In A Rising Tide Of College Closures, Impact On Division III Athletics Becomes Clear
A string of small, private institutions who weathered the Covid-19 pandemic are facing the stark reality that they are no longer solvent. In the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic and the Upper Midwest, high school graduation numbers are falling off the cliff. Since 2020, thirteen NCAA Division III colleges have or are about to, close.
Why is this happening? Likely due to the 2008 Great Recession, fewer families felt economically secure enough to have children. Now, 16 years later, those decisions have become reality.
Recent headlines tell the story:
Private regional colleges will face stiff competition from public institutions, Moody’s predicts
‘Roll Cavs, forever’: Cabrini hosts a final home basketball game and prepares for closure
Wells College Announces Closure
Colleges are now closing at a pace of one a week. What happens to the students?
Experts predicted dozens of colleges would close in 2023-and they were right … more at … Forbes.com/Rising-tide-of-college-closures-impact-on-division-iii-athletics-becomes-clear
Troy Bell Named First Head Coach for West Liberty Women’s Wrestling Program
West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University athletics department and the women’s wrestling program will check off another milestone in their program’s short history since its addition in September. Interim athletic director, Brad Forshey, and director of wrestling, Danny Irwin, made the announcement introducing Troy Bell as the program’s first head coach on Tuesday morning inside the Boyle Conference Center Room.
“West Liberty University wrestling is rich in history and tradition,” stated Forshey. “As we embark on the next chapter with the addition of women’s wrestling, we needed a leader that would embrace the passion and standard needed to lead this program. One person checked every box and we’re excited to announce Troy Bell as the first head coach in WLU women’s wrestling history. Coach Bell brings a wealth of experience in the sport as well as a broad palate of intangibles that will guide the program into the next phases. Welcome to the Hilltopper family Coach Bell.”
Bell most recently served as the assistant women’s wrestling coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Mount Olive from 2022-24. During his two years with the Trojans the team combined for a 16-7 dual record with ten national qualifiers, three All-Americans and ten Scholar All-Americans. This past March the UMO program notched a ninth place team finish at the NCWWC National Championships.
“I am excited to work with Coach Bell to continue making West Liberty a destination for all wrestlers across the country!” exclaimed Irwin. “He has such a strong desire to serve student-athletes along with a work ethic that will help raise the bar on the Hilltop. You pair that with the leadership experience he has in the most extreme conditions, and we couldn’t have brought in a better person to our family!” Bell served 26 years in the United States Marine Corps, … more at … NWCAonline.com/NWCA-Troy-bell-named-head-coach-for-west-liberty-womens-wrestling
Campbell’s Tales from the Creek | Jerry Hartman
Hall of Fame wrestler and coach reflects
Jerry Hartman arrived in Buies Creek in 1979 as a sophomore transfer in the Campbell University wrestling program.
Little did he know that two years later, he would be leading that same team as head coach – while still an undergraduate.
Campbell started its wrestling team in the 1960s and was guided by Gerald Brown, Ike Sherlock, and PJ Smith to national recognition during the NAIA era.
As the team transitioned to NCAA Division I, a native of Illinois, by way of UCF, would lay the foundation of a program that now ranks among the nation’s best.
In the next installment of Tales from the Creek, Stan Cole talks with Jerry Hartman about his path from student-athlete to head coach in just three years and his journey that led to a more than four-decade long association with the wrestling program and induction into the Campbell Athletics Hall of Fame. … more at … GOcamels.com/Tales-from-the-creek-jerry-hartman
Panthers announce that Women’s Wrestling will be an intercollegiate sport starting next school year
Women’s Wrestling will become the 19th intercollegiate sport at Sacramento City College during the 2024-2025 school year. In year two of its “Emerging Sport Status” in the 3C2A, Women’s Wrestling has grown to 13 intercollegiate programs throughout the state, with six residing in Northern California. Sac City will join San Joaquin Delta College, Fresno City College, Lassen College, Skyline College, and College of the Redwoods as the intercollegiate programs that make up the BIG 8 Conference. Santa Rosa Junior College will continue to compete in the BIG 8 as a club program.
After the announcement, Sacramento City College Athletic Director, Steve Hanson had this to say: “We are happy to announce that Women’s Wrestling will become the 19th intercollegiate sport for Sacramento City College. Women’s wrestling is a growing sport and we look forward to providing an excellent environment for women’s wrestlers to achieve both academically and athletically. Our track record of academic and athletic over-achievement is well known and we look forward to providing these same opportunities to a new group of student-athletes. In addition, we are pleased to announce that our renowned Head Men’s Wrestling Coach, Marques Gales, will continue to serve as our Head Women’s Wrestling Coach.”
Sacramento City College President, Albert Garcia said, “Women’s wrestling is a growing collegiate sport, and it’s wonderful that SCC is leading the way in offering a team that will provide women both opportunity and empowerment.”
Marques Gales is equally as excited about Women’s Wrestling being added as an Intercollegiate sport next year. … more at … SCCpanthers.prestosports.com/general/2023-24/releases/
David Taylor, Penn State’s Legendary Wrestling Champ, Becomes Head Coach at Oklahoma State
Taylor, Penn State’s first Olympic gold medalist and a three-time world champ, replaces John Smith as the Cowboys’ head coach.
David Taylor, the two-time NCAA champion who helped launch Penn State’s stratospheric rise in college wrestling, is the new head wrestling coach at Oklahoma State. The Cowboys announced the hire Monday night, making a seismic move in college wrestling akin to what Penn State did in 2010 by hiring Cael Sanderson.
Taylor, a three-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist, becomes a first-time head coach for of the nation’s most historic college wrestling programs. Taylor replaces John Smith, who announced his retirement in April after 33 seasons, five NCAA team titles and 23 conference titles. Taylor operates the M2 Training Center in State College but has not coached or recruited at the college level, making this one of wrestling’s most fascinating hires since the Nittany Lions plucked Sanderson from Iowa. … more at … SI.com/Penn-state-wrestling-oklahoma-state-hires-nittany-lions-wrestling-legend-david-taylor
And …
Olympic champion David Taylor hired as Oklahoma State’s next wrestling coach, replacing John Smith
By Jim Carlson | Special to PennLive
It would be difficult to think the conversation that Cael Sanderson generated when he announced in 2009 that he would be leaving his Iowa State job to become the head coach at Penn State wasn’t among the most — if not the most — jaw-dropping, head-turning news ever in college wrestling.
Until now, when reigning Olympic champion David Taylor, Sanderson’s former Penn State athlete and current Nittany Lion Wrestling Club mentor, decided to leave the NLWC and his business ventures in State College and become the head wrestling coach at Oklahoma State.
Taylor reportedly accepted the job on Monday night, … more at … Pennlive.com/Oympic-champion-david-taylor-hired-as-oklahoma-states-next-wrestling-coach
And …
More reports at …
Pokesreport.com/Oklahoma-state-hires-olympic-champion-david-taylor-as-next-wrestling-head-coach
And …
Baschamania.com/David-taylor-is-the-new-head-coach-at-oklahoma-state
And …
Flowrestling.org/David-taylor-hired-as-next-oklahoma-state-head-wrestling-coach
And …
Pistolsfiringblog.com/Olympic-gold-medalist-david-taylor-named-head-coach-of-cowboy-wrestling
And …
Intermatwrestle.com/OSU-hires-david-taylor-as-head-coach
Shorter University Adds New Athletic Team
Shorter University is excited to announce the addition of a new athletics program, Men’s Wrestling. We are thrilled to see the athletics program continue to grow as this will be the twenty-third sport offered here at Shorter University.
The Athletics Department has been hard at work preparing for the new athletics team and is excited to welcome a brand-new coach to help initiate the program.
Andrew Colborn will be the Head Wrestling Coach for the new team. Colborn brings years of experience to the program. Colborn graduated from The University of North Carolina at Pembroke with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sport Science and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Sports Management.
Colborn has been an NCAA Division II coach for the last five years and served as both Head Wrestling Coach and Assistant Wrestling Coach. Colborn is a member of the National Wrestling Coaches Association and attended the National Wrestling Coaches Association Coaches Leadership Academy. … more at … Shorter.edu/shorter-university-adds-new-athletic-team
The late Don Elia ’69 got his start at Maryville College and went on to the wrestling record books
Don Elia ’69, a standout in three Maryville College Athletics sports during his undergraduate career and the school’s wrestling coach for seven seasons who was inducted into the MC Wall of Fame in 2000, passed away on March 27 in Savannah, Georgia. He was 83.
A native of New Jersey, he was the son of a single mother, the late Dorothy Beatty, and graduated from Hackettstown High School in 1958. He enrolled in Maryville College the same year, competing for three seasons in football, wrestling and track, lettering for three years in all three sports. On the football field, he competed in Maryville College’s first (and only) bowl win, playing in the 1960 Rocket Bowl and helping the Scots defeat Millsaps College 19-0.
On the track team, he competed in the shot put, javelin and discus matches, but it was the wrestling mat on which he excelled. With a three-year record of 58 wins and six losses, he led the team every year in pins and wins, notching a 28-match consecutive winning streak and eventually leaving MC early to return to coach at his high school alma mater. He returned to Maryville College in 1967, however, completing his degree in Elementary Education in 1969, as well as a master’s in college student personnel and counseling from the University of Tennessee in 1973.
Beginning his collegiate coaching career as an assistant on both the football and wrestling teams, he was named head wrestling coach in 1970, and over the course of seven seasons led his teams to a 93-35-1 record with six All-Americans. After MC, he was named head wrestling coach at Carson-Newman College (now Carson-Newman University), where over the course of 30 years, he established the school’s wrestling program and served as director of financial aid.
After retiring from Carson-Newman in 1978, he created a nonprofit to support wrestling in East Tennessee and spent another six seasons leading the wrestling team at East Tennessee State University, eventually retiring in 2016. … more at … Maryvillecollege.edu/Maryville-college-mourns-passing-of-coaching-legend-don-elia-69
Morris, Fry headline list of NEWA Postseason Accolades
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – JWU (Providence) head coach Lonnie Morris and junior Joziah Fry headline the list of New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Postseason honorees. Morris was named Head Coach of the Year while Fry was named Wrestler of the Year, and Associate Head Coach Brian Allen and assistants James Gilbert, Steven Keith, Da’mani Burns, and Nick Avery were named Staff of the Year.
Morris and his staff guided the Wildcats to a second-place finish at the NCAA Northeast Regionals and a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. The Wildcats finished the nationals with 76 points, which was behind national champion Augsburg (91.0 points), Wartburg (87.5), and Wis.-La Crosse (82.5). As a result, they brought home a trophy for the third time in program history (2017 – fourth place; 2019 – third place) and remain the only program in New England to have carried home hardware from a national championship.
Graduate students Ryan DeVivo and Victor Perlleshi, along with Fry and classmates Patrick Wisniewski and Dylan Harr, were all named to the NEWA First Team. … more at … Providence.jwuathletics.com/Morris-fry-headline-list-of-newa-postseason-accolades
Indiana HSAA Approves Girls Wrestling as a Varsity Sport
In an 18-0 decision the IHSAA has moved forward with fully sanctioning girls wrestling as a varsity sport in Indiana. The sport was officially approved this afternoon after running as a separate event under the IHSGW since 2017 and two years under the IHSAA’s Emerging Sport status.
Indiana has been a training ground for many of the top women’s wrestlers in the country with Olympians Sarah Hildebrandt and Kayla Miracle leading the way. Indiana has a strong tradition in women’s wrestling and as a fully sanctioned sport it will continue to produce wrestlers with national and world level success. … more at … Indianamat.comIHSAA-approves-girls-wrestling-as-a-varsity-sport
And …
‘A long time coming’: Evansville area girls wrestling coaches excited for IHSAA future
EVANSVILLE — Girls wrestling coaches across the state were excited to hear some long-anticipated news from the IHSAA.
The IHSAA’s board of directors last Monday approved girls wrestling and boys volleyball as fully recognized sports starting next school year. They had each been classified as emerging sports with the IHSAA since 2022. While Evansville area school officials said there will be no boys volleyball teams starting up for the 2025 spring season, the rapid growth of girls wrestling should continue.
There were over 1,400 girls wrestlers across 177 high schools last winter, surpassing the required threshold of 100 schools required to make it a fully recognized sport.
Evansville sports:As more high schools start teams, girls wrestling is ‘just getting better’ in SW Indiana
“It’s awesome to finally have girls wrestling sanctioned,” Mount Vernon coach Ashton Forzley said. “A lot of people across the state have put in countless hours of hard work and dedication to get to this point. The team was excited to hear the news. They finally get to compete for an IHSAA state championship.” … more at … Courierpress.com/Evansville-area-girls-wrestling-coaches-excited-for-ihsaa-future
The TDR Mat Challenge
The TakeDown Report Mat Challenge is for all high schools and middle schools without a wrestling program in eastern North Carolina to start one. At least ten counties have been contacted by mail, and email, with the details of a grant of funds to help a school with the challenges of a new mat, uniforms and coach. Those three expenses may hold a school back. In this challenge is the offer of support and assistance by other wrestling groups for these schools. An increase in wrestling by new teams not only benefits those new wrestlers and schools. It benefits current teams by having closer rivals and more teams to compete against. A growth in wrestling benefits all of the fans in North Carolina. We encourage administrators to accept the challenge and bring wrestling to their schools.
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The last TDR Top 12 Team Plaques have been sent to Hoggard, North Lenoir, North Johnston, Clayton, Franklinton, Heidi Trask and New Hanover. The presentation of the trophy awards will be in May.
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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 