Feasibility-study members to gather Monday at the Carpenter Center; Blue Hens haven’t had wrestling team since 1991
TDR Editor’s Notes ; Sounds great. More Division One schools should look at and then add wrestling to their athletic program.
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NEWARK – Twenty-five years after the University of Delaware eliminated its varsity wrestling program, another effort has surfaced to have it reinstated. Unlike previous attempts, this one involves the state government. Delaware Senate Bill 295, an appropriations measure approved by both branches of the General Assembly at the close of the 2016 legislative session and signed by Gov. Markell, including a section calling on UD to conduct a feasibility study on bringing back wrestling. That is expected to be done through a working group of high school coaches and athletic directors, Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association personnel, UD administrators and state government representatives. The first meeting is at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Carpenter Center. It’s open to the public. Rest of the story at …. http://www.delawareonline.com/story/sports/college/ud/2016/10/02/state-compels-group-look-restoring-ud-wrestling/91448412/
Olympic champion Erica Wiebe wants more women to wrestle
TDR Editor’s Notes ; Sounds great. More women, men, boys and girls should give wrestling a try as it would benefit them and our communities.
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Olympic gold medallist Erica Wiebe is a busy woman. Fresh off her tour in India as captain of the Mumbai Maharathi team in the Pro Wrestling league, Wiebe is back helping the next generation of Canadian athletes achieve their goals. It’s real and it’s spectacular: Erica Wiebe stars in India’s flashy Pro Wrestling League Monday morning she surprised Etobicoke, Ont.,’s West Humber Collegiate Institute women’s wrestling team with some new equipment as part of the Playtex Play On Grant program. With this donation, Wiebe hopes to “empower girls to walk out there with confidence and to be fierce and never question who they are and what they want to do in life.” It was an easy decision for Wiebe to be involved in the event, as anything that encourages young women to stay involved in sport, especially wrestling, is very important to her.
Rest of the story at ….. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/erica-wiebe-wrestling-youth-1.3948180?mc_cid=7e0fdb2ac4&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Upcoming Division I Matches & Events
TDR Editor’s Notes ; A glance at the upcoming Division I matches. Be sure to check with the home team’s web site before journeying forth to see the match. The time and/or place may have been changed so be sure that you can see the action.
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February 1st : Duke @ Gardner-Webb
February 2nd : Clarion @ Lock Haven
February 3rd : American @ Bucknell, Bloomsburg @ Cleveland State, Chattanooga @ Gardner-Webb, Eastern Michigan @ Buffalo, February 3rd-Illinois @ Northwestern, Indiana @ Maryland, Michigan @ Central Michigan, Northern Colorado @ CSU-Bakersfield, Ohio @ Clarion,Oklahoma @ South Dakota State, Oklahoma State @ Edinboro, Old Dominion @ Navy, Pittsburgh @ NC State, Sacred Heart @ Lock Haven, Utah Valley @ North Dakota State, Virginia @ North Carolina, Wisconsin @ Iowa
February 4th-Edinboro Open (Edinboro, Lock Haven, Navy) @ Edinboro, Pennsylvania
Air Force @ Wyoming, Binghamton @ American, Brown @ Princeton, Brown @ Penn, Cornell @ Columbia, Harvard @ Penn, Harvard @ Princeton, Oklahoma State @ Kent State, Sacred Heart @ Bucknell, Utah Valley @ South Dakota State
February 5th-Campbell @ The Citadel, Central Michigan @ Buffalo, Chattanooga @ Appalachian State, Eastern Michigan @ Kent State, Indiana @ Rutgers, Michigan @ Michigan State, Northern Colorado @ Cal Poly, Northern Illinois @ Missouri, Oklahoma @ Northern Iowa, Virginia @ Duke, West Virginia @ NC State
February 8th-Appalachian State @ VMI, Navy @ George Mason, North Carolina @ Duke, Wyoming @ Northern Colorado
February 9th-CSU-Bakersfield @ Arizona State
Schedule calendar from http://d1collegewrestling.net/MasterSched17.html
Top 70 Pound-for-Pound World‘s Freestyle Wrestlers
TDR Editor’s Notes ; An interesting set of rankings of the best freestyle wrestlers since 1951 worldwide. Personally prefer collegiate-scholastic style but freestyle is an interesting change of pace for wrestlers and fans.
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Top 70 Pound-for-Pound World‘s The Best from the Best Freestyle Wrestlers from 1951 to Present. Rankings are based on world medals earned in Olympics and annual championships. Rest of the story aT …. http://russiawrestling.com/top-70-pound-pound-worlds-freestyle-wrestlers/
2016-17 WCWA Women’s college team projected lineups and summaries
TDR Editor’s Notes ; This is a bit dated but it is an interesting look at women’s college wrestling teams and rankings.
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TheMat.com contacted the coaching staffs for each WCWA women’s college wrestling team for information on their projected lineups, redshirts, top freshmen and the coach’s expectation for the their team. The responses from the coaches are posted below in the following summaries. Updated rankings and coverage of the women’s college wrestling season will be posted on TheMat.com throughout the season. Rest of the story and lineups at …… http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2016/October/18/WCWA-Womens-college-lineups-and-summaries?mc_cid=518a443916&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
BACK-TO-BACK WINS AT 285 AND THEN 125 POUNDS GIVE WOLFPACK 19-11 WIN AT UNC
TDR Editor’s Notes; Sounds like it was quite an exciting match with a large crowd. Wise move by coaches on what weights to start and end the match.
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Winning three of the final four matches, the ninth ranked NC State wrestling team scored a 19-11 win at North Carolina Monday night. With the Wolfpack (9-1, 2-0 ACC) holding a slight 9-8 lead (UNC was deducted a team point) after the first six matches, NC State scored back-to-back wins at 285 and 125 pounds, and concluded the night with a dominating 10-4 decision at 141 pounds in a top-three showdown. The dual started at 149 pounds. #11 R-Sr. Sam Speno got the Pack its first victory of the night, defeating #32 Troy Heilmann 6-3. Speno scored a pair of first period takedowns, and got a clinching takedown with 45 seconds left. Speno improves to 6-0 in duals this year.
Rest of the story at …. http://gopack.com/news/2017/1/23/wrestling-back-to-back-wins-at-285-and-then-125-pounds-give-packwrestle-19-11-win-at-unc.aspx
Opinion: Bilas Shines Light on Fiscal Hypocrisy in College Sports
TDR Editor’s Notes ; As it is asked in the article “… Clemson can raise $55 million for their facilities and pay Swinney millions of dollars per year, but they can’t raise the money to bring back wrestling?” A good question on the imbalance between the greedy top two sports & every other sport.
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When the college football national championship took place last Monday, it understandably had many wrestling fans feeling less than enthusiastic. The final showdown was between two schools, Alabama and Clemson, that used to have wrestling but discontinued their programs. Between that, the extensive coverage of all aspects of the game, and all the money involved, it is easy to see how the wrestling community could feel a little resentful. Though most national media members that cover revenue sports like football and basketball only bother to mention wrestling as a footnote, if at all, Jay Bilas, a basketball personality for ESPN, was perfectly willing to make his feelings known. Bilas has long been willing to point out what he views as the hypocrisy of the NCAA and the concept of amateurism.
Rest of the story at …. http://news.theopenmat.com/college-wrestling-news/opinion-bilas-shines-light-fiscal-hypocrisy-college-sports/61216?mc_cid=4af88e4817&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Fishburne coach building better lives through wrestling
TDR Editor’s Notes; A big thumbs up and nod of agreement to this coach’s goal of wrestlers becoming better citizens. Yes wins are important yet the process of working towards wins is what makes for a better athlete, person and citizen.
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WAYNESBORO – Longtime wrestling coach Terry Waters has found a new home and a new challenge. Yet, now in his second season in guiding the Fishburne Military School’s program, Waters’ message to young athletes hasn’t changed. He wants them to understand the main goal shouldn’t necessarily be the number of wins on the mat, but becoming productive citizens. However, that doesn’t mean he wants them to think winning isn’t important. Rest of the story at …. http://www.newsleader.com/story/sports/high-school/2017/01/18/fishburne-coach-building-better-lives-through-wrestling/96713368/?mc_cid=77da268fec&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Duke Mourns Passing of Wrestler Tommy Hoang
TDR Editor’s Notes ; Had the pleasure of meeting this young man when I first went to watch him and others wrestle in the fabled Cameron Arena. He impressed me wish his character and quality at that time. Our condolences to his family and friends.
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DURHAM, N.C.—Former Duke University wrestling standout and Army veteran Tommy Van Hoang passed away Jan. 17, 2017 in Denver, Colo. Hoang was 36 years old. A letterwinner for the Blue Devils from 2000-03, Hoang brought a sparkling wrestling resume with him to Durham as a two-time undefeated Oklahoma state champion. He didn’t miss a beat upon arrival to Duke’s campus, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament three years. He remains one of only four Duke wrestlers to achieve that feat in program history. Competing at 125 pounds throughout his career, Hoang earned All-ACC honors in 2001 and finished with 88 career wins. His total currently ranks tied for 10th in program history. He was selected as Duke’s most outstanding wrestler in 2001. Rest of the story at …. http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22467&SPID=1834&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211423296&DB_OEM_ID=4200&mc_cid=b13473be47&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Being Matt Ghaffari
TDR Editor’s Notes ; An interesting look at a wrestling personality and how the sport has helped him in life.
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Being Matt Ghaffari – The Legendary Heavyweight Speaks
Next time you feel overwhelmed and decide your life needs some direction, just take a look at Matt Ghaffari. Everyone remembers the wrestling. The popular heavyweight was the anchor for those USA Greco teams of the 90’s that helped re-establish the style’s place in this country. There were the uphill battles against Russian destroyer Alexander Karelin, the World medals, the Olympic silver, and numerous other titles. They are all important, each examples of how the Iranian-born American plied his trade. But people need “human”, they need flesh, blood, laughter, and tears. They need something, someone to identify with. Ghaffari was there to provide that, too. That’s why it is never as simple as associating what happens on a mat with the plasma of those in battle. We tend to think we know someone and have a bead on who they are based on performance. There is some credence to that. Absolutely, wrestling can reveal the power of a person’s pulse. But it doesn’t show you the machines at play behind the curtain, the struggles you endured to get there and the victories won in offices and classrooms. Referees don’t usually show up at your home to award points because you make sure your family is taken care of. Medals aren’t given for the successes, be them tiny or monstrous, which are achieved on a daily basis. That’s okay, too. Ghaffari didn’t need those.
Rest of the story at …. http://www.fivepointmove.com/greco-wrestling-interviews/being-matt-ghaffari/?mc_cid=60c5c902e7&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
