Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

Tarleton State edges Utah Tech by ½ point to win women’s team race at NCWA Nationals

BOSSIER CITY, La. – The top three teams in the women’s division were separated by only one point at 2025 National Collegiate Wrestling Association Nationals (NCWA).
Tarleton State from Texas won its first NCWA women’s team title with 126 points, ½ point ahead of runner-up Utah Tech with 125.5 points and Ottawa-Arizona in third with 125 points. Also with a chance to win was fourth-place Washington State, which finished with 122 points.
Tarleton was led by individual champion Rachel Corley, who pinned her Tarleton teammate Emma Graves in 1:51 in the 110-pound finals. Tarleton State ultimately finished with seven All-Americans.
Utah Tech pulled into second place in the last match of the finals, when Katie Law pinned Petra Bernsten of Washington State in 4:50 to win the 180-pound title.  Utah Tech also had seven All-Americans.
Ottawa-Arizona also had an individual champion, Makayla Lopez (103), who beat Jasmine Cortez of Texas State 4-1 in the finals. Ottawa-Arizona had eight All-Americans. Washington State, which led the team race on the first two days of the competition was led by 240-pound champion Erin Kremer, who pinned O`dessa Laititi of Utah Tech in the finals in 1:29.
A pair of returning champions were able to claim another title.
At 145 pounds, Veloria Pannell of MIT repeated as champion in a 13-1 major decision over Katherine Stewart of Central Florida. … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/march/15/tarleton-state-edges-utah-tech-by-point-to-win-women-s-team-race-at-ncwa-nationals

March 16, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Menlo wins NCWA Men’s Nationals with three champions, ahead of Apprentice School and Tarleton State

Menlo College, which is making a transition from the NAIA to the NCAA, won the men’s team title at the 2025 National Collegiate Wrestling Association Nationals (NCWA).
Menlo finished with 214.5 points, with the Apprentice School in second with 187.5 points and Tarleton State in third with 183.5 points. Liberty, with 146.5 points, placed fourth and Life was fifth with 111.5 points.
Menlo had three individual champions, Elijah Valencia (125), Noah Elliott (149) and Ledger Petracek (174), and had 10 All-Americans. Valencia scored a 4-1 decision in the finals over Trevor Wilcox of Thomas More. Elliott was a 4-1 winner of Thomas McCane of Central Florida. Petracek controlled Nirrideen Ahmad-Staats of Williamstown Trade, 8-1.
The Apprentice School was led by individual champion Bruno Alves, who defeated Matthew Ellis in the 133-pound finals, 7-2. Alves was an NCWA national runner-up last year. The Apprentice School had 11 All-Americans.
Tarleton State made a big statement with three individual champions, Zachery Espalin (141), Joseph Liescheski (165) and Koby Kidd (235).
Espalin was dominant in his 20-4 technical fall over Ryan Wilson of Washington State. Liescheski defeated his Tarleton State teammate Finn Shepard in the finals, 6-4. Kidd was an 8-4 winner over Caleb Hartung of the Apprentice School, 8-4. There were no repeat men’s champions this year, … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/march/15/menlo-wins-ncwa-men-s-nationals-with-three-champions-ahead-of-apprentice-school-and-tarleton-state

March 16, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Wartburg and Johnson & Wales tie for NCAA Div. III Nationals team title

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — They expected a tight battle this weekend at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships. It doesn’t get any closer.
After back-to-back wins by Wartburg to move ahead in the team race, Joziah Fry of tournament host Johnson & Wales beat Christian Guzman of North Central 10-5 in the final bout, winning his third national title at 125 pounds, ending the tournament in a tie for the championship with 83.5 points.
It marked the first time two teams have tied for the title.
It also was the first time a team other than Wartburg or Augsburg finished first as a team since 1994.
It gave Wartburg a 16-15 edge over Augsburg in team titles.
And it gave JWU Coach Lonnie Morris the championship hats and T-shirts he coveted. “We’ve always talked to the kids about it’s all about winning the hats and the T-shirts; we don’t really (care) about the trophy as much as when you win the hats and the T-shirts it means you’re the winning team,” Morris said.
“It was a great weekend. We came in and we believed we could win it right from the regionals. … At the end of the day we made it happen.”
Meanwhile, Wartburg owed thanks to North Central for helping it finish first, just as it did when it won the title in 2022. Guzman, who lost to Fry by technical fall in last year’s final kept the match within eight points so Fry couldn’t get a bonus point that would have made Johnson & Wales the sole champion. In 2022, North Central won a head-to-head championship match with Wabash that preserved Wartburg’s one-point lead over Wabash.
“North Central will always have a sweet spot in my heart because it was my first head coaching job (2005-06), so it’s kind of a crazy irony that twice now North Central has played a part in our national championships,” said Wartburg head coach Eric Keller.
Fry said he wasn’t surprised that he saw a different Guzman this year. “Guzman’s a great athlete, a great kid on and off the mat,” he said. “He’s a great competitor, so we had a great match and that’s what it is.” Fry knew what was on the line, and he actually had to battle back after Guzman scored the first takedown. But an escape and takedown gave him a 4-3 lead, then he flipped Guzman onto his back for a key four-point near fall that gave him some breathing room.
“Going into this finals match was kind of nerve-wracking because I knew I had to win in order for our team to win the national championship … ,” Fry admitted. … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/march/16/wartburg-and-johnson-wales-tie-for-ncaa-div-iii-nationals-team-title

March 16, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Top Performances by At-Large Berths at the Last Five NCAA Tournaments

On Tuesday afternoon, at-large berths were released which finalized the field of 330 wrestlers for the 2025 NCAA Championships. Just because a wrestler was forced to rely on an at-large berth doesn’t mean they can’t be a key player in the action in Philly. That group of wrestlers that received good news yesterday includes five past All-Americans and likely a few in the future. 
Of course, relying on an at-large berth can happen for various reasons. Sometimes a wrestler simply had a bad day, there’s no horrific backstory, just an unforeseen loss or two. Other times, their respective conferences may be limited in allocations at their weight. Also, injuries play a key role in this. Some, like Carter Starocci or Mekhi Lewis, weighed in and injury defaulted – assuming they’d get an at-large. 
To illustrate that relying on an at-large berth isn’t a death knell for All-American, and even national championship hopes, take a look at the wrestlers below who have either earned All-American honors or advanced to the All-American round (bloodround) at the previous five tournaments. 
There is a disproportionate amount of wrestlers on the list from 2021. Remember, that was the first NCAA Tournament after Covid and the regular season started in January. There was little data to go on for allocations and fewer were given out through the conference tournaments. 
All-Americans
1st (2024) Carter Starocci (Penn State)
6th (2024) Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech)
8th (2023) Killian Cardinale (West Virginia)
2nd (2022) Kizhan Clarke (North Carolina) … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/top-performances-by-at-large-berths-at-the-last-five-ncaa-tournaments-r100101/

March 16, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

2025 NCAA DI wrestling championships: Selections info, brackets, schedule

The 2025 NCAA DI wrestling championships will be held March 20-22 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Brackets and seeding were announced on NCAA.com at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 12.
Click or tap here for the brackets
Each qualifying tournament shall be allocated a minimum of 10 positions for the top finisher in each weight class. The remaining spots available in each class are reserved for at-large selections. The at-large qualifiers will be selected by the NCAA Wrestling Committee.
Click or tap here for at-large selections
2025 NCAA DI wrestling championships schedule

*All times listed in Eastern Standard Time

March 15, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Penn State Wrestling Star Carter Starocci Eying History At NCAA Tourney

Penn State’s Carter Starocci is five wins away from becoming the first five-time NCAA wrestling champion.
Carter Starocci’s quest for college wrestling immortality begins on March 20, 2025. Starocci is already a four-time NCAA champion, but he could become the first five-timer if he wins five straight matches at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
The Penn State superstar can take advantage of a unique historical window. College athletes were given an extra season of eligibility after the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
Five wrestlers were given a rare opportunity granted to college athletes following World War II. The NCAA Championships were cancelled from 1943-45 due to the war, meaning the NCAA granted freshmen eligibility to boost participation numbers when the war was over.
Freshmen were not allowed to compete, so the maximum number of NCAA titles a wrestler could win was three. That rule remained until the 1968 NCAA Championships, when freshmen were finally allowed to participate. 
Five wrestlers took advantage.
Dick Hauser and Lowell Lange of Cornell College, Bill Nelson of Northern Iowa (known as Iowa State Teachers College at the time), Joe Scarpello of Iowa, and Dick Hutton of Oklahoma State (known as Oklahoma A&M at the time) were eligible to go four for four after winning the 1947 NCAA Championships as freshmen. 
None succeeded in their quest. 
Oklahoma State’s Pat Smith became the first four-timer at the 1994 NCAA Championships in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Six wrestlers — including Starocci — followed. …. more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/13914314-penn-state-wrestling-star-carter-starocci-eying-history-at-ncaa-tourney

March 15, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The 5 Most Surprising NCAA Wrestling Championship Seeds

Check out a breakdown of the most surprising seeds at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
The 2025 NCAA brackets are here! Check out the below article to see a breakdown of the top 5 most surprising seeds at this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Mar 20-22, TBD
2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships Watch Party
141 lbs – Andrew Alirez, #8 Seed
2023 NCAA Champ Andrew Alirez got the #8 seed with a 16-1 record with his only loss coming to Tagen Jamison at the Big 12 Tournament. Alirez will have Bellarmine’s AJ Rallo in his opening match and then will likely wrestle Jacob Frost in round 2. The match against Frost is a rematch of the third place at Big 12s where Alirez won 8-2.
The real story here is that Alirez will likely wrestle Big 10 champ and top seed Brock Hardy in the quarterfinals! Hardy had a phenomenal Big Ten’s defeating both Jesse Mendez and Vance Vombaur on his way to gold. Alirez and Hardy have never wrestled in their college careers and this match has the potential to be one of the best quarters of the tournament.
157 lbs – Jacori Teemer, #18 Seed
Returning NCAA runner-up Jacori Teemer is the #18 seed! This means that if Teemer wins his first match, he’ll likely wrestle #2 Meyer Shapiro in the second round. Shapiro and Teemer have never wrestled before but at the beginning of the year, no one would have predicted the 2024 2nd and 3rd place finishers would meet in the second round at NCAAs!  Teemer is only 8-4 this year and finished 7th at Big Ten’s … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/13914438-the-5-most-surprising-ncaa-wrestling-championship-seeds

March 15, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s “Women’s Wrestling Memorable Moments” Exhibit to be Featured at PHAN-X in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA – Wrestling fans heading to Philadelphia for the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championships will have the chance to experience the National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s “Women’s Wrestling Memorable Moments” exhibit, on display at PHAN-X, presented by Resilite and WIN Magazine. The exhibit will be showcased at Lincoln Financial Field Hyundai Club (right across from Wells Fargo Center) on Friday, March 21, and Saturday, March 22.
CLICK for Phan-X Information and Schedule
This engaging and visually stunning 10×10-foot exhibit highlights the historic milestones and groundbreaking achievements that have shaped women’s wrestling. Updated to include the record-setting performances at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the NCAA’s official sanctioning of women’s wrestling, the display celebrates the trailblazers who have helped grow the sport on the national and international stage.
“We are excited to again share the history and impact of women’s wrestling with one of our sport’s largest and most enthusiastic fan bases,” said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. ” … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/march/12/national-wrestling-hall-of-fame-s-women-s-wrestling-memorable-moments-exhibit-to-be-featured-at-phan-x-in-philadelphia

March 15, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Div. III star Endene seeks third national title, after amazing summer on U23 World Team

When he wrestled in high school in Dallas, Texas, Massoma Endene never would have imagined where the sport would take him.
The first step after high school was reaching the NJCAA national finals for Iowa Lakes Community College. Next was NCAA Division III, where this weekend in Providence, Rhode Island, he will attempt to become a three-time national champion. And over the summer and fall, Endene earned a spot in freestyle at 97kg and competed for the United States at the U23 World Championships in Albania.
“That was awesome, one of the best memories I’ve had in my life,” Endene said after being named the Outstanding Wrestler at the Division III Region 6 national-qualifying tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “Starting off in high school I never could have imagined being where I am and being where I was this summer and being surrounded by such amazing adults that this is what they do for a living.
“Jordan Burroughs, James Green, … just a handful of names I could think of right now, people I’ve trained with, along with and just being surrounded by those amazing mindsets. To soak in what they have for me is just something I could never compare to anything.” He is grateful to the sport for helping him reach such heights. … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/march/12/div-iii-star-endene-seeks-third-national-title-after-amazing-summer-on-u23-world-team

March 15, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

WIN’s Pre-NCAA Rankings/Predictions Announced, Teams & All 10 Weights

NEWTON, Iowa — The conference tournaments are in the books as all eyes shift toward the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championships slated for March 20-22 in Philadelphia.
With all 330 NCAA qualifiers announced as of Tuesday afternoon, WIN Magazine’s March 11 Tournament Power Index (TPI) and individual rankings will serve as the final set of rankings before these wrestlers converge at the Wells Fargo Center next Thursday. Please note, these are also WIN’s NCAA placement predictions made prior to the actual seedings being announced on Wednesday, March 12.
The biggest shakeup in the TPI after the fallout from the conference championships was Virginia Tech sliding into the No. 6 spot from the No. 8 spot in the last rankings update, as the Hokies surpassed Northern Iowa and Ohio State. The Top-5 teams remained the same.
The following is a breakdown of those individual TPI points per ranking: 20 for 1st, 16 for 2nd, 13.5 for 3rd, 12.5 for 4th, 10 for 5th, 9 for 6th, 6.5 for 7th and 5.5 for 8th. Wrestlers ranked 9-12 earn two points each, followed by one and a half points for wrestlers ranked 13-16 and one point for those ranked 17-20. Penn State features four top-ranked wrestlers in WIN’s TPI: Luke Lilledahl (125), Tyler Kasak (157), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165) and Carter Starocci (184). The remaining top-ranked wrestlers at their weights are Illinois’ Lucas Byrd (133), Northern Colorado’s Andrew Alirez (141), Virginia Tech’s Caleb Henson (149), Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole (174) and Minnesota’s Gable Steveson (Hwt). … more at … https://www.win-magazine.com/2025/03/11/wins-pre-ncaa-rankings-predictions-announced-teams-all-10-weights/

March 15, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

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