East Stroudsburg adds women’s wrestling as intercollegiate sport
TDR Editor’s Notes; This looks to be the 7th school to announce the start of a college level team for women which will bring the total past 50 schools and heading towards 60. Also be aware of the following numbers:
– Since 1994, the number of women who wrestle in high school has grown from 804 to 16,562 (as of 2018)
– Since 2004, women’s wrestling is now a recognized Olympic sport.
– Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, Hawaii, and Washington sponsor a state high school championship.
– Women’s wrestling participation numbers are higher than the NCAA sponsored sports of crew, fencing, skiing, and rifle and NCAA emerging sports of rugby, sand volleyball, and equestrian.
– NWCA (National Wrestling Coaches Association) conducts a 16-team National Dual Meet Championship in conjunction with the NWCA Multi-Divisional National Duals.
– NWCA has been instrumental in getting women’s wrestling added as a new sport a number of schools
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EAST STROUDSBURG – East Stroudsburg University President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D., announced Monday that the University will add women’s wrestling as an intercollegiate sport beginning in fall 2019.
Women’s wrestling will be ESU’s 21st varsity sport. While not recognized as an NCAA intercollegiate sport, it is governed by the Women’s College Wrestling Association (WCWA) and is in the process of pursuing emerging sport status from the NCAA. “We are extremely excited to bring women’s wresting to ESU,” said President Welsh. “High school girls’ wrestling participation has grown for 27 straight years and continues to expand. Currently there are 48 college teams that sponsor a varsity women’s wrestling program, and most teams have about 30 members by the program’s third year. Women’s wrestling has been under consideration for some time and we’ve already developed our schedule for next fall. We are eager to recruit new student-athletes for this opportunity.”
Rest of the story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/20932
Despite challenges, Greenwood Christian starts wrestling program
TDR Editor’s Notes; Great to see High Schools adding wrestling as an athletic opportunity!
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Despite enormous difficulty measuring up to programs across the state, Greenwood Christian is still taking the mat.
The Hawks started a wrestling program this season, and are the only SCISA school in the Upstate with a program. The Hawks faced Ninety Six and Emerald last Thursday and recorded losses. Greenwood Christian coach Tommy Chandler knows the program has a lot of building to do, but it has to start somewhere. “I think we competed really hard,” Tommy Chandler said after the Hawks’ loss to Emerald Thursday. “Obviously, the outcome is not what we wanted. But Ninety Six and Emerald, their programs have been going for years and years and years, and our program has been going for three weeks.” Chandler started the program this year with the help of Greenwood Christian football coach Jolly Doolittle. Chandler is an assistant coach with the Hawks’ football team. “We’ve been wanting to start a wrestling team for a while and it just finally worked out this year that we could get it going,” Chandler said. The Hawks’ football program saw a season of growth last season, and several wrestlers were on the football team. Greenwood Christian hosted its first 11-man playoff game. The Hawks finished the season 7-3. In wrestling, however, Greenwood Christian is one of only 11 SCISA wrestling teams in the state, and most of them are Class 3A schools that are much larger than Greenwood Christian. The team has borrowed mats and can practice for only one hour each day because it shares a space with the Hawks’ girls and boys basketball teams. Support from the rest of the Lakelands is important, Chandler said. Rest of the story at http://www.indexjournal.com/sports/highschools/despite-challenges-greenwood-christian-starts-wrestling-program/article_a1e2ca57-19fa-5911-bbd3-9305ffaa296e.html?mc_cid=5282bc16f8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
2X Fargo Champ Wil Guida Verbals To North Carolina
Dec 7, 2018 Andrew Spey
Two-time Fargo national champion Will Guida has verbaled the North Carolina. The Tar Heels pick up the #12 ranked high school 113-pounder in the county and the #88 recruit on the Class of 2020 Big Board.
Guida is a New Jersey native who attends St. Paul’s School in Brooklandville, Maryland. Guida made his announcement today on social media. Rest of the story on Flowrestling at https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/6279546-2x-fargo-champ-will-guida-verbals-to-north-carolina?mc_cid=5b6eebbb0a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Parkside’s James Lehman Took Unconventional Path to Collegiate Wrestling
Lehman is ranked No. 3 at 184 pounds in Division II.
If there has been one constant for Parkside’s redshirt-senior James Lehman over the past decade, it has been his drive to perform at a high level on and off the wrestling mat. This season, Lehman is currently ranked third in the nation at 184 pounds. He completed his 2017-18 campaign posting a 27-12 overall record at 197-pounds and finishing in eighth place at the NCAA Division II National Championships. While Nick Becker garnered most of the attention with his impressive third consecutive NCAA Championship at 174-pounds last season, Lehman flew under the radar, continuing to post solid numbers for his team. However, it is not his performance on the mats that is the most impressive aspect about Lehman, rather it is his history of how he came to be a Parkside Ranger.
Following his 2009 senior season at Kenosha Tremper where he placed sixth at 152-pounds at the WIAA Division I Championships, Lehman decided to take a different path in his eventual route to college. Lehman enlisted in the Army and went on to serve two tours in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.
During the nearly five years he was in the Army, Lehman served with the 101st Airborne Division. When he was not in Afghanistan, he was stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, just over an eight-hour drive from home.
After Lehman completed his second tour in Afghanistan, he felt it was time to return home and leave the military. He knew it was time to enroll at Parkside. Rest of the story at https://parksiderangers.com/news/2018/12/7/parksides-james-lehman-took-unconventional-path-to-collegiate-wrestling.aspx?mc_cid=5b6eebbb0a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Rutgers Wrestling Reaches 3,000 Season Tickets Sold
Rutgers sets program record for fourth consecutive season
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers wrestling has reached its goal of 3,000 season tickets sold for 2018-19. This marks the fourth consecutive year the Scarlet Knights have sold the most season tickets in program history, as 2,338 season tickets were purchased in 2017-18. Season tickets for RU’s seven remaining home matches are still on sale and will be until Friday, Dec. 14. Fans interested in securing season tickets or single-match tickets can do so by calling 1-866-GORU (4678) or by clicking here.
“Having 3,000 season tickets sold shows just how much wrestling means to this state and this university,” said head coach Scott Goodale. “I want to thank our administration for all of the hard work they put into helping us reach this goal and our fans who continue to make the RAC the best place to wrestle in the country.” The RAC has become one of the premier wrestling venues in the sport. RU finished within the Top 5 nationally in home attendance for the third consecutive season in 2017-18, as it averaged 5,070 fans for its six home duals at the arena. Including its 2017-18 opener against Maryland at HighPoint.com Stadium, 32,764 fans watched Rutgers wrestle in Piscataway last season, a program record. Rest of the story at https://scarletknights.com/news/2018/12/7/wrestling-reaches-3-000-season-tickets-sold.aspx?mc_cid=5b6eebbb0a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Girls getting tough in male-dominated sport
While having a girl on the boys’ wrestling team was not unheard of in the past, this year seven girls at Pontiac Township High School have decided to start their own team under the guidance of head coach Corey Christenson.
The girls had their first team dual-format meet at Batavia High School on Wednesday. The girls wrestled against opponents from schools including Park Ridge (Maine East), Elgin (Larkin), Skokie (Niles West), Burlington (Central), Ottawa and Downers Grove (D.G. South). The girls will wrestle again in “The Munch” girls’ open format tournament on Saturday at PTHS.
Although nothing official has been announced, Christenson said Ottawa could bring around 15 girls, Berwyn-Cicero (Morton) could bring anywhere from 15 to 20, East Peoria could bring three, Mount Olive could bring five, Coal City could bring one and El Paso-Gridley could bring two.
“Who is going to actually show up? I’m not sure yet. But, I’m hoping that it takes off,” Christenson said. “The bottom line is, we gotta get this going and get the interest sparked. I can tell you, on the way home after the match at Batavia, the girls couldn’t stop talking about it.” Recognizing the growing interest in girls’ wrestling, the Illinois High School Association allowed the IWCOA to organize girls’ wrestling teams this year. However, Christenson has had girls in his wrestling program since he took over the program. “The first girl that wrestled for us was Magen Lane in 2002-03. We needed a body to fill a weight class and she offered to take forfeits. She was a manager and she was also the first girl to help the team with a win,” he said.
“Since then, more girls have helped out, including her sister, Hannah Lane. One year I had right around 14 girls on the wrestling team. So, it’s not as unheard of as some people might think. I feel like Magen started it for our school and showed her peers that girls can wrestle, too. Rest of the story at http://www.pontiacdailyleader.com/news/20181207/girls-getting-tough-in-male-dominated-sport
Duke cruises past Gardner-Webb
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. — Duke scored bonus points in six matches and won eight of the 10 to cruise to a 36-9 victory over Gardner-Webb in non-conference wrestling action Thursday night at Paul Porter Arena. The win sends the Blue Devils into 2019 with a 1-0 mark.
Duke picks up the dual victory in its lone match of the 2018 calendar year, while the Bulldogs fall to 2-2. Highlighting the evening was season-debuts for a quartet of Blue Devils, including sophomore Ben Anderson getting his first victory in a Blue Devil singlet. “We don’t normally wrestle in the first semester, but they wanted to and I was happy with our performance,” said head coach Glen Lanham. “We had three guys not normally in the lineup and then Zach back. It was a good performance overall.” After Duke and Gardner-Webb traded forfeits at 125 and 133 pounds to start the action all square 6-6, sophomore Josh Finesilver quickly doubled the Blue Devils’ lead to 12-6 with a fall in the second period against Blake Mulkey. The pin was the fifth of the season for 141-pounder, four more than he had in his entire rookie season. The Blue Devils continued to add bonus points to their total as Mitch Finesilver went on the attack immediately and quickly scored the 16-1 technical fall for his 13th victory of the campaign. It was his fourth tech fall of the season and increased Duke’s team lead to 17-6. Wrestling in a Duke singlet for the first time in his career, sophomore Ben Anderson scored a solid 8-3 decision over Christian Trimble. Leading 4-3 after two periods, Anderson quickly escaped in then added a takedown for his first collegiate victory. Holding a 20-6 advantage at the halfway point of the match, Zach Finesilver only extended to the Duke lead with a 13-2 major decision. In his first match since March of 2018, Zach built an early advantage en route to his 52nd career victory. Rest of the story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/20899
Penn State remains unanimous No. 1 in Theraworx NWCA Division I Coaches Poll
Manheim, Pennsylvania – A pair of weekend wins in front of sold out crowds kept Penn State (3-0) atop the Theraworx NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll for the 21st straight week. Penn State again garnered all 16 first-place votes in the poll released Tuesday.
The Nittany Lions started their weekend with a 42-3 win at Bucknell in front of the third-largest crowd in Sojka Pavilion history with over 4,200 witnessing the largest crowd ever at Bucknell for a wrestling dual. Penn State returned home to Rec Hall for another sellout, dismantling injury-riddled Lehigh 42-0. The win pushed Penn State’s dual meet win streak to 48. Ohio State (3-0) won a third straight Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational over the weekend, crowning three champions and placing seven overall. Seventeen of the nation’s Top 25 teams were competing in Las Vegas over the weekend. Iowa (5-0) was pushed to the brink by rival Iowa State on Saturday. The Hawkeyes prevailed 19-18, but slid one spot to No. 4 in this week’s poll. Iowa State (1-1) moved into the Top 25 for the first time since the Preseason poll at the start of the 2016-17 season. The Cyclones check in this week at No. 23. The Hawkeyes saw the return of All-American heavyweight Sam Stoll, while highly touted freshman Jacob Warner made his debut at 197, beating All-American Willie Miklus at 197 pounds.
NC State improved to 4-0, but it wasn’t easy as the Wolfpack needed a bonus point from Tariq Wilson to edge host Old Dominion 16-15. ODU did pull off one notable upset as Larry Early upended returning NCAA runner-up Hayden Hidlay at 157 pounds. Rest of the story at http://www.nwcaonline.com/penn-state-remains-unanimous-no-1-theraworx-nwca-division-wrestling-coaches-poll/?mc_cid=7d5bdd81c9&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Nick Giorgio recalls his journey from the wrestling mat to the defensive line
By Mateo Aycardi@MateoAyy
Nick Giorgio stands straight, eyes locked at his opponent on the other side of the line. As he lifts his head and angles his frame forward, the weight of his body locks and he prepares himself for the takedown. With a plethora of moves, Giorgio takes down his man and prepares himself for the next sequence of events. The problem, of course, being that the contest is over.
Giorgio had just won the Rhode Island 195 pound State Championship for wrestling. “Damn,” he thought. “I guess it’s onto football now.” One of Springfield College’s most remarkable defensive linemen in recent memory knew he had the tools to succeed. He was awarded the honor of captain for both the wrestling and football programs at Cumberland High School in Rhode Island. His athletic record spoke for itself. He was All-State in two sports as a senior in high school and a State Champion in wrestling. Everything screamed potential. It was a long and rocky road, however, that eventually landed him in what many people would call “the perfect fit.” Rest of the story at https://scstudentmedia.com/2018/11/01/nick-giorgio-continues-to-be-a-standout-on-the-field/?mc_cid=05a7f540f5&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Penn State looks almost unbeatable. Here are 3 teams that could unseat the champs
It’s safe to call the Penn State wrestling program a dynasty. The Nittany Lions have seven team titles in the last eight years and their only loss during that stretch came to Ohio State in 2015. Coach Cael Sanderson has the Nittany Lions on a three-year NCAA title winning streak and welcomes back three 2018 national champions, and another who claimed top honors in 2017. Penn State is in a position to repeat as title contenders yet again. However, anything can happen in March, so here are the teams that have the potential to challenge Penn State on the national stage. Rest of the story at https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling/article/2018-10-27/penn-state-wrestling-looks-almost-unbeatable-here-are-3-teams?mc_cid=05a7f540f5&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
