NC STATE to Host Rival UNC Friday Night
By Brian Reinhardt
ACC dual will be broadcast on ESPN3
RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State wrestling team will host ACC rival North Carolina on Friday night at 7 p.m. in Reynolds Coliseum. The Pack enters with an 11-4 mark in duals this year, while the Tar Heels are 5-8. Admission is free.
Dual Success
Thirteen of the Pack’s first 14 duals of the 2013-14 season were nonconference match-ups, and now the Pack finishes with five ACC duals over its final seven. NC State posts an 11-4 dual record thus far, with all four losses coming to ranked foes. The Pack has outscored the opposition 415-172 thus far in duals.
Exclusive Club
Three NC State wrestlers have already crossed the 20 win plateau this year. Nick Gwiazdowski leads the Pack with 29 wins, the most in the nation at 285 pounds. Tommy Gantt is second with his 25 victories at 157 pounds, while freshman Pete Renda has 21 at 174 pounds.
History vs. North Carolina
NC State and North Carolina will be facing each other in a dual for the 95th time since the start of ACC competition. The Tar Heels currently lead the overall series, 51-41-2.
The Competition
North Carolina makes the short trip to Raleigh with a 5-8 record on the season, including a 0-2 mark in ACC action. The Tar Heels fell at Virginia Tech (29-3) and at home versus Maryland last weekend (18-15) in ACC action. The Tar Heels are ranked 35th nationally by wrestlingreport.com and have five of their 10 wrestlers ranked in the Division I Wrestling Coaches’ Panel Rankings.
Common Foes
With both squads already facing Virginia Tech this season, NC State fell 17-16 to the Hokies while UNC lost 29-3, the Pack and Tar Heels also have shared three nonconference foes. The Pack downed Buffalo, Eastern Michigan and Clarion by a combined 93-24 this season, while North Carolina also swept those three by a combined 76-32.
Live Video, Scoring, Twitter
Live video is available on ESPN3 (http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index/_/id/1449032/NCAA-Wrestling-North-Carolina-vs-North-Carolina-State). Live scoring is available at TrackWrestling.com. Live updates will also be provided on the NC State Wrestling twitter, @PackWrestle.
In The Rankings
Six NC State wrestlers appear in the first NCAA Division I Wrestling Coaches’ Panel Rankings:
• Sam Speno – #25 at 141 pounds
• Brian Hamann – #26 at 149 pounds
• Tommy Gantt – #18 at 157 pounds
• Nijel Jones – #32 at 165 pounds
• Pete Renda – #20 at 174 pounds
• Nick Gwiazdowski – #5 at 285 pounds
In addition, NC State is #28 by WrestlingReport.com.
Quick Shots
• NC State (6) and North Carolina (5) combine to have 11 wrestlers ranked in the first NCAA Division I Coaches’ Panel Rankings.
• Among NC State’s probables are: 8 freshmen, 2 sophomores, 1 junior and 2 seniors.
• Nick Gwiazdowski ranks 10th nationally, only wrestler at 285 ranked, in the NCAA’s 2014 NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler standings.
• The Pack’s 2014 recruiting class was recently ranked No. 17 by WIN Magazine.
On the Horizon
The Pack’s final dual at home this year is #13 Virginia on Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. NC State will be celebrating Senior Day then as well.
Projected Lineups
125: Micah Perez (16-12) or Brendan Calas (7-5) vs. #25 Nathan Kraisser (17-8)
133: Chris Wilkes (13-9) vs. #30 Troy Heilmann (16-13)
141: #25 Sam Speno (19-5) vs. #6 Evan Henderson (27-3)
149: #26 Brian Hamann (17-8) vs. #25 Christian Barber (24-7)
157: #18 Tommy Gantt (25-6) vs. Jake Crawford (11-15)
165: #32 Nijel Jones (10-4) or Max Rohskopf (7-9) vs. John Staudenmayer (8-9)
174: #20 Pete Renda (21-6) vs. Scott Marmoll (13-16)
184: Michael Macchiavello (9-9) or Shayne Brady (12-8) vs. #28 Alex Utley (17-10)
197: KaRonne Jones (11-6) vs. Frank Abbondanza (7-15)
285: #5 Nick Gwiazdowski (29-2) vs. Bob Coe (6-17)
NCSU Gymnastics & Wrestling: Beauty & the Beast Friday Night in Reynolds
By Brian Reinhardt
Pack’s gymnastics and wrestling teams will be in simultaneous action
RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State’s Reynolds Coliseum will host the first-ever Beauty and the Beast event Friday night at 7 p.m., as both the Wolfpack gymnastics and wrestling teams will be in simultaneous action on one floor. The gymnastics team will host William & Mary and Texas Woman’s University, while the wrestling team will host Campbell in a dual. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors 65+, and NC State students and youth 17 and under are free. Live video will be available for free for both events on GoPack.com/all-access.
THE BEAUTY – @PackGymnastics
• Sophomore Brittni Watkins tallied a season-best total of 39.400 to win the all-around in the squad’s last meet at Kent State and captured EAGL Gymnast of the Week for the second straight week. Her average all-around score of 39.367 is currently ranked 10th in the country.
• In the home opener last Friday against Michigan, UNC and Towson, the squad posted a team score of 195.650, which currently ranks as the top team score by an EAGL team this season. The squad also tied the seventh-highest team score in school history on the balance beam with a 49.350.
• Diahanna Ham earned EAGL Specialist of the Week honors, which was announced Wednesday. The senior stood out on vault, contributing a 9.875 in NC State’s quad meet on Jan. 17th, before earning a 9.90 at Kent State on Sunday, Jan. 19th, placing second behind Watkins.
THE BEAST – @PackWrestle
• Wolfpack wrestling is 10-3 in duals this season. Friday night’s dual against Campbell will be the Pack’s first action in Reynolds this season. The Pack is one of the youngest teams in the country, as among the probable starters NC State has 10 freshmen, two sophomores, one junior and one senior. • NC State is 30-1 all-time against Campbell. The Pack won last year in Buies Creek, 27-13.
• The Pack has six wrestlers ranked by WrestlingReport.com this week: So. Sam Speno #29 at 141 pounds, Fr. Brian Hamann #25 at 149, Jr. Tommy Gantt #18 at 157, Fr. Pete Renda #24 at 174, Fr. Shayne Brady #33 at 184, and R-So. Nick Gwiazdowski #5 at 285. NC State as a team is ranked #30 by WrestlingReport.com.
ECU’s Open Workout
Had 14 kids on the mat for today’s open workout. All 3 ECU coaches assisted as well as 3 area h.s. coaches so we had an excellent teacher/student ratio. We did some live wrestling as well as working on the following:
- Granby roll
- 2 counters to the Granby
- Situation wrestling
- Countering the outside single-leg
- Breakdown/work up drill
- Headlock off the double or single counter
- One-foot wrestling game
We offer free college coaching here one Sunday a month in the Student Rec Center on the ECU campus from 10:00am-12:00. Our remaining dates will be:
- Feb 16
- March 23
- April 13
Hope to see you on the mat,
Milt Sherman
ECU Wrestling Club Team
sherman@ecu.edu
NC State Wrestling: Pack Falls in Dual at #25 Kent State
By Brian Reinhardt
Pack records major decisions at 174 and 285 pounds
KENT, OHIO – The NC State wrestling team dropped a hard-fought 23-14 decision at No. 25 Kent State on Sunday. The Pack brought home major decision wins at 174 and 285 pounds, in addition to wins at 141 and 157 pounds. NC State falls to 10-3 in duals on the year, with all three losses coming to ranked foes. The two teams started at 165 pounds, with Kent State opening with a 9-1 major decision. NC State answered in the next bout at 174 pounds, as freshman Pete Renda scored a 14-3 major decision to even the dual 4-4 after the first two matches. Renda entered ranked 18th nationally, and is now 11-1 in duals in his rookie season. The Golden Flashes retook the lead with back-to-back decisions at 184 pounds (9-5) and 197 pounds (8-3). After four matches, Kent State held a 10-4 lead. NC State made up some ground at 285 pounds, with redshirt-sophomore Nick Gwiazdowski improving to a perfect 12-0 in duals this year with a 10-1 major decision. Gwiazdowski’s team-leading 27th win of the year made the dual 10-8 at the halfway point. Kent State scored nine points over the next two matches to gain a 19-8 edge. The Golden Flashes scored a 5-3 decision at 125 pounds, followed by a pin at 133 pounds. NC State did not give up, as sophomore Sam Speno defeated #19 Tyler Small at 141 pounds, 3-2. Speno’s first win over a ranked foe this season cut the lead to 19-11 with two bouts left. The Golden Flashes clinched the dual with a 12-2 major decision at 149 pounds to take a 23-11 lead into the final bout. The Pack closed out the dual with junior Tommy Gantt picking up an 9-4 decision at 157 pounds. Gantt improves to 9-1 in duals this year, including winning four straight. The Pack will return to Raleigh, starting a four-match homestand next weekend. On Friday, as part of NC State’s Beauty & The Beast event with the Pack gymnastics team, the wrestling squad will host Campbell at 7 p.m in Reynolds Coliseum. Admission will be charged for this dual, $5 for adults, $3 seniors 65+, and youth under 18 are free.
#25 Kent State 23, NC State 14
165: Tyler Buckwalter (KSU) major decision Peter Santos; 9-1
174: #18 Pete Renda (NCSU) major decision Mike Vollant; 14-3
184: #14 Sam Wheeler (KSU) decision Michael Macchiavello; 9-5
197: Cole Baxter (KSU) decision KaRonne Jones; 8-3
285: #5 Nick Gwiazdowski (NCSU) major decision Mimmo Lytle; 10-1
125: Edilberto Vinas (KSU) decision Micah Perez; 5-3
133: #18 Mackenzie McGuire (KSU) fall Chris Wilkes; 2:43
141: Sam Speno (NCSU) decision over #19 Tyler Small; 3-2
149: Michael Depalma (KSU) major decision Brian Hamann; 12-2
157: Thomas Gantt (NCSU) decision T.J. Keklak; 9-4
Stanford defeats North Carolina University on Late Falls
By : Regina Verlengiere, Stanford Wrestling Release
Stanford improves to 11-4
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Stanford wrestling team won all 10 bouts in a 41-0 win over Duke, Saturday, at Card Gymnasium in Durham, N.C. The Cardinal moves to 11-4 overall, while the Tar Heels fall to 5-6. Stanford won seven of the 10 bouts, scoring bonus points in three to guarantee the win. The Cardinal jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the dual after the first two bouts. No. 13 Evan Silver notched an 8-6 sudden victory decision over No. 16 Nathan Kraisser at 125 pounds. Redshirt senior Ryan Mango, ranked 10th nationally, secured an 8-3 decision over Troy Heilmann at 133 pounds. The Tar Heels tied it up at 141 pounds as sixth-ranked Evan Henderson pinned sophomore Peter Russo in 0:55. North Carolina then took the lead after senior Donovan Halpin fell 3-1 to Christian Barber at 149 pounds. Stanford senior Bret Baumbach regained the lead for the Cardinal with an 8-0 major decision over Jake Crawford at 157 pounds. He finished his bout with 5:26 of riding time to improve to 14-7 overall. Redshirt freshman Jim Wilson gutted out a 2-1 double overtime win at 165 pounds against John Michael Staudenmayer. With the score tied 1-1, neither wrestler scored in the sudden victory round. Wilson rode Staudenmayer out for in the first overtime period and then managed to tally an escape to seal the win. Ranked No. 19 in the nation, Wilson is now 26-5 overall, tying Silver for fifth on the Cardinal’s freshman wins list. Senior Kyle Meyer tacked on three more points for Stanford with a 7-3 decision over Scott Marmoll at 174 pounds. He moves to 17-10 on the year. Back-to-back falls by senior 197-pounder Dan Scherer and redshirt freshman heavyweight Josh Marchok finished off the Tar Heels. Scherer registered his fourth fall of the year in 6:09 over Frank Abbondanza. Marchok also tallied his fourth fall of the year, doing so in 1:56 against Bob Coe. Stanford will return to The Farm next week to play host to Simpson University on Friday, Jan. 24. It marks the final home dual of the season for the Cardinal and will begin at 6:30 p.m. PT in Burnham Pavilion.
Stanford 28, North Carolina 22
125: #13 Evan Silver (S) dec. #16 Nathan Kraisser (UNC), 8-6 (SV)
133: #10 Ryan Mango (S) dec. Troy Heilmann (UNC), 8-3
141: #6 Evan Henderson (UNC) fall Peter Russo (S), 0:55
149: Christian Barber (UNC) dec. Donovan Halpin (S), 3-1
157: Bret Baumbach (S) maj. dec. Jake Crawford (UNC), 8-0
165: #19 Jim Wilson (S) dec. John Michael Staudenmayer (UNC), 2-1 (2OT)
174: Kyle Meyer (S) dec. Scott Marmoll (UNC), 7-3
184: Alex Utley (UNC) dec. Zach Nevills (S), 5-2
197: #20 Dan Scherer (S) fall Frank Abbondanza (UNC), 6:09
285: Josh Marchok (S) fall Bob Coe (UNC), 1:56
Stanford dismantles Duke, 41-0
By Regina Verlengiere
DURHAM, N.C. – The Stanford wrestling team won all 10 bouts in a 41-0 win over Duke, Saturday, at Card Gymnasium in Durham, N.C. The Cardinal improves to 10-4 overall, while the Blue Devils drop to 3-7. Redshirt senior Ryan Mango, ranked 10th nationally, registered a 14-2 major decision over Evan Botwin at 133 pounds to secure his 100th career win. He becomes just the eighth Stanford wrestler to reach that milestone. The St Louis, Mo., native is now 100-32 overall and 19-3 in his final season on The Farm. True freshman Tommy Pawelski got things going for the Cardinal on Saturday with a 13-1 major decision over Alex Elsea at 125 pounds. He moves to 17-11 on the year and 3-3 in duals. Sophomore Peter Russo notched his second fall of the season at 141 pounds, pinning Xaviel Ramos in 1:51. Senior Donovan Halpin then won by forfeit to give the Cardinal a 20-0 lead after four bouts. Senior Bret Baumbach added to the Stanford’s lead with a 6-3 decision over Immanuel Kerr-Brown at 157 pounds. Trailing 3-2 going into the third period, Baumbach chose to start in the bottom position and quickly earned the escape. He registered another takedown and tacked on 3:47 of riding time. The win moves him to 13-7 overall and 7-4 in duals. Nineteenth-ranked Jim Wilson registered a 6-0 decision over Marcus Cain at 165 pounds. He led 3-0 heading into the final period, where Cain chose to start on bottom. Wilson tacked on two near fall points and finished with 1:51 of riding time. The win gave the redshirt freshman his 25th of the season, tying Mango and Lucas Espericueta for sixth on Stanford’s freshman wins list. Senior 174-pounder Kyle Meyer continued the scoring for Stanford with a 9-5 decision over Trey Adamson. Tied 5-5 in the third period, Meyer scored an escape and a takedown to go with 3:59 of riding time for his 16th win of the year. He is now 7-4 in duals on the season. Redshirt freshman Zach Nevills earned his 13th win of the year with a 5-3 decision over Jacob Kasper at 184 pounds. He led 5-0 after the first two periods and was able to hold Kasper off down the stretch. In the most anticipated bout of the morning, Stanford senior Dan Scherer, ranked 20th nationally, defeated No. 18 Conner Hartmann, 4-3, at 197 pounds. Scherer scored a first period takedown and notched an escape in the second period for a 3-0 lead. He racked up riding time in the third before Hartmann was able to escape and score a final second takedown. Scherer improves to 13-3 overall and 8-2 in duals. Senior Alan Yen won by forfeit at heavyweight to complete the scoring for the Cardinal. It marks the first time Stanford has shut out an opponent since a 46-0 win over Menlo College during the 2009-10 season. Stanford will head to Chapel Hill later today to face North Carolina at 4 p.m. PT to close out the weekend.
Harold Henson, first African-American to wrestle at NCAAs, passes away
By Mark Palmer, College Wrestling Examiner
Colonel Harold Henson, a college wrestling pioneer who was the first African-American to compete at the NCAA championships, passed away Jan. 11, his family reported via email Saturday, Jan. 18. He was 90. Wrestling for San Diego State University, Henson made history by competing at the 1949 NCAA Wrestling Championships, held at Colorado State University in Fort Collins on March 25-26. Rest of the story at http://www.examiner.com/article/harold-henson-first-african-american-to-wrestle-at-ncaas-passes-away?CID=examiner_alerts_article
Notre Dame, Wartburg, Grand View winners at 2014 Multi-Divisional National Duals
By Mark Palmer, College Wrestling Examiner
The top seeds were five for five at this weekend’s Mat Mayhem. In each of five divisions, the No. 1 seeds – Notre Dame College, Wartburg, Grand View, Clackamas, and King – came out on top at the 2014 NWCA Multi-Divisional National Duals Mat Mayhem at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines Sunday afternoon. The two-day event, now in its third year, features dual-meet matches between top teams in NCAA Division II, Division III, NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics), Women’s, and NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association). A separate Division I “Mat Mayhem” 24-team, two-weekend, dual-meet tournament will be held at Ohio State February 16-17. Only two of last year’s team titlewinners – Wartburg, and Grand View – were able to successfully defend their 2013 National Duals championships. Rest of the Story at http://www.examiner.com/article/notre-dame-wartburg-grand-view-winners-at-2014-multi-divisional-national-duals?CID=examiner_alerts_article
Walsh, Steen, Fickel, Vesta, Lenhardt top fall guys in NCAA award standings
By Mark Palmer, College Wrestling Examiner
Taylor Walsh, Ian Steen, Brent Fickel, Jeffrey Vesta and Colin Lenhardt are college wrestling’s leading pinners to date in the 2014 NCAA Wrestling Awards competition, according to initial standings released by the NCAA Wednesday.
http://www.examiner.com/article/walsh-steen-fickel-vesta-lenhardt-top-fall-guys-ncaa-award-standings?CID=examiner_alerts_article
Iowa, OSU chasing Penn State; Hodge Update
WIN Wrestling News Magazine – a great publication, subscribe today.
No two NCAA Division I programs have won more team championships than Oklahoma State and Iowa, but both the Cowboys and Hawkeyes know they need more consistent firepower if they hope to catch the Nittany Lions this March at the NCAAs. Rest of Story at http://www.win-magazine.com/v2/please-support-our-sponsor-dollamur-wrestling/?u=http://www.win-magazine.com/v2/2014/01/iowa-and-oklahoma-state-facing-reality-of-chasing-penn-state/
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
