UNC Pembroke Wrestling Punches Three Tickets To NCAA Championships
By: Alex Pearce, Assistant Athletic Communications Director
Story Links
PEMBROKE – Heavyweight Oggie Atwood turned in a perfect day to take region champion honors, while Jake Piccirilli (149 pounds) and Logan Robinson (133) also punched their tickets to the NCAA Championships with second and third place finishes, respectively, in NCAA Super Region II action Saturday on Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
Atwood racked up three pins before securing a championship-winning decision victory at 285 pounds on the way to earning his second-career berth to the national tournament. Piccirilli, ranked sixth at 149 pounds, picked up two bonus-point wins and a decision victory before falling to 13th-ranked John Carayiannis from Belmont Abbey in the region championship bout, but will still take part in his third trip to the NCAA tournament.
Robinson split his first two matches in the 133-pound division before taking a technical fall win in the consolation semifinals to earn a spot in the third-place, where he used an 18-12 decision win to punch his ticket to the national tournament for the second time as a Brave.
Will Lowery dropped a heartbreaking 14-13 decision in the third-place match at 165 pounds to finish fourth, while Joey Bruscino (125 pounds), Logan Hoffman (174), and Shylik Scriven (184) all took home fifth-place finishes. The Black & Gold compiled 117 team points on the way to taking second place … more at … https://uncpbraves.com/news/2025/3/1/wrestling-punches-three-tickets-to-ncaa-championships.aspx
Nicolosi wins regional; UMO features three qualifiers
Results
PEMBROKE, N.C. (March 1) – The University of Mount Olive men’s wrestling program qualified three wrestlers for the NCAA National Championships following their performance at the NCAA Super Region II Championships held on the campus of UNCP on Saturday.
The Trojans tallied 92 points in the team standings behind five wrestlers with top-four finishes while competing on the regional stage. Lander won a third-straight NCAA Regionals with 157 points following eight wrestlers qualifying for nationals. UNC Pembroke (117 points) placed second overall with a trio of qualifiers and Newberry rounded out the top three behind 109.5 points.
Senior Jake Nicolosi became the second-ever in program history to claim an individual regional championship at Mount Olive. Competing at 157, he produced an unblemished 4-0 record to capture the crown and clinch his spot as a national qualifier. In the opening round, Nicolosi posted a 15-0 tech fall over Malachi Thomas of Limestone before defeating Dennis Virelli of Newberry via a 14-3 major decision. He followed up with a 10-4 decision over No. 2 seed Keegan Roberson of UNC Pembroke to earn his spot in the championship. In the title bout, Nicolosi got his revenge and battled to an 11-7 decision versus top-seeded Trent Mahoney of King.
In the 165-weight class, freshman Brent Nicolosi entered as the No. 2 seed and finished as the runner-up in his first regional appearance. After a first-round bye, he pinned Samuel Daniels of Limestone before a dominant 16-0 tech fall against William Lowery of UNCP to reach the championship. Nicolosi faced off against No. 1 ranked David Hunsberger of Lander and despite an excellent performance fell via a 7-6 decision. Brent will join brother Jake as a national qualifier in what has been an outstanding season for the tandem.
Junior Calan Staub returns to the national stage … more at … https://umotrojans.com/news/2025/3/2/wrestling-nicolosi-wins-regional-umo-features-three-qualifiers.aspx
NC State Aiming To Continue ACC Wrestling Mastery
NC State has captured the last six ACC wrestling titles and the Wolfpack are looking to keep that run going against a highly competitive field this weekend.
College wrestling’s postseason is finally here.
After four months of chatter about developments leading to March, the time has arrived — and it’s time for the NC State Wolfpack to compete at the ACC Championships.
NC State will go into the event as the reigning six-time champions, raising the team title trophy at the ACC Championships every year dating back to 2019. “As you hit the postseason, it becomes more about the individual accomplishments and their personal goals, which of course bleed into the team aspect,” NC State coach Pat Popolizio said. “You want to see guys finish out and accomplish their goals, and right now as we head towards March there are two opportunities left, starting with ACCs.”
If you go strictly by seeds — which are a result of ACC dual results — this year’s Wolfpack squad will look a lot different from last year’s, which set a school record for team points (116), individual ACC titles (seven), and had the largest margin of victory at the event (29.5 points over second-place Virginia Tech) since 2007.
NC State posted a 5-1 record in ACC duals to finish tied atop the conference standings for the sixth time in the last eight years. Unlike last year, however, the Pack won’t have eight of their 10 wrestlers seeded second or better. “We have seen guys lose in dual meets but then come right back and have a really good showing come ACCs and leading into NCAAs,” Popolizio said. “There is still a lot of wrestling left. Just in the last few days right after coming back from Virginia Tech, we saw some guys respond very well. We have a lot of motivated guys in that room.”
Popolizio and his staff know how to bring back hardware from the one-day ACC event. “We have got to show up, compete, be aggressive, and score points,” Popolizio said. “We have to reverse some results that we let slip away in duals. This year is set up to be a nail-biter among quite a few teams, it is really pretty even across the board. “I think it comes down to who wants it more. There are going to be a lot of tight, close matches, it is going to be exciting. It comes down to who is willing to go out there and take some risks to get their hand raised.”
Since the 2015-16 season, NC State has won seven ACC Championships … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/13870760-nc-state-aiming-to-continue-acc-wrestling-mastery
Carayiannis Earns Regional Title, Five Abbey Wrestlers Qualify For Nationals
PEMBROKE, N.C. — Belmont Abbey redshirt senior wrestler John Carayiannis won all four bouts in the 149-pound weight class to earn a regional championship as he was part of five Crusaders who qualified for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships Saturday at the Super Region II Championship at UNC Pembroke. Carayiannis earned his fourth spot to the national championship with three wins via tech fall and another via major decision on Saturday. He defeated UNC Pembroke’s Jake Piccirilli via a 17-2 tech fall to capture the title.
In addition, Maxwell Kiel (174) earned a regional runner-up finish to qualify for nationals for the third straight year. After finishing fourth at Super Regionals a year ago, both Elijah Boyd (133) and Kyler Pickard (184) both finished in second place in their respective weight classes to earn a spot at nationals. Those two wrestlers, along with Luke Kunath (141) have all qualified for nationals for the first time in their collegiate careers.
Caleb Moore (197) and Mason Kump (285) both finished in fourth for Belmont Abbey.
As a team, Belmont Abbey finished tied for fourth with 107.5 points with King in the team standings. The five national qualifiers are believed to be the most in program history in a single season. They will all represent Belmont Abbey in the 2025 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships that will be held March 14-15 in Indianapolis, … more at … https://abbeyathletics.com/news/2025/3/1/wrestling-carayiannis-earns-regional-title-five-abbey-wrestlers-qualify-for-nationals.aspx
The TDR Top 12 Woman’s Team
The TakeDown Report will reward the following wrestlers for their successful seasons with an engraved wooden plaque with the wrestler’s name and weight class. The following wrestlers will be listed as a First Team of the top ranked wrestler at each weight, a Second Team and the Honorable Mentions from deep weight classes. The full listing of rankings will be posted later.
First Team:
100 – Anna Ockerman (Corinth-Holders), 107 – Khiry Reese (Rosewood), 114 – Ahrianna Scales (Pasquotank Co.), 120 – Skyla Simpson (First Flight), 126 – Kennedie Snow (Havelock), 132—Anabel Rodriguez (Dixon), 138 – AySeante Ross (Laney), 145 – Faith Bane (New Bern), 152 – Elaina Pollock (Laney), 165 –Evangline Alasin (Northeastern), 185 – LaNesha Gause (Laney), 235 – Sophia Marshall (Rosewood)
Second Team:
100 – Izabella Johnson (Croatan), 107 – Zainab Hijawi (South Central), 107 – Katie Simmons (Laney), 114 – Adrianna Miller (SW Onslow), 120 – Olivia Ready (Havelock), 120 – Addison Vindigni (Cleveland), 132 – Bella Murillo (Fike), 145 – Maggie Milbery (Swansboro), 165 – Kyndal Harris (Havelock), 235 – Leslie Barden (Laney)
Honorable Mentions:
107 — Ryleigh Cline (Swansboro), 126 — Lauren Hall (Heidi Trask), 132 – Mia Kiser (Laney), 138 – Isabella Campbell (Havelock), 138 – Cella Ross (Dixon), 152 – Laila Tellez (Havelock), 165 — Rohama Geberemichael (Wakefield), 185 – Bella Abba (Wakefield).
Olivia Neal Award Finalists;
100 – Anna Ockerman (Corinth-Holders), 107 – Khiry Reese (Rosewood), 120 – Skyla Simpson (First Flight), 145 – Faith Bane (New Bern), 235 – Sophia Marshall (Rosewood)
2025 NCAA Conference Allocations Takeaways
We’ve had a day to look at and consume the NCAA DI allocations that were released on Thursday afternoon. Allocations are the first piece of the puzzle that is the collegiate postseason. Now we know what wrestlers will need to place in a specific weight class to qualify for a trip to Philly.
As we looked at the allocations, the wrestlers who earned them, and the wrestlers who didn’t, we came away with four takeaways.
1. 157 lbs is going to be bonkers
157 lbs is the only weight that has six at-large berths and it also is the weight with the most ranked wrestler seeking allocations (nine). Right there, that makes three ranked wrestlers who will miss out on a trip to Philly, at a minimum.
2024 NCAA finalist Jacori Teemer did not earn an allocation and, provided he’s healthy and he looked good last Sunday, you assume he cruises into the top eight in the Big Ten and earns a bid. Should he do that he would bump either Ethen Miller, Chase Saldate, Tommy Askey, Antrell Taylor, Trevor Chumbley, Brandon Cannon, Tyler Kasak, or Joey Blaze out of the top eight. One of them would need an at-large berth. Saldate is the lowest ranked of the bunch (#16) so anyone missing out … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/2025-ncaa-conference-allocations-takeaways-r100057/
Historic day as first NYSPHSAA State Championships for girls in New York used freestyle wrestling rules
Feb 28, 2025, 5:33 PM EST by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
It was a historic day for wrestling in New York State on Thursday, as the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA), the high school state association for New York, hosted its first official state wrestling championships for girls at the MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y.
MVP Arena is the same venue which has hosted the boys state championships since 2005. The boys state tournament followed immediately there on Friday and Saturday. What made the competition even more historic is that New York decided last year that it would use international freestyle wrestling rules for its official girls wrestling program. Freestyle is the style which is used in women’s college wrestling (including the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA). This decision will give New York girls an advantage as they move on to the college level and beyond.
Just like boys wrestling in the state, the girls who competed in the state championships this year qualified through 11 member Sections and represented both their Section and their high school at the event. There were 212 athletes competing in one division and 13 weight classes. Brackets included 16 girls per weight class with the top six finishers being recognized on the podium following the finals. New York girls are already recognized nationally for their excellence in wrestling, and there were nine nationally ranked athletes entered in the tournament this year. Nationally ranked wrestlers who won New York state titles this year were … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/february/28/historic-day-as-first-nysphsaa-state-championships-for-girls-in-new-york-used-freestyle-wrestling-rules
Road to the Championships
National Participation
There are 77 NCAA member institutions that sponsor DI Men’s Wrestling and are eligible to compete in the National Championship. All 77 programs support approximately 2,400 Men’s Wrestling student-athletes across the country.
Selection Process
A total of 330 wrestlers compete at the NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championships. Of those 330 spots, 70* of them will be determined via automatic qualification, and approximately 200 will be allocated based on performance during the season. The remaining 60* spots will be selected at-large by the NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Committee. Wrestlers will compete in the following 10 weight classes: 125 pounds, 133 pounds, 141 pounds, 149 pounds, 157 pounds, 165 pounds, 174 pounds, 184 pounds, 197 pounds, Heavyweights (183-285 pounds). The same 10 classes will be used in conference tournaments. Wrestlers can earn automatic qualification to the championships based on place finish at their respective qualifying tournaments. The exact number of student-athletes selected is subject to change.
Selection Show | Wednesday, March 12, 2025
The 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championships bouts will be announced … more at … https://www.ncaa.com/championships/wrestling/d1/road-to-the-championships
Save Cleveland State Wrestling News
As was shared by Mike Moyer in the NWCA Newsletter
“The Need to Protect Vulnerable College Programs – I want to take a moment to extend a heartfelt thanks to the Northeast Ohio wrestling and business community and CSU wrestling alums for their relentless efforts to save the Cleveland State Wrestling program. As many of you know, the CSU administration announced last month that they plan to eliminate men’s wrestling, women’s softball, and women’s golf at the end of this academic year. I had the privilege of attending CSU’s final home dual against Kent State and witnessed a sellout crowd of passionate wrestling fans who aredetermined to do whatever it takes to save the program. It appeared as if every local media entity was in attendance to cover the event. THIS NEEDS TO BE APPROACHED AS A “NO FAIL MISSION” by the entire wrestling community.
The NWCA is collaborating with a local organizing committee (LOC), and we have a terrific strategy in place. While there are no guarantees of success, we have so much more in our favor than we usually do, as evidenced by the following:The Need to Protect Vulnerable College Programs – I want to take a moment to extend a heartfelt thanks to the Northeast Ohio wrestling and business community and CSU wrestling alums for their relentless efforts to save the Cleveland State Wrestling program. As many of you know, the CSU administration announced last month that they plan to eliminate men’s wrestling, women’s softball, and women’s golf at the end of this academic year. I had the privilege of attending CSU’s final home dual against Kent State and witnessed a sellout crowd of passionate wrestling fans who aredetermined to do whatever it takes to save the program. It appeared as if every local media entity was in attendance to cover the event. THIS NEEDS TO BE APPROACHED AS A “NO FAIL MISSION” by the entire wrestling community.
The NWCA is collaborating with a local organizing committee (LOC), and we have a terrific strategy in place. While there are no guarantees of success, we have so much more in our favor than we usually do, as evidenced by the following:” … Please check regularly at www.saveclevelandstatewrestling.org for updates and calls to action. More to come!
And …
Cleveland State Wrestling Topples Kent State in Front of Sellout Crowd
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland State toppled Kent State 21-15 in front of a sellout crowd of 2,400 people inside Woodling Gymnasium on Thursday evening.
The Vikings jumped out to a 4-0 advantage behind a 16-3 major decision by Ben Aranda at 125-pounds. Jake Manley followed with a 10-8 decision to make it 7-0.
Kent State answered back with the next three matches to take a 12-7 advantage after the 157-pound contest.
Tate Geiser picked up a massive 19-4 technical fall at 165-pounds to even the match at 12-12. The Golden Flashes quickly went ahead by three behind a 10-4 decision at 174-pounds.
In one of the most exciting contests of the night, Gavin Ricketts pulled out a 4-1 sudden victory at 184-pounds, tying the match at 15-15. Joey Lyons then picked up a 5-1 decision at 197-pounds to make it 18-15. … more at … https://csuvikings.com/news/2025/2/20/cleveland-state-wrestling-topples-kent-state-in-front-of-sellout-crowd.aspx
And ….
Sen. Bernie Moreno questions Cleveland State’s decision to cut wrestling program
COLUMBUS, Ohio – U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno is questioning Cleveland State University President Laura Bloomberg over the school’s decision to eliminate its wrestling program, which he described as “disquieting.” Moreno wrote in a Wednesday letter that participation in boys and girls wrestling is increasing at the high school level, and college wrestling is popular in Northeast Ohio.
“Thus, the decision-making behind your office’s elimination of the Cleveland State University’s men wrestling program caused me a great deal of pause,” Moreno wrote. “On behalf of my constituents, I would like to have an open and thorough discussion on this matter as many Ohioans, myself included, found this decision disquieting.” Moreno’s spokeswoman confirmed he sent the letter, which was released Thursday by Save Cleveland State Wrestling … more at … https://www.cleveland.com/news/2025/02/sen-bernie-moreno-questions-cleveland-states-decision-to-cut-wrestling-program.html
And …
Rider Rolls Past Cleveland State in Regular Season Finale
LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – For the second time this season, the Rider wrestling team secured a 39-0 shutout victory over Cleveland State on Saturday afternoon in Alumni Gym.
Brock Zurawski got the Broncs on the board first at 197 lbs to start the dual earning a dominant 7-0 decision over Joey Lyons.
At 285 Collin French had a battle with Kaiden Haines. In the second period, Haines secured the takedown to make the score 3-1 but French earned the quick escape cutting the deficit 3-2. After a Haines escape in the final period, French earned a takedown of his own to claim the gritty 5-4 decision.
The Broncs got victories 125 lbs and 133 lbs from Noah Michaels and Will Betancourt. Braden Palcko met with Ethan Mitchell at 141 lbs. … more at … https://gobroncs.com/news/2025/2/22/wrestling-dominates-cleveland-state-in-regular-season-finale.aspx
And …
Cleveland State Wrestling – MAC Championship Week!
Dear Wrestling Family,
Your Cleveland State wrestling squad is fired up and ready to compete at the 2025 MAC Championships! The team has been training hard and is prepared to battle for NCAA Tournament berths, representing our great program on the national stage.
Championship Information
Location: Trenton, NJ Venue: CURE Insurance Arena
Dates: March 7-8, 2025
Live Stream: All matches available on ESPN+
Full Championship Information Here
Schedule of Events
Friday, March 7
• 11:00 AM – Doors Open
• 12:00 PM – Opening Round (50 Matches, 4 Mats)
• 2:00 PM – Championship Quarterfinals & Consolation Round 1
• 5:00 PM – Championship Semifinals & Consolation Round 2
Saturday, March 8
• 8:00 AM – Doors Open
• 11:30 AM – Consolation Quarterfinals
• 1:00 PM – Consolation Semifinals
• 2:50 PM – Championship Finals Parade & Introductions
• 3:00 PM – Championship Finals & Placement Matches
MAC Championship Lineup
• 125 – Ben Aranda
• 133 – Nick Molchak
• 141 – Ethan Mitchell
• 149 – Connor Saylor
• 157 – Doug Terry
• 165 – Tate Geiser
• 174 – Ronald Dimmerling
• 184 – JR Reed
• 197 – Joey Lyons
• 285 – Daniel Bucknavich
Thank You, Wrestling Family!
We appreciate your continued support throughout this incredible season. Despite the challenges, your encouragement has made this journey unforgettable for our team. Let’s support our boys at the MAC Championships and finish strong!
Follow the Action Live on ESPN+
Best,
From the Cleveland State Wrestling Program
2025 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships Watch Guide
The National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships are March 7-8 in Coralville, Iowa. Here is everything you need to know.
What: 2025 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships
When: March 7-8, 2025
Where: Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa
How do you buy tickets? Click Here
Where do I find brackets? Click Here (when available on Trackwrestling)
Where do I find results? Click Here
Where do I find bracket reactions? Click Here
Where do I find every national qualifier? At the end of this article
How to watch live: FloWrestling
Friday, March 7, 2025
Session 1: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Championship 1st Round, Championship 2nd Round & 1st Wrestle Backs … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/13821155-2025-national-collegiate-womens-wrestling-championships-watch-guide
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
Takedown Report 