Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

Iowa leads Division I men’s wrestling in home attendance for 18th straight season

New Brighton, Minnesota – The University of Iowa once again led the nation in NCAA Division I men’s wrestling attendance, averaging 13,640 fans per dual across seven home meets, as the National Wrestling Media Association released its annual attendance report on Thursday.
Iowa drew a capacity crowd of 14,897 twice last season, filling Carver-Hawkeye Arena for duals against rivals Iowa State and Oklahoma State.
Penn State ranked second, drawing an average of 9,007 fans, including a season-high 15,998 for its dual with Iowa. That figure ties the indoor attendance record Penn State set in 2018 and matched in 2023 at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Oklahoma State moved up one spot from last season to finish third with an average of 7,597, highlighted by a crowd of 10,740 against Missouri. The David Taylor effect was clearly evident, as this marked the program’s highest home attendance average at Gallagher-Iba Arena since record-keeping began in 2002. The previous high average was in 2019 (5,226.6).
There were 10 duals with over 10,000 fans nationwide, marking the first time in recorded history there were at least 10 duals surpassing five figures. Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena hosted seven duals surpassing 10,000, while Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center hosted two and Oklahoma State’s Gallagher-Iba Arena had one. The previous high for most duals with over 10,000 fans in a season is nine, set in 2023 and tied in 2024.
Of the 127 Division I men’s duals with over 10,000 fans historically, more than half (67) have come in the last 12 college wrestling seasons. There were no attendance records kept for the 2020-21 season.
Iowa State, which ranked third last season, slid to fourth but still drew over 33,000 total fans. The Cyclones averaged 5,533.5, with a high of 9,470 coming against Oklahoma in a co-hosted event with the Iowa State gymnastics team at Hilton Coliseum. Rutgers continued its reputation for lively home duals, jumping from ninth to fifth with an average of 4,228, including 8,097 fans for its home dual against Penn State.
The closure of historic West Gym forced Northern Iowa to move its home duals to the McLeod Center, resulting in an attendance surge that propelled the Panthers into the top 10. UNI leaped from 12th to sixth with a school-record average of 4,222. Ohio State improved slightly from eighth to seventh, averaging 3,975 at the Covelli Center. Nebraska climbed from 11th to eighth, averaging 3,817.5, with a high of 6,661 at the Devaney Center against Iowa.
Note : N.C. State placed 13th with a 2,530 average and North Carolina Univ. placed 21st with an average attendance of 1,652 which is up from being listed 41st the year before. … more at … https://www.nationalwrestlingmedia.com/2025/05/iowa-leads-division-i-mens-wrestling-in-home-attendance-for-18th-straight-season/

June 2, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | , | Leave a comment

Big 10 Dual Meets!

Terps Top Wisconsin, 24-13, Improve to 3-0 In Big Ten Duals
COLLEGE PARK, MD – Maryland wrestling moved to 3-0 in Big Ten competition with a 24-13 win over the Wisconsin Badgers, building on what was already the best start in the conference in program history and setting a record for most wins in a single Big Ten season since joining the conference. 
Seven of 10 Terps won their individual bouts, highlighted by a ranked win from Braxton Brown. No. 11 Brown scored a 10-2 major decision win over No. 24 Zan Fugitt. Brown, Dario Lemus, Kal Miller and Ethen Miller led the Terps to a 14-5 intermission lead. After Wisconsin cut it to 14-13, the Terps finished it off with three straight wins featuring a come-from-behind victory by Chase Mielnik sandwiched between major decision wins by Jaxon Smith and Seth Nevills. 
Maryland now sits at 8-5 on the season and 3-0 in the Big Ten while Wisconsin drops to 4-6 overall and 0-2 in the league. The match was the Terps’ first home Big Ten dual … more at … https://umterps.com/news/2025/1/17/wrestling-wr-wisconsin-recap.aspx
And …

Minnesota Routs Wisconsin, 39-3, for Largest Victory in Madison
MINNEAPOLIS – No. 7 Minnesota (6-1, 2-1 B1G) had one of its most dominant victories in series history Friday night at the UW Field House with a 39-3 rout of Wisconsin (4-8, 0-4). Winning nine of 10 matches, the Gophers posted their largest margin of victory ever in Madison, surpassing a 40-6 win in 2003. It also marked the sixth straight win at Wisconsin for Minnesota, its longest in series history. The cumulative score during the stretch is 163-59.
The point total was the fourth highest for the Gophers in 107 all-time matchups against the Badgers and the most since that 40-6 win in 2003. The three points allowed were the team’s fewest in the series since 2012. It was the 70th all-time win in the Border Battle rivalry for Minnesota, 18 more than it has over any other program. The Golden Gophers have now taken 12 of the last 13 meetings between the schools.
The tone was set right from the start at 197 pounds as No. 9 Isaiah Salazar tech falled Niccolo Colucci, 15-0, in just 2:11. It was the first of six tech falls on the night for Minnesota, … more at … https://gophersports.com/news/2025/1/24/wrestling-minnesota-routs-wisconsin-39-3-for-largest-victory-in-madison
And …

Penn State Wrestling Roars in 35-3 B1G Road Win at Rutgers
Nittany Lions ride four tech falls to B1G win in sold out Jersey Mike’s Arena
PISCATAWAY, N.J.  – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (9-0, 3-0 B1G) downed homestanding Rutgers (10-4, 2-2 B1G) 35-3 in Big Ten action Friday. Penn State rode the wave of four technical falls and won nine of the dual’s ten bouts to sail to victory. The dual was wrestled in front of a sold-out crowd in Rutgers’ Jersey Mike’s Arena. Penn State took care of the homestanding Knights in front of 8,057 fans. The dual began at 125. True freshman Luke Lilledahl, ranked No. 6 at 125, lost a 4-1 decision to No. 19 Dean Peterson on a late takedown and Rutgers led 3-0 out of the gates. Sophomore Braeden Davis, ranked No. 7 at 133, used a full rideout in the second period and the riding time point that came with it to down No. 9 Dylan Shawver 2-1. With the dual tied 3-3, senior+ Beau Bartlett, ranked No. 3 at 141, used takedowns in the first and second periods to down No. 14 Joseph Olivieri 7-3 to put the Nittany Lions on top 6-3.
Sophomore Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 4 at 149, followed that up with a 17-2 technical fall (5:26), using four takedowns and a four-point turn to roll to victory. Sophomore Tyler Kasak, ranked No. 3 at 157, used a first period takedown and 3:42 in riding time to roll to a 4-0 win over No. 31 Conner Harer and Penn State led 14-3 at halftime. Sophomore Mitchell Mesenbrink, ranked No. 1 at 165, … more at … https://gopsusports.com/news/2025/01/25/penn-state-wrestling-roars-in-35-3-b1g-road-win-at-rutgers
And …

Big Ten Weekly Recap (1/23/2025)
The Big Ten is coming off a pretty good week. In football, they claimed their second straight national championship, and, on the mat, we saw some of the best finally face off in very anticipated matches. Here are the dual meets that gave us some of the best highlights.
Penn State passes their toughest test thus far with ease
A highly anticipated dual with even more highly anticipated matches. Penn State is the reigning champs, and they have been flexing on their competition even more this year. And last week their trip to Nebraska was their toughest of the season and they won 8 of the 10 matches. At 149, Ridge Lovett claimed a major decision over Shayne Van Ness in a wild match that ended in a major decision win for the Husker. On the PSU side, true freshman Luke Lilledahl had the biggest match of his young career and looked poised against returning All-American Caleb Smith to get the win. Overall, the dual didn’t disappoint but showcased just how tough PSU is this year as they now have all 10 wrestlers ranked in the top 7.
Illinois drops one on the road in Iowa City
The Hawkeyes continued their strong season with a win at home over Illinois on the strength of eight of ten match wins. This included a bout at 133 between Lucas Byrd and Drake Ayala, which despite the low score, was very entertaining. This is certainly a match that I’m looking forward to seeing again in March. Including that win, the Hawkeyes won six of the eight ranked matches in the dual as well (133, 149, 165, 174, 184, 197), which included a stingy 1-0 win for Kyle Parco over Kannon Webster, along with a 20-4 tech fall for Michael Caliendo over Braeden Scoles. Illinois got some solid wins for Danny Pucino at 141, paired with an impressive victory for Luke Luffman at heavyweight over Ben Kueter. Overall, this was a solid win at home over a strong Fighting Illini team. The Hawkeyes host Ohio State this weekend, while Illinois will travel to the East Coast to compete against Maryland and Rutgers.
Boilermakers drop two duals, but notch some nice wins
Purdue hosted in-state rival Indiana in front of 3,504 fans at Mackey Arena. They lost the dual 25-11 to the Hoosiers but had some solid wins with a major decision from Matt Ramos at 125 over 22nd ranked Jacob Moran. Purdue also had a win from Isaac Ruble at 149 and Joey Blaze at 157. The Hoosiers took the rest of the bouts in this one with Tyler Lillard winning … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/big-10/big-ten-weekly-recap-1232025-r99955/

January 26, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | , , | Leave a comment

Big Ten Dual Meet Results

Upsets Help No. 4 Buckeyes Down No. 10 Illinois, 24-9
Buckeyes return to Columbus to face No. 17 Rutgers Sunday
COLUMBUS, Ohio — No. 4 Ohio State (9-0, 1-0) defeated No. 10 Illinois (6-1, 1-1) at Huff Hall in Champaign, Illinois, Friday behind a pair of upsets by unranked Buckeyes. Ohio State won seven of the 10 matches in a 24-9 victory. 
Freshman e’Than Birden (165) and redshirt sophomore Seth Shumate (197) both earned wins over ranked Illini wrestlers.   
How it Happened
125-No. 10 Brendan McCrone (R-So.) def. Caelan Riley (Jr.) | D, 5-0
McCrone opened the Big Ten season with a takedown early in the first. He took a 3-0 score into the second and then added an escape for a 4-0 lead. With a point for riding time, McCrone got the win by decision, 5-0.
133-No. 2 Lucas Byrd (R-Sr.) def. No. 9 Nic Bouzakis (R-So.) | D, 8-5 SV-1
Bouzakis struck first with a takedown to lead quickly 3-1 after a Byrd escape. Bouzakis added an escape early in the second for a 4-1 lead. Byrd tied it at 4-all with an edge-of-the-mat takedown that was challenged by Ohio State but to no avail. Bouzakis reclaimed the lead with an escape to head to the third leading 5-4. Byrd escaped to tie the bout to send the match to sudden victory. Byrd then got the victory with a takedown to win, 8-5. 
141-No. 1 Jesse Mendez (Jr.) def. No. 13 Danny Pucino (R-Jr.) | F, 1:47
Mendez opened the scoring with a takedown and then got the pin at 1:47.
149-No. 12 Dylan D’Emilio (Gr.) def. No. 11 Kannon Webster (R-Fr.) | D, 2-0
The first period ended with no score. D’Emilio went up 1-0 with an escape to … more at … https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/news/2025/1/10/wrestling-no-4-buckeyes-v-no-11-illinois
And …

Terps Roll Past Michigan State, 27-11, Sweep Weekend In Michigan
EAST LANSING, MI — Maryland wrestling completed a weekend sweep of the state of Michigan with a 27-11 win over the Michigan State Spartans. 
After dropping a close match at 125 to kick off the dual, the Terps won four consecutive matches before the intermission break, with Braxton Brown and Ethen Miller picking up wins by bonus points to lead the way. Kal Miller won in sudden victory while freshman Dario Lemus picked up his first career Big Ten dual victory. 
True freshman Alex Uryniak started the second-half of the match off strong with his first career Big Ten dual victory. Jaxon Smith added a fall after just over a minute of action and Seth Nevills closed out the match with a major decision victory.  … details at … https://umterps.com/news/2025/1/12/wrestling-terps-roll-past-michigan-state-27-11-sweep-weekend-in-michigan.aspx
And …
Terps Upset No. 10 Michigan 19-18, Earn First Top-10 Win Since 2009
ANN ARBOR, MI — Maryland wrestling opened up the 2025 Big Ten season in impressive fashion, stunning the 10th-ranked Michigan Wolverines, 19-18, getting the winning point on criteria thanks to Braxton Brown’s pin at 133. 
It was Maryland’s first win over a top-10 team since Nov. 20, 2009, when the No. 10 Terps defeated No. 4 Cornell in Ithaca, by a score of 18-17. It was the first time the Terps beat a top-10 team as un ranked opponent since Nov. 24, 2007 when they topped No. 5 Michigan, 18-16.  … more at … https://umterps.com/news/2025/1/10/wrestling-terps-upset-no-10-michigan-19-18-earn-first-top-10-win-since-2007.aspx
And …

#25 Boilers Open B1G Season With Win Over Wildcats
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The No. 25 Purdue wrestling team opened its Big Ten Conference slate with a 31-13 win over Northwestern Friday night in Holloway Gymnasium.
The Boilermakers (7-1, 1-0 B1G) earned five bonus point wins to match their best dual record since the 2019-20 season.
The team donned special edition volt-colored uniforms for its annual Hammer Down Cancer dual. The wrestlers’ match-worn singlets were auctioned off to fans seeking a piece of history, with all proceeds benefiting the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research.
Purdue improved to 49-44-2 in the all-time series against the Wildcats … more at … https://purduesports.com/news/2025/1/10/wrestling-boilers-open-b1g-season-with-win-over-wildcats

January 16, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | , , | Leave a comment

Cornhuskers Take Down Campbell, No. 25 UNC

Behind 12 bonus-point victories, the No. 4 Nebraska (3-0-0) wrestling team took on a Friday double header in North Carolina, defeating Campbell (1-3-0), 40-6, and No. 25 North Carolina (2-1-0), 34-3, earning the first road wins and ranked victory of the year. Heavyweight Harley Andrews led the Big Red in dual points, claiming a combined 11 points for the team.
The Huskers started in Buies Creek, N.C., at Jim Perry Stadium, for the program’s first ever outdoor dual, at Campbell’s baseball field. The “Dual on the Diamond” started at 125 lbs. Redshirt freshman Alan Koehler took on Campbell’s No. 29 Anthony Molton. Molton defeated the Husker with an 8-0 decision powered by two takedowns, an escape and the riding time point. At 133, No. 23 Domenic Zaccone pulled off an overtime upset over No. 11 Jacob Van Dee after wrapping three periods tied at 1-1. Zaccone got the takedown to claim the 4-1 decision and push the Camels’ lead to 6-0.
No. 4 Brock Hardy got the Big Red on the board with a tech. fall over Michael Trujillo in 6:37 time. Hardy’s 17-0 victory at 141 put the Huskers within one of Campbell after three matches. Due to conditions on the mat, the dual was moved indoors to the Carter Gym, between the 141 and 149 bouts.
After relocating, No. 5 Ridge Lovett went 2-2 in wins by fall to open his senior season, pinning Oliver Fairchild in just 2:16. At 157, No. 4 Antrell Taylor made quick work of Seth Larson pinning the Camel in just 10 seconds. Taylor’s win pushed the Husker lead to 17-6. In the sixth match of the afternoon, No. 18 Bubba Wilson at 165 notched his first dual win of the season with a statement major decision, 16-3, over Kendrick Hodge. 
At 174, No. 6 Lenny Pinto put up a 19-4, 4:18 tech. fall against Brant Cracraft before No. 6 Silas Allred pushed the Big Red to the 31-6 lead with another 19-4 tech. fall, in 2:43 time at 184. At 197, freshman No. 28 Camden McDanel claimed his first collegiate major decision, 17-5, defeating Mike Slade. To wrap up the … more at … https://huskers.com/news/2024/11/16/huskers-take-down-campbell-no-25-unc

November 18, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | , , , | Leave a comment