Wrestling is trending upward in North Carolina
RALEIGH, N.C. — The cleanup crew was rolling up mats Sunday afternoon and hauling them out of Reynolds Coliseum as North Carolina State coach Pat Popolizio stood at one end of the arena reflecting on the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament. In one sense, the teardown signified an end — the conclusion to a wrestling weekend that included the coronation of the Junior World Team and the last step before Final X. In another sense, it symbolized a beginning, and perhaps the start of something bigger in the state of North Carolina. There’s no mistaking that this is college basketball country, but the wrestling programs along Tobacco Road have had flickers of past success too. North Carolina finished seventh or better at the NCAA Championships three times during a six-year stretch in the 1980s. North Carolina State posted Top 10 finishes in 1992 and 1993. Perhaps never before, though, have the programs across the state been better positioned to flourish than they are now. And they might be able to take the sport along for the ride.
Popolizio has injected new life into the North Carolina State program during his seven seasons in Raleigh, taking the Wolfpack from fifth in the ACC in his first year to fourth in the country in 2018. During that time, he’s seen attendance for N.C. State home duals spike from roughly 100 spectators during his first season to nearly 4,000 a year ago when the Wolfpack wrestled Ohio State. “Our clientele down here is rather new as opposed to maybe some fans who have been in the sport for 50 years,” Popolizio said. “That’s a hard sell. Once they come to a dual meet, I think they’re hooked on the intensity and the pure emotion of the athletes and the excitement. But one of the things we’ve done as a program is making it an event. It’s hard to do, but we’ve gotten the band there, we’ve gotten the cheerleaders, we’ve had a raised stage, we’ve had intermissions and fun things. I think that’s a huge part of it when we have dual meets.” Winning drives box office sales, too, of course, and North Carolina State is having its best run in school history. The Wolfpack set a program record in 2018 with four All-Americans when they collected the school’s first NCAA team trophy and another heralded incoming recruiting class has N.C. State set up for sustained success. Rest of the story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1558579490421&twSessionId=yvbfxyssid&postId=1450258132&mc_cid=fcf7c0b6ee&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Take a tour of the North Carolina wrestling facility with Coleman Scott
- Take a tour of the North Carolina wrestling facility with Coleman Scott
North Carolina coach Coleman Scott hosts a tour of the Tar Heels’ wrestling room and lounge. Rest of the story and video at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPlayer.jsp?TIM=1558838188004&twSessionId=xaubxftjrw&videoId=1468560132
Take a tour of the Campbell wrestling facilities with coach Cary Kolat
Campbell recently completed a wrestling facility upgrade. Coach Cary Kolat takes Trackwrestling on a tour of the wrestling room, offices, locker room and competition arena. Rest of the story and link at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPlayer.jsp?TIM=1558721206178&twSessionId=xaubxftjrw&videoId=1450641132&mc_cid=892383b8e3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Baker named coach at Minnesota West
One year after announcing his retirement from a 35-year high school coaching career, Randy Baker has accepted the head coaching position of the wrestling program at Minnesota West Community and Technical College, the two-year school in Worthington, Minn. announced this week. The 64-year-old Baker had retired as head coach at Jackson County Central High School in July 2018, but had served as the program’s assistant coach this past season. Baker will be replacing Bryan Cowdin, who stepped down at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season.
InterMat once referred to Baker as being “one of the brightest wrestling minds around.” Washington Globe sportswriter Doug Wolter wrote that Baker is “one of the most well-known and most decorated high school coaches in the state.” Baker’s new boss, Minnesota West men’s athletic director Bob Purcell, described his new wrestling coach as “an ambassador to the sport of wrestling.” Baker launched his coaching career in 1984, serving at a number of prep programs in southwest Minnesota, culminating at Jackson County Central. In that time, Baker guided 14 teams to Minnesota state tournaments, resulting in seven state team titles. In addition, Baker coached 39 individual state champs. For all his accomplishments as coach, Baker earned many honors, including the Augustana (University) Hall of Fame (his college alma mater in South Dakota), Jackson County Wrestling Hall of Fame and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Minnesota chapter. He was Man of the Year for USA Wrestler Magazine, National Developmental Coach of the Year USA Wrestling, MN USA Coach of the Year and USA Region Coach of the Year. Rest of the story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/21961
Meet the Trojans: UMO Wrestling Unveils Members of the First Signing Class; Part 3
MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – The University of Mount Olive wrestling program and head coach Jake Patacsil are excited to begin unveiling the inaugural class for the new Trojan wrestling team. Over the next couple of weeks, Coach Patacsil and the Athletics Communications office will introduce the incoming grapplers who will begin competing in the 2019-20 school year.
This edition of Meet the Trojans introduces the following group of young men; Ogden Atwood, Noah Wilson, Justin Wood, and Mason Watt. The first grappler of this edition is Ogden Atwood from Kittanning, Pennsylvania. Atwood wrestled at Armstrong high school where he was a two-time section champion, PIAA Placer, two-time state qualifier, and is a three-time Armstrong high school Most Outstanding Wrestler. Atwood will wrestle in the 197/285-pound weight class as a member of the Trojan wrestling team and intends to major in social studies education. Our next signee is Noah Wilson. Wilson comes to Mount Olive from Rockingham High School where he wrestled in the 120-weight class. A native of Eden, N.C., Wilson is a two-time state qualifier, a regional champion and runner-up, a three-time county champion, and a four-time all-conference honoree. He intends to major in Environmental and Natural Resources while wrestling at 125-pounds for the Trojans. Rest of the recruits and story at http://www.umotrojans.com/sports/wrest/2018-19/releases/20190514ojj4z2?mc_cid=892383b8e3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Pac-12 adds UA Little Rock in wrestling
SAN FRANCISCO —The Pac-12 Conference announced today that the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has accepted an invitation to join the Conference as an affiliate member in the sport of wrestling. Little Rock joins ARIZONA STATE, OREGON STATE, STANFORD, CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD and CAL POLY in providing the Pac-12 with a sixth member in wrestling. The Pac-12 Conference dropped from six members to five after Boise State discontinued its wrestling program following the 2017 season. While the NCAA requires a conference to have at least six active members that sponsor the applicable sport in order for it to be eligible for automatic qualification in the NCAA Championships, it does provide a two-year transition period to allow for a conference to secure a sixth member.
At its recent Pac-12 CEO meetings, the presidents and chancellors approved extending an invite to Little Rock to compete as an affiliate member in wrestling. Little Rock will enter its inaugural season in 2019-20 after becoming one of the newest NCAA Division I wrestling programs and the first in the state of Arkansas. The Pac-12 Conference has sponsored wrestling for its membership since 1963. Arizona State captured the 1998 NCAA title, becoming the first and only team west of the Rocky Mountains to claim an NCAA title in wrestling. Rest of the story and details at https://pac-12.com/article/2019/05/23/pac-12-adds-ua-little-rock-wrestling?mc_cid=892383b8e3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Cael Sanderson Among This Year’s Penn State Honorary Alumni Award Recipients
Five individuals who are not Penn State graduates but who have worked for the betterment of the university have been named this year’s Honorary Alumni Award recipients. Among them is Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson, who has led the Nittany Lions to eight team national championships since his hiring in 2009. Three of the recipients — C. Max Lang, Rachel Levine and Albert Matyasovsky — will be recognized at a ceremony on May 31, when the 2019 Distinguished Alumni and Philanthropist of the Year awards also will be presented. Sanderson and Brook Lenfest will be honored later this year. The Penn State Alumni Association has presented Honorary Alumni Awards since 1973 to longtime university champions and benefactors.
The 2019 Penn State Honorary Alumni:
– C. Max Lang is a professor emeritus and “founding father” of the Penn State College of Medicine and was the first faculty member recruited to the college in 1966. He served as chair of the Department of Comparative Medicine and director of the Animal Resource Facility for 40 years. Under his leadership, the college “designed and built animal research labs that were considered by the National Institutes of Health and National Academy of Sciences as models for the safe, humane, and effective use of animals in medical research,” according to the Alumni Association. His numerous awards and honors include Charles River Prize in Laboratory Animal Medicine, the highest honor in the field. Rest of the story and details at http://www.statecollege.com/news/local-news/cael-sanderson-among-this-years-penn-state-honorary-alumni-award-recipients,1480179/?mc_cid=405c3a6e07&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
World champion David Taylor announces he will not compete in Final X due to injury
By Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling | May 24, 2019,
This evening, 2018 World champion David Taylor (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) took to Twitter to tell the world that he would not be competing in Final X, and pursuing a chance to compete at the 2019 World Championships. Taylor injured his knee at the Beat the Streets “Grapple at the Garden” in early May. He is scheduled to compete against 2019 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion Patrick Downey in Final X: Rutgers on June 8 in a best-of-three series for the World Team spot at 86 kg in men’s freestyle.
Should Taylor not compete at Rutgers, nor ask for an extension of his series due to his injury, the World Team spot will go to Downey. An excerpt from the Twitter post says: “Best of luck to the athletes competing in Final X this June. Downey, shoot your shot. Moments like this don’t get gifted to you often. “I’ll be back. Faster, stronger and hungrier than ever. Don’t count the Magic Man out just yet. Rest of the story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/May/24/Taylor-to-miss-Final-X?mc_cid=892383b8e3&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Former Wyoming wrestler, coach Steven Suder passes away
LARAMIE, Wyo. — The University of Wyoming was saddened to hear of the passing of UW Athletics Hall of Famer Steven Suder. Suder passed away on Wednesday. Steven SuderSuder wrestled for the Cowboys from 1975-79 and earned All-America honors as a senior in 1979. He returned to UW to lead the Wyoming wrestling program as head coach from 1989-2008. On Aug. 31, 2018, Suder was inducted into the University of Wyoming Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame — the highest honor bestowed by UW Athletics. He concluded his UW coaching career with 127 dual wins, which ranks second in program history to only the legendary Everett Lantz. Suder led Wyoming to two Western Athletic Conference team titles. He was named conference Coach of the Year four times, and earned NCAA West Regional Coach of the Year honors twice.
“We were shocked and saddened to hear of Coach Suder’s passing,” said Tom Burman, University of Wyoming Athletics Director. “We respect and appreciate the commitment and leadership Coach Suder brought to his time as both a Cowboy student-athlete and coach. He not only accomplished great things as a coach and athlete, but he was a great role model for young people. He was highly respected as a member of the Laramie community for decades and will be missed by so many. Rest of the story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/21954
All-Time Divison III Coaches in Dual Meet Wins
ALL-TIME Coaches (D-III)– Top 70 (or so) with at least 140 wins
- Jare Klein (Olivet College) 569 – III
- Bill Racich (Ursinus College) 540 – III
- David Icenhower (College of New Jersey) 534 – III
- John Reese (Wilkes Univ.) 515 – I/III ????
- Max Servcies (Wabash) 487 – III
- Doug Parker (Springfield, Mass) 485 – III
- Ned McGinley (King’s College) 458 – III
- Mike Olson (UNC-Pembroke, Upper Iowa, Monmouth) 428 – II/III ???
- Phil Grebinar (Worcester Poly Tech.) 414 III
- Jim Miller (Wartburg) 413 – III
- Bob Skelton (Western New England College) – 402 III
- Robert Marshall (Del. Valley Coll./Dickinson) – 396 III
- Roger Crebs (Lycoming College) 406 – III
- Al Baxter (Buena Vista Univ.) 376 – III
- Budd Whitehill (Lycoming Coll.) 376 – III
- Don Murray (SUNY-Brockport) 350 – III
- Jeff Swenson (Augsburg Coll.) 321 – III
- Tom Kessler (York College) 321 – III
- Steve Eldridge (U.S. Coast Guard Ac.) 317 – III – Incomplete total,
- Bob Del Rosa (Case Western Reserve) 310 – III
- Ron Beaschler (Ohio Northern Univ.) 324 – III
- Lonnie Morris (Johnson & Wales) 347 – III
- Kerry Volkmann (John Carroll) 304 – III
- Daryl Arroyo (Springfield, Mass) 301 – III
- Willie Myers (Wisconsin-Whitewater) 301 – III
- Byron James (Wisc.-River Falls) 297 – III
- Al Sosa (SUNY-Oneota State) 284 — III
- Kenneth Ober (Elizabethtown College) 282 – III
- John Elton (St. John’s {Minn.} 273 – III
- Martin Nichols (Ithaca College) 262 – III
- Frank Cheek (Humboldt State) 261 – III
- Jon Laudenslager (Wilkes University) 253 – III
- Dave Kemmy (Roger Williams) 251 – III
- Al Hanke (Elmhurst Coll./Lake Forest Coll.{ILL}) 246 – III
- Randy Steward (Loras College) 235 – III
- Jay Jones (Rhode Island College) 234 – III
- James R. Howard (SUNY-Oswego State) 234 — III
- Tim Fader (Wisc.-Whitewater & Wisc.-Lacrosse) 230 – III
- John Oostendorp (Coe College) 229 – III
- John Davis (Maryville College) 224 – III
- Steve Stellner (Montclair State) 223 – III
- Brad Bruhn (SUNY-Cortland) 223 – III
- Russell “Rusty” Carlsten (Rhode Island College) 222 – III
- Bob Gaudenzi (Hunter College) 218 – III
- Bryan Brunk (Messiah College) 216 – III
- Jerry Petrofes (Lebanon Valley College) 214 – III
- Tony DeCarlo (John Carroll Univ.) 213 – III
- Donald Montgomery (Mount Union College) 212 – III
- Ron Zalokar (Carthage College) 204 – III
- John Summa (Baldwin-Wallace College) 201 – III
- Earl Fuller (Rochester Inst. Of Tech.) 197 – III
- Gary Franke (Washington & Lee) 196 – III
- Ron Peterson (Simpson College) 195 – III
- Larry Shank (Heidelburg College/Capital) 194 – III
- Drew Black (Wesleyan Univ.) 194 – III
- Johnny Johnson (Wisc.-Stevens Point) 194 – III
- George Olson (Wheaton College) 192 – III
- Richard Walker (Wartburg College/Grinnell College) 191
- Sebastian Amato (Trinity College) 189
- Sam Case (McDaniel College (West. Maryland)& John Hopkins) 189
- Rich Achtzehn (York College, Penna.) 184
- Dave Malececk (Wisc.-Lacrosse) 184
- Richard Walker (Wartburg College) 183
- John Hopkins (Scranton University) 183
- Tom Jarman (Manchester, College) 179
- Mike Howard (SUNY-Oswego State) – 171
- Duane Ritter (SUNY Oneonta State) – 168
- Mike Duroe (Cornell College) 145
- Jon McGovern (Dubuque University) – 144
- Leo Kocher (University of Chicago) 140 – incomplete
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
