Takedown Report

TDR Top 12 – 2019 preliminary 120 & 126 lbs.

TDR Editor’s Notes ; The following are the preliminary final top 12 list for the next two weight classes. We welcome input and corrections. Pleas e-mail martinkfleming@gmail.com to share your insights and views.
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March 29, 2019 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Rochester College Announces New Head Wrestling Coach

TDR Editor’s Notes ; Good to see Rochester College in Michigan hiring a full time coach. Not only that but it should be noted that the school has re-started their program after being idle for 3 decades. We look forward to hearing more from them.
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ROCHESTER, MI — Rochester College is pleased to announce Wesley Maskill, as the new Head Wrestling Coach. Maskill has been part of the Rochester College community since a child, attending many summer camps provided on campus. Maskill began wrestling at a young age. He prepped at Oxford High School, Oxford, MI, where he was a 3X state qualifier and a 2X all-stater. Maskill was a member of the state championship team in 2011.  Maskill was also the Senior Male Athlete of the year at Oxford High School.

Maskill was recruited and wrestled at Michigan State University from 2014-2017. Maskill had a very successful career at Michigan State as a starter, wrestled in the BIG Ten Championships and placed 4th at the National Colligate Open. He was awarded Student-Athlete of the month at Michigan State University in April, 2017. As a freshman, Maskill earned the Most Falls award. As a sophomore, he earned the Most Committed Spartan award. Maskill graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachlor’s degree in Communications Arts and Sciences. Rest of this story at http://www.rochestercollegewarriors.com/article/1289?mc_cid=19991bd8ba&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 28, 2019 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

TDR Top 12 – 2019 preliminary 106 & 113 lbs.

TDR Editor’s Notes ; The following are the preliminary final top 12 list for the first two weight classes. We welcome input and corrections. Pleas e-mail martinkfleming@gmail.com to share your insights and views.
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March 28, 2019 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

‘Vision Quest’ author: ‘It’s what wrestling did for me’

Even the most avid wrestling fan may not immediately recognize the name Terry Davis. That said, you are most likely familiar with Davis’ most famous work: the novel “Vision Quest: A Wrestling Story.” Published in 1979, Davis’ book served as the basis for the 1985 movie “Vision Quest” which helped propel the careers of actors Matthew Modine, Linda Fiorentino, Daphne Zuniga and Forest Whitaker … and introduced the wrestling community to Frank Jasper, who made the role of Shute his own, and has made Jasper an iconic figure in social media and at major wrestling events throughout the nation.

Terry Davis, a retired English professor at Minnesota State University in Mankato, is still writing from his home in southern Minnesota. In fact, he just penned an essay for the Mankato Free Press titled “It’s Not What I Did for Wrestling; It’s What Wrestling Did for Me.” Here’s how Davis explains the title of his essay: “The movie introduced people to the book. Over the years, quite a few people — mostly wrestlers — have gotten hold of me about the story, or asked me to sign a book, which I’m always honored to do. Rest of this this story by Mark Palmer at http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/21359?mc_cid=c28d91da5c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 28, 2019 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

O’CONNOR, NESS LEAD CAROLINA TO STRONG FINISH AT NCAAS

PITTSBURGH — Austin O’Connorled the way for North Carolina on the final day of the 2019 Division I Wrestling National Championships, finishing in third place at 149 pounds. Chip Ness, the other Tar Heel All-American, finished sixth at 184 pounds. Overall, North Carolina secured a 19th-place finish, the team’s highest since 1995.
O’Connor knocked off No. 4 Brock Mauller of Missouri to advance to the third-place match, where he met Duke’s No. 3 Mitch Finesilver for the second time in the tournament and the sixth time on the season. The Tar Heel redshirt freshman stormed out of the gate, gathered the match’s first takedown and never looked back. He had a 6-2 lead after two periods, and despite almost getting taken down at the buzzer, O’Connor held on for a 7-5 win to secure the third spot on the podium. Ness dropped both of his matches in the medal round on Saturday – to Lehigh’s Ryan Preisch and Illinois’ Emory Parker – but finished sixth for his second All-American honor to wrap up his career at North Carolina. Rest of the story at
https://goheels.com/news/2019/3/23/wrestling-o-connor-ness-lead-carolina-to-strong-finish-at-ncaas.aspx?path=wrestling
and also a story from Ness’ hometown in Georgia
North Carolina senior Chip Ness becomes Gwinnett’s first two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling All-American
Two thrilling victories in Pittsburgh put University of North Carolina senior Chip Ness in rare company. The Buford graduate became Gwinnett County’s first two-time All-American at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, in addition to becoming just the fourth Georgia native to accomplish the feat. Though he fell short of a national title — he ended up sixth — he made his mark with All-American honors for the second straight season at college wrestling’s marquee event, which concluded Saturday. “I was really looking forward to making finals and I definitely had a huge goal of winning and becoming a national champ and making a legacy for myself,” Ness said Sunday after he arrived back in Chapel Hill, N.C. “The goal was to try to be the best Georgia wrestler ever. Rest of the story from Georgia at https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/sports/north-carolina-senior-chip-ness-becomes-gwinnett-s-first-two/article_7b20457c-4c58-5cb3-8da7-695de9f2cde5.html?mc_cid=19991bd8ba&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 27, 2019 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

A Star is Born

It’s rare that you see an athlete hit the consciousness of a fan base in one big moment, but over the span of eight minutes last Saturday night Virginia Tech wrestler Mekhi Lewis went from a curiosity to a star in Hokie athletics. It’s March Madness, but in wrestling circles, they call it March Matness. Everyone loves a good Cinderella story, and in a year when 14 of the top 16 seeds advanced in the NCAA Basketball Tournament, there was no George Mason, Loyola (Chicago) or NC State (1983) to be found. But at the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Pittsburgh, there was a Cinderella story that would have done Bill Murray’s Carl Spackler proud: Virginia Tech’s Mekhi Lewis, seeded 8^th in the 165-pound weight class, stormed to the championship, the first ever for a Virginia Tech wrestler. Lewis was the lowest-seeded wrestler to win it all, and he didn’t sneak in the back door, either. Along the way, he beat the No. 1, No. 4 and No. 2 seeds.

The Start for Mekhi Lewis

After Thursday wins over No. 25 Cam Coy of Virginia and No. 24 Cael McCormick of Army, Lewis was matched up against No.1 seed Alex Marinelli of Iowa in Friday’s early wrestling session. End of the line, right? Not so fast. Rest of the story at https://virginiatech.sportswar.com/article/2019/03/26/mekhi-lewis-star-born/?mc_cid=19991bd8ba&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 27, 2019 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

2019 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy Fan Vote

Fan voting for the 2019 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy has begun. The Hodge Trophy is the top award in college wrestling and has been presented annually since 1994 to the nation’s most dominant collegiate wrestler. The award is named after Dan Hodge, the former three-time (1955-57) NCAA champion from the University of Oklahoma, who did not allow a takedown in his career and pinned 36 of 46 victims. Rest of the story and a chance to vote at this link https://www.win-magazine.com/2019/03/2019-win-magazineculture-house-dan-hodge-trophy-fan-vote-2/?mc_cid=19991bd8ba&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 27, 2019 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Valencia named winner of The Hammer Award by Amateur Wrestling News

Amateur Wrestling News will present The Hammer, its annual award, to Arizona State’s 174-pounder Zahid Valencia. The award is presented to the wrestler who wins the national title at what the writers at AWN decide is the most competitive weight class every season. Valencia won the 174 pound title this year in Pittsburgh, defeating Penn State’s 2017 NCAA champion Mark Hall in the finals. There were two NCAA champs at the weight (Valencia and Hall) and a total of eight returning All Americans. Valencia finished the season 31-2, with his losses being to Hall and Missouri’s Daniel Lewis. He avenged both at the NCAAs. Rest of the story at http://thecaliforniawrestler.com/valencia-named-winner-of-the-hammer-award-by-awn/?mc_cid=19991bd8ba&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 27, 2019 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Hall of famer Gibson says mom’s advice led to D1 career

He was 13 years old when Brad Gibson’s mother, Linda, called him into the living room to watch the NCAA Division I wrestling finals on their cable television set. “‘Bradley, get in here! She was like, ‘This is what you need to be thinking about,’” Gibson said. “And I was like ‘Are you out of your (expletive) mind?’ …My mom was crazy about wrestling. She was passionate about all sports, but absolutely nuts about wrestling.” Whatever his reaction may have been at 13, it wasn’t the same once he reached his senior year of high school.

“Fate would have it, years down the road when I was at my recruiting trip… I still had that (thing) she said, stuck in my head years before, just to see if I was good enough to go Division I,” Gibson said. “That’s the only reason I went to (the University of) Minnesota, I didn’t know anybody at Minnesota, didn’t know the coaches. I’m glad I made that decision now. She planted that seed years before, unknowingly.” Linda Gibson saw the vision she wanted for her son and his potential years before he did. Gibson was a Big 10 champion and two-time All-American during his career at the University of Minnesota. His decorated career, in both college and high school, has earned him a spot in the Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association David Bartelma Wrestling Hall of Fame. The induction dinner is scheduled for Saturday, May 4, at McKinney’s on Southside, in Benson. Rest of the story at https://www.stevenscountytimes.com/sports/wrestling/4589400-wrestling-hall-famer-gibson-says-moms-advice-led-d1-career?mc_cid=19991bd8ba&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 27, 2019 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Cael Sanderson Is Right. College Wrestling Deserves More Scholarships

As I write this it’s a gorgeous 79 degrees and sunny, there’s a light breeze, and very low humidity. I’m sitting by an outdoor pool that is fully functional — the water is not solid and there are humans splashing around in it — and the nearby plants and trees are all green and blooming. Obviously I’m not in Happy Valley. I’m just north of Orlando, Fla., in the community of Heathrow, where I attended the wonderful outdoor wedding of an old friend (congratulations Richelle and Paul!). Now that the festivities are over I’m reading online and catching up on all the excitement I missed this weekend in Pennsylvania before I leave for my flight back north. That’s right, I missed March Matness. I was not in Pittsburgh watching the Penn State wrestling team win its eighth NCAA team championship in nine years while also crowning three individual NCAA champions.

Think about that – eight national team championships in nine years. I won’t try to find words to describe that level of accomplishment because for most of us it’s incomprehensible. For a team to not only be the best at a certain skill, but then to maintain that skill level year after year when everyone else is focused on just knocking you off… Words do not do that justice. And we all know the man responsible for this achievement is Coach Cael Sanderson, who was named Penn State’s head wrestling coach on April 17, 2009, and in the ensuing 10 years has led what could arguably be called a renaissance in collegiate wrestling in this country. As I was going through all of the news reports and online videos of what happened I came across the coach’s press conference that took place before the national tournament started. Coaches Tom Ryan (Ohio State), Tom Brands (Iowa), John Smith (Oklahoma State), Keith Gavin (Pittsburgh) and Sanderson were seated at the dais and answered a number of questions posed by the reporters. Early in the press conference Sanderson was asked about his opinion regarding the growing number of collegiate wrestlers who are transferring schools. His response (edited for length) was as follows: Rest of the story and details at http://www.statecollege.com/news/columns/cael-sanderson-is-right-college-wrestling-deserves-more-scholarships,1479673/?mc_cid=19991bd8ba&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

March 27, 2019 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment