HISTORY! Adeline Gray becomes the first five-time Senior World champion in USA history
BY GARY ABBOTT, USA WRESTLING | SEPT. 19, 2019
NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan – Adeline Gray has made history, winning a U.S. record fifth Senior World Championships gold medal with a victory at 76 kg/167.5 lbs. at the World Wrestling Championships on Thursday night. Gray (Denver, Colo./New York AC) wrestled a smart match, defeating two-time World bronze medalist Hiroe Minagawa Suzuki of Japan in the gold-medal final, 4-2.
Suzuki scored first, when Gray was placed on the shot clock and did not score in the required 30 seconds. However, late in the first period, Gray converted a double leg takedown and added a two-point tilt, to lead 4-1 at the break. In the second period, Gray controlled the action and no points were scored until there was three seconds to go and Suzuki forced a step out. Time quickly went away, and Adeline Gary was World champion once again.
She has surpassed U.S. superstars John Smith, Tricia Saunders and Jordan Burroughs, who were tied with her with four Senior World golds going into this week. Burroughs will compete at the World Champoionships on Friday and Saturday, with a goal of winning his fifth and catching back up to Gray.
Gray has now won World titles in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019, and World bronze medals in 2011 and 2013.
On Wednesday, Gray had already qualified the United States for the 2020 Olympics at this weight class by reaching the semifinals. The top six athletes in each Olympic weight class qualify their nation for the Tokyo Games.
Gray reached the finals with four impressive wins on Wednesday. She opened with three dominant 10-0 technical falls, powering through Eleni Pjollaj of Italy, 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Elmira Syzdykova of Kazakhstan and two-time Junior World medalist Hui Tsz Chang of Chinese Taipei. In the semifinals, she won a strategic battle against 2014 World champion Aline Rotter Focken of Germany, 5-2.
Gray is a native of the Denver, Colo. area and spent many years as a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete. Rest of story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/September/19/Gray-wins-fifth-World-title?mc_cid=86d95781f8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Cox repeats as World champion, Burroughs wins bronze medal at World Championships
BY GARY ABBOTT, USA WRESTLING | SEPT. 21, 2019
NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan – 2018 World champion J’den Cox (Colorado Springs, Colo./Titan Mercury WC/OTC) made it two in a row, claiming the World title once again at 92 kg/202.5 lbs at the 2019 World Wrestling Championships. Cox had the only two takedowns in the gold-medal finals, beating two-time World bronze medalist Alireza Mohammad Karimimachiani of Iran, 4-0 on Saturday night. Cox scored both of his takedowns in the first period, then controlled the action in a scoreless second period. Cox defeated Karimimachiani, 5-2, in the 2018 World Championships semifinals on his way to his first World title in Budapest, Hungary.
While his offense was sharp, it was his defense that was amazing the entire tournament. Cox did not allow a single point in his four matches, outscoring his opponents 26-0 over the two days. Cox has won a World or Olympic medal for the fourth straight year. In addition to his 2018 World gold, Cox was a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist and 2017 World bronze medalist. On Friday, Cox shut out 2017 U23 World bronze medalist Irakli Mtsituri of Georgia, 3-0 in the semifinals. He was in command in two Friday morning matches, securing an 11-0 technical fall over Mohamad Fardj of Algeria and shutting out Nurgali Nurgaipuly of Kazakhstan, 8-0. Rest of the story at
https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/September/21/Cox-wins-World-title-Burroughs-wins-bronze-medal?mc_cid=86d95781f8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
FloWrestling NCAA Rankings 2019-20
125 Spencer Lee
Korbin Myers is planning to drop down from 133 and slots in the top 10 as a former round 16 finisher with impressive wins over Phillippi, Hayes and Terao. Brandon Paetzell is also cutting down a weight class. He had more mixed results last year, but still worthy of a top 20 ranking at 125. Conspicuously absent from the rankings is Vito Arujau, who is expected to take an Olympic redshirt along with several of his teammates. A mix of veterans and newbies populate the bottom of the expanded rankings. Expect the redshirt freshman trio of Camacho, Melendez and McKee to make rapid advances as the season gets underway. Questions or comments about the rankings? Get in touch with the rankers Andrew Spey (Twitter: @speywrestle; email: andrew.spey@flosports.tv) and Christian Pyles (Twitter: @cpyles8; email: christian.pyles@flosports.tv).
Rest of the story and rankings at https://www.flowrestling.org/rankings/6567575-ncaa-rankings-2019-20/32624-125-spencer-lee?mc_cid=86d95781f8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Shade Takes Part In NWCA Leadership Academy
PEMBROKE – UNC Pembroke wrestling assistant coach Blaze Shade was among a handful of collegiate coaches to be selected for the National Wrestling Coaches CEO Leadership Academy over the summer after applying for and receiving a scholarship to attend the event. The NWCA invested more than $1,000,000 into the development and implementation of a comprehensive leadership development program designed to help college coaches sharpen their skills, and/or to promote best practices for improving academic performance. Internationally-renowned coaching development expert, Dr. Dan Gould at Michigan State, has been the primary architect of the research-based academy, along with input from a variety of elite coaches, athletics directors and content experts.
Highlights of the two-day event in Daytona Beach, Fla., included small group discussions with participating coaches and mentors, a portfolio assembly of each coach’s respective programs and an invitation to attend the NWCA Convention. Participants also completed a series of online modules that promoted important principles of leaders. Shade, a three-time all-American for the Braves from 2012-17, is heading into his third season on the coaching staff for the Braves. Fans can get an early look at the 2019-20 squad on October 22 when the Braves host their annual Black & Gold Intrasquad at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. Admission to that event is free.
Rest of the story at https://uncpbraves.com/news/2019/9/16/wrestling-shade-takes-part-in-ncwa-leadership-academy.aspx
UNC-Pembroke Wrestling To Hold Open Tryout On August 26
TDR Editor’s Notes ; This seems like a great idea that would increase wrestling opportunities and publicity for our sport. Hope that other schools with teams would provide similar opportunities for students to ‘walk-on’ and make an effort to be on the team.
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PEMBROKE – UNC Pembroke wrestling head coach Othello “O.T.” Johnson will be holding an open tryout for the 2019-20 UNCP wrestling team on August 26 at Grace P. Johnson Stadium. The tryout will begin at 5:30 a.m. on Dick & Lenore Taylor Track. In order to participate, students must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours for the fall semester at UNCP and be in good academic standing. Rest of the details at
https://uncpbraves.com/news/2019/8/20/wrestling-to-hold-open-tryout-on-august-26.aspx
Carteret County Student-Athlete of the Week
OCEAN – Max Buglisi was part of a trailblazing group last season that led the Croatan boys soccer team to its first-ever conference championship. He hopes to repeat that history this year. “It was something special, especially to do that with this group,” he said. “It was definitely fun. I’ve been playing since the fifth grade when I moved here, and it’s been the same group ever since then.” The Cougars tied for the top spot in the 1A/2A Coastal 8 Conference with Dixon and Southwest Onslow as each team finished with 6-1 league records in a hurricane-shortened schedule.
The club has enjoyed much success in the first two years of the Coastal 8, having finished as the runner-up in Buglisi’s sophomore season with a 12-2 mark. The standout senior defender has helped produce an 18-3 conference record over the past two seasons. Croatan gave up 27 goals in that time. Only Dixon with 20 gave up fewer goals. “Winning that conference championship was the highlight of my soccer career so far, but this year, we’re hoping to do even better,” Buglisi said. “Winning the conference is a big goal and doing our best in the playoffs.” The postseason has been the one disappointment of Buglisi’s soccer career. The Cougars have lost in the second round of the 2A playoffs in each of the past two seasons.
“We feel like we’ve gotten unlucky, feel like we should have made it further, should have done better,” he said. “The goal is always a state championship.” Buglisi has been playing on the defensive side of the ball since middle school. He waited to start his wrestling career in high school. “Honestly, it scared me a little bit,” he said of the sport. “But I got to high school and figured I would give it a try and have stuck with it.” His courage to step on the mat has paid off. He has been a member of two dual-team state runner-up finishes. Last year’s team got through the third round and regional final in matches that each came down to just one bout. The Cougars (25-4) edged Washington (33-6) by a 33-31 spread and then took a 39-33 victory over Ledford (22-11).
Buglisi won his 113-pound match in the regional final with a 5-1 decision to play a major role in the team win. As a sophomore, he was part of an inexperienced team that had little expectation of making noise in the playoffs with a 9-2 record but then ripped through Dixon (21-8), Washington (21-2), North Pitt (23-6) and Wheatmore (24-5) to make it to the 2A state final. “Oh, man, those trips to the state championship are the highlights of high school for me,” he said. “They’ve been crazy. I’ve loved it. A lot of those matches have been close, and could have gone either way. It’s been nice to see the work pay off. It’s really been something.” Rest of the story at http://www.carolinacoastonline.com/news_times/article_e1e0716a-da2d-11e9-ad4c-9f7077db0db9.html
West’s Dixon works his way to Mount Olive after successful senior campaign
MOREHEAD CITY — Financial and family considerations helped put Mount Olive over the top for Micah Dixon when it came to picking a college wrestling program. The West Carteret senior will receive a partial scholarship from the new Division II program and attend his father’s alma mater. “They helped me financially. That was big,” Dixon said. “And my dad is an alum. That made a bit of a difference. I’ve grown up going to basketball games there and knew the school well. It’s familiar.” The News-Times Wrestler of the Year was being courted by both Mount Olive and UNC-Pembroke after a standout senior season and visited both campuses, willing to give them each their due. “I loved both campuses, liked each environment,” he said. “I was trying to keep an open mind, but Mount Olive came through at the end. I thought I fit well there. My dad supported me either way, but I’m sure he was rooting for Mount Olive.”
Dixon won almost every tournament he entered this season. He collected plenty of hardware in the regular season, winning the Beach Brawl, the Swiss Bear and the Beast of the East. In the postseason, he won conference and regional championships. He failed to win just two tournaments, taking third at the tough Tiger Holiday Classic and fourth at the 3A state meet. “He had a monster year,” West coach Kevin Smith said. “He was fourth in the state at 182, and he also wrestled at 195 and even wrestled at 220. He went against top kids at those weights and dominated them too. He’s athletic, coachable and has great character. You have a team of Micah’s, and you have a great team. He’ll be missed for sure.” Dixon, who finished a remarkable 54-4 at 182 pounds, reported that he wasn’t completely satisfied with his senior campaign. He reached the semifinals of the state championship before falling by a slim 7-6 decision to Weddington’s Joe Zovistoski. Rest of the story at
http://www.carolinacoastonline.com/news_times/sports/article_6ca1cc30-79b3-11e9-9b86-fbbf5471c697.html
Eight from @PackWrestle Ranked in FloWrestling Preseason Rankings
RALEIGH, N.C. – Eight NC State wrestlers find themselves ranked among the top-25 of their respective weight classes according to FloWrestling’s preseason rankings. Five members of the 2016 recruiting class that was ranked #1 nationally are ranked, while three members of the 2018 recruiting class that was ranked #3 overall are also ranked after all three redshirted last season.
NC State is led by R-Jr. Hayden Hidlay who is the preseason #1 wrestler at 157 pounds. Hidlay earned All-American honors in both 2018 and 2019, after placing second and then fourth at that weight. He has also won the ACC title in each of his first two seasons. Hidlay is joined by four classmates from his recruiting class, all entering their third season as starters.
Tariq Wilson will move up to 141 pounds this season. He went from unseeded to a third place finish at 133 pounds in 2017. Last season a foot injury sidelined him for two months, before he returned to finish one win shy of All-American honors. Wilson starts at #7 at his new weight class.
Another wrestler moving up a weight this season, Nick Reenan started last season 10-0 and ranked as high as #2 at 184 pounds before he tore his ACL. He continued to wrestle with the injury, and went 1-2 at the NCAA Championships. He starts #9 at 197 pounds. Rest of the story at https://gopack.com/news/2019/9/24/eight-from-packwrestle-ranked-in-flowrestling-preseason-rankings.aspx
Dake & Cox repeat as men’s freestyle earns four World medals
For the second year in a row, Kyle Dake and J’den Cox won World championships at 79 and 92 kilograms, respectively, during the final four days — Sept. 19-22 — of the Worlds in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. The only difference between the two years for the defending champions was that Cox was the one who went unscored upon in his four bouts in 2019, including a 4-0 win over Iran’s Alireza Karimimachiani. Dake, who went unscored upon in 2018, outscored four foes 27-6 in 2019, including a 4-2 victory over Azerbaijan’s Jabriel Hasanov in the gold medal match. Rest of the story with WIN Magazine at
https://www.win-magazine.com/2019/09/dake-and-cox-win-gold-again/
Indian Hills Adding Men’s, Women’s Wrestling
Ottumwa — Indian Hills Community College will become the latest Iowa college to add wrestling to its athletic offerings. IHCC Athletic Director Dr. Brett Monaghan announced that the school hopes to begin a men’s and women’s wrestling program in the 2020-21 academic year. The program will operate out of the Indian Hills Centerville campus. Monaghan explained that a nationwide search has already begun to find a head coach and whether the sport gets started next year “will be contingent on identifying the appropriate leader to come in this fall and begin recruiting and putting the pieces together to be able to begin in that time frame.”
Because wrestling is a staple in high schools in this part of the country and many of the schools in the Indian Hills region have been highly competitive at the state level, Monaghan said the college believes athletes from area high schools will give IHCC an opportunity to become competitive immediately. “I am certain this is the perfect sport to be the next addition to our athletic department,” Monaghan said. “Women’s wrestling has seen tremendous growth and I wanted to ensure we are at the forefront of NJCAA schools providing this opportunity to young women looking to compete at the collegiate level while also seeking to start their post-secondary academic careers at a community college.”
There are currently five schools in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference that have a men’s wrestling program – Iowa Western, Iowa Lakes, NIACC, Iowa Central and Ellsworth. None of the ICCAC schools has women’s wrestling yet. It is not a sanctioned sport by the NJCAA. Although it is not sanctioned at the high school level now in Iowa, Monaghan said 16 high school athletic associations across the nation have sanctioned girls’ wrestling.
Nationally, 53 men’s teams compete in wresting in the NJCAA. There are 61 collegiate women’s wrestling programs, in all levels, across the country. In Iowa, William Penn, Iowa Wesleyan and Grand View have all added women’s wrestling in the past year. Rest of the story at
https://indianhills.prestosports.com/general/2019-20/releases/20190924ipgcf8
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
