Wisconsin-Stevens Point to add women’s wrestling program
TDR Editor’s Notes; Another new college wrestling program being started. The sport can and is growing.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
STEVENS POINT, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point athletic department announced today (Nov. 6) the addition of a women’s wrestling program to its sport offerings. Women’s wrestling is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country and UWSP will be the first public institution in the Midwest to offer the sport.
“I think this is a tremendous opportunity for our campus to be the first public institution in the Midwest to add women’s wrestling,” stated UWSP Athletic Director Brad Duckworth. “Our University goals include increasing enrollment and improving retention of our students and this is another way our athletic department can help. I am confident that Coach Johnson will do a great job leading the program.”
UWSP men’s wrestling coach Johnny Johnson will also coach the women’s program, which is scheduled to begin competition in 2019-2020. The UWSP women’s program intends to join and compete in the Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA), the governing body of women’s college wrestling. Rest of the story at http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/20708?fbclid=IwAR2xfYmLsZk8SnJDTt7KRbLBAZ98FGeVb7d95Q9Ete3iXW1a1tpI7HscS54
Texas Wesleyan may add Women’s Wrestling
Texas Wesleyan University will be considering the addition of women’s wrestling instead of lacrosse, according to Athletic Director Ricky Dotson. As there are not any women’s lacrosse university teams in Texas, competition would be hard to come by, Dotson wrote in an email. Most of the lacrosse teams Wesleyan would be competing against are in Kansas, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee. “Without other teams in our region, travel would be difficult and expensive for us,” Dotson wrote.
Although women’s lacrosse is not an option at this time, Dotson wrote that President Frederick Slabach and former Athletic Director Steve Trachier have been discussing the possibility of adding the sport with other universities in Wesleyan’s conference. “If the opportunity to have competition within a reasonable distance becomes available, I believe Texas Wesleyan will jump at the opportunity to start a team,” Dotson wrote. Dotson wrote that though Wesleyan is not adding a women’s lacrosse team, the Athletic Department is adhering to Title IX guidelines. “In recent years, we have added women’s tennis and women’s golf, which has been very successful. Another emerging NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) sport is Cheer, and we have expanded opportunities for women in this area with the addition of the growing Gold Line Dancers,” Dotson wrote. Dotson wrote that the NAIA has recently added women’s wrestling as a sport, and he thinks it is a logical consideration for Wesleyan.
“The research I’ve done indicates the opportunity for potential outside funding for women’s wrestling through some national foundations, and the opportunity to compete already exists,” wrote Dotson. Trachier wrote in an email that he believes there is the opportunity to build a competitive wrestling program at Wesleyan. “The Dallas-Fort Worth area is a rich environment for high school wrestlers. Many of these wrestlers want to continue the experience in college, but the opportunity is not there. There is only one university in Texas that offers wrestling as a varsity sport. (Wayland Baptist University),” Trachier wrote. Rest of the story at http://therambler.org/2018/11/03/wesleyan-may-add-womens-wrestling/?mc_cid=a950c50e2a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Tar Heel Wrestling Launches Children’s Hospital Partnership
The Carolina wrestling program will raise funds for the UNC Children’s Hospital throughout the 2018-19 schedule, with a goal to raise $8,000 by the end of the regular season. With the contributions gathered through the year, the team will present a check to UNC Children’s at the last home dual of the season against Cornell on February 16.
In addition to the fundraiser, the Tar Heels will have an honorary kids captain from UNC Children’s Hospital at every home dual. Each captain will have a full Carolina Wrestling experience and will be announced with the team and join the team captains for the opening coin flip. “This fundraiser is going to provide our wrestling community with a great opportunity to give back,” assistant coach Tony Ramos said. “Our guys love helping the community and we couldn’t think of a better way to use our platform to raise money and create great experiences.” Rest of the story at https://goheels.com/news/2018/11/2/tar-heel-wrestling-launches-childrens-hospital-partnership.aspx?mc_cid=efead3840e&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Active D-I coaches ranked by most wins
ACTIVE Coaches (D-I)– Top 30 (or so) with at least 100 wins
- Gary Taylor (Rider) 442 – ** retired in 2017
- John Smith (Oklahoma State Univ.) 411
- Tom Borelli (Central Michigan) 324
- Duane Goldman (Indiana Univ.) 297
- Rob Koll (Cornell Univ.) 292
- Brian Smith (Missouri/Syracuse) 269
- Jim Zalesky (Oregon State/Iowa) 261
- Tom Ryan (Ohio State/Hofstra) 258
- Mark Manning (Nebraska/Northern Iowa) 255
- Joe McFarland (Michigan/Indiana) 238 – ** retired in 2018
- Barry Davis (Wisconsin) 234 – ** retired in 2018
- Tim Flynn (Edinboro State Univ.) 223
- Tom Brands (Iowa & Virginia Tech) 221
- Roger Reina (Pennsylvania, Un. Of) 214 – returned in 2017
- Joel Greenlee (Ohio Univ.) 213
- Pat Santoro (Lehigh University, Maryland) 182
- Jim Andrassy (Kent State Univ.) 173
- Cael Sanderson (Penn State, Iowa State) – 170
- Kevin Dresser (Iowa State/Virginia Tech Univ.) 168
- Pat Popolizio (North Carolina St., SUNY-Binghampton) – 167
- Scott Goodale (Rutgers University) – 161
- Steve Martin (Old Dominion University) – 150
- Steve Garland (Virginia University) 146
- Rob Hjerling (The Citadel) – 138
- Dan Wirnsberger (Bucknell, Bloomsburg) 135
- Jay Weiss (Harvard Univ.) – 134
- John Stutzman (Buffalo SUNY, Bloomsburg) – 131
- Kerry McCoy (Maryland, Stanford) – 129
- Mark Cody (Presbyterian, Oklahoma U., American U.) – 113 – I – returned 2018
Distinguished Member Werner Holzer Passes Away
Werner Holzer, a Distinguished Member inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1993, passed away on Monday, at the age of 81. There will be a celebration of life on December 8 in Fall Brook, California.
“Werner Holzer’s contributions to our sport cannot be measured by his wrestling and coaching career alone,” said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. “He possessed a great desire and motivation to advance the developmental structures and opportunities so that wrestlers could excel at every level of the sport. His persistence to help the sport’s National Governing Body (USA Wrestling) attain a new culture of leadership and opportunities in the 1970s and 1980s should never be forgotten.”
After helping launch kids, junior and adult programs across the state of Illinois, Holzer carried his fight for the development of wrestling into the halls of Chicago’s city government. He emerged as founder, fundraiser, athlete and coach for the Mayor Daley Youth Foundation, and led his club to 15 national freestyle and Greco-Roman titles. Rest of the story at https://nwhof.org/blog/distinguished-member-werner-holzer-passes-away/
Kolodzik tops crowd favorite Finesilver in finale at NWCA All-Star Classic
DENVER — Top-ranked Matt Kolodzik of Princeton spoiled Mitch Finesilver’s return to his home state of Colorado. Kolodzik rolled to a 12-7 victory at 149 pounds over the Duke senior in the final match of the NWCA All-Star Classic on Friday night in Denver, Colo.
Kolodzik, a third-place finisher at last year’s NCAAs, built a 9-0 lead midway through the second period, but Finesilver battled back, scoring a late second-period takedown to cut the deficit to six. The two would trade takedowns in the final period, with Finesilver scoring the final one with 20 seconds remaining, but it was too little too late. At 141 pounds, second-ranked Joey McKenna (Ohio State) topped No. 5 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) 11-4 in a battle of two-time All-Americans at 141 pounds. After a back-and-forth first period, McKenna led 5-4 after the opening period. The Buckeye senior broke the match open in the second with a four-point nearfall. He added an escape and riding time point to win by seven.
Rest of the story at http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/20687?fbclid=IwAR1oHXvxqqCo4-U02EFPcomck8GqC5aI08jKkCsSx7a2UEHf_NcXGQs29Zo
Action photos at https://www.flickr.com/photos/tech-fall/sets/72157703020432994?fbclid=IwAR1nRmt2MgvXffjwwA7zUgmqspMa3fOYfEeSfzTeqY2TKU5XxhK3DVopA4A
N.C. State Wolf Pack Starts Season Ranked #8 in Coaches’ Poll
Wolfpack has now been ranked in top-10 in 41 straight polls
RALEIGH, N.C. – Coming off its highest NCAA Championship finish in school history, the NC State wrestling team will start the 2018-19 season ranked No. 8 nationally in the NWCA Division I Coaches’ Poll. NC State has now been ranked in the top-10 in 41 straight polls dating back to the 2015-16 season, after having not reached that high since 1993.
The Wolfpack earned its first ever team trophy last season, placing fourth at the NCAA Championships. The Wolfpack returns three previous All-Americans, as well as nine former NCAA Qualifiers. Heading into the 2018-19 season, NC State has won 50 of its last 55 duals over the last three years. That make is second nationally only behind NC State. The Wolfpack will face eight teams that are in the preseason top-25, including three in the top-12. Fans will have their first chance to come and and watch the NC State wrestling team in action this weekend, as the Pack will host its annual wrestle-offs this Saturday at the Close-King Indoor Practice Facility. The action starts at 12:45 p.m., before the NC State-Florida State football game at 3:30 p.m.
Visit www.GoPack.com
Penn State opens season unanimous No. 1 in NWCA Division I Coaches Poll
Manheim, Pa. – Penn State received all 16 first-place votes in the NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll to start the 2018-19 season at No. 1, the NWCA announced Wednesday. In addition to the Nittany Lions, the Big Ten Conference has four of the top-five teams in No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Iowa and No. 5 Michigan.
Penn State is coming off its seventh NCAA championship in the last eight years, while also wrapping up its third straight undefeated campaign. PSU head coach Cael Sanderson’s squad returns past NCAA Division I champions Jason Nolf, Vincenzo Joseph, Mark Hall and Bo Nickal. Entering his 10th year as head coach in Happy Valley, Sanderson is aiming to extend the Nittany Lions’ school record 45-dual winning streak when they open the season against Kent State at home on November 11.
Overall, the 11 of the Big Ten’s 14 schools are in the top 25 to start the season. Among the top-five squads, Ohio State returns a host of All-Americans including past NCAA champion Myles Martin. Bolstered by returning NCAA and Big Ten 125-pound champion Spencer Lee, Iowa is expected to contend for Big Ten and NCAA team championships. The Hawkeyes also will put a formidable dual team on the mat.
Fourth-ranked Oklahoma State starts the year as the highest-ranked Big 12 Conference team and returns enough firepower to make this season interesting. No. 14 Northern Iowa, No. 20 South Dakota State and No. 22 Wyoming round out ranked teams hailing from the Big 12. Four of the six ACC schools are in the top 25, with NC State coming in at No. 8, while Virginia Tech checks in at No. 11. Tobacco Road rivals North Carolina and Duke, who makes its first-ever appearance in the NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll, are listed back-to-back at Nos. 23 and No. 24, respectively.
Sixth-ranked Lehigh and ninth-ranked Cornell are the lone schools represented from the EIWA. Four conferences have a single team included on the poll: No. 7 Missouri (MAC), No. 20 Lock Haven (EWL), No. 10 Arizona State (Pac-12), No. 25 Appalachian State (Southern Conference). The NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll is voted on by two coaches from each Division I wrestling conference. Each first-place vote is worth 25 points, 24 points for a second-place vote, 23 for a third-place vote and so on through to one point for a 25th-place vote. Link: http://www.nwcaonline.com/penn-state-opens-season-unanimous-no-1-nwca-division-wrestling-coaches-poll
Amos repeats as Super 32 Challenge champ; 2017 finalists Figueroa, Abas, Plott win belts
GREENSBORO, N.C. — The 2018 edition of the Super 32 Challenge was wrestled this weekend in Greensboro, N.C. It was a tournament themed around redemption, the opportunity for wrestlers to elevate their podium position from previous editions of the event. Most notably three wrestlers that finished second in the tournament last year emerged as champions on Sunday afternoon.
Richard FigueroaCadet world silver medalist Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.) cleared what had to be the toughest path of any weight class champion on the way to his title at 113 pounds. After a 15-0 technical fall and a 6-0 decision to start the tournament, Figueroa upended New England regional champion Hunter Adrian (Melrose, Mass.) by 9-2 decision in the round of 32. His four subsequent victories would be all against wrestlers that placed in the tournament.
In the round of 16, it was a 12-1 major decision over No. 13 overall freshman Troy Spratley (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) to end Saturday’s campaign. To start Sunday it was a fall over No. 35 overall sophomore Nicholas Nardone (Delbarton, N.J.) at the 2:40 mark. In the semifinal round it was a 5-1 decision against 2016 Super 32 placer Logan Agin (Lancaster, Ohio). All to lead up to a finals showdown against 2016 Super 32 runner-up at 106 pounds Greg Diakomihalis (Hilton, N.Y.).
The finals match started with a scoreless first period…. Rest of the long and complete article at http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/20669?mc_cid=01f083441c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Check it out.
Coon pins his way to World finals, guarantees USA its first Greco-Roman Senior World medal since 2015
Photo: Adam Coon pumped up after securing a spot in the World finals. Photo by Robbert Wijtman.
BUDAPEST, Hungary – Adam Coon earned his fourth pin of the day to soar into the 130 kg World Championships finals and guarantee the U.S. Greco-Roman program its first Senior World medal since 2015.
“I am in the World Championships finals. This is fun!” Coon said. “I am just wrestling tough, wrestling smart. I am trying to keep my pace and trying to get to a higher level of intensity. I am trying to get my stuff, but I am able to capitalize when he gets out of position.” A Junior World medalist in both freestyle and Greco-Roman, Coon faced off against 2018 Asian Games bronze medalist and 2013 Junior World bronze medalist Min-Seok Kim of Korea.
Coon scored first on a passivity from Kim but was not able to capitalize on top. Moments later, Coon secured a body lock, but Kim was hit with a caution and two for fleeing the hold to give Coon a 3-0 lead at the break. Shortly into the second period, Coon countered a throw with a body lock, running Kim to his back and picking up the fall at the 3:42 mark and earning a bid to the World finals.
On Sunday, Coon will take on three-time age-group World champion and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Sergey Semenov of Russia in the gold-medal match. Semenov won Junior World titles in 2013 and 2014 and most recently won the 2017 U23 World Championships. Rest of the story at https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2018/October/27/Adam-Coon-pins-his-way-to-World-finals?mc_cid=796f0e888d&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
