3rd Season, Column 28: Conference Crunch, please, 2 scoops; and First Hand Forum
Tasty is not the only word to describe the wrestling wonderment of Marchs 1st full weekend, but it’s a good one. Lets get right to the dessert, shall we? ACC-The Absolutely Calamitous Conference jammed more action into about 12 hours than the Swedish Bikini Teams Olympic Tryouts. Host Pitt came This close to upending regular season Champ and heavily favored NC State but the WolfPack, with quality depth and a big upset win at 125, held off the Panthers by just 4 points. That team triumph added ACC tournament title number two in 3 years to the WolfPacks run of three, count em, three, regular season conference crowns in a row. 9 NC State wrestlers made the semi-finals, and 6 wrestled for an ACC title. Good thing, too, because only 125LB Jakob Camacho and 2X AA 157LB Hayden Hidlay earned Gold. Never leave an opening for a Panther, and stylin Pitt Head Coach Keith Gavins crew pounced on the opportunity Or, more correctly, created it. 7 Panthers wrestled their way to NCAA Bids, and 3 won ACC titles. 133LB Micky Phillippi, 165LB Jake Wentzel, and 285LB Demetrius “Meech” Thomas nearly did the thing, too, as the ACC hosts pushed the Wolfpack to the limit. Wentzels Golden effort was an especially impressive 3 match march from the 4th seed to the top of the podium. That’s where 3 Tar Heels ended up as North Carolina earned a Team Bronze. Champs 141LB Zach Sherman, 149LB Austin O’Connor, and 174LB Clay Lautt are all back next season for UNC, who loses only 157LB AC Headlee to graduation. 6 Tar Heels will head to Minneapolis as Coach Coleman Scotts squad is a Top 20 lock. Virginia saw their horses, 125LB Jack Mueller and fellow Top 10 ranked grappler 197LB Jay Aiello, go 1 for 2 in their Championship matches. Aiello locked up a high seed at Nationals with his 27th win, earning his 2nd NCAA trip. Mueller gathered in his 4th visit and he’s looking for his 3rd AA finish. Until the conference finals his last college loss was in last year’s National Championship match to Iowa 2X Champ Spencer Lee. Then Sunday and salty NC st RS freshman Jakob Camacho happened, to the tune of 11-4. No matter. Hoosnation was more than happy to finish ahead of their Commonwealth Cup rivals VA Tech in the ACCs, and with 6 Cavaliers earning automatic bids (1) to the NCAAS, UVA can take square aim at a Top 25 finish. Only 1 starter, Mueller, won’t be back for next season. Though the pride of Dallas, TX and Trinity Christian Academy is a lot to lose, look for smooth moves by the ‘Hoos next season. Yes, he wrote that. Not writing the ACC ending they wanted (even if one was expected) were 5th and 6th place finishers Virginia Tech and Duke. Tech tallied 52 points, Duke a few less. About 50 less, more or less, mostly the latter. Even the wizardry of Duke Coach Glen Lanham can only go so far, and a greatly diminished roster in both quality and quantity greatly diminishes returns. Anywhere, in any endeavor. So, for Duke, wins by 174LB Mason Eaglin and 197LB Vincent Baker, 1 each followed by 2 losses per, probably completed the Blue Devils season. For the Hokies, an 8-0, #3 ranking through the seasons 1st half felt the heavy hand of absence, injuries, and enormous expectations down the stretch. Techs talent and depth hoped to make up the 20+point season starting deficit from the absence of defending National Champ Mekhi Lewis. Lewis and the VT staff committed to an Olympic redshirt year for the über-star. OK, got it, get that medal, Mekhi, and Hokie up everybody! Uh oh, Brent can’t go no mo. As in nasty tough 149LB Brent Moore, who reaggravated a terrible neck injury at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Tournament, ending his mat career. Whoa, 6-12 points missing per match and 30-35 per tourney down the stretch was too big a pill for even a Hokie to choke down. Then, at the ACCs, another Moore went down, 141LB Mitch. This statement from VT BHH HC Tony Robie.. “With the development of an unforeseen medical condition this past weekend, we elected to medically withdraw Mitch from the remainder of the ACC Championship under the advisement of our medical staff in the best interest of his health. We are hopeful that he receives an at large bid from the selection committee for the opportunity to compete in Minneapolis at the NCAA Championships.”
That is Unvarnished Truth, dear reader. Savor it for its honesty even as you feel its sadness. Look, nearly any team in the country would do backflips for a Top 10-15 season finish, and ecstasy would echo around the room of a squad with 8 wrestlers out of 10 NCAA bound. For VPI, that’s BAU. Business as usual.
SOCON-the Deep South bastion of D1 Collegiate wrestling tried to hold an 8 team tournament and a dual meet broke out instead. The Campbell Camels and the Appalachian State Mountaineers combined for 14 out of 20 finals berths and an astonishing 9 out of 10 champions. To say the two squads staged an intervention against conference parity is an undersell. The lone titlist not from Cary Kolats title winning bad boys from Buies Creek or BHH HC JohnMark Bentleys rough n ready mountain men from Boone NC, was VMI 174LB “Nasty” Neal Richards. Richards avenged a last match of the regular season loss with a decisive defeat of App States Thomas Flitz. Folks, it was Campbell v App State, App St v Campbell all afternoon and night. The odd men out in this scenario? The Scribes beloved UTC Mocs, who busted their tails all season long with a Marquis de Sade approved schedule to be fully post season ready. Then, they followed through on the months long struggle by advancing half their team to the finals. Yeah, you see where this is going. ….. rest of the column at https://morewrestlingplease.wordpress.com/2020/03/10/3rd-season-column-28-conference-crunch-please-2-scoops-and-first-hand-forum/?mc_cid=11ed9cb2ed&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 30, 2020 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Women’s Wrestling News — # 29

Semifinal match-ups set for NCWWC, plus other notes from Michigan
Adrian, MI – – Day one of the historic National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships is in the books. It wasn’t really a matter of if, but when. Today was a must, a step forward in the progress toward championship status for women’s wrestling. The sport will be classified an NCAA Emerging Sport on August 1, 2020. King University Assistant Coach and Wrestle Like A Girl representative, Julia Salata, shared the following in an interview with TrackWrestling: “There was a point when it seemed kind of unfathomable. We knew it was going to get there eventually, but it seemed so far off, and then to be here for this moment . . . I’m really proud to be a part of it.” Her perspective is pretty special—she was part of King’s program in its first year and has been involved with the program since. …. story at https://www.transitionwrestling.com/semifinal-match-ups-set-for-ncwwc-plus-other-notes-from-michigan/?mc_cid=2240f0215d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

USA Wrestling’s Rich Bender on the explosive growth of women’s wrestling
USA Wrestling’s Rich Bender on the explosive growth of women’s wrestling
USA Wrestling executive director Rich Bender was at the inaugural Cliff Keen National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships in Adrian, Michigan, on March 6-7 in an effort to advance women’s wrestling. …. Story and video interview at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPlayer.jsp?TIM=1583806921868&twSessionId=rnlbxcsvxs&videoId=775811135&mc_cid=178e8cf0d6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

2020 NCAA – WCWC CHAMPIONSHIPS
WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE A PART OF HISTORY
Adrian, Michigan
The pinnacle of every college athletes season is the national tournament.
It’s what you go to bed dreaming about at night, what gets you through grueling pre-season workouts, and why you run that one last sprint. In March, every wrestler wants to go out on top. This year, we saw a dramatic shift in the landscape of women’s college wrestling. What used to be 1 division (the WCWA, Women’s College Wrestling Association), that included all schools with women’s wrestling divisions, was split. Out of this divide, we saw a field more similar to the guys side, with the NAIA and NCAA (Technically the WCWC until NCAA reaches full Championship status) hosting their own tournaments. ….. story at https://www.wreaperwrestling.com/wcwcs-what-it-was-like-to-be-a-part-of-history/?mc_cid=665dd2a84f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Fan restrictions to hamper NAIA women’s wrestling tourney
This week’s National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Women’s Wrestling Invitational in Jamestown won’t be immune to precautions currently being taken nationwide to help curb the spread of coronavirus. University of Jamestown Athletic Director Sean Johnson said late Wednesday fan restrictions will be put in place for the tournament scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. this Friday at Harold Newman Arena, but he said details of those restrictions won’t be finalized until sometime Thursday (March 12). “There will be fan restrictions this weekend but I don’t know exactly what they will be at this time,” Johnson said. “We will know tomorrow.” The announcement by UJ came shortly after NAIA President and CEO Jim Carr released a letter stating that the NAIA plans to limit fan attendance at all remaining winter championships — including the men’s and women’s Division I basketball championships — due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Both Thursday’s NAIA Champions of Character event and kickoff banquet for the women’s wrestling tournament in Jamestown had already been canceled out of precaution. “As a staff and as an institution, we’ve been talking about this for days and weeks because, obviously, it’s been in the news and we’re all concerned about it,” Johnson said. “I certainly understand why we’re canceling some of the public events, especially Champions of Character because we were going to have elementary school kids that were going to be in close contact with the student-athletes. There’s no way to know if there’s any risk at all, but, again, there’s no sense in taking a risk when you don’t have to.” The Champions of Character event, previously scheduled to take place at 2 p.m. on Thursday at Harold Newman Arena, planned to bring in local elementary school children to interact with the wrestlers. The kickoff banquet, which wasn’t open to the public according to Johnson, was scheduled to take place Thursday between 5-6 p.m. …. story at https://www.jamestownsun.com/sports/wrestling/4994804-Fan-restrictions-to-hamper-NAIA-womens-wrestling-tourney?mc_cid=665dd2a84f&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 30, 2020 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

College Conference Tournament Results (#85)

Back to back! Camels take SoCon Championship
BOONE, N.C. – Campbell captured its second straight Southern Conference Wrestling Championship behind five individual titles and nine medalists Sunday at the Holmes Convocation Center. Claiming individual championships were Korbin Meink at 125, Noah Gonser at 133, Josh Heil at 141, Quentin Perez at 165 and Andrew Morgan at 184, leading Campbell to its third SoCon tournament championship in four years (2017, 2019, 2020). All five secured their spots in the 2020 NCAA Championships. In addition to CU’s five conference champions, Jere Heino also won his true place match, securing six Camels trips to the NCAA Championships, tying another school record. Also taking podium finishes were runner-ups Matthew Dallara at 157 and Jere Heino at heavyweight, while Austin Kraisser at 174 pounds and Chris Kober at 197 both placed third for the Camels. CU head coach Cary Kolat was named SoCon Coach of the Year for the second straight season after leading the Camels to a back-to-back sweep of the league’s regular season and tournament titles. Austin Kraisser also earned the SoCon Pinnacle Award, given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA on the championship winning team. Appalachian State’s Cary Miller and VMI’s Neal Richards, meanwhile, shared the SoCon’s Co-Most Outstanding Wrestler Award. Campbell posted bonus point wins in all nine of its first round matchups with five pins and four major decisions. Seven Camels advanced to the championship round, matching another school record, with three in consolation brackets. …. rest of the story and matches at https://gocamels.com/news/2020/3/8/wrestling-back-to-back-camels-take-socon-championship.aspx?mc_cid=2240f0215d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

WolfPack Wrestling Claims its Second Straight ACC Championship
Camacho and Hayden Hidlay earn individual titles, eight qualify for NCAA Championships
PITTSBURGH, PA. – The NC State wrestling team won back-to-back ACC Championships for the first time since 2001-02, as the Wolfpack claimed top honors at the 2020 ACC Championship Sunday at Pitt. NC State won the team race with 81 points. Host Pitt was second (77), North Carolina took third (67.5), Virginia was fourth (60.5), Virginia Tech fifth (52) and Duke was sixth (2). The ACC title was the Pack’s second straight, third in the last five seasons and 17^th all-time in school history. The 17 team titles are tied UNC among the current ACC schools.
The Pack had nine of its 10 wrestlers in the semifinals, six into the finals and a pair won individual ACC championships – R-Fr. Jakob Camacho (125 pounds) and R-Jr. Hayden Hidlay (157) both went 2-0 on the day to win their championships. R-Jr. Tariq Wilson (141), R-Jr. Daniel Bullard (174), R-Fr. Trent Hidlay (184), and So. Deonte Wilson (285) each earned All-ACC honors with their second place finishes.
#10 R-Jr. Thomas Bullard scored a third place finish at 165 pounds, and added two additional team points in his third place bout with a pin.
R-Fr. Jarrett Trombley placed fourth at 133 pounds. Both Thomas Bullard and Trombley have advanced to the NCAA Championships with their automatic bids. …. rest of the story at https://gopack.com/news/2020/3/8/wrestling-packwrestle-claims-its-second-straight-acc-championship.aspx?mc_cid=2240f0215d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Hawkeyes Win Big Ten Title, Crown 3 Champions
PISCATAWAY, N.J. –- The top-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team won the 2020 Big Ten Championship on Sunday, scoring 157.5 team points and crowning three individual champions. Alex Marinelli defended his 165-pound conference title, and Spencer Lee and Pat Lugo became first time champions, leading Iowa to its first outright team title since 2010 and its 36th conference title overall. “Job well done. We are not downplaying this,” said Iowa head coach Tom Brands. “The reason why it does get downplayed is because there is another important event. It’s cliché but we have to get ready and there is work to do. But we definitely give ourselves credit. You don’t see what is behind the scenes. We appreciate a job well done, and that was a job well done and it was a battle.”
INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS
Lee led 4-1 after one, 6-1 after two, and with more than four minutes of riding time, added 10 points in the third to defeat No. 2 Devin Schroder, 16-2, at 125 pounds. The Big Ten Conference title is the first of his career. … story and results at https://hawkeyesports.com/news/2020/3/8/wrestling-hawkeyes-win-big-ten-title-crown-3-champions.aspx?mc_cid=2240f0215d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Richards Repeats as SoCon Tourney’s Most Outstanding Wrestler
BOONE, N.C. – VMI red-shirt senior Neal Richards was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler Sunday for the second-straight year after winning the 174-pound individual championship at the 2020 Southern Conference Wrestling Championships, hosted by Appalachian State University. He automatically qualifies for the NCAA Division I Tournament, with the chance to earn All-American honors.
Complete Brackets
Richards, from South Chesterfield, Va., had a much harder path Sunday to the trophy than he had a year ago. In 2019 he had a first-round bye, and won by technical fall in the semifinals and major decision in the finals. This season as the #2 seed, he opened with a 21-6 technical fall win over The Citadel’s Kyle Kretzler. In the semifinals he defeated third-seeded Austin Kraisser from Campbell 3-1 in a sudden victory session. Richards got revenge in the finals for his only Southern Conference loss in the last two years with a 12-5 victory over top-seeded Thomas Flitz from Appalachian State. It is Richards’ third trip to the NCAA Tournament in his career and second SoCon title. He will enter the NCAA Tourney with a 38-7 record with six major decisions, seven technical falls and five pins on the year, with victories in 18 of his last 19 matches. …. story at https://vmikeydets.com/news/2020/3/8/wrestling-richards-repeats-as-socon-tourneys-most-outstanding-wrestler.aspx?mc_cid=2240f0215d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Five Individual Titles Help Secure Arizona State’s 19th Pac-10/12 Championship
STANFORD, Calif. – The No. 6 Sun Devil wrestling team willed their way back to the top of the conference with five individual titles to win its third Pac-12 Wrestling Championship in four years after posting their highest conference tournament point total (141.5) since 1993.
The conference title was ASU’s 21st all-time and 19th in the Pac-10/12 era with the help of five individual conference champion performances – Brandon Courtney (125), Jacori Teemer (157), Anthony Valencia (174), Kordell Norfleet (197) and Tanner Hall (HWT).
“What the guys did today was really impressive in that last round,” head coach Zeke Jones said. “We knew our backs were against the wall and the guys really stepped up and competed well. It was a mix of youth and experience. Our youth along the way started off with our champ at 125, Brandon Courtney. He helped jumpstart our run.” The difference to taking home the team title could also be pinpointed by a collective effort from semifinal performances from the six finalist representatives, as each wrestler was able to secure a bonus-point win in their first match of the day. Norfleet, the top-seed at a loaded 197 lb. weight class was named Co-Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Pac-12 tournament after recording two bonus-point wins, including a fall over No. 10 Nathan Traxler in only 1:38. …. story at https://thesundevils.com/news/2020/3/8/five-individual-titles-help-asuwrestling-earn-the-programs-19th-pac-12-championship.aspx?mc_cid=2240f0215d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Mizzou Wrestling Claims Ninth-Straight Conference Tournament Crown
Mauller earns second conference title while Tigers qualify six to NCAA Championships
DeKALB, Ill. – Mizzou Wrestling claimed its ninth-straight conference tournament title and eighth-straight MAC Tournament Championship, scoring 142.0 team points as the two-day event ended Sunday (March 8). Mizzou has won the MAC tournament every year since joining the league for the 2012-13 season, and dating back to 2011-12 when it won the Big 12 Tournament, Mizzou has won nine consecutive conference tournament titles. The Tigers finished 21 points ahead of second-place Central Michigan. Individually, Mizzou sophomore 149-pounder Brock Mauller earned a title and Mizzou had seven wrestlers finish in the top three of their weight classes. Allan Hart (133), Jarrett Jacques (157) and Dylan Wisman (184) all earned runner-up nods. Of course, the conference championships are a time to dole out NCAA allocations as well, and six Tigers ended Sunday with automatic qualifications to this month’s NCAA Championships at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Joining Mauller is 133-pounder Hart (second place at MACs), 141-pounder Grant Leeth (third place at MACs), 157-pounder Jacques (second place at MACs), 174-pounder Connor Flynn (third place at MACs) and 184-pounder Wisman (second place at MACs). …. Story at https://mutigers.com/news/2020/3/8/mizzou-wrestling-claims-ninth-straight-conference-tournament-crown.aspx?mc_cid=2240f0215d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Oklahoma State ties school record with eighth straight Big 12 title, led by three champions
BY ROGER MOORE, SPECIAL TO THEMAT.COM | MARCH 08, 2020
TULSA, Okla. – Oklahoma State wrestling doesn’t have many firsts. The dominant mat program of the twentieth century made some history Saturday and Sunday inside the BOK Center, however, winning an eighth-straight league crown. As Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, from 1921-28, OAMC also won eight. “It’s something we haven’t done since 1928,” said OSU head coach John Smith, whose club had three champions and outdistanced second place Iowa State, 147 ½ to 116 ½. “Anytime you tie or break a record in Oklahoma State wrestling you are doing something. I’m glad this team got to experience that this year. It’s been a struggle for us, but we wrestled our best (Sunday).” Indeed, the Cowboys did, winning 12 of 13 matches and wrapping up the team title after the medal rounds. With Iowa State hanging around entering Day 2, OSU put together a big first session and got third place medals from Dusty Hone (141), Joe Smith (174), Anthony Montalvo (184), and Dakota Geer (197), each winning twice. In the final session OSU won three of four finals bouts, including senior Nick Piccininni’s narrow victory over Iowa State’s Alex Mackall at 125 pounds. Piccininni (27-2) became the ninth four-time Big 12 champion. He was joined by Boo Lewallen (21-2, 149), and rookie Travis Wittlake (28-2, 165) atop the podium with Wyatt Sheets falling to ISU’s David Carr in the 157-pound title tilt. “It’s kind of a short list, a bunch of big names,” said Piccininni, named Outstanding Wrestler. …. story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/March/08/Oklahoma-State-wins-Big-12?mc_cid=2240f0215d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Who earned automatic bids for their conference, but needs an at-large?
Note that the “replacement” qualifier will be in parenthesis next to the wrestler who initially earned the bid.
125: Fabian Gutierrez, Chattanooga (Korbin Meink, Campbell); Justin Cardani, Illinois (Malik Heinselman, Ohio State); Patrick McKee, Minnesota (Logan Griffin, Michigan State); Logan Treaster, Navy (Dominic LaJoie, Cornell); Brandon Kaylor, Oregon State (Jackson DiSario, Stanford); Michael Colaiocco, Penn (Antonio Mininno, Drexel); Nic Aguilar, Rutgers (Liam Cronin, Indiana); Daniel Vega, South Dakota State (Christian Moody, Oklahoma); Eric Barnett, Wisconsin (Alex Thomsen, Nebraska)
133: Zach Trampe, Binghamton (Nick Farro, Lehigh); Todd Small, Iowa State (Lawrence Saenz, Fresno State); Richie Koehler, Rider (Andrew Marten, Central Michigan)
141: Sal Profaci, American (Noah Baughman, Cornell); Wil Gil, Franklin & Marshall (Ryan Pomrinca, Lehigh); DJ Lloren, Fresno State (Dylan Droegemueller, North Dakota State); Shakur Laney, Ohio (Sa’Derian Perry, Old Dominion); Mitch Moore, Virginia Tech (Cole Matthews, Pittsburgh) ….. full list at https://wrestlingbypirate.wordpress.com/2020/03/06/who-earned-automatic-bids-for-their-conference-but-needs-an-at-large/?mc_cid=2240f0215d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 29, 2020 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

College Results/News # 84 – National Championships

List of National Qualifiers for the NJCAA Tournament
Here is the list of Qualifiers for the NJCAA National Tournament in Council Bluffs on March 6-7…. full list at https://www.thepredicament.com/2020/03/list-of-national-qualifiers-for-the-njcaa-tournament/?mc_cid=0e049afe50&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Hall of Fame’s NCAA Fan Fest Exhibit Will
Feature “North Star State Wrestling Legends”

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame announced on Thursday that it will showcase “North Star State Wrestling Legends” on a 15-feet by 8-feet full color banner at the NCAA Wrestling Fan Fest in The Armory in Minneapolis on March 20-21. Held in conjunction with the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Fan Fest is free to the public and is scheduled to be open from 1-6 p.m. on Friday, March 20, and from 12-5:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 21. Click for Complete Fan Fest Schedule “Minnesota has a long and storied wrestling history and we feel that this exhibit helps us honor their wrestling legends,” said Hall of Fame Executive Director Lee Roy Smith. “We are excited to showcase the national honorees, including six Distinguished Members, and more than 125 deserving individuals honored by our Minnesota Chapter since 2003.” …. story at https://nwhof.org/blog/hall-of-fames-ncaa-fan-fest-exhibit-willfeature-north-star-state-wrestling-legends/?mc_cid=0e049afe50&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Lehigh Finishes A Top of NWCA DI Mid-Major Poll
Manheim, Pennsylvania – Going into this weekend’s qualifying tournaments, the National Wrestling Coaches Association released its final Mid-Major Dual Meet Top 20 poll of the season.. Formulated in 2017, the Mid-Major Top 20 concentrates on the programs that fall outside of the traditional “Power 5” conferences. The EIWA conference dominated the top 5 with four of the top five teams led by Lehigh which was ranked first with all first-place votes. Northern Iowa was right behind the Mountain Hawks in the second position with Princeton in third. Princeton won its first Ivy League Championship since 1986 and had a win in November over Lehigh. Rounding out the top five is Cornell in fourth and Army West Point in fifth. The Southern Conference made a big splash in the next five with Campbell reaching their highest Mid-Major Poll ranking ever falling into the 6th spot. Appalachian State was right on their heels falling into the 8th spot. Rider who had a huge win in November over Minnesota finished in 7th with South Dakota State and Central Michigan rounding out the top 10. …. story and complete list at http://www.nwcaonline.com/lehigh-finishes-a-top-of-nwca-di-mid-major-poll/?mc_cid=0e049afe50&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Pairings Announced For NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships
INDIANAPOLIS – Tyler Makosy (149 pounds), Kaleb Warner (165), Brandon Sloop (184) are all scheduled to battle nationally-ranked foes in the opening round with Friday’s release of the pairings for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships that are set to take place next weekend inside the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Ninth-ranked and eighth-seeded Nick Daggett drew Adams State’s Isaiah De La Cerda in his opening bout of the 125-pound tournament, while Logan Seliga (133) and Nick Kee (197) will both be assigned opponents following preliminary-round action.
Sloop will be battling top-ranked Heath Gray for the second time this season when the two face each other in the opening round of the 184-pound tournament. Gray registered a 13-4 major decision over the UNCP senior earlier this season at the Midwest Classic. His five teammates will be grappling their opponents for the first time this season.
First-round action inside the Denny Sanford Premier Center is scheduled to get underway on March 13 at noon ET. The top eight finishers from each of the 10 weight classes will earn all-America status. …. Story at https://uncpbraves.com/news/2020/3/6/pairings-announced-for-ncaa-division-ii-wrestling-championships.aspx?mc_cid=1a400a2613&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Seeking ninth straight, Grand View gets nine semifinalists for big lead at NAIA Nationals in Kansas
PARK CITY, Kansas – By punching nine athletes into the semifinals round, Grand View (Iowa) took a commanding lead after the first day of the NAIA National Championships. Nick Mitchell’s Vikings, seeking a ninth straight NAIA national title, have almost double the points of the next team in the standings. Grand View has 113 points, which second place Reinhardt at 57.5 points. The battle appears to be for second place, as Cumberlands (Ky.) is in third with 52 points, Menlo (Calif.) is in fourth with 47 points and Baker (Kan.) is in fifth with 45 points. Of those nine semifinalists, Grand View has two weight classes where they put two athletes in the semifinals. At 157 pounds, No. 1 seed Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer will battle teammate and No. 4 seed Dalton Jensen in a semifinal match. At 165 pounds, No. 3 Giovanni Bonilla is in a different semifinal than Grand View teammate No. 4 Kyle Caldwell. …. story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/March/06/Grand-View-takes-commanding-lead-in-NAIA-Nationals?mc_cid=2240f0215d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Returning champion Clackamas punches five into semifinals to lead at NJCAA Nationals after day one
BY GARY ABBOTT, USA WRESTLING |
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – Defending national champion Clackamas CC earned the most semifinalists with five to take a lead in the team race at the NJCAA National Championships on Friday. Three of Coach Josh Rhoden’s No. 1 seeded athletes advanced into the semifinals, Jason Shaner (133), Joel Romero (157) and Tarik Sutkovic (197). The other semifinalists for Clackamas are No. 11 seed Marckis Branford (141) and No. 4 seed Martin Margolis III (149). Clackamas had 84.5 points, five points ahead of second place Rochester with 79.5. The top five teams are bunched pretty tight, with Iowa Western in third with 71.5 points, Western Wyoming in fourth with 68.5 points and Northeast Oklahoma in fifth with 67 points.
Three teams have four semifinalist, Rochester, Northeast Oklahoma and Ellsworth. With three semifinalists are Iowa Western and Western Wyoming. The only returning NJCAA champion in the field was defeated in the quarterfinals, when Clackamas’ Martin Margolis III edged 2019 national champion Cardionte Wilson of Ellsworth, 11-10. …. story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/March/06/Clackamas-takes-lead-at-NJCAA-Nationals?mc_cid=2240f0215d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Multi-Divisional Insider: Turbulent regionals set the stage for D2 and D3 NCAA Championships
Expect the unexpected.
Nothing seems out of the ordinary when the postseason rolls around in Division III wrestling. A year ago in Roanoke, Va., a defending national champion and a top-seed, both lost within the first hour of the NCAA Division III championships and neither of them were able to wrestle back to find a spot on the podium. Adding to the unexpected, Ryan Budzek of the College of New Jersey won the 149-pound championship as an unseeded wrestler.
It appears the craziness has started a bit sooner in 2020. Last week’s regional tournaments saw six prior All-Americans not make the 180-man field for the championships set to be held March 13-13 at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. One of those six was Carlos Champagne of Wabash, seventh a year ago, Champagne was ranked No. 1 at 125 in the latest NWCA Coaches’ Poll. Teams seeking a title in Division III also had a mixed bag of results. Defending champion Augsburg (Upper Midwest) and runner-up Loras (Lower Midwest) each qualified a tournament-high eight wrestlers. All four of the Auggies returning national champions advanced, but only sixth-ranked David Flynn at 141 won a regional title. Two-time national champion Ryan Epps lost 7-6 in tiebreakers to returning All-American Grant Zamin in the 157 final. Two-time champion Lucas Jeske was third at 165 and Lance Benick medically forfeited the 197 final to La Crosse’s Issac Lahr. Augsburg, which will be seeking its 14th team title, which would match Wartburg College for most in Division III history, had four regional champs – Flynn, Aaron Wilson at 149, Solomon Nielsen at 174 and Tannar Vassar at 184. Among Loras’ eight qualifiers, the Duhawks return all five of their All-Americans — Clint Lembeck at 141, Brandon Murray at 157, Eddie Smith at 165, Jacob Krakow at 174 and Guy Patron at 197. Only Murray won a regional championship among Loras’ qualifiers, while Danile Ruiz at 149, Smith, Krakow, Patron and Wyatt Wriedt at 285 were runner-ups. Wartburg, which had been ranked No. 1 or No. 2 all season, stumbled at the Lower Midwest regional. The Knights saw only five wrestlers qualifying, the lowest for the program since the early 1990s.
Three ranked Wartburg wrestlers, including returning All-American Brady Fritz did not qualify. The Knights, who finished sixth last year and for the first time since 2002 did not have a finalist, will be led No. 1 Kristian Rumph at 133 and returning All-American Kyle Briggs at 174. Another story to watch with Wartburg will be Jordan Brandon at heavyweight. The transfer from Iowa Lakes who joined the team at the semester is looking to give the Knights a heavyweight All-American for the 22nd consecutive year. Brandon is ranked eighth. Stevens Institute of Technology qualified the third-most wrestlers, seven, and are ….. story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1583556926558&twSessionId=fsyxmbdvww&postId=768208135&mc_cid=2240f0215d&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 29, 2020 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Wrestling on TV!

ESPN to re-air 2013 NCAA finals Sunday
Do you want to re-live Kyle Dake making history by becoming the first wrestler to win four NCAA titles in four different weight classes?
Now you can.
ESPN will be re-airing the 2013 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships finals on Sunday at noon ET as part of an 11-hour marathon of wrestling content. …. story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/23468?fbclid=IwAR2SVf9zmO2SnAahu_Je2LehxmMtHfiLlTcdCtbOURyKXRq4dUR5wh4sxl0

March 28, 2020 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Women’s Wrestling — # 28

Campaign to Sanction High School Girls Wrestling in Pennsylvania Launches
Harrisburg, PA (March 4, 2020) – The Pennsylvania Girls High School Wrestling Task Force announces the launch of SanctionPA, a grassroots effort to work towards getting high school girls wrestling approved as a sanctioned sport in Pennsylvania. The SanctionPA campaign includes advocacy efforts, education resources, promotional materials and collaboration with schools. For the past five years, girls wrestling has been the fastest growing high school sport in the country. Mirroring the national statistics, Pennsylvania high school wrestling has experienced a 100% growth of girls on high school boys’ teams in the past five years. All 12 PIAA district areas have girls wrestling within their area schools. While there are 21 state high school associations sanctioning a girls wrestling state championship, Pennsylvania does not yet have an official state tournament and has not sanctioned girls wrestling as a sport. The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) current rules require a minimum of 100 schools to have officially recognized girls wrestling programs before considering sanctioning the sport. The SanctionPA campaign is working to provide educational information and resources to help grow opportunities for girls wrestling and help to promote the addition of school girls wrestling programs. …. rest of the story at http://www.nwcaonline.com/campaign-to-sanction-high-school-girls-wrestling-in-pennsylvania-launches/?mc_cid=dc3b99f003&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

McKendree, Simon Fraser to battle for historic National Collegiate Women’s team title at Adrian, Mich. March 6-7
NCWWC brackets posted on Trackwrestling
Who do you got, McKendree or Simon Fraser?
Based upon their success all season and their power-packed lineups, many expect the team race to come down to these two teams at the historic first Cliff Keen National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships, set for Adrian College in Michigan, March 6-7. This is the first national event exclusively for NCAA-affiliated women’s wrestling teams, and will be loaded with talent. The brackets have been posted and the teams are ready to wrestle. In the most recent NWCA rankings, both teams come in at No. 1. McKendree is ranked No. 1 in the dual meet poll, while Simon Fraser is No. 1 in the tournament poll. Their dual meet in the finals of the NWCA National Duals, held in Louisville, Ky. in January ended up as a 19-19 tie, with McKendree getting the tiebreaker for a 19-18 win. Thus, McKendree gets the dual meet top ranking. …. story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/March/05/Womens-Collegiate-Nationals-team-preview-for-Adrian?mc_cid=0e049afe50&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

(In Oregon)
Girls wrestling is ‘just going to continue to grow. It’s a huge deal.’ Thurston on top for now after claiming 2020 state title
Thurston has been at the forefront of the explosive growth in girls wrestling in the state, building one of the strongest programs in the Northwest. Last weekend, the Colts earned the ultimate reward for their hard work. Despite not boasting an individual champion, they held off Bend by six points to win the team title in the second year that the OSAA has run an official girls state tournament. “I know at our school, girls wrestling is our fastest growing sport,” coach Mike Simons said. “This year, we started with 33 girls and finished in the mid-20s. It’s just going to continue to grow. It’s a huge deal.” Three Thurston wrestlers reached Saturday night’s finals, and a fourth made the podium. All seven qualifiers scored points, which proved important against a Bend squad that had a meet-high five placers. “We were a little disappointed last year. …. story at https://www.oregonlive.com/sports/j66j-2020/03/dc7bbd1ce1417/girls-wrestling-is-just-going-to-continue-to-grow-its-a-huge-deal-thurston-on-top-for-now-after-claiming-2020-state-title.html?mc_cid=0e049afe50&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Here’s what NCAA programs released about women’s wrestling and the NCWWC
Here’s what some NCAA athletic departments shared leading up to the NCWWC. Be sure to stream live via Track!

March 28, 2020 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

College Results — # 83

(Big 10 Network)
BTN CLOSES OUT RECORD WRESTLING SEASON WITH B1G WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS COVERAGE
On the heels of a record-breaking year for wrestling ratings, which saw the average audience per broadcast increase +38%, BTN today announced its plans for the 2020 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. This year’s tournament features eight of the top 10 teams in the country, according to FloWrestling. On March 7, sessions one and two will stream live on BTN+ with cameras on all mats and live commentary to accompany the broadcast. On March 8, session three, along with the third and fifth place mats, will stream live on BTN+, while the championship matches will air live on BTN and the FOX Sports app at 3:30 p.m. ET. Prior to Sunday’s championship matches, BTN will air a special 30-minute BTN Live from Piscataway hosted by Shane Sparks and featuring analysts Tim Johnson and Jim Gibbons. …. rest of story at https://btn.com/2020/03/05/btn-closes-out-record-wrestling-season-with-b1g-wrestling-championships-coverage/?mc_cid=0e049afe50&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Big Ten Championships brackets released after seeding meeting
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Big Ten Conference has released the official brackets for the 2020 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, set for the RAC at Rutgers University on Saturday and Sunday. There will be 79 automatic NCAA tournament berths on the line, the most of any conference. Twelve of the 14 teams competing are ranked in the top 40 in the Trackwrestling tournament rankings (six in the top ten) and 10 teams are also ranked in the top 25 of the National Wrestling Coaches Association rankings. Penn State was the 2019 Big Ten champion, and went on to win the 2019 NCAA Championships. Coming into the tournament this year, Iowa is No. 1 in all of the wrestling rankings. This event will be aired on the Big Ten Network and digital platforms, as well as by FloWrestling.
Big Ten Championships brackets (pdf)
Big Ten Championships brackets on Flowrestling …. story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/March/06/Big-Ten-brackets-released?mc_cid=1a400a2613&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Eyes on First-Ever PAC-12 Championships for Little Rock Wrestling
LITTLE ROCK – Championship season is finally here, and Little Rock is set to appear in its first-ever PAC-12 Conference Championship. The single-day, three-session tournament takes place in Stanford, California at Maples Pavilion. Results will be posted on TrackWrestling and both mats will be live streamed for free for all rounds with the exception of the finals and third place matches, which will be televised on the PAC-12 Network. … story at https://lrtrojans.com/news/2020/3/5/eyes-on-first-ever-pac-12-championships-for-little-rock-wrestling.aspx?mc_cid=0e049afe50&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Southern Conference releases tournament pre-seeds, set for Appalachian State
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Seeding for the 2020 Southern Conference Wrestling Championship has been released, the league office announced Tuesday. The tournament will take place Sunday at the Holmes Convention Center in Boone, North Carolina, with the SoCon title and 14 NCAA allocations on the line. Campbell will look to defend its tournament title from 2019 after taking this year’s regular-season title, with Appalachian State finishing as a close second. Six of last year’s SoCon individual champions will be back in the field this year, attempting to defend titles in their respective weight classes. Campbell’s Korbin Meink (125), Josh Heil (149) and Chris Kober (184) all return after titles last year, with Heil dropping down to 141 pounds this year. Appalachian State’s Codi Russell (133) and Cary Miller (HWT) are back for another year, while VMI’s Neal Richards (174) attempts to defend his title. The SoCon was allocated 14 spots in the NCAA Championships, one for each weight class except for the 149, 174, 184 and 285-pound weight classes, which were awarded two each. …. story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/March/05/SoCon-pre-seeds?mc_cid=0e049afe50&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Nine top-ranked wrestlers headline loaded Big Ten Championship
BY MIKE WILLIS, USA WRESTLING | MARCH 05, 2020,
Two-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee will look to bring home his first Big Ten title.
Objectively, the Big Ten is most loaded conference in the country, and the numbers reflect that. 79 NCAA tournament berths will be on the line this Saturday and Sunday at the RAC at in Piscataway, N.J., the most of any conference. 12 of the 14 teams competing are ranked in the top 40 in the Trackwrestling tournament rankings (six in the top ten) and ten teams are also ranked in the top 25 of the National Wrestling Coaches Association rankings. Overall, there will be 22 returning All-Americans competing, not including Wisconsin’s 2018 NCAA champion Seth Gross who missed all of last season with an injury. Gross, who competes at 133 pounds, won his title with South Dakota State and transferred to Wisconsin this offseason. Other former NCAA champions in the brackets include two-time champ Spencer Lee of Iowa at 125 pounds, two-time champion and three-time finalist Vincenzo Joseph of Penn State at 165 pounds and 2017 NCAA champion and three-time finalist Mark Hall of PennState at 174 pounds. At every weight class besides 184 pounds, the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the country will compete. At 125 pounds, Spencer Lee will look to earn his first Big Ten title. He is the only All-American in the bracket. Competing in freestyle earlier this year, Lee also won the 2019 Senior Nationals. …. rest of story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/March/05/Nine-top-ranked-wrestlers-headline-loaded-Big-Ten-Championship?mc_cid=0e049afe50&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Missouri seeks to win eighth straight MAC title, against a balanced and expanded field of 15 teams
BY GARY ABBOTT, USA WRESTLING | MARCH 05, 2020,
MAC Tournament pre-seeds
National power Missouri seeks its eighth straight MAC title, in the first year of an expanded conference, when the 15-team Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championships is held at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., March 7-8. This season, the eight team MAC wrestling conference added in seven new teams, all which previously competed in the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL). This makes the MAC the second-largest Div. I college wrestling conference in terms of teams, behind only the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA). …. rest of story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/March/05/MAC-Conference-preview?mc_cid=0e049afe50&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

WVU’s Adams Chasing History As Championship Season Begins
By John Antonik
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University’s Noah Adams will be chasing some history when the NCAA Wrestling Championships begin later this month in Minneapolis. You can count on two hands the number of West Virginia natives to earn All-America honors in the sport, and you only need one hand to cover the Mountaineers. Wheeling’s Jimmie Cox did it in 1929, Williamstown’s Mike Mason duplicated the feat 68 years later in 1997 and again in 1998, Elkins’ Sam Kline did it in 1999 and Parkersburg’s Brandon Rader earned All-America honors in 2006 and 2007. Beyond WVU, you are looking at Huntington’s Ken Chertow at Penn State, Charleston’s Mark Samples at Edinboro and Parkersburg’s Jared Haught at Virginia Tech. That’s it.
Coal City’s Noah Adams, once an Independence High standout for coach Jeremy Hart and today the nation’s second-ranked 197-pounder heading into this weekend’s Big 12 Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma, could very well be the next one. …. story at https://wvusports.com/news/2020/3/5/wrestling-wvus-adams-chasing-history-as-championship-season-begins.aspx?mc_cid=0e049afe50&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Gonser tabbed Wrestler of the Year, five named All-SoCon
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell’s Noah Gonser has been named the 2020 Southern Conference Wrestler of the Year, highlighting five Camels on the league’s all-conference team. Joining the 133-pound Gonser on the 10-man All-SoCon team are Josh Heil at 141 pounds, Quentin Perez at 165, Andrew Morgan at 184 and Jere Heino at heavyweight. Jason Kraisser at 149 pounds was also named to the league’s all-freshman team. Gonser is the first Camel to be named SoCon Wrestler of the Year, while the team’s five all-conference selections is also a single-season program record. A redshirt senior, Gonser finished the 2019-20 regular season 27-5 overall and 10-2 in dual matchups, including a perfect 6-0 SoCon ledger on the way to his second All-SoCon team honor. All six of his SoCon matches ended in bonus point victories, including five pins. …. story at https://gocamels.com/news/2020/3/5/wrestling-gonser-tabbed-wrestler-of-the-year-five-named-all-socon.aspx?mc_cid=0e049afe50&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Huskies to Pursue MAC Title at Home
NIU Wrestling to host 15 league schools
DEKALB, Ill. – Fifteen schools will converge on DeKalb to compete for 10 individual championships and one team title when the 2020 Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championships takes place at the Northern Illinois University Convocation Center this weekend. The two-day event, which begins on Saturday at 10 a.m. and runs through Sunday afternoon, will feature 150 wrestlers vying for 41 bids to compete in the 2020 NCAA Championships in Minneapolis, Minn. March 19-21. Tickets for the event are on sale now through Ticketmaster. A two-day pass is available for $40, while single day tickets are $25. A group rate of $20 can also be purchased. … rest of the story at https://niuhuskies.com/news/2020/3/6/wrestling-huskies-to-pursue-mac-title-at-home.aspx?mc_cid=1a400a2613&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Army West Point Secures 3 NCAA Qualifiers on Day One of EIWA Championships
BETHLEHEM, PA – The Army West Point wrestling team made their presence known during day one of the EIWA Conference Championships, as they secured nine wins in the opening round of competition. The team followed it up with seven wins and three NCAA qualifiers in the quarterfinal round, finishing second out of 17 teams overall, with 73.5 points. After capturing their fourth straight Star Meet over Navy to end the regular season, the Black Knights entered Friday’s competition with a vengeance. Senior captain Trey Chalifoux started things off for the Black and Gold with an 11-3 major decision victory in the 125 lb. slot, …. rest of story at https://goarmywestpoint.com/news/2020/3/6/wrestling-secures-3-ncaa-qualifiers-on-day-one-of-eiwa-championships.aspx?mc_cid=1a400a2613&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Seven Mids Advance at EIWA Championship, Four Qualify for Semifinals
Semifinalists Casey Cobb (133 / Jr / Kuna, Idaho), Cody Trybus (141 / Jr / Elkton, Md.), Tanner Skidgel (165 / Jr / Tulsa, Okla.) and Spencer Carey (174 / Sr / Ringwood, N.J.) are among the seven Navy wrestlers who will advance to Saturday’s competition as the opening day of the 116th EIWA Championship held at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pa. came to a close Friday evening. The Midshipmen stand fourth in the team standings with 61.5 points. In addition to the semifinalists, Navy has three wrestlers – Jared Prince (149 / Sr / Safety Harbor, Fla.), Jack Stanton-Taddeo (157 / Jr / Wading River, N.Y.) and Jacob Koser (197 / Fr / Dillsburg, Pa.) – who advanced via the consolation bracket. …. story at https://navysports.com/news/2020/3/6/wrestling-seven-mids-advance-at-eiwa-championship-four-qualify-for-semifinals.aspx?mc_cid=1a400a2613&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Host Stanford seeks to defend Pac-12 title, with Arizona State as highest ranked team in conference
BY GARY ABBOTT, USA WRESTLING |
In 2019, Stanford did something it had never done in the history of the Pac-12 Championships, which went back 58 years. Stanford wrestling won its first Pac-12 wrestling title, in one of the closest team races in history. This year, Stanford has an opportunity to repeat as champions, when it is hosts the tournament at Maples Pavillion on Saturday, March 7. Based upon the entire 2019-20 season, Arizona State has been the strongest Pac-12 team at the national level, finishing at No. 6 in the NWCA Coaches Poll based upon dual meets, and holding down No. 4 in the final Trackwrestling NCAA Tournament rankings. Arizona State had its first 15-win dual meet season in 35 years. The Sun Devils snapped Penn State’s 60-match dual meet streak with a 19-18 victory in Tempe on November 22. Arizona State finished a perfect 5-0 in Pac-12 duals this year. …. story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/March/05/Pac-12-preview?mc_cid=1a400a2613&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3rd Season, Column 27: Bids are in; Big names in and out; Another Team or Two to Tout; & First Hand Forum, TX Coaches Edition
It’s like Christmas times 7 this week as the NCAA sent out their Golden Tickets, allocating spots for 278 out of 330 wrestlers who will be competing at the NCAA Championships later this month. Now, the athletes need to show they’re up to the task. They’ll do that by either winning their weight class at their Conference Tournament championships (10 weight classes, 7 conferences, so that’s 70 spots filled) or by (here’s where it gets a bit tricky) finishing in the next highest spot or spots (fill in the blank, the number is a variable) their conference was awarded at that particular weight class. How many spots are allocated to each weight class in each conference is a carefully calculated variable. One of the measurements is, obviously, the season long results of each wrestler in their own weight class and only for matches against other Division 1 opponents. Then there’s the R.P.I., the Ratings Percentage Index. The R.P.I. is a won-loss measurement carried out 3 levels deep. It takes into account a wrestlers record, his opponents records, and all their records. WHOA. But wait, theres more! There’s the Coaches Poll, where the votes from 14 Head Coaches (you hope), 2 from each of the seven conferences, are added up. Solve for X(3). Or, well, you get it. Its complicated, fairly accurate, and causes a lot more consternation and teeth gnashing than a Regional dog show or a Ms. Hawaian Tropic Bikini Contest.(1) In short, if “Conference A” wrestlers have a better cumulative rating than “Conference B” wrestlers, Conference A will get more automatic bids that their wrestlers can earn than Conference Bs wrestlers in that same weight class. Wait a minute…what if most or all of Conference Bs wrestlers, at whatever weight, beat Conference As wrestlers at that weight class if they competed head to head? No es importante, mi amigos y amigas, me v. you is a small part of this season long calculation of competence. It’s all about the season long competition unless it’s about what tournament or school your match was contested at, or when during the season the match was wrestled or, maybe, just maybe, a wee bit, that uniform you’re wearing or the conference your team is in. There’s bias in everything, but this is the methodology our sport has chosen for now. So here we go! The bid allocations for this season: BIG 10 Conference, 79; Big 12 Conference, 54; E.I.W.A., 44; MAC, 41; ACC, 35; PAC 12; 16, SoCon, 14. COME ON POST SEASON!

ROSTER REDACTIONS

LOTS of interesting changes have and are affecting a whole lotta teams as the post season begins this week. …. With that massive understatement we pause until the rest of the story at https://morewrestlingplease.wordpress.com/2020/03/02/3rd-season-column-27-bids-are-in-big-names-in-and-out-another-team-or-two-to-tout-first-hand-forum-tx-coaches-edition/?mc_cid=0403468de8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 28, 2020 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Aurora University announces addition of Men’s and Women’s Wrestling

Aurora University, an NCAA Division III institution, announced the return men’s wrestling and addition of women’s wrestling to the varsity sport offerings at AU. The Spartan wrestling program’s will begin in the 2021-2022 season and become AU’s 23rd and 24th collegiate sport.
“We are thrilled that women’s and men’s wrestling will be the newest programs at AU,” said Assistant Vice President / Director of Athletics Jim Hamad. “It is exciting to be a part of both the rapid growth of women’s wrestling and the steady resurgence of men’s wrestling. We have been able to start new programs that quickly find success in recent years and we are confident that our wrestling programs will follow a similar timeline. Our goal is to become successful in the competitive national wrestling landscape.”
AU will see men’s wrestling return to campus after a 35 year hiatus, becoming an official NCAA Division III program and according to the NCAA, in the 2020-2021 season a total of 116 men’s wrestling programs will compete in NCAA Division III. Men’s and women’s wrestling is currently classified as a winter sport, with competition beginning in October and running through February with the men having a NCAA Division III Championship in March.
The Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA) governs women’s wrestling and has overseen the national championships since 2008. A total of 59 collegiate institutions will field varsity women’s wrestling teams in 2019-2020. Women’s wrestling was recently approved as an emerging sport by the NCAA committee on women’s athletics and will be added to the NCAA emerging sports lineup on August 1, 2020, a huge step toward evolving into an NCAA Championship-Level sport in the future. Currently, intercollegiate women’s programs compete in National Collegiate Championship in March. …. rest of the story at https://athletics.aurora.edu/news/2020/3/27/general-aurora-university-announces-addition-of-mens-and-womens-wreslting.aspx

March 27, 2020 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

College Results & News — # 82

TDR Editor’s Notes ; Almost a dozen stories about a look forward to the Division I qualifying conference tournaments and other national season ending tournaments in the NAIA, NJCAA and such.
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Breaking down the Pack’s chances at the ACC Tournament – NCS63
The ACC Championships are set for this weekend and who better to dig into the NC State prospectus with than the head coach himself Pat Popolizio. Of course, we’ve got host Brian Reinhardt to steer Episode 63 in the right direction. With the ACC pre-seeds released, we go weight-by-weight.
…. story and podcast at http://www.mattalkonline.com/podcast/pack-mentality/breaking-down-the-packs-chances-at-the-acc-tournament-ncs63/?mc_cid=0403468de8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Seeding Announced For 2020 ACC Wrestling Championship
ACC Wrestling Championship Brackets
GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) — The Atlantic Coast Conference has announced seeding and brackets for the 2020 ACC Wrestling Championship, which will be held this Sunday (March 8) at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center.
The host Panthers lead with three wrestlers seeded No. 1 in their respective weight class brackets. Defending champion NC State, North Carolina and Virginia each earned two No. 1 seeds, and Virginia Tech has one. Seeds were determined by a vote of the league’s six head coaches. Each weight class champion and runner-up at the 2020 ACC Championship will earn All-ACC recognition. In addition to ACC honors, student-athletes will be vying for berths and seeding in the 2020 NCAA Wrestling Championships, which will be held March 19-21 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The ACC has been awarded 35 automatic berths – the second-highest total in league history – and is hopeful of earning several more at-large selections.
The ACC ended the regular season with a league-record four teams ranked among the nation’s top nine, tying for the most among all conferences. No. 3 NC State, which posted an unbeaten dual meet record for the first time in the program’s 91-year history, was followed by No. 7 North Carolina, No. 8 Pitt and No. 9 Virginia Tech. …. full story at https://theacc.com/news/2020/3/3/seeding-announced-for-2020-acc-wrestling-championship.aspx?mc_cid=0403468de8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Campbell seeks to repeat as Southern Conference champions
2019 Southern Conference champion Campbell won the 2020 SoCon regular season title, going undefeated in SoCon dual meets. Cary Kolat’s Camels are the favorite for the 2020 SoCon Wrestling Championships, set for Appalachian State in Boone, N.C. on Sunday, March 8. Campbell enters with a No. 19 NWCA Coaches Poll ranking, which is based upon dual meets. Top rival Appalachian State received votes in the NWCA Poll. In the Trackwrestling NCAA Tournament rankings, Campbell sits at No. 32, with Appalachian State at No. 40. The Camels won the dual meet against Appalachian State, 20-13 on February 13, winning six of the 10 matches. Campbell boasts three returning conference champions in Korbin Meink (125), Joshua Heil (141) and Chris Kober (197). Last year, Heil won his conference title up at 149, while Kober won his conference title down at 184. Appalachian State, coached by JohnMark Bentley, has two returning champions expected to compete, Codi Russell at 133 and Cary Miller at 285. Neither is expected to get the top seed, as they lost to Campbell wrestlers in the dual meet. Russell was beaten by Noah Gonser, 11-2, while Miller fell to Jere Heino, 3-2. Gonser and Heino both have higher national rankings than Russell and Miller. Last year in the SoCon finals, Russell beat Gonser, 9-4. …. rest of story and details at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/March/03/SoCon-Championships-preview?mc_cid=0403468de8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

SoCon Announces Championship Seeds
BOONE, N.C. — App State has three wrestlers seeded No. 1 and three more seeded No. 2 as the brackets were released Wednesday for Sunday’s Southern Conference Championships at the Holmes Center. Tickets can be purchased by clicking HERE, and complete details about the event are available on the Championship Central Page by clicking HERE.
Jonathan Millner (149 pounds), Matt Zovistoski (157 pounds) and Thomas Flitz (174 pounds) earned top seeds in the eight-team league with help of their 7-0 records in SoCon duals. The No. 2 seeds went to Sean Carter (6-1 SoCon record at 125 pounds), Bradley Irwin (6-1 at 141 pounds) and Cary Miller (6-1 at heavyweight). The four other App State starters are seeded No. 3 in their weight classes: Codi Russell (5-2 at 133 pounds), Will Formato (4-3 at 165 pounds), Julian Gorring (3-2 at 184 pounds) and Demazio Samuel (2-1 at 197 pounds). …. rest of the story and seeds at https://appstatesports.com/news/2020/3/4/-27-wrestling-socon-announces-championship-seeds.aspx?mc_cid=dc3b99f003&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

NCAA DIII wrestling qualifiers announced for 2020 championship
INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA Division III Wrestling Committee announced today the participants in the 2020 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships. The championships will be held March 13-14 at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The American Rivers Conference will serve as the host.
VIEW THE 2020 BRACKETS
A total of 180 participants will compete in the championships. Student-athletes qualified for the championship by placing top-three in their respective weight classes at one of the six NCAA regional tournaments held on Feb. 28, 29 and March 1. …. story and list at https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling/article/2020-03-02/ncaa-diii-wrestling-qualifiers-announced-2020-championship?mc_cid=0403468de8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

NAIA preview: Grand View seeks ninth straight national title, Viking star Hanson aims to be four-timer
BY JOHNNY JOHNSON, SPECIAL TO THEMAT.COM
NAIA Wrestling website
No. 1 Grand View (Iowa) men’s wrestling will send 12 individuals to the 63rd annual NAIA Wrestling National Championship at the Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas, March 6-7. The Vikings are searching for their ninth-straight team title. The Vikings of Grand View, led by head coach Nick Mitchell, secured the No. 1 spot in the final poll of season marking their 57th consecutive poll as No. 1 dating back to October 17, 2012. The Grand View Vikings went wire to wire the last five years securing the No. 1 every poll from preseason to post season. They have won eight straight national titles as a program. Since 2001, only Grand View (2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-2018, 2018-19, 2019-20), former members Notre Dame (Ohio) (2010-11) and Lindenwood (Mo.) (2006-07) have spent the entire season ranked No. 1. Grand View had four individual No. 1 wrestlers including Justin Portillo (125) Renaldo Rodriguez-Spencer (157), Kendon Lee (141) and Evan Hansen (197). …. story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2020/March/04/NAIA-Nationals-preview?mc_cid=dc3b99f003&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
and more at
Grand View’s Evan Hansen takes aim at historic fourth NAIA national wrestling title
Before each season, Grand View coach Nick Mitchell instructs his wrestlers to fill out goal sheets. Evan Hansen’s list includes aspirations both simple and large. Good health. Overall improvement. World team.
Olympics.
When Hansen hands his list back, Mitchell always smiles — then grabs his own pen and fills in what Hansen forgot. …. story at https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/college/2020/03/04/grand-view-wrestling-senior-evan-hansen-wants-historic-fourth-naia-national-championship-vikings/4953922002/?mc_cid=dc3b99f003&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Hawkeyes embrace being the Big Ten favorite
IOWA CITY — It may be the start of college wrestling’s second season, but the Big Ten Championships puts top-ranked Iowa in a role the Hawkeyes don’t mind. With all 10 wrestlers in the lineup earning top-three pre-seeds for the two-day tournament, which begins Saturday in Piscataway, N.J., the Hawkeyes will be among the hunted as they hunt for their first Big Ten tourney title since sharing it with Ohio State five years ago. “People will be coming for us, but we earned that. We wrestled the best teams in the Big Ten in the dual season, and we beat all those teams,” said Alex Marinelli, the second seed at 165 pounds. “We took down a lot of their top guys. “When they look at the bracket and get a little nervous when they see they have to go through an Iowa guy, it’s a good thing. We respect our competition, but we’re also getting ready to deal with it.” Both undefeated on the season and ranked first in …. story at https://qctimes.com/sports/college/wrestling/hawkeyes-embrace-being-the-big-ten-favorite/article_df91a867-c96a-53b2-aa83-89bab04647bf.html?mc_cid=dc3b99f003&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Sesker Slant: Picking the Big Ten champions
By Craig Sesker For The Predicament
The Big Ten tournament is one of my favorite events of the season to watch. The quality of wrestling obviously is extremely high and the national rankings confirm that once again. Iowa is ranked No. 1 in the country with Penn State (second), Ohio State (third), Wisconsin (fourth), Nebraska (sixth), Northwestern (10th), Minnesota (11th) and Purdue (13th) also in the top 15 nationally. This weekend’s Big Ten Championships, to be held before sellout crowds at Rutgers, will be compelling to watch.
Here are my picks to win the Big Ten:
125 pounds: Two-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee of Iowa isn’t expected to be challenged in one of the conference’s weaker weight classes. Lee, believe it or not, is seeking his first Big Ten title this season. He’s taken his game to another level and look for him to pile up a ton of bonus points this weekend. Other top wrestlers at 125 are …. story at https://www.thepredicament.com/2020/03/sesker-slant-picking-the-big-ten-champions/?mc_cid=dc3b99f003&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

A Look Back at OSU’s First Wrestling Conference Title
Going back in time to 1917 and Ed Gallagher’s first conference title
One of the more common themes of feedback I receive from readers is they like to see historical looks at OSU wrestling. With the Big 12 conference tournament coming up next weekend and OSU going for their 52nd conference title, I thought I’d dig back and take a look at their very first one. In 1917 the then “Aggies” were led by second-year coach Ed Gallagher. He took over for A.M. Colville who was the coach in their first season of wrestling in 1914-15. The Aggies wrestled in the Southwestern Conference in 1917. Their entire season consisted of three duals, with two against Southwestern Conference programs. The first was a win over “Kansas State Normal” which is now known as Emporia State, the next a tie with Arkansas, and the final dual a 20-5 win over Texas. At the time duals only consisted of five weight classes: 125, 135, 150, 165, and heavyweight. Another unique thing from that time is Conference titles were determined by dual meet wins vs. the current tournament format we see. The first dual of the season with Kansas State Normal was not a conference meet. According to a 1917 article from “The Orange and Black” the Aggies wrestled at Emporia, Kansas and won two matches by fall, lost one by fall, and had two draws. … rest of story and newspaper clippings at https://pistolsfiringblog.com/a-look-back-at-osus-first-wrestling-conference-title/?mc_cid=0403468de8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Two-time defending champion Lehigh set to host 116th EIWA Championships at Stabler Arena
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh welcomes the other 16 EIWA member institutions to Stabler Arena for the 116th EIWA Championships as Lehigh hosts for the 25th time. The EIWA is the nation’s oldest wrestling conference, with Lehigh being the historically dominant team. The Mountain Hawks enter as the two-time defending champions after winning at Hofstra in 2018 and at Binghamton last year. Lehigh now owns 36 team championships and a league-best 217 individual titles. The Mountain Hawks won their last 11 duals to finish the dual season 10th in the NWCA Top 25 with a 12-3 record. Lehigh’s lineup features three returning champions and seven wrestlers with previous EIWA Tournament experience. Also at stake are 44 automatic berths to the NCAA Championships in Minneapolis.
Five Mountain Hawks appear in the latest InterMat rankings, led by senior Jordan Kutler, who is ranked third at 174. Lehigh also has six wrestlers ranked by FloWrestling and Amateur Wrestling News and eight by The Open Mat. In addition to Kutler, Brandon Paetzell (125), Josh Humphreys (157), Chris Weiler (184) and Jordan Wood (285) are ranked across the board by all four outlets. Sophomore Jimmy Hoffman (149) and junior Jake Jakobsen (197) are ranked by two outlets, while junior Nick Farro is ranked only by The Open Mat. Four of Lehigh’s ranked wrestlers are rated in the top 10 in their respective weight classes. The NCAA released the third Coaches’ Panel rankings and second RPI for the 2019-20 season along with the qualifier allocations for the NCAA Championships on February 27. …. rest of the story at https://lehighsports.com/news/2020/3/3/wrestling-two-time-defending-champion-lehigh-set-to-host-116th-eiwa-championships-at-stabler-arena.aspx?mc_cid=0403468de8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 26, 2020 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

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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

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