WIN’s First Regular-Season Rankings include 34 Newcomers, 9 Freshmen
NEWTON, Iowa — The college season has been going on for two weeks and opened the door for 34 wrestlers to join WIN Magazine’s Nov. 11 NCAA Division I Individual Rankings and Tournament Power Index, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.
Among those newcomers are six who are ranked in the Top 10 of their weight classes: Chris Cannon (Northwestern) and Tyler Knox (Stanford) at 133; Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) at 141; Lorenzo Norman (Stanford) and Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) at 174; and Gabe Arnold (Iowa) at 184.
Knox, Norman and Arnold are also among nine freshmen in WIN’s first weekly rankings. The others include Illinois’ Kannon Webster and Penn’s Cross Wasilewski at 149 pounds, Cornell’s Simon Ruiz at 174, Minnesota’s Max McEnelly at 184, Iowa State’s Christian Carroll at 197 and Iowa’s Ben Kueter at heavyweight.
All wrestlers, ranked No. 1 at their weight in WIN’s preseason ranking, remain on top at their weights. That includes former national champs Richard Figueroa (125) of Arizona State, Jesse Mendez (141) of Ohio State, Caleb Henson (149) of Virginia Tech, Keegan O’Toole (174) of Missouri, Carter Starocci (184) of Penn State and Greg Kerkvliet (Hwt) of Penn State. Other defending champs Levi Haines (Penn State) and Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) are rated No. 2, respectively, at 174 and 184 pounds.
Defending national champ Penn State remains No. 1 in WIN’s Tournament Power Index, which is team-race prediction at this point in the season for the 2025 NCAA Division I Championships, March 20-22, in Philadelphia; and based on where their wrestlers are ranked in WIN’s individual ratings.
The following is a breakdown of those individual TPI points per ranking: 20 for 1st, 16 for 2nd, 13.5 for 3rd, 12.5 for 4th, 10 for 5th, 9 for 6th, 6.5 for 7th and 5.5 for 8th. Wrestlers ranked 9-12 earn two points each, followed by one and a half points for wrestlers ranked 13-16 and one point for those ranked 17-20.
The Nittany Lions, which feature nine ranked wrestlers and eight ranked in the Top 8 of their weight class, earned 125.5 TPI points in these rankings. … more at … https://www.win-magazine.com/2024/11/11/wins-first-regular-season-rankings-include-34-newcomers-9-freshmen/
NCWA Teams’ Rankings
NCWA Men’s Team Rankings
Now that the 2x Defending National Champions, Bellarmine University, have moved on to full NCAA-D1 status, the battle for the 2025 NCWA Men’s National Championship seems to be a dog-fight between around 5 programs. Liberty graduated some top talent including National Champions but also brought in a stellar recruiting class. Thomas More and Apprentice re-loaded their rosters with several key returners. Menlo College will be in a NCAA-transition year along with Vanguard University. Tarleton State will be in their first year with a NCAA-recruited team. Then there are the upstart programs that have made a recent mark such as Washington State, Utah Tech, and Springfield Tech.
1. Thomas More University (Crestview Hills, KY) – NCAA-D2 Transition
2. The Apprentice School (Newport News, VA) – NCWA-D1
3. Menlo College (Atherton, CA) – NCAA-D2 Transition
4. Liberty University (Lynchburg, VA) – NCWA-D1
5. Tarleton State University (Stephenville, TX) – NCWA-D1
6. Washington State University (Pullman, WA) – NCWA-D1
7. Vanguard University (Costa Mesa, CA) – NCAA-D2 Transition
8. Utah Tech University (St. George, UT) – NCWA-D1
9. University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL) – NCWA-D1
10. Springfield Tech CC (Springfield, MA) – NCWA-D1
11. West Chester University (West Chester, PA) – NCWA-D2
12. University of Florida (Gainesville, FL) – NCWA-D1
13. University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV) – NCWA-D1
14. University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) – NCWA-D2
15. The Ohio State University (Columbus, OH) – NCWA-D2 … more at … https://ncwa.net/news/2024/ncwa-mens-team-rankings
And …
NCWA Women’s Team Rankings
The women’s division has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years; however, the division remains top heavy with four teams at the top and then the rest. Look for Ottawa-Arizona to attempt to get back to the top of the podium (1st in 2023, 2nd in 2024) and Washington State, Utah Tech, and UNLV to battle it out for the top spot.
1. Ottawa University – Arizona (Surprise, AZ)
2. Washington State University (Pullman, WA)
3. Utah Tech University (St. George, UT)
4. University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV)
5. Liberty University (Lynchburg, VA)
6. Tarleton State University (Stephenville, TX)
7. Grand Canyon University (Phoenix, AZ
8. Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO)
9. The Apprentice School (Newport News, VA)
10. University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL)
11. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
12. Springfield Tech CC (Springfield, MA)
13. Texas A & M University (College Station, TX)
14. Santa Rosa Junior College (Santa Rosa, CA)
15. The University of Texas (Austin, TX) … more at … https://ncwa.net/news/2024/ncwa-womens-team-rankings
Stanford’s upset over Iowa State triggers movement in Top 10
Manheim, Pennsylvania – A weekend excursion by Stanford into Iowa provided mixed results in terms of wins and losses, but it proved to create the first big shift in the NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll released on Tuedsay.
Stanford’s 23-21 win in Ames over then-No. 6 Iowa State dropped the Cyclones five spots to No. 11, while it elevated the Cardinal to No. 14, a six-spot improvement from the previous week. The Cardinal are tied at 14 with Northern Iowa.
Stanford couldn’t repeat the feat in Iowa City as second-ranked Iowa (2-0) beat the Cardinal 32-9.
The top five remained the same as Iowa, fourth-ranked Nebraska and then-No. 7 NC State saw dual action over the weekend.
Nebraska (1-0) opened up with a 32-7 win over visiting Utah Valley, while NC State throttled Campbell 44-3 at Journeymen’s Wranglemania event in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
With Iowa State dropping to No. 11, that moved Cornell into the Top 10 for the first time this season.
Illinois had a strong weekend, defeating then-No. 19 Arizona State 37-9 and Binghamton 30-10. The Fighting Illini moved up one spot to No. 16 this week. West Virginia (1-0) won its only dual of the week over Division II Glenville State 35-10. Arizona State topped LIU 38-3 to split its weekend in Pennsylvania.
Then-No. 23 Oregon State topped North Dakota State 35-6 in Fargo, while No. 25 North Carolina opened up with a pair of wins, topping Drexel 33-9 and Navy 23-16. … more at … https://nwcaonline.com/news/2024/11/12/ncaa-division-1-men-stanfords-upset-over-iowa-state-triggers-movement-in-top-10.aspx
Penn State, Iowa begin season ranked atop NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll
Manheim, Pennsylvania – For the third straight year, Penn State will start the college wrestling season ranked No. 1 in the country.
The Nittany Lions garnered all 16 first-place votes as the season’s first poll was released by the National Wrestling Coaches Association on Wednesday. Penn State won its third straight national championship and 12th overall last March, setting a new NCAA tournament scoring mark in the process with 172.5 points and outdistancing runner-up Cornell by an unprecedented 100 points.
Coach Cael Sanderson’s team is also riding a dual meet win streak of 55 in a row, which currently sits as the 13th longest all-time in college wrestling history and the sixth-longest in major college history.
Iowa starts the year ranked second after finishing the regular season 12-2 in duals and fifth at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The Hawkeyes are followed by Oklahoma State, Nebraska and Ohio State in the top five.
Oklahoma State went 14-1 last season and for the first time in nearly 30 years, will be led by a new head coach. World and Olympic champion David Taylor assumed the role over the summer as the Cowboys’ head coach and brings a new feeling of excitement to Stillwater. The Cowboys finished a disappointing 10th at last season’s NCAA championships.
Nebraska went 12-2 in duals and finished ninth at the NCAA championships, while the Buckeyes were 15-2 in duals and finished eighth. The Big Ten, as usual, has an abundance of teams ranked in the Top 25, with eight of the conference’s 14 wrestling schools starting the year in the poll, including four in the top five. Michigan (8-4 in 2023-24) gives the Big Ten a fifth team in the Top 10, coming in at No. 10.
While the Big Ten was unaffected on the wrestling side of things by the continuing world of college realignment, other conferences find themselves with changing membership.
Oklahoma State is one of eight Big 12 teams ranked in the Top 25 to start the season, with newcomer Arizona State adding to the list of usual suspects. Iowa State (13-2) and Missouri (10-4) come in ranked sixth and ninth, respectively.
The ACC boasts five schools ranked – including rivals Virginia Tech (9-4) and NC State (16-2) coming in ranked No. 7 and No. 8 to start the year. Geographical outlier Stanford joins the conference and starts the year ranked No. 21. … more at … https://nwcaonline.com/news/2024/10/30/national-wrestling-coaches-association-penn-state-iowa-begin-season-ranked-atop-nwca-division-i-mens-wrestling-coaches-poll.aspx
NWCA Announces Return of National Dual Meet Championships to UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, IA, January 10-11, 2025
102 Teams to Compete Across Six Divisions, Including NCAA Division I Men’s Teams for the First Time Since 2017
MANHEIM, PA – The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) is excited to announce the return of the NWCA/USMC Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships, presented by A Better Way Athletics, Capitol Construction, and Defense Soap, set to take place on January 10-11, 2025, at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, IA. This marks the first time since 2017 that NCAA Division I Men’s teams will compete in this prestigious event.
The National Duals will feature a highly competitive field, with teams from six divisions: NAIA Men, NAIA Women, NCAA D1 Men, NCAA D2 Men, NCAA D3 Men, and NCAA Women. In total, 102 teams will battle over two days of action, culminating in the championship finals on Saturday afternoon, January 11. 54% of the programs participating, were established since the year 2000.
“This year’s National Dual Meet Championships promises to be an exciting and intense competition with some of the best wrestlers in the country going head-to-head,” said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. “We are thrilled to return to the UNI-Dome, a venue with a rich wrestling history, and bring the National Duals back to fans … more at … https://nwcaonline.com/news/2024/11/8/national-wrestling-coaches-association-nwca-announces-return-of-national-dual-meet-championships-to-uni-dome-in-cedar-falls-ia-january-10-11-2025.aspx?utm_source=social&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=national_duals&utm_content=NWCA&utm_id=banner
UNC Wrestling Sweeps Duals, Three Collect Open Championships Saturday
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – North Carolina wrestling (2-0) began its dual portion of the 2024-25 schedule Saturday, collecting wins over Drexel (33-0) and Navy (23-16).
Against the Dragons, Carolina completed the sweep, earning seven decisions and three major decisions. Lachlan McNeil (149), Nicholas Fea (165) and Cade Lautt (197) collected bonus point victories for the Tar Heels.
With the win, Carolina began the season 1-0 for the seventh-straight season, the second-longest streak in program history (1973-74 to 1980-81).
In the nightcap, the Tar Heels collected four bonus point victories, courtesy of Spencer Moore (125), Lachlan McNeil (141), Sonny Santiago (157) and Aydin Guttridge (285).
The Tar Heels begin the home portion of the schedule on Friday, hosting No. 4 Nebraska inside Carmichael Arena.
No. 25 North Carolina 33, Drexel 0
November 9, 2024 | Alumni Hall | Annapolis, Md.
125: No. 26 Spencer Moore (UNC) over Desmond Pleasant (Drexel): 10-5 Dec
133: No. 17 Ethan Oakley (UNC) over Kyler Waterman (Drexel): 8-2 Dec
141: Jayden Scott (UNC) over Jordan Soriano (Drexel): 5-2 Dec
149: No. 6 Lachlan McNeil (UNC) over Dom Findora (Drexel): 14-4 MD … more at … https://goheels.com/news/2024/11/9/wrestling-sweeps-duals-three-collect-open-championships-saturday
Historic House-NCAA settlement leaving hundreds of Olympic sport athletes in peril
On Nov. 13, college athletes across the country can sign financial aid agreements with their chosen university.
While the NCAA eliminated the National Letter of Intent program, signing day remains in place as a seminal moment for college-bound athletes to make their verbal commitments binding. It is traditionally a celebrated day. For some, that’s not the case this year.
Hundreds of college prospects, many of them participating in Olympic sports, are in a precarious position as the signing date approaches. Schools have eliminated roster spots and, for some, scholarship offers that they were once promised. Meanwhile, several dozen current college athletes are being notified that they are no longer part of their teams — some of the notifications arriving after the fall semester even began.
The actions are a result of a significant and overshadowed roster change affiliated with the NCAA’s historic settlement of an antitrust lawsuit (House). While the NCAA and power conferences agreed to expand upon scholarships as part of the settlement, they also imposed roster limits for sports, many of which did not previously exist.
Such a change will result in thousands of lost roster spots for mostly walk-on athletes and those on partial scholarship — a consequence that, while previously reported by Yahoo Sports, has now sparked outrage … more at … https://sports.yahoo.com/historic-house-ncaa-settlement-leaving-hundreds-of-olympic-sport-athletes-in-peril-125238713.html
Wolverines defeat #23 CSUB, fall to #12 Stanford in season-opening duals
PALO ALTO, Calif. – Utah Valley wrestling started the Adam Hall era with a 25-15 victory over No. 23 CSU Bakersfield, but fell later to No. 12 Stanford, 29-19. UVU (1-1) ranked wrestlers No. 7 Terrell Barraclough and No. 32 Haiden Drury both picked up two wins on the night in their season debuts. First-year head coach Adam Hall earned his first dual victory at UVU. “I’m really encouraged about the future of our team. Although we lost our last dual against Stanford, we showed heart and fight. I’m excited for Terrell to get a top three nationally-ranked win! I wanted to see effort and urgency, and it helped us win a few matches. We have a group of fighters, and it will be demonstrated each week that we are blessed to compete. Our staff is very dedicated to making this team better, and it will show as the season goes on,” said UVU head coach Adam Hall.
The Wolverines fell in the first two bouts of the evening but got on the board and took the lead with back-to-back technical falls, first from Kase Mauger at 133, who scored 12 first-period points to set the tone for his first victory of the season. No. 32 Drury followed up with a takedown in the first period and then poured it on in the second and third periods, outscoring CSUB’s Hayden Zinkin 13-1.
The Wolverines led 10-7 when freshman Ryker Fullmer took the mat and picked up UVU’s third bonus point win of the night and his first collegiate victory with a 9-1 major decision, as they won four straight bouts. No. 7 Barraclough scored three takedowns over Guillermo Escobedo to pick up an 11-1 major. They continue to add on with 174-pounder Mark Takara and 184-pounder Caleb Uhlenhopp, each picking up wins on the night.
In the nightcap against Stanford, Eli Stafford made his regular season debut and led after the first period after scoring on a takedown and an escape. The match was tied at six heading to the third period when Jackson Mankowski pulled away for a 13-9 decision. … more at … https://gouvu.com/news/2024/11/1/wrestling-wolverines-defeat-23-csub-fall-to-12-stanford-in-season-opening-duals.aspx
UNC Wrestling: Season Preview
The Tar Heels will look to build on last year’s 3rd place ACC finish
The Carolina wrestling team opens their season this week with a Blue and White Showcase on October 26. Their first tourney will be November 2 at the Southeast Open. With the first matches only a few days away, let’s see what the team will look like this year.
Last year recap:
The Heels finished third in the ACC in duel standings (out of six teams) and tied for 30th in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. They somewhat overachieved as they had been picked fourth in the ACC in most preseason rankings. They finished with an 11-7 duels record, including wins over solid Oregon State and Navy clubs. The Heels had seven national qualifiers compete in the 2024 NCAA tournament. They also had one wrestler earn All-American honors, Lachlan McNeil (149lbs).
Notable losses:
The Heels will lose two key contributors from last year’s team. Tyler Eischens qualified for the national tournament four times (once at 157 lbs, the last three at 174 lbs); Max Shaw was a three-time national qualifier at 197 lbs as well as the ACC Tournament runner-up. Both graduated in the spring. Eischens was on the U23 World Team and is the U23 Nationals 82kg Greco-Roman champion.
Key Additions:
The Heels picked up a pair of transfers that should contribute immediately. Ethan Oakley (133 lbs) is an Appalachian State transfer who won the SoCon championship and qualified for the 2024 NCAA tournament. He went 2-2 in the tournament, pulling an upset win over Virginia Tech’s Sam Latona along the way. He holds a 67-35 career record, including a sparkling 21-1 record in duels. Joshua Ogunsanya (174 lbs) transferred from Columbia University, … more at … https://www.tarheelblog.com/2024/10/24/24277994/unc-north-carolina-tar-heels-wrestling-season-preview?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
This Week in ACC Wrestling
Five Teams Ranked in the first NWCA Division I Coaches Poll
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference kicks off the 2024-25 wrestling season with a new look, as long-time Pac-12 member Stanford joins the mix, giving the league seven schools that sponsor wrestling.
The ACC begins the season with five schools ranked in the top 25. Rivals Virginia Tech and NC State are ranked No. 7 and No. 8, respectively. Newcomer Stanford enters the conference at No. 21, while North Carolina and Pitt are ranked No. 24 and No. 25, respectively.
All seven ACC teams will be in action this weekend, beginning on Friday, November 1, with Virginia hosting North Dakota State at 4 p.m. ET and No. 7 Virginia Tech taking on Chattanooga in Salem, Virginia, at 6 p.m. ET. Stanford will hit the mat for the first time as a member of the ACC with a pair of dual matches versus Utah Valley (8 p.m. ET) and CSU Bakersfield (10 p.m. ET) with both matches airing on ACCNX.
On Saturday, November 2, No. 25 Pitt will host Navy at 2 p.m. ET on ACCNX, while the Hokies, No. 24 North Carolina and Virginia will have individuals compete at the 2024 Southeast Open. On Sunday, November 3, No. 8 NC State and Duke will open up their seasons at the Battle at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, while Pitt will return to the mat to compete at the Clarion Open in Clarion, Pennsylvania. … more at … https://theacc.com/news/2024/10/31/this-week-in-acc-wrestling.aspx
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 