NCAA wrestling qualifiers announced for 2019 D-II & III championships
INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA Division III Wrestling Committee announced Monday the participants in the 2019 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships. The championships will be held March 8-9 at the Berglund Center in Roanoke, Virginia. Ferrum College will serve as the host.
CHAMPIONSHIP INFO: 2018 championship highlights | Complete championship history
A total of 180 participants will compete in the championships. Student-athletes qualified for the championship by placing top-three in their respective weight classes at one of the six NCAA regional tournaments held on Feb. 22, 23 and 24. Rest of the story at https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling/2019-02-25/ncaa-wrestling-qualifiers-announced-2019-diii-championship?mc_cid=b1d73d27be&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
DII championships —
The NCAA announced on Monday the Division II wrestling qualifiers list for the 2019 championship. The brackets will be released on Friday. Details at https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling/2019-02-25/ncaa-wrestling-qualifiers-announced-2019-dii-championship?mc_cid=b1d73d27be&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Davenport University to add women’s wrestling program in 2020-21
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Davenport University has announced the addition of women’s wrestling as a program that will start competing during the 2020-21 school year. The current head coach of the men’s wrestling program, Jamie Boyd, will also lead the women’s program. “As we assessed the athletic landscape in our region, we noticed a consistent uptick of interest in women’s wrestling,” said Paul Lowden, executive director of intercollegiate athletics. “We have continued to gauge the growth of women’s wrestling in our area, which included the addition of the first Michigan High School Girls Wrestling Finals. With the addition of a collegiate women’s wrestling program at Davenport, we feel that we can offer a unique opportunity for females to extend their wrestling careers while achieving their academic goals.”
The women’s wrestling program will compete under the governing body of the Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA). The WCWA currently has a membership of 38 collegiate programs.
The program will follow eligibility rules similar to the NCAA and NAIA programs. Davenport University will be the second institution in the state of Michigan to join the WCWA. Rest of the story at https://portal.nwcaonline.com/articles/NWCA_News/Davenport-University-to-add-women-s-26-2-2019
Atlantic Coast Conference Announces Wrestler of the Week
Duke’s Mitch Finesilver recognized
GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Duke 149-pound redshirt senior Mitch Finesilver has been recognized as the final ACC Wrestler of the Week for the 2018-19 season. Finesilver remained unbeaten in dual action and took a huge step toward securing the top seed in his weight class at the upcoming ACC Championship with a thrilling 6-4 win over fourth-ranked Austin O’Connor of North Carolina last Friday night in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Coming into the match ranked seventh nationally, Finesilver used a third-period escape and takedown to turn a 4-3 deficit into a 6-4 victory. The Blue Devils, with Finesilver’s help, split the dual 5-5 with the Tar Heels, but bonus points by the visiting team proved to be the difference. Finesilver is now 26-3 this season and 10-3 against ranked opponents. The Greenwood Village, Colorado, native’s last loss came two months ago at the Southern Scuffle. Finesilver moved up to No. 4 in this week’s InterMat 149-pound rankings, one spot ahead of O’Connor and four ahead of NC State’s Justin Oliver in a weight class strongly represented by ACC wrestlers.
Rest of the story at https://theacc.co/accWOTW15
Wolfpack Wrestling Finishes #10 in Final NWCA Coaches’ Poll
Pack was 2019 co-ACC Dual Champions
RALEIGH, N.C. – With the dual season now complete, the NC State Wolfpack was ranked No. 10 nationally in the final NWCA Coaches’ Poll of the season. NC State was ranked in the top-10 in all 16 polls this season, and dating back over the last four seasons, NC State has appeared in the top-10 in 57 straight polls overall.
NC State has now finished in the top-10 in the final Coaches’ Poll for the fourth straight season. NC State went 16-3 overall in 2018-19, and tied atop the ACC standings with a 4-1 mark. The Wolfpack won back-to-back ACC regular season titles for the first time since 2001-02. NC State closed out the regular season with road wins at #13 North Carolina (20-14) and at #14 Virginia Tech (17-16), and was 6-3 vs. ranked foes this season. Rest of the story at https://gopack.com/news/2019/2/26/wrestling-packwrestle-finishes-10-in-final-nwca-coaches-poll.aspx
Campbell blanks Davidson, clinches first SoCon dual title
BUIES CREEK, N.C. — Campbell closed out the regular season with a 42- -1 SoCon victory over Davidson, securing a share of its first ever conference dual championship Sunday at Gore Arena. Campbell finishes the regular season with an all-time program best 7-1 overall dual record and a 5-1 SoCon mark, while Davidson drops to 2-13 on the year and 0-6 in conference action. The Camels finished their SoCon slate at 5-1, ending in a three-way tie for the conference’s regular season championship with Appalachian State and Chattanooga. Prior to the match, Campbell also recognized its three graduating seniors, Nathan Boston, Aaron Burton and John Weiss. Pins from 157 pounder Benjamin Barton (2:46), his second consecutive win by fall, and Austin McNeill (2:04) at 197, plus a forfeit for Korbin Meink (125 pounds) to lead off the day powered the Camels to their largest margin of victory of the season. Campbell also picked up major decisions from Boston (15-5) at 141, No. 9 Josh Heil (13-4) at 149 and Odgerel Batkhishig (12-2) to close out the win at heavyweight. No. 15 Noah Gonser (133), Cameron Pine (165), Weiss (174) and Chris Kober (184) added decisions for the Camels on the day for CU. Rest of the story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/21548
Chadron State College’s Hunter to enter wrestling hall of fame
Chadron State College Head Wrestling Coach Brett Hunter will be among 13 inductees into the Nebraska Scholastic Wrestling Coaches’ Hall of Fame in June. The announcement was made last week. Hunter is one of five wrestlers in the new class, which also includes three who were elected as coaches, three as contributors and two as officials.
Hunter’s career as a wrestler began when he was 4 years old. His parents, Roger and Elizabeth, kept tabs on the results and his total record nearly 20 years later when he won his second national championship for the Eagles was 576-59. Hunter had a 141-10 record at the Rushville High School, where he was a four-time state tournament placewinner. When he graduated, he shared the school record for most victories. Hunter was the Class D state champion at 112 pounds as a sophomore in 2002 and at 152 pounds as a senior in 2004. He also placed third at 103 pounds as a freshman and second at 125 as a junior. He pinned 91 of his prep opponents. Rest of the story at https://rapidcityjournal.com/community/chadron/sports/csc-s-hunter-to-enter-wrestling-hall-of-fame/article_94bd5fc8-c0de-529b-b7a3-f456320f2b95.html?mc_cid=02fdcbe9cc&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Is Sanderson’s approach the secret to Penn State’s success?
COLUMBUS, Ohio — As Ohio State coach Tom Ryan slowly strode into a makeshift media room in the west end of St. John Arena on Friday, he bore the countenance of a man beaten down by defeat. His No. 6 Buckeyes had just been trounced, 28-9, by No. 1 Penn State and few people outside of the Nittany Lions’ locker room saw that kind of domination coming.
“I didn’t envision it going that way. I thought we were ready to win tonight. Where we thought we were and what happened tonight are drastically different. I did not think this could happen,” Ryan said.
Give Ryan credit for facing the media and answering every question posed to him, honestly and fully. Many Penn State fans don’t like Ryan because in their eyes he’s guilty of two things: coaching rival Ohio State and talking passionately about his Buckeyes, admitting to the excitement of wins and the despair of defeats. Meanwhile, outside of the visiting locker room on the east side of St. John, Penn State coach Cael Sanderson met the media, too. With the exception of some carefully chosen words, it would have been difficult for casual observers to discern whether Sanderson had just watched his team lose a tight match to an excellent team in their home gym or what had actually happened. As he usually is, Sanderson was measured in… Rest of the story at http://www.lewistownsentinel.com/sports/penn-state/2019/02/is-sandersons-approach-the-secret-to-penn-states-success/?mc_cid=a34acd1440&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
How to improve PIAA Wrestling, part 1: Bring back the dual meets
Interesting and valid point of view.
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Like other high school sports, wrestling has declining participation and attendance. Four years ago, Northern Lehigh was the District 11 Class 2A team champion. Now, the Bulldogs struggle to fill half a 14-man lineup. They are not alone. Last season, 93 percent of Pennsylvania dual meets had at least one forfeit. Coaches, officials, wrestlers, fans and administrators agree things have to change. This three-part series looks at possible options for a sport that continues to have a passionate fan base but pales in comparison to previous decades.
“Wrestling with Progress,” a three-part series on what can be done to revive high school wrestling in Pennsylvania (Jesse Musto / The Morning Call)
Gene Waas told the security officer in the Easton Area High School parking lot that he was the referee that night for the 1988 wrestling showdown with rival Phillipsburg. The cop laughed at the 27-year-old, who was forced to park across Route 248 in the Kmart parking lot. “Later when he had to walk me back to the locker room after the match,” Waas recalled, “he apologized. He thought I was lying.” Rest of the story at https://www.mcall.com/sports/varsity/mc-spt-state-of-high-school-wrestling-series-dual-meets-0212-story.html?mc_cid=a34acd1440&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Missouri’s State Wrestling Championships Aren’t Just For Boys Anymore
TDR Editor – More Expanding Opportunities.
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Since the 1930s, Missouri and Kansas high school boys wrestlers have gone to the mat to find out who’s the best in their respective states. This year, Missouri added girls’ wrestling to its state championship lineup, only the 12th state to do so. Wrestling’s becoming increasingly popular for girls in Missouri, with the number getting involved in the sport more than quadrupling in a year.
“I looked at that database and there were 970 female athletes registered in the optimal performance calculator, which is amazing,” said Greg Stahl, an assistant director for the Missouri High School Activities Association (MHSAA). He oversees both the boys and girls state wrestling championships. Kearney High School saw 50 girls show up for an informational meeting before the season started, according to coach Jake Hill. Rest of the story at https://www.kcur.org/post/missouris-state-wrestling-championships-arent-just-boys-anymore?mc_cid=0574fb79af&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b#stream/0
Stossel Makes Most of His Chance for Penn State Wrestling
STATE COLLEGE, PA (WTAJ) – Penn State wrestling’s senior class consists of six wrestlers combining for four national championships, nine All-American finishes and four top-three rankings in the country. All of Penn State’ seniors are ranked highly or already have All-American status – except for walk-on Scott Stossel. According to coach Cael Sanderson, Stossel started wrestling for the school’s club wrestling team before earning the spot on the roster as a walk-on. He got his chance to start in the lineup against Michigan, Michigan State and Illinois. Stossel earned his first Big Ten Dual win Sunday against Illinois’ Joshua Contreras 6-4. Rest of the story at https://www.wearecentralpa.com/sports/nittany-nation/stossel-makes-most-of-his-chance-for-penn-state-wrestling/1794661538?mc_cid=0574fb79af&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
