NWCA reveals Div. I Scholar All-American teams, individuals
Which NCAA Division I wrestling programs can claim the top academic performance for 2019? The wrestlers of Drexel University pinned down the highest team grade point average with a 3.6263 GPA … while Ohio State could claim the most wrestlers who earned All-American Scholar status, with seven, according to the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
Top D1 Mat Programs for Team GPA
The Drexel Dragons improved their standing among Division I wrestling programs’ GPA, moving up from eighth place last season. In second place was American University. The Eagles wrestlers earned collective 3.5607 GPA. Harvard wrestling placed third, with team GPA of 3.5468.
Here are the top ten Division I wrestling programs based on team GPA:
1. Drexel (3.6263 GPA)
2. American (3.5607 GPA)
3. Harvard (3.5468 GPA)
4. Stanford (3.4189 GPA)
5. Utah Valley University (3.3864 GPA)
6. Sacred Heart University (3.3805 GPA)
7. Hofstra (3.3759 GPA)
8. Brown (3.3594 GPA)
9. Duke (3.3549 GPA)
10. Central Michigan (3.3323 GPA)
Rest of the list and story at
http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/21889?fbclid=IwAR3tvI3Vk3k6ZDYtzKPFnpzaggF8gzNokfjbg4t972bE_HdP25qYCdYeqqU
Ten Greco-Roman wrestlers win Last Chance Qualifier, eight women qualify for World Team Trials
East Stroudsburg, PA The 2019 Last Chance Senior World Team Trials Qualifier concluded today with Greco-Roman action. The winner of each bracket earned spots at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament, May 16-19, in Raleigh, North Carolina. The winners in Raleigh will then have an opportunity to earn their spot on a World Team at Final X this June.
Men’s Greco-Roman Finals Results
55 kg Roger Stewart-Freddrick Dumfries, VA (New York RTC/NYAC) TF Devin Purifoy VA (Gunston Wrestling Club), 10-2 1:55
60 kg Bruce Hrynciw Camp Lejeune, NC (Marines) TF Michael Muscatello (New Jersey), 8-0 2:24
63 kg Lewis Baker (The Bakery PA) dec Logan Savvy Ithaca, NY (NYAC/FLWC), 7-4
67 kg Corey Shie West Point, NY (West Point RTC) TF Raun Smith Camp Lejeune, NC (Marines), 8-0 0:39
72 kg Aaron Reynolds Camp Lejeune, NC (Marines) TF Andrew Collins Camp Lejeune, NC (Marines), 9-0 2:08
77 kg Burke Paddock Ithaca, NY (NYAC/FLWC) TF Eric Hoffman CHESAPEAK BCH, MD (NOVA Wrestling Club), 9-0 3:58
82 kg Joel Nivar Camp Lejeune, NC (Marines) VSU Timothy Pawlicki Delran, NJ (Smash Style Wrestling Club), 8-0 0:22
87 kgJaime Miranda Camp Lejeune, NC (Marines) VFA Daniel Myers York, PA (Modern Day Gladiators), 11-5 4:35
97 kg Pete (panagiotys) Gounaridis Colorado Springs, CO (U.S. Army) VSU1 Jeremiah Imonode West Point, NY (West Point RTC), 11-3 5:10
130 kg Thomas Killoran Kutztown, PA (Golden Bear Wrestling Club) VSU Diante Cooper Colorado Springs, CO (Air Force RTC), 8-0 1:46
Women’s Freestyle Qualifiers
53 kg Arelys Valles Fernandez (SWA)
55 kg Vayle Baker (Wyoming Seminary)
57 kg Shaina Murray (Wyoming Seminary)
59 kg Maya Porter(Journeymen/NYAC)
62 kg Brianna Csontos (TMWC/ NYCRTC)
65 kg Melissa Jacobs (MN)
68 kg Brighton Hutton (Missouri Baptist)
72 kg Stephanie Simon (USMC)
From this website at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/May/05/Last-Chance-Qualifier-Concludes?mc_cid=c0e1f6bcd6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Ben Askren returns to wrestling mat for Beat The Streets in New York City
By Scott Fontana
For plenty of amateur wrestling fans, Monday’s main event at this year’s Beat The Streets is a fantasy matchup. On one side, there’s Jordan Burroughs, among the most accomplished U.S. wrestlers of all. Opposing him is Ben Askren, the curly-haired former collegiate champion and Olympian who’s currently an unbeaten UFC star. Burroughs in his prime in the sport, is singularly focused on wrestling. Askren, on the other hand, largely left active competition in the sport in his past as he is focused on MMA. For him, stepping back into a singlet will feel a bit — to borrow his nickname — “Funky.” “It’ll be a little different,” Askren told amNewYork on the phone on Thursday. “It’s kind of funny to think about. Obviously, it’s what I’ve done my whole life.” Rest of the story at https://www.amny.com/sports/ben-askren-jordan-burroughs-1.30705027?mc_cid=c0e1f6bcd6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Officially speaking, Haselrig headed to Pa. Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame
Bruce Haselrig was coaching the fledgling Pitt-Johnstown wrestling program when he became an official during the 1970s. Back then, Haselrig figured his love of the sport as well as the opportunity for him to see some of the region’s top high school wrestlers were good enough reasons to don the striped shirt and carry a whistle onto the mat. “I was at UPJ when I started officiating,” said Haselrig, who will be inducted into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame as a contributor on May 19 in State College. “When we started the wrestling program at UPJ, I figured if I became an official I could see some of the best wrestlers for recruiting. “It kept going and just took off. I’ve been at the right place at the right time,” said Haselrig, 74, one of 10 members in the Class of 2019. “I’ve had a lot of big matches and was able to do well and succeed.”
Haselrig started the Pitt-Johnstown program in 1973-74 with the strong support of then-Athletic Director Ed Sherlock. Labeled a junior varsity team, the Mountain Cats went 8-0. The following year, Pitt-Johnstown moved to the “varsity” level and finished 9-6-1 under Haselrig. His close friend Curt Davis took the reins the next year and then Pat Pecora started his hall of fame career as the Mountain Cats coach in 1976-77. While his coaching career at Pitt-Johnstown was brief, that supposedly part-time officiating gig evolved into something very special for Haselrig and the region’s wrestling community. Rest of the story at https://www.tribdem.com/sports/mike-mastovich-officially-speaking-haselrig-headed-to-pa-wrestling-coaches/article_d1d79148-6ee6-11e9-b5dc-975b0a2290b7.html?mc_cid=c0e1f6bcd6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Look for Las Vegas to become a prime NCAA championship event destination
For nearly 40 years Pat Christenson has developed and recruited events to Las Vegas and for nearly 40 years the NCAA has basically told Christenson not to bother with them. During that time the NCAA prohibited their championship competitions from being held in states that allowed single-game sports betting. It was a policy that affected only Nevada and handcuffed Christenson, who couldn’t even bid to host an NCAA wresting championship, which he wanted to do.
The handcuffs were finally removed Thursday when the NCAA announced it had rescinded the policy. It was another milestone moment for a city that has gone from taboo to transformative for sports leagues. Over the past three years Las Vegas went from a city that had never been the home of a major professional sports team to being the home of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces and next year the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders. They opened the $375 million T-Mobile Arena to accommodate the NHL and NBA and next year will open the $1.8 billion Las Vegas Stadium to be the home of the Raiders and UNLV. Christenson, who is the president of Las Vegas Events and spent over 20 years at UNLV, smiled from his office Friday as he got ready to bid on a series of events Las Vegas has never hosted before. Rest of the story at
https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-las-vegas-ncaa-championships-20190504-story.html?mc_cid=a1fc873b83&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Top ALL-TIME Div. II College Coaches in Dual wins Top 40 w/ at least 150 wins
- Pat Pecora (Pitt-Johnstown) 598
- Don Elia (Carson-Newman) 461
- Mike Olson (UNC-Pembroke, Upper Iowa, Monmouth) 428 – II ??
- Arthur “Bucky” Maughn (N Dak State) 408
- David James (Cent. Oklahoma) 396
- Mike Denney (Maryville Univ./Nebr.-Omaha) 365
- Vaughn Hitchcock (Cal-Poly-SLO) 353
- Jim Makovsky (Minn. St.-Mankato/Valley City St.) 302
- Robert “Rummy” Macias (Minn. St.-Mankato) 299
- P.J. Smith (UNC-Pembroke, Campbell) 299
- Vince Monseau (West Liberty St./Peru St.) 286
- Jim Koch (Wisconsin-Parkside) 277
- Steve Costanzo (St. Cloud Univ.&Dana College) 269
- Mike Sterner (SW Minnesota St.) 254
- William “Bill” Corman (Shippensburg State) 243
- Jason Liles (S.D. State/Montana St.-Northern) 236
- Terry Wetherald (Univ. of Indianapolis – Ind. Central) 230
- Robin Ersland (Minot St./Cent. Mo. St./Calif. (Pa.), N. Mich. 225
- Marc Bauer (Univ. of Nebraska-Kearney) 215
- Larry Kristoff (So. Illinois-Edwardsville, SW Mo. St.) 212
- Robert Fisher (Kutztown Univ.) 209
- Doug Henry (Gannon Univ.) 208
- Mike Palmisiano (Nebraska-Omaha, Ohio Northern) 200
- Tracy Borah (Western State College) 200
- Jason Valek (Newberry) 194
- Joe Seay (Cal. State Bakersfield) 187 ????
- Jason Reitmeier (Augustana College-S.D.) 181
- Heath Grimm (Upper Iowa Univ.) 179
- Mike Wehler (Mercyhurst, West Liberty State) 177
- Allan Abraham (Calif. State San Francisco) 176
- Miles Van Hee (Western State College) 170 – moved to A.D.
- Lars Jensen (Calif. State San Francisco) 170 – resigned in 2017
- Stamatis Bulgaris (Wright State & Dayton) 169
- Ray Kowatch (Ashland College) 167
- John Oxton (St. Cloud State Univ.) 167
- Paul Kendle (Augustana College-S.D.) 163
- Howard Westcott (Portland State) 162
- John W. Hancock (Northern Col., Col. St. Coll) 152
- Doug Moses (N.M. Highlands, So. Color., Col. St.) 150 – incomplete
- Bill Garland (Minnesota State-Moorhead) 147
‘Best-kept secret in wrestling’: Pac-12 seeks expansion
TDR Editor’s Notes ; We are proud to see that North Carolina is in the top three states (with New York and Pennsylvania) with 6 or more Division I wrestling teams. Sadly there are over a dozen states without any Division I teams. Yet in Division II, III, Women’s, NAIA and junior Colleges have shown growth and increasing opportunities for wrestling.
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PHOENIX – Reacting to concerns it could lose its automatic NCAA qualifier status in wrestling, the Pac-12, which features powerhouse Arizona State, is on the hunt for an affiliate school to join the conference. The league is challenged by the absence of a strong Division I wrestling presence in the western United States. Of the traditional Pac-12 schools, only three have programs: Arizona State, Stanford and Oregon State. The five-team conference is rounded out by affiliates Cal Poly and California State University, Bakersfield.
The governing body of college athletics requires a minimum of six schools in a conference for the conference champion in a weight class to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championship. “It’s the best-kept secret in wrestling,” ASU coach Zeke Jones said. “We need this automatic qualifier, or then we go into this wildcard pool and it’s too risky, so there’s three Pac-12 schools in wrestling that get hurt by that. So where’s the protection for us three within the conference? That’s the question people ask.” Cal Baptist in Riverside, California, is one program that some have speculated could jump to the Pac-12. Wrestling overall has seen a dip at the Division I level in recent memory. According to Forbes, as of 2016, 41 Division I wrestling programs had been cut since 1988-89. “There are good, solid numbers here,” Jones said. “It just stops at high school. The strength is excellent but at the collegiate level, it’s nonexistent. Rest of the story and numbers at
https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2019/05/03/pac12-wrestling-expansion/?mc_cid=9a1926c7e8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Men’s Freestyle Last Chance Qualifier: Heil defeats McKenna, nine others qualify for World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in Raleigh
A stacked 65 kg weight class was the highlight of the men’s freestyle division at the 2019 Last Chance Qualifier. Dean Heil took the title with a 5-2 decision over last year’s National Team No. 2 Joey McKenna. Heil upset McKenna last weekend at the US Open 12-9 and proved it was no fluke beating him again today. To reach the finals Heil defeated two-time NCAA finalist Bryce Meredith, 10-0 in the semifinals. Also of note, the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club sent two wrestlers to the Last Chance Qualifier who did not compete in the US Open, Mark Hall and Nick Nevills. Both wrestlers teched their ways through their brackets, and Hall did not allow a point to be scored on him. The winners of today’s tournament earned spots at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament, May 16-19, in Raleigh, North Carolina. The winners in Raleigh will then have an opportunity to earn their spot on a World Team at Final X this June.
Finals Results:
57: Zach Sanders Minneapolis, MN (Minnesota Storm) dec David Terao Washington, DC (DCAC), 9-6
Rest of the results and story at
https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/May/03/MFS-Last-Chance-Qualifier?mc_cid=9a1926c7e8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Field already loaded in seven age groups for Women’s Nationals in Irving, Texas, May 10-12
On Friday May 10, the 2019 USA Wrestling Women’s National Championships will get started in Irving, Texas. The Women’s National Championships is already one of the biggest women’s wrestling tournaments every year. It’s even larger this year with the addition of the U23 National Championships and the U15 age division. There will now be seven separate age groups competing at Women’s Nationals. (9U, 12U, 14U, U15, UWW Cadet, UWW Junior, and U23) This tournament will serve as World Team Trials in four age levels, the U15, UWW Cadet, UWW Junior, and U23 age divisions. The U23 age division is already loaded with talent. As of Friday, nine former World Team members are registered and five of those women have won World medals. They are listed below followed by the weight they are registered at.
Emily Shilson (50 kg), Macey Kilty (65 kg), and Maya Nelson (65 kg) have all brought home age level World gold medals in addition to other medals. Shilson won as a Cadet in 2018, Kilty as a Cadet in 2018, and Nelson as a Junior in 2017. Two 2019 Senior U.S. Open champion are entered. Tiare Ikei at 53 kg and Kayla Miracle at 62 kg. Ikei also brought home the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler award. In addition to being Senior U.S. Open champions, Ikei was a 2018 Cadet World bronze medalist and Miracle has won two Junior World bronze medals and a Cadet World silver medal. She has also made the past two U23 World Teams. Other World Team members registered include 2018 Junior World Team member and 2017 Cadet World team member Alisha Howk (55 kg), 2018 and 2017 U23 World Team member Dominique Parrish (55 kg), 2018 Junior World Team member and two-time Cadet World Team member Alexandria Liles (62 kg), and 2018 Junior World Team member Jayden Laurent (65 kg). Rest of the story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/May/03/Field-already-loaded-in-seven-age-groups-for-Womens-Nationals?mc_cid=9a1926c7e8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Three incoming Lander wrestlers win Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award
GREENWOOD – Three incoming Lander wrestling freshmen were listed as the recipients of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Awards in their respective states, announced earlier this week by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Originally created in honor of Schultz, an Olympic and World champion, the High School Excellence Award is based on excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship and community service, and awarded to one high school senior wrestler per state. State winners for the Schultz Award have been selected in each of the states that sponsor high school state championships. Lander and Arizona State are the only two wrestling programs in the nation to sign three of these award winners this year. Rest of the story at http://landerbearcats.com/sports/wrest/2018-19/releases/20190503hqxdeg?mc_cid=9a1926c7e8&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
