Neal Dorow Inducted to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame!
Neal Dorow – Born in Palo Alto, California, Dorow was a standout wrestler at Mountain View High School in Mountain View California, graduating in 1972. He then attended Foothill Community College in Los Altos Hills from 1972-74, where he was a conference champion and a 6th-place finisher in the California Community College Nor-Cal Championships. After Foothill, he wrestled for the University of California at Berkeley where he was a two-time Pacific 8 Conference Runner-Up and a two-time NCAA Division 1 qualifier. In 1976, he was named the NorCal College Wrestler of the Year.
After graduating from Berkeley in 1977 with a degree in Physical Education, Dorow began his officiating and coaching career. He coached and officiated at the high school and collegiate level in Washington, Wisconsin, Oregon, Massachusetts, and North Carolina. In 1982, he joined the United States Wrestling Officials Association as a mat official, and by 1990, had attained his international officials license and reached the category of M1E (Exceptional), the highest possible in the USWOA. Between 1984 and 2014, Dorow officiated over 60 international wrestling competitions, including National Team overseas tours in 11 different countries. He officiated 66 USA Wrestling regional championship events and 109 USA Wrestling National Championship events from 1983 to 2017. In 1995, he was a timer and scorekeeper for the World Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, and in 1996, he was a timer and scorekeeper for the Atlanta Olympics.
In 2001, Dorow moved to North Carolina and was the first head wrestling coach at the newly opened Eugene Ashley High School in Wilmington. He was wrestling coach at Ashley until 2005. In 2002, he founded and still runs the annual Ashley High School Veterans Cup Tournament, which just completed its 22nd year. Soon after moving to North Carolina, he joined North Carolina USA Wrestling and is still active today. Dorow was the NCUSAW Officials Director and a Board member from 2001 to 2011 and the local organizer for the USA National and North Carolina State Beach Wrestling Championships held in Carolina Beach from (2012 – present).
In addition to his 2024 induction into the North Carolina state chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Dorow has received the USWOA Phil Portuese Award (2003), the USWOA Lifetime Achievement Award (2009), the NCUSAW Frank Rader Person-of-the-Year Award (2011), and the USA Wrestling Beach Wrestling Person-of-the-Year Award (2017). Currently, he lives in Wilmington with his wife Andrea and is the Virtual Academy Coordinator for Ashley High School.
Ed Duncan Inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame!
Ed Duncan – A native of Spruce Pine, North Carolina, Duncan attended Mitchell High School, where he excelled in wrestling, football, baseball, and track. Duncan was an all-conference lineman in football, a two-time state medalist in wrestling, and a wrestling state champion in 1988. He played a key role in the Mountaineers’ team state tournament championship run in 1988 and was named Mitchell’s male athlete of the year for 1988.
Duncan then attended Appalachian State University as a North Carolina Teaching Fellow, majoring in Social Science and Secondary Education. He was a two-year starter for the Appalachian Wrestling team and reached the Southern Conference finals at 190 lbs. in 1989. In 1993, Duncan completed his student teaching at Ashe County High School. In addition to student teaching, he helped coach the wrestling team, which finished as state runner-up. Duncan then taught social studies and coached wrestling at Hickory High School from 1993 to 2004. During his tenure at Hickory, he started a middle school wrestling team before returning to Mitchell High School in 2005. At Mitchell, Duncan also started a middle school program in 2006 and assumed the role of head wrestling coach at the high school in 2010. Duncan’s Mitchell teams have captured 250 dual meet wins, five conference championships, two regional tournament titles (2014, 2015), two dual team state championships (2014, 2015), one state dual team runner-up finish (2016), one state tournament championship (2015), and one state tournament runner-up finish (2014).
In 2004, Duncan became the first-ever Administrative Director for Team NC Wrestling. He served in this role until being elected State Chairperson for NCUSA Wrestling in 2018. He has been the National Teams Coach and the event director for the Elementary and Junior High State Championships. In 2013, Duncan founded and currently runs the High Country Youth League, which serves over 20 counties in Western North Carolina. He serves as a Junior Olympic Wrestling Committee member (2022 – present) and has directed the North Carolina State Games for over 20 years.
Duncan’s efforts have focused recently on building men’s and women’s beach wrestling and high school girls’ wrestling in North Carolina and across the country. He is the founding organizer of the first beach wrestling state championships and has hosted the USA National and North Carolina State Beach Wrestling Championships at Carolina Beach (2012 – present). He was the Team Leader/Coach for Team USA at the 2019 World Beach Games in Doha, Qatar, and has attended multiple world beach championships. Duncan is also the founder of the Beach Wrestling Tour of America (2022) and is the US Representative to the United World Wrestling Beach Wrestling Committee (2016 – present). Duncan was an organizer of the first girls’ high school invitational, hosted the first-ever open state championship for girls (2017) and worked with the Women’s Wrestling Task Force to sanction girls high school wrestling in North Carolina (2023).
One of the original members and key organizers of the North Carolina Wrestling Coaches Association, Duncan served on the NCWCA Board from 2007 to 2014. He has also served on the Board of the state chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame (2016 – present). Retiring from teaching in 2023, Duncan remains both the head wrestling coach at Mitchell High School and the State Chairman for North Carolina USA Wrestling. Duncan’s children Eve Duncan, Solomon Duncan, and Marie Murphy are all actively involved in the wrestling community serving in various roles.
Ben Watson Inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame!
Ben Watson – A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Watson attended Independence High School from 1988 to 1991, where he excelled in football, wrestling, and track. Recruited to join the wrestling team in his junior year, Watson wrestled for two seasons at Independence High School and qualified for the state tournament in 1991. He then pursued his education at Appalachian State University, majoring in Physical Education, and wrestling for the Mountaineers from 1991 to 1995.
Watson began his teaching career at Coulwood Middle School in Mecklenburg County, where he also served as an assistant coach for the wrestling teams at Independence High School (1995-96) and West Mecklenburg (1996-99). He later moved to East Mecklenburg, teaching and coaching from 1999 to 2007, before settling at Mooresville High School (2007 – present).
Throughout his coaching tenure, Watson has led his wrestling teams at East Mecklenburg and Mooresville to great success, including ten conference championships (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023). His teams have also won five regional championships (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023) and captured two state tournament titles (2018, 2019). Additionally, Watson’s teams reached the regional dual team finals in 2002, 2012, and 2019, and were regional tournament runners-up in 2021 and 2022.
Watson has coached 14 individual state champions, 70 state placers, and three high school All-Americans. With over 600 dual team wins, he has been recognized with various coaching awards, including Mecklenburg County Coach of the Year, Iredell County Coach of the Year, the National Wrestling Coaches Association Coach of the Year for North Carolina (2018), and the NC Mat News Coach of the Year (2018, 2019). Outside of wrestling, Watson has been actively involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for over 30 years, served as an assistant football coach for 20 years, chaired the Mooresville Health and Physical Education Department since 2010, and has been a member of the North Carolina Wrestling Coaches Association Board of Directors since 2015. Watson lives in Troutman with his wife Cindy. They have three children: Anna (30), Starr (21), and Ray (19).
Barry Nelms Inducted to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame!
Barry Nelms – Born in Newport News, Virginia, Nelms was introduced to wrestling as a high school junior at Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach. After graduating in 1960, Nelms served in the United States Navy until 1968 and was a combat veteran. As a plane captain in an anti-submarine warfare squadron, Nelms saw action in Guantanamo Bay in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Nelms earned an undergraduate degree in Education and a graduate degree in Marine Biology from the Norfolk College of William and Mary (today Old Dominion) in Norfolk. While in college, Nelms remained active as a wrestler and was an intramural champion at 189 lbs.
Nelms’ 40-year coaching and officiating career began in 1969 when he started a wrestling program at Bayside Junior High School in Virginia Beach. In his first season, his team captured a city league championship. In 1970, he was recruited to start a wrestling program at Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk. While at Booker T. Washington, Nelms also founded a Marine Biology program. In 1978, Nelms moved to the village of Corolla on the Outer Banks in Currituck County, North Carolina. There he coached and helped start wrestling teams at Cape Hatteras and Manteo in addition to coaching at Currituck High School.
In 1983, Nelms started officiating due to a lack of referees in the area. Traveling up to three or more hours to remote areas in the Outer Banks was a huge obstacle for Eastern North Carolina officials, but not for Nelms. He would travel long distances to call matches and sometimes stay overnight with other coaches or in school gyms. For many years, Nelms was the only wrestling official east of Greenville and would cover high school and college matches and tournaments at Currituck High School, Manteo High School, Cape Hatteras High School, Chowan University, and Elizabeth City State University. During his 31-year tenure officiating matches in Northeastern North Carolina, Nelms earned a reputation as a skilled and fair official. He called multiple regional and state championships and in 2021 was recognized with the Dick Knox “Golden Whistle” Award by the NCHSAA. Nelms called his final tournament in January 2024 at the age of 81.
Outside of wrestling, Nelms was elected to serve as a Currituck County Commissioner in 1986 and 2006 with appointments as both Vice Chairman and Chairman. In 2009-2010, he was the elected Chairman of the Albemarle Commission representing seven counties in Northeastern North Carolina. Under his leadership as Chairman, Currituck was recognized by the state Board of Education as the top Board of Commissioners in North Carolina. For 21 years Nelms has sponsored the Navy SEAL Tribute Ride that financially supports the National Navy SEAL Museum’s Trident Houses. He currently lives in Poplar Branch with his wife Donna and is the owner of Barry’s on Walnut Island Restaurant and Lodge.
Josh Moore Inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as an Outstanding American!
Josh Moore – (Outstanding American) – Born in Fairhope, Alabama, Moore’s family relocated frequently as his father was a Wesleyan minister. Moving to North Carolina at age six, Moore was first introduced to wrestling at the Mooresville Wrestling Club. He attended Eastern Randolph High School for four years and was a standout athlete and leader for the Wildcats. At Eastern Randolph, Moore excelled in football, was an all-state wrestler in 2005, and a team captain for the wrestling team. Graduating from Eastern Randolph in 2006, Moore played one season of football at North Carolina Wesleyan College before transferring to wrestle at Liberty University. In 2009, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, where he has served for the past 15 years. In 2019, Moore earned a degree in Civil Engineering from the Citadel.
In March 2011, while serving in Afghanistan as part of a US Marine Corps Scout Sniper Platoon, Moore’s team was compromised while in a hide-site northeast of Marjah. Returning to a nearby section they previously occupied, they again came under attack. During the firefight, two grenades were thrown over the wall into the team’s position, hitting Moore in the back. He picked up the first grenade and threw it out of the building where it immediately detonated. Recognizing the second grenade had malfunctioned, he charged out of the compound to engage the machine gun nests attacking them to providecover for three Marines who were casualties. While under heavy machine fire, Moore stood his ground and used his M-4 rifle and M-203 grenade launcher to neutralize the enemy and force them to abandon their position. This gave his team time to regroup, aid the wounded, and secure a landing zone to extract the wounded personnel. Because of his decisive leadership, bravery, and heroism, Moore was awarded the Navy Cross in a ceremony at Camp Lejeune in November 2013. In September 2014, he was named the 2nd Marine Division Marine of the Year and received the 2014 GySgt John Basilone Award for Courage and Commitment. Elevated to the rank of United States Marine Captain in 2023, Moore currently works at Parris Island and lives in Beaufort with his wife Carol and three children: Samuel (8), Danny Beth (7), and Ezra (5).
3rd Annual Olivia Neal Award presented to Kamilah Brooks
Coach Dustin Ohler with Kamilah Brooks
Kamilah Brooks of Pasquotank County presented Olivia Neal Award for outstanding wrestling season.
State Champion Kamilah Brooks of Pasquotank County High School was presented the 3rd Annual Olivia Neal Award as the 2024 Most Outstanding Female scholastic wrestler in eastern North Carolina. The presentation was made during the High School’s athletic awards on Saturday May 18th by The TakeDown Report.
Kamilah won all 53 matches in her senior year of competition and was crowned the first 126 lbs. Girls North Carolina High School Athletic Association State Champion. She finished her high school career with 107 wins and 46 losses record. Prior to this season she placed in the top three at the North Carolina Invitational State Tournament.
Other notable finishes include a 2022 NCWAY state championship, a 2024 Northeastern Coastal Conference Championship, and placed 2nd at the University of Mount Olive’s Trojan Open as a high school student. She won every tournament her Senior year and was voted Most Outstanding Wrestler at three of the six tournaments (WRAL, Homer Spring, and the Women’s East Regional). She scored significant victories over previous state champions Angelica Steffy @UMO, Annabelle Rodriguez, Alfa Dominguez Gutierrez, and Brooke Zak.
Brooks is a 4 time all American (7th twice at NHSCA, 3rd & 5th at War of the Roses women’s nationals). Previous Olivia Neal Award winners include Steffy in 2023 and Rodriguez in 2022. Brooks plans to wrestle next as a student at Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky.
Girls’ wrestling is rapidly growing with over 45 states having sanctioned girls state wrestling championships. North Carolina sponsored the first sanctioned state championship tournament last season. This increases the opportunities for student development. Almost 200 colleges and universities will have a Women’s wrestling team next season. In 2008 Olivia Neal became the first female wrestler in North Carolina to qualify for the varsity state tournament. She wrestled for Rosewood High School for four years. Her participation generated publicity for the sport, and she pinned her first state tournament opponent. This inspired a growing number of girls in eastern N.C. to try out for wrestling.
The TakeDown Report sponsors the Award and promotes wrestling in eastern North Carolina by reporting results and encouraging media coverage. Contact the TDR at martinkfleming@gmail.com or check https://takedownreport.wordpress.com/.
North Carolina’s Saunders – Schultz Awards
2024 Tricia Saunders Award: Caleigh Suddreth – Lake Norman High School – In February, Suddreth wrapped up an undefeated season with a state championship at 152 lbs., her third consecutive state title. She was a four-year team captain, four-time all-conference wrestler, the Mooresville Graded Schools Wrestler of the Year (2023), an NHSCA All-American (2023), and the Lake Norman High School Athlete of the Year (2024). Outside of wrestling, Suddreth holds a 3.77 GPA, is President of Lake Norman’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes, is a student athletic trainer, High Brown Belt in Mixed Martial Arts, volunteers for Rocky Mount Church, and is the co-president of the Crosby Scholars Program. This fall she will be in the ROTC program at Appalachian State University and will be working towards an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2025.
2024 Dave Schultz Award: Cameron Stinson – Mallard Creek High School –With a 205-0 record in high school, Stinson became just the 14th wrestler in North Carolina to win four state titles, and only the 3rd wrestler in North Carolina to become a four-time undefeated state champion. Stinson was a 2022 NHSCA Sophomore National Champion, a 2022 Fargo U-16 Cadet All-American, a four-time conference wrestler of the year, and a four-year team captain. He was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the 2024 State Tournament and will be wrestling at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for the Tarheels. Stinson was also an all-conference cross-country runner. He is a part of the AP Capstone Cohort and has a 3.91 GPA.
Wrestling superstars need more than Olympics to carry the sport
By Kyle Klingman
The 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials are over, leaving hundreds of wrestlers to shelve their dreams for another four years. And only 15 of 18 wrestlers became Paris Olympians after a last-chance Olympic qualifier in May.
“Not many finish on top,” said 2000 Canadian Olympian and Simon Fraser coach Justin Abdou. “I was down there with one of my wrestlers. Seeing all these grown men cry reminded me how real and tough our sport is.”
Although many casually mention their desire to make an Olympic team in interviews, the process is beyond comprehension. Imagine selecting an All-NBA team, an All-NFL team, or an All-MLB team once every four years, but the number shrinks by 40 percent.
The United States gets a maximum of six spots in three disciplines (men’s freestyle, women’s freestyle, and Greco-Roman) once every four years in the only event that matters to the general public.
“The Olympic Games is a two-week time frame where you have swimming, track & field, and wrestling, and all these sports are there and you watch it every night. And it’s once every four years,” Iowa coach and 1996 Olympic gold medalist Tom Brands said. “You can say what you want but the Worlds are just as important. It’s probably tougher to win a World title and it’s just as exciting.
“It’s more about the public perception. There’s only one reason I watch Michael Phelps. I’ve never seen Michael Phelps swim in a World Championship. I don’t even know his credentials. I could guess he’s probably a World champion in something. I know he won 23 Olympic gold medals because it was on primetime television and that’s how wrestling is.”
That’s the allure. A fringe sport with a loyal fan base gets momentarily lifted into a worldwide spotlight. … more at … WIN-magazine.com/Superstars-need-more-than-olympics-to-carry-the-sport
2023 USA Wrestling Men’s Freestyle Awards: Vito Arujau (Wrestler), Jake Varner (Coach)
USA Wrestling announced its 2023 Athlete and Coach of the Year award winners during the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Wrestling at Penn State, April 19-20. We have posted the winners of these awards this week, one day for each Olympic discipline. Greco-Roman awards were announced Wednesday, women’s freestyle on Thursday and men’s freestyle today.
Vito Arujau named 2022 John Smith Award winner, as USA Wrestling’s Men’s Freestyle Wrestler of the Year
Vito Arujau (Syosset, N.Y., Titan Mercury WC/Spartan Combat WC) has been named the winner of the 2023 John Smith Award as the Freestyle Wrestler of the Year by USA Wrestling. It is the first time that he has won this prestigious award.
The award is named in honor of two-time Olympic champion and four-time World champion John Smith.
Competing in his first Senior World Championships, Arujau won the World gold medal at 61 kg in Belgrade, Serbia in September. He opened with technical falls over Ossimzhan Dastanbek of Kazakhstan and Stilyan Iliev of Bulgaria. In the quarterfinals, he stopped Kodei Ogawa of Japan, 8-2. His semifinal victory was another technical fall over Tairybek Zhumashbek Uulu of Kyrgyzstan. In the gold medal finals, Arujau defeated 2021 World champion Abasgadzhi Magomedov, an Individual Neutral Athlete from Russia, 10-9.
He also won a bronze medal at the Imre Polyak & Janos Varga Memorial in Budapest, Hungary in July. He lost his
opening match to 2022 World champion Zelimkhan Abakarov of Albania, then wrestled back to win a bronze medal.
Arujau qualified for the Senior World Team with his victory in 2023 Final X in Newark, N.J. in June, defeating Nahshon Garrett in two straight matches, 6-5 in bout one and 13-10 in bout two. … more at … Themat.com/USA-wrestling-men-s-freestyle-awards-vito-arujau-wrestler-jake-varner-coach
Coleman Joins Cyclone RTC as Resident Athlete
AMES, Iowa – The Cyclone Regional Training Center and its Director Kevin Dresser have announced the addition of former Iowa State wrestler Marcus Coleman as a resident athlete. Coleman, an Ames, Iowa native and a two-time NCAA All-American, returns to his hometown after spending the last year as an assistant coach at Davidson.
“We are elated to have Marcus come back to Ames and join the Cyclone RTC as a resident athlete,” Dresser said. “Marcus called me and said he isn’t done wrestling yet and wants to pour his efforts into freestyle. I know he is a world class athlete and his new role in our program is a win-win for everyone involved.”
Coleman, a five-time NCAA Qualifier, compiled a 99-42 career record while at Iowa State. He placed seventh at the 2022 national tournament before ending his collegiate career with a fifth-place finish in 2023. In freestyle, Coleman placed eighth in the 86kg bracket at 2023 US Senior Nationals and was runner-up at the 2022 USMC US Open. “I’m excited to be back in Ames training at the Cyclone Regional Training Center,” … more at … Cyclonertc.org/Coleman-joins-cyclone-rtc-as-resident-athlete
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 