Defending National Champion Bronchos Face Tough Schedule
Bronchos Have Five Home Duals in 2024-25
EDMOND – Two-time defending NCAA Division II national wrestling champion Central Oklahoma will host five home duals and an open tournament in 2024-25, with four of those events coming during a three-week span late in the season.
UCO went 15-0 in duals before capturing its 23rd regional title and 17th national championship last season. The Bronchos of ninth-year head coach Todd Steidley return seven starters, including four All-Americans. “It’s a challenging schedule,” said Steidley, who has a 101-12 dual record at UCO and was the Division II Coach of the Year last season. “We’re on the road a lot as usual, but I really think that helps us in the long run. Our guys have been working hard to get ready and we’re looking forward to the season.”
Central makes its 2024-25 debut at Hamilton Field House on Nov. 3 with the Broncho Open, then begins the dual schedule the following weekend on the road at Maryville and McKendree.
UCO sandwiches its only first-semester home dual on Nov. 22 in the MIAA opener against Ouachita Baptist between a couple of open tournaments before going to Newman and another open tourney. The Bronchos finish the first semester slate at the rugged Midwest Classic in Indianapolis, Ind. Dec. 14-15.
The season resumes Jan. 10-11 at the NWCA Division II National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa and UCO finishes with six more duals. Four of those are at home – Colorado State-Pueblo (Jan. 26), Fort Hays State (Feb. 2), Nebraska-Kearney (Feb. 7) and New Mexico Highlands (Feb. 16) – along with road trips to Drury (Jan. 24) and Central Missouri (Feb. 15). … more at … https://bronchosports.com/news/2024/9/29/wrestling-defending-national-champion-bronchos-face-tough-schedule.aspx
Six Americans over 30 earn spots on Non-Olympic Weights World Team
By Mike Finn
OMAHA — Sunday was quite a day for several of USA Wrestling’s older wrestlers as six wrestlers over the age of 30 — James Green, Jordan Burroughs and David Taylor in men’s freestyle, Ildar Hafizov and Aliaksandr Kikiniou in Greco-Roman, and Jacarra Winchester in women’s freestyle — all won Best-of-3 Championships at the Non-Olympic Weight World Team Trials.
For Green and Burroughs, New Jersey natives and former stars at the University of Nebraska, they earned spots before many of their Husker fans in the MECA – CHI Health Center. Green, 31, a two-time World medalist, defeated former Michigan All-American Alec Pantaleo in two straight matches at 70 kilos, while Burroughs, 36, a six-time World champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist, avenged a 2023 World Team Trials loss to Chance Marsteller at 79 kilos.
Taylor, 33, the former World and Olympic champ who came up short at the 2024 Olympic Trials at 86 kilos before taking the Oklahoma State head coaching position, defeated fellow 2023 Worlds teammate Zahid Valencia in two straight bouts at 92 kilos.
Aliaksandr Kikiniou (right), a 2009 World bronze medalist for Belarus, defeated Jesse Porter in two bouts to claim a World Team Trials title in Greco-Roman. (Sam Janicki photo)
Hafizov and Kikiniou, both immigrants from Uzbekistan and Belarus, respectively, earned spots on the team. Hafizov, 36, qualified for his fifth World Team for Team USA but needed three matches to beat Max Black at 63 kilos, while Kikiniou, 44, a former World bronze medalist for his native country, will represent Team USA for the first time. Winchester, 31, who has represented Team USA at 53k and 55k in past World and Olympic Championships, won two straight matches against Michaela Beck at 59 kilos.
Jacarra Winchester has now qualified for either the Worlds or Olympics in three different weights. (Sam Janicki photo)
The other six winners, who will compete in the 2024 Non-Olympic Weight World Championships, Oct. 28-31 in Tirana, Albania, were 2023 World champ Vito Arujau (61k) in men’s freestyle, Areana Villaescusa (55k), 2023 World silver medalist Macey Kilty (65k) and Kylie Welker (72k) in women’s freestyle, and Brady Koontz (55k) and Benji Peak (63k) in Greco-Roman. … more at … https://www.win-magazine.com/2024/09/15/29536/
The 25 most accomplished DI men’s wrestlers to watch this 2024-25 season
Every season, NCAA.com ranks the biggest names the watch in college wrestling. In 2021, the ranking criteria was “most exciting.” In 2022, the theme shifted to “most interesting,” and in 2023, the ranking was for the “most notable.” Now, the rankings are back, this time based purely on credentials.
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Former champs are ranked first, then national finalists, then All-Americans. There are more returning All-Americans than spots in the top 25 — the last six athletes on this list were thus chosen because of a combination of dominance, big wins, current ranking in their weight class and previous honors. These are the top 25 athletes you need to know heading into the 2024-2025 college wrestling season.
1. Carter Starocci, Penn State, 184 pounds
Penn State’s Carter Starocci is the biggest name in college wrestling this year. Not only has the Nittany Lion veteran won four national titles, three team titles and been a Hodge Trophy finalist, but he’s also built his brand as a hard-nosed, never-say-die warrior who wants to wrestle everyone and dominate every second. He notably shared in 2023 that he likes to take his opponents to “deep waters” and “feel [their] soul leave [their body]” — it’s this kind of mentality that has pushed him to a 77-4 varsity record with a 50%+ varsity career bonus rate.
HISTORY MAKER: Here’s how Carter Starocci won his fourth national title
Penn State fans love Starocci and his fierceness, but it wasn’t always guaranteed that they’d get to see their star wrestle back this season. After winning his fourth title in 2-0 fashion against Ohio State’s Rocco Welsh, Starocci shared in the post-match press conference that he might have wrestled his last folkstyle match. He had world and Olympic aspirations and had already proven himself on the national stage. Yet, less than two months later, Starocci announced that he would indeed be returning. He wanted to finish on his “terms.” He’s expected to go up a weight class to achieve that goal, bumping from 174 to 184. Winning a fifth national title and a Hodge Trophy at this new weight would certainly put an exclamation mark on a career that has been nothing if not historic.
2. Keegan O’Toole, Missouri, 174 pounds
Keegan O’Toole, the two-time title winner from Missouri, is the only other multiple-time NCAA champion returning this season, making him the obvious choice for the No. 2 wrestler on this list. He is expected to move up a weight class too, though, taking his funk from 165 pounds to 174 pounds. … more at … https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling/article/2024-10-01/25-most-accomplished-di-mens-wrestlers-watch-season
Cowboy Wrestling to Host Seven Duals In 2024-25 Season
STILLWATER – Head coach David Taylor and the Oklahoma State wrestling program revealed the home schedule for the 2024-25 season Thursday, which features seven duals inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.
The Cowboys again play host to one of the most exciting home slates in the country, as six of their seven visitors held a spot in the top 25 of InterMat’s preseason rankings. That group also includes four top 11 finishers from the 2024 NCAA Championships and is made up of five Big 12 opponents and a pair from the ACC.
Last season, Gallagher-Iba Arena saw Oklahoma State win eight of its nine contests inside the venue, highlighted by a 21-12 victory over fourth-ranked Iowa State and a 24th straight home win in the Bedlam Rivalry Series.
Taylor will make his Gallagher-Iba Arena debut against Wyoming on November 22. A familiar opponent, OSU has wrestled Wyoming in 15 of the past 16 seasons and is undefeated in the all-time series at 27-0-1. In addition, the Cowboys will be looking to extend their winning streak in home openers to 25.
Just two days later, Big 12 newcomer Arizona State will make its way to Stillwater for the second year in a row. Oklahoma State owns wins in 40 of the 44 all-time matchups, while Troy Spratley’s major decision over 2024 NCAA champion Richard Figueroa sparked the team’s victory last season.
Throughout late December and early January, the Cowboys can get comfortable in Gallagher-Iba Arena as they host four more duals within a month.
The first of that stretch comes on December 19 against Virginia Tech, the highest-ranked team on OSU’s home schedule at No. 6. The 2011 Hokies downed Oklahoma State in the programs’ only meeting, but a win by the Cowboys this time around would give them a .500 record or better against every opponent they’ve faced since the program’s inaugural season in 1915.
Shortly after the turn of the calendar, OSU will open 2025 against Air Force on January 3, … more at … https://okstate.com/news/2024/10/3/cowboy-wrestling-to-host-seven-duals-in-2024-25-season
Why Does Iowa Wrestling Have So Many Fans?
Here are six reasons the University of Iowa wrestling program has a fan base like no other.
The University of Iowa continues to be the standard-bearer for college wrestling attendance. For the past three seasons, the Hawkeyes averaged over 14,000 fans for home duals. A record 42,287 attended the Grapple on the Gridiron on November 14, 2015 — a home dual between Oklahoma State and Iowa at Kinnick Stadium before the Minnesota football game.
Here are six reasons Iowa has the country’s largest wrestling fan base. Watch the below interview with former Hawkeye coach Dan Gable for his insights.
1. Winning Program
Iowa hired Gary Kurdelmeier during the 1972-73 season. Kurdelmeier’s first order of business was to hire Dan Gable as his assistant. Gable was fresh off a win at the 1972 Munich Olympics when he arrived in Iowa City.
Hiring Gable marked a turning point. Iowa finished seventh at the 1973 NCAA Championships, fifth in 1974, and first in 1975 and 1976. Gable took over as head coach during the 1977 season and his teams won 15 of 21 championships and 21 consecutive Big Ten titles.
The Hawkeyes have never finished lower than eighth at nationals for 51 straight seasons. No other program compares during that span. “Iowa fans are used to excitement,” Gable said. “Iowa fans are used to winning. A lot of it has to do with how the kid wrestles. Iowa wrestling has done it for so long with such good performances that they’re consistent.”
Iowa Wrestling NCAA Championships Results: 1973-2025
| Year | NCAA Finish | Coach |
| 1973 | 7th | Gary Kurdelmeier |
| 1974 | 5th | Gary Kurdelmeier |
| 1975 | 1st | Gary Kurdelmeier |
| 1976 | 1st | Gary Kurdelmeier |
| 1977 | 3rd | Dan Gable |
| 1978 | 1st | Dan Gable |
| 1979 | 1st | Dan Gable |
… more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/12872714-why-does-iowa-wrestling-have-so-many-fans
2024 NWCA All-Star Classic Match Lineup
The list of matchups announced so far for the 2024 NWCA All-Star Wrestling Classic on November 16th.
The 2024 NWCA All-Star Classic presented by Nike will take place on Saturday, November 16, 2024, at 7:00 pm (ET) in Rec Hall on the campus of Penn State.
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This event can be viewed only on FloWrestling and will feature 10 highly ranked Division 1 folkstyle matchups along with 5 cross-divisional women’s freestyle matches. So far FloWrestling has officially announced seven of matchups with the rest to be announced soon.
Nov 16, 7:00 AM EDT
2024 NWCA All-Star Classic
2024 NWCA All-Star Classic Men’s Matchups:
125: #3 Jore Volk vs #6 Tanner Jordan
133: #2 Nasir Bailey vs #4 Evan Frost
141: #2 Jesse Mendez vs #3 Beau Bartlett
149: #2 Shayne Van Ness vs #3 Ty Watters
157: #4 Tyler Kasak vs #5 Peyton Kellar
165: #3 Hunter Garvin vs #4 Peyton Hall
174: #2 Levi Haines vs #3 Rocco Welsh
184: #1 Carter Starocci vs #2 Parker Keckeisen
197: #5 Stephen Little vs #9 Zac Braunagel
285: #1 Greg Kerkvliet vs #3 Nick Feldman … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/12860692-2024-nwca-all-star-classic-match-lineup
UNC Wrestling Releases 2024-25 Schedule
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Entering year two under the direction of head coach Rob Koll, the North Carolina wrestling program announced its schedule Wednesday morning, prior to the 2024-25 campaign.
The schedule features matchups with eight top-25 programs from last season’s final NWCA coaches poll: Nebraska (3), Iowa State (5), Ohio State (6), NC State (7), Virginia Tech (13), Stanford (20), Oregon State (21) and Pitt (23).
In the opening month of November, Carolina will compete in the Southeast Open (Nov. 2), followed by duals against Navy (Nov. 10), Drexel (Nov. 10), Nebraska (Nov. 15), Greensboro College (Nov. 25) and Illinois (Nov. 25).
Closing out the calendar year, the Tar Heels travel to the Collegiate Wrestling Duals in Nashville, meeting Ohio State, Lock Haven and Iowa State.
Prior to the ACC slate, the program will compete at Soldier Salute (Dec. 29-30) and Southern Scuffle (Jan. 4-5).
Once again, Friday Night Duals returns to the Atlantic Coast Conference, with home matchups against Virginia Tech (Jan. 10), NC State (Jan. 26) and Virginia (Feb. 14). The Tar Heels travel to Duke (Jan. 17), Pitt (Feb. 7) and Stanford (Feb. 21), adding an additional non-conference meeting against Oregon State (Feb. 23) on the west coast trip. … more at … https://goheels.com/news/2024/10/3/wrestling-releases-2024-25-schedule
One leg, unmeasurable courage: An interview with Anthony Robles, subject of ‘Unstoppable’
In the history of NCAA athletics, there may not be a championship as unlikely, extraordinary and inspiring as Anthony Robles’ 2011 individual wrestling national championship at the 125-pound weight class — accomplishing the already remarkable feat with only one leg.
Robles’ story is captured in the new film “Unstoppable” that plays in the Isis Theatre as part of Aspen Filmfest on Friday at 5 p.m. The film stars Jennifer Lopez as Robles’ mother and Don Cheadle as his wrestling coach and was produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
The Aspen Daily News spoke to Robles from his home in Arizona about his life and about the new film. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Aspen Daily News: Let’s take it back to the beginning. Where did you grow up?
Anthony Robles: I was born in California, but I grew up in Mesa Arizona. We moved out here when I was 14 years-old and that’s when I got introduced to wrestling. I’ve been in Arizona ever since.
ADN: You eschewed the prosthetic leg when you were very young, like 3 years old. What do you recall about growing up and dealing with your situation? I don’t want to call it a disability because you have never treated it like one.
Robles: I refer to it as my challenge. That’s what my mom always called it. We tried off-and-on with the prosthetic leg. But for me, I just remember wanting to be like everybody else, to get around as quick as I could, run around with all the other little kids and I felt like the prosthetic leg just weighed me down. I couldn’t keep up with everybody else and I felt like using the crutches was my perfect outlet. They were more comfortable to me. It was more my style. And so my mom was like, “It’s your decision,” and when she gave me that choice I ditched the prosthetic leg and I never looked back on it.
ADN: Kids are mean. Did you get teased at all?
Robles: There were instances where kids teased me or said things, especially kids who didn’t have the experience of being around someone different, someone who’s missing a leg. … more at … https://www.aspendailynews.com/arts_and_entertainment/one-leg-unmeasurable-courage-an-interview-with-anthony-robles-subject-of-unstoppable/article_84e94502-7593-11ef-a5a4-8711ff2aa08e.html
UNC-Pembroke Wrestling Announces Schedule For 60th Season
PEMBROKE – Eight home dates, including hosting the NCAA Super Region 2 tournament, as well as road trips to Pennsylvania and Indiana, highlight the 2024-25 UNC Pembroke wrestling schedule that was released Tuesday by head coach Othello “O.T.” Johnson. “I’m super grateful for the chance to compete and lead our program in its 60th year,” said head coach OT Johnson. “We have a great group of guys returning, as well as a solid crop of new wrestlers we brought in, to go along with a good group of seniors who have been and will continue to provide leadership.”
Fans can get an early look at the team on Tuesday, October 22 at 6 p.m. when the Braves hit the mat for their annual Black & Gold intra-squad event. Admission to that event, as well as all home dual meets, is free. All home dual meets are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
The Braves will officially kick off the new season on November 3 when they host the 43rd Annual Pembroke Classic. Wrestling action is slated to begin at 9 a.m. Admission to the Pembroke Classic is $10 for the day. Students with a valid student ID are free.
The Black & Gold will be in action for their first home dual meet on November 6, as they host Montevallo for Pep Rally & Schools Night, before hosting King on November 13 for Military Appreciation Night.
The Braves will hit the road in mid-December for Indianapolis, Ind. for the 45th Annual Midwest Classic. The two-day event will take place December 14 and 15 at Nicoson Hall. “Excited to get back to this event. A tournament we’ve been to every year for the duration of our staff’s time here, and one that gives us a unique perspective as we will be going back for Nationals as part of the D2 Winter Sports Festival, so hopefully will get to cheer on our swimming and indoor track & field Braves.” said Johnson.
The Black & Gold will return home January 2, as they host Limestone for WWE Night. The Braves will then trek north to Johnstown, Pa. for the Mountain Cat Duals on January 4. “Obviously, we have a lot of guys on our roster from the western Pennsylvania area, so we’re excited to give them a chance to wrestle in front of their family and friends at a super-competitive event,” said Johnson.
UNCP will host Newberry on January 21 for Braves Unity Challenge Night, and then close out the home dual meet portion on January 24, as they host Mount Olive for Senior Night and Alumni Weekend, with Alumni Weekend continuing on January 25, as the Black & Gold hosts the BraveTough Open.
The region’s best wrestlers will then flock to Pembroke as the Braves host the NCAA Super Region 2 Tournament … more at … https://uncpbraves.com/news/2024/10/1/wrestling-announces-schedule-for-60th-season.aspx
2024-25 Conference Movement Primer
The world of college athletics is changing by the year – actually, maybe not that slow, maybe by the month or week. It seems like late spring and summer are the times to monitor which schools are changing conferences and which conferences are raiding other smaller leagues.
This offseason proved to be one of the most impactful in college athletics with the Big Ten expanding to the West Coast and a pair of Big 8/12 mainstays heading to the SEC.
Some of these moves don’t directly impact wrestling – others have. There are a few wrestling conferences that have undergone major facelifts and will look much different during the 2024-25 season and beyond. Since it can be difficult to follow all of these changes, we’ve gone conference by conference to see how each has evolved for the 2024-25 season.
ACC: The ACC comes out a winner in this game of musical chairs as they add a very talented Stanford team. Sure, the geography of Stanford being in the Atlantic Coast Conference doesn’t add up, but we’ve had time to come to terms with the fact that these conferences don’t make much sense.
On the mat, Stanford brings a team that will likely enter the season in the top-15 in tournament and dual rankings. The Cardinal boasts a lineup that features three All-Americans, finished 16th in the nation in 2024, and has inked three top-eight recruiting classes in a row.
After years of claiming the ACC is on the rise, the 2025 conference tournament will now feature seven teams and gets that much tougher.
Big Ten: The Big Ten added four schools (Oregon, Southern California, UCLA, and Washington) and none of them currently field a wrestling team. The initial reaction is “Great, maybe one of them will add wrestling,” however, will all of the new financial changes coming to college athletics, you might start to worry whether one or more Big Ten schools will drop in the near future. … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/2024-25-conference-movement-primer-r99569/
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 