Six Women’s Freestyle Storylines To Follow At The World Championships
The star-studded American women’s freestyle team is headed to Belgrade with a squad filled with World champions.
The 2023 Senior World Championships begin Saturday, returning to Belgrade, Serbia for the second straight year. The U.S. women’s freestyle team will compete from the 18th through the 21st.
Here are six storylines to keep an eye on heading into Worlds.
1. Gray’s Pursuit Of Gold #7
In what’s already been a stellar and legendary career, Adeline Gray heads to Belgrade seeking her 10th World-level medal and seventh title. She’s looking to pass Kristie Marano-Davis for tops on the American women’s freestyle World medal list. Davis’ resume includes two golds, five silvers, and two bronzes. Gray’s resume boasts six golds, an Olympic silver, and two bronzes. Should Gray come home with hardware, she would also tie Jordan Burroughs with 10 medals. Legendary Bruce Baumgartner holds the top spot on the American list with 13 World-level medals.
2. Can Helen Maroulis Do It Again?
It’s a big story whenever Helen Maroulis is on the mat. The 2016 Olympic gold medalist made another World team and will head to Belgrade in search of her fifth World title. In all, she’s won eight World-level medals, including four golds. She’ll compete at 57 kilograms.
3. Amit Elor Seeking Second Straight Triple Crown
Returning World champ Amit Elor seeks to secure her second straight trifecta after winning the U20, U23, and Senior World titles last year. In Belgrade last year, she became the youngest wrestler in U.S. history to win a Senior World title at 18. She has a chance to do it again this year and she’s off to a good start, winning the U20 World title again last month in Amman, Jordan.
4. Three Seasoned Wrestlers Get Their First Opportunity At Worlds
After a lot of success domestically and internationally, Jennifer Page (59 kg), Macey Kilty (65 kg), and Emma Bruntil (68 kg) are each heading to the Senior World Championships for the first time.
Page, 30, broke through to earn the spot at 59 kg, where she looked tough at the World Team Trials and Final X. The Nittany Lion Wrestling Club member dropped from 62 kg at the U.S. Open to 59 kg at the Challenge Tournament, and dominated her way to earn the spot. Having made two Junior world teams almost a decade ago, she heads to Belgrade with a lot of experience under her belt and can certainly make some noise at this weight. … rest of story at … Flowrestling.org/Six-womens-freestyle-storylines-to-follow-at-the-world-championships
Ayres Named Matt Gentry Head Wrestling Coach
Joins the Cardinal after 17 seasons at Princeton
STANFORD, Calif. – Chris Ayres has been appointed the Matt Gentry Head Wrestling Coach, as announced today by Jaquish & Kenniger Director of Athletics Bernard Muir.
The 32nd head coach in Stanford wrestling history, Ayres comes to The Farm after spending 17 seasons as the head coach at Princeton.
“I am excited to welcome Coach Ayres to Stanford,” said Muir. “His success at Princeton speaks for itself and I believe he can take our wrestling program to new heights. We are thrilled to have him lead our student-athletes and be ingrained in the Stanford community.”
A four-time Ivy League Coach of the Year, Ayres has built the Princeton program into a conference and national contender. Among the many achievements, Ayres has produced just the second individual national champion in Princeton history (it’s first since 1951), the program’s first and second four-time All-Americans, and its first Ivy League championship since 1986.
“The most common question I have been asked during this process is, ‘Why would you leave Princeton?'”, said Ayres. “My answer is simply, ‘It’s time.’
“After 17 years of building the Princeton program I am ready for a new challenge. My experience at Princeton has uniquely prepared me to take the Stanford wrestling team to new heights.”
During Ayres’ tenure, the Tigers had their first NCAA finalist since 2002, producing two in the same season in 2022. They qualified a program-record seven wrestlers to the 2017 NCAA Championships, and, in 2019, had a program-record three All-Americans. In 2023, Princeton was 13th at the NCAA Championships – the highest finish in program history and its 10th top-25 standing all-time.
Under Ayres, the Tigers won 10 EIWA individual titles, all since 2016, and placed in the top 5 at EIWAs (when competing) from 2016-22. Princeton has earned 48 bids to the NCAA Championships since 2010.
“Stanford is historically the best athletics department in the country, consistently winning the most national titles of any school in the country, and there is absolutely no reason the wrestling program can’t do the same,” added Ayres. “I feel blessed that Stanford has chosen me to be the next head coach of its wrestling program and I can’t wait to get started on this new journey.”
A former EIWA champion and two-time recipient of Lehigh’s “Outstanding Athlete” honor during his undergraduate career, Ayres spent five years as an assistant for the Mountain Hawks before taking over at Princeton. … rest of story at … GOstanford.com/news/2023/9/11/ayres-named-matt-gentry-head-wrestling-coach
Justina Di Stasio and Ana Godinez-Gonzalez on why wrestling is for everyone and making each other better
For a sport that is often stereotyped as requiring intensity and aggression, there is nothing but friendship and respect emanating between Team Canada wrestlers Justina Di Stasio and Ana Godinez Gonzalez.
Throughout a recent interview, the veteran Di Stasio gushed with pride over 23-year-old Godinez Gonzalez’s rapid progress in the sport. Godinez Gonzalez affectionately calls Di Stasio “Juice” as well as the “mom” of the team who keeps her and her sister Karla in line ahead of big meets.
In fact, there are quite a few misconceptions about wrestling that the teammates want to debunk–that it isn’t a social sport that can be done casually, that it’s not size inclusive, that it’s not a great sport for women.
But before we get to that–who are Justina Di Stasio and Ana Godinez Gonzalez?
Justina has the juice
Di Stasio is an accomplished wrestler. The 30-year-old has a long list of accolades, including gold at the last Pan Am Games in 2019 as well as the 2022 Commonwealth Games. In 2018, she earned the title of world champion.
Despite being a recognizable name on the international scene, Di Stasio hasn’t yet made the Canadian Olympic team. The country can only send one wrestler per weight class, and Di Stasio has lost twice in domestic qualification to Erica Wiebe–who went on to win the Olympic gold medal at Rio 2016.
The challenge of not making the Olympics yet has made Di Stasio both determined and also resilient, in the sense that she recognizes keeping the bigger picture in mind beyond wrestling. … rest of the story at … Olympic.ca/justina-di-stasio-and-ana-godinez-gonzalez-on-why-wrestling-is-for-everyone-and-making-each-other-better
Six must-watch battles at World Championships
BELGRADE, Serbia (September 6) – The World Championships throws certain match-ups that are a must-watch for wrestling fans. We’ve come up with the six bouts that could take place in Belgrade.
FS 65kg – Rahman AMOUZADKHALILI (IRI) vs. Takuto OTOGURO (JPN)
In a weight with endless heavy hitters, offensive juggernauts Takuto OTOGURO (JPN) and Rahman AMOUZAD (IRI) continue rising to the top while somehow avoiding each other.
Otoguro has been the weight’s most dangerous offensive threat since 2018 when he became the youngest Japanese male to win world gold. He’s a guy with cat-like reflexes, is highly elusive, and isn’t afraid to give up a point to get a point. His counter-offensive abilities make him super dangerous. He gets to his angles better than anyone in the weight.
Though he has changed his style a little, Otoguro will need his old-school run-and-gun mentality to take out Amouzad.
Since Otoguro’s absence after the Tokyo Olympic Games, Amouzad has emerged as the most-feared wrestler at 65kg.
Amouzad is a tactician when it comes to breaking down his opponents—mentally and physically. He’s a guy with relentless forward pressure and a bottomless gas tank. He uses that patented Iranian underhook to close the distance on his opponents and control the mat area. He’s only 22 years old but remains poised like a veteran in close matches. He’s confident wrestling in a phone booth but can attack from space, and that makes him a nightmare to wrestle.
This match comes down to Otoguro’s ability to solve Amouzad’s underhook and put six consecutive minutes together. On the other side, Amouzad has to be methodical when picking his shots and anticipate where and when Otoguro’s going to reattack. … rest of story at … UWW.org/article/six-must-watch-battles-world-championships
Olympic champion Gable Steveson won’t wrestle at world championships
Gable Steveson, a former two-time NCAA heavyweight champion for the Gophers, will be replaced by ex-Michigan wrestler Mason Parris this month at the worlds in Serbia.
Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson has notified USA Wrestling that he will not compete at the world championships Sept. 16-24 in Belgrade, Serbia. USA Wrestling announced the news Wednesday but did not state a reason.
Steveson, a two-time NCAA heavyweight champion for the Gophers from Apple Valley, returned to amateur wrestling earlier this year while continuing to train toward a WWE career. He dominated the 125-kilogram men’s freestyle class at the U.S. Open in April, then defeated Mason Parris at Final X in June to earn his spot on the U.S. team for the world championships. Steveson will be replaced at worlds by Parris, an NCAA champion at Michigan and junior world champion in 2019.
RACHEL BLOUNT
Tommies release basketball schedules
The St. Thomas men’s basketball schedule, announced Wednesday, includes a Nov. 6 opener at California and a December game at Marquette. The Tommies will play their first home game Oct. 10 vs. Idaho State. St. Thomas opens Summit League play Dec. 29 at North Dakota State.
The St. Thomas women’s basketball schedule includes home games against Central Florida (Nov. 15), Iowa State (Nov. 29) and Wisconsin (Dec. 13). The Tommies women open Nov. 6 at Drake and play their first home game Nov. 11 vs. Wisconsin-River Falls. St. Thomas is scheduled to play at Saint Mary’s (Nov. 21), followed by games against UC Irvine and Butler in Stockton, Calif., over Thanksgiving weekend. … rest of story at … Startribune.com/olympic-champion-gable-steveson-wont-wrestle-at-world-championships-gophers
Miracle receives No. 1 seed for Senior Worlds, five U.S. women get No. 2, another at No. 8
United World Wrestling released its seeds for women’s freestyle at the 2023 Senior World Championships, which will be held in Belgrade, Serbia, September 16-24.
The United States, which placed second in the 2022 Senior World Championships, has seven athletes seeded for Belgrade, including one No. 1, five No. 2 and a No. 8
Two-time World silver medalist Kayla Miracle secured the No. 1 seed at 62 kg.
The five U.S. wrestlers coming in with No. 2 seeds are Olympic and World medalist Sarah Hildebrandt (50 kg), 2022 World champion Dom Parrish (53 kg), 2019 World champion Jacarra Winchester (55 kg), 2016 Olympic champion and three-time World champion Helen Maroulis (57 kg) and 2022 World champion Amit Elor (72 kg).
.Jennifer Page, competing in her first Senior World Championships, secured the No. 8 seed at 59 kg.
No nation had more than one No. 1 seed, as 10 different nations had one top seed.
No Individual Neutral Athletes (from either Russia or Belarus) received a seed.
2023 SENIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Belgrade, Serbia
Women’s Freestyle seeds
50kg
No. 1 – Yui SUSAKI (JPN)
No. 2 – Sarah HILDEBRANDT (USA)
No. 3 – Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL)
No. 4 – Ziqi FENG (CHN)
No. 5 – Anna LUKASIAK (POL)
No. 6 – Madison PARKS (CAN)
No. 7 – Jasmina IMMAEVA (UZB)
No. 8 – Miesinnei GENESIS (NGR)
53kg
No. 1 – Lucia YEPEZ (ECU)
No. 2 – Dominique PARRISH (USA) … rest of story at … Themat.com/news/september/04/miracle-receives-no-1-seed-for-senior-worlds-five-u-s-women-get-no-2-another-at-no-8
New wrestling club building means more gym time for aspiring athletes
Nearly 60 youths flocked to building to partake in first weekend clinic since its opening.
The Juneau Youth Wrestling Club’s building is finally open and ready for wrestlers to hit its new mats after years of construction. Over Labor Day weekend the new blue building hosted its first clinic since opening its doors, inviting two-time USA Wrestling world team member Tony Purler who traveled to Juneau from Kansas City, Missouri, just for the event. For Thunder Mountain High School junior wrestlers Hayden Aube and Justus Darbonne, the new building means more opportunities to practice the sport they love.
“It’s nice not having to rent places out, like at the school, we have to compete for openings, so just having our own building is awesome,” Aube said. “It definitely gives us a lot of opportunity to wrestle and have more time, usually we have to compete with other sports just to wrestle,” Darbonne said. “But this is our own place to practice wherever we need to. It’s definitely a better spot.”
According to JYWC coach and board member Jason Hass, high school and middle school wrestlers from all over Southeast Alaska traveled to partake in the clinic. In total, 58 wrestlers registered, many coming from here in Juneau. Hass said a major force that pushed the building from just an idea into a reality was the increasingly sparse amount of gym time that many young athletes have had to deal with in recent years. He said he thinks that has hindered many athletes from trying out the sport.
“It’s always a struggle for gym time — with the other sports there are just a lot of people, a lot of activities and a finite amount of space — so it’s been hard to try to get gym space,” he said. “It’s been a long-time dream to have our own space and it’s going to be great having this designated space for wrestling.”
Hass said the club wanted to create a large space dedicated not only to increasing space and time for existing wrestlers to practice the sport, but inviting new athletes into the community as well. Now that the building is ready for use, he’s excited and hopeful the Juneau wrestling community will be able to flourish.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to offer this up to more and more kids in Juneau — we want to be able to expose wrestling to every boy and girl in Juneau,” he said. “You come in here and you see 60 kids running around having a good time, getting exercise, just a good healthy environment — it’s incredibly encouraging.”
Purler, who led the three-day clinic, said he’s enjoyed spending the weekend teaching the young wrestlers and visiting Alaska for the first time. … rest of story at … Juneauempire.com/new-wrestling-club-building-means-more-gym-time-for-aspiring-athletes
The college wrestling fan’s guide to the 2023 Senior World Championships
The news is out: Minnesota two-time NCAA champion and Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson will not be competing in the 2023 World Championships next week. Instead, Team USA will send Michigan alum and 2023 Hodge Trophy winner Mason Parris in his place, giving Parris his first senior world championship experience.
HODGE TROPHY: Read more about this historic award in NCAA wrestling
While wrestling fans may be disappointed with the Steveson news, Parris is a strong replacement on an already stellar roster. Parris’ world team peers include Olympic gold medalists Helen Maroulis, David Taylor and Kyle Synder at 57kg, 86kg and 97kg in men’s and women’s freestyle, as well as Olympic silver medalist Adeline Gray who will represent the US in women’s freestyle at 76kg. Olympic bronze medalists Sarah Hildebrandt and Kyle Dake will also wrestle at 50kg and 74kg alongside a slate of other returning and new world team members for the U.S. across all three styles. This is a squad capable of having serious success when the tournament kicks off on September 16.
The U.S. senior world team also has a number of high-profile collegiate connections, so those who follow NCAA wrestling but may be new to the freestyle or Greco scene will likely recognize some of the names on this year’s team. The style of competition may change, but the excitement will not.
See the table below for a full list of the 2023 senior world team members, as well as their collegiate affiliations. … rest of story at … NCAA.com/news/wrestling/article/2023-09-07/college-wrestling-fans-guide-2023-senior-world-championships
Who Should Stanford Hire?
Last week, the University of North Carolina officially announced that they had hired Rob Koll as their next head wrestling coach. Just over two years ago, Koll shocked the wrestling world by leaving Cornell, a school that he built from a good EIWA team into a consistent national power, for Stanford.
Now, we’re left to wonder, “Who replaces Koll at Stanford.” Even though it’s extremely late in the game (or really early) for coaching changes, there should be plenty of interest in the job. Stanford has a young, talented roster that starts the preseason ranked #24 in duals by InterMat and features six ranked wrestlers. Koll and his staff were able to ink back-to-back top-eight classes (#8 in 2022; #5 in 2021) and have an impressive list of high school seniors that have given the Cardinal program verbals. In addition, Koll’s efforts have led to the possibility of an increase in funding from the athletic department.
Also, with conference realignment front and center, Stanford will have some stability as they head to the ACC. While it doesn’t make sense geographically, the Cardinal will now compete in a league that features four ranked teams and plenty of talented individuals. That should lead to more at-large opportunities for any Stanford wrestlers who don’t automatically qualify at the ACC Tournament.
With a brief bit of background information out of the way, let’s focus on coaches that InterMat has identified as quality candidates for the opening. … rest of story at … Intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/pac-12/who-should-stanford-hire
‘John Smith is the sole reason’: Coleman Scott speaks on decision to return to OSU
An eight-year stint at North Carolina was enough to consider a permanent stay.
But after a phone call from a Stillwater phone number, one Scott wished to leaved unspecified in an interview with The O’Colly, leaving North Carolina crossed his mind.
About 30 minutes later, his mind was made up. After 124 duals coached for the Tar Heels, Scott is returning to Stillwater to be an associate coach alongside his former coach John Smith.
“John Smith is the sole reason I made this decision,” Scott said. “If, like, Iowa or somewhere had come calling, I probably wouldn’t have gone.
“When you’re offered an opportunity to coach with arguably the greatest wrestler of all time, that’s something you just can’t turn down.”
Scott built a program from the ground up in Chapel Hill and made it a national contender. And he created a legacy there.
“By about Year 5, I was thinking, ‘This might be it.’” Scott said. “We were winning, and I was enjoying every bit of it.”
Scott, a former OSU wrestler, led the Tar Heels to a 12th-place finish in nationals this year – their best postseason finish since 1995 – and watched UNC 157-pounder Austin O’Connor attain his second individual national title.
The decision to exit a program Scott put on the college wrestling map wasn’t easy. Moving away from the relationships built at UNC was perhaps the most stressful thought.
But, as Scott explained, life is built off choices. He said he made the right life decision returning to OSU.
“I’m not gonna give you the coach speak and say, ‘Oh it was best for my family and I.’” Scott said. “But the opportunity to show my wife and family where I began my career, it’s also something I couldn’t pass on. I love Stillwater. I love (Gallagher-Iba Arena). I love everything about that campus.”
And the timing was right. Former associate head coach Zack Esposito departed for a position with USA Wrestling as its National Freestyle development and resident coach.
“Coleman is a champion and one of the brightest young coaching minds in our sport,” Smith said in a statement regarding Scott’s hiring. “Success has followed him wherever he’s gone, and we’re excited to have him and his family back home with us at Oklahoma State.”
The Cowboys reeled in former All-American transfers in Sammy Alvarez (Rutgers) and Izzak Olejnik (Northern Illinois), and they return three-time 133-pound national runner up Daton Fix. Perhaps new blood could be what OSU wrestling was lacking in its long-awaited return to national prominence. … rest of the story at … Ocolly.com/john-smith-is-the-sole-reason-coleman-scott-speaks-on-decision-to-return-to-osu
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
