Shenendehowa’s Delsignore commits to North Carolina State wrestling
Will wrestle for Niskayuna graduate Pat Popolizio
Shenendehowa wrestler Brock Delsignore, a junior, has made a verbal commitment to compete and study at North Carolina State, where he will join several others there with Section II connections. N.C. State is coached by Niskayuna graduate Pat Popolizio, and his roster includes 2019 Shenendehowa graduate Kiernan Shanahan and 2018 Ballston Spa graduates Tyler Barnes and Jake Cook. The school’s alumni include Duanesburg’s Nick Gwiazdowski, who won NCAA heavyweight titles while with the Wolfpack.
Pat Popolizio’s brother, Frank Popolizio, runs the Journeymen Wrestling Club of which Delsignore is a member, and Shanahan, Barnes, Cook and Gwiazdowski represented. “Ultimately, familiarity won over,” Frank Popolizio said of Delsignore’s choice between N.C. State and other programs from Penn, Lehigh and Northern Iowa. “He’s been going to camps and clinics there for 10 years.” “I’ve known the coaches for half of my life,” Delsignore said. “I know some of the guys and get along well with them.” Delsignore won 145-pound Section II Class A and Division I titles last season — his first with Shenendehowa — and has gained 40 pounds since that season. “I didn’t want to be a little guys all my life,” Delsignore said. “I have been working out every day, and I mean every day. I am doing the right things and making gains.” Delsignore wrestled for South Glens Falls for three years before heading to Shenendehowa. Rest of the story at https://dailygazette.com/article/2019/10/21/shenendehowa-s-delsignore-commits-to-north-carolina-state-wrestling?mc_cid=ea51792bc0&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Intrasquad duals signal beginning of Div. 1 college wrestling season
BY USA WRESTLING | OCT. 21, 2019
Pitt will host their wrestle-offs on Friday, October 25.
With the Div. 1 college wrestling season just around the corner, TheMat.com will begin to compile results from wrestle-offs around the country. Currently 22 teams have intrasquad duals listed on their official schedules. This week in particular is a big one, with 15 programs holding wrestle-offs. Results will be updated every Monday.
ACC
Duke– October 27
University of North Carolina – October 24th
North Carolina State – November 9
Pittsburgh – October 25
Virginia Tech – October 25
Big 12
Fresno State – October 26
North Dakota State – October 24
Utah Valley – October 30
Big 10
Maryland – October 26
Ohio State – Prelims – October 22, Finals – October 24
Rest of the list at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/October/21/Intrasquad-duals-signal-beginning-of-Div-1-college-wrestling-season?mc_cid=ea51792bc0&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Sesker Slant: How will 2019-20 college season play out? Posted on October 21, 2019.
By Craig Sesker For The Predicament
It is the question we’ve been asking for many years now.
Can anybody beat Penn State?
Cael Sanderson’s wrestling program definitely has reached dynasty status with the Nittany Lions winning eight of the last nine NCAA team titles. Penn State lost superstars Bo Nickal and Jason Nolf from its recent championship squad, but the Nittany Lions still return plenty of firepower, including four national champions for the 2019-20 season. Penn State is expected to battle Big Ten rival Iowa for the top spot when the 2020 NCAA Championships are contested this March at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. With a number of top wrestlers taking Olympic redshirts this season, it will be interesting to see how it all plays out. There could be some surprise teams contending for trophies this year with Wisconsin, Nebraska, Arizona State, Iowa State and Northern Iowa looking to field strong teams this season.
It also will be exciting to see how many fans will pack the National Football League home of the Minnesota Vikings with attendance records expected to be shattered at March’s NCAA wrestling extravaganza. Here is my early look at what to expect this season:
125 pounds: Iowa’s Spencer Lee repeated as NCAA champion during his sophomore season, but it was far from easy. Rest of the story at https://www.thepredicament.com/2019/10/sesker-slant-how-will-2019-20-college-season-play-out/?mc_cid=ea51792bc0&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Looking at Eight Former OSU Wrestlers Who Are Currently Head Coaches
Oklahoma State’s imprint can be seen throughout all of college wrestling.
By Seth Duckworth
I’ve dug into it a bit on here before, but the legacy of wrestling coaches that matriculated at Oklahoma State University is remarkable. In fact, 10 percent of Division I head wrestling coaches wrestled at Oklahoma State and even more make up the assistant coaching ranks around the country. I thought I’d take a look at all the former OSU wrestlers currently heading D-I programs and break down some of their coaching legacies.
This list is in no particular order.
1. Neil Erisman (University of Arkansas-Little Rock)
Erisman has taken on a pretty big task in heading a brand new D1 program at UALR. The Trojans will be entering their first year of official competition for the 2019-20 season, so a lot remains to be seen regarding his career, but there’s little doubt that Neil was a great hire and will do a big-time job at Little Rock.
2. Teague Moore (American University)
A national champion at Oklahoma State in 1998, Moore is now the head coach at American University after starting his career at Clarion. Moore has coached three All-Americans and 24 NCAA qualifiers in his tenure, most notably the Terao brothers who have produced some of the most exciting matches at the NCAA tournament.
3. Coleman Scott (North Carolina)
Coleman was named head coach at UNC in August of 2015 and in the short period from then to now has taken it from an “also-ran” program to one of the best in the ACC and one that consistently produces All-Americans and top 25 finishes. Scott has definitely shown he’s a big-time coach and now that he’s starting to get a team of his recruits around him, I would expect his trajectory to continue upwards.
4. Glen Lanham (Duke)
Lanham, who started his coaching career as a grad assistant at OSU, has been the head coach at Duke since 2012. Rest of the list and story at https://pistolsfiringblog.com/looking-at-eight-former-osu-wrestlers-who-are-currently-head-coaches/?mc_cid=ea51792bc0&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Parents Should Limit Sports Participation for Children, Trainers Say
By Roni Caryn Rabin
Young athletes are practicing too hard in just one sport, increasing the risk of injuries and burnout. New guidelines urge parents to reduce the intensity. Too many children are risking injuries, even lifelong health problems, because they practice too intensively in a single sport, and parents should set limits on their participation, according to a leading organization of athletic trainers.
New recommendations issued by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association urge parents to ensure that children and adolescents postpone specializing in one sport for as long as possible, that they take at least two days off each week for rest and that they not play a single sport for more than eight months a year.
A proposed rule of thumb: A child’s age equals the number of hours he or she should spend in sports training each week.
The recommendations, more stringent than those issued by some physician groups, may pose a challenge to parents and youngsters who see intense year-round athletic training as the path to coveted college scholarships and professional stardom.
The advice arrives amid growing concern about a rise in athletic injuries among children engaging in tough training exercises. These regimens also can exact a psychological toll, increasing the risk that children and adolescents will burn out and quit sports altogether, the trainers’ group said.
“Single-sports specialization is bordering on an epidemic in terms of the risks it can pose, for physical injuries as well as the potential for negative psychological effects,” said Tory Lindley, president of N.A.T.A.
“There is a myth that it takes a single-sport specialization to succeed,” Mr. Lindley added. “In fact, we’re learning from research and anecdotal evidence that there is actually an opportunity for athleticism to improve if you expose the body to different sports and different movements.”
The guidelines are not intended to discourage physical activity: Rest of the story at https://www.thepredicament.com/2019/10/parents-should-limit-sports-participation-for-children-trainers-say/?mc_cid=4f6a1c53fa&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
St. Thomas University To Add Men’s Wrestling
By Jon Leatherman
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. –St. Thomas University (STU) Athletics is growing the Bobcat Athletic roster launching three new sports programs in Fall 2020, adding Men’s & Women’s Swimming & Diving and Men’s Wrestling. Following the largest incoming class in St. Thomas University history and last Fall’s announcement of the Football, swimming & diving, and wrestling will become the latest sports added under tenth St. Thomas University President, David A. Armstrong, J.D.
“Over the past year, St. Thomas University has gained a lot of momentum and notoriety, due to our record fundraising and being ranked #1 for social mobility for regional universities in the South by U.S. News and World Report,” said Armstrong. “We know that students who participate in Athletics are more engaged, socially and academically. We look forward to these new students continuing the positive momentum.” The additions of Swimming & Diving and Wrestling gives St. Thomas University 21-varsity sports, which compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
STU Athletics Director, Laura Courtley – Todd, stated “We are thrilled to add these new sports, and to provide more options for college bound student-athletes. The university’s approach and vision for ethical leadership, makes it very attractive to students and there is no better way of gaining leadership skills than through sports participation.” Rest of the story at https://portal.nwcaonline.com/articles/NWCA_News/St-Thomas-University-To-Add-Men-s-24-10-2019
Hastings College to add women’s wrestling as varsity sport
Courtesy of Hasting College – Link
Hastings College will offer men’s volleyball and women’s wrestling as varsity intercollegiate sports beginning in the 2020-21 academic year. The addition of the two programs will bring Hastings College Broncos Athletics to 26 competitive teams. Like other College’s other athletic teams, the new programs will be affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). Hastings College is conducting national searches to find head coaches for both programs. Rest of the story and link at https://portal.nwcaonline.com/articles/NWCA_News/-21-10-2019
Eight departures that rocked wrestling
Kyle Snyder is officially a Nittany Lion. Well, sort of.
The three-time World and Olympic champion who won three NCAA titles at Ohio State announced last week that he was leaving the Ohio Regional Training Center for Penn State’s Nittany Lion Wrestling Club to “take advantage of additional training.” It was a major announcement, especially given the college rivalry between Ohio State and Penn State. Time will tell where this ranks among the all-time moves in wrestling history, but here are eight departures that changed wrestling history forever.
Stephen Neal leaves wrestling to play in the NFL
Stephen Neal won NCAA heavyweight titles for CSU Bakersfield in 1998 as a junior and in 1999 as a senior. Several months later, he won the 1999 World Championships. He placed second to Kerry McCoy at the 2000 Olympic Trials then left wrestling in 2001 to play for the New England Patriots as an offensive lineman where he won three Super Bowl rings.
Here’s the kicker: Neal didn’t play a down of college football.
Neal proved that you can reach the highest level in another sport with a high-level wrestling background. However, wrestling was denied of an Olympic cycle where Stephen Neal, Kerry McCoy, Tolly Thompson, and Steve Mocco would battle for heavyweight wrestling supremacy.
Dale Anderson transfers from Iowa State to Michigan State
Dale Anderson’s style did not mesh well with Iowa State coach Harold Nichols. That’s why he left the Cyclones to wrestle for Grady Peninger at Michigan State. The result was the greatest era in Spartan wrestling history, which yielded NCAA titles for Anderson in 1967 and 1968 and an NCAA team championship for Michigan State in 1967. It was also the first time a Big Ten school won the NCAA tournament. The Spartans placed first and the Cyclones placed third in 1967. Anderson won the NCAA tournament at 137 pounds and Iowa State didn’t have a wrestler win a match at that weight class. Anderson’s transfer made the ultimate difference and it gave Michigan State its only NCAA team title in program history.
Ray Brinzer transfers from Oklahoma State to Iowa
Ray Brinzer left Oklahoma State for Iowa after sanctions against the Cowboys forced the program to miss postseason competition in 1993. Brinzer transferred to Iowa and placed third at NCAA Championships at 177 pounds in 1993 and 1995, but it was his second-place finish at the 1993 Big Ten Championships that shaped wrestling history as we know it. Brinzer entered the Big Ten tournament with a 0-0 record. The NCAA cleared him to wrestle for the Hawkeyes just as the team departed for the tournament in Columbus, Ohio. Penn State had just entered the Big Ten and was looking to break Iowa’s stranglehold on the conference and on the country. The Nittany Lions came close. Iowa won both the 1993 Big Ten and NCAA titles. However, the Hawkeyes eked out a win over the Nittany Lions at the conference tournament, 128-123.5. Rest of the story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1571370777269&twSessionId=dmoubmntit&postId=1690556132&mc_cid=987ee111d5&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Ohio State wrestling coach receives eternal victory through unimaginable tragedy
Tom Ryan remembers well the day a two-word question became the most difficult he had ever been asked. It was Feb. 16, 2004, and Ryan was in his ninth season as Hofstra’s wrestling coach. Ryan and his wife, Lynette, had just returned from a New York hospital and were greeted by their three children.Nine-year old Jake posed the question that would change Ryan’s life forever. “Where’s Teague?”
Teague was Tom and Lynette’s 5-year-old son. The couple was only minutes removed from being informed that Teague had passed away due to a heart attack. It took years to discover what triggered Teague’s heart attack, but it was eventually discovered that Teague had ARVC, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. ARVC is a hereditary heart disease that causes the muscular wall of the heart to break down over time. This can lead to an abnormal heartbeat and death.
Teague’s death tore Ryan apart. His son Jake’s question pierced Ryan’s heart. He doesn’t remember what he said; he only knows that from that moment on he set off on a relentless pursuit for an answer.
Now, more than 15 years later, Ryan is in a new state and in a new phase of life as the wrestling coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He has 270 career wins, 161 of them in 13 seasons at Ohio State. Under his leadership, the Buckeyes have won 76 percent of their duals. But by far the biggest difference in Ryan’s life is that he now has an answer to Jake’s question, which plagued him for so long. And he found that answer through Christ. “I think my dad, in that season of life, was questioning, ‘My son’s not here, but where is he?’” Ryan’s daughter Mackenzie, now 18, said in The Lantern. “Which led him to open up himself into learning a bunch of different religions, search for the truth all over and ultimately found Christianity.” Rest of the story at https://sportsspectrum.com/sport/wrestling/2019/10/18/ohio-state-wrestling-coach-receives-eternal-victory-through-unimaginable-tragedy/?mc_cid=e2d879b5f8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
St. Olaf to discontinue men’s wrestling program
TDR’s – First the official story as…
NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College Department of Athletics announced on Friday that it will discontinue the sport of men’s wrestling, effective at the end of the 2019-20 academic year. The coaching staff and student-athletes were notified of the decision at a meeting prior to Friday’s announcement. “Providing our student-athletes with a quality experience is our top priority,” said St. Olaf College Athletic Director Ryan Bowles. “We are committed to ensuring that they have the opportunity to flourish academically, socially, and athletically. For wrestling, the demands of our small program and dwindling roster do not meet our standards or provide a sustainable model of excellence.” St. Olaf first offered wrestling as a varsity sport in 1949 and won the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) team championship in 1950-51. The MIAC stopped sponsoring the sport of men’s wrestling after the 2002-03 academic year. Rest of the story at https://athletics.stolaf.edu/news/2019/10/18/st-olaf-to-discontinue-mens-wrestling-program.aspx?mc_cid=e2d879b5f8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
and Guillotine Grapevine Podcast: Parents perspective on St. Olaf dropping wrestling at https://theguillotine.com/2019/10/guillotine-grapevine-podcast-parents-perspective-on-st-olaf-dropping-wrestling/?fbclid=IwAR0QQigk8-8TZquUogEeZEhRT_WQvcv3J08BHBA2z9jHGtNRHl-x9RRoMD0
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
