UNC coach Scott signs contract extension through 2021
CHAPEL HILL — Fourth-year head wrestling coach Coleman Scott has signed a contract extension with the University of North Carolina, Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham announced today. Scott, a four-time All-American and 2008 national champion at Oklahoma State and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist, led the Tar Heels to their best NCAA finish in more than two decades last spring.
UNC has signed or is announcing:
• contracts and/or contract extensions with 11 head coaches, including Scott’s extension, which runs through 2020-21;
Rest of the story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/20982
United World Wrestling Assists in Delivery of Mats and Equipment to Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (December 17) – United World Wrestling and USA Wrestling’s Wrestling4Peace initiative successfully delivered two new wrestling mats, two donated wrestling mats and a variety of training equipment and clothing last week to the Puerto Rico Wrestling Federation.
The donated mats and equipment were collected by USA Wrestling’s Wrestling4Peace with two new mats and delivery payments provided by United World Wrestling. The donations are part of an ongoing commitment by United World Wrestling to help the island in their recovery from hurricanes that pummeled the nation in 2017. “Puerto Rico is one of the strongest wrestling nations in the Americas,” said United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic. “We are here to better serve our athletes, especially those who’ve had to overcome obstacles like the hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico. This is just a part of what we’d like to accomplish, and it’s a great start.” Rest of the story at https://unitedworldwrestling.org/article/united-world-wrestling-assists-delivery-mats-and-equipment-puerto-rico?mc_cid=fe6a0178fe&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Endowment fund to benefit Joliet Junior College wrestling program
TDR Editor’s Notes; Wonderful idea!
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The Joliet Junior College wrestling program once again has a bright future, thanks in part to a recently established endowment fund by former JJC student athlete Larry Wollschlager.
The $60,000 gift, which will fund wrestling equipment, supplies and technology, is in honor of former wrestling coach Henry Pillard. From 1964 to 1968, Pillard led the team to 60 consecutive victories. He would return in 1970, where he served as head coach for another 15 years. In that stretch, Pillard’s teams produced over 40 All-Americans, eight national champions, as well as numerous academic All-Americans and top 10 finishes. He’s a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Hall of Fame, as well as the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Official’s Hall of Fame.
Pillard’s coaching style and support of his wrestlers off the mat left a lasting impact on many, including Wollschlager (’69). “Being a young man from Chicago from a modest working family, with no money to attend college other than what I could save working odd jobs during the summer, Mr. Pillard’s sincerity and the fact that Joliet was a short distance from Chicago convinced me to give JJC a try,” Wollschlager said. Wollschlager recalls a coach dedicated to his recruits, who was able to develop his athletes’ skills to their greatest potential. Pillard’s passion for his wrestlers’ success extended to their performance in the classroom and away from campus. He was willing to assist his athletes in any way possible, Wollschlager said, even by providing temporary lodging to recruits who couldn’t afford it.
“Coach Pillard was a very unselfish man. He wanted his wrestlers to be successful. He was sympathetic to their status,” said Wollschlager. “There are many stories I heard from other wrestlers before me. Many of them had such high respect for Coach Pillard because they saw what he did for them and for so many of their wrestling buddies.” Wollschlager credits the time and encouragement he received from Pillard to his successful wrestling career at the University of Texas El Paso (UTEP). Rest of the story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/20972
Girls wrestling poised for explosive growth with Kent County (Mich.) Championships providing a preview of new girls state tourney
GRAND RAPIDS – History was made at this year’s Kent County Wrestling Championships. For the first time in the history of the premier high school wresting event in Kent County, female wrestlers competed against each other in their own separate division.
While girls have wrestled at the Kent County in the past, this year’s event was the first where high school girls had their own division at the tournament. More history is on the horizon for girls wrestling this season with girls wrestling poised for an explosion in the state on the high school level.
Forest Hills Central, host of this year’s Kent County Wrestling Championships, is one of the schools at the forefront of the growth of girls high school wrestling. Central has a total of eight girls on the roster this year with seven actively competing. Two of the Rangers wrestlers capped the day winning championships. Hannah Becker won the 103-112-pound weight class while Rachel Schenk won the 112-119-pound title.
A junior at Central, Becker has been wrestling for one month. Becker is enjoying the opportunity to compete in the sport against girls from other high schools and was thrilled when she found out Central would have a girls’ wrestling team this year. Rest of the story at https://www.mlive.com/sports/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2018/12/girls_wrestling_poised_for_exp.html?mc_cid=e084b00877&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Wrestling-program expansion brings New Jersey girls to the mat
BARNEGAT TOWNSHIP — Karina Santiago had never wrestled before in her life.
The opportunity hadn’t presented itself.
But when the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association announced earlier this year it would sanction a state tournament for individual girl wrestlers, the Barnegat High School senior did not think twice about taking up the sport.
“I think having girls on a wrestling team is a good asset to have, not only for our school but for other schools in general,” said Santiago, 17. “It can give the idea to other girls to face their biggest fears and not be scared to go out and try something that others say you can’t do.”
New Jersey is the 12th state and the first in the Northeast to sanction girls wrestling. During a recent practice, Santiago, who is one of four girls on the Barnegat wrestling team, pushed up her sandy-blond hair underneath the standard headgear and confidently jogged on the mat, just like any other member of the team. She understands that wrestling is not always seen as a girls sport, but that is a reason she wanted to compete on the mat.
She wanted to try a sport that requires the same amount of grit and strength from boys and girls. “A lot of males underestimate girls that do wrestling,” she said. “I thought that I could join wrestling to not only make a better impact on myself, but also prove to all the boys in wrestling that girls can do it.” In 2017-18, 16,562 girls wrestled at 2,351 schools across the country, according to an annual participation survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations. California had the most girl wrestlers with 5,286 a decade after it approved the sport.
“The girls never had the opportunity. Now they do,” said Princeton University wrestling coach Chris Ayres, who worked with state high school officials to develop the girls wrestling program. “It’s going to grow every year. There’s just a demand. Once you get this thing started, it doesn’t go backward.” Rest of the story at https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/highschool/wrestling/wrestling-program-expansion-brings-new-jersey-girls-to-the-mat/article_ab0a9052-b8af-56b2-afa9-1bdebd7b3423.html?mc_cid=e084b00877&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
#7 @PackWrestle Wins Four of Final Five Matches and Downs #11 Nebraska
The Pack won on criteria, as the dual ended 17-17 and the Pack scored more total points (58-53)
RALEIGH, N.C. – Falling behind 14-3 after the first five bouts, NC State won four of the final five matches and scored an 18-17 comeback over #11 Nebraska in Reynolds Coliseum on Sunday.
Going into the final bout down 17-12, NC State’s #4 R-So. Tariq Wilson needed the technical fall to even the team score, and he scored the 18-2 win.
The dual ended with a team score of 17-17, but after criteria which was total points scored (58-53), the Pack got the extra team point for the win.
The dual started at 141 pounds, with Nebraska winning four of the first five bouts before the intermission to take a 14-3 lead. The dual started with a Nebraska 3-2 win, as 2017 All-American scored the bout’s lone takedown and got a 3-2 win over #13 Jamal Morris. The Pack scored its first win of the day by #4 Justin Oliver at 149 pounds. Oliver scored a takedown in all three periods and added the ride time point for an 8-2 win. Nebraska won three straight, first with a decision at 157 pounds as #5 Tyler Berger scored a 5-2 win over #4 Hayden Hidlay. The Cornhuskers then scored back-to-back major decisions with wins at 165 and 174 pounds. NC State stormed out of the intermission winning four of the final five bouts. The stretch started with a pair of top-10 upsets. Rest of the story at https://gopack.com/news/2018/12/16/wrestling-7-packwrestle-wins-four-of-final-five-matches-and-downs-11-nebraska.aspx?mc_cid=e084b00877&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Nebraska recovers from slow start to beat UNC
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The No. 11 Nebraska wrestling team responded to some early adversity in its dual against the No. 12 North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday night at Carmichael Arena. The Huskers avenged last year’s 22-14 loss to the Tar Heels in Lincoln by taking a 22-15 victory on the road. NU trailed 13-3 after four matches before taking five out of the final six bouts to win the dual. The Huskers immediately started out in a hole as they had to take a forfeit at the 125-pound spot. No. 11 Zeke Moisey failed to make weigh-ins, giving the Tar Heels an early 6-0 lead.
Tucker Sjomeling improved to 11-3 (3-1 in duals) on the year with a 7-3 victory by decision over UNC’s James Szymanski to put NU on the board and reduce the deficit to 6-3. The redshirt freshman earned one takedown in each period and added an additional point for riding time. Chad Red Jr., coming off a 6-0 performance at last weekend’s Doane Open, suffered a 5-1 defeat to A.C. Headlee, avenging last year’s loss to Red in Lincoln. The Tar Heels team lead blossomed to 13-3 after No. 6 Austin O’Connor defeated Collin Purinton 16-5 in a major decision. Needing a spark, the Huskers turned to their senior two-time All-American (Tyler Berger). The Prineville, Ore., native stormed out of the gates with three takedowns in the first period and never looked back. The veteran Husker defeated UNC’s Sawyer Davidson in a major decision, 16-5. The victory brought the UNC lead to 13-7 heading into intermission. With the win by Berger, he hit 100 career wins, making him just the 28th Husker in school history to achieve that feat. Berger is nine wins way from 15th place on the all-time wins list and 28 wins away from being in the top five. Rest of the story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/20952
Patrick Tabbed To Begin ACU Men’s Wrestling Program
Phoenix, AZ- Athletic Director Jeff Rutter is excited to announce the hiring of Travis Patrick as the new head coach of the Arizona Christian University Men’s Wrestling program.
Dr. Peter Dryer, Associate Athletic Director, stated, “We are excited for Coach Patrick to join the ACU Athletics staff and start our wrestling program. Coach has a strong commitment to seeing his student-athletes thrive on campus, on the mat, and in their relationship with Christ. He is a strong recruiter and has a good understanding of wrestling landscape in the NAIA, specifically on the west coast.” Dryer continued, “Starting a collegiate wrestling program is a significant undertaking. Coach Patrick is up for the task and will be a great ambassador for ACU and the wrestling program. We look forward to seeing his positive influence on campus in the local wrestling community.”
Coach Patrick offered his thoughts on the new job, “I am tremendously excited to be joining the ACU athletic staff and am very grateful to Mr. Rutter and Dr. Dryer for entrusting me with the task of leading the brand new Firestorm wrestling program. I look forward to building a program at Arizona Christian that develops young athletes into strong men of God who excel in the classroom and serve in their community in addition to competing for championships. Patrick added, “There are so many talented wrestlers within the state of Arizona and I am thrilled we can offer an opportunity for them to continue their careers at the next level while staying in their home state. It is obvious the work God has been doing in and through the ACU athletic department, I am humbled and grateful be able to join such a great staff”. Coach Patrick has been coaching with Menlo College since 2015 when he was hired as an assistant wrestling coach and sports performance coach. In 2017, he was promoted to associate head wrestling coach. He was also a Fellowship of Christian Athletes Advisor at Menlo since 2017. Rest of the story at http://www.acufirestorm.com/article/1519.php?mc_cid=3c5d796fba&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b&skipSplash=1
Augustana (S.D.) sports, including wrestling, to move to NCAA Division I
Augustana University wrestling — and all other intercollegiate sports at the Sioux Falls, S.D. school — will be making the move from NCAA Division II to Division I.
The transition — part of school president Stephanie Herseth Sandlin’s AU: Vision 2030 strategic vision plan — was approved by Augustana’s Board of Trustees on Thursday. One key element of this plan is a transition for Vikings athletics to a Division I intercollegiate conference. While this vision plan itself does not indicate a timetable for this transition, multiple media reports indicate the school hopes to make the transition during the 2021-22 school year. “Augustana needs to notify its current conference, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) by the end of the year if they intend to leave the conference to begin the transition,” according to the Argus-Leader. Augustana has been a member of the NSIC since 2008. “Augustana has been a pivotal contributor to the success of the NSIC over the past decade,” according to NSIC Commissioner Erin Lind. “They have represented the NSIC well in competition, in the classroom, and in their community. We wish all the student-athletes, coaches, administrators and fans the best in the future.” In the past, Augustana has stated its intentions to move to the Summit League, which recently relocated its headquarters from suburban Chicago to Sioux Falls. If approved to join the Summit League, the Vikings would begin a five-year transition period that will include some time playing as an independent without a conference, and ineligibility for postseason play. The AU Viking wrestling program is led by head coach Jason Reitmeier, a 1997 Augustana alum who started his coaching career at his college alma mater immediately upon graduation. Since taking the helm in 2003, Reitmeier has led the Vikings to an overall record of 176-80. Rest of the story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/20949
NO. 12 TAR HEELS HOST NO. 11 NEBRASKA IN HOME OPENER
CHAPEL HILL — The No. 12 North Carolina wrestling team opens its home schedule Saturday when the Tar Heels host No. 11 Nebraska at 6:30 p.m. at Carmichael Arena. Carolina is a perfect 3-0 in duals with road wins over Chattanooga, No. 15 Arizona State and Appalachian State, while Nebraska is 4-1 with its lone loss coming on criteria against No. 10 Wisconsin.
UNC picked up one of the biggest dual victories of the Coleman Scott era last year in Lincoln, a 22-14 victory over the Cornhuskers. Kennedy Monday sparked the upset with a first-period pin of Tyler Berger, with Cory Daniel finishing off the victory with a 3-2 decision over David Jensen in the final bout. A top-15 showdown is expected at 184 pounds as No. 13 Chip Nesswill take on No. 3 Taylor Venz. In last year’s dual, Venz topped Ness in an overtime thriller, 13-11 in sudden victory. Ness avenged the loss at the NCAA Championships, topping the Venz 11-6 en route to an All-American finish. A redshirt senior from Duluth, Georgia, Ness is 7-4 on the year following a 2-2 showing at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Venz is 10-1 on the young season and a perfect 5-0 in dual competition. The redshirt sophomore took fourth at nationals last season and finished second at Cliff Keen, dropping an 11-5 decision to top-ranked Myles Martin of Ohio State in the final. Rest of the story at https://goheels.com/news/2018/12/14/wrestling-no-12-tar-heels-host-no-11-nebraska-in-home-opener.aspx
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
