Gwiazdowski transitions to new lifestyle, focused on freestyle after graduation
TDR Editor’s Notes; Wolfpack graduate moves on to freestyle.
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In this past year since completing a memorable career at North Carolina State, Nick Gwiazdowski has been making the transition from college wrestling to freestyle wrestling. Gwiazdowski was a two-time NCAA champion and four-time all American for the Wolfpack. By winning 88 of his last 89 matches, he is considered one of the best heavyweights in history, even though his college career didn’t end quite where he had hoped. Gwiazdowski was an All-American at Binghamton, then transferred to NC State after his coach Pat Popolizio took over the Wolfpack program. He claimed NCAA titles as a sophomore and junior and went into his final season looking to become a three-time NCAA Champion. In what is regarded as the best NCAA heavyweight final ever, he lost to 2015 World Champion Kyle Snyder of Ohio State in overtime in his final college match. Rest of the story at …. http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2017/January/11/Gwiazdowski-transitions-to-new-lifestyle?mc_cid=a089e7884a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Gardner-Webb setting lofty expectations
Gardner-Webb left the Southern Scuffle with reason for excitement. The Runnin’ Bulldogs had their first-ever Scuffle semifinalist and finished 16th overall with 27.5 points, a highly respectable performance in one of the season’s toughest tournaments. But coach Daniel Elliott wasn’t necessarily satisfied. He wants more from his team than what it showed in Chattanooga. “We have high expectations for the guys in our program, and they may be higher than what others think,” he said. “We did have a great day, but it’s not where we expect to be at or want to be at. We set our standards high and we’re frustrated when we don’t get there. But it lets us know where we need to work and humbles us up a little bit. The guys are raring to get back to work and get rolling.” Rest of the story at …. http://s200.trackwrestling.com/tw/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1483718324855&twSessionId=mwpsbphhbakznqi&postId=211697076&mc_cid=827b1337da&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Empires strike back: Wartburg, Grand View, Clackamas, King rule National Duals again
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — College wrestling’s dual dynasties remained intact Friday afternoon when Wartburg, Grand View, Clackamas and King University each went through the seemingly annual routine of joining each other in the line for first-place photos before heading out the door with title trophies at the NWCA Multi-Divisional National Duals. Wartburg claimed its seventh consecutive Division III title, Grand View seized its sixth straight NAIA crown and Clackamas (NJCAA) and King University (WCWA) ran their championship streaks to four while St. Cloud State regained its grip on the Division II gold trophy inside Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Rest of the story at …. http://s200.trackwrestling.com/tw/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1483776555994&twSessionId=gxbyeyhtftnyeoo&postId=214613076&mc_cid=827b1337da&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Kevin Jack Claims Midlands Title, Pack Places Five on Podium
TDR Editor’s News; The Wolfpack did well at the prestigious Midlands tournament over the holiday break.
NC State finishes sixth as a team
EVANSTON, ILL. – For the second year in a row, the NC State wrestling team came away with an individual title at the prestigious Midlands Championships. Junior Kevin Jack, the No. 2 seed at 141 pounds for the tournament, went a perfect 5-0 and brought home top honors over two days of action. Ranked fifth nationally, Jack defeated the nation’s No. 6 wrestler (3-2) in the semifinals and then the nation’s No. 3 wrestler (1-0) in the finals Friday night. At the 54th annual Midlands Championships, NC State placed five total grapplers on the podium. In addition to Jack’s win at 141 pounds, redshirt-sophomore Jamal Morris (133), redshirt-senior Sam Speno (149) and senior Pete Renda (184) all finished fifth, while redshirt-junior Michael Macchiavello (184) took seventh. As a team, NC State placed sixth in the field with 78 points. After a 3-0 day yesterday, Jack’s first bout ended in some controversy. Facing off against the tournament’s three seed, and No. 6 nationally ranked Anthony Ashnault of Rutgers, the two were tied 2-2 when the horn sounded at the end of the third period. But the refs went to a video review and called Ashnault for unnecessary roughness when he slapped Jack in the head with just one second left. The call gave Jack a penalty point, and the 3-2 win to advance to the finals. Jack had previously defeated Ashnault 2-0 just a month ago at the Journeymen Tussle.
Rest of the story at ….http://gopack.com/news/2016/12/30/wrestling-jack-claims-midlands-title-packwrestle-places-five-on-podium.aspx?path=wrestling
California Baptist University Announces D1, WAC Move
TDR Editor’s Notes; It seems that the most common way in recent years for a Division I school to add wrestling is the movement of schools with wrestling from Division II up to I which is a long process.
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RIVERSIDE, Calif. — California Baptist University has accepted an invitation to join the Western Athletic Conference, paving the way for a multi-year transition to NCAA Division I status, CBU and WAC officials announced today. CBU and WAC officials held a joint news conference and released statements expressing enthusiasm about the move that was approved at the university’s regular Board of Trustees meeting. “This represents a great step forward for California Baptist University and Lancer Athletics,” said Dr. Ronald L. Ellis, CBU president. “We are honored to join the Western Athletic Conference and to advance CBU to NCAA Division I, the pinnacle of intercollegiate athletics. I am confident that moving to D-I as a member of the WAC will further elevate CBU’s reputation for excellence in athletics as well as academics.”
Rest of the story at …. http://cbulancers.com/news/2017/1/13/general-cbu-announces-d1-wac-move.aspx?mc_cid=0264624657&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Iowa and Oklahoma State renew an intense rivalry this weekend
TDR Editor’s Notes; While this match has no direct connections to wrestling in North Carolina it is a big college match that will happen tomorrow. A big crowd is expected to see # 1 ranked OSU host # 3 Iowa. The dual, is set for Jan. 15 at 2 p.m. CT, will be televised live on Fox Sports Oklahoma and streamed live on Flowrestling.org.
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By Taylor Miller, USA Wrestling | Jan. 12, 2017, 3:24 p.m. (ET)
Every year, the Iowa-Oklahoma State matchup remains one of the most anticipated duals of the college season. This Sunday, the two wrestling powerhouses will meet up for the 50th time in the programs’ histories. This battle has been hotly contested for decades and this (year) is no exception,” Iowa head coach Tom Brands said. “We know what they’re about and they know what we’re about. This is high stakes. It may not be as important as the national championships, but this Sunday it is the most important event on probably both teams’ calendars.” Iowa and OSU have been among the elite since the beginning.
The two schools combined for 57 team national titles, 222 individual national titles, 769 All-Americans and 2,065 dual wins. Rest of the story at …. http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2017/January/12/Iowa-and-Oklahoma-State-renew-an-intense-rivalry-this-weekend?mc_cid=4002e735ce&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Missouri Border Brawl returns to St. Louis on March 14, showcasing high school stars prior to NCAAs
TDR Editor’s Note; An interesting promotional idea that provides top level high school wrestlers a chance to be a part of the NCAA experience. It is great to see how the NCAA Championship Tournament has grown from just a tournament into a series of events, a gathering that will provide more positive attention and publicity for our sport.
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By Missouri Border Brawl 2017 | Jan. 12, 2017, 4:09 p.m. (ET)
On Tuesday, March 14th at 7:00 pm at Historic Union Station in St. Louis, Mo., the second Missouri Border Brawl will take place, pitting the best high school seniors from Missouri vs. an All-Star team of high school seniors from the 8 bordering states (Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oklahoma & Tennessee). This event will kick off NCAA Div. I Wrestling Week, which will be held in St. Louis again this year. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Xtreme Couture GI Foundation (www.xcgif.org). The doors open at 5:00pm. Food, drinks and a silent auction full of unique wrestling items will be available. The Border Brawl is the creation of David Mirikitani, former assistant wrestling coach at St Louis CC at Meramec and current NCAA rankings coordinator for Trackwrestling. Rest of the story at …. http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2017/January/12/Missouri-Border-Brawl-returns-to-St-Louis-on-March-14-prior-to-NCAAs?mc_cid=4002e735ce&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
WolfPack Wins Eight Straight and Dominates Duke 34-6 in ACC Opener
TDR Editor’s Note; North Carolina State and Virginia Tech, with win over UNC both start the in-conference ACC season in a strong manner.
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RALEIGH, N.C. – The 10th ranked NC State wrestling team started its ACC slate in dominating fashion, as the Wolfpack (5-1, 1-0 ACC) won the final eight bouts of the night and defeated Duke 34-6 in Reynolds Coliseum. After the Blue Devils (2-3, 0-1 ACC) won the first two matches, NC State won eight straight, including six for bonus points. The ACC dual started at 285 pounds, and Duke got a pair of decisions in the first two matches (125) to take an early 6-0 lead. #15 R-So. Jamal Morris made his dual debut this season, and got the Pack on the scoreboard with a 17-10 win over Duke’s Cole Baumgartner. Morris dominated the first period taking a 10-1 lead and 1:41 of ride time thanks to a pair of four-point near falls. Baumgartner made a comeback with a reversal and near fall of his own, but Morris got another four-point near fall at the end and claimed the win. #2 Jr. Kevin Jack dominated Duke’s Zach Finesilver with a 16-0 technical fall win at 141 pounds for the first bonus point win of the night. It was Jack’s 19th straight win on the season improving his record to 21-1. Rest of the story at …. http://gopack.com/news/2017/1/11/wrestling-packwrestle-wins-eight-straight-and-dominates-duke-34-6-in-acc-opener.aspx?mc_cid=a089e7884a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
2017 ACC Wrestling Championship Tickets Now on Sale
TDR Editor’s Note; Plan ahead wrestlers, wrestling fans and supporters to see excellent wrestling close by in Raleigh soon after the State Tournament. Just relax and enjoy. Take in the sights and sounds of the renovated Reynolds Coliseum. Review college sports history along on the 2nd floor hallway walls.
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RALEIGH, N.C. – Tickets for the 2017 Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestling Championship, which will be held at NC State’s Reynolds Coliseum on Saturday, March 4, are now on sale by clicking HERE. The Championships will begin at 11 a.m., with the finals scheduled for 7 p.m.
Tickets are priced at $7 for adults, $5 for youth (ages three to 17); children aged two and under are admitted free of charge. ACC students with valid IDs are admitted free.
NC State, the defending ACC Wrestling Champion, is hosting the ACC Wrestling Championship for the 11th time, but the first since 2010. All matches of the Championship will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra. This year’s championship is the 63rd consecutive for the ACC.
Four of the six ACC schools that will participate in the Championship are nationally ranked, including fifth-ranked Virginia Tech, 10th-ranked NC State, 23rd-ranked Pitt and 24th-ranked Virginia.
Additionally, North Carolina is ranked 19th by InterMat Magazine in its Tournament rankings. In all, 22 of the ACC wrestlers who will participate in the Championship are nationally-ranked this week by InterMat.
2017 ACC Wrestling Championship Schedule of Events
10:00 a.m. – Doors Open
11:00 a.m. – First Round Matches
1:00 p.m. – Semifinals
3:30 p.m. – Consolation Semifinals
5:00 p.m. – Consolation Finals
7:00 p.m. – Finals
Why college wrestling should go bowling (as in football bowls)
TDR EDitor’s Note; An interesting article with some creative ideas for expanding coverage of wrestling and broaden the fan base.
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By Caryn Ward 1/3/2017 from InterMat Wrestling
From cheeseburgers to clothing to shampoo, any brand executive will tell you that to get more people to try your product, you have to get that product in front of more new people. The same goes for college wrestling. If college wresting wants to thrive and grow instead of stagnate and die it needs to increase its fan base. That’s a fact. To do that the sport needs to get fresh eyeballs. The current model is woefully inadequate for that. Right now fans have dual matches streamed live online and sometimes on the Big Ten Network. Fans have the big tournaments streamed live online. If they’re lucky the finals will air on a network, such as the Big Ten does with the Midlands. And fans have the NCAA Championships streamed and aired on an ESPN channel. That might get someone who is channel surfing to check it out, but it’s not going to bring new folks to the sport in the numbers needed. The one event that brought 42-thousand plus fans, many of them not the college wrestling-faithful, was the Grapple on the Gridiron in Iowa City in November of 2015. Iowa and Oklahoma State held a dual meet in Kinnick Stadium that brought in a record number of fans. It was done in conjunction with the Iowa versus Minnesota football game that night. The teams treated tailgaters, who were there anyway and might not ever watch college wrestling, to an exciting match in a unique environment. So to build on that model and take the concept to the next level, let’s have a college wrestling dual as part of college bowl game festivities in a warm weather city or even a domed stadium. Rest of the story at …. http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/17317?mc_cid=485bda824f&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
