Bellarmine to host first-ever wrestling meet
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Wrestling is coming to Knights Hall.
At 7 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday, the Bellarmine University wrestling team will host its first-ever competition as the Knights will welcome Thomas (Ky.) More in a dual meet. Like Bellarmine, Thomas More is a first-year program. “I am very excited to say the least about this upcoming dual,” Bellarmine Coach Spencer Adams said. “We are in a very good position to make history with our first-ever home dual and our first-ever dual win. Our guys really want to win in front of the home crowd.” The meet will mark Bellarmine’s fifth competition. The Knights last competed on Nov. 19 at the Campbellsville (Ky.) Duals. They were defeated by all four of their opponents. The Knights were shorthanded but that didn’t mean there wasn’t some disappointment. Rest of the story at http://athletics.bellarmine.edu/news/2016/11/29/bellarmine-wrestling-to-host-first-ever-meet-on-wednesday.aspx?mc_cid=15347a172c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
N.C. State returns home at last
NC State wrestlers haven’t competed in their home arena since Feb. 22, 2015. In that span, they’ve called other arenas home as Reynolds Coliseum underwent a $35 million renovation that began in March 2015. Construction concluded earlier this year and the Wolfpack (2-0) will return to their new digs against Appalachian State on Wednesday. Head coach Pat Popolizio was looking forward to returning to the reconfigured arena before the season. “It’s a beautiful arena, they’ve done a great job renovating it and the atmosphere from watching other sports, other events in there is unbelievable,” Popolizio said. “And it’s only going to help when we’re here competing against some of the best teams in the country.” Rest of the story at http://s200.trackwrestling.com/tw/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1480191923689&twSessionId=nxtulmmnuwbynaw&postId=131734076&mc_cid=cbfb101d52&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Kolat, Kraisser leading Campbell’s rise
When Nathan Kraisser followed Cary Kolat from North Carolina to Campbell two years ago, it had to be considered something of a surprise. Kraisser was one of the Tar Heels’ best wrestlers as a freshman, going 33-7 at 125 pounds and winning ACC Freshman of the Year honors after finishing as a conference runner-up. It was part of a relationship that Kolat said stretches back to when Kraisser was 10 years old, when Kolat coached him on a club team near his home of Ellicott City, Md. Two years later, that decision appears to have been validated. Following a redshirt year as a transfer, Kraisser had an excellent debut season with the Camels. He finished 34-9 and was the 133-pound Southern Conference champion, qualifying for the NCAA Championships and having a 14-match win streak broken only by eventual champion Nahshon Garrett of Cornell in the second round. Rest of the story at http://s200.trackwrestling.com/tw/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1480191978079&twSessionId=tbuqdvirwttymgh&postId=132277076&mc_cid=cbfb101d52&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Watch the 45th Annual WRAL Tournament!!!
The Finals of the 45th Annual WRAL Tournament was web-casted live last Saturday and can bee seen again and again on this web link. The first 54 minutes shows some footage of consolation matches, mats being moved and the finalists warming up. Then the arena announcer, Jim Trenner introduces the finalists. At the 59 minute mark the actual wrestling starts along with narration of the action by the TDR Editor, Martin Fleming. We had a great time contributing to the tournament in this manner.
http://www.highschoolot.com/hsot_live/video/16349384/
Wilson Smith of Rocky Mount’s match starts at the 1:29:00 (about 58:30 to go)
There is a break in the coverage due to technical difficulties that we were not aware of during the finals and just kept babbling away. Yet some more wrestling can be seen at this link. http://www.highschoolot.com/root/video/16349890/
We hope that we can assist in more live and taped coverage of wrestling events.
Amateur Wrestling News Back Issues
Wrestling Fans,
In order to gather information for the college wrestling coaches history project we are looking to assemble originals or copies of Amateur Wrestling News. Our gaps of back issues are mostly in the following years 1995-2004, 1980-1986 and 1954-1962. We are looking to purchase them and/or trade for extra copies that we have from other years. E-Mail us at martinkfleming@gmail.com if interested.
Women’s wrestling gains traction nationally
Women’s wrestling is among the fastest growing sports in the nation.
It was added to the Olympics in 2004 and since then it has grown at a rate that can’t be ignored. A 2010-11 National Federation of State High School’s survey found that women’s wrestling had the biggest percentage increase in participants from the previous year. Women’s wrestling grew to 7,351 participants, according to the survey, an increase of 1,217 from the year before — 19.8 percent.
And it hasn’t stopped growing. In 2016, the sport had nearly 14,000 wrestlers and nearly 2,000 teams.
Iowa State wrestling coach Kevin Jackson recognizes the importance of women’s wrestling. In 2012, wrestling was cut from the Olympics. It has been reinstated, but the world’s oldest sport is only safe through 2024. Rest of the story at http://www.iowastatedaily.com/sports/wrestling/article_876fdf8e-a9c2-11e6-a4a1-e32787d2f0b8.html?mc_cid=5b84cada29&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
National Wrestling Hall of Fame has come a long way
After facing a serious challenge, the United States Wrestling Federation announced in 1972 that Stillwater was selected as the home for the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum.
The decision came after competitive bids from Stillwater and Waterloo, Iowa. It was a challenging time as the city prepared for the construction of the facility. A challenging time as staff gathered memorabilia to be presented in the museum. The facility was officially dedicated on Sept. 11, 1976.
Myron Roderick, the former Oklahoma State wrestler, head wrestling coach and athletic director, was a driving force in the facility being built in Stillwater. He was the first executive director of the United States Wrestling Federation. He and a Hall of Fame committee paved the way for Stillwater’s selection. Former OSU wrestler Lee Roy Smith was named executive director of the NWHOF in 2004 and recently oversaw a $3.8 million renovation of the facility. It was reopened in time for the annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony earlier this summer. Rest of the story at http://www.stwnewspress.com/oklahoma/the-holt-report-national-wrestling-hall-of-fame-has-come/article_782a70a0-aaf0-11e6-b31c-534f4e10e95a.html?mc_cid=128e5b055c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Otterbein Defeats Thomas More in Return to Wrestling
WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein University wrestling program relaunched in exciting fashion Wednesday evening, defeating Thomas More College by a score of 36-10 in front of a packed Rike Center gymnasium.
The Cardinals, returning to the mat for the first time since the program was cut following the 1974 season, received a loud ovation from the crowd as they took the floor for introductions.
“This was definitely something special tonight,” said Drew Kasper, 197 pounds. “I didn’t realize how big it was until we walked out onto the mat and got that loud response. It was a pretty impressive environment that had my heart racing a bit.” Freshman Jackson Lakso opened the action with a bang at 125 pounds, pinning his opponent in just 55 seconds to thrust Otterbein out to a 6-0 advantage. The Cards never trailed from that point, getting a pin from 141-pounder Jake Vaughan two matches later and flying to victory. “I’m so happy to be back competing and just thankful for this opportunity,” said Vaughan, who wrestled for Ohio State from 2008-10 before spending almost six years away. “It’s such a great feeling to return and I’m ready to submerge and dedicate myself to the grind again.”
Rest of the story at http://www.otterbeincardinals.com/news/2016/11/9/otterbein-defeats-thomas-more-in-its-return-to-wrestling.aspx?mc_cid=eac20bd1e4&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Wrestlers are changed forever by their sport
They get locked away in a padded room for hours on end for good reason – and not just so they can work on their neck bridges and arm bars. And it’s not just that; for the most part, they stay drenched in sweat – especially in these early days when they are trying to get themselves into competition shape.
Their room proudly posts the names of everyone who walked through its doors and walked away with a state championship, and just as proudly boasts the aroma of ancient sweat left over from all the hard work that went into earning those titles. The more names listed, the stronger the residual aroma and the deeper the tradition of hard work. The young men and women who populate the ranks of high school wrestling are a breed apart. And we’re all better because they are. Rest of the story at http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/nov/16/wrestlers-are-changed-forever-by-their-sport/?mc_cid=128e5b055c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Norwich, Castleton To Battle For Green Mountain Championship
NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Norwich University wrestling program will take on its counterparts from Castleton University on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. – both squads will battle for the newly-created “Green Mountain Championship” in what is hoped to become an annual Vermont wrestling tradition.
The only two collegiate wrestling programs in the State of Vermont will battle on a yearly basis for not only bragging rights, but also to hoist the Green Mountain Championship trophy that is currently being formed out of a large slab of stone, donated by Pete Tatko from the Sheldon Slate Company. Rest of the story at http://www.norwichathletics.com/sports/wrest/2016-17/releases/20161114foemm3?mc_cid=279b936240&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
