Averett, PSU-Behrend and Westminster bring their first-ever qualifiers to NCAA Div. III Nationals
TDR Editor’s Notes ; Missed on posting this earlier yet we seek to applaud and encourage new teams and the schools that restart their programs.
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Wrestling continues to grow at the Division III level. When the national tournament kicks off Friday in Roanoke, Virginia, 74 of the 108 D3 schools that offer wrestling will be represented. For several of the schools, it will be their first trip to the national stage. Averett leads that group with three qualifiers – freshman Jared Lough (157 pounds) and sophomores Sam Braswell (125) and Brandon Woody (141) – while Penn State-Behrend is sending sophomore Jake Paulson (184), and freshman Sean Sax will represent Westminster. It’s amazing, like going to state as a freshman in high school,” said Sax, an undefeated Missouri state champion last year for Waynesville High School. “I’ve been with Mike and Tony (the Eierman brothers who are Westminster’s coaches and also guided him with the Eierman Elite Wrestling club) for about seven years. They got me here, and it feels amazing.”
Sax won in dramatic fashion to place third and earn the final qualifying spot at 149 pounds at the Lower Midwest Regional. Tied with Millikin’s Tristan Birt in the overtime tiebreaker, Sax used one of his favorite moves and scored a four-point near fall that sealed the 9-6 win. ….
Two other schools that reinstated programs in recent years also will have their first national representatives in many years. Eron Haynes will represent Nebraska Wesleyan, which brought back wrestling when it joined the Iowa Conference (now the American Rivers Conference) in 2016, and Jordan Burkholder will compete for Muskingum. Both wrestle at 125 pounds. Rest of the story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/March/06/Averett-PSU-Behrend-and-Westminster-have-first-D3-qualifiers?mc_cid=e0eaa2fc3e&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Can You Lead a Program Without Wrestling Knowledge?
Taking on the Challenge
Cary Kolat answers the question, “Can you lead a wrestling program without any prior wrestling knowledge?” For example, if the team needs a head coach and if they cannot find one the program will cease to exist. If you’re a parent or involved in the program and want the opportunity for your kid to wrestle, Kolat says absolutely step up. Obviously, prior experience with wrestling is ideal but at the end of the day it comes down to leadership. The courage alone to step up with no prior knowledge shows you’re a leader.
Putting the Right Pieces in Place
If you don’t have the necessary knowledge, look for … Rest of the story at https://therudis.com/can-you-lead-a-wrestling-program-without-prior-knowledge/?mc_cid=154493b531&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Miklus has embodied everything that’s good about college wrestling
His father taught him to put his head down and work, to be accountable, to set a positive example for others around him, and to look beyond the singlet color and admire the wrestler inside it. So in his pre-teen years, Willie Miklus flipped semi tires up a 500-yard hill on his family’s property south of Des Moines and followed that up with another series of strength and conditioning drills. He became one of the most dependable volunteers for his high school team’s fundraisers, never bowing out because he was a two-time Iowa state high school champion with a Division-I future. He helped elevate Southeast Polk into the national rankings for the first time before moving on to the University of Missouri, where he became a three-time All-American. Miklus left the Tigers last summer to come back home after his father’s health took a turn for the worse. Garry Miklus passed away Monday morning at the age of 58 after a three-year battle with ALS, a vicious motor neuron disease with no cure. Willie wanted to be closer to his father in his final months. So he transferred to Iowa State and the Cyclones wound up with a guy who embodies everything that’s good about college wrestling. Miklus is working on a master’s degree in Family Financial Planning. The 25-year-old, sixth-year senior already a master’s in Educational Counseling Psychology. On the mat, he’s 19-2 this season heading into this weekend’s Big 12 Championships. He’s ranked sixth at 197 pounds and he’s been a key figure in Iowa State’s turnaround as a team. Rest of the story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1552003909688&twSessionId=pissuaijsu&postId=1376409132&mc_cid=154493b531&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Group becomes first trio of Colorado HS wrestlers to win 3 state titles on same team
TDR Editor’s Notes; An interesting story about an interesting event in Colorado.
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Windsor High School (Colo.) wrestlers Will VomBaur, Dominick Serrano and Isaiah Salazar didn’t know they were making history. They were each just trying to win their third state wrestling titles Feb. 23 at the Pepsi Center in Denver. When all three did, they became the first trio of Colorado high school wrestlers ever to win their third state championships on the same team in the same year. “I didn’t know that it hadn’t been done before,” VomBaur said. “I didn’t think much about it. I just thought it was cool that we had three, three-time champions.” Coach Monte Trusty knew “it was something special” at the time but didn’t realize how special until he began to research it the following Monday. Tim Yount, who has compiled Colorado’s On The Mat high school wrestling rankings for 25 years, called it simply “amazing.”There just aren’t that many three-time state champions, period, and only three times before had two wrestlers on the same team won their third state titles in the same year.
Rest of the story at https://usatodayhss.com/2019/windsor-hs-first-3-time-state-wrestling-champions-same-team?mc_cid=d477afc52e&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Hidlay Falls in NCAA Semifinals to Top Seed Nolf 3-2
Two-time All-American comes back tomorrow for consolation semifinals
PITTSBURGH, PA. – Advancing to the NCAA Semifinals for the second straight year, R-So. Hayden Hidlay’s run to a championship came to an end after a highly-contested 3-2 loss to top-seeded Jason Nolf of Penn State. Hidlay will be the lone NC State representative in action tomorrow. In the Blood Round, R-Sr. Sean Fausz (125 pounds) and R-So. Tariq Wilson (133) both fell one win shy of All-American honors.
NC State Saturday Matchups – Session 5
CONS. SEMIFINALS
157: Bout #590 – #5 seed Hayden Hidlay (23-3) vs. #3 seed Ryan Deakin (Northwestern – 33-5)
Semifinals Recap
As the first period was winding down, Hidlay was awarded a takedown with four seconds left, but after a long video review by the officials, the call was overturned and the first 3:00 was scoreless. Nolf started the second with an escape, then secured the bout’s lone takedown. Hidlay scored the escape and then started the third with an escape to close the gap to 3-2. The period went on, and Hidlay was in on a late shot, but his takedown came as the period expired. Hidlay will be in action tomorrow afternoon, wrestling in the consolation semifinals and then in a placement bout. Rest of the story at http://www.GoPack.com
ECU Spring Clinic This Sunday
ECU’s 8th annual Spring Wrestling Clinic set for March 24th. We again have an outstanding staff at a low price. Lunch is now included as well. Our clinicians have a world of experience successfully working with young men. The ECU team will serve as on-mat assistants. This is a great chance to improve your wrestling, see our facilities, and meet the ECU coaches and wrestlers. Get in touch with any questions. Bring both forms to registration.
Milt Sherman
ECU Wrestling
shermanm@ecu.edu 252-341-8980
Six from the NCSU WolfPack Score First Round Wins
Pack went 6-3 in Session I and sits in 12th place
PITTSBURGH, PA. – Six of the nine participants from the NC State wrestling team won their first period matches in Session I at the 2019 NCAA Championships this afternoon. The six will advance to tonight’s second round, while the other three will be in action in the consolation bracket.
Thursday Night Matchups – Session 2:
SECOND ROUND
125 – Bout #185: #14 seed Sean Fausz (12-2) vs. #3 seed Spencer Lee (Iowa – 19-3)
133 – Bout #194: #11 seed Tariq Wilson (15-3) vs. #6 seed Ethan Lizak (Minnesota – 29-5)
149 – Bout #206: #9 seed Justin Oilver (19-5) vs. #8 seed Jarrett Degen (Iowa State – 26-6)
157 – Bout #215: #5 seed Hayden Hidlay (21-2) vs. #21 seed Justin Thomas (Oklahoma – 22-9)
165 – Bout #221: #16 seed Thomas Bullard (21-8) vs. #1 seed Alex Marinelli (Iowa – 24-0)
197 – Bout #248: #13 seed Malik McDonald (19-9) vs. #4 seed Patrick Brucki (Princeton – 30-1)
CONSOLATION
141 – Bout #281: #14 seed Jamel Morris (22-4) vs. #30 seed Nate Limmex (Purdue – 18-16) OR #32 seed Christopher Sandoval (Northern Colorado – 8-11)
174 – Bout #315: #23 seed Daniel Bullard (20-10) vs. #26 seed Drew Hughes (Michigan State – 26-14)
184 – Bout #323: #7 seed Nick Reenan (15-5) vs. #23 seed Jackson Hemauer (Fresno State – 23-12)
FIRST ROUND RECAP
#14 seed Sean Fausz started the Pack’s day with a dominating 8-2 win (with 3:21 of ride time) over #19 seed Mackall of Iowa State. Fausz scored a takedown in the first and third periods and only gave up a reversal.
#11 seed Tariq Wilson followed suit with a 5-0 decision over #22 seed Gosner of Campbell. Wilson scored a takedown in the first and third periods and used 1:44 of ride time to advance. Rest of the story at www.GoPack.com
ACC Wrestling
The ACC will send a league-record tying 41 wrestlers to the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, which begin Thursday and continue through Saturday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
• ACC champion NC State and runner-up Virginia Tech lead the conference’s six wrestling schools with nine NCAA selections each, and North Carolina has eight.
• The ACC received a league-record 37 automatic bids to this year’s NCAA Wrestling Championship, and qualifying for those slots was determined by the results of the 2019 ACC Championships held March 9 at Virginia Tech. In addition to those automatic qualifiers, the ACC was awarded four at-large berths.
• The ACC’s 41-wrestler contingent is led by a pair of No. 3 seeds in Duke’s Mitch Finesilver at 149 pounds and Virginia Tech’s Zack Zavatsky at 184 … Finesilver’s No. 3 seeding is the best ever for a Blue Devil in the NCAAs … ACC Wrestling Championship MVP Micky Phillipi drew the No. 4 seed at 133 pounds, while Virginia’s Jack Mueller is No. 5 at 125, and NC State’s Hayden Hidlay followed suit at 15 … A total of 12 ACC wrestlers are seeded among the top 10 in their respective weight classes.
• For the second consecutive year, Mitch Finesilver will join his three Duke teammate brothers – Josh at 141 pounds, Zach at 165 and Matt at 174 – in qualifying for the NCAA Championships . Last year marked the first time in history that four brothers had advanced to the NCAAs.
• Pitt is hosting the ACC Wrestling Championships for the first time since 1957 … This will mark the sixth time an ACC member school has hosted the event and the first time since North Carolina hosted in 1994.
• NC State claimed the 2019 ACC Wrestling Championship before a record crowd of 3,742 on March 9 at Virginia Tech’s Cassell Coliseum … The title is the 16th for the Wolfpack overall and the second under seventh-year head coach Pat Popolizio. Rest of the story and details at https://theacc.co/ACCWREST19
Fairmont State University Adds Wrestling As 17th Sport
TDR Editor’s Notes ; Big News! Love to see schools adding wrestling opportunities. Another Division II school which has been a growing group of wrestling teams. Look forward to soon hearing about others
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FAIRMONT, W.Va. — For the first time in more than 30 years, Fairmont State University will offer wrestling as part of its intercollegiate athletics program beginning in the fall of 2019. “I am excited to welcome wrestling back home to the Falcon Nation as our 17th sport,” said Dr. Mirta M. Martin, President at Fairmont State University. “This region has an abundance of talented student-athletes who wrestle, and adding wrestling allows Fairmont State to give these hard-working students access to a quality higher education. “Adding wrestling also gives us one more activity through which we can share with the world how Fairmont State transforms passion and effort into excellence,” Dr. Martin added.
The program is set to begin competition during the 2019-20 athletics season as a member of NCAA Division II and the Mountain East Conference. The search for Fairmont State’s head wrestling coach will begin immediately.
Wrestling will return to Fairmont State University for the first time since the 1982-83 season. “We are extremely excited to bring the wrestling program back to Fairmont State University and the Fairmont community,” said Director of Athletics Chad Fowler. “In my six years as a member of the athletics administration at Fairmont State, we have received plenty of community and alumni support to bring the program back and today is a very special day for the entire community. Rest of the story at https://fightingfalcons.com/news/2019/3/20/general-fairmont-state-university-adds-wrestling-as-17th-sport.aspx
NCAA D-I on TV
TDR Editor’s Notes ; Our Thanks to ECU Alum and wrestling booster Milt Sherman for passing this along. So now we can see it all, more or less depending on other distractions.
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Hi Wrestlers –
Here is ESPN’s schedule for NCAA wrestling. All rounds are on TV again this year!
Thurs 12:00 1st Round ESPNU/ESPN3 8 mats
7:00 pm 2nd round ESPN/ESPN3 8 mats
Fri 11:00am 1/4’s ESPNU/ESPN3 8 mats
8:00 Semi’s ESPN/ESPN3 6 mats
Sat 11:00 medal round ESPNU/ESPN3 3 mats
6:30 Pregame Show ESPN3
7:00 championships ESPN/ESPN3
10:00 postgame show
From Milt Sherman, ECU Wrestling
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
