Wrestling community mourns death of legendary coach Pat Pecora
Sep. 8—The day Larry Hohman was headed to college when he was 18, his dad died. He walked into the office of Pitt-Johnstown wrestling coach Pat Pecora for guidance. Pecora instructed him to go home for a week to be with family, and he would take care of things. “On that day, coach became my father,” said Hohman, the Penn-Trafford wrestling coach. “He counseled me and made me the man, the father and the teacher I am today.”
Pecora, 70, died late Saturday night after a courageous battle with cancer. The legendary coach built Pitt-Johnstown into a national power and led them to more victories than any wrestling coach in history. The Mountain Cats won NCAA Division II national titles in 1996 and 1999. “What didn’t coach teach me?” Hohman said. “He was a father figure to all of us. Everyone who wrestled for him was family. He made us all better men.”
In 48 years as coach, Pecora produced 170 NCAA All-Americans and 15 national champions. … more at … https://lancasteronline.com/sports/olympics/wrestling-community-mourns-death-of-legendary-coach-pat-pecora/article_2df08c53-8de5-5b6f-9ba4-a22a30372d89.html
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UPJ mourns the loss of our great Wrestling Coach and Athletics Director, Pat Pecora
FULL UNIVERSITY RELEASE
COACH PAT PECORA TRIBUTE VIDEO
For nearly half a century, UPJ athletics excellence has been virtually synonymous with Pat Pecora. Coach Pecora became head coach of the Mountain Cat wrestling program in 1976 following a stellar wrestling career at West Liberty State (WV) College and also served as UPJ’s Athletic Director since 2008. Pecora held college wrestling’s all-time wins mark with 661. Coach Pecora led Pitt-Johnstown to a pair of NCAA Division II National Championships, 25 NCAA Regional titles, and eight straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships. In 1996 and 1999, his teams captured the NCAA Division II National Championship, the first and second in school history. His teams won five consecutive NCAA Regional titles from 2003 through 2007 … more at … https://pittjohnstownathletics.com/news/2024/9/10/baseball-upj-mourns-the-loss-of-our-great-wrestling-coach-and-athletics-director-pat-pecora.aspx
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WLU Mourns Passing of Legendary Wrestling Alumnus
The West Liberty University community is mourning the loss of Pitt-Johnstown athletic director and head wrestling coach Pat Pecora, a collegiate wrestling legend who passed away peacefully Sunday morning at the age of 70 following a courageous battle with cancer. The 1975 West Liberty graduate was college wrestling’s all-time winningest coach with a staggering 661-154-5 record in 48 seasons as a head coach – all at Pitt-Johnstown. “It is with a heavy heart that we hear of the passing of Pat Pecora,” West Liberty athletic director Brad Forshey said. “Coach Pecora was the epitome of a legend in collegiate wrestling. He was a true ambassador of the sport and an amazing person. On behalf of the entire West Liberty community, we extend our deepest condolences to the Pecora family.”
A four-year starter, three-time conference champion and two-time NAIA national qualifier on West Liberty wrestling teams of the early 1970s, Pecora became the youngest wrestling coach in the country when he was hired at Pitt-Johnstown in 1976 and immediately started stacking up an impressive list of accomplishments.
Pecora led the Mountain Cats to a pair of NCAA Division II national championships (1996, 1999) and 25 NCAA D2 Regional titles to go along with 24 national Top 10 finishes and 11 Top Five finishes. His 2024 squad finished 6th at the NCAA Division II Nationals in Park City, Kan. Four Mountain Cats earned NCAA D2 All-America honors and 149-pounder Jacob Ealy became UPJ’s 15th individual national champion. Pecora was a two-time president of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) and served on the NWCA Board of Directors for years. A 4-time NWCA National Coach of the Year (1995, 1999, 2019, 2022), … more at … https://hilltoppersports.com/news/2024/9/8/wlu-mourns-passing-of-legendary-wrestling-alumnus.aspx
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PSAC mourns passing of Pitt-Johnstown’s Pat Pecora
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference mourns the loss of Pat Pecora, the longtime head wrestling coach and Athletic Director at the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, who passed away on Sunday morning after a long battle with cancer.
Pecora is the winningest coach in all of collegiate wrestling history, leading the Mountain Cats’ wrestling program for 48 years while also doubling as the institution’s athletic director since 2008. He accumulated a career dual meet record of 661-154-5 and was named the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Coach of the Year in 1995, 1999, 2019, and 2022.
“Pat was a great example of all that is good about Division II,” said PSAC Commissioner Steve Murray. “He was the best of us and will be sadly missed by all of the PSAC. We offer our deepest condolences to Pat’s family and the entire UPJ community.”
Pecora led Pitt-Johnstown to a pair of NCAA Division II National Championships (in 1996 and 1999) and 25 NCAA Regional titles. His teams won five consecutive NCAA Regional titles from 2003 through 2007 and 10 in a row from 1992 through 2001. Pecora was named the NCAA Regional Coach of the Year 22 times and earned induction into nine halls of fame, including the Pitt-Johnstown, Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches, NCAA Division II Wrestling, and National Wrestling Halls of Fame. … more at … https://psacsports.org/news/2024/9/9/general-psac-mourns-passing-of-pitt-johnstowns-pat-pecora.aspx
Docs: NCAA considering applying football redshirt rule to athletes in all sports
The NCAA is considering more historic changes to its amateurism rules.
Member schools plan to seriously consider granting athletes in all sports, not just football, the ability to participate in up to a certain percentage of games in a fifth season and still use their redshirt; permit athletes to earn prize money before they enroll in college; and eliminate the National Letter of Intent. The potential changes are part of what is expected to be a year-long comprehensive review of NCAA athlete-eligibility rules to reflect and operationalize the House settlement terms, according to documents obtained by Yahoo Sports. The documents will be reviewed this coming week during a video call of the NCAA Division I Council.
Recommendations and approval of the athlete-eligibility rules are expected to occur on a rolling basis and be presented to the DI Council for consideration at regular quarterly meetings through October 2025. However, a new signing model with the elimination of the National Letter of Intent could be approved as soon as October, according to documents distributed to administrators.
While expected given the arrival of athlete revenue sharing next year, the changes under consideration are historic and significant in nature — the latest steps in college sports’ evolution away from the amateurism model that has cost it billions in legal losses.
In one of the more notable potential changes, athletes in all sports could participate in up to a certain amount of contests during a sports season while still using their redshirt. Such a policy is only currently permitted in football and wrestling. In football, for instance, a player can play in up to four regular-season games and still use his redshirt season (the NCAA recently updated this rule to exempt all postseason competition from the four-game policy).
Such a rule has not existed for sports like basketball, baseball and all others aside from wrestling. If the policy is changed, sport-specific NCAA committees will be tasked with determining how many contests a player in each sport can participate in before a year of eligibility is exhausted. In the NCAA documents, an example is offered of 30%, a similar figure used in football.
Other notable changes include what documents describe as a “new signing model” with the elimination of the National Letter of Intent. The “core benefits” of the National Letter of Intent will be incorporated into the institution’s athletics financial aid and scholarship agreements, according to the document. Similar recruiting rules tied to the National Letter of Intent will continue with the signing of school aid agreements. … more at … https://sports.yahoo.com/docs-ncaa-considering-applying-football-redshirt-rule-to-athletes-in-all-sports-154903963.html
New Faces in the ACC for 2024-25
Another season ushers in another wave of new ACC wrestlers and coaches. We’ve already seen breakdowns of the recruiting classes, let’s take a look at the new coaching hires and transfers that join the ACC this fall.
Duke
Erkin Tadzhimetov joins the coaching staff in Durham after a long tenure at his alma mater Utah Valley. He will work with the lightweights, marking a big change in the staffing in the Lanham era. Coach Lanham has had an upper-weight heavy coaching staff over the past decade and the addition of a lightweight coach could pay dividends for the Blue Devils.
Tyler O’Boyle (285) Franklin and Marshall
Spencer Von Savoye (141/149) California Baptist
North Carolina
Vincenzo Joseph will join the Tar Heels staff in the role of Recruiting Coordinator. The two-time NCAA Champion for the Nittany Lions will be reuniting with Coach Koll having served on staff under him at Stanford. For the new position, Joseph will “assist the program in team travel, on-campus recruiting, match day planning, and operations, donor relations, and all program-related events”. In his short time in the college coaching ranks, Joseph has shown that he can be a valuable asset to the Tar Heel staff.
Nolan Neves (285) – Columbia
Ethan Oakley (133) – Appalachian State – SOCON Champ 2x NCAA Qualifier
Josh Ogunsanya (174) – North Carolina? – EIWA Runner-Up 2x NCAA Qualifier
North Carolina State
Zack Esposito steps into the Associate Head Coach position after the departure of Adam Hall to Utah Valley. Espo brings a wealth of experience on the folkstyle and freestyle side. He was the RTC coach at Oklahoma State prior to taking the Associate Head Coach role, where he served for seven years. Most recently he was in Colorado Springs as the Freestyle Developmental and Resident Coach for USA Wrestling.
Pittsburgh
Lou Rosselli joins the Panthers, adding another experienced and successful coach to the staff. … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/acc/new-faces-in-the-acc-for-2024-25-r99551/
USA Wrestling awards its popular Junior National Duals to Milwaukee, Wis. from 2025-2028
USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States, has awarded one of its most popular age-group events, the Junior National Dual Meet Championships, to Milwaukee, Wis. for the next four years (2025-28).
The event is scheduled to be held at the Baird Center in Milwaukee. The local organizing committee is the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation, USA Wrestling’s state association in Wisconsin. The event is supported by Sports Milwaukee.
Known as the Junior National Duals, the event features boys teams from USA Wrestling state associations competing in dual meet competition in freestyle and Greco-Roman
Wisconsin becomes just the third state to host the Junior National Duals, which were created in 1991 and held in Wheaton, Ill. The state of Illinois has hosted five times. Oklahoma first hosted the event in Lawton, Okla. in 1994, and conducted the event 28 times.
Milwaukee becomes the ninth city to host the event, which featured five cities in Oklahoma (Lawton, Oklahoma City, Edmond, Enid, Tulsa) and three cities in Illinois (Wheaton, Park Forest, Edwardsville).
The Junior National Duals for girls, which was created in 2005 in Fargo, N.D., was held alongside the boys in Tulsa from 2018-2023, but will not be included alongside the boys in Milwaukee. The Junior National Duals for girls will move and be held alongside the 16U and 14U National Duals for girls in Indiana in 2025. … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2024/august/30/usa-wrestling-awards-its-popular-junior-national-duals-to-milwaukee-wis-from-2025-2028
Tickets For The 2024 NWCA All-Star Classic At Penn State On Sale
Tickets For 2024 NWCA All-Star Classic on November 16 at Penn State University are on sale now.
The NWCA All-Star Classic returns to Historic Rec Hall in State College, Pennsylvania on Saturday, November 16, 2024, and tickets are now on sale.
Click here to purchase tickets, which are subject to availability. And whatever is available won’t last long so be advised to act fast!
The prestigious event began in 1967 and was a staple of the college season until 2017. After a four-year hiatus, the All-Star Classic returned in 2022 in Austin, Texas due largely to the support of the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
If you can’t be there in person, all of the action will be streamed live on FloWrestling. Last year’s event featured 5 NCAA champions in the men’s matches and 2 college national champions in the women’s matches. Matchup information for the 2024 All-Star Classic will be released soon. … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/12842093-tickets-for-the-2024-nwca-all-star-classic-at-penn-state-on-sale
UNC Wrestling Trio To Compete At Senior World Team Trials
OMAHA, Neb. – Three North Carolina wrestling alumni are set to compete at the 2024 Senior World Team Trials this weekend, on Sept. 14-15 in Omaha, Neb.
Cade Lautt (79 KG), Kennedy Monday (79 KG) and Tyler Eischens (82 KG) are among the Tar Heel trio stepping on the mat this weekend.
Lautt, a 2021 All-America wrestler for the Tar Heels, makes his senior level debut this weekend. While in Chapel Hill, the Olathe, Kan. native won 77 matches, qualifying for two NCAA Championships.
Monday, a resident athlete with the New Jersey Regional Training Center, was a two-time NCAA qualifier for Carolina during his time as a Tar Heel. In July, Monday was victorious at 79 KG at the Grand Prix of Spain.
At 82 KG, Eischens will compete this weekend for the Tar Heel Wrestling Club in the Greco-Roman division. In April, Eischens went 3-0 at the Last Chance Olympic Team Trials … more at … https://goheels.com/news/2024/9/13/wrestling-trio-to-compete-at-senior-world-team-trials
Campbell wrestling announces 2024-25 schedule
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell wrestling and head coach Scotti Sentes have announced their schedule for the upcoming 2024-25 season that includes three Big 10 contests, three Big 12 matchups and five home duals. “Our message to our team is, raise your expectations,” Sentes said. “Our schedule is tougher than it has been in several years, and we expect our team to step up to the challenge.”
Schedule drop ✋🎤 pic.twitter.com/YNIS2bYkLv— Campbell Wrestling (@GoCamelsWrestle) September 10, 2024
The Fighting Camels open the season on October 31 in Wyoming to take on the Cowboys. Last year, Campbell defeated Wyoming by a score of 23-12. That is followed by a trip to the Southeast Open on the first Saturday of November. At the same event last season, 15 Camels placed in the top six of their respective divisions. “We are going to figure out really quick where we measure up against the best in the country,” said Sentes, “and that data is going to help us know where we need to improve as the season progresses.”
The team travels to Pennsylvania to participate in WrangleMania on November 9. At the event, the Camels will face off against NC State and California Baptist. … more at … https://gocamels.com/news/2024/9/13/wrestling-campbell-wrestling-announces-2024-25-schedule.aspx
Jake Patacsil joins Campbell staff as assistant coach
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell wrestling Head Coach Scotti Sentes has announced the hiring of Jake Patacsil as an assistant coach. “The Patacsil name is huge in the state of Florida and his family, including his dad and brother, has done a lot of good for wrestling in Florida,” Sentes said. “Despite not meeting Jake until after he applied, I have known about him and followed his successful wrestling and coaching career for a very long time.”
Sentes continued, “When Jake applied for the position, I was excited at first because I know he is one of the best top wrestlers of all time, but as I have gotten to know Jake better, I am more excited about the passion that he brings into the wrestling room and the mindset that I anticipate he will instill in the athletes.”
Patacsil spent last season volunteering at Manchester University and St. Thomas Aquinas. Previously, he was at St. Thomas University, an NAIA program in Florida. Patacsil was the first head wrestling coach in school history, as the Bobcats began the program in 2020. “The Campbell wrestling program, with its tradition of success in the Southern Conference and at the national tournament, is a team I greatly admired,” said Patacsil. “When Coach Sentes and I discussed the opportunity for me to contribute to the program, I was filled with excitement. I am committed to doing my part to ensure the team’s continued success, as I believe this is a special team I can contribute to and be a part of.” … more at … https://gocamels.com/news/2024/9/16/wrestling-jake-patacsil-joins-campbell-staff-as-assistant-coach.aspx
2024 National High School Girls Wrestling Guide available free to public online
The 2024 National High School Girls Wrestling Guide has been completed and is available for free to the general public.
This extensive 132-page online document is produced by USA Wrestling’s Girls High School Development Committee and is the most extensive report ever published on girls high school wrestling in the United States.
Under the leadership of Joan Fulp and Andrea Yamamoto, with the world-class design by Victoria Weiss, the guide is a must-read for anybody with an interest in girls high school wrestling. It is available to everybody in an easy-to-read online flip book format. Check it out today.
2024 National High School Girls Wrestling Guide
The major portion of the guide includes a two-page spread on the current status and the history of girls high school wrestling in each state.
Each state profile shows the number of USA Wrestling members and high school girls members in the state going back up to 10 years, as well as a list of the 2024 girls state champions in each state. Also featured is a list of college wrestling programs in the state, the winners of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award winners from the state, and other data as available. The state pages also are illustrated with colorful photos of some of the top high school girl wrestlers in the state.
The rest of the guide has extensive information on many other aspects of girls high school wrestling, with a video introduction by Joan Fulp.
There are sections about the 2023-24 College Season, the first Girls High School Championships (in Hawaii in 1998), National Girls High School data by state, USA Wrestling’s female wrestling programs, the 2024 U.S. Age-Group World Team and Olympic Team rosters, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award winners, the National Wrestling Coaches Association, Wrestle Like A Girl, D1 Women’s Wrestling and … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2024/august/27/2024-national-high-school-girls-wrestling-guide-available-free-to-public-online
‘Unstoppable’ captures Anthony Robles’ singular life, with Robles as his own stunt double
TORONTO (AP) — A few hours before the film about his life, “Unstoppable,” was to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Anthony Robles, sitting alongside the actor who plays him, Jharrel Jerome, was remembering the moment he won the NCAA wrestling national title.
He had done something that was, by any measure, extraordinary. Robles was born without his right leg. Through grit and determination, Robles had risen to be the best 125-pound wrestler in the country. But the last thing on his mind at that moment was Hollywood. “I was sitting there showering off after the match,” Robles says. “I was excited and then I was like, ‘I gotta find a job. I gotta start getting my resume together.’ I never got into any of this for the attention.”
“Unstoppable,” which premiered Friday night in Toronto, was one of the most-anticipated premieres of the festival partly because of outside drama. The film is produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and co-stars Jennifer Lopez as Robles’ mom, Judy. But if all the talk going in was about who would turn up between Affleck and Lopez (Lopez did), the talk after the movie belonged to Robles and Jerome.
The film, directed by the Oscar-winning editor William Goldenberg (“Argo,” “Heat”) and which Amazon MGM will release in December, is in many ways a conventional sports drama, with an uplifting message and terrific supporting performances from Lopez, Don Cheadle, Michael Peña and Bobby Cannavale. … more at … https://www.kark.com/entertainment-news/ap-unstoppable-captures-anthony-robles-singular-life-with-robles-as-his-own-stunt-double/
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
