At-large selections announced for NCAAs
INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA announced the 45 at-large selections for the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
The wrestlers, listed in alphabetical order by weight class, join the 285 student-athletes that qualified automatically through their conference tournament finishes last weekend. The at-large selections were made by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee using the following selection criteria: head-to-head competition, quality wins, results against common opponents, winning percentage, rating percentage index, coaches ranking and conference tournament finish.
125:
Alonzo Allen Chattanooga 22-9 SoCon
Zeke Moisey Nebraska 13-10 Big Ten
Rico Montoya Northern Colo. 16-9 Big 12
Cole Verner Wyoming 22-13 Big 12
133:
Noah Gosner Campbell 20-8 SoCon
Complete list at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/21678
Vinson Named Coach of the Year by the National Collegiate Open
PackWrestle won two titles and claimed 10 All-American honors
RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State assistant coach Donnie Vinson has been named Coach of the Year by the 2019 National Collegiate Open. “Our staff has worked extremely hard to continue developing our student-athletes,” said NC State head coach Pat Popolizio. “This award is a great example of the continued hard work from Coach Vinson and our entire staff that prepares our team to achieve the goals they set out to accomplish.” This past weekend at the annual National Collegiate Open in Delaware, NC State came home with a pair of first place finishes and a NCO record 10 All-American finishes.
Jakob Camacho won the 125-pound title, while fellow freshman Trent Hidlay took top honors at 184 pounds. Camacho went 5-0 and defeated UNC’s Joey Melendez 9-4 in the finals, while Hidlay was 3-0 and outscored his foes 43-11 and beat UVA’s Victor Marcelli 10-3 in the finals. Other podium finishes for the Wolfpack: Zurich Storm (125 – 3rd place), Matt Fields (141 – 3rd place), Jarrett Trombley (133 – 4th place), Alex Urquiza – 4th place), Deonte Wilson (285 – 4th place), Matt Grippi (149 – 5th place), Tyrie Houghton (285 – 5th place), Tommy Cox (125 – 6th place).
From Brian Reinhardt
Director of Athletics Digital Communications
bcreinha@ncsu.edu
at www.GoPack.com
Wolfpack Wrestlers Qualifies Nine for 2019 NCAA Championships
Over the last four seasons, NC State has qualified 36 of the possible 40 starters
RALEIGH, N.C. – The 2019 ACC Champion NC State wrestling team will be sending nine of its 10 starters to next week’s 2019 NCAA Championships as announced by the NCAA this afternoon. National seeds and brackets will be announced tomorrow at 6 p.m., and the 2019 NCAA Championships take place in Pittsburgh March 21-23. For the second straight season, NC State posted a school-record nine automatic qualifiers based off their finishes at this past weekend’s ACC Championship, which saw the Wolfpack take top team honors. Eight of
the Pack’s nine NCAA participants this season will be making a return trip to
the NCAA Championships, including three who have already collected All-American
honors.
NC State will be led by a pack of five redshirt-sophomores. Hayden Hidlay (157 pounds) was an NCAA Finalist last year in his first trip to the NCAAs, while Tariq Wilson (133) went from unseeded to third place last year as well. In addition, classmates Thomas Bullard (165), Daniel Bullard (174) and Nick Reenan (184) will all be making their second trips. Three additional members of the Wolfpack will be making their final appearances in the NCAA Championships here in their final seasons. Sean Fausz (125) will be returning to the NCAAs for the fourth time in his career, along with Justin Oliver (149), but his first with the Pack after reaching the NCAAs three times with Central Michigan. 2019 ACC Champion Malik McDonald (197) will be making his second trip, first since 2017. R-Sr. Jamel Morris, the 2019 ACC Champion at 141 pounds, qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time in his career, in his final season. Over the last four seasons, NC State has qualified 36 of the possible 40 starters.
From Brian Reinhardt, Director of Athletics Digital Communications http://www.GoPack.com
Wrestling Weekend That Was: Grand View continues NAIA dominance with eighth straight title
Grand View continues dominance
Grand View waltzed to its eighth straight NAIA Championships team title Saturday at Jacobson Exhibition Center in Des Moines. The Vikings scored 219 points, a whopping 134 more than runner-up Lindsey Wilson and 51 1/2 more than the second and third teams combined. Grand View crowned two champions and finished with 12 All-Americans in a quirky NAIA rule that allows teams to qualify up to 12 wrestlers. The Vikings had multiple All-Americans at 125, 149 and 157 pounds.
The 149-pound final was a match between Grand View teammates — fifth-seeded Josh Wenger and No. 2 Devin Reynolds. Wenger, a former Cedar Rapids Prairie state champion and four-time state medalist with a 169-20 career mark, claimed his second title in three seasons, placing fifth a year ago. His first title was at 141 as a freshman in 2017.
Wenger recorded a unique victory over his fellow Viking. Wenger started the second period in the bottom position after a scoreless first. Reynolds was working for nearfall points when Wenger reached back to grab his head and posted a defensive pin in 4:15. Wenger reached the final with a 16-4 major decision over top-seeded Tres Leon of Cumberlands. He recorded three major decisions in his first four bouts. Rest of the story and details at https://www.thegazette.com/subject/sports/wrestling-weekend-that-was-grand-view-continues-naia-dominance-with-eighth-straight-title-20190304?mc_cid=ed5731f3e6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Green Beret overcomes odds to wrestle for ASU as 34 year old walk-on
Story by Alun Thomas
PHOENIX – On first impressions, the story seems like pure fantasy – a Hollywood script. A former Green Beret walks on to the Arizona State University wrestling team at the age of 34, after enduring years of events that may have defeated lesser men. From teenage drug addiction, enduring multiple explosions in combat and being electrocuted, Roman Rozell rose above it, to achieve something he never thought possible. But he did – and lived to tell the story. Rozell, a retired sergeant first class, was born in Apache Junction, Ariz., in 1984 and said his early upbringing was less than ideal and negatively affected him. “I came from nothing … my parents divorced early on. My mother moved us all over the place,” Rozell said. “Sometimes I’d attend three schools a year.” Rest of the details at https://www.dvidshub.net/news/310606/green-beret-overcomes-odds-wrestle-asu-34-year-old-walk?mc_cid=ed5731f3e6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Jamestown to Host First-Ever NAIA Women’s Wrestling National Invitational
KANSAS CITY, M.O. (NAIA) – Jamestown will host the 2019 NAIA Women’s Wrestling Invitational, the national office announced on Wednesday. The invitational will be held on March 15-16, 2019. The NAIA added women’s wrestling as an invitational sport beginning the 2018-2019 academic year after the National Administrative Council (NAC) unanimously approved the motion at the NAIA National Convention in Kansas City, Mo., in April 2018.
The NAIA is the first intercollegiate athletics association to officially recognize women’s wrestling. “The NAIA is thrilled to have the University of Jamestown host the 2019 Women’s Wrestling National Invitational,” said Jim Carr, NAIA president and CEO. “This is a milestone event for women’s wrestling and we are confident that Jamestown will deliver an exceptional experience for student-athletes, coaches, and fans.” “The University of Jamestown looks forward to hosting this tournament,” University of Jamestown President Dr. Polly Peterson said. “We have been committed to women’s wrestling for a decade and are pleased that it is now an NAIA sport. The University and the Jamestown community look forward to welcoming the athletes and their fans. The University is appreciative of the support and participation that it received from the community as we moved through the site selection process.” Rest of the story and details at http://www.newsdakota.com/2019/03/04/jamestown-to-hst-first-ever-naia-womens-wrestling-national-invitational/?mc_cid=ed5731f3e6&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Grand View wins eighth straight NAIA team title, led by champions Hansen and Wenger
By Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling | March 02, 2019,
Grand View team photo by Mark Lundy, Lutte Lens.
DES MOINES, Iowa – Led by individual champions Evan Hansen (197) and Josh Wenger (149) and 11 All-Americans, Grand View dominated the NAIA National Championships to win its eighth straight team title. Hansen repeated as the 197-pound champion, stopping Isaac Bartel of MSU-Northern in the finals, 6-4. Wenger, the No. 5 seed, pinned his teammate Devin Reynolds, the No. 2 seed, in 4:15 to win an all-Grand View finals bout.
Grand View finished with 219 points, an amazing 134 points ahead of runner-up Lindsey Wilson with 85 points. Rounding out the top five teams was third place Life with 82.5 points, fourth-place Indiana Tech with 81 points and fifth place Reinhardt with 71 points.
Runner-up Lindsey Wilson had a pair of champions Brett Bradford (165) and Brandon Reed (285). Also with two champions was Indiana Tech, which took the two lightest weights with titles by Sawyer Miller (125) and Erique Early (133). Defending his 157 pound title was top seed Nosomy Pozo of Life, who beat No. 2 Brandon Weber of MSU-Northern, 6-5. Another returning champion who repeated was Lucas Lovvorn of Baker, who needed to go to sudden victory overtime to beat Lucius Van Rensburg of Life, 8-6. Rest of the story, results and details at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/March/02/Grand-View-wins-NAIA-Nationals?mc_cid=962ff02e82&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Clackamas CC wins NJCAA Nationals, led by champions Ozuna and Hurd
By Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling | March 02, 2019,
NAIA champion Clackamas CC team photo courtesy of John Johnson. COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – Clackamas CC, led by a pair of individual champions, won the team title at the 2019 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Nationals on Saturday. The Cougars individual champions were Elijah Ozuna (141) and Trajan Hurd (174). Ozuna scored a 3-1 sudden victory decision over Zack Donathan of Ellsworth. Hurd had an 11-3 major decision in the finals over Ashton Eyler of Iowa Central.
Clackamas scored 176.5 points, 24.5 points ahead of runner-up Northeast Oklahoma A&M which had 152 points. Rounding out the top five were third-place Iowa Central, fourth-place Northwest Kansas and fifth-place Ellsworth. Runner-up NEO had a pair of individual champions, Boo Dryden (133) and Antonio Andrade (285). Third-place Iowa Central also crowned a pair of champions, Ethan Karsten (157) and Tyree Sutton (197). Both Karsten and Sutton were runners-up in 2018, and were able to cash in during this year’s finals. Fourth-place Northwest Kansas had two champions of their own, Jordan Marshall (125) and Charles Small (184). Rest of the story, results and placers at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2019/March/02/Clackamas-wins-NJCAA-Nationals?mc_cid=962ff02e82&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Fausz’s unorthodox season winding down end to his long career
Sean Fausz’s final collegiate season has been unlike any before it and it still hasn’t sunk in for the fifth-year North Carolina State senior that this final postseason push will be his last. Give it a few more weeks. “It definitely won’t hit me until the very end probably,” Fausz told Trackwrestling.com.
The Wolfpack 125-pounder hopes that includes his first trip to the podium, especially considering there was a point when Fausz wasn’t sure if he’d be able to have the type of senior season he wanted. After suffering an ankle injury in last season’s NCAA Championships, Fausz was still feeling the effects when he took the mat for the U23 World Team Trials in early June.
“I was going to injury default out of that tournament but was convinced to keep going,” Fausz said. “It worked out for the best. But after that tournament, I knew something was wrong and I had to get it checked out.” Rest of the story at https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1551539770121&twSessionId=urxzeoorsp&postId=1365272132&mc_cid=c2abb90d5e&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
NCAA Division I wrestling qualifier allocations for 2019 championships, coaches’ panel rankings and RPI announced
INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA has announced the qualifier allocations for the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships as listed in the chart below.
Each qualifying tournament was awarded automatic bids per weight class based on current year data. Each wrestler was measured on the following: Division I winning percentage at the weight class; ratings percentage index (RPI); and coaches’ ranking.
POWER RANKINGS: Penn State still dominates, OSU’s Nick Piccininni moves up
For each wrestler that reached the threshold in at least two of the three categories, his conference tournament was awarded a qualifying spot in that weight class. Each conference was awarded a minimum of one automatic bid per weight class, which will go to the tournament champion, even if they did not have any wrestlers reach at least two of the three thresholds. NCAA tournament spots for each qualifying event will be awarded at the tournament based solely on place-finish. After all of the conference tournaments have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 44 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 12, while brackets and seeding will be announced on NCAA.com at 6 p.m. on March 13. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers. The at-large selections will be made based on the following criteria: head-to-head competition; quality wins; coaches’ ranking; results against common opponents; RPI; qualifying event placement; and winning percentage. Rest of the story at https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling/2019-03-01/ncaa-division-i-wrestling-qualifier-allocations-2019-championships?mc_cid=a0421ecea9&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
