Mountain Cats Take Down #14 UNC-Pembroke to Open Saturday’s Tri-Match
The 18th-ranked Pitt-Johnstown wrestlers got wins from eighth-ranked Dakoda Rodgers (197 lbs.) and No. 5 Isaiah Vance (285 lbs.) in the final two bouts to break a 16-all tie and lock down a 24-16 victory over 14th-ranked UNC-Pembroke in open Saturday’s Tri-Match in the Sports Center.
Eighth-ranked Trevon Gray opened the day with a 13-7 decision win over Bryson Harper at 125 lbs., and Tyson Cook dealt Logan Robinson an 18-10 major decision loss at 133 lbs. to give the Mountain Cats a quick 7-0 lead.
The Braves responded with two straight wins of their own to take the lead. At 141 lbs., No. 20 Avery Buonocore earned a 9-1 decision over Mason Myers, before a 20-5 technical fall at 7:00 from No. 8 Nick Piccirilli over Carter Weaver at 157 lbs. made it 9-7.
The teams continued to exchange the lead. After Cooper Warshel secured an 18-3 technical fall win at 6:56 over Tyler Nelson at 157 lbs., UNC-Pembroke followed to take a 13-12 advantage 17th-ranked Will Lowry’s 12-4 major decision win over Gavyn Beck at 174 lbs.
At 174 lbs., Tony Salopek put the Mountain Cats back on top, 16-13, when he dealt Logan Hoffman a 12-3 major decision loss, but the Braves tied it at 184 lbs. with a 7-3 win by Schylik Scriven over Noah Gnibus at 184 lbs.
However, Pitt-Johnstown finished strong. Rodgers ran out to an 8-0 first period lead in a 13-0 major decision … more at … https://pittjohnstownathletics.com/news/2025/1/4/wrestling-mountain-cats-take-down-14-unc-pembroke-to-open-saturdays-tri-match.aspx
UNI wrestling takes down No. 4 Nebraska in 24-9 home win
Panthers defeat Cornhuskers in dual action for the first time since 1991. UNI back in action next weekend at NWCA Multi-Division National Dual Championships in UNI-Dome.
OFFICIALS – Eric McGill, Leo Mercado
ATTENDANCE – 3,113
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The UNI wrestling team brought the heat to the McLeod Center on Sunday afternoon as the tenth-ranked Panthers knocked off No. 4 Nebraska in non-conference dual action by a score of 24-9.
Northern Iowa’s big win marked the first victory over the Cornhuskers in 34 years, as well as its first top-five ranked win since beating No. 3 Ohio State at the 2022 Collegiate Duals.
The Panthers picked up four individual wins over top-five ranked opponents, which began with a stunning win for No. 31 Trever Anderson at 125 pounds over fifth-ranked and returning All-American Caleb Smith. Cael Happel (141 pounds), Ryder Downey (157 pounds) and Parker Keckeisen (184 pounds) also picked up top-five wins.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Anderson set the tone early at 125 pounds against Smith. After a scoreless first period, Smith took the lead early in the second with a quick escape, but Anderson responded with a takedown and, after another escape by Smith, Anderson escaped in the third period for a 4-2 lead before adding an extra point for riding time for a 5-2 victory. The victory marked Anderson’s first dual win of the season and his second career victory over a top-five opponent, having previously defeated No. 1 Jakob Camacho (North Carolina State) last year.
Julian Farber made his dual debut of the season at 133 pounds against No. 20 Jacob Van Dee. Van Dee took control early, securing a takedown in the first period and adding an escape in the third. Farber would battle hard in the final period as he scrambled for a potential takedown, but ultimately fell short, dropping the match 5-0 as Van Dee earned the additional riding time point.
Eighth-ranked Happel (141 pounds) secured his third career top-five victory and earned his third straight win over No. 5 Brock Hardy in a come-from-behind effort. Hardy jumped out to a 4-0 lead … more at … https://unipanthers.com/news/2025/1/5/wrestling-uni-wrestling-takes-down-no-4-nebraska-in-24-9-home-win
Newberry Wolves Dominate Coker in a 39-9 Victory
The Newberry Wolves dominated with an overwhelming 39-9 win over Coker University at home. From start to finish, the Wolves showed their strength, truly earning their points in nearly every match and displaying a high level of skill and intensity.
Highlights
141 Pounds:
After 2 loses the tide quickly turned as Newberry’s Braden Tatum stepped onto the mat. With relentless aggression, Tatum secured a technical fall against Coker’s Frank Bianco, 16-1 in 7:00, bringing the team score to 5-9 in favor of Coker.
149 Pounds:
The momentum continued as Newberry’s Cael Alderman made quick work of Coker’s Kymontae Wright, pinning him in just 1:41. The Wolves stole the lead and were now up 11-9.
157 Pounds:
Dennis Virelli continued the onslaught with a dominant performance, securing an 8-5 decision over Coker’s Noah Korenoski. The win made it 14-9 Newberry, and the team’s lead was growing steadily.
165 Pounds:
Nick Humphrys kept the Wolves rolling with an 11-0 major decision over Coker’s Austin Collins. With the team score now at 18-9, Newberry had built a commanding lead that would prove insurmountable.
174 Pounds:
Dayton Fields showed no mercy, blasting past Coker’s Joshua Howell with a technical fall victory of 19-1 in just 3:19. The Wolves now held a 23-9 lead, and it was clear that they were on their way to a dominant victory. … more at … https://newberrywolves.com/news/2025/1/3/untitled-story.aspx
UNI wrestling takes down No. 4 Nebraska in 24-9 home win
Panthers defeat Cornhuskers in dual action for the first time since 1991. UNI back in action next weekend at NWCA Multi-Division National Dual Championships in UNI-Dome.
OFFICIALS – Eric McGill, Leo Mercado ATTENDANCE – 3,113
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The UNI wrestling team brought the heat to the McLeod Center on Sunday afternoon as the tenth-ranked Panthers knocked off No. 4 Nebraska in non-conference dual action by a score of 24-9.
Northern Iowa’s big win marked the first victory over the Cornhuskers in 34 years, as well as its first top-five ranked win since beating No. 3 Ohio State at the 2022 Collegiate Duals.
The Panthers picked up four individual wins over top-five ranked opponents, which began with a stunning win for No. 31 Trever Anderson at 125 pounds over fifth-ranked and returning All-American Caleb Smith. Cael Happel (141 pounds), Ryder Downey (157 pounds) and Parker Keckeisen (184 pounds) also picked up top-five wins.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Anderson set the tone early at 125 pounds against Smith. After a scoreless first period, Smith took the lead early in the second with a quick escape, but Anderson responded with a takedown and, after another escape by Smith, Anderson escaped in the third period for a 4-2 lead before adding an extra point for riding time for a 5-2 victory. The victory marked Anderson’s first dual win of the season and his second career victory over a top-five opponent, having previously defeated No. 1 Jakob Camacho (North Carolina State) last year.
Julian Farber made his dual debut of the season at 133 pounds against No. 20 Jacob Van Dee. … more at … https://unipanthers.com/news/2025/1/5/wrestling-uni-wrestling-takes-down-no-4-nebraska-in-24-9-home-win
What to watch: Week ten of the college wrestling season
Week ten of the college wrestling season features the highly anticipated Southern Scuffle on Saturday and Sunday. Alongside the tournament, several teams continue dual action to kick off the new year. Check out a few events to watch during week ten as the college wrestling season continues.
Southern Scuffle
Date: January 4-5, 2025
Location: McKenzie Arena, Chattanooga, Tenn.
The annual New Years Day event moves to this weekend and will be held on January 4-5. The following individuals and teams are in the mix to compete: American, Appalachian State, Army, Bellarmine, Bloomsburg, Brown, Campbell, Chattanooga, The Citadel, Clarion , Davidson, Duke, Gardner-Webb, Little Rock, Long Island, North Carolina, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Oklahoma, Penn State, Virginia and Virginia Tech. Pre-seeds have been released for this tournament and can be found on Chattanooga’s site for all things Southern Scuffle. Follow the holiday tournament on FloWrestling.
No. 12 Cornell at No. 19 Missouri
Date: January 3, 2025 Time: 6 p.m. CT
Location: Hearnes Center, Columbia, Mo.
The Big Red travel to Columbia, Missouri, to take on the No. 19 Tigers. The dual is apart of Missouri’s “Beauty and the Beast” event, a collaboration between their wrestling and gymnastics teams, broadcast on ESPN+. The Tigers, holding a 2-5 record after facing five ranked teams, … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/january/02/what-to-watch-week-ten-of-the-college-wrestling-season
Abbott blog: Top 10 wrestling stories of 2024
By Gary Abbott of USA Wrestling
For many years, one of my holiday traditions has been writing a Top 10 wrestling stories of the year column for TheMat.com. Finding time to write around traditional family holiday activities has always been a bit of a challenge but is something I look forward to each year.
Clearly, an Olympic year has way more story lines than the other three years of an Olympic cycle. Paris did a wonderful job running the 2024 Games, a breath of fresh air after going through the pandemic Olympics in Tokyo in 2021. The USA had a strong performance if you look back at historic results, although the U.S. has been so strong in recent years that expectations were very high. The Olympics are so hard to win because of the pressure on the athletes and the high level of preparation by every single Olympian in the field. Athletes around the world dream about winning the Olympics, and they all step up big time when given that opportunity.
It has been an honor and a privilege to bring this feature to the wrestling community over the years, and I appreciate all of the amazing opportunities I have had as a USA Wrestling staff member. This has truly been a dream job for a kid who loves wrestling and journalism. From the minute that the Olympics ended in Paris, all eyes have now turned towards the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. All I can say is Go Team USA!!!
Here we go with the biggest stories of 2024, in my humble opinion…
1 –Hildebrandt, Elor win golds and U.S. women get four Olympic medals in Paris – Women first competed in Olympic wrestling in 2004 in Athens, and the USA has been one of the top nations ever since. However, it was 20 years later, at the 2024 Paris Games, where the USA women truly took center stage, claiming two gold medals for the first time and a U.S. record four total medals. Golds went to one of the veteran leaders on the team, Sarah Hildebrandt at 50 kg, and the best young athlete in the world, Amit Elor at 68 kg. Hildebrandt’s run included some big-time drama, as her finals opponent Vinesh from India (who upset the favorite Yui Susaki in the first round) missed weight. UWW chose to put the semifinal loser to Vinesh in the finals against Hildebrandt, Yusneylis Guzman Lopez of Cuba, and Sarah closed it out with a 3-0 win. A lifetime of hard work and persistence paid off when it most counted. Elor, who became the youngest U.S. Senior World wrestling champion at 18 in 2022, dropped to 68 kg for the Olympic year and become the youngest Olympic wrestling champion for Team USA at age 20 in Paris. Elor was her dominant self, outscoring her opponents 31-2, including a 3-0 shutout victory over Meerim Zhumanazarova of Kyrgyzstan in the finals. Elor’s future seems unlimited at this point. Kennedy Blades, who beat the legendary Adeline Gray to make the U.S. team, nailed a beautiful five-point throw in her first match and powered into the finals to claim a silver medal. The amazing Helen Maroulis added a bronze medal and the U.S. women had its best Olympics ever.
2 – Maroulis wins third Olympic medal and Dake earns second Olympic medal – Winning an Olympic wrestling medal is an amazing feat. Winning more than one is very rare and especially noteworthy. Helen Maroulis further cemented her Hall of Fame career by winning a third career Olympic medal in Paris, a 2024 bronze to go with 2016 gold and 2020 bronze. Her back story is inspiring (a documentary was made about her comeback from injury and personal challenge). In Paris, Maroulis opened with two wins to reach the semifinals, where she fell 6-0 to three-time World champion Tsugumi Sakurai of Japan, who had beaten Maroulis in previous meetings. She put an exclamation point on her third Olympics with a stunning 24-second pin of Canada’s Hannah Taylor for the bronze. Only one USA athlete has won more Olympic wrestling medals, the great Bruce Baumgartner with four. Dake’s quest for an Olympic gold after winning four career World titles, was halted in the semifinals in a wild 20-12 loss to Japan’s Daichi Takatani. Dake came back strong after the loss. It looked like Dake might fall in the bronze-medal match to past World champion Hetik Cablov of Serbia, but a late five-point toss gave him a memorable 10-4 win and a second career Olympic bronze medal. Could either come back to seek another at the 2028 Olympics? Who knows, but I wouldn’t put it past either of them if they chose to go another Olympic cycle. 3 – Lee gets healthy and powers to Olympic silver medal – As an age-group freestyle wrestler, Spencer Lee of Pennyslvania was beyond dominant. He won a 2014 U17 World title and two U20 World titles (2015, 2016), and most of his matches were over in less than a minute. It seemed like Lee was destined to win multiple World and Olympic medals for Team USA. … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2024/december/28/abbott-blog-top-10-wrestling-stories-of-2024
College Wrestling Announcers’ Story from the Mat to the Mic
At 71 years old, Tim Johnson found himself back where it all started – in a wrestling room in the basement of the old Morning Sun high school building. The room isn’t large, smaller than an average classroom, but the names that would come out of that modest bit of real estate in Southeast Iowa are gigantic.
Al Baxter, Nick Hobbs, Gregg Durbin, Ron McDonald, Jerry Malone, Jay Johnson, Earl Bryant … the list of Iowa high school state wrestling tournament qualifiers and place winners to come out of Morning Sun reads like a chapter book. They’re household names in Iowa high school wrestling, many of whom were coached by National Wrestling Hall of Fame coach John Siegel.
The wrestling room, painted emerald green with matching green mats, is located next to the boiler room. That was intentional. Tim Johnson recalls grueling workouts in that hot room, conditioning that would help him win matches both on the wrestling mat and in life. “To be back in this room where a lot of blood, sweat and tears happened is a tremendous feeling,” Tim Johnson said. “I owe a lot to this sport.” It’s a sport he didn’t know he would even be able to participate in early on. A lawnmower accident nearly cost him a leg when he was a kid. Full of youthful energy, he raced up behind his dad who was operating a new riding lawnmower. The grass was damp from dew and his left leg slid under the blade deck. The injury required multiple operations and lengthy rehab sessions, but the medical staff was able to save his leg.
When he was in second grade he met Bob Darrah, Morning Sun’s wrestling coach, while at a high school meet. A few years later Darrah invited Johnson to come workout with the varsity wrestlers. “This was a sport I was allowed to do,” Johnson said. “I could wrestle, and coach Darrah said ‘as long as you can wrestle you’ll be okay.’ I owe a lot to a man who put that courage in me.”
Darrah went on to coach at Urbandale High School before establishing a legendary program at West Des Moines Dowling Catholic. Johnson learned early on how to modify his wrestling stance to protect his leg, taking the mat in a sugar foot stance. He became both explosive and impossible to take down, another analogy that works for him off the mat. Through some rough life challenges Johnson has learned resiliency. For him, wrestling is not something that’s only done on a three-quarter-inch mat. “Everybody wrestles with life,” Johnson said. He’s a humble man who wastes little time acknowledging those he credits for his successes, from influential coaches to the group of wrestling moms back in the early days that sold homemade pies for traveling money and dyed long underwear green so the athletes would have uniforms to wrestle in.
Humble, yet still carries himself with elbows bent and primed to shoot a double leg at the blow of a whistle. Johnson’s passion for life and love for wrestling will be available for all to see when he joins legendary wrestling coach Jim Miller mat-side to broadcast NCAA wrestling meets on Iowa PBS in January.
It is the first time since 2012 that Iowa PBS has carried a wrestling meet … more at … https://www.iowapbs.org/article/11916/college-wrestling-announcers-story-mat-mic#popup-container
Champions Knox, Abas, Norman lift Stanford to first Ken Kraft Midlands Championships team title
HOFMANN ESTATES, Ill. – Stanford staged a remarkable day two effort on the strength of three individual champions and 10 top-eight finishers to emerge with the program’s first team title in the history of the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. It’s the 60th year of the prestigious holiday event.
Collecting the Dan Gable Outstanding Wrestler Award was 133-pound champion Tyler Knox, who was the first Stanford athlete of the day to grab a win in the finals. The redshirt freshman finished with a 5-0 record for the weekend, including an impressive 10-3 decision over Rutgers All-American Dylan Shawver in the championship bout.
Knox improved to 14-2 on the season with some major bullets already on his resume. He finished in fifth place at the tough CKLV Invitational and owns a win over NCAA finalist Drake Ayala of Iowa. Now with a Midlands title in tow, he his building momentum for a deep run in March.
Also earning top prize for Stanford were All-American Jaden Abas at 149 pounds and redshirt freshman Lorenzo Norman at 174 pounds. Abas outlasted Cross Wasilewski of Penn, 10-9, in a finals battle of the top two seeds at 149. He finished with a 5-0 record on the weekend, pushing his season record to 16-4. Abas was third at the CKLV Invitational earlier this year.
Norman was presented the Jack Leese Champion of Champions Award following his decisive run at NOW Arena that culminated with an 11-5 win over No. 1 seed Nick Incontrera of Penn in the finals. Norman’s 5-0 mark at the Midlands increases his season tally to 14-1 with his only loss coming in the CKLV Invitational finals to Oklahoma State’s Dean Hamiti, 4-3. Hamiti was the Midlands champion at 165 pounds last year, as well as the Outstanding Wrestler and Champion of Champions recipient.
Stanford, led by second-year head coach Chris Ayres, was the only program to earn three individual titles, which catapulted them atop the team podium with 157 team points. Rutgers, who held the lead after day one with eight semifinalists, finished in second place with 147 team points. Penn, Indiana and Pittsburgh rounded out the top five teams.
Rutgers grabbed the first champion of the day … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2024/december/30/champions-knox-abas-norman-lift-stanford-to-first-ken-kraft-midlands-championships-team-title
Iowa women win Soldier Salute with five champions, runner-up Life has three champions
CORALVILLE, Iowa – The Soldier Salute women’s division featured the No. 1 ranked teams in the NCAA and the NAIA, and both teams had excellent performances.
Led by five individual champions, NCAA No. 1 Iowa finished with 215.5 points. NAIA No. 1 Life was second with 199 points, led by three champions. NAIA No. 7 Indiana Tech was third with 71.5 points. Individual champions for Iowa included Brianna Gonzalez (117), Cadence Diduch (138), Macey Kilty (145), Kennedy Blades (160) and Kylie Welker (180).
Two of the finals were all-Iowa battles, both won by World-level stars. At 145 pounds, two-time Senior World medalist Macey Kilty defeated 2024 NCWWC national champion Reese Larramendy, 8-1. At 180 pounds, 2024 World bronze medalist Kylie Welker, who was also a 2024 NCWWC champion, stopped freshman Naomi Simon in a 10-0 technical fall.
The Outstanding Wrestler in the women’s division was 2024 Olympic silver medalist Blades, who scored a 13-3 technical fall over Latifah McBryde of Life, a two-time NAIA Nationals runner-up. Gonzalez, a 2024 NCWWC runner-up, defeated Life’s Salyna Shotwell in the finals, 6-0. Diduch, a freshman, stopped Texas Wesleyan’s Samantha Baragan, 8-6.
Champions for Life were Anaya Falcon (110), Sarah Savidge (131) and Savannah Isaac (207). Savidge was a 2024 NAIA runner-up, while Falcon and Isaac are freshmen. Falcon defeated 2024 NCWWC nationals champion Ava Bayless of Iowa in the finals, scoring a stunning 16-5 technical fall. Savidge was equally dominant in her finals, blitzing Iowa’s Emily Frost in a 10-0 technical fall. Isaac stopped 2024 NCWWC runner-up Jaycee Foeller of Iowa, 2-1.
The other two champions were not affiliated with a college program. Unattached Jaclyn Bouzakis, a high school star who attends Wyoming Seminary, scored a 10-0 technical fall over Katherine Hernandez of Life at 103 pounds. Mateah Roehl, who competes for the Askren Wrestling Academy and was an All-American at North Central, won the 124-pound title … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2024/december/30/iowa-women-win-soldier-salute-with-five-champions-runner-up-life-has-three-champions
Badgers finish 2-1 at the Knockout Christmas Classic
Wisconsin defeats Campbell and NDSU, falls to No. 22 West Virginia
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Wisconsin wrestling team traveled to Kissimmee, Florida for a holiday event and came away with a pair of wins, beating Campbell and NDSU, but falling to No. 22 West Virginia at the Knockout Christmas Classic.
The Classic consisted of three rounds and took place at Silver Spurs Arena on Saturday.
The Badgers finished the day with a 2-1 record, bringing them to an even 4-4 mark heading into the new year. The young team saw a lot success for their freshmen and redshirt freshmen in Florida.
True freshman Wyatt Ingham (197) competed in his first three college matches and achieved his first college victory. His initial win was an upset against Campbell’s No. 21 Levi Hopkins, winning by a score of 3-2. Ingham’s second win of the day came via pin against NDSU’s Tayshaun Glover at 6:46.
Redshirt freshman Dylan Russo (184) also secured his first college victory against Mike Slade (Campbell) by major decision, 15-6, and added his second win of the day against NDSU’s Aidan Brenot by decision, 12-9.
Redshirt freshman Brock Bobzien achieved an upset over No. 15 Jordan Titus (West Virginia) by decision, 8-5. Finally, redshirt freshman Nicolar Rivera continued his impressive season with a perfect 3-0 day.
Campbell Results:
Wisconsin 25, Campbell 13
125 – No. 20 Nicolar Rivera over No. 28 Anthony Molton (Campbell) Tech. Fall 17-0 5:08
133 – No. 28 Zan Fugitt over Logan Heil (Campbell) Major Dec. 15-6
141 – No. 28 Shannon Hanna (Campbell) over Brock Bobzien Dec. 7-3 … more at … https://uwbadgers.com/news/2024/12/21/wrestling-badgers-finish-2-1-at-the-knockout-christmas-classic.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
