Best matches at every weight class from the 2023-2024 college wrestling dual season
The 2023-2024 college wrestling season dual season has officially ended, so with the postseason on the horizon, let’s take a look back at some of the best matches at every weight class.
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Note: For each weight class, a “winning match” has been identified along with 2-3 finalists. This is an entirely subjective list based on the significance of these wins in the rankings, the storylines surrounding each match and the amount of points put up by the athlete.
125 pounds: Jakob Camacho (NC State) over Cooper Flynn (Virginia Tech), 5-1
Finalists:Â Patrick McKee (Minnesota) over Eric Barnett (Wisconsin), FALL (4:47); Nico Provo (Stanford) over Matt Ramos (Purdue), 8-1
Call it recency bias, call it rivalry fever, but Jakob Camacho’s 5-1 win on Feb. 23 over Virginia Tech’s Cooper Flynn is the 2023-2024 125-pound match of the season so far. Flynn started the year in Olympic redshirt behind Virginia Tech All-American Eddie Ventresca, while Camacho, despite holding the No. 1 spot in the country for a brief moment, also sat behind teammate and 2023 ACC champion Jarrett Trombley for several duals this year. But, the final dual of the season, it was Camacho vs. Flynn, two athletes who have the talent to win a title but have taken their own unique paths into the lineup, and Camacho claimed victory.
Flynn came into the match ranked No. 4 while Camacho was No. 14 in the country, though the Pack veteran wrestled like he couldn’t care less about the rankings. He came out and attacked, earning the only offensive points of the match. His win also gave NC State three key team points in the Wolfpack’s 20-12 win over the Hokies.Â
Camacho and Flynn will likely meet again in the ACC tournament and potentially in the NCAA tournament. But the latest victory belongs to Camacho. This result also shifted the Pack senior up to No. 10 in the rankings and slid Flynn down to No. 6.
LAST YEAR AT 125:Â Rewatch Matt Ramos’ shocking upset over three-time NCAA champ Spencer Lee
Purdue’s Matt Ramos still paces this crazy weight class at No. 1, with his biggest win coming against Iowa’s No. 2 Drake Ayala in Carver-Hawkeye Arena and his most notable loss coming to Stanford’s No. 18 Nico Provo at the Cliff Keen Invitational. No. 4 Patrick McKee and No. 5 Eric Barnett participated in the other bout that earned “match of the year” finalist status, as McKee pinned Barnett in the second period during yet another result in a long line of back-and-forth outcomes within this rivalry. If these three spotlighted matches prove anything, it’s to expect the unexpected at 125 pounds. The NCAA champ will be the guy that can best weather the storm of what will be a deep national championship bracket come March.Â
133 pounds: Ryan Crookham (Lehigh) over Vito Arujau (Cornell), 8-4 … story at …NCAA.com/news/wrestling/Best-matches-every-weight-class-2023-2024-college-wrestling-dual-season
Five B1G Takeaways from the Final Week of the Dual Season
Five B1G Takeaways from the Final Week of the Dual Season (2/28/2024)
Weâve reached the end of the regular season and the final week of duals did not disappoint. B1G Ten teams took the chance to go head-to-head with teams from other conferences to cap things off.Â
Big Ten Goes 7-1 in Cross-Conference Competition
To finish off the regular season, Big Ten teams competed against out-of-conference competition and went 7-1. Wisconsin was the lone team that came out on the losing end of their dual meet against UNI. Of note, Iowa took out Oklahoma State in Stillwater, OK for the first time since 2015, Penn State pitched a shutout at home against Edinboro, and Nebraska took care of things in Tempe.Â
Lovett Takes First Loss
Nebraska may have taken care of business against Arizona State, but the headliner was Kyle Parco handing top-ranked Ridge Lovett his first loss of the year. Parco scored the only takedown of the bout and added a stall point to get the 4-3 win. Lovett remains No. 1 despite the loss and should be the top-seed at the Big Ten tournament, but he wonât be going in with an unblemished record.Â
Hawkeyes Get it Done on the Road
Not to be too redundant with my points of emphasis on this win for Iowa, but damn that was impressive. Oklahoma State hosted Iowa in what was a sold-out crowd in Gallagher-Iba Arena, and a Nationally televised matchup, against their biggest rival. Only one of those teams showed up ready to battle though, and it wasnât the home team. Iowa seemed to pull the trigger on their attacks much more fearlessly, and with much more consistency, and as the dual kept going it looked worse for the Cowboys. If youâre an Iowa fan, this was a much-needed return to normalcy for them after a couple of tough weeks. They looked great as the season began, and they looked far and away like the second-best team in the country, until all of a sudden they didnât. After the Michigan dual, I remember hearing a lot of talk about their offense, questions about their approach, and questions about their future, but this seemed like a strong way to answer those questions and to be prepared entering the B1G Tournament. The Hawkeyes still have some questions at 133 and 149 as far as who we will see out there competing at B1Gs, but for them, this seems like more of a luxury than a concern. Ladies and gentlemen, let the conference tournaments begin!!!
Matt Ramos Finishes Strong
Weâve made jokes most of the year about the curse of being ranked number 1 at 125. Yet here we are at the end of the regular season, at the same place we began, with Matt Ramos of Purdue ranked number 1 at 125 pounds. Despite early season losses to Jakob Camacho of NC State, and two losses at CKLV to Nico Provo of Stanford and Caleb Smith of Nebraska, Ramos has been quietly undefeated since. That stretch includes ranked wins over Anthony Molton of Campbell, Dean Peterson of Rutgers, Drake Ayala of Iowa, Eric Barnett of Wisconsin, and Patrick McKee of Minnesota. Despite the loss to Caleb Smith at the end of 2023, I would think that Ramos … story at … Intermatwrestle.com/Takeaways-from-the-final-week-of-the-dual-season-2282024
No. 1 Indian Hills CC seeks to repeat as NJCAA Womenâs Invitational champions in Council Bluffs, Iowa
NJCAA brackets
Indian Hills CC in Iowa, which won the inaugural NJCAA Womenâs Invitational in 2023, comes in as favorite this year, when the event is held alongside the menâs championships at Mid America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa, March 1-2.
Indian Hills is the only program to ever win a junior college national title in womenâs wrestling. In addition to winning the first NJCAA Invitational last year, Indian Hills was also the champions at the 2021 and 2022 Junior College National Championships (JCNC), which included programs from a number of college organizations.
The Warriors return three NJCAA individual national champions from last year, Dutchess King (101), Shammilka Miranda Diaz (116), and Eliana Bommarito (235). Bommarito was named Outstanding Wrestler at last yearâs nationals.
Wrestling fans will remember over the summer when Bommarito became the first U.S. wrestler to ever win a Senior Beach World Championships. In addition to being an outstanding wrestler on the college level, she is one of the best Beach wrestlers in the world.
Indian Hills returns nine All-Americans from last year. The Warriors have two No. 1 seeds, Bommarito and Tiffany White (191). The team also boasts No. 2 seeds King and Diaz, plus Javanica Mickens (109), Angelica Vicente Gomzalez (123) and Averie Burns (235).
In the most recent NJCAA Womenâs Rankings, released on Feb. 10, Umpqua CC was ranked No. 2, led by three No. 1 seeds at the nationals, … story at … Themat.com/Indian-hills-cc-seeks-to-repeat-as-njcaa-women-s-invitational-champions-in-council-bluffs
Brackets released for National Collegiate Womenâs Wrestling Championships (for NCAA women)
Brackets have been released for the National Collegiate Womenâs Wrestling Championships (NCWWC), the annual national championships for NCAA womenâs wrestling programs,
The NCWWC will be held at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, March 8-9, 2024.
Check out brackets for 2024 NCWWC
The NCWWC currently includes NCAA programs from the Division I, II and III levels. Athletes qualified for the 2024 NCWWC through six Regional Qualifiers.
Top seeded wrestlers are Emilie Gonzalez of Iowa (101), Kendra Ryan of North Central (109), Samara Chavez of King (116), Shelby Moore of McKendree (123), Victoria Baez-Dillone of King (130), Yele Aycock of North Central (136), Alara Boyd of North Central (143), Marlynne Deede of Iowa (155), Kylie Welker of Iowa (170) and Traeh Haynes of North Central (191).
Tickets remain available through Ticket Master and will include an All-Session ticket, or tickets for each of the four individual sessions. Handicap seating is available. … story at … Themat.com/Brackets-released-for-national-collegiate-women-s-wrestling-championships-for-ncaa-women
TDR Editor’s Update – TDR # 31-61
The TDR Top 12 Teams of boys and girls wrestlers have been announced. The plaques have been ordered. We will start mailing or delivering them the week of March 11th. We will also start announcing that week the winners of the big annual trophies such as the Olivia Neal Award for the most outstanding senior female wrestler, The James Johnson Memorial Award & Michael Stokes Award for top Seniors, Roy Heverly & Lee Carroll Awards for Top Underclassman.
Will be out of the office and traveling most of the next three weeks. This will be due to attendnig wrestling events and family concerns. Have tried to catch up on postings and the news yet may fall behind again during this time.
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Big Ten Network presents coverage of Big Ten Championships across BTN and B1G+
CHICAGO, Ill. â The 2024 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, featuring five of the top 10 teams in the country, begins next Saturday, March 9, on the Big Ten Network with complete coverage of college wrestlingâs premier conference event.
From 10 a.m. ET to 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 9, BTN will broadcast the opening session, including the first round and quarterfinals duals, with whip-around coverage and quad box views. On B1G+, individual mat cameras, as well as the quad box, will allow viewers to customize their experience. Session two on Saturday night begins at 5 p.m. ET with coverage of the wrestlebacks and consolation matches, streaming exclusively on B1G+. Television coverage resumes for Saturday night’s semifinals on BTN from 7 p.m. ET through 9 p.m. ET.
On Sunday, March 10, session three begins at noon ET on B1G+ with individual mat cameras for the consolation semifinals and seventh-place matches. At 4:30 p.m. ET, television coverage resumes as Big Ten champions are crowned, along with third and fifth-place bouts, all on Big Ten Network.
Big Ten Network veterans Shane Sparks, Jim Gibbons and Tim Johnson will anchor the weekend television broadcasts on BTN, along with reporter Hannah Mears.
Throughout the championships, the B1G Wrestling Instagram page and Big Ten Network YouTube wrestling page will be updated with highlights, full matches and custom content. All matches on the Big Ten Network can also be streamed through the Fox Sports App. For details and subscription information regarding B1G+ coverage, please visit bigtenplus.com.
In advance of the 110th Big Ten Wrestling Championships, a new episode of B1G Wrestling in 60, highlighting a selection of top matches from the regular season, will debut on March 4, at 7:30 p.m. ET. … story at … Themat.com/Big-ten-network-presents-coverage-of-big-ten-championships
NCAA Division II – Super Regionals News
NCAA Division II Wrestling Super Regional Preview
The NCAA Division II wrestling postseason begins Saturday. Get prepared for all of the Super Regional action across the country.
Five Things to Watch At The NCAA Division 2 Super Regionals
NCAA Division II postseason wrestling begins Saturday with six Super Regional tournaments across the country. The top three wrestlers in each weight class move on to the D2 NCAA Championships March 15-16 in Hartman Arena in Park City Kansas. For the teams with national title aspirations, such as #1 Central Oklahoma, #2 Lander, #3 St. Cloud State and #4 West Liberty, this weekend is about setting up a championship chase. Here are five things to watch for at the Division 2 Super Regionals this Saturday.Â
Home Mat Advantage?Â
West Liberty University and Lander University will be wrestling on their home mats and anticipate a rowdy and raucous atmosphere. Will the home crowd advantage pay dividends on the mat? Â
West Liberty comes into the weekend on a six-match dual winning streak and is anchored by returning champion and #1 Ty McGeary at 184 pounds with five other ranked wrestlers, including #4 Khyvon Grace (141), #12 Nico Taddy(149), #6 Jamar Williams(157), #10 Alec Cook(165), and #4 Francesco Borsellino (285). The Hilltoppers won the Super Regional Tournament last year and are looking to build off a sixth-place finish at the NCAA tournament.Â
Lander has been on a tear over the last two seasons, finishing as the national runner-up last season and winning the Midwest Classic this season. The Bearcats have a loaded roster of wrestlers including, #1 James Joplin (125), #9 Jack Tangen (157), #1 David Hunsberger (165), and #3 Juan Edmond-Holmes (285). While these ranked wrestlers alone could make some serious noise this weekend, the Bearcats also have returning All-American Elijah Lusk (133) and two-time All-American and 2022 NCAA champion, Zeth Brower (141), in the lineup as well.Â
Grand Valleyâs Return to Postseason Wrestling
The Grand Valley State University Lakers will compete in postseason wrestling for the first time in more than 30 years after the university dropped wrestling in 1993. … story at … Flowrestling.org/NCAA-division-ii-wrestling-super-regional-preview
And …
Blubaugh Earns Back-To-Back Wrestler of the Year, Six Greyhound All-GLVC
INDIANAPOLIS â Redshirt-junior Derek Blubaugh is now back-to-back GLVC Wrestler of the Year as announced by the conference. Alongside Blubaugh, the University of Indianapolis wrestling team racked up six All-GLVC honorees. Â
Blubaugh becomes the first Greyhound in the program’s history to earn the honor not only twice in a career, but back-to-back times. Coming out of Bloomington, Ind., Blubaugh went undefeated in GLVC action, and against Division II action up to this point in the season. Â
A dominant season throughout, Blubaugh carried a No. 2 ranking at 197 from the preseason poll till now, capturing four different tournament titles, the headliner being the Midwest Classic. Alongside his honor he is All-GLVC first team, marking the fourth-straight honor for him, and his third time on the first team list. “Derek has accomplished a lot already in his career, going undefeated in GLVC the last two years made it a pretty much unanimous vote for him. He’s the definition of consistent. From an outside perspective I’m sure he’s impressive, but from an insider’s perspective, seeing him work every day, the effort he brings every day, the extra stuff, his character, he is one of a kind,” Head Coach Jason Warthan said. “We’ve had some special guys come through the program and he’s one of those guys we’re going to be talking about forever in this program. He certainly set the bar from an accomplishments [standpoint], from a work ethic, from the intangibles, he deserves every bit of success he’s had.”
Alongside Blubaugh, graduate-student Trey Sizemore joined him in the first-team honors, leading the conference in falls while also going undefeated in GLVC-action at 174lbs. “Trey being first team as well, he’s had a huge impact, it’s always fun when you get somebody that comes in with a little different style and has had high level coaching other than through us,” Warthan. “He’s improved the room around him … story at … UIndy.edu/Blubaugh-earns-back-to-back-wrestler-of-the-year-six-greyhound-all-glvc
And …
Central Oklahoma Eyes Historic Win at NCAA Division II Super Regional IV
Months of preparation boils down to the most important day of the season for top-ranked Central Oklahoma and that arrives Saturday when the Bronchos trek to Indianapolis, Ind. for the NCAA Division II Super Regional IVÂ Tournament. First-round action begins at 9 a.m. (Oklahoma time) at Nicoson Hall on the Indianapolis campus and the 10-team tournament will run straight through, culminating in the placement matches at approximately 4 p.m.
The top-three finishers at each of the 10 weights qualify for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships, which are set for March 15-16 at Hartman Arena in Wichita, Kan. Five other regional tournaments will also be held Saturday, with 30 qualifiers advancing from each of those. âThis is the biggest day of the year,â eighth-year head Toddy Steidley said. âYou canât do anything at nationals if you donât get there, so the first order of business is qualifying. It all comes down to how we perform on this one day and the number one goal is to move everybody on to the national tournament. … story at … Owrestle.com/central-oklahoma-eyes-historic-win-at-ncaa-division-ii-super-regional-iv/
And …
Kisgen Earns Fifth Coach of the Year Honor; Nine Named All-#GLVCwrestle
Nine wrestlers notched postseason honors from the league with five first team selections, leading the conference
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. | Great Lakes Valley Conference – As No.5 McKendree University men’s wrestling prepares for its postseason competition, the Bearcats notched a GLVC-leading nine selections to the All-GLVC teams with five first team selections whil head coach James Kisgen earned his fifth GLVC Coach of the Year honor, as announced by the league office on Friday morning. The postseason honors also included one second team honoree and three third team selections, all of which followed up the program’s fifth league crown since the conference started sponsoring the sport in 2017. McKendree’s next outing is the NCAA Super Regional – Region IV tournament on March 2, where 10 teams converge on UIndy’s Niconson Hall to capture NCAA Division II National Championship qualifying bids for the championships in Kansas on March 15-16.
COACH OF THE YEAR |Â James Kisgen
Kisgen, who is in his 21st season at the helm of the program, earned his fifth GLVC Coach of the Year honor along with the program’s fifth league crown in the eight-year history of GLVC wrestling. Under his direction and mentoring, the Bearcats tallied nine more all-league nods in 2024, bringing the program’s total to 52 All-GLVC awards since the league began its sponsorship in 2016-17. Kisgen has led the Bearcats to conference crowns in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, and now 2024.Â
FIRST TEAM SELECTIONS
Christian Mejia | 125
Mejia becomes a four-time All-GLVC First Team member with … story at … MCKbearcats.com/Kisgen-earns-fifth-coach-of-the-year-honor-nine-named-all-glvcwrestle
And …
Chadron State’s Hunter named NWCA Region VI Coach of the Year
CHADRON, Neb. — After leading Chadron State to its first RMAC men’s wrestling title since 1995, Chadron State College head men’s wrestling coach Brett Hunter was named the National Wrestling Coaches Association Region VI Coach of the Year, the NWCA announced on Friday. Â
“I’m truly blessed to earn the Regional Coach of the Year Award,” Hunter said. “I’ve been honored and blessed with an incredible group of coaches and young men by my side this season.”Â
In the 12th season under Hunter’s guidance, the men’s wrestling team finished 10-1 overall and 8-0 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference duals. The lone defeat occurred against #9 Nebraska-Kearney.Â
The team is preparing the Super Region 6 Championships hosted by Colorado State-Pueblo on Saturday.Â
The region is made up of the nine RMAC teams along with Nebraska-Kearney and Fort Hays State. … story at … Chadroneagles.com/Hunter-named-nwca-region-vi-coach-of-the-year
NJCAA – Men’s National Championships
National Championship Bracket
All ten weight brackets at D2/2024_Men-s_Wrestling_Bracket
And …
Winter Championships set to air on NJCAA Network
Charlotte, NC â As the 2023-24 NJCAA winter season transitions to the postseason, all championship action for basketball, indoor track & field, swimming & diving, and wrestling will be aired live on the NJCAA Network, ESPN+, or ESPNU. Each national tournament’s games, events, and matches will be streamed or broadcast to showcase the achievements of each participating student-athlete and member college. The NJCAA Network mobile app is available on all Apple and Android devices. The NJCAA Network app was developed in partnership with PrestoSports, the Official Website, Streaming, Statistics, and Camps Management Software Provider of the NJCAA, and gives viewers the opportunity to watch all NJCAA championship action directly from their mobile device, follow along with their favorite teams, and gain access to behind-the-scenes content.  … story details at … NJCAA.org/general/2023-24/releases/
And …
Championships Live Results at … Arena.flowrestling.org/event/
Warner: Postseason wins may come down to critical âlittle thingsâ
By Tristan Warner
As the postseason tournaments get underway across the nation, I started thinking about ways wrestlers can gain even the slightest competitive edge on their opponents this late in the season. Let me start by stating this: Now is not the time to start changing your approach or routines. The âif-it-ainât-broke, donât-fix-itâ expression can certainly apply here.Â
This column first appeared in the Feb. 20 issue of WIN Magazine. Click on the cover or call 888-305-0606 to subscribe.
At this point in the season, everyone is preparing their minds and bodies for peak performance, so gaining a competitive edge can be difficult. Additionally, the regular season is a grind. Demanding the best out of your body when it is beaten down is not for the faint of heart, but that is why we wrestle.
If there are any athletes or coaches out there looking for suggestions that might allow for some positive change late in the season, I have compiled some nuanced recommendations that I learned over the course of my career that made an impact for me.
Improve your warm-up
Blowing your lungs out before you step on the mat is crucial, especially before the first match of the day. Whether it is sprints in the hallway, a hard hand fight with a teammate or even burpees or squat jumps, any activity that stimulates aerobic and anaerobic activity just before a match will help. Too many wrestlers walk out cold and the first scramble takes the wind out of them. Simulate that first flurry of action during your warm-up.
Consider your pre-match music and timing
The credit for this goes to nationally-renowned sports psychologist Dr. Jarrod Spencer and his Mind of the Athlete program. Too many athletes listen to hype music too long before their match, which can have an emotionally-draining effect. Listen to calm, relaxing music up until about 15 minutes before your match or when you are âin the holeâ on a mat. Then flip the switch and get yourself amped up, just not too soon.
Workout before weigh-ins
From my experience, most kids try to wake up under weight and wait to eat or drink until after weigh-ins. Then they get their warm-up in after weigh-ins and try to work out the food and fluid that is sloshing around in their stomachs.
If possible, emulate the college method of waking up a little earlier and perhaps even a pound or two overweight. Maybe get a little bite to eat, so you have some calories in your body for energy later on. Then use that 45 minutes-to-an-hour period in the gym before skin checks and weigh-ins to jog, sprint, shadow drill or drill to get that last remaining pound or two off.
You will not only have more energy throughout the day, but you will also have already gotten a good warm-up in and blown the lungs out nice and early.
Bring an extra pair of wrestling shoes to warm up in
I might lose some people here. I always warmed up in a pair of âpractice shoesâ first. Then, when it was âgame timeâ and I felt it was symbolic to flip the switch, I laced up and taped my âmatch shoesâ and prepared for battle. … story at … WIN-magazine.com/Postseason-wins-may-come-down-to-critical-little-things
NCAA Division III Regional Previews
2024 CENTRAL REGION PREVIEW
Friday and Saturday, March 1-2, 2024
Ohio Northern University | Host Site | 2023 Results
Teams (19):
Adrian, Albion, Alma, Baldwin Wallace, Case Western Reserve, Heidelberg, Hiram, John Carroll, Manchester, Mount St. Joseph, Mount Union, Muskingum, Ohio Northern, Ohio Wesleyan, Olivet, Otterbein, Trine, Wabash, Wilmington
NWCA Ranked Tournament Teams
#6 Baldwin Wallace
#12 Ohio Northern
#14 Wabash
A pair of returning national champions headline the Central Region this year. Michael Petrella of Baldwin Wallace is the defending champ at 149 and has steamrolled the competition so far with 32 bonus point wins out of 34 matches in an undefeated season. Teammate Jacob Decatur was the 2022 champion at 125 and the runner-up last season. He returned to the lineup for the second half of the year and has just two close losses to the wrestlers ranked ahead of him.
Jacob Reed of Ohio Northern is the other top-ranked wrestler in the tournament (besides Petrella). He has finished 3rd at the last two NCAA Championships and weathered a midseason injury to post a 22-0 record so far this season. Other highly-ranked returning All-Americans here include #2 Chase Baczek of Wabash … story at … D3wrestle.com/2024-central-region-preview
And …
2024 UPPER MIDWEST REGION PREVIEW
Friday and Saturday, March 1-2, 2024
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point | Host Site | 2023 Results
Teams (19):
Augsburg, Aurora, Carthage, Chicago, Concordia-Moorhead, Concordia-Wisconsin, Elmhurst, Lakeland, Linfield, MSOE, Pacific, St. Johnâs, UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Platteville, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Whitewater, Wheaton
NWCA Ranked Tournament Teams
#2 Augsburg
#3 UW-La Crosse
#7 UW-Eau Claire
#15 UW-Whitewater
#23 Concordia-Moorhead
A pair of returning champs highlight this region. Nolan Hertel of UW-La Crosse won a razor thin overtime match at 157 last year and has backed it up with an undefeated season and a win over the defending DII champ in the NWCA All-Star Match. Sam Stuhl of Augsburg surprised many with his unseeded run to the 141 championship after a 3rd place finish in this region last year. He has taken a few losses but hopes to catch lightning in a bottle again in March. The third returning finalist here is Jared Stricker of UW-Eau Claire at 174. He is 34-2 with both losses coming to DI opponents at the Midlands. He could be on a path to repeat last yearâs NCAA finals matchup with Wartburgâs Mulder.
#3 Cooper Willis of Augsburg only has a loss to Iowaâs Caliendo this year, but he does have two regular season wins against the defending DII champ at 165. He is one of six returning 2023 All-Americans for Augsburg. #5 Izzy Balsiger of Eau Claire was last seen in the postseason wrestling for UW-La Crosse in 2013 where … story at … D3wrestle.com/2024-upper-midwest-region-preview
And …
2024 NORTHEAST REGION PREVIEW
Saturday and Sunday, March 2-3, 2024
Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Host Site | 2023 Results
Teams (20):
Bridgewater State, Castleton, Hunter, Johnson & Wales, New England College, NYU, Norwich, Plymouth State, Rhode Island College, Roger Williams, Southern Maine, Springfield, Trinity, US Coast Guard Academy, US Merchant Marine Academy, Wesleyan, Western New England, Williams, WPI
NWCA Ranked Tournament Teams
#5 Coast Guard
#9 Johnson & Wales
#11 Castleton
#13 NYU
#23 Williams
Returning national champion Joziah Fry of Johnson & Wales is the top returner in the region and is in the only weight in the tournament with three top-ten individuals. Fry won last year at 125 and spent the first month of the season there before moving up to 133 in December. His only loss is to the #2 ranked wrestler in DI at the Princeton Open. The latest NWCA rankings have him back down at 125, even though he has not wrestled there since December. That said, expect him at 125 this weekend. The other returning finalist in the region is Coy Spooner of Coast Guard. … story at … D3wrestle.com/2024-northeast-region-preview
And …
2024 MIDEAST REGION PREVIEW
Friday and Saturday, March 1-2, 2024
Rochester Institute of Technology | Host Site | 2023 Results
Teams (21):
Alfred State, Brockport, Centenary, Cortland, Elizabethtown, Elmira, Ithaca, Johns Hopkins, Keystone, McDaniel, Muhlenberg, NJCU, TCNJ, Oneonta, Oswego, Penn College, Pitt-Bradford, RIT, St. John Fisher, Scranton, Ursinus
NWCA Ranked Tournament Teams:
#17 TCNJ
#19 Centenary
The Mideast is the only region without a #1 ranked wrestler, but there is certainly some firepower throughout the weights. #2 Angelo Centrone should return to the lineup this weekend for Cortland at 149. He is undefeated with 17 of his 18 wins coming with bonus points. #2 Nicholas Sacco of TCNJ is one of the two highest returning finishers in the region after a 4th place finish last year. He is undefeated against DIII competition. The other top returner is #7 Charlie Grygas of Oswego who was 4th at 174. Other returning All-Americans include Thomas Monn of McDaniel, last yearâs d3wrestle.com Freshman of the Year along with Muhlenbergâs pair of 8th place finishers Joey Lamparelli (125) and Anson Dewar (174). Michael Conklin of TCNJ finished 8th in 2022 but missed out on the tournament last season.
Alfred State will be looking for their first NCAA qualifiers since transitioning from the junior college ranks. They have a pair of wrestlers with a good shot. Zach Levey was a qualifier for Brockport in 2022 and will be looking for his second trip to the tournament while #4 Sean Malenfant has worked his way up … story at … D3wrestle.com/2024-mideast-region-preview
And …
2024 LOWER MIDWEST REGION PREVIEW
Thursday and Friday, February 29 â March 1, 2024
Alliant Energy Powerhouse | Host Site | 2023 Results
Teams (20):
Augustana, Buena Vista, Central, Coe, Cornell, Dubuque, Eureka, Fontbonne, Huntingdon, Illinois Wesleyan, Loras, Luther, Millikin, Nebraska Wesleyan, North Central, University of the Ozarks, Schreiner, Simpson, Wartburg, Westminster
NWCA Ranked Tournament Teams
#1 Wartburg
#4 North Central
#16 Central
#19 Coe
#21 Millikin
#23 Dubuque
#23 Augustana
Three of the seven returning NCAA champions from last year are in this region, and all three have had predictably dominant seasons. 2x champ Robbie Precin of North Central has not lost since the NWCA D3 tournament in 2021 and has the longest active win streak in all of NCAA wrestling. He has just two losses in five years of competition. Zane Mulder is 20-0 174 in his quest to repeat for Wartburg, while teammate … story at … D3wrestle.com/2024-lower-midwest-region-preview/
And …
2024 SOUTHEAST REGION PREVIEW
Friday and Saturday, March 1-2, 2024
Lycoming College | Host Site | 2023 Results
Teams (22):
Alvernia, Averett, Delaware Valley, Ferrum, Gettysburg, Greensboro, Kingâs, Lycoming, Marymount, Messiah, PSU-Behrend, Roanoke, Shenandoah, Southern Virginia, St. Vincent, Stevens, Thiel, Washington and Lee, Washington and Jefferson, Waynesburg, Wilkes, York
NWCA Ranked Tournament Teams
#8 Alvernia
#10 Stevens
#18 Greensboro
#21 Ferrum
Matt Lackman of Alvernia has lost one match in the past two seasons, and it was in the national finals to his brother Nathan. That makes him 85-1 over his last two campaigns, and he comes into the postseason as the favorite at 165. The other #1 ranked wrestler here is Rayshawn Dixon of Ferrum. Dixon pinned Olivetâs King in the Wheaton finals to earn the top spot and joins Lackman in having a perfect season record. After dropping a heartbreaking match in last yearâs All-America round that featured multiple reviews and the referee initially raising the wrong wrestlerâs hand, he is looking toward the top of the podium. While Dixon is ranked #1, he has a teammate who joins Lackman as the other returning finalist in the region. Zach Beckner was a 2017 finalist at 125 lbs. and has found his way back to the Ferrum lineup seven years later. … story at …D3wrestle.com/2024-southeast-region-preview/
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 