Coalition leaders react to NCAA announcement that women’s wrestling is “on track for championship consideration”
A major milestone for women’s wrestling was achieved this past week, with the announcement from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) that women’s wrestling is “on track for championship consideration.”
Women’s wrestling is currently one of six sports in the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program, along with acrobatics and tumbling, equestrian, rugby, stunt and triathlon. From this group, wrestling became the most recent to meet the requirements to be considered for an NCAA Championship.
In a press release update about the Emerging Sports for Women program, the NCAA announced that “women’s wrestling is on track to become the NCAA’s 91st NCAA championship, based on the latest sports sponsorship data released this month.”
Women’s wrestling reached a major milestone when “more than 40 schools sponsored women’s wrestling at the varsity level and met the sport’s minimum competition and participant requirements in the 2022-23 academic year,” according to the NCAA release.
In 2017, a coalition of wrestling organizations made its initial application to the NCAA’s Committee on Women’s Athletics for Emerging Sport Status. The coalition updated its application in 2018, which then moved forward through the NCAA process. In 2020, all three divisions of the NCAA (Div. I, Div. II and Div. III) approved women’s wrestling as an NCAA Emerging Sport for Women.
Leaders from the wrestling organization in the women’s wrestling coalition that made the application and guided the sport through the NCAA process, have provided their comments about the sport now moving forward toward an official NCAA Championships.
Rich Bender, Executive Director, USA Wrestling
“This is wonderful news for women’s wrestling in America, the culmination of years of tireless efforts by many to provide the platform for women to wrestle on college’s highest stage. The best is yet to come for women’s wrestling in the United States.”
Sally Roberts, Founder and CEO, Wrestle Like A Girl
“This NCAA announcement is a landmark for women’s wrestling, signaling a transformative era for the sport. Through the combined advocacy by numerous partners at the high school and collegiate level, we’ve seen transformative growth in the number of girls and women participating in wrestling. This isn’t just about wrestling; it’s about creating expanded opportunities for young women, especially from first-generation college families, to pursue higher education and leadership roles. As we celebrate this milestone, our sights are set on the boundless potential and future of these emerging leaders in the sport.”
Mike Moyer, Executive Director, National Wrestling Coaches Association
“On behalf of the NWCA Board of Directors and our President, Coach Tony Ersland, we want to extend a heartfelt thanks … Read the complete NCAA announcement below:
Emerging Sports for Women update: Women’s wrestling on track for championship consideration
https://www.ncaa.org/news/2023/10/17/media-center-emerging-sports-for-women-update-womens-wrestling-on-track-for-championship-consideration.aspx
In its update on the six Emerging Sports, the NCAA reported the status of women’s wrestling for the 2022-23 academic year:
Women’s wrestling
2022-23: 51 teams reported sponsoring women’s wrestling, a 12-school uptick from 2021-22. Division III accounted for 30 schools in the 2022-23 sponsorship data, followed by 19 in Division II and two in Division I.
Average roster size: 15.
Season of competition Winter.
The women’s wrestling coalition is proud to announce that women’s wrestling continues its amazing growth at the NCAA level. There are 96 NCAA athletic departments which currently have a women’s wrestling varsity program or have announced that they are in the process of creating a women’s wrestling varsity team that will begin competition in the near future.
Wrestling for girls and women continues to grow rapidly across the nation and around the world. … rest of story at … NWCAonline.com/national-wrestling-coaches-association-coalition-leaders-react-to-ncaa-announcement-that-womens-wrestling-is-on-track-for-championship-consideration
Seven to be inducted into Jim Koch Division II Hall of Fame
MANHEIM, Pa.- The Division II Coaches Association is proud to announce the addition of seven members to the Jim Koch Division II Hall of Fame as a part of its class of 2024.
John Davis, Donovan McMahill, Matt Meuleners, Mario Morgan, Josh Shields, Roger Singleton and William Smith will all be inducted into the Jim Koch Hall of Fame July 26 at the Sawgrass Marriott as a part of the 2024 NWCA Convention festivities. Between the seven inductees for 2024 there are 10 Division II National Championships, 17 trips to the NCAA Division II National Finals, and 24 total NCAA Division II All-American finishes.
The first inductee, John Davis, is one of two honorees from Morgan State to be added to the Hall of Fame. Davis excelled in the early 1980s as a member of the Morgan State Bears, where the 158-pounder was a four-time All-American. Davis won DII national titles in 1983 and 1984, after finishing sixth and third in 1981 and ’82, respectively. He was also named the 1984 DII National Championships Most Outstanding Wrestler after winning his title, after a pair of pins en route to his second NCAA championship.
Donovan McMahill was a four-time National Qualifier, three-time All-American, a three-time national finalist, a two-time national champion, and completed his career on a 51-match winning streak for the Mountaineers of Western Colorado. The 2011 Most Outstanding Wrestler of the DII National Championships and DII Wrestler of the Year after winning his second-straight 197 pound National Championship, McMahill posted a 137-20 career record from 2007-11 for Western Colorado. He was also a three-time NCAA Regional Champion, the 2011 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Wrestler of the Year and the 2008 RMAC Freshman of the Year. The 197-pounder is currently an assistant coach for his alma mater, and was inducted into the Mountaineer Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.
Matt Mueleners was the first 4-time All-American and second 2-time National Champion in Northern State wrestling program history. He is the only Northern State wrestler to win back-to-back national championships in the same weight class, taking the 285-pound championships in 2011 and 2012. A three-time National Finalist, Meuleners was runner up in 2013 and placed eighth at 197 in 2010, in addition to being the first National Champion for the Wolves with his 2011 title. He still holds the NSU record with 145 career wins, and was a four-time NSIC All-Conference performer and named the league’s Wrestler of the Year in the spring of 2012 following both a Super Region Championship and National Championship. Currently the head coach at the University of Sioux Falls, Mueleners was inducted into the Northern State Hall of Fame in 2023.
Mario Morgan was a four-time National Qualifier, three-time All-American and two-time National Finalist for Nebraska-Omaha. The NCAA DII National Champion at 141 pounds as a senior in 2011, Morgan was runner-up at the weight in 2010 as a junior. He was a three-time Regional Champion, and also took third at 141 at the 2009 NCAA Division II National Championships. Morgan sits 12th all-time in career wins for the storied Maverick program with a career record of 130-38, … rest of story at … NWCAonline.com/news/2023/10/24/ncaa-division-2-men-seven-to-be-inducted-into-jim-koch-division-ii-hall-of-fame
Talented U.S. World Team in women’s freestyle receives draw at U23 World Championships
TIRANA, Albania – The talented U.S. U23 World Team in women’s freestyle has received its draw for the U23 World Championships. The U.S. women freestylers will compete in Tirana, October 25-27.
Two-time Senior World champion and returning U23 World champion Amit Elor opens her 72 kg competition against 2020 Olympian and 2020 African Senior champion Zaneb Sghaier of Tunisia. In the top half-bracket, she could again face Wiktoria Choluj of Poland, who she beat in the 2022 U23 World finals.
At 65 kg, 2023 Senior World silver medalist and five-time age-group World medalist Macey Kilty draws Gilbery Garcia Franco of Venezuela, who was ninth in 2021 Pan American U23 Championships, in a pig-tail match. Kilty is in the top half-bracket. A win would put her against 2023 U20 World bronze medalist Ksenia Tsiarena (AIN-Belarus). Also in her half bracket is 2021 Senior World champion and three-time Senior World medalist Irina Ringaci of Moldova.
Overall, there are eight athletes on the U.S. U23 World Team who are on the Senior National Team for the United States, earning a ranking in the top three in the nation at their weight class. Seven of these athletes have won at least one age-group World medal in the past. Joining Elor and Kilty from the Senior National Team are Audrey Jimenez (50 kg), Katie Gomez (53 kg), Alisha Howk (55 kg), Xochitl Mota-Pettis (57 kg), Adaugo Nwachukwu (62 kg) and Kennedy Blades (76 kg).
Jimenez, who boasts three age-group World medals, opens against Ana Maria Torres Rubio of Spain, who was fifth in the 2016 and 2017 U17 World Championships. Jimenez is in the bottom bracket, and faces athletes from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, AIN-Russia, UWW-India and Moldova in her half-bracket.
Gomez, a 2021 U17 World champion and two-time age-group World medalist, will compete first against Beatrice Ferent of Romania, … rest of story at … Themat.com/Talented-u-s-world-team-in-women-s-freestyle-receives-draw-at-u23-world-championships
Penn State Wrestler Aaron Brooks Rolls to U23 World Championship
Nittany Lion standout goes 5-0 in Albania to win U23 86kg title
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler Aaron Brooks represented Penn State and Team USA at the United World Wrestling U23 World Championships in Tirana, Albania, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Brooks went 5-0 at 86 kg to win the U23 crown and become World Champion.
Brooks began the tournament with three impressive wins on Tuesday to advance to the semifinals. He posted a win over Turkey’s Ismail Kucuksolak and then rolled to a 10-0 technical fall over Owen James Martin of Canada. He then notched a quarterfinal victory over Moldova’s Ivan Ichizli to advance to the semifinals, going 4-0 on day one.
Brooks took on Arslan Bagaev of the Individual Neutral Athletes in the semis and worked his way to a 5-4 win. He met Tatsuya Shirai of Japan in the title bout on Wednesday. In Wednesday’s final against Shirai, Brooks opened up a 2-0 lead one minute into the first period. He dominated the opening period, notching a total of three takedowns, one four-pointer and a leg lace to end the bout, posting the 10-0 tech fall to win his world title.
Brooks is a four-time All-American and three-time NCAA Champion at 184 pounds. He returns for his final season this year when Penn State begins the new campaign.
The Nittany Lions open the 2023-24 campaign by taking part in the Journeymen Collegiate Classic on Sunday, Nov. 12. The round-robin individual event will take place at Freedom High School in Bethlehem, Pa. Penn State is coming off a season that saw it win its 10th NCAA National Championship under head coach Cael Sanderson (and the 11th in school history). The Nittany Lions also won the Big Ten Championship, the Big Ten Regular Season Championship and finished the year with a 16-0 dual meet record, 8-0 in the Big Ten. … rest of story at … GOpsusports.com/wrestling-penn-state-wrestler-aaron-brooks-rolls-to-u23-world-championship
O’Toole, Brooks, Hendrickson win gold, Cardenas captures bronze, Trumble in finals
BY SAVANNAH ASMANN, USA WRESTLING
The United States has more than one U23 World Champion in men’s freestyle for the first time in history. Keegan O’Toole, Aaron Brooks and Wyatt Hendrickson are 2023 U23 World Champions. Jacob Cardenas won a bronze medal, and the men’s freestyle team has the opportunity to capture eight World medals in Tirana, Albania.
The second group of men’s freestyle athletes saw Isaac Trumble advance to the finals, Doug Zapf earn a spot in the bronze medal match, and Cooper Flynn and Brock Hardy are in repechage.
Keegan O’Toole is a two-time age-group World Champion. In his finals match, O’Toole snagged two first period takedowns to lead 4-1 at the break. He added a takedown in the second period to defeat Imam Ganishov of (Individual Neutral Athlete) in the finals at 74 kg.
At 86 kg, Aaron Brooks was commanding in his finals match, dominating his opponent and winning by 10-0 technical fall. Brooks used three takedowns, one four-point move and tied up a leg lace to end it early. He returns to the top of the podium at an age-group World Championships, a place he knows all too well.
Wyatt Hendrickson became a U23 World Champion after besting Adil Misirci of Turkey in the finals at 125 kg. Hendrickson took a quick lead in the first period before unleashing an explosion on offense in the second period that led to a 13-3 technical fall. Hendrickson medals in just his second trip to an age-group World Championships.
It was a bronze medal for Jacob Cardenas as the United States went four-for-four in medal matches today. Cardenas scored the go-ahead takedown with just 33 seconds left in the contest. He is the second two-time U23 medalist in men’s freestyle for the United States.
Julian Chlebove’s tournament run came to an end in the morning session. Chlebove faced Mezhlum Mezhlumyan of Armenia in his repechage match, falling 11-0. Mezhlumyan is a 2023 U23 European Championships silver medalist.
In group two, Isaac Trumble secured a spot in the finals at 97 kg. Trumble navigated his way through a tough bracket, picking up wins over 2023 European Championships silver medalist Otkay Ciftci of Turkey and six time age-group World Team member Sergey Sargsyan of Armenia. Trumble will face Radu Lefter of Moldova in the finals tomorrow.
Doug Zapf guaranteed himself a spot in the bronze medal match, … rest of story at … Themat.com/news/2023/october/24/o-toole-brooks-hendrickson-win-gold-cardenas-captures-bronze-trumble-in-finals
Off-Season Transfers Will Fuel This Season’s NCAA Team Race
Here are the top transfers to keep an eye on as the 2023-24 college wrestling season begins
Several programs will benefit from the transfer portal this season. Most of the top teams look different thanks to key acquisitions. Below is a look at the top wrestlers who transferred during the off-season.
Penn State
125: Kurt McHenry (Michigan)
133: Aaron Nagao (Minnesota)
157/165: Mitchell Mesenbrink (Cal Baptist)
184: Bernie Truax (Cal Poly)
The Nittany Lions bolstered their powerful lineup with three wrestlers who will be in title contention. Nagao placed fifth at the 2023 NCAA Championships and will replace two-time NCAA champion and three-time finalist Roman Bravo-Young.
Mesenbrink only wrestled two matches for Cal Baptist but won a U20 World title and will be a factor if he’s in the line-up, while Bernie Truax is a three-time fourth-place finisher at nationals at three different weights.
McHenry, a two-time Cadet World champion, never saw the starting lineup at the end of the year for Michigan but be a factor at 125 for Penn State. He took undefeated Richie Figueroa of Arizona State to overtime and will compete with Robbie Howard for the spot.
Iowa
125: Joey Cruz (Oklahoma)
149: Victor Voinovich (Oklahoma State)
157: Jared Franek (North Dakota State)
165: Michael Caliendo (North Dakota State)
Franek and Caliendo were All-Americans last season for North Dakota State and will factor heavily into Iowa’s success. Franek and Caliendo will take on a pair of returning Hawkeye national qualifiers Cobe Siebrecht (157) and Patrick Kennedy (165) for their respective spots.
Voinovich replaces Max Murin who graduated following a sixth-place finish at nationals and three appearances in the Round of 12. Cruz could see time at 125 depending on when Drake Ayala is ready to go.
Michigan
125: Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern)
133: Chris Cannon (Northwestern)
174: Shane Griffith (Stanford)
285: Lucas Davison (Northwestern)
A trio of Northwestern All-Americans and an NCAA champion from Stanford puts the Wolverines squarely in the trophy hunt. DeAugustino replaces Jack Medley, Chris Cannon takes over for Dylan Ragusin who is likely redshirting, … rest of story at … Flowrestling.org/Off-season-transfers-will-fuel-this-seasons-ncaa-team-race
2023-24’s Top 50 Collegiate Wrestlers: #21-#25
What has become a preseason staple for us at InterMat, counting down the top 50 wrestlers for the upcoming season, is back for 2023-24. With a large chunk of sixth and seventh-year seniors gone, there is plenty of turnover from last year’s list to this one. That makes for a lot of fun and perhaps some spirited debates.
Like last year, the third iteration of this feature will show five wrestlers at a time, counting down from #50 to #1.
For each wrestler, we’ll have some basic information along with career highlights, and a brief analysis of their career (with an emphasis on last season), followed by an outlook for the upcoming season.
Here are #26-30 #31-35 #36-40 #41-45 #46-50
25) Brock Hardy (Nebraska) … rest of story at … Intermatwrestle.com/college/2023-24s-top-50-collegiate-wrestlers-21-25
Presbyterian Men’s Wrestling Announces Fifth Season’s Schedule
CLINTON, S.C. – With the program that he helped create now reaching a half-decade in age, Presbyterian College men’s wrestling head coach Mark Cody revealed the Blue Hose’s 2023-24 layout on Monday afternoon. An affiliate member of the Southern Conference, PC will begin a fresh season on November 1 with a neutral encounter against NC State.
NOVEMBER + DECEMBER
Primed for six home events on the upcoming season – with four of those held at Templeton Gymnasium – Presbyterian will seek a road-heavy two months prior to the start of SoCon action. In fact, each of the first ten duals/tournaments will take place outside Clinton including the aforementioned Wolfpack meet that will be held in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
The site of the conference championships at the close of the campaign, PC will head back to the Tar Heel State on November 11 for the Mountaineer Invitational hosted by Appalachian State. Six days later, the Blue Hose will face-off with two more neutral parties in Albany, New York, battling Northern Colorado and Sacred Heart.
At that point being one month into the season, Presby will clash with two more non-conference foes at a neutral venue for what will be their lone date of competition in December. They’ll go head-to-head with Michigan State and Bloomsburg back-to-back on the 3rd.
JANUARY
Coach Cody’s club will begin 2024 with a visit to the F&M (Franklin & Marshall) Open on January 5, the second straight year participating in that specific tourney.
The team’s ultra-long road set will wrap up in the middle of the month with three duals in two days, competing with F&M, Brown, and Davidson in their first SoCon affair. PC bested the Bears by a 25-15 clip when they last locked horns in Pennsylvania nine months ago.
January 14 will denote the first true home setting for the Blue Hose, … rest of story at … GObluehose.com/Mens-wrestling-mens-wrestling-announces-fifth-seasons-schedule
96 Teams set to invade UNI-Dome for the 2024 National Duals
Manheim, PA – 2024 will kick off with a bang as 96 teams representing six divisions will descend upon Cedar Falls, IA, and the UNI-Dome for the NWCA/USMC 2024 Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships. NUWAY once again plays host this year’s championships while the presenting sponsors will be A Better Way Athletics, Capital Construction, Defense Soap, and the United States Marine Corps.
Action will take place on Friday, January 5, and Saturday, January 6.
Below, you can find the breakdown for each division. In addition a complete listing of each team competing can be viewed by clicking here.
- NCAA DII Men – 16
- NCAA DIII – 24
- NCAA Women – 16
- NAIA Men – 16
- NAIA Women – 16
- NCWA Men – 8
It is worth mentioning that an astonishing 63 of the 96 teams entered have been established since 2000. Also of note, in the NWCA’s last fiscal year, 59 schools announced the launch of new collegiate programs. Undoubtedly, the National Duals will feature many of those new teams in the future.
The depth for this year’s National Duals is as high as ever, with all but two of last year’s placing teams returning (Not returning NAIA Men 8th & NCWA Men 3rd). Of note, 22 of the squads coming to Cedar Falls also finished in the top 4 of their association’s National Championships last season (NAIA Men 1st – 4th; NAIA Women 1st – 4th; NCAA D2 Men 1st – 3rd; NCAA D3 Men 1st – 4th; NCAA Women 1st – 4th; and NCWA Men 1st – 3rd). … rest of story at … NWCAonline.com/National-wrestling-coaches-association-96-teams-set-to-invade-uni-dome-for-the-2024-national-duals.
Results From The 2023 Super 32 Challenge
Results from Greensboro, NC and the high school boys divisions of the 2023 Defense Soap Super 32 Challenge.
Brackets, bout scores and more can be found inside FloArena.
Finals Results/Matchups
106 #3 Joe Bachmann, Northwales, PA FALL Rocco Hayes, Orland Park, IL, 5:26
113 4 Aaron Seidel, Schaefferstown, PA DEC #2 Domenic Munaretto, St. Charles, IL, 3-0
120 #1 Anthony Knox, Freehold, NJ MD #6 Nathan Desmond, Wind Gap, PA, 11-0
126 #1 Jax Forrest, Johnstown, PA DEC #9 JJ McComas, Stillwater, OK, 5-3
132 #3 Bo Bassett, Windber, PA MD #5 Sergio Vega, Tucson, AZ, 11-0
138 #9 Maddox Shaw, Jefferson Hills, PA DEC #4 Landon Robideau, Saint Michael, MN, 7-3
144 #6 Melvin Miller, Windber, PA DEC #7 Cameron Catrabone, Williamsville, NY, 4-1
150 #2 Kollin Rath, Stroudsburg, PA DEC #7 Kody Routledge, Edmond, OK, 4-2
157 #2 Ladarion Lockett, Stillwater, OK DEC #17 Joseph Antonio, Long Beach, CA, 4-1 SV
165 Leandro Araujo, ND DEC #9 Dominic Bambinelli, Hoschton, GA, 5-3
175 #6 Ryan Burton, Sparta, NJ DEC #4 Cole Han-Lindemyer, Farmington, MN, 2-0
190 #1 Aeoden Sinclair, Edgerton, WI DEC #3 Rune Lawrence, Perryopolis, PA, 3-2
215 #14 Anthony Harris, Sparta, NJ DEC #12 Michael Mocco, Parkland, FL, 4-3
285 #12 Nicholas Sahakian, Tarzana, CA DEC #10 Daniel Herrera, Ames, IA, 2-1 … rest of story and results at … Flowrestling.org/results-from-the-2023-super-32-challenge
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
