Wrestling is the world’s oldest sport. In Arkansas, it’s the newest
There’s a lot of moving parts in a college athletics department. It’s more than just an Athletic Director and some coaches. There’s support staff, administrative assistants, academic support, compliance, sports information, marketing and promotions, ticket sales, donor relations – so when the University of Arkansas-Little Rock announced its new Division I wrestling program in March of 2018, there was a lot more work involved from an athletic administration standpoint after the announcement than just hiring a coach and recruiting some wrestlers.
While the landscape of big time college sports today seems to be enamored with pay-for-play and athlete likenesses, sports outside of basketball and football stay out of that mainstream spotlight. For administrators at most places, the focus on a successful college athletics program isn’t always just about championships – it’s about their belief in what athletics can bring to a campus – a real sense of community.
For Little Rock, a coach has been hired and a start time has been set. But it’s not just up to newly hired head coach Neil Erisman to get things done – there’s a lot of moving parts that don’t directly involve wrestling mats and headgear. For the rest of Episode 7 check at http://rockedup.libsyn.com/behind-the-scenes?mc_cid=348e5c372c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Super 32 Results 2019
The final 2018-19 InterMat rankings featured 115 wrestlers that competed in the 2018 Super 32 Challenge. This includes six wrestlers that ended the season ranked first in the country: Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.), Lucas Byrd (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio), Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.), Alex Facundo (Davison, Mich.), Jacob Cardenas (Bergen Catholic, N.J.), and Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.); it was a repeat title for Amos, wile Byrd, Anderson, and Cardenas have matriculated on to college. In addition, 350 participants from the 2018 Super 32 high school tournament won a state title, New England Regional title, or National Prep championship at season’s end.
At the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Pittsburgh, fourteen of the finalists were wrestlers that competed in the Super 32 Challenge during their high school career; eight of them won titles. This includes … Rest of the story and links at https://www.super32.com/
Super 32 Finals Match Ups and results;
https://www.flowrestling.org/results/6574662-2019-super-32/27008
ECU October Open Workout
Our second open workout of the season will be next Sunday, October 20th from 2-4 pm. We will be hosting it in the Health Sciences Student Center this month, due to conflicts at the Main Campus Center. The address is: 1868 Health Science Dr. Greenville, NC 27834. The best parking lot to park in would be at the corner of MacGregor Downs Rd and Clinic Dr. The clinic will be hosted by Jamie Yezarski from New Bern, NC. Registration will begin at 1:30pm. A coach, parent, or guardian must be present or sign the attached waivers for participants under 18. If you have any difficulties locating the new venue please contact our manager, Sam Dalton, at (336) 312-3436.
We look forward to seeing you at the open workout.East Carolina Wrestling Club.
2019 LSU Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Class: Kevin Jackson
TDR Notes : Our congratulations to Kevin Jackson on this well deserved honor. It would be great if LSU and and the Southeastern Conference would wise up and bring back wrestling to those schools.
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by Tayler Pierre / LSU Athletics Communications
LSU wrestling All-American Kevin Jackson is a member of the 2019 LSU Athletics Hall of Fame induction class and will be formally enshrined on Friday, October 11, at the Louisiana State Museum in downtown Baton Rouge. The other inductees are Walter Davis (men’s track & field), Ashlee Ducote (softball), Meredith Duncan (women’s golf), Susan Jackson (gymnastics), Bradie James (football) and Jason Williams (baseball).
Kevin Jackson’s catch phrase is “be in it to win it.” Throughout his wrestling and coaching career, he has been able to do just that. “Kevin Jackson was one of the greatest wrestlers our nation has ever produced,” said USA Wrestling National Freestyle Coach William Zadick in his letter of recommendation for Jackson, who will be inducted into the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday night. Jackson attended LSU for his first three seasons as a collegiate wrestler until the university discontinued the sport. He transferred to Iowa State for his senior season and completed his collegiate career with four All-America honors and a runners-up finish in the 1987 NCAA tournament.
Following his graduation from Iowa State, he captured an Olympic Gold Medal at the 1992 Games in Barcelona. He was also a two-time World Championships Gold Medalist and a two-time Pan American Games Gold Medalist.
“It’s a true honor to be inducted into LSU’s Hall of Fame, especially after all the years and the changes,” Jackson said. “The big thing for me is that I’m really excited. Rest of the story at https://rshv.news/2019-lsu-athletics-hall-fame-induction-class-kevin-jackson/?mc_cid=863baad934&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Five teams that finished outside the top 20 to watch out for this NCAA season
BY MIKE WILLIS, USA WRESTLING | OCT. 09, 2019,
Every year there are programs that make big leaps in the rankings. Here are five teams that finished outside the top 20 at last year’s NCAA tournament that are poised to make some noise in the 2019-2020 season.
Wisconsin Last year’s finish: 21
In Chris Bono’s first year as Wisconsin’s head coach, they finished one spot away from a top-20 placement. The Badgers have been red hot on the recruiting trail recently, picking up commitments from Braxton Amos and Joey Zargo, the No. 3 and No. 36 prospects in the class of 2020 (according to Flowrestling). Additionally, they’ve received commitments from ranked wrestlers in the class of 2021 including, No. 9 Hayden Copass and No. 48 Dean Hamiti. While these wrestlers won’t be on campus for the current season, the Badgers still look to be in good shape for the present as well as the future.
At 125 pounds, it’s very possible Wisconsin rolls out true freshman Eric Barnett. The Wisconsin native was the No. 36 recruit in the class of 2019.
In the offseason, 2018 NCAA champion and 2017 NCAA runner-up Seth Gross received a sixth year of eligibility after missing the entire 2018-2019 season. He transferred to Wisconsin from South Dakota State, Bono’s previous school, for his final year of eligibility. Gross will be one of the favorites to win a title at the weight class, especially with a lot of the top-tier talent eyeing Olympic redshirts.
141 pounds will most likely be redshirt junior Tristan Moran. A transfer from Oklahoma State, Moran finished in the round of 12 last season.
It looks like three-time NCAA qualifier Cole Martin will once again cover the 149 pound spot. Martin will look to become a four-time qualifier and punch through to earn his first All-American honors.
157 pounds is a weight class that might still be in contention. Zander Wick announced his retirement after having his last two seasons cut short due to injuries. When Wick went down last season, redshirt freshman Garrett Model took over and went 10-14. He did not qualify for the NCAA tournament.
165 pounds should feature two-time All-American Evan Wick. The past two seasons, Wick has finished fourth and third at the NCAA tournament. Rest of the teams and story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/October/09/Five-teams-that-finished-outside-the-20-to-watch-out-for-this-NCAA-season?mc_cid=863baad934&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
#WOMENSWEDNESDAY: Q&A with Dany DeAnda, women’s coach at NCAA Div. I Presbyterian College
BY GARY ABBOTT, USA WRESTLING | OCT. 09, 2019,
Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C., became the first NCAA Div. I athletic department to add a varsity women’s wrestling team. Presbyterian also added a men’s Div. I varsity team. This past weekend, Presbyterian’s women’s team had its historic first competition, travelling to Ferrum, Va. for a pair of duals, beating Ferrum and losing to Gannon.
Dany DeAnda is the head women’s wrestling coach at Presbyterian. A native of Hawaii, she was a two-time Junior World medalist as an athlete. DeAnda was an assistant coach for the University of Jamestown and the University of Providence before taking over the Presbyterian women’s team. Her husband Tony DeAnda is head coach of the Presbyterian men’s wrestling team. We visited with Dany shortly after their historic first competitions.
Q: You are the first coach of the first NCAA Div. I team with women’s wrestling. What has it been like getting that program up and running?
DeAnda: Between me, Tony (DeAnda) and (Director of Wrestling) Mark (Cody), we all work together to get out there and recruit. It has kind of been a slow process. Last year, we had three athletes that came in before we got hired. Since Tony and I were hired, we now have 15 on the women’s team. There has been a lot of positive feedback. A lot of people want to wrestle at a D-I level. Like any program, whether you are D-I or NAIA, there is a lot of legwork getting your name out there, getting the school out there so they know we have a program.
Q: You have college coaching experience. How has being at Presbyterian College been different from the places you have coached?
DeAnda: The main difference is that this is Div. I, and with Div. I comes with bigger budgets with what we can do recruiting-wise and travel-wise. It looks a little different than with an NAIA school, since we have coached NAIA schools. Presbyterian is the same size school, student-body wise, as any other school I have been with, between 1,200 and 1,300 students. It is a unique situation here. Rest of the story and interview at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/October/09/Womens-Wednesday-Dany-DeAnda-of-Presbyterian?mc_cid=863baad934&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Five U.S. wrestlers to compete in historic first ANOC World Beach Games in Qatar, Oct. 14-15
TDR ; We will highlight the one paragraph of special interest to wrestling fans in North Carolina.
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BY GARY ABBOTT, USA WRESTLING | OCT. 11, 2019
The United States will enter five talented Senior wrestlers in the historic first ANOC World Beach Games in Doha, Qatar, Oct. 14-15. This is a launch of a new major multi-sport event featuring beach sports. Beach Wrestling is one of only 15 sports which will be included in this historic first-ever event. … The Team Leader and Coach of the U.S. wrestlers is Ed Duncan of Spruce Pine, N.C. Duncan is the chair of the USA Wrestling ad-hoc Associated Styles Committee and a member of the UWW Beach Wrestling Committee. He is a USA Wrestling Silver Certified Coach, and a high school and club coach in North Carolina. Duncan is state chairperson for North Carolina USA Wrestling and has been event director for the U.S. Beach National Championships since 2013. … Rest of the story and details at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/October/11/Five-USA-wrestlers-in-historic-World-Beach-Games-in-Qatar?fbclid=IwAR29ry79ueCRdYLz6Yy92zlXP4m1nrZjzXHjh9urlR0WZUvDdNJCGJeEjAM
BATTLE AT THE CITADEL WRESTLING TOURNAMENT SET FOR NOV. 3
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The inaugural Battle at The Citadel Wrestling Tournament will take place Nov. 3 inside McAlister Field House. The doors will open at 9 a.m. with the open tournament set to begin at 10 a.m.
Tickets for the event are $10 for adults, $5 for students (Ages 3-18 or college student with ID) and $5 for groups of 10 or more. Tickets are available online by clicking HERE. Tickets can also be purchased at The Citadel Box Office, located on the first floor of McAlister Field House, or by calling 843-953-3647.
The event will feature the host Bulldogs, along with American, Duke, NC State, Old Dominion, Presbyterian and Stanford. The tournament will take place on six mats and will be wrestled straight through the finals with no breaks. The tournament brackets can be viewed through Flo Arena. For more information on The Citadel wrestling, follow @CitadelWrestle on Twitter and Instagram or visit CitadelSports.com. Rest of the story and details at https://citadelsports.com/news/2019/10/8/battle-at-the-citadel-wrestling-tournament-set-for-nov-3.aspx?mc_cid=32ef3da617&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Why I Chose Wrestling, by Kylie Rule
For the past eight years, I have been through an amazing journey with wrestling. It all started when I was in second grade. My little brother, Kade, who was in kindergarten at the time, would go to practice but would not walk out on the mat by himself. However, when he came home from practice, we would go into the basement, where we had a wrestling mat, and he would show me what he had learned that day in practice. We knew he was paying attention, but he was still too shy to walk out on the mat.
This went on for months. Since he had no problem wrestling me at home, Dad asked me if I would like to go to practice with Kade to try to get him on the mat. I told dad that I would be interested in helping him. I went with Dad and Kade to the next practice, and we both walked right out on the mat and began our practice. It took about a month for Kade to be able to be comfortable enough to walk out on the mat by himself. Kade was now wrestling with his new buddies, and Dad said that he didn’t need me anymore in the practice room. I didn’t like what he said because I now knew I liked the sport as well and I wanted to keep going. I was very thankful I was welcomed by the rest of the team, and never had to feel like I didn’t belong because I was a girl.
While I was wrestling, I was a multi-sport athlete and was always busy, even throughout the summer. Rest of this wrestler’s story at http://www.hmawrestling.com/article/why-i-chose-wrestling-by-kylie-rule/?mc_cid=32ef3da617&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
A New Season Arises
With the flip of the calendar from September to October comes the start of a new wrestling season. The unofficial start of the 2019-20120 wrestling season begins this month as a number of tournaments will signal the start of the new season. Wrestling will begin this weekend and continue through the month as October will feature some of the top preseason wrestling tournaments in the country.
Grappler Fall Classic October 5
Jenison Fieldhouse
East Lansing, MI
The Grappler Fall Classic will feature some of the top youth wrestlers in the country as the event annually draws wrestlers from all over the country. It’s the top preseason tournament in the Midwest as it provides a great opportunity for wrestlers to get mat time versus some quality competition.
You can learn more about the event here.
Wild West Folkstyle Tournament October 6
Natomas High School
Sacramento, CA
The Wild West Folkstyle Tournament is the first tournament of the season in the state of California. It annually draws wrestlers from California and surrounding states and will once again give the opportunity to young wrestlers to get some much needed mat time. The event serves as the first leg of the California Triple Crown.
You can learn more about this year’s event here.
Super 32 Challenge October 12-13
Greensboro Coliseum
Greensboro, NC
Regarded as not only the toughest preseason wrestling tournament but also one of the toughest of the season, the Super 32 will kickoff on October 12. This is an event that a majority of the top wrestlers compete in and this year’s event will feature top wrestlers such as Vince Bouzakis, Ty Kapusta and Paul Ognissanti.
You can learn more about the Super 32 here.
California World Challenge October 12-13
Clovis West High School
Fresno, CA
Last year more than 900 youth wrestlers competed in the 2018 California World Challenge. The event is annually one of the top preseason events in the state. Last year’s event featured a number of state champions and that’ll most likely be the case again this year as wrestlers will have the chance to compete against quality talent. Rest of the details and the story at https://youth1.com/wrestling/new-season-arises?mc_cid=7570eee4d9&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b#
TDR blog
After 20 seasons of publicizing wrestling The TakeDown Report’s (TDR) focus has changed to the collecting of college coaching records from North America since 1903. We will continue to recognize and reward successful wrestlers in eastern North Carolina (east of Raleigh & Fayetteville), assist with schools in starting or re-starting a team and this blog. Join us on our FaceBook Page – “The TakeDown Report” for photos and news. Please send results, stories, links and news to pass along. E-mail us at takedownreport@gmail.com
Martin Fleming, Editor
Takedown Report
