‘Tiger Style’ taught at West camp by Missouri coach
MOREHEAD CITY — The “Tiger Style” way of life came to the Crystal Coast this week in the first-ever Brian Smith Wrestling Camp. The University of Missouri wrestling coach is putting on a four-day camp this week at West Carteret High School, where his cousin Kevin Smith is the coach. Typically, the Patriot coach accompanies a dozen or more West wrestlers to the Tiger Style Wrestling Camp at Mizzou. This year, Brian Smith returned the favor and traveled over 1,000 miles to Morehead City. “We were sitting in the dorm room at Missouri last year,” Brian Smith said, “talking about the adventure it is of bringing 15 or so kids across the country. I said, ‘Hey why don’t I come out there for a change.’ I’ve never been to his home in North Carolina, so it became a thing.”
The 22-year Missouri head coach brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience in the sport. The Tigers of Columbia, Mo. are a perennial Division I powerhouse, finishing the 2018-2019 season with a 16-1 mark in duals. Smith has the most wins (283-94-3) and highest winning percentage (.744) in program history. The Tigers finished sixth this past season at the NCAA Wrestling Championships with four wrestlers earning All-American honors, including true freshman Brock Mauller (149 pounds), redshirt junior Jaydin Eierman (141) and redshirt seniors Daniel Lewis (174) and John Erneste (133). Rest of the story at http://www.carolinacoastonline.com/news_times/sports/article_e94ccdcc-a42c-11e9-9435-f71c69862fa5.html?fbclid=IwAR2YZPGRAvLcJgiOlkf54TTFDG-0dCZDPCL1nfu2FNMM30qWF-JVJRM5q8I
Celebration of life and legacy of Joe Seay set for August 14 in Stillwater, Okla.
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Oklahoma State Wrestling will host Cheryl Seay and family of Joe Seay for a celebration of the life and legacy of Joe Van Seay on August 14 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Joe was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 1998 and he was head coach of the Oklahoma State wrestling team from 1985 to 1992, leading the Cowboys to back-to-back NCAA Division I championships in 1989 and 1990.
Seay was volunteer head coach for the U.S. men’s freestyle World Teams which were World Team Champions in 1993 in Toronto, Canada and in 1995 in Atlanta, Ga. He also coached the 1996 U.S. Olympic men’s freestyle team in Atlanta, which won the medal count.
Rest of the story and details at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/July/25/Joe-Seay-celebration-in-Stillwater-August-14?mc_cid=10f2fb985a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Welch to join Mount Olive staff as assistant coach
Mount Olive, N.C. — Mount Olive head wrestling coach Jake Patacsil announced the addition of Luke Welch as an assistant coach on Wednesday afternoon. The announcement comes just months before the Trojans take to the mat for their inaugural wrestling season at Mount Olive. “I am excited to announce that Luke Welch has accepted the opportunity to join the UMO family as the assistant wrestling coach for the 2019-2020 season,” said head coach Jake Patacsil. “He brings with him a wealth of knowledge wrestling at the 125lb weight class for Purdue for the last five years while leading the team. Luke is dedicated to athletic excellence with an emphasis on academic achievement. Bringing in a young coach who is eager to learn and succeed is what I was looking for in a candidate and I know Luke will help take UMO to the next level in our upcoming years. It is an exciting time to be starting a program and Luke is the right guy to help bring us into the future.”
Welch comes to Mount Olive after completing his collegiate wrestling career at Purdue in 2018 with a 32-11 season and a strong performance at the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships. At the 2018 Championships, Welch won his opening bout only to drop in the second round to No. 3 Spencer Lee of Iowa. He continued on in the wrestle backs winning a pair of matches before falling one round shy of the All-American rounds.
Welch’s overall career record came in at 93-64 between the 125 and 133-pound weight classes. He was the 2017 USA Wrestling University Nationals 57 kg national champion, a two-time USA Wrestling University Nationals All-American (2015, 2017), a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection (2015, 2018), and ranks 18th on Purdue’s career takedowns list (227).
Welch’s family has a deep history in the sport of wrestling. He joined his older twin brothers, Chad and Doug, on the mat for the Boilermakers while wrestling at Purdue from 2013-2018. Rest of the story at http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/22186?fbclid=IwAR1jm9YXDjuXHkrDPodxrN1WDHeyD2CLR7f47i1Cqx393iqqmAeWb3ov_d8
Welcome to the Party: Meet Your New DII Wrestling Programs
There may be those out there who are unexcited by the growth being shown by divisions that are not NCAA Division I. I myself and TheOpenMat are not those people. We celebrate and embrace the #GrowTheSport movement at all levels. Whether it be our expanded Division II coverage over the last 18 months, our coverage of Women’s Wrestling, high school, and international news, we are on board for any and all things that can help our sport grow. I am excited to introduce you to some new members of the fraternity/sorority this coming NCAA wrestling season. There will be three new universities and a college joining the NCAA Division II Men’s Wrestling ranks in 2019-20. In a couple of cases, they will be lead by names that Division I fans should remember. These programs are helping to lay down roots in the East and the South that are in areas full of talented wrestlers who can now continue their athletic careers at the next level. It will not be for lack of opportunities that a high schooler can choose to wrestle in college and that is how we help to grow the sport. Athletes stay as fans after they graduate and if they have alma mater to cheer for we can see programs attract future donors, sponsors, fans, and legacies. Two new programs break ground in West Virginia while the Carolinas each pick up a new program of their own. Growing the sport in the southeast is so important, there are only a few Division I opportunities in the south and until the addition of Little Rock, none outside of the Carolinas and Chattanooga. That leaves a lot of very talented wrestlers with few choices once they graduate. More often than not, it is moving away from home if they are not ready to hang up the shoes. Embrace these new programs, I know I am. Rest of the story at https://news.theopenmat.com/college-wrestling-news/welcome-to-the-party-meet-your-new-dii-wrestling-programs/73853?mc_cid=10f2fb985a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Thomas More Makes Official Move to NAIA and Mid-South Conference
(CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky.) — Effective today (Monday, July 1, 2019), Thomas More University makes its official move to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Mid-South Conference from the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. Thomas More was a previous member of the NAIA from 1947 to 1990 before joining the NCAA. “As a former college athlete myself, I have seen firsthand the impact that participation in athletics can have on the development of character,” said President Joseph L. Chillo. “I’m excited to be here for this transition to the NAIA and into the well-respected Mid-South Conference. I’m looking forward to watching our Saints compete.”
The NAIA has more than 250-member institutions, which have an average full-time enrollment of 1,700 students. The NAIA’s focus on character-driven athletics is exemplified in its Champions of Character program. Champions of Character provides training for student-athletes and professional development for coaches and staff. The values of integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership are put into play and accounted for at NAIA institutions. Part of the Champions of Character program is LIVE 5 Training for student-athletes, which focuses on modeling, leading, and building values-based skills for life after college. Academically the NAIA is known for its Play NAIA eligibility center.
Rest of the story at https://www.thomasmoresaints.com/general/2018-19/releases/20190627j89b0k?mc_cid=7f734c0419&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Mental Mondays with Ben Askren: How to Mentally Prepare on Match Day
Confidence Comes From Preparation
This week, Ben Askren answers the question, “What is the best mindset to have the day of the match?”. Askren talks about having a gameplan developed well in advance and even if you don’t have that opportunity the best thing is to constantly focus on yourself. Askren goes on to explain what he means by focusing on yourself. Constantly analyzing your skillset to see holes or places that need improvement as well as your strong points is important. The more confident you become in your diverse abilities the more you can successfully make game-time decisions.
Avoid This Pitfall
The best thing for Askren to perform at his best is to be relaxed. All the work has been put in all you need to do is execute on what you’ve been practicing on for so long. Rest of the story and video at
https://therudis.com/ben-askren-mental-mondays-prepare-on-match-day/?mc_cid=7f734c0419&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
All NCAA divisions recommend adding women’s wrestling as emerging sport
Women’s wrestling has taken yet another step toward officially becoming an emerging sport in all three NCAA divisions.
In separate actions this week, the NCAA Division II and Division III Management Councils each recommended that their divisions add women’s wrestling (along with acrobatics/tumbling) to their list of emerging sports for women. These decisions are based on a recommendation from the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics, which oversees the emerging sports program with the goal of increasing participation opportunities for female athletes. The Presidents Council of each division will review the proposal at its meeting next month. If each Council supports the recommendation, Division II and Division III members will vote on whether to add women’s wrestling and acrobatics/tumbling to their emerging sports lists at the 2020 NCAA Convention. Both women’s wrestling and acrobatics/tumbling are on similar tracks in NCAA Division I. Rest of the story at http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/22184?fbclid=IwAR0JmVuneCmRG9qPm61IL_7QRIA-BZgCZrzv_sbQIUAaB5eVX0vw9Kht8G4
InterMat Reads: Giant Killer: The Carlton Haselrig Story
The nation’s first — and only — six-time NCAA wrestling champion. Pennsylvania high school state champ (despite being from a school without a wrestling program). NFL All-Pro offensive guard for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. One of just fifteen named to the NCAA 75th Anniversary team as one of the greatest college wrestlers since 1928. All of these accomplishments just scratch the surface of the life and career of Carlton Haselrig. Now the all-time great amateur wrestler/pro football star shares his story — the good and the bad — in the new book, “Giant Killer: The Carlton Haselrig Story” by Haselrig and Kevin Emily, now available from OptionalStart.org.
Meet the authors ;
Carlton Haselrig is one of the most accomplished wrestlers-turned-pro football players. Born in Johnstown, Pa. in 1966, Haselrig played football as a kid in his uncle’s backyard then at Greater Johnstown High School, where he also took up wrestling and participated in various wrestling tournaments on his own, as there was no official wrestling team at the school. Despite those challenges, Haselrig won a state title at the 1984 PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) wrestling championships. To continue his mat career, Haselrig stayed close to home. As a student-athlete at NCAA Division II University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, he finished in third place in the heavyweight bracket as a freshman at the 1986 NCAA D2 championships. As a sophomore, Haselrig started his title drive, going on to win both the Division I and Division II titles in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons, for a total of six championships. How did Haselrig become the only wrestler to win more than four NCAA titles? Before 1990, individual champs of the Division II and Division III wrestling championships automatically qualified for the Division I championships. This made it possible for Haselrig to win two titles in one year. After Haselrig earned his six NCAA titles, the Division I Wrestling Committee voted to change the rules, no longer allowing Division II and III champions to compete at the D1 championships. Rest of the story at
Jones first Arkansan to wrestle Division-I in home state
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — For the first time a Division-I wrestling recruit will stay in-state for his college career. Bentonville’s Cash Jones is the first Arkansan to suit up for the Little Rock Trojans. “I’m an Arkansas boy, I want to be home and I want to help build the sport here.” Jones started wrestling when he was 9-years-old, since then he’s been hooked. “It’s all emotion and it’s all heart. It’s an adrenalin rush and it’s awesome.” The state champion is the first Arkansan to stay in-state and wrestle at the D-I level. Rest of the story and video at
USA Wrestling announces 2019 Pan American Games team
The United States will send 18 excitingly talented wrestlers to the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, Aug. 7-10. The Pan Am Games differ from the Pan Am Championships as the Games feature the 18 Olympic weights across all three styles and are contested only once every four years. Making up the squad are the members of the 2019 U.S. Senior World Team at the Olympic weights. Among them are seven wrestlers that combine for 22 Senior World medals. Greco-Roman action kicks off the wrestling portion of the Games on Aug. 7-8, followed by women’s freestyle Aug. 8-9 and ending with men’s freestyle Aug. 9-10. The 2019 Pan Am Games does NOT serve as a qualifier for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Rest of the story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/June/27/USA-Wrestling-announces-2019-Pan-American-Games-team?mc_cid=17027c7908&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
