Updated: Burroughs wins gold at Kunaev DA in Kazakhstan, McKenna beats Diakomihalis in 65 kg semifinals
TARAZ CITY, Kazakhstan – 2012 Olympic champion and six-time World champion Jordan Burroughs (Philadelphia, Pa./Sunkist Kids/Pennsylvania RTC) won a gold medal at 74 kg at the Kunaev DA International on Saturday.
He opened up his offense in a 15-4 technical fall victory over 2018 and 2019 U20 World bronze medalist Syrbaz Talgat of Kazakhstan in the gold-medal finals. Talgat scored the opening takedown and added an ankle lace turn for a 4-0 lead. After Burroughs forced a step out, he added a low double leg takedown and a turn for a 5-4 lead at the break. In the second period, Burroughs stuck again with a takedown, then secured an ankle lace, turning Talgat four times to finish off the technical fall.
Burroughs powered through four rounds of action on Friday to reach the finals, including a 10-0 technical fall win over Yerbarys Satybaldy of Kazakhstan in the semifinals. Burroughs is down to 74 kg, the weight where he won his Olympic title and four of his World titles, for the first time since the finals of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Fort Worth, Texas in April 2021. He won his Olympic gold and four of his World titles at 74 kg and added two World titles at 79 kg.
Two U.S. Senior Freestyle National Team members reached the semifinals at 65 kg, where Joey McKenna (Philadelphia, Pa./Titan Mercury WC/Pennsylvania RTC) defeated 2022 World silver medalist Yianni Diakomihalis … rest of story at … Themat.com/news/2023/nov/04/burroughs-wins-gold-at-kunaev-da-in-kazakhstan-mckenna-beats-diakomihalis-in-65-kg-semifinals
Longtime UNCP wrestling coach P.J. Smith dies
PEMBROKE — After an extraordinary life with an impact stretching far beyond The University of North Carolina at Pembroke wrestling program that he led for a quarter-century, P.J. Smith died Monday. He was 76. A member of the NCAA Wrestling, North Carolina Wrestling and UNCP Athletics halls of fame, Smith served as UNCP’s head wrestling coach from 1982 to 2006. “UNCP wrestling, UNC Pembroke, Robeson County, North Carolina, the wrestling community nationally — we lost a good one today, man,” said current UNCP wrestling coach O.T. Johnson, who has known Smith for about 25 years. “I’m not going to lie — this one hits different.”
Smith held a 255-150-3 record with the Braves, coached 33 All-Americans and 13 academic All-Americans, and led his team to two top-10 finishes at the NCAA Division-II national tournament — though much of what he accomplished while coaching the Braves can’t be measured with statistics. “His attention to detail, his ability to motivate (made him a good coach),” said Justin Winans, who wrestled for Smith from 1996-99 and is now UNCP’s director of campus recreation. “He made you focus on the little things, and it was more about — I know it’s a cliche, but it’s more about the journey than the conclusion or the destination. He helped develop men, not just wrestlers.”
Smith was known for giving opportunities to wrestlers from less-advantaged backgrounds, even going so far as to open his home for those within the UNCP Athletics community who needed a place to stay. “He never looked down on anyone, especially people that were not in good situations,” Winans said. “He was an advocate for reaching your hand out and making sure that the least of us was pulled along for the ride.” “For him, it was about taking care of people,” Johnson said. “He was a servant leader, and that showed in every action he had, everything he did. Even in retirement he was involved in making sure kids that don’t have could get.”
Johnson, who became an assistant coach for the Braves at the same time that Smith retired in 2006 and has been head coach since 2011, said Smith would call after the college season each year to ask if any Braves wrestlers had old wrestling shoes that Smith could use to give to underprivileged children, allowing them to have the equipment to become involved in the sport.
Smith also taught countless local children how to swim through the UNCP swimming school, which he ran in the summer months, hiring individuals from within the wrestling program to work the camps, and helped numerous people become certified as lifeguards. “Being a part of it, working the swim school and taking my daughter through the swim school with Coach Smith is something I’ll never forget,” Johnson said. “The guy did it his way, in all facets.”
He was also involved in the American Red Cross, and did much work behind the scenes to encourage the establishment of wrestling programs at local high schools and even other colleges. “Those are all things that I’m not sure a lot of people are aware of that he did,” former UNCP athletic director Dan Kenney said. “I think that what I would say about P.J. is he obviously is a Hall of Fame member of our athletic family, but I think P.J. did so much more behind the scenes, beyond even wrestling.”
But while Smith’s impact extended far beyond the mat, what he’ll be most remembered for is his role coaching the Braves and his overall dedication to the sport. … rest of story at … Robesonian.com/sports/Longtime-uncp-wrestling-coach-p-j-smith-dies
Greensboro College Josh Wilson Takes Home ODAC Wrestler of the Week
Greensboro, NC – Junior Josh Wilson was awarded with the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Lighter Weight Wrestler of the Week on Monday.
Last week, Wilson defeated two Division I wrestlers, including Derek Guanajuato from the University of North Carolina and Anatah Manibushan of Queens University of Charlotte. Wilson then competed in the Ithaca Invitational on Friday and Saturday, taking home the championship in the 141 pound weight class and the Most Outstanding Wrestler award.
In the championship match of the Ithaca Invitational, Wilson defeated All-American James Rodriguez from Castleton … rest of story … Greensborocollegesports.com/Wilson-takes-home-odac-wrestler-of-the-week
No. 15 Wrestling Dominates Cal Poly, Duke in Season Opener
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – No. 15 Rutgers wrestling (2-0, 0-0) delivered convincing victories in its first two matches of the season, defeating RV Cal Poly, 31-10, and Duke, 47-0, on Friday night in San Luis Obispo, California. The Scarlet Knights won 17 out of 20 bouts during their two-match sweep, which included 13 victories by bonus.
No. 6 Dean Peterson (125), No. 10 Brian Soldano (184), No. 16 Dylan Shawver (133) and No. 17 Mitch Moore (141) recorded falls on Friday night. Moore, No. 6 Yaraslau Slavikouski (HWT) and No. 25 Jacob Butler (149) all delivered wins in their highly anticipated RU debuts after arriving over the summer as graduate transfers. Joe Fongaro (141) and Shane Cartagena-Walsh (174) also recorded wins in their varsity debuts.
No. 12 John Poznanski (197) and No. 24 Anthony White (165) collected two tech falls apiece.
“Really fired up about our guys wrestling hard and taking care of business against these two teams on the west coast,” said head coach Scott Goodale. “We scored a lot of bonus points tonight which is encouraging. Now we’re looking forward to getting home and filling up Jersey Mike’s Arena against Virginia Tech in two weeks.”
Rutgers opened the night against the Blue Devils and wasted no time thanks to back-to-back pins from Peterson and Shawver. Peterson worked a first-period fall, while Shawver’s pin gave the Scarlet Knights a quick 12-0 lead.
Fongaro followed in his varsity dual debut with an 8-4 decision. … rest of story at … Scarletknights.com/No-15-wrestling-dominates-cal-poly-duke-in-season-opener
Also
Stanford Dominates Duke
STANFORD, Calif. – In its season opener, Stanford shut out Duke, 41-0, in an outdoor dual at Taube Family Tennis Center. The Cardinal began the Chris Ayres‘ era in dominating fashion, winning all 10 bouts including six by bonus points. Sophomore Nico Provo, ranked No. 23 at 125 pounds, started things off for the Cardinal with an 8-1 decision over Logan Agin. He scored a pair of takedowns and tallied an escape and 1:54 of riding time. Half of Stanford’s wins came by technical fall. True freshman Tyler Knox earned the first one for the Cardinal at 133 pounds, winning 21-5 in 4:37 over Raymond Adams in his collegiate debut. Senior 141-pounder Jason Miranda followed up with a tech fall of his own, shutting out Duke’s Peter Chacon, 15-0, in 3:55. Ranked 10th nationally, Jaden Abas pushed the team score to 16-0 with a 12-7 decision over Jarred Papcsy at 149 pounds. Also ranked 10th in the country, sophomore Daniel Cardenas made it 21-0 Stanford with a 19-4 technical fall over Logan Ferrero in 5:00. True freshman Zach Hanson picked up a 10-3 decision over Gaetano Console at 165 pounds, while classmate Lorenzo Norman earned a 20-3 technical fall in 3:41 over Jack Wimmer at 174 pounds in his Cardinal debut. Sophomore Jack Darrah, who won gold at 92 kg at the U20 Pan American Championships in Santiago, Chile over the summer, kept the momentum going for Stanford with a 4-2 decision over Connor Becker at 184 pounds. Senior Nick Stemmet, ranked No. 13 at 197 pounds, was dominant in an 18-3 (2:05) … rest of story at … https://gostanford.com/news/2023/11/4/wrestling-stanford-dominates-duke.aspx
And
Cal Poly Bullies Duke, Falls Short to No. 14 Rutgers in Season-Opening Duals
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Cal Poly wrestling opened the 2023-24 season and its 75th year as a program with a pair of duals Friday at the Mott Athletics Center.
In front of 1,287 fans, the Mustangs, who received eight votes in the preseason NWCA Coaches Poll, throttled Duke 38-6 to open the night before falling in a hard-fought battle with No. 14 Rutgers, 31-10.
In the matchup with the Blue Devils, Cal Poly secured five wins via technical fall, one by fall and another by majority decision to roll to its first dual victory of the season.
The Mustangs surged out to a 25-0 advantage over Duke in the first five bouts thanks to a 20-3 technical fall by redshirt freshman Dom Mendez at 125 pounds, a 19-3 technical fall by redshirt freshman Zeth Romney at 133, a 19-6 majority decision by redshirt sophomore Abe Hinrichsen at 141, a 21-6 technical fall by redshirt sophomore Chance Lamer at 149 and a fall by redshirt junior Legend Lamer 2:11 into his match at 157.
Chance and Legend were two of three wrestlers for the Mustangs to post a perfect 2-0 record across the duals. Legend, who secured Cal Poly’s only pin on the night, capped off his night by earning a 4-2 decision over Rutgers’ Al Desantis. In his Mustang debut, Chance, a transfer from Michigan, impressed securing a whooping 11 takedowns across his two bouts, including seven in his technical fall victory against the Blue Devils. In the dual with the Scarlet Knights, Chance — currently ranked seventh in the nation at 149 pounds — cruised to a 14-5 majority decision.
The other Mustang that went undefeated across the two duals was graduate student Adam Kemp. At 174 pounds, Kemp showcased why he will be a force to be reckoned with this season, grabbing five takedowns in a 18-3 technical fall drubbing of Duke’s Jake Wimmer. … rest of story at … GOpoly.com/news/2023/11/3/wrestling-cal-poly-bullies-duke-falls-short-to-no-14-rutgers-in-season-opening-duals
And
Cal Poly Wrestling All-Americans honored during 75th season-opening dual match against Duke and Rutgers
Legends that graced the mats as Mustang All-Americans joined together again in front of 1,287 fans as Cal Poly wrestling opened up its 2023-2024 season and its 75th year as a program with duals against Duke and Rutgers on Friday.
Cal Poly stomped on Duke 38-6 to open the night before falling to No. 14 Rutgers, 31-10. The Mustangs came out with a 25-0 advantage over Duke in the first five bouts. It was a different story against the Scarlet Knights, who entered Friday’s dual as one of only seven schools in the country with a ranked wrestler in all 10 weight classes. Chance Lamer, Legend Lamer, and Adam Kemp led the way for the Mustangs and went undefeated across their two duals. Legend secured Cal Poly’s only pin on the night and finished his night off with a 4-2 decision over Rutgers’ Al Desantis. Michigan transfer, Chance, had 11 takedowns across his two bouts. … rest of story at … KSBY.com/sports/cal-poly-wrestling-all-americans-honored-during-75th-season-opening-dual-match-against-duke-and-rutgers
Battle at Liberty, Collegiate Wrestling
FORT LIBERTY, NC – Collegiate athletes from across the country participated in ‘Battle at Liberty’, a wrestling competition held on Fort Liberty, N.C., Nov. 1, 2023. The event brought together local community, high school and college wrestlers and Soldiers alike.
An aircraft hangar on Pope Field served as a unique backdrop to an extraordinary performance by competitors. Campbell University Fighting Camels took home the win for the season opener 25-9 against the Black Knights, the Army West Point wrestling team. North Carolina State swept Presbyterian College men’s wrestling squad 48-0.
Among those in attendance was Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue, XVIII Airborne Corps commanding general. “This is an incredibly important event, first and foremost, to ensure we have a relationship with the community,” said Donahue. “Without our community, we can’t do what we do every day.”
On the same night Fort Liberty hosted a match between Presbyterian College and North Carolina State. North Carolina State Wolfpack swept Presbyterian College Blue Hose squad 48-0.
Another role this event served was to bolster Army recruitment in the area of athletics, college and high school. Athletes make great soldiers, said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Ramon Ramos, Raleigh Recruiting Battalion commander. … rest of story at … Army.mil/article/271383/battle_at_liberty_collegiate_wrestling
UNC WRESTLING CRUISES TO PAIR OF VICTORIES AT CAROLINA DUALS
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The 25th-ranked North Carolina wrestling team (2-1) cruised to a pair of dual victories to begin the day, defeating Queens (41-10) and Greensboro College (48-3), before falling to No. 20 Oregon State (24-13) to cap off the Carolina Duals.
Against the Royals, Carolina collected a fall each from the trio of Jayden Scott (149), Sonny Santiago (157) and Isaias Estrada (165). In addition, the quartet of Spencer Moore (125), Caden McCrary (133), Lachlan McNeil (141) and Max Shaw (197) earned technical fall victories in the matchup.
The Tar Heel victory over Queens was the first dual victory for head coach Rob Koll at Carolina. In the second session against Greensboro College, Connor Alexander (149), Marcus Murabito (165) and Sabino Portella (174) were victorious by technical fall, with Chris Salazar (184) earning the first period pin. Facing No. 20 Oregon State in the nightcap, … rest of story at … GOheels.com/news/2023/11/2/wrestling-cruises-to-pair-of-victories-at-carolina-duals
Also
Queens University Royals Open 2023-24 Campaign at Carolina Duals
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte wrestling team opened their 2023-24 campaign today at the Carolina Duals facing No. 20 Oregon State, No. 25 UNC Chapel Hill, and Greensboro College.
Results
Queens 0 | Oregon State 58
Queens 10 | UNC 41
Queens 52 | Greensboro 2
How it Happened
- Facing five individually-ranked opponents in the meet with Oregon State, the Royals would drop eight matches to falls.
- The Royals collected two wins over the Tar Heels as D’Andree Hunt collected a major decision win over Chris Salazar. Jamikael Lytle then defeated No. 33 Aydin Guttridge in the heavyweight class via fall.
- The Royals picked up their first win of the season defeating DIII Greensboro College. Queens collected two major decisions and two tech falls in the meet. Additionally Hunt, Lytle, and Kuhn each won their matches via fall.
… rest of story at … Queensathletics.com/news/2023/11/2/mens-wrestling-royals-open-2023-24-campaign-at-carolina-duals
Millersville lives up to special setting in rout of York at Cooper Park
MILLERSVILLE, Pa – In the first ever outdoor match in program history hosted on a cloudless fall day in Cooper Park, No. 23 Millersville wrestling ran away with a 35-6 win in their dual meet against York College Thursday.
With the wrestling mat situated between the field’s home plate and pitchers mound and teams seated in the dugouts, Millersville received pins from No. 3 Devin Flannery and No. 10 Anthony Giampietro as well as three major decisions and a tech fall in the one-sided performance.
Bryce Beatty (125) took the mat and asserted his dominance from the get-go with three takedowns against Jacob Delvecchio to win by decision, 11-4. Flannery kept Millersville rolling and secured a quick fall at 1:59 after two takedowns of Coleman Ermi. No. 11 ranked Craig Cook also raked in the points as he won by a 20-5 technical fall to give the Marauders an early 14-3 lead.
A standout performance came from No. 10 ranked Anthony Giampietro at 184 pounds. Giampietro, who missed the final three months of the season with a serious shoulder injury, returned to the lineup and scored a fall in 30 seconds to acquire six more points for the Marauders. Eli Tuckey Andrew Vogelbacher, Riley O’Boyle, and Bishop McCoy all won by major decision in their match-ups as well. … rest of story at … Millersvilleathletics.com/news/2023/11/2/millersville-york
NCWA hopes Tarleton State program helps others ‘Fast Start’ to varsity level
By Mike Finn
Jim Giunta, the founder of the National Collegiate Wrestling Association, still has the same mission and passion he had back in 1997 when the NCWA first provided college wrestling opportunities that the NCAA and NAIA could not.
“We have created a legitimate national championship for these schools and have men’s and women’s programs fully funded by their athletic departments,” said Giunta, who also does not want wrestling fans to look at the NCWA as a college club wrestling association.
This story appeared in the Nov. 2 issue of WIN Magazine. Click on the cover to subscribe.
One of the NCWA’s main goals is to help these programs reach varsity status. And with the help of the Texas Collegiate Wrestling Foundation, which he also oversees, they hope to make Tarleton State the Lone Star State’s first NCAA Division I program in what the NCWA has called a “Fast-Start Plan.”
Giunta, who lives in Dallas, is from a state that has over 10,000 boys and over 5,000 high school girls competing in wresting, but there are no NCAA Division I programs. He believes that can happen with Tarleton State, a smaller NCAA Div. I school that competes in the Western Athletic Conference.
“Our plan is designed to allow us to get athletes on the mat immediately, rather than wait a couple seasons,” said Giunta, adding that the 100-year-old school in Stephenville, Texas, could be that program. “We started the TCWF as a way to raise funds so that when we went to a college, we could show we are serious about building a program. There are so many false starts, not only in Texas, where people say they are going to have a program, but nothing happens. “We wanted to stop that trend, so we asked what it would take to get this program started at Tarleton, which was super open to talking about this. Their president (Dr. James Hurley) is very forward thinking and is kind of a visionary in what he sees that college becoming.
“He sees athletics as a big part of moving to the next level and becoming a larger school. Wrestling is one of the sports they are considering as part of that plan. “But they are also honest in saying, ‘We need some money to help us get this thing off the ground. The agreement was that we would come up with $5 million as a foundation to do that, including $2 million for them to do the launch.”
Giunta admitted that the TCWF had a “pretty short run” to get this all together. “We had about three months so they could announce it in August,” he said. “That was a pretty short runway for us to go find big donors. Normally, you have to develop a little bit of a relationship before they are going to give you a half a million bucks.
“We weren’t able to reach the Aug. 15 deadline, but (Tarleton State) was very nice and said they want the wrestling program but can’t do it until we get $2 million.”
Giunta said the school gave them an extension to raise the money and agreed to first start an NCWA program and find a way to make it an NCAA Division I program. The TCWF then hired Grant Leeth, the former Missouri All-American and Stanford assistant coach as its first head coach. … rest of story at … WIN-magazine.com/2023/11/01/ncwa-hopes-tarleton-state-program-helps-others-fast-start-to-varsity-level
Nebraska’s Peyton Robb overcame an “all-too-real” pain
By Mike Finn
After coaching NCAA Division I wrestling for a quarter of a century, Nebraska mentor Mark Manning has dealt with many different personalities. In Peyton Robb, the Huskers’ two-time All-American, Manning sees something unique about his sixth-year senior from Owatonna, Minn.. “He has a very confident demeanor and calmness about him,” said Manning, who is about to start his 23rd season in Lincoln, Neb. “What I see in him right now is a very focused, more mentally tough, grateful young man, who is happy doing what he loves.”
This story appears in the Nov. 2 issue of WIN Magazine. Click on the cover or call 888-305-0606 to subscribe.
Fortunately, Robb is going to make the most of his final year in college wrestling at 157 pounds … and not just because the pandemic gave him and other college wrestlers an extra season to reach their goals. The 23-year-old Robb is also just happy to be alive. For the pain of settling for sixth place last March at the NCAA Division I Championships in Tulsa, Okla., paled in comparison to what awaited him a few days later in Lincoln, where a flesh-eating infection put him in the emergency room for several weeks; leaving many wondering if Robb’s health nightmare would allow him to ever leave that hospital alive, much less back into the Husker wrestling room. Many people knew the Husker was forced to injury default his sixth-place match in Tulsa, but few understood what was happening when social media reported that Robb was in critical condition a few days later. … rest of story at … Win-magazine.com/2023/10/31/nebraskas-peyton-robb-overcame-an-all-too-real-pain
NCAA Division III National Champion Speaks To Sidney Middle School Wrestlers
NCAA Division III National Champion and 2001 Dan Hodge Trophy winner Nick Ackerman spoke to Sidney Middle School wrestlers Oct. 19. He visited with them following practice in the Sidney High School wrestling room.
Ackerman is not a typical wrestler and not a typical champion. As a young child he was afflicted with spinal meningitis resulting in the amputation of both of his legs to save his life. It was only through hard work and perseverance that Ackerman reached the top of college wrestling.
He started his wrestling career in the third grade. “I got beat a lot. I had a lot of coaches that believed in me,” Ackerman said. “My freshman year of college they didn’t say this guy is going to win a national title and win the Hodge Trophy that year. Then go on to be this excellent, exceptional wrestler.”
Ackerman finished his college senior year with a 38-4 record with 13 pins. In the 2001 NCAA Division III finals he defeated defending national champion Nick Slack for the 174-lb title. Ackerman broke Slacks 60 match undefeated winning streak. Also, that year, he won the Dan Hodge Trophy along with four time NCAA Division I champion Cael Sanderson. The Dan Hodge Trophy is collegiate wrestling’s equivalent to the Heisman Trophy.
Ackerman stressed three important steps to take to become successful. These steps include surrounding yourself with exceptional people, believe in yourself and don’t complain. “You can’t beat a guy that doesn’t quit,” Ackerman stated. … rest of inspiring story at … Roundupweb.com/sports/ncaa-division-iii-national-champion-speaks-to-sidney-middle-school-wrestlers
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 
