Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

NAIA Men’s Championship News – Mar. 2nd

2024 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championship Official Brackets Finalized
KANSAS CITY, Mo. –  The official brackets (PDF) for the 2024 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championships have been finalized ahead of event starting tomorrow morning. The Battle For The Red Banner is hosted by Visit Wichita at Harman Arena in Park City, Kansas and concludes on Saturday, March 2nd. To purchase tickets for the three-day event, click HERE.
All matches at the national championships for Sessions I through V will be stream live via FloWrestling. Access to the live results and brackets can be found through TrackWrestling. The championship bouts on Saturday, during Session IV, will air on ESPN3 (www.watchespn.com).
Grand View (Iowa), Southeastern (Fla.), and Life (Ga.) will travel a full roster of 12 wrestlers to the national championships while Cumberland (Tenn.), Cumberlands (Ky.), Menlo (Calif.), Ottawa (Kan.), and Providence (Mont.) will bring 11 wrestlers total.  
The Cascade Collegiate Conference led all conferences with 65 individual qualifiers. The Mid-South Conference qualified 41 for second; The Heart of America Athletic Conference qualified 38 which narrowly edged out the Appalachian Athletic Conference for third. 
Brackets were verified and approved by the NAIA-Wrestling Coaches Association Bracketing Committee. Previously, a 16-member committee consisting of conference raters and oversight members met to select the remaining at-large qualifiers. Next, the 16-member committee along with three new oversight members determined the ranking order of each weight class. This was used as the basis for the Bracketing Committee and later verified. 
Each conference tournament was awarded automatic bids per weight class based on the final regular-season rating, which can be seen HERE. Each conference is awarded automatic berths based on … story at … NAIA.org/2023-24/Releases/Final_Brackets
And …

2024 NAIA Wrestling Championships Storylines To Follow
The NAIA Championships begin Thursday with nine past national champions and perennial team powers vying for titles
The NAIA National Championships return Thursday to Hartman Arena near Wichita for the fifth year in a row. For the first time in more than a decade, the tournament is back to a three-day format. This time around, each bracket features 28 wrestlers with the top 16 seeded. 
Here are the brackets and here’s a look at some of the top storylines to follow. 
The Team Race
We’re set for what should be a dramatic and exciting team race. Grand View won its 11th national title in 12 years last year, finishing 48.5 points ahead of second-place Life. The Running Eagles ended Grand View’s 13-year run without an NAIA dual loss in January when Life knocked off the Vikings in the NWCA National Duals championship. 
Grand View, Life and Southeastern each qualified the maximum 12 wrestlers for the this week’s tournament. Grand View has five #1 seeds, while Life has three. As for All-American projections according to seed, Grand View has 10, Life has nine, and Southeastern has five. 
Cumberland, Menlo and Providence each qualified 11 wrestlers. Menlo has five projected All-Americans, while Cumberland has four and Providence has three. 
Grand View and Life are seeded first and second at two weights. At 125, Grand View has #1 Aden Reeves, while Life has returning national champion Brandon Orum seeded second. At 184, Grand View has #1 Isaiah Luellen to Life’s #2 Kyle Homet. 
Life has an opportunity for separation at 165, where it has #1 seed Steven Villalobos and Grand View doesn’t have a representative. On the flip side, Grand View will want to capitalize at 149 with #1 Blake Gonzalez and #9 Blake Haney, a weight where Life does not have an entry.
The Returning Champions
Nine returning or past national champions are in the field this weekend. … story at … Flowrestling.org/NAIA-wrestling-championships-storylines-to-follow
And …

2024 NAIA Men’s National Championship Preview
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Checking out what’s coming up at the 2024 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championships this weekend at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas.  Host Jason Bryant will look at the draws, point out who to keep an eye on and provide some history of the championships. 
Event kicks off Feb. 29 and will be streamed live on Flowrestling. Brackets at Trackwrestling.com
Check out The Guide, Mat Talk Online’s massive Division I Men’s Wrestling Championship Preview Guide with pre-orders now available at WrestlingPreviewGuide.com. Use the Discount Code “podcast” to save $10. You won’t be disappointed.
Want an ad-free version of the show? Hit up the Patreon link at patreon.com/mattalkonline to contribute … story at … Mattalkonline.com/2024-naia-mens-national-championship-preview
And …

2024 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championship – Day One Recap
PARK CITY, Kan. – The 67th Annual NAIA Men’s Wrestling Championships, hosted by Visit Wichita at Hartman Arena, began Day One of competition on Thursday, February 29th. With morning and evening sessions, each with two rounds, Life (Ga.) and Grand View (Iowa) have once again emerged as the teams at the top of the standings. The Running Eagles lead 52 to 49.5.
The 2024 Championship features a move to a three-day event, aimed to create a better experience for the student-athletes on the mat, the coaching staff’s, and fans alike. Session I on Thursday morning saw the First Round (Championship) and First Round (Consolation) wrestled before the intermission. Thursday evening, in Session II, the 2nd Round (Championship) and 2nd Round (Consolation) competed after the Opening Ceremonies.
Click HERE to see the full schedule and results page. Click HERE for the team scores after Day One.    
Session I Highlights:

  • Nathan Rizek, the 125 pounder from Doane (Neb.), recorded the first victory and first fall of the tournament
  • Drake Vannoy of Oklahoma City, the eight seed in 149, recorded the fastest fall of 1:13  in the First Round (Championship)
  • Through 120 bouts in the First Round (Championship), there were 13 total upsets
  • Weight classes 149, 157, 174, and 197 saw all seeded wrestlers move past the First Round
  • 133 and 285 saw one upset each as Isaiah Miller of Jamestown (N.D.) earned a 10-4 decision over the 15th seed in 133; Wilkinson Saul posted a 15-0 tech fall over the 13 seed in 285
  • The most upsets occurred in 141 as four unseeded wrestlers pulled off the stunner, knocking off the 11, 12, 13, and 14 seeds
  • Chandler Woenker of Campbellsville (Ky.) pulled off the highest upset as he defeated the six seed in 184 by decision 4-1 … story at … NAIA.org/2023-24/Releases/DayOne
    And …

2024 NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championship – Day Two Recap
PARK CITY, Kan. – The 2024 NAIA Men’s Wrestling Championship at Hartman Arena, hosted by Visit Wichita, continued with Day Two action in the 67th annual event. Grand View (Iowa) and Life (Ga.) have separated themselves from the rest of the pack.
Friday’s schedule included the Session III wrestling Third Round (Championship Quarterfinals) and Third Round (Consolation) in the morning. After the intermission and Parade of Scholar-Athletes, Session IV welcomed Fourth Round (Championship Semifinals), Fourth Round (Consolation All-America Round), and Fifth Round (Consolation Quarterfinals) in the nightcap. Click HERE to see the full schedule and results page. Click HERE for the team scores after Day Two.    
Session III Highlights:

  • Third Round (Championship Quarterfinals) Notes
  • Reigning 125 pound national Champion Brandon Orum of Life (Ga.) and third seeded Hunter Sparks of Eastern Oregon will collide in the semifinals while the top of the bracket will see Cinderella’s No. 13 Nicolas Aguilar of Menlo (Calif.) and No. 16 Allen Calderon of Indiana Tech square off for a berth in the finals
  • After the top three seeds all advanced to the semifinals, No. 6 Dominic Chaves of Texas Wesleyan used a sudden victory takedown to advance and secured the Rams first-ever All-American in school history
  • Evan Potter of Southern Oregon, the top seed in 141, needed the riding time point to set up his semifinal matchup against No. 4 Nicholas Yancey of Campbellsville (Ky.); meanwhile on the bottom half of the championship bracket, unseeded Gage Hudson of Cumberlands (Ky.) will battle No. 15 Hartwell Taylor of Saint Mary (Kan.)
  • Jack Latimer from Cumberland (Tenn.) pulled a narrow upset over the fourth seed to advance to the 149 pound semifinals and set up a match with top overall seed Blake Gonzalez of Grand View (Iowa); on the bottom side, No. 2 Nathan Lendt of Doane (Neb.) and No. 3 Chase Zollman of Missouri Valley will face off this evening
  • No. 12 Trevor Burdick of Reinhardt (Ga.) upset the No. 4 seed and kept the 157 pound weight class from being all four top seeds advancing to the semifinals … story at … https://www.naia.org/sports/mwrest/2023-24/Releases/DayTwo

March 2, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

College Rankings – Team & Wrestlers

NWCA Releases Final Regular Season NCAA D3 Men’s Coaches Polls
Manheim, PA – The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) released the final regular season NCAA Division III Men’s Coaches Polls, which now have Wartburg leading the Tournament poll and and Augsurg still in the #1 spot in the dual poll. 
In the tournament team poll, the top five are comprised of #1 Warburg (77.5), #2 Augsburg (77), #3 UW La Crosse (56.5), #4 North Central (47), and #5 Coast Guard (39). 
The top five teams in the dual poll are #1 Augsburg (10-1), #2 Wartburg (15-1), #3 UW La Crosse (12-2), #4 North Central (11-2), and #5 Coe (12-2). There one change in this month’s top-ranked individuals at 125: Johnson & Wales’ Joziah Fry is back in the top spot after dropping back down from 133 where he had been ranked second. Wartburg leads the country with two top-ranked wrestlers, while Johnson & Wales,  North Central, Ohio Northern, Baldwin Wallace, UW-La Crosse, Alvernia, Augsburg, and Coast Guard each have a single top-ranked individual. … story at … NWCAonline.com/D3-mens-coaches-polls
And …

NCAA DI Rankings Updated (2/27/2024)
We’ve made it through the regular season! In true, unpredictable fashion, on the last day of the dual season we had an undefeated, number-one ranked wrestler take a loss. Despite this, Ridge Lovett still assumes the number one position at 149 lbs. He has a head-to-head win over #2 Caleb Henson in the CKLV finals, a wrestler that Kyle Parco lost to in the CKLV semis. With Henson defeating Jackson Arrington, we’ve moved Parco above him and directly behind Henson. 
125 lbs stuck to the script and had number’s two and three lose during the final weekend of the regular season. Richie Figueroa was responsible for one of those upsets and then pulled another over a top-seven opponent. He’s showing signs of being the title threat we expected at the beginning of the year. He should fly up the rankings with a Pac-12 title … story at … Intermatwrestle.com/NCAA-D-I-rankings-updated-2272024
And …

WIN’s New Div. I Rankings released, sets up exciting postseason
NEWTON, Iowa — The regular season in NCAA Division I wrestling is complete and now those athletes will prepare for the postseason, including 200 wrestlers who are featured in WIN Magazine’s Feb. 26 rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic. There are seven conference tournaments that will take place in two weeks which will help determine the 330 wrestlers who will qualify for the NCAA Division I Championships that will be held in Kansas City, Mo, March 21-23.
Those NCAA-qualifying tournaments, including dates and locations, are:

  • Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), March 10, Chapel Hill, N.C.
  • Big Ten Conference, March 9-10, College Park, Md.
  • Big 12 Conference, March 9-10, Tulsa, Okla.
  • Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA), March 8-9, Lewisburg, Pa.
  • Mid-American Conference (MAC), March 8-9, Kent, Ohio
  • Pac-12 Conference, March 10, Corvallis, Ore.
  • Southern Conference (SoCon), March 9, Boone, N.C.

Heading into the postseason, two-time national defending champ Penn State continues to be ranked No. 1 in both WIN’s final dual-team rankings with a 12-0 record and in WIN’s Tournament Power Index. The Nittany Lions feature 10 ranked wrestlers, including five No. 1-rated individuals, for 129 TPI points.
Iowa, coming off a 22-9 road victory over Oklahoma State, ended the dual season at No. 2 in WIN’s rankings; ahead of the Cowboys, Iowa State and Nebraska. OSU is still ranked No. 2 in WIN’s TPI, followed by Iowa, NC State, and Iowa State and Missouri, which are tied for fifth. … story at … WIN-magazine.com/2024/02/26/27089

March 1, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Jakob Camacho Making ‘Comeback’ For NC State Wrestling As Postseason Nears

After going more than two months without a victory, North Carolina State 125-pounder Jakob Camacho has regained his footing late in the season
During NC State’s 20-12 dual win over Virginia Tech last Friday night, The College Wrestling Report “X” account (the former Twitter) sent out a tweet that Jakob Camacho scored an upset win over Cooper Flynn at 125 pounds. To which, Wolfpack associate head coach Adam Hall quote tweeted “Don’t call is an upset; call it a comeback.” The story of the Pack’s starting 125-pounder has been well-known throughout this season. A two-time ACC Champion (2020 and 2022), Camacho sat out all last season with a knee injury. He was back out on the mat once the season started in November and started the season with a top-10 national ranking.
His win over 2023 NCAA finalist and current #1 Matt Ramos of Purdue (8-5) during the second weekend of the season propelled him to #3 in the national rankings, and the next week he climbed to the top spot in his weight class.
Then came a rough patch.
After a 7-0 start to the season, Camacho and the Pack headed to Nashville for the annual Collegiate Wrestling Duals. He came in with a #1 national ranking but lost all three of his matches in the dual format. Then another loss came in the first dual of 2024 at home against Oklahoma State. Granted, he did not travel to the Cliff Keen Invite in December, and the holiday break had minimal action for NC State, but Camacho went more than two months without a win. 
That period started with a win over Binghamton’s Carson Wagner on November 17, and his next win wasn’t until taking top honors at the Appalachian State Open on January 27. It was even longer for his first dual win since November, February 9 against Kyle Montaperto of Viginia (21-6 tech fall).
After the Oklahoma State loss, the NC State coaches sat Camacho from outside competition and kept his work in the practice room. “I’d say the break helped me take a step back and get healthy,” Camacho said. “It allowed me to reflect and focus on the basics, on the process, and the important things in my life. It allowed me to see a big picture and see how blessed I am to have such an amazing team, coaching staff, medical staff, family, and have faith in the grand scheme of things.”
Since his return to the mat, Camacho has three recent dual wins, including victories over #18 Brett Ungar of Cornell (5-1) and #7 Cooper Flynn of Virginia Tech (5-1). “The last few wins are just a reflection of having faith and being fearless,” Camacho said. “It’s a reminder that with the right attitude, right work ethic, right mentality and health, good things can happen.  “At the end of the day this is my favorite sport, and it should be fun. So, I try to keep it that way and it’s fun getting better. Part of the fun is the unknown. I don’t know the future, but I know I can live in the moment and do the best I can, make some memories, and have some fun.”
NC State head coach Pat Popolizio knows what he has with a full healthy Camacho in his lineup. He has seen him win a pair of ACC titles during his career and … story at … Flowrestling.org/Jakob-camacho-making-comeback-for-nc-state-wrestling-as-postseason-nears

March 1, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Recaps – End of Regular Season

Headlines from the Final Weekend of the DI Regular Season
The final weekend of the 2023-24 regular season provided for plenty of interesting storylines even though some schools already wrapped up theirs a week ago. The past couple of days featured top-ten clashes, rivalry duals, some upsets, a potentially impactful injury, and much more. 
Here are the key storylines from the final week of the regular season. Hey, we’ve got at least one per conference. 
Iowa/Oklahoma State
Iowa continued their recent dominance over their rival Oklahoma State with a 22-9 dual victory on Sunday afternoon. The Hawkeyes have won each of their last four meetings against the Cowboys. We covered this in more detail yesterday in our wrap-up article.  … story at … Intermatwrestle.com/Headlines-from-the-final-weekend-of-the-di-regular-season
And …

Big 12 Weekly Recap (2/27/2024)
The final week of the regular season came to a close with eight Big 12 teams competing. North and South Dakota State battled for the Border Bell, with the Jackrabbits coming out on top for the third consecutive year. California Baptist finished with a win over Utah Valley to cap a banner year for the second-year DI-eligible program. Iowa State and Northern Iowa beat shorthanded Missouri. Oklahoma State took on Iowa but lost 22-9 in a dual filled with tossups. 

California Baptist (Overall: 7-10; Conference: 2-6): Dual Results
The Lancers capped their regular season with a 20-17 win over Utah Valley on the road. Chaz Hallmark and Dayne Morton scored pivotal wins, with Hallmark winning in sudden victory and Morton beating 2023 qualifier Isaiah Delgado 7-6. Add in some bonus points from Eli Griffin and Hunter Leake and the team more than doubled their wins from last year. Now headed into Big 12’s they have a great opportunity to get their first DI qualifier. 

Iowa State (Overall: 13-2; Conference: 6-1): Dual Result
The Cyclones dominated a shorthanded Missouri team with a 41-3 win. They scored bonus points with Evan Frost, Casey Swiderski, David Carr, MJ Gaitan, and Yonger Bastida. Echemendia was down 7-0 after a big throw from Josh Edmond early but battled back for a big 10-9 win. Carr stayed undefeated at home with a 67-0 record and a first-period fall. Feldkamp dropped a match to Colton Hawks, getting put on his back off a counter to a big move and another takedown late. Bastida scored another statement win with a 13-4 major over Zach Elam, with takedowns in every period. 

Missouri (Overall: 10-4; Conference: 6-3): Dual Results (UNI) | Dual Results (ISU)

The Tigers made a trip to Iowa missing eight starters and coach Kendric Maple due to a mix of injuries and illness. Josh Edmond and Zach Elam both scored ranked wins, being joined by Colton Hawks. Edmond beat Cael Happel 4-3 and had a big lead on Anthony Echemendia before dropping a 10-9 match. Zach beat Tyrell Gordon in rideouts 4-1 with a turn, but couldn’t keep up with Yonger Bastida’s offense. 2023 round of 16 finisher Colton Hawks was majored by Parker Keckeisen, but avenged an NCAA loss to Will Feldkamp with a big move of his own. … story at … Intermatwrestle.com/Big-12-weekly-recap-2272024
And …

Pac-12 Weekly Recap (2/26/2024)
Arizona State splits the final 2 ranked duals
ASU started the weekend with a 24-14 victory against #14 Lehigh on Saturday. The Sun Devils won the first seven matches before losing two in a row and forfeiting the heavyweight matchup.
Richard Figueroa began the dual with an upset, defeating second-ranked Luke Stanich 5-3. In addition, Jesse Vasquez continued to look strong during his return from injury and had a slight upset over #16 Malyke Hines in a sudden victory. Kyle Parco posted a tech fall, Julian Chlebove, Jacori Teemer, and Chance McLane tallied regular decisions, while Cael Valencia won by a major decision.
ASU returned to the mat on Sunday and lost 26-9 against #4 Nebraska. Figueroa continued his winning ways and upset #7 Caleb Smith, 4-3. The three-time All-American, Parco, notched perhaps the biggest win of his career. He handed top-ranked 149 lber, Ridge Lovett, his only loss of the 2023-24 regular season, 4-3. Teemer recorded the Sun Devils other victory when he defeated Ethan Stiles 7-2.

Cal Poly sends 2 wrestlers to compete
Michael Goldfeder and Trevor Tinker competed in the Patriot Last Chance Open to boost their stock before the postseason. Goldfeder went 2-1, defeating Lock Haven’s Brett Barbush and unattached Noah Roulo.  Tinker went 3-0 with two tech falls against Drexel’s Shane Whitney and Buffalo’s Magnus Bibla, and a pin against George Mason’s Colin Pederson.

Little Rock earns 15th win of the season
The Trojans completed the regular season by capturing a 57-0 victory against Lindenwood. Little Rock won every match by forfeit, tech fall, or pin. … story at … Intermatwrestle.com/PAC-12-weekly-recap-2262024
And …

EIWA Weekly Recap (2/27/2024)
Below is a recap of last week’s EIWA action, with individual news and highlights worth noting.
Key Takeaways 

  • Lehigh’s Stanich officially uses 6th date, causing him to forego his redshirt season.
  • Ryan Crookham of Lehigh remains the only undefeated wrestler in the conference at 15-0
  • Jude Swisher of Penn wrestles to 6-0 in two events with all bonus point wins
  • Binghamton’s Lou DePrez (#9) knocks off #7 Cardenas of Cornell 

American  
The Eagles were on the road at Columbia and Army. Both wrestlers at the 133 lbs class were undefeated on the weekend. Max Leete had a win over Columbia, while Raymond Lopez had a win over #28 Basile of Army. Jack Maida made a return to the lineup. He had a win over #30 Berginc of Army. American terminated the dual season … story at … Intermatwrestle.com/EIWA-weekly-recap-2272024

March 1, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

College Women’s Wrestling News – March 1st

2024 NAIA Women’s Wrestling National Championships Allocations Announced
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has announced the allocations for the second annual NAIA Women’s Wrestling National Championships, held March 8th and 9th at Harold Newman Arena in Jamestown, North Dakota. 
Each conference tournament awards automatic bids per weight class based on the final regular-season rating, which can be seen HERE. Each conference is awarded a minimum of one automatic bid per weight class, additional allocations are determined based on the final regular season rankings for reach wrestler ranked in the top 16 in a specific weight class. If a conference does not have an individual ranked in the final top 16 an allocation will be granted to ensure each conference is represented at each weight class at the National Championships. … story details here …NWCAonline.com/NWCA-2024-naia-womens-wrestling-national-championships-allocations
And …

New College Weights Approved For Next Season
Weight classes for women’s college wrestling will change for the 2024-25 season
College wrestling will look different next season. Women’s freestyle wrestling has 10 weight classifications ranging from 101 pounds to 191 pounds.
The NCAA Women’s Executive Committee approved the weight classes below for use in women’s NCAA collegiate wrestling, beginning in the 2024-25 season.  The NAIA will now put this slate of weight classes forth to its National Administrative Council in the first week of March for its approval. Most classifications will stay close to the same, but the heaviest three will face significant changes. The biggest adjustment is at 170 pounds. Any current wrestler in that category would move up or down 10 pounds.  The heaviest category is 207 pounds. … story at … Flowrestling.org/New-college-weights-approved-for-next-season
And …

Women’s NCAA Regional Results/NCWWC Preview
Regionals for NCAA Women’s Wrestling capped off this weekend where athletes competed across six regional tournaments to secure their spots in the national tournament happening March 8-9. 
The top four wrestlers at each weight at regionals earned a bid to compete, and teams are able to send up to 15 athletes per team.  Regional champ teams King (Region II), North Central (Region IV), and Iowa (Region V) were the three teams to qualify the maximum 15 athletes. Sacred Heart won Region I with 13 qualifiers, Tiffin took first place at Region III and is sending 5 wrestlers to nationals, and Colorado Mesa was the top team at Region VI and will be sending 11.
Takeaways from Regional competition:
1. King wins big at Region II
#3 King was a favorite to take the top team spot at Region II hosted by Emmanuel College, but the Tornado did so in dominant fashion, with eight individual champions and qualifying all 15 possible wrestlers for nationals. In fact, four of the finals matches were between King teammates. Jessica Corredor reclaimed her regional title, as did Montana Delawder and Cheyenne Bowman. Other champs for King were Samara Chavez, Maria Victoria Baez Dilone, Claire DiCugno, Aine Drury, and Alexa Garcia.  King finished second at NCWWC last year with one individual champion. While there is a lot of tough competition outside of Region II, they are in good position to get a team trophy as one of the 3 teams with 15 wrestlers headed to nationals.
2. Iowa vs McKendree: The Battle at Region V
Iowa defeated McKendree by a margin of 27 points, with 6 individual champs to McKendree’s 3. Iowa continued to show their dominance at 101 lbs with teammates Emilie Gonzalez and Sterling Dias competing for the top spot, with Gonzalez getting the 7-0 decision win. … story at … Intermatwrestle.com/NCAA-regional-resultsncwwc-preview
And …

Iowa women’s coach Clarissa Chun named USA Today’s Woman of the Year for state of Iowa
IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa Women’s Wrestling head coach Clarissa Chun has been named USA Today’s Women of the Year Honoree for the state of Iowa on Thursday. This award is presented annually to 12 national honorees and one honoree per state. This year’s honorees are described as “our neighbors and role models. They use their voices for others, many overcoming immense challenges, to make change happen. Simply put, they make us want to do better.”
Chun was named the first head coach of the women’s wrestling program in 2021. The two-time Olympian has led the team to a National Duals title in their inaugural season and has 15 student-athletes qualified for the NCWWC National Championships next weekend in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The Hawaii native is a National Wrestling Hall of Fame Distinguished member and a 2018 Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame inductee. She served many years as an Assistant National Women’s Coach for USA Wrestling. Chun was a 2012 Olympic bronze medalist and won a 2008 World gold medal in freestyle wrestling. … story at … Themat.com/Iowa-women-s-coach-clarissa-chun-named-usa-today-s-woman-of-the-year-for-state-of-iowa
And …

North Central Remains #1 Headed into NCWWC Tournament
MANHEIM, Pa. – The top six teams in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) NCAA Women’s Wrestling Coaches’ Poll remained the same. North Central College stays in the top spot while the University of Iowa is second. King University is third while McKendree University and Colorado Mesa University round out the top five.
Both North Central and Iowa have 14 individuals ranked with North Central accumulating 123 points while Iowa has 93 points. King stays at third as they are the third and final team with at least 10 individuals ranked with 12 to accumulate 88 points. McKendree amassed 65 points with nine ranked individuals ranked. Colorado Mesa and Simon Fraser University both have six individuals ranked and accounted for 38 and 26 points, respectively.
Lock Haven University has three ranked individuals and is ranked seventh with 23 points while Sacred Heart University is eighth with 20 points and five ranked individuals. New Jersey City University moved up to ninth with 16 points and two ranked individuals while Aurora rounds out the top 10 with three ranked individuals and 12 points. New to the poll leading into the NCWWC National Championships are the University of Mount Olive, the University of Dubuque, Chadron State College and … story at … NWCAonline.com/NWCA-north-central-remains-1-headed-into-ncwwc-tournament

March 1, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Opinion: A Certified Nerd’s Newfound Appreciation for Wrestling

I’ve never cared about watching sports. I played a few, badly, in elementary and middle school, but even then I couldn’t care less about watching them. In high school, I didn’t go to any games or meets because we didn’t even have sports teams. 
I am in no way a jock: I avoid exercise at all costs, as well as big crowds. My idea of fun is curling up with a mug of hot chocolate and watching the little people on my computer play Dungeons and Dragons.
I didn’t attend any Albion sporting events until this fall when I attended the homecoming football game with my best friend. I had promised I’d go with them – and I wanted to be able to say that I had gone to at least one sporting event while I was in college. 
We were there for 30 minutes before I convinced them to leave with me – I was so bored, and the heat didn’t help.
I attended my second Albion sporting event a few weeks ago with the same friend, but instead of a football game, we went to a wrestling match. My friend has a class with one of the wrestlers, St. Johns junior Christopher “CJ” Krum. It seemed right to attend the first wrestling meet of the semester to support him. 
Krum’s been wrestling since he was five years old when his family got a flier in the mail about a youth wrestling club. “From there, I just fell in love with it,” Krum said. 
Krum preps for a match by listening to music, bouncing around and pumping himself up, adding that success is all about self-confidence. “I’m constantly telling myself ‘you got this, just let it fly,’” Krum said. 
I went with my friend to watch Krum’s match; since he was the last one on the team to wrestle, we stayed for the whole meet. To my surprise, it was a blast. I had much more fun watching wrestling than I’ve ever had watching other sports. 
Why? Because it’s fun to watch people fight. 
Human beings are entertained by conflict and combat: we watch action and fantasy movies with drawn-out fight scenes, eavesdrop on couples arguing in public and gather around a brawl breaking out in the parking lot. There is something both thrilling and safe about watching a fight you aren’t a part of.
The meet was intense; while I knew it was just for sport, every match felt like a fight to the death. … story at … Albionpleiad.com/2024/Certified-nerds-newfound-appreciation-for-wrestling

February 29, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

End of Season D-I College Matches – part 5

TDR Editor’s Notes ; The upcoming weekend will be busy with the NAIA Nationals in Kansas and the NJCAA Nationals in Council Bluff, Iowa. NCAA Division II & III Regional and Conference Qualifying tournaments will be held across the country to select qualifiers for Nationals. This weekend will be quiet for Division I teams. They are preparing for their qualifying tournaments which next weekend.
The following are the last reports from D-I schools about their end of the regular season matches.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
South Dakota State wrestling enjoying perhaps the best season in program history
Damion Hahn had to rebuild after Chris Bono left, and he’s taken the Jackrabbits back to an elite level
BROOKINGS — Damion Hahn faced a difficult task when he was named the head coach of South Dakota State wrestling in 2018. It was the first head coaching job for the former national champion and longtime Cornell assistant, and he was replacing powederkeg Chris Bono, who had saved Jackrabbit wrestling from near extinction and built it into a Division I contender before leaving for Wisconsin and taking part of his staff and eventually national champion wrestler Seth Gross with him.
So while Bono had done an incredible job of building a program in Brookings, he had left the cupboard a little bare. Hahn faced a significant rebuild, in addition to having to succeed a charismatic coach who’d helped SDSU set countless attendance records through the force of sheer will. Six years later, the Jackrabbits are once again reaching heights they never have before.
They reached the top 10 in the Division I poll for the first time ever (they currently sit at No. 11). They saw all 10 starters ranked nationally for the first time, and their win over Michigan back when the Wolverines were ranked 6th in the country marked the highest-ranked team they’ve ever defeated. … story at … Siouxfallslive.com/SD-state-wrestling-enjoying-perhaps-the-best-season-in-program-history
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Army Wrestling Defeats American on Senior Night
WEST POINT, N.Y. – America’s Team. That’s exactly how Army Black Knights Wrestling looked in Sunday’s dual meet win over American.  Army (7-4, 6-1 EIWA) won eight of the dual’s 10 matches on its way to a 28-5 team victory. Four wins came via major decision, and the Black Knights cruised to 28 unanswered team points after dropping the first two matches by one point each.  On a night dedicated to the program’s firsties, the five seniors who wrestled in Sunday’s matches all secured wins, with Logan Brown and Matthew Williams securing decisions, and Nate Lukez, Ben Pasiuk, and Dillion Sheehy winning by major decision.  13 wrestlers and four managers were honored in the pre-match senior day ceremony. The Black Knights finish the regular season winners of six of their final seven dual meets … story at … GOarmywestpoint.com/Army-defeats-american-on-senior-night
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Bellarmine Wrestling storms back for 18-16 win over Chattanooga on Senior Day
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Down 16-6 with just three weight classes to go, the Bellarmine University wrestling team stormed back for an exciting 18-16 win over University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Senior Day at Knights Hall. “I’m really grateful for the atmosphere our fans created for us today,” Bellarmine head coach Ned Shuck said. “It was loud, they got behind us, they got on the official and the opposing team and they just brought a ton of energy.”
With the win, Bellarmine moves to 14-5 on the year, 4-4 in Southern Conference play. The 14 wins marks a new standard for duals wins in a season for Bellarmine while the win over the Mocs is the first in program history, having lost each of the first three matchups since joining Division I in 2021.
“A couple of years ago, I think we lost to these guys 50-0 and to be able to turn it around and have every match be competitive and to come out at the end with our hands raised feels really good.” Said Shuck. “It’s a testament to all our guys’ attitude and fight.” Chattanooga took control early on, winning each of the first three weights to quickly jump out to a 10-0 lead.
The Knights finally got on the board after the 149 bout, thanks to redshirt Sophomore Zac Cowan. Cowan attacked early and often, earning the first victory of the day for Bellarmine in a 14-7 decision to put the Knights on the board, down 10-3. Chattanooga answered immediately, taking another decision at 157 to retake a 10-point lead, up 13-3, entering the intermission. … story at … Bellarmine.edu/Wrestling-storms-back-for-18-16-win-over-chattanooga-on-senior-day
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#17 Little Rock Wrestling Shuts Out Lindenwood to Conclude Historic Dual Season
LITTLE ROCK – Claiming their 15th team win of the season against Lindenwood this afternoon, the Little Rock wrestling team effectively tripled their dual win total from year-to-year. The Trojans rolled over the Lions with a 57-0 result to conclude the regular season.
The final score is the highest that Little Rock has ever collected in a single dual and marks the third time that the Trojans have blanked a team in program history. Today, the squad finished the job with five pins and three technical falls along with two forfeits. “We finished our season strong, and I think our guys looked sharp and on point,” said head coach Neil Erisman. “It was a great way to finish before the Pac-12 Tournament. We’re ready.”
Today’s dominant numbers contributed to the stats for several wrestlers on Little Rock’s team, particularly Stephen Little and Tyler Brennan. The former collected his 11th technical fall of the season and his 10th against DI opponents while the latter hit a program-high 11 pins with the quickest fall of the match. Little was 8th on the top 10 DI tech falls leader list going into this weekend and should move up with another added to his total.
A trio of Trojans collected their second falls of the season: Nasir Bailey, Cael Keck and Kyle Dutton. Bailey and Dutton both pinned their opponents in the first period, while Keck stuck his foe in the second. Joseph Bianchi rounds out the group that wrestled their way to six team points with a second-period pin of his own and his 21st win of the season. Jeremiah Reno and Triston Wills joined Little with wins by tech fall. The lightweight picked up his sixth of the season, ending it in the first period. Wills hit a career-high 17 wins in his final season with his result, with 15 of those coming from duals. … story at … LRtrojans.com/Little-rock-wrestling-shuts-out-lindenwood-to-conclude-historic-dual-season
And …

SDSU CLOSES DUAL SEASON WITH BORDER BELL WIN
South Dakota State received pins from Tanner Cook and Bennett Berge as part of a seven-match winning streak to send its senior class and Frost Arena off in style with a 34-6 wrestling dual victory over North Dakota State before a crowd of 2,241 Sunday afternoon. In retaining the Border Bell traveling trophy, the 11th-ranked Jackrabbits closed out the dual portion of their schedule with a 13-4 overall record, including a 7-2 mark against Big 12 Conference opponents. NDSU dropped to 3-11 overall and 2-6 in the Big 12.
Tanner Jordan opened the dual with a 13-0 major decision over Ryan Henningson in which the SDSU wrestler racked up more than four minutes in riding time. The 14th-ranked Jordan scored on a takedown and four-point near-fall for a 7-0 first-period lead, adding a reversal in the second period and another takedown in the final stanza. … story at … GOjacks.com/SDSU-closes-dual-season-with-border-bell-win
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#9 Cornell University Wrestling Finishes Regular Season Strong On Senior Day
ITHACA, N.Y. — Benny Baker, Lewis Fernandes and Wyatt Yapoujian had memorable Senior Day victories in the No. 9 Cornell wrestling team’s strong finish to the regular season on Sunday afternoon at the Friedman Wrestling Center.  The Big Red defeated in-state EIWA foe Binghamton 33-6 in front of an energetic crowd, capping its dual slate with a 12-4 record. Cornell has won that many duals in all three seasons under Mike Grey (36-10 career record), the David Dunlop ’59 Head Coach of Wrestling. 
The Big Red got on the board at 174 pounds with Baker’s 4-1 win over Dimitri Gamkrelidze after Binghamton’s Brevin Casella started the dual with a 4-2 decision over Brody Oleksak. Baker, who recorded an escape to tie the match at one in the third period, won in sudden victory with a takedown.  Baker has won three straight matches after losing nine in a row entering last weekend’s duals at North Carolina State and Appalachian State. … story at … Cornellbigred.com/Wrestling-finishes-regular-season-strong-on-senior-day
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Bastida’s Top-Five Win Highlights ISU’s 41-3 Victory Over Mizzou
AMES, Iowa – No. 5 Iowa State (13-2, 6-1 Big 12) dominated a limited No. 7 Missouri (10-4, 6-3 Big 12) lineup, 41-3, Sunday afternoon inside Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State won six matches with bonus points, including David Carr’s pin vs. Jeremy Jakowitsch at 165 pounds. It was the final home appearance for the illustrious Carr, who ended his amazing career with a perfect 67-0 dual record. MJ Gaitan (174) added a fall, and Evan Frost (133) and Casey Swiderski (149) each earned technical fall victories. The marquee match was at 285 where a pair of unbeatens in No. 3 Yonger Bastida (19-0) of Iowa State and No. 5 Zach Elam (21-0) of Missouri went to battle. The match was all Bastida, as the Cyclone established control early with a first-period takedown and added takedowns in each of the final two periods in an impressive 13-4 major decision win over Elam. Iowa State held a 27-3 advantage in takedowns.
No. 7 Evan Frost used five takedowns and a 4-point near fall in a dominating technical fall (19-3) over Drew Stanfield at 133 pounds. Frost, now 15-3 on the season, had three takedowns in the first period and then put the match out of reach when he turned Stanfield for back points in period two. … story at … Cyclones.com/Wrestling-bastidas-top-five-win-highlights-isus-41-3-victory-over-mizzou
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Wolverines Close Out Dual Slate with Shutout Win at Central Michigan
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team pitched a shutout in its dual-meet finale, rolling to a dominant 39-0 win at in-state foe Central Michigan on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 25) at the Chippewas’ McGuirk Arena. U-M claimed bonus points in six bouts, including each of the first four. It was the Wolverines’ first shutout win since defeating CSU Bakersfield 36-0 on the road last season. Michigan claimed four straight bonus wins, including three technical falls, to set a dominant tone in the dual. Sophomore/freshman Nolan Wertanen stepped into the lineup and earned a bonus for the second straight dual with a 16-1 tech against Grant Wahl at 125 pounds. Wertanen scored three takedowns and six back points — on a two-point suck back and four-point tilt in the first period. He ended the bout with a go behind at the 3:28 mark. … story at … Mgoblue.com/Wolverines-close-out-dual-slate-with-shutout-win-at-central-michigan
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Panther wrestling takes down No. 7 Missouri, 31-6
UNI scores its highest ranked win of the season in 25-point win over Tigers. Panthers host Wisconsin on Sunday for Senior Day.
Officials – Jake Frias, Jeremy Chen Attendance – 3,411
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — UNI’s lineup rose to the occasion and grabbed eight wins on Friday night as the Panther wrestling team rolled to a 31-6 dual win over the defending Big 12 champion Missouri Tigers inside the McLeod Center. Grabbing their first win over the Tigers since 2020, the Panthers went on the attack against a short-handed Missouri squad recording a 25-point win, the fifth-largest victory over the Tigers in program history and largest since winning by 23 points in 1986.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After Trever Anderson earned a victory by forfeit at 125 pounds, Julian Farber launched into action at 133 pounds with a takedown and a tough ride out for the first period against Drew Stanfield. Staying ahead, Farber grabbed a second takedown, but gave up … story at … UNIpanthers.com/Panther-wrestling-takes-down-no-7-missouri-31-6
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HUSKERS CLOSE REGULAR SEASON WITH 26-9 VICTORY OVER ASU
Tempe, Ariz. – Five-straight bout wins helped the No. 3 Nebraska wrestling team secure the 26-9 victory over No. 19 Arizona State on Sunday afternoon in the Huskers’ regular-season finale.  NU used a bonus-point win and seven dual victories overall to improve to 12-2 (6-2 Big Ten) on the year, while Arizona State slipped to 7-6 on the season (4-1 Pac 12). Action started at 125 with No. 7 Caleb Smith facing No. 24 Richard Figueroa. Figueroa held the 4-0 advantage after two periods. Smith then got the escape and was awarded two points due to Figueroa stalling, but it was not enough as Smith fell by decision, 4-3. No. 16 Jake Van Dee met Arizona State’s No. 27 Julian Chlebove at 133. Van Dee attacked early and got a takedown and two nearfall points to lead 5-1 with two periods remaining. Chlebove then cut the lead with an escape and a late takedown, but Van Dee held on for the 8-6 decision and his third-straight victory. With the teams tied 3-3, No. 7 Brock Hardy (141) … story at … Huskers.com/Huskers-close-regular-season-with-26-9-victory-over-asu
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No. 23 Pitt Beats Virginia on Senior Night, 35-7
PITTSBURGH—Pitt wrestling honored seven seniors on Friday night at Fitzgerald Field House and sent out the Class of 2024 as winners with a 35-7 dual victory over Virginia. The 23rd-ranked Panthers (10-8, 2-3 ACC) crushed the Cavaliers (7-6, 1-4 ACC) with eight match wins, including six victories by bonus-point decisions. On his Senior Night, Cole Matthews earned his 100th career win and a standing ovation from the fans in another memorable moment in the career of the ACC champion and NCAA All-American. “I thought it was a good performance, probably one of our better ones of the season,” Pitt head coach Keith Gavin said after the dual. “It was nice to score a lot of points in our last home match in front of the fans after recognizing the seniors. That’s what we want to see heading into the postseason.” “It hasn’t hit me that was my last time wrestling at the Fitzgerald Field House,” Matthews said. “I’ll be sad about that after the season. But right now, I’m just proud of getting to 100 career wins and thankful to have six incredible seasons here at Pitt. That means a lot to me.” … story at … Pittsburghpanthers.com/Pitt-beats-virginia-on-senior-night-35-7
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Huskies Win MAC West Title; First Undefeated Home Season in 20 Years
DeKALB, Ill.—A historic night for the Northern Illinois University Huskies wrestling program as the Huskies defeated the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Cougars, 22-13. With the win, the Huskies won the Mid-American Conference West Division title and achieved the first undefeated season at home in over 20 years.  Blake West (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee) completed an undefeated season, the first of his career. The Huskies have won the last 11 meetings between the two programs.
“Tonight was a hard fought, up and down the lineup, team victory,” said NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig. “To have an undefeated season at home and win the MAC west, it is a testament to how hard the guys have worked since stepping foot on campus this fall. The work isn’t done yet and we will continue to prepare for the MAC Championships.”
West opened the scoring for the Huskies, taking to the mat at 125 pounds. West faced off against Davian Guanajuato and won in a 4-3 decision. West improves to 24-5 overall, 15-0 in duals, and 8-0 against MAC opponents. … story at … NIUhuskies.com/Huskies-win-mac-west-title-first-undefeated-home-season-in-20-years
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Harvard Wrestling Earns the Win over Brown in Final Dual Meet of the Season
PROVIDENCE, R.I. –– Harvard wrestling faced Brown in the final dual meet of the year before the championship tournament season. The Crimson came out victorious, winning 23-17 on the road. 
HARVARD HIGHLIGHTS
Jack Crook, sophomore 149-pound wrestler, started off the dual with a win by tech fall over Brown’s Sam McMonagle. This is Crook’s 14th win on the year and 5th in the dual season. The RPI’s No. 4 174-pound-wrestler Philip Conigliaro won yet another match, completing his perfect dual meet record for the year before heading into the EIWA championships. Conigliaro won by major decision over Jonathan Conrad. Leo Tarantino ended his senior dual campaign with a win over Colby Isabelle in a gritty 2-1 finish. Tarantino improves his season total record to 9-8. … story at … GOcrimson.com/Win-over-brown-in-final-dual-meet-of-the-season
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Princeton Wrestling Downs Bucknell at Home, 18-15
PRINCETON, NJ – The Princeton wrestling team took down Bucknell in Jadwin Gym Friday evening in their final dual match of the season. The Tigers secured five out of the ten bouts on their way to a 18-15 win. “Always good to end the season on a winning note good to beat a tough Bucknell team,” said head coach Joe Dubuque. “They definitely scrapped really hard. I was proud of Aidan Connor stepping in there and essentially locking up the dual for us. I feel like we can definitely do a little bit more, but the good thing is we have a few more weeks until EIWAs where we can get some work in and we can also get some of our guys healthy as possible so we can make a big run at the EIWA championships.” … story at … GOprincetontigers.com/Wrestling-vs-bucknell-recap
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Wrestling Secures Perfect Conference Record with 23-12 Win at Cleveland State
Broncs capture second straight MAC East Division dual title
CLEVELAND, OH– The Rider University Wrestling team wrapped up their dual season by capturing their second consecutive MAC East Divison Dual championship with a perfect 8-0 record in the Mid-American, after the Broncs defeated Cleveland State 23-12 on Friday afternoon. With the win, Rider moves to 8-7 with an undefeated conference record of 8-0, while Cleveland State falls to 8-8 and 6-3 in the MAC. The Broncs started off the dual with wins at both 125 and 133 as Tyler Klinsky and Richie Koehler. Klinsky took down Ben Aranda in a tightly contested bout to kick off the dual. Klinsky and Aranda both went scoreless in the first and traded escapes in the second and third leading the bout into sudden victory. In the extra period, Klinsky scored the takedown to move to 6-2 in the MAC and 14-11 on the year. Koehler took down Nick Molchak 7-2 following the Klinsky win to cap off his perfect in conference season at 7-0 in MAC duals. … story at … GObroncs.com/Wrestling-secures-perfect-conference-record-with-23-12-win-at-cleveland-state
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Terps Run Away With 27-15 Win Over Drexel On Senior Night
COLLEGE PARK, MD —  Maryland wrapped up its 2023-24 regular season with a Senior Night victory over Drexel, 27-15. The Terps won five matches on the night, all by bonus points.  The night started early, with seniors Jordan Gabriel and Kevin Makosy both picking up wins in extra countable matches before the dual began. In the official action, the Terps fell behind 9-0 early after starting at the 157-pound weight class, but back-to-back pins by Chase Mielnik and Jaxon Smith put Maryland up 12-9 heading into the intermission break. The win was Mielnik’s second dual victory of the season.  The Terps kept that momentum up coming out of the locker room as Seth Nevills dominated to an 18-2 win … story at … https://umterps.com/news/2024/2/23/wrestling-wrest-drexel

February 29, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Pan-American Championships & Olympic Trials

U.S. wins Greco-Roman team trophy, secures two more medals at Pan-American Championships
At the 2024 Pan-American Championships held in Acapulco, Mexico, the United States emerged victorious in the team competition, with Alan Vera and Noah Wachsmuth contributing to their success with silver and bronze medals, respectively. Action continues with women’s freestyle and men’s freestyle on Friday at 10 a.m. CT.
Noah Wachsmuth, competing at 72 kg, faced a challenging opening match but ultimately secured a victory against Jose Varela Garcia of Guatemala. In his following match, Wachsmuth fell to Alexis Vargas Ramirez of Mexico, 11-3. Despite this, Wachsmuth concluded the Pan-American Championships with a silver medal.
Alan Vera exhibited impressive form in his tournament opener, defeating Pedro Bello Soto of Mexico, 11-2. In the semifinals, Vera gained a 5-3 lead, acquiring all his points from the par terre position following his opponent’s passivity penalty.
The U.S Greco-Roman team secured the team trophy, outscoring the second place team by 63 points. This is the sixth consecutive year that the United States has won the team race at the Pan-American Championships. Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela rounded out the top five.
U.S. Greco-Roman Results
72 kg: Noah Wachsmuth (New York Athletic Club), silver medalist
WIN Jose Varela Garcia (Guatemala), 6-3 … story at … Themat.com/US-wins-greco-roman-team-trophy-secures-two-more-medals-at-pan-american
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11 Americans receive draw for Pan American Olympic Games Qualifier
2024 Pan American Olympic Games Qualifier Brackets
ACAPULCO, Mexico – The draws for all three international disciplines have been released for the 2024 Pan American Olympic Games Qualifier in Acapulco, Mexico. 11 Americans are entered with aspirations of securing a coveted weight class quota for the upcoming Paris Olympics.
The top four wrestlers in each weight class were seeded based on ranking points from international results, including last week’s Pan American Championships. The remaining entrants were placed into each bracket by blind draw. Nine Americans earned a place among the top four.
The Greco-Roman group of six—Ildar Hafizov, Alejandro Sancho, Kamal Bey, Spencer Woods, Alan Vera and Cohlton Schultz—looks to kick start the U.S. effort in Acapulco on Wednesday. All six men have experience on their side as past U.S. World Team members. … story at … Themat.com/Americans-receive-draw-for-pan-american-olympic-games-qualifier
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2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Qualifiers, as of February 26
USA Wrestling has updated its list of U.S. Olympic Team Trials qualifiers.
There are 181 athletes now qualified for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Wrestling, set for Penn State, April 19-20.
Two athletes qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials by winning their weight class in men’s freestyle at the Pan American Championships in Acapulco, Mexico this weekend, Nick Suriano at 61 kg and Alec Pantaleo at 70 kg. Both of these are non-Olympic weights, so these athletes will have to choose an Olympic weight class for the Olympic Trials.
USA Wrestling will update this list after each of the Olympic Team Trials qualifying events are held. There remain a few more opportunities in 2024 for athletes to qualify for this list.
The next event where athletes can qualify is the Armed Forces Wrestling Championships, in the Greco-Roman discipline only. Champions from this event who have not yet qualified will advance to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. This event will be held at the U.S. Air Force Academy, which is north of Colorado Springs, Colo. on Saturday, March 2. … story at … Themat.com/USA-olympic-team-trials-qualifiers-as-of-february-26
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Armed Forces Wrestling Championships set for U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado, March 2-3
One of wrestling’s traditionally classic events, the 2024 Armed Forces Wrestling Championships, will be held at U.S. Air Force Academy, which is located northwest of Colorado Springs, Colo.. March 2-3. The competition will be held at the Cadet Gymnasium – East Gym..
The competition will feature dual meet competition in freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman between branches of the Armed Forces, under the management of Armed Forces Sports. This year, teams from the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy will compete.
The Greco-Roman competition on Saturday will serve as a qualifying event for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Wrestling, set for Penn State University, April 19-20. The highest placing Senior Greco-Roman athlete, per weight category, winning either a gold or silver medal, who has yet to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials will qualify to compete in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Wrestling.  In 2023, athletes from six branches were represented, … story at … Themat.com/Armed-forces-wrestling-championships-set-for-u-s-air-force-academy-in-colorado-march-2-3

February 29, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

End of Season D-I College Matches – part 4

TDR Editor’s Notes ; The upcoming weekend will be a busy one with the NAIA Nationals in Kansas and the Nationals for the NJCAA in Council Bluff, Iowa. NCAA Division II & III Regional and Conference Qualifying tournaments will be held across the country this week to select qualifiers for Nationals in two weeks. This weekend will be quiet one for Division I teams. They are preparing for their qualifying tournaments which will be held next weekend. The following are reports from D-I schools about their end of the regular season matches.
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#9 Cornell University Wrestling Finishes Weekend Strong, Dominates Appalachian State
BOONE, N.C. — Freshman Meyer Shapiro dominated another ranked opponent, and senior Benny Baker avenged an early season loss as the No. 9 Cornell wrestling team (11-4) beat Appalachian State 36-6 on Sunday afternoon at Varsity Gym. 
The Big Red, which had a six-dual win streak snapped Friday against North Carolina State, improved to 11-4 overall and split on its Tar Heel State road trip with the win.  Sophomore Brett Ungar, ranked No. 15 at 125 pounds, set the tone for a dual in which Cornell won eight of 10 matches and racked up bonus points with four of those victories. Ungar led off the dual with a 15-0 technical fall (4:52) win over Chad Bellis, giving Cornell a 5-0 lead before No. 27 Ethan Oakley (133) got Appalachian State on the board with a 10-4 win over Ethan Qureshi.  
At 141 pounds, senior Josh Saunders held on to win 5-3 over Ike Byers for his first collegiate dual victor. No. 20 Ethan Fernandez (149) gave Cornell an 11-3 lead with an 11-5 victory over Jeremiah Price.  In the only match featuring two ranked wrestlers, No. 7 Shapiro (157) beat No. 19 Tommy Askey 20-4 by technical fall. It was Shapiro’s 14th consecutive victory — and his sixth bonus-point win in his last eight matches.  The Big Red swiftly finished dual after Appalachian State’s No. 25 Will Miller (165) beat Brody Oleksak 11-5.  Baker (174) won 13-7 by decision against Luke Uliano, who won the first match between the two 10-5 by decision at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite in December. Minutes later, No. 6 Chris Foca (184) pinned Thomas Brooker in 1:07. No. 7 Jacob Cardenas (197) followed with a 15-0 technical fall win over Carson Floyd in 2:29. … story at … Cornellbigred.com/Wrestling-finishes-weekend-strong-dominates-appalachian-state
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Zach Elam’s Pin Seals Weekend Sweep For No. 7 Wrestling
BROOKINGS, S.D. – The No. 7-ranked University of Missouri wrestling team took down No. 11-ranked South Dakota State 21-19 on Sunday, Feb. 18. Mizzou (10-2, 6-1 Big 12) claimed their second win of the weekend while South Dakota State (12-4, 6-2 Big 12) took only their second conference loss of the season. 
Redshirt junior Noah Surtin opened the dual in a big way at 125 pounds with a 10-point first period en route to a 14-6 victory. At 141 pounds, redshirt sophomore Josh Edmond picked up his second win of the weekend by claiming a 3-2 victory. Brock Mauller continued his strong redshirt senior season with another ranked win, 4-1 at 157 pounds. The Tigers claimed three matches to lead 10-7 at the break. Missouri’s returning National Champion Keegan O’Toole added to his Hodge Trophy resume with his fourth technical fall of the season at 165 pounds. Down 19-17, redshirt senior Zach Elam stepped up with the dual on the line, picking up a pin in 33 seconds to snatch the team victory. … story at … MUtigers.com/Zach-elams-pin-seals-weekend-sweep-for-no-7-wrestling
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The Citadel Dispatches Presbyterian in Season Finale, Clinches Program Win Mark
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Ignited by a pair of falls from Brodie Porter (174 lbs) and Ben Stemmet (285 lbs) along with four additional tech falls, The Citadel (14-4, 6-2 SoCon) officially wrapped up the 2023-24 regular-season campaign against league opponent Presbyterian (3-14, 0-7 SoCon) behind a dominant effort, dismantling the Blue Hose via a 50-0 final margin en route to a program record 14th victory Thursday afternoon at McAlister Field House. Previously, the Bulldogs breached the 13-win mark on three separate occasions with the most recent coming during the team’s last Southern Conference Championship in 2003-04 exactly two decades ago. … story at … Citadelsports.com/The-citadel-dispatches-presbyterian-in-season-finale-clinches-program-win-mark
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No. 19 West Virginia Takes Down Glenville State to Close Out Regular Season
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In front of the second largest crowd of 4,139 passionate fans in program history, the No. 19 West Virginia University wrestling team (10-5) scored a 42-3 victory over Glenville State (11-10) to complete its regular season at the fifth annual Beauty and the Beast event on Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Mountaineers claimed double-digit wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1990 and 1991.
WVU scored three technical falls in three of the first four matches to hold a commanding 18-3 lead at the midway point of the dual. To begin the second half, the Mountaineers continued with their fourth technical fall at 165 pounds, followed by the team’s first pin of the day by redshirt freshman Brody Conley in the first period of action at 174 pounds. West Virginia added their fifth technical fall at 184 pounds and proceeded to add a pair of major decisions to seal the victory.   Looking ahead, … story at … WVUsports.com/West-virginia-takes-down-glenville-state-to-close-out-regular-season
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No. 23 Pitt Wrecks Rider in Wrestling, 29-9
PITTSBURGH—Pitt wrestling put on a dominant performance on Thursday evening, defeating Rider in a dual by a 29-9 score at the Fitzgerald Field House in the team’s penultimate dual of the season. The 23rd-ranked Panthers (9-8, 1-3 ACC) cruised by the Mid-American Conference dual meet leaders, winning eight of the bouts against the Broncs (7-7, 7-0 MAC), including technical fall victories by Colton Camacho at 125 pounds and Mac Stout at 197 pounds.
Cole Matthews also earned bonus points for the Panthers at 141 pounds, claiming a major decision with a late takedown to pick up his 99th career victory for Pitt and set the stage for him to have the chance at reaching the prestigious win 100 on Senior Night tomorrow against Virginia at the Fitz. Several Panthers posted big point totals. Luca Augustine tallied 13, Vinnie Santaniello scored nine and Finn Solomon and brothers Holden Heller and Reece Heller also did enough to earn victories. “I thought we wrestled well tonight overall. It was good to see us score a lot of points in several matches,” Pitt head coach Keith Gavin said. “We’re excited for tomorrow now. It’s a good opportunity to get the back-to-back weigh-ins and simulate the national tournament. Senior Night is always a nice moment to recognize those guys and their families as well.” … story at … Pittsburghpanthers.com/Pitt-wrecks-rider-in-wrestling-29-9
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Cleveland State Wrestling Claims Fifth Straight Win, Topping Kent State on the Road, 27-6
KENT, Ohio – Cleveland State (8-7, 6-2) won its fifth straight match after defeating Kent State (5-16, 1-6) on the road, 27-6, on Thursday night. The Green and White earned the first three points of the night after Ben Aranda recorded an 8-2 decision at 125-pounds. The MAC East Wrestler of the Week, Nick Molchak picked up a 7-0 shutout at 133-pounds to lead 6-0.
Dylan Layton stretched the margin to 9-0 behind a 5-3 decision at 141-pounds. Kent State got on the board with a 4-1 decision at 149-pounds to trail 9-3. Marcus Robinson improved to 4-0 on the year after picking up an 11-7 decision at 157-pounds as the lead stood at 12-3. Following the intermission, Tate Geiser pushed the advantage to 15-3 with a narrow 2-1 victory at 165-pounds. The Golden Flashes got their final points of the night at 174-pounds with a 6-4 win to trail 15-6.
Joey Lyons won his second straight match with a 2-1 decision at 184-pounds to lead 18-6. No. 33 Ben Smith followed with a 7-2 decision at 197-pounds, growing the advantage to 21-6. No. 20 Daniel Bucknavich put an exclamation point on the night … story at … CSUvikings.com/2023-24/releases/2024022
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OSU Wrestling: Sunday’s Dual vs. Iowa Announced as Sellout
There may not be any empty seats in Gallagher-Iba Arena when it hosts “The Greatest Rivalry in College Wrestling” on Sunday. Oklahoma State announced Thursday that its upcoming dual against No. 4 Iowa is already a sellout three days before the two powerhouses meet in a top-five matchup at 2 p.m. Sunday. Although it’s already a sellout, OSU said in its release that students with an all-sports pass will still be able to attend.
No. 2 OSU’s last dual against OU on Sunday brought in 9,912 fans — the third largest crowd for a wrestling dual in GIA in the last 20 years, according to OSU Athletics. Cowboy wrestling has been known to draw large crowds, though, especially during successful seasons like the 14-0 campaign OSU has put together so far. The largest crowd in GIA history was when the Cowboys hosted Penn State in 2017 in front of 14,059 fans. “[A crowd] can be devastating to guys,” OSU coach John Smith said Wednesday. “It can lift you up beyond your abilities to do things, trust me. You find strength you didn’t know you had if they’re yelling for you. … story at … Pistolsfiringblog.com/Sundays-dual-vs-iowa-announced-as-sellout
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Penn State Shuts Out Edinboro 55-0 in Dual Meet Finale
Nittany Lions win all 10 with no matches reaching the third period
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (12-0, 8-0 B1G) shut out visiting Edinboro (2-12) 55-0 in the dual meet finale for Penn State. The shut-out win allowed head coach Cael Sanderson‘s squad to close out the regular season with a 12-0 overall record.  
The Nittany Lions, who recently wrapped up their 10th Big Ten Regular Season Championship, won all ten bouts, with no match-up reaching the third period.  
The dual meet began at 125. True freshman Braeden Davis, ranked No. 8 at 125, rolled to a 19-3 tech fall over Caleb Edwards at the 4:02 mark off four takedowns and a final four-point near fall. Sophomore Aaron Nagao, ranked No. 11 at 133, followed that up with a tech fall of his own. Nagao used three three-point turns and a series of takedowns to notch an 18-3 tech over Eamonn Jimenez at 3:33, giving Penn State a 10-0 lead. Senior Beau Bartlett, ranked No. 1 at 141, picked up Penn State’s first pin of the dual meet. Bartlett opened up a big lead over Jacob Brenneman and then finished off the bout by pinning the Scot at the 4:11 mark of the second period.
True freshman Tyler Kasak, ranked No. 9 at 149, followed that pin up with a fall of his own. Kasak opened up a big lead over Colin Roberts and finished off his fall early in the second period, … story at … GOpsusports.com/Penn-state-shuts-out-edinboro-55-0-in-dual-meet-finale
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#18 University of Pennsylvania Celebrates Senior Day With a 43-4 Win Over Morgan State
PHILADELPHIA – The #18 University of Pennsylvania wrestling team closed out duals with a 43-4 Senior Day victory over Morgan State on Friday night in The Palestra.  
Penn won nine bouts against the Bears in the regular season closer, with Max Gallagher (125), #9 Michael Colaiocco (133), #17 CJ Composto (141), Hunter Gandy (149), #23 Lucas Revano (157), #6 Nick Incontrera (174), #20 Maximus Hale (184), #25 Cole Urbas (197), and John Stout (285) claiming their battles.
Quaker Notemeal
*Gandy and Cam Connor (165) made their colligate dual debuts against Morgan State.
*The Quakers celebrated seniors Colaiocco, Connor, Revano, Lukas Richie (141), Jake Stefanowicz (184), Stout, Urbas, and Malachi Wiley (174) before the dual.
*Richie and Stefanowicz battled in two exhibition matches after the meet, with both Quakers grabbing pins to close out their collegiate careers at Penn.
*Revano won his 20th match of the season off a tech fall over Joshua Greenwood (Morgan State).
*Senior Stout won his final dual by default, claiming Penn’s last six points in the regular season.
How It Happened
Gallagher gave the Red and Blue a lead they would not let up, … story at … Pennathletics.com/Wrestling-celebrates-senior-day-with-a-43-4-win-over-morgan-state


February 29, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Carolinas Colleges News & Results

Reyes Tabbed as Women’s Wrestling Coach
MONTREAT, N.C.— Montreat College Athletics has announced the hiring of Koby Reyes as the third head coach in the history of its women’s wrestling program. Reyes begins his duties with the team immediately.
Prior to Montreat, Reyes spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the men’s wrestling squad at Southeastern University. Through his time at SEU, the Fire amassed 23 national qualifiers, 12 All-Americans and a pair of national champions.
From 2021 into 2022, Reyes was an assistant with the Arizona Christian University Firestorm. The Billings, Mont. native saw five national qualifiers and an All-American go through the program while on the staff.
Before coaching, Reyes competed as an athlete at a trio of NCAA Division I institutions. He began his career at Arizona State, wrestled at Boise State in 2017 and finished his college career at Purdue from 2017 to 2019. “I am grateful to be selected by the Montreat College administration to lead the women’s wrestling program,” said Reyes of his hiring. “I believe the Lord has made it clear that my family … story at … Montreatcavaliers.com/Womens-wrestling-reyes-tabbed-as-womens-wrestling-coach
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No. 24 Wrestling Ends Regular Season with 45-3 SoCon Win
BOONE, N.C. — Ranked No. 24 in the country, App State Wrestling closed the regular season with a 45-3 home win against Gardner-Webb on Senior Day in Varsity Gym.  
The Mountaineers (10-4, 7-1 SoCon) won 62 of 70 individual matches in their seven SoCon victories during the regular season, including nine of 10 on Sunday against the Runnin’ Bulldogs (7-9, 3-5). Will Miller (165 pounds), Luke Uliano (174), Chad Bellis (125) and Kaden Keiser (in the 149 finale) all recorded pins for App State, which earned at least one bonus point in all nine victories.
Tommy Askey opened the dual with a tech fall at 157, while wins by major decision came from Carson Floyd (197), Triston Norris (season debut at heavyweight), Ethan Oakley (133) and Ike Byers (141).
Gardner-Webb’s Jha’Quan Anderson, a two-time NCAA qualifier ranked 28th at 184 pounds, won a 7-3 decision against freshman Tomas Brooker.
The Mountaineers improved to 66-6 in SoCon duals over the past 10 years. Miller needed just 99 seconds to record his pin, and Keiser ended the dual just 43 seconds after he took the mat for his first start at 149 pounds. He opened the regular season with a start at 141. Before the dual, App State recognized four wrestlers on Senior Day: Byers, Cody Bond, Jacob Sartorio and Heath Gonyer. … story at … APPstatesports.com/Wrestling-ends-regular-season-with-45-3-socon-win
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Davidson University Sweeps Queens and Presbyterian on Senior Day
DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Davidson wrestling team sent their seniors out in style with a pair of 40-point shutouts over Queens and Presbyterian on Friday night. In all, the Wildcats collected a dozen extra-point wins between the two duals. Davidson’s seniors went 7-0 in regulation with three pins, a major, and three decisions. Jake Fernicola pinned his opponent late in the third period during his first match of the night then won 4-1 in his second match. Bryce Sanderlin picked up a 10-2 major decision over Queens and an 8-1 decision against Presbyterian. Cameo Blankenship earned a 4-1 decision over Queens before a stunning first-period pin over Presbyterian. Jaden Hardrick won his match at 174 pounds with a comeback 7-4 victory against the Royals.
Tyler-Xavier McKnight reached the 20-win milestone with a 19-4 tech fall over Queens and a win by forfeit in the second dual. He became just the third Wildcat to do so since 2015 after Sanderlin eclipsed 20 wins last year and Scott Patrick in 2015. Tanner Peake got a win by forfeit then ripped off a second-period tech fall over Presby to end the day 2-0. Hale Robinson earned a pair of gritty wins in 3-1 and 2-1 decisions at 133. Joshua Viarengo also got a tech fall, 18-3, in his match with Queens along with a 4-0 shutout in his second bout. Freshmen Wyatt Ferguson and Brady Joling earned a pair of wins. … story at … Davidsonwildcats.com/Wrestling-sweeps-queens-and-presbyterian-on-senior-day
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UNC Wrestling Defeats Duke Friday Night, 41-9
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – On Senior Night, the North Carolina wrestling team (11-7, 3-2 ACC) won eight matches on the night over Duke, cruising to a 41-9 victory in Carmichael Arena. The win for the Tar Heels is the largest margin of victory over Duke since the 2019-20 campaign.  Against the Blue Devils, Carolina collected three falls, two technical falls, one major decision, one decision and a forfeit. Beginning the night at 125 pounds, Spencer Moore earned the first period pin over Logan Agin. The Tar Heels then rattled off seven-straight victories, started by a decision from Jace Palmer (133). Carolina earned back-to-back technical falls courtesy of Jayden Scott (149) and Sonny Santiago (157), followed by a fall from Isaias Estrada (165) and a forfeit win credited to Tyler Eischens (174). Rounding out the Carolina victories, Gavin Kane (184) and Max Shaw (197) cruised in their matchups, with a major decision and fall, respectively. … story at … GOheels.com/Wrestling-defeats-duke-friday-night-41-9
And …

Connaghan Promoted to Head Men’s Wrestling Coach
MONTREAT, N.C.— Jim Connaghan, who was named the associate head coach for the Montreat men’s wrestling program in May, has been promoted to head coach as announced by the athletic department this month.  
Connaghan captained the Cavaliers to a 4-10 overall record and a 4-6 record in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) in his first year at the helm. Montreat won three straight duals in January of 2024, and a pair of athletes captured AAC Wrestler of the Week honors under his guidance.
During the 2022-23 school year, Connaghan assisted with the wrestling programs at Montreat. While obtaining his degree in exercise science from the college, the Englewood, Fla. native held a student assistant position with men’s wrestling and acted as a strength and conditioning coach for both wrestling programs. … story at … Montreatcavaliers.com/Connaghan-promoted-to-head-mens-wrestling-coach

February 28, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

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