NWCA Announces Inaugural Trailblazer Award Recipients
MAINHEIM, PA – The National Wrestling Coaches Association announces the inaugural honorees for the Trailblazer Award, honoring those who have championed the sport of women’s wrestling in the collegiate space.
Gary Abbott, Clarissa Chun and Ashley Flavin are the 2024 Trailblazer Award honorees, as nominated by the NWCA’s member women’s wrestling coaches. The Leadership Group members from both the NCAA and NAIA then voted on the honorees, with Abbott, Chun and Flavin rising to the top of those nominated. “There is so much great work that has been done to lay the foundation for the growth of women’s wrestling and it is bolstering our sport overall,” NWCA President Tony Ersland said. “Honoring these individuals for their part in building our sport is something the NWCA is proud and excited to do.”
Gary Abbott, Director of Communications and Special Projects at USA Wrestling, has been involved with the promotion and development of women’s wrestling since its inception, nationally and internationally, in the late 1980s. In his 35 years serving the sport, Gary has provided coverage of all United States Women’s World and Olympic teams, as well as every women’s collegiate national championship. He also created both the North American women’s collegiate wrestling rankings as well as the ASICS Girls High School All-American Team.
A National Wrestling Hall of Fame Order of Merit honoree in 2020, Abbott also received the NWCA Meritorious Service Award in 2005. He has also served on the Committee for the Advancement of Women’s Wrestling, the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championship committee, and is a liaison for the women’s collegiate wrestling coalition to the NCAA Committee on WOmen’s Athletics to champion women’s wrestling as an NCAA championship sport.
Clarissa Chun, the first women’s wrestling coach at Power 5 institution and head coach of the 2024 NCWWC Champions in the Iowa Hawkeyes, was the first girl’s high school wrestling state champion in Hawaii in 1998. After a collegiate career at Missouri Valley College, she went on to represent the United States at 48 kilograms at both the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics. Chun won the bronze medal in London, and also wrestled at five Senior World Championships, taking the gold medal at the 2008 Worlds in Tokyo.
One of only four females to earn Distinguished Member honors as a National Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee, Chun won five U.S. Open titles. She was a 2011 Pan American Games … more at …. NWCAonline.com/NWCA-announces-inaugural-trailblazer-award-recipients
10 Iconic Moments In U.S. Olympic Wrestling History
These American Olympic wrestling moments have stood the test of time. Will we get another at the 2024 Paris Games?
Iconic wrestling moments are just that — a moment.
This list does not represent lasting impact or domination, although several fit those criteria. Rather, these singularly unique U.S. Olympic wrestling memories stand the test of time.
Here’s a look at 10 memorable moments as we prepare for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
10. Bill Smith’s Surprise Olympic Gold Medal
Smith famously took the bronze medal spot during the awards ceremony at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics when tournament officials had to point him to the top of the podium. The former Northern Iowa star lost to Sweden during the round-robin format but the Iranian beat Sweden and Smith beat the Iranian. Because the matches happened so quickly, Smith didn’t look at his bad marks — the system used to determine the winner. The Council Bluffs, Iowa, native thought he won bronze when he didn’t pin the Iranian. To his surprise, Smith won the 73-kg men’s freestyle Olympic gold medal.
9. Jack VanBebber Runs To His Olympic Final
VanBebber had to run four miles and hitchhike to his gold medal match at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. The former Oklahoma State star learned that the schedule was changed and his finals bout was in an hour. No transportation was provided, so he started on foot before snagging a ride. He defeated Finland’s Eino Leino — a four-time Olympic medalist (one gold, one silver, and two bronze) — for the title.
8. Doug Blubaugh Pins Iran’s Emaili Habibi
Blubaugh’s pin over Iran’s returning Olympic champion Emam-Ali Habibii in the fifth round of their 73 kg match at the 1960 Rome Olympics continues to be a memorable moment in American wrestling history. The Iranian tossed his American foe several times before Blubaugh countered an attack and pancaked Habibi to his back for the fall. Blubaugh eventually won gold. … rest at … Flowrestling.org/10-iconic-moments-in-us-olympic-wrestling-history
Nine Oklahomans Named to Wrestling USA Senior All-American Team
One of the oldest publications in wrestling media, Wrestling USA Magazine, named their Senior All-American team and nine Oklahomans made the cut. Beric Jordan from Noble was named to the “Dream Team” at 120 lbs. Stillwater’s JJ McComas was named to the “Academic Team” at 132 and seven others were named All-Americans. Bixby’s Gage Walker got the nod at 126 while his teammates Jace Roller(138) and Clay Giddens(175) both also got the nod. Layton Schneider(144) was one of three Edmond North recipients of the award alongside Oscar Williams(215) and Ricky Thomas(HWT). Landyn Sommer of Stillwater got the nod at 157 and two more Edmond North standouts, Hunter Hollingsworth(138) and Talon McCollom(190), picked up Honorable Mention honors. You can see the whole list from each state, with bios of each wrestler, at the link below. https://wrestlingusa.com/ewExternalFiles/2024AAPoster.pdf … story at … Owrestle.com/nine-oklahomans-named-to-wrestling-usa-senior-all-american-team
Dustin Porter Promoted To Head Coach Of Men’s Wrestling Program
Former Terriers Assistant Becomes 5th Head Coach In Program History
By: John Alfes, Hiram SID
HIRAM, Ohio – June 1, 2024 – Hiram Athletics announced the promotion of Dustin Porter to head coach of the men’s wrestling program on Saturday morning. Porter had served as the team’s assistant coach in each of the last two seasons and officially becomes the fifth head coach in program history.
“I’m excited to be back in my hometown working to build the local wrestling community back to its former prominence,” Porter said. “I’m also excited to be able to draw on my past experience of starting a relatively new wrestling program to continue to build upon the success of Hiram’s wrestling team.”
Porter hails from Burton, Ohio, where he began his wrestling career as a two-time state qualifier at Berkshire High School. He went on to compete at Division I Gardner-Webb University (Boiling Springs, NC) beginning in 2006, where he was a four-time Division I National Qualifier and a four-time East Regional Champion with the Runnin’ Bulldogs.
“Dustin’s experience as a premier Division I wrestler and nearly 10 years as an assistant coach made him an ideal candidate to be the next head coach of our men’s wrestling program,” Director of Athletics Scott Pohlman said. “We are looking forward to seeing him take this next step in his coaching career, while also lifting the program to a new level in the PAC.”
In addition to coaching at Hiram (2022-present), Porter also served as an assistant coach with Gardner-Webb University (2010), Tiffin University (2011-17) and Lake Erie College (2017-22). Tiffin had 18 NCAA Division II National Qualifiers while Porter was on its men’s wrestling staff.
It marks an exciting time for both Porter and the Terriers men’s wrestling program, … more at … Hiramterriers.com/Dustin-porter-promoted-to-head-coach-of-mens-wrestling
Carr Receives Third Iowa State Male Athlete of the Year Honor
AMES, Iowa – For the third time in his career, Iowa State wrestler David Carr has been named the Gary Thompson Iowa State Male Athlete of the Year. Carr is the second Cyclone to win the award three times in his career, joining Cael Sanderson (1999, 2001-02).
Carr posted a 27-2 record in 2023-24 and won his second national title to become the 17th Cyclone wrestler to win multiple national titles and the first since 2010 (Jake Varner). David and his father, Nate, are one of four father-son duos in NCAA Division I history to each win at least two national titles.
The Canton, Ohio native won Amateur Wrestling News’ Hammer Award for winning the most competitive weight class at the NCAA Championships. The path to his national title included wins over the No. 1, 2 and 5 seeds, and four of his five opponents in the tournament either finished on the podium or had earned All-American honors at some point in their career.
As the No. 4 seed, Carr defeated eventual All-American Hunter Garvin (Stanford) in the second round, returning two-time All-American No. 5 Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) in the quarterfinals, two-time defending national champion No. 1 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) in the semifinals and undefeated freshman No. 2 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) in the national finals.
At the Big 12 Championship, Carr fell to his rival, top-ranked O’Toole of Missouri, in the finals, 8-2. Carr would avenge the loss just two weeks later in the national semifinals on a takedown with 10 seconds remaining to win, 8-6. It capped a historic rivalry where the pair met five times in a two-year span with Carr holding a 3-2 advantage in the series.
Carr owned a 40:3 takedown ratio during the 2023-24 season (80 for, 6 against) and registered 19 bonus-point wins (six falls, nine tech falls, four major decisions). He defeated 10 top-10 opponents, wrested in 14-of-15 duals and led Iowa State with 67 dual points.
Carr helped Iowa State to its first Big 12 team title since 2009 and a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, the Cyclones’ best finish since 2010.
An all-time great, Carr leaves a winning legacy at Iowa State. He finished with a 120-5 career record, … rest of story at … Cyclones.com/Carr-named-iowa-state-male-athlete-of-the-year
Norton Named 2024 NWCA Coach of the Year
June 10, 2024 – After building the North Central College women’s wrestling team from scratch, head coach Joe Norton ’10/M’13 was named the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) 2024 Coach of the Year.
“It’s really cool to receive the National Coach of the Year award. It validates all our hard work and shows recruits that this is a place where your coaching staff will be really invested in your development,” Norton said.
Norton has been coaching at North Central since 2014, originally starting as the head coach for the men’s wrestling program. Norton was named the head coach of the women’s program in 2018, while the program’s inaugural season was the 2019-20 season. Prior to the 2022-23 season, Norton transitioned as the men’s associate coach and remained the head coach for the women, while Zack Cook was named the head coach of the men’s program.
Norton credits athletic director Jim Miller and Cook for helping him get to where he is today. Norton said, “I have an outstanding staff of assistant coaches making me look good every day, and the best Athletic Director in America as a mentor. Any success I have is just a reflection of them and their support.”
The Cardinals pride themselves on working hard to become the best in the country and next year will be no different. “The goal is for this team to continue to compete for National Championships and put women on World and Olympic teams. We pride ourselves on development and will continue to do that better than any other program in America,” said Norton.
Norton and the North Central College wrestlers are eagerly waiting for the 2024-25 season to begin. … rest of story at … Northcentralcardinals.com/Womens-wrestling-norton-named-nwca-coach-of-the-year
NCAA D-III FIELD TO EXPAND FROM 180 TO 210
The NCAA governance structure has approved a plan to increase the size of the NCAA Championships field from 180 to 210 for the 2024-2025 season. To accomplish this, a seventh region will be added. Wrestlers must still place in the top three of the region to qualify for the championships.
The Division III Wrestling Committee will finalize a proposal for regional alignment by May 31st. The Championships Committee, Management Council, and Presidents Council will vote on the proposal later in the summer. Coaches should receive a draft of the proposal by the end of June. … rest of story at … D3wrestle.com/ncaa-field-to-expand-from-180-to-210
Navy Wrestling Welcomes Former Olympian Barry Davis To Coaching Staff
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy wrestling head coach Cary Kolat announced the addition of Barry Davis to his staff as an assistant coach on Wednesday.
Davis comes to Annapolis following a 25-year stint as the head coach at Wisconsin. During his tenure with the Badgers, he coached three national champions, 26 All-Americans, 62 NCAA qualifiers and eight Big Ten champions. He is Wisconsin’s all-time winningest coach (227-167-11) and led the Badgers to 15 top-20 finishes at the NCAA championship, which included a fourth-place finish in 2010 that tied the best placement in school history. Davis was named the National Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association for his team’s finish during the 2009-10 campaign.
“With the rapid changes in recruiting trends over the past few years, I’m excited to announce that coach Barry Davis will be spearheading our recruitment with the Naval Academy wrestling program. Barry has a wealth of experience as both an athlete and a coach,” said Kolat. “He has been an assistant coach for Dan Gable at the University of Iowa and then eventually led his own program at the University of Wisconsin. Coach Davis will make a significant impact on our program. His addition to our coaching staff not only strengthens our team, but will enhance the experience of our athletes here at the Naval Academy. He will bring valuable contributions to our program and I’m excited to welcome him aboard.”
Davis is well known for having top-level talent in the 165-pound weight class.
He coached two-time 165-pound NCAA champion Donny Pritzlaff (2000, ’01) at Wisconsin. Along with his two national titles, Pritzlaff was named an All-American at 150 pounds (sixth) in 1998 and 165 pounds (fifth) in 1999. Additionally, he won three Big Ten titles at 165 under Davis (1999, 2000, ’01).
Davis aided Andrew Howe to his first NCAA Division I title at 165 pounds and a perfect 37-0 overall record in 2010. Howe also garnered All-America distinction in 2009 and 2011 for placing second and third, respectively, at nationals. Howe dominated the Big Ten during his three years as a Badger, winning the 165-pound conference title in 2009, ’10 and ’11.
Isaac Jordan claimed All-America accolades four times under Davis’ guidance. … rest of story … Navysports.com/Navy-wrestling-welcomes-former-olympian-barry-davis-to-coaching-staff
Joll Earns Prestigious Schalles Award
By: Alex Pearce, Assistant Athletic Communications Director
NEWTON, IOWA –Scott Joll added one last accolade to his historic season as he earned the prestigious Schalles Award, presented annually by WIN Magazine and awarded to the best collegiate-wrestling pinner.
The Belle Vernon, Pa. native finished his season with a 35-1 overall record and a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships at 174 pounds, and becomes the first non-Division I wrestler to win the award since 2005. Joll led the country with his 21 pins, and brought home the Gregorian Award earlier this year, as well, after recording the most pins in the least amount of time at the NCAA Championships.
The Schalles Award is named for Wade Schalles, a two-time NCAA champion at Clarion (Pa.) University that went 153-6 in his career with 109 pins. … more at … UNCPbraves.com/Joll-earns-prestigious-schalles-award
ACC Summer Roundup
It’s been a minute since we took a step back and examined the conference as a whole and looked at all of the moving pieces. Let’s see what’s happening in the ACC as we enter the summer months.
West Coast to the Atlantic Coast Conference
The biggest change we will see in the conference this season is the addition of Stanford to the conference (California and Southern Methodist are also joining but do not have wrestling programs). The Cardinal has a strong core with an impressive #2 ranked recruiting class moving into Palo Alto this season. Current North Carolina head coach Rob Koll came to Chapel Hill after a stint as the head coach at Stanford. He was succeeded by Chris Ayres after his long tenure as head coach at Princeton. The addition of a scrappy Stanford team could provide some interesting wrinkles in the conference competition this year. We will take a deeper look at this as schedules are released and logistics are figured out.
Coaching Changes
Adam Hall left his post as Associate Head Coach at NC State to take the head coaching job at Utah Valley. Replacing Hall in Raleigh is an experienced and highly accomplished Coach Zack Esposito. Pat Popolizio and Esposito both have Oklahoma State ties; Esposito was on staff at OSU for several years, but his most recent post was as the Developmental Coach for the USOPTC.
Cody Brewer moved north to take the Head Assistant Coach position at Princeton after several years on staff in Blacksburg. Moving south to join the staff is Zach Tanelli who had spent the previous eight seasons as the Head Coach at Columbia University and will serve as the Associate Head Coach for the Hokies. Tanelli wrestled under Jared Frayer in his first year coaching at Wisconsin and they have maintained a close relationship.
Another former head coach will be joining an ACC staff, this time in Pittsburgh with Lou Rosselli joining as an Assistant Coach. Rosselli was the long-time Head Coach of the Ohio RTC – where he coached Pitt Head Coach Keith Gavin and was most recently the Head Coach for the University of Oklahoma, where Gavin spent a year before coming to Pittsburgh.
Transfer Portal
There are a lot of new faces joining the ACC via the transfer portal; as of the time of this article, nine wrestlers left the conference for new teams while 10 will be transferring into three teams in the ACC. The portal this year seemed to be very heavy with Ivy League wrestlers who have remaining eligibility after exhausting their allowed time at their schools – the Ivy League doesn’t allow grad students to compete in athletics.
North Carolina was very active in the portal, adding four new wrestlers to the team. Ethan Oakley (133) will be moving across NC from Appalachian State, while Ryan Boersma (285) will be joining from Mizzou. Two former Columbia wrestlers will be donning a new shade of blue with Josh Ogunsanya (157) and Nolan Neves (285) joining the Tar Heels.
Pittsburgh also took advantage of the portal; they have been very successful adding talent to their roster since the transfer portal became an option, with multiple starters coming from transfers in the past three years. The Panthers are also adding a Columbia wrestler in talented lightweight Nick Babin (125). They added a second lightweight in Evan Tallmadge (125) from the Naval Academy. Mateo de la Pena (165) transfers from California Baptist and Chase Kranitz (184) from Buffalo.
Virginia Tech was the final ACC team to add wrestlers from the portal. The two new Hokies will be immediate impact guys in the lineup. Lennox Wolak (174) is the final Columbia wrestler making the move to the ACC; he announced his transfer prior to Tanelli being added to the staff. They also added Connor McGonagle (133) from Lehigh who will slide in at 133 with Sam Latona moving up to 141 next year.
LIVE WRESTLING!
As we all know, there is no real off-season from wrestling. Usually, freestyle takes center mat during the summer, but we will see ACC wrestlers competing in a couple different folkstyle and folkstyle-esque events in the next few weeks as two organizations are putting on showcase events in hopes of developing a professional wrestling league. … more at … Intermatwrestle/ACC-summer-roundup
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 