Ohio wrestling icon, Hall of Famer Bob Dieli Sr. passes
TDR Editor’s Notes; Bob was a wonderful fan of wrestling. He was very enthusiastic for the sport and delivered a lifetime of service to wrestling. He was a cheerful fan and enjoyable to be with as I had the pleasure to work with him on occasion and am grateful that I met him.
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Robert “Bob” Dieli Sr., an icon in central Ohio wrestling as an athlete, coach, Hall-of-Famer and host of the popular “Matside with Bob Dieli” show on Columbus cable TV for a quarter-century, passed away on Monday, June 24. He was 94.
Bob Dieli”At his visitation, someone said that just about every Ohio high school champ from the 1970s into the 1990s was influenced by Bob Dieli,” according to Adam DiSabato, a four-time letterwinner – and three-time NCAA All-American — for Ohio State from 1989-1993 and nephew of Dieli. Dieli’s day job was as Recreation Director for the City of Columbus allowed him to pursue his wrestling passion and share his knowledge of the sport with future champions in central Ohio. He established the Ohio Wrestling Club in 1971 at the Sunshine Center in Columbus. “Nobody was a stranger,” his son Bob Jr., told InterMat. “Helping kids was a passion.”
Dieli shared his passion for wrestling beyond the Ohio Wrestling Club with his cable TV show “Matside with Bob Dieli” which provided coverage of high school, college and international-style wrestling events in the Columbus area, along with interviews with athletes, coaches and others in the sport. Dieli’s imprint on the popular show extended for 25 years, with his last appearance on “Matside” being the 2013 Ohio high school state finals, according to his 65-year-old son Bob Jr., who was the first state champ for Columbus Bishop Ready High School. “When wrestling was not on TV, he put his show on public access,” Rest of the story at http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/22102?mc_cid=f8b58aa7e1&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
9 ways collegiate coverage impacts women’s wrestling
The growth of women’s wrestling is fantastic. The depth in quality of competitors is getting better, and the number of opportunities is growing. USA Wrestling does a great job covering women on their teams, and states have really stepped up by championing their ladies via social media and other state/local outlets. But there’s this thing that’s been going on for years that’s been just out of focus and only improving slowly: lots of women going into college don’t actually know much about wrestling at that level and neither do their parents. Even though they think they might. This is NOT surprising—it’s been just out of focus from the media and there’s very little comprehensive information out there. We just don’t know what we don’t know. Today we’re looking at 9 ways collegiate coverage could impact women’s wrestling.
Interscholastically
In the words of California’s 2019 Fargo 16U champ & Junior runner-up Jennifer Soto, “It would motivate a lot more young women to wrestle and it would definitely motivate me.”
1) It will create a clear path to a probable next step in a girl wrestlers academic and athletic career while helping athletes choose a best fit program for their goals.
2) Visibility allows female wrestlers to identify with women they can look up to and forward with.
3) An environment that hypes the atmosphere at the collegiate level increases excitement and drive for competition at the next level—the, “We get to be here” factor.
“If you ask a group of kids who their favorite professional football player is, they could name off numerous favorites depending on preference & where they’re from. We want to make sure that if we ask female wrestlers who their role-models are, that they recall the story of a female they personally identify with — maybe their home town, their state, their demographics — wrestling at the collegiate level. That’s inspiring and that helps them feel like their big dreams are wildly manageable.”
Collegiately (technically there are 6 packed into these 3
4) Women deserve the coverage, period. Plus, their families and supporters—maybe haters?— get to witness their journeys.
5) It’s going to help fuel competition, healthy rivalries and fill rosters with quality student-athletes. Rest of the story at https://www.transitionwrestling.com/9-ways-collegiate-coverage-impacts-womens-wrestling/?mc_cid=5d68ca4713&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Marines attend USA Wrestling championship in Fargo
US Marines attended the US Marine Corps Cadet and Junior National Championships in Fargo, North Dakota, July 14-19, 2019. Marine Corps Recruiting Command partnered with USA Wrestling (USAW) to support student-athletes, coaches and their communities, to inform young people about opportunities within the Marine Corps, and to continue to foster the fighting spirit that Marines and athletes share.
“One of the reasons that we value the partnership is the shared ethos that the Marines and the wrestling community has together,” said Ryan Johnson, the director of corporate partnerships for USA Wrestling. “We talk also about the fighting spirit, being something that every wrestler has to dig deep at times to win those tough matches or to find a way to score points late in the match, which really ties in directly with what the Marine Corps has to do on a daily basis.” The championships, known as the largest wrestling tournament in the world, presented opportunities for 5,397 wrestlers aged 13-18 and from all weight classes to compete for a national title. USA Wrestling, a representative of the United States Olympic Committee, is the central organization that coordinates amateur wrestling programs throughout the nation. The organizations has more than 226,000 members. It charters over 4,500 wrestling clubs and sanctions over 2,100 local, state, regional and national competitions.
“These wrestlers are here to achieve greatness, to compete and to push themselves to their limits,” said Col. David M. Fallon, the commanding officer of 9th Marine Corps District. “They have worked so hard, sacrificed so much and done an enormous amount of training to get here. They have fought their own battles against complacency and indifference. The United States Marines respects those efforts.” Rest of the story at
Norfolk State Athletics Hall of Fame class
NORFOLK, Va. (Norfolk State communications) – The Norfolk State Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced its 2019 Hall of Fame induction class on Thursday. The first NSU Athletics Hall of Fame class since 2010 features former legendary coaches James Sweat (women’s basketball), LaVerne Sweat (women’s track/cross country) and Marty Miller (baseball), basketball player David Pope, football players Kevin Talley and Don Carey, wrestler Kirwyn Adderley and bowler Thea Aspiras.
The group will be honored during an induction dinner on Friday night, Sept. 6, beginning at 7 p.m. at the NSU Student Center. The class will also be recognized the following day during the Spartans’ 2019 home football opener against Virginia State University at William “Dick” Price Stadium. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. … Kirwyn Adderley (1985-89) was NSU’s first two-time All-American wrestler and posted a career record of 93-33 while competing at the 134-pound weight class. A three-time CIAA champion, Adderley placed sixth at the Division II championships as a junior and was runner-up as a senior in 1989. Adderley, who was undefeated in the regular season his senior year, would then accept an invitation to compete at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships based on his performance at the D-II tournament, the first Spartan and CIAA wrestler to get that honor. He posted a 27-1 career record against CIAA competition. Rest of the story at
https://wtkr.com/2019/07/19/nfl-veteran-don-carey-among-2019-norfolk-state-athletics-hall-of-fame-class/?mc_cid=946e84d732&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Shenandoah University seeks Head Wrestling Coach
Shenandoah University, an NCAA Division III institution and a member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference is searching for qualified applicants for a full-time Wrestling coach position. This is a 10-month/Full-time position with benefits located on our main campus in Winchester, Virginia. Rest of the details at
Let them Wrestle: DII National Champs vs DI
By Bryce Villa
We all sit around going “What If” to any number of scenarios when it comes to wrestling. What if the Hawkeyes of the early 1990s took on Penn State of the last three years? What if Dan Gable fought a bear? What if Adam Coon had to fight an alien armada by himself? What if the champions from the other divisions were allowed to compete at the NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling national tournament?
This last one has been answered in the past. They were allowed up until 1990 and that is why you have Division II athletes among the ranks of All-Americans and champions. With the freshman being grandfathered in, the last athlete to compete in both national tournaments did so in 1994. Most Division II fans know why this happened, his name was Carlton Haselrig. Do you think Division I coaches and athletes liked seeing a wrestler come into their national tournament and dominate for three straight years? He was the end of an era, but what a way to go out. Gone are the days of Division II and III champions getting their shot, but after my first trip to the Division II national tournament, I find myself wondering, what if. If you are wondering as well, read along as I look at the field for each weight class in Pittsburgh and try to decide what would have happened. I am not about to reseed the entire weight class, but I will set them in the bracket somewhere based on their national championship and any Division I competition faced during the season. I even asked their coaches how they think they would have performed and I love the coach speak I received in each reply. Rest of the story at https://news.theopenmat.com/college-wrestling-news/let-them-wrestle-dii-national-champs-vs-di/73589?mc_cid=c1d91f7bc1&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Looking to grow girls wrestling: Advocates are excited for prep potential
Girls wrestling has seen an increase in participation in recent years, but it’s still a few years away from being a sanctioned high school sport.Written By: Jeremy Karll of The Daily Republic (Mitchell, S.D.)
The number of female youth wrestlers in South Dakota has steadily grown, but many coaches believe the biggest spike is yet to come. Women’s wrestling becoming an Olympic sport in 2004 and colleges adding it has helped it gain notoriety, yet South Dakota still doesn’t offer high school girls wrestling. South Dakota has built up solid numbers of girls wrestlers, with 160 competing this year at the state youth tournament — a 19 percent increase over last year — and girls competing in national competitions for South Dakota. And while high school participation numbers for girls have improved in the last 10 years, the potential is likely capped if girls are left with no choice but to wrestle boys.
“Other states are putting their foot forward and finding out what works for them,” Pierre coach Shawn Lewis said. “We’ve kind of sat around and watched their states do their action. It’s not just a South Dakota trend, it’s a nationwide trend the last 5-to-10 years.” According to USA Wrestling, as of November 2018, there are 14 states with sanctioned girls high school wrestling. In the last year, formal talks about following the nationwide trend and making girls wrestling a sanctioned sport have grown. South Dakota High School Activities Association Assistant Executive Director John Krogstrand has also watched nearby states add girls wrestling at the high-school level. However, he said South Dakota won’t make it a sanctioned sport for the upcoming school year, though 2020-21 or 2021-22, “certainly are possibilities. Rest of the story at
Lander (S.C.) wrestling announces inaugural schedule, featuring five home dates
GREENWOOD – Lander wrestling will compete on 17 dates during its inaugural 2019-20 season, including five in Finis Horne Arena. “We are extremely excited for the first wrestling season in Lander University history,” said head coach RC LaHaye. “I feel like we have put together a schedule that will allow us to grow as a program and really hit the ground running.” The Bearcats will hold the first match in Horne Arena on Dec. 7 against Mount Olive, followed four days later with action against Keiser and Truett McConnell.
King and Emmanuel visit Greenwood on Jan. 24, followed by UNC Pembroke (Feb. 5) and Newberry (Feb. 20) Lander’s road tests will come at Belmont Abbey (Dec. 19), Kentucky Wesleyan (Jan. 9), Limestone (Jan. 17), Coker (Jan. 19), and Queens (Feb. 19). Six tournaments are featured on the schedule. Lander’s first wrestling competition in school history will come on Nov. 2 in the Georgia Open. One week later, the Bearcats head to Pembroke for the UNCP Classic. The month concludes with the King Open on Nov. 24. Lander makes its longest trip of the season on Dec. 14-15 for the Midwest Classic and participates in the NWCA Collegiate Open on Jan. 10. Rest of the story at
Campbell unveils 2019-20 schedule
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell has announced its 2019-20 wrestling schedule, featuring a challenging nonconference lineup, plus five home bouts and a full Southern Conference slate. The defending SoCon champions will open the season at the Virginia Tech Hokie Open for the second straight year on November 3. Nine total Camels placed at last season’s Hokie Open, highlighted by Noah Gonser’s third place showing at 133.
The Camels will also make return trips to the Navy Classic (Nov. 23), the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships (Dec. 29-30) and the Franklin and Marshall Open (Jan. 4). Campbell boasted two individual champions at the 2018 Navy Classic, with eventual NCAA qualifiers Josh Heil (149 pounds) and Andrew Morgan (174 pounds) both claiming titles, while eight Camels placed at last season’s F&M Open.
CU posted an all-time program best 10th place finish at the 2018 Midlands Championships. Gonser also made history with a runner-up finish, while Morgan took fourth and unattached Jere Heino placed sixth. The trio become the first Camels to place at the prestigious Midlands Championships. Rounding out the regular season tournament schedule will be the Reno Tournament of Champions on December 15. Campbell will make its dual debut at Pittsburgh on November 9. The Panthers finished 34th in the 2019 NCAA Championships, ranking as high as No. 13 in the national polls during the season. One day later, the Camels will make a return trip to Ohio, defeating the Bobcats 19-13 in the team’s dual debut and home opener last season. Rest of the story at
WRESTLING FOR NATIONAL RECOGNITION
TDR Edit.’s Notes ; While these wrestlers are from far away all of the thousands of wrestlers can identify with the desire for national recognition for achievement at the USA Wrestling tournaments this week in Fargo, North Dakota.
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The Oregon Girls National Wresting Team prepares for its biggest challenge yet. These 34 girls are the future of the sport of wrestling. Collectively, they make the Oregon Girls National Wrestling Team. And they mean business. “I love wrestling because it pushes you mentally and physically,” said 18-year-old wrestler Kyleigh Lopez. And it’s just tougher than other sports. I just love the challenge.”
Lopez, along with her 33 newly found teammates, have a big challenge ahead. The Oregon Girls National Wrestling squad will travel to Fargo, ND this weekend to compete in the USA Wrestling National Championship. They’ve been training from sunrise to sunset for the past week with some of the most highly qualified coaches in the state. “We’ve got seven female coaches on the coaching staff that have wrestled at the collegiate level or higher. So for the girls to have that opportunity, you can’t have a better experience being an Oregon wrestler. This is the place to be,” said Oregon national head coach Natasha Umemoto.
Umemoto has the most experience within the sport. Not only is she the head coach of the national team, she’s also a former national champion wrestler from this very tournament in Fargo. And the love for the sport kindled 28 years ago. “First it started out with my dad as a wrestling coach. And I went to practice with him. You know, little girl and her daddy,” said Umemoto. “But it has taught me everything you need to be successful in life. It’s addicting. You work hard and you reap the rewards.” Umemoto wants to see the girls’ hard work pay off in Fargo. “It would be a culmination of all the hard work they’ve put in. I’ve watched them develop since November,” Rest of the story at
https://www.kezi.com/content/news/Wrestling-for-national-recognition-512564541.html?mc_cid=5185e1e43a&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
