The 10 Best Wrestlers From Discontinued Programs
Some of America’s best wrestlers competed for dropped programs. Here are the 10 best.
Just because a college discontinued its wrestling team doesn’t mean we should forget about the wrestlers who went there. Here are the 10 best wrestlers from dropped programs.
Click here for JD Rader’s list of new and dropped programs since 1975.
10. Greg Wojciechowski
College: Toledo
Year Dropped: 1994
Wojciechowski competed in the NCAA tournament finals three times at heavyweight from 1970 to 1972, securing a title in 1971. He won 13 AAU national titles (Greco-Roman and freestyle) and made the 1980 Olympic team boycotted by the United States.
9. Gene Mills
College: Syracuse
Year Dropped: 2001
Mills went on a tear after placing third at the NCAA tournament in 1977 and fourth in 1978. Perhaps college wrestling’s most dynamic wrestler, the Orangemen’s wrestling superstar, won NCAA championships in 1979 and 1981 at 118 pounds. He also made the 1980 Olympic team at 52 kilograms but didn’t compete due to a boycott by the United States. Mills secured seven falls in 10 matches during his two NCAA championship runs. His other three matches were 17-2, 16-13, and 28-4 wins.
8. Pete Mehringer
College: Kansas
Year Dropped: 1966
Mehringer placed second at the 1932 NCAA tournament (HWT) to Northwestern’s Jack Riley, then won a gold medal at the 1932 London Olympics (192 pounds). He was the first Kansas University athlete to win an Olympic gold medal.
7. Stan Dziedzic
College: Slippery Rock
Year Dropped: 2006
Before winning the 1977 World Championship and earning a bronze medal at the 1976 Olympics, Dziedzic was a three-time All-American. He placed third at the NCAA tournament in 1970 (150 pounds), first in 1971 (150 pounds), and second in 1972 (158 pounds).
6. Stephen Abas, Fresno State
College: Fresno State
Year Dropped: 2021
After a fourth-place finish as a freshman in 1998, Abas won three NCAA championships (1999, 2001-02) at 125 pounds. His only loss during his final three seasons was when he moved up to 133 pounds to face Oklahoma State’s three-time NCAA champion … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/14089528-the-10-best-wrestlers-from-discontinued-programs
New Women’s Teams & Programs
Fighting Scots Announce the Addition of Women’s Wrestling
Edinboro, Pa. – PennWest Edinboro announced on Friday the additions of women’s wrestling and women’s golf to its varsity sports offerings with competition for both slated to begin in the 2025-26 academic year.
Recruitment for both programs will begin immediately. Recruitment questionnaires are available for wrestling and golf, and both programs will compete at the Division II level.
“The introduction of women’s wrestling and women’s golf at PennWest Edinboro represents an ongoing commitment to providing athletic opportunities for our students,” said PennWest President Dr. Jon Anderson. “We are excited to embrace the newest NCAA Championship sport in women’s wrestling and add the Fighting Scots to the rich tradition of women’s golf.”
Women’s wrestling was announced as the NCAA’s 91st Championship Sport in January. There are currently 93 women’s wrestling programs across the country. The first NCAA Championship competition will be in 2026.
“Edinboro has always had a rich wrestling tradition,” said Director of Athletics Dr. Katherine Robbins. “The addition of women’s wrestling continues to build on that legacy of excellence in the sport of wrestling and adds another chapter to the storied history of Fighting Scot wrestling.” … more at … https://gofightingscots.com/news/2025/4/11/general-fighting-scots-announce-the-addition-of-womens-wrestling.aspx
And …
Pitt-Johnstown Announces Historic Addition of 3 New Sports to Boost Enrollments & Competitive Excellence
The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown is pleased to announce the addition of three new sponsored NCAA Division II sports—Women’s Wrestling, Men’s Swimming, and Women’s Swimming—to strengthen the enrollment of the university and to add to the high level of competitive excellence of our Athletic Department.
“We are thrilled by this historic addition of Women’s Wrestling and Men’s and Women’s Swimming to our athletic programs, which already includes several championship teams in our conference. We are highly confident that these new sports will elevate an already outstanding athletic program, making Pitt-Johnstown an even more compelling destination for prospective students, thereby helping to increase our in-state and out-of-state enrollments,” stated Pitt-Johnstown President Jem Spectar.
The addition of Women’s Wrestling to UPJ Athletics leverages and complements our historic legacy in Men’s Wrestling, providing a significant boost to our student recruitment efforts throughout the Commonwealth and beyond. Women’s Wrestling has rapidly gained popularity across the country and especially in western Pennsylvania, with many local high schools and wrestling clubs fielding women’s wrestling teams and featuring talented student-athletes. Women’s Wrestling was recently approved as the 91st NCAA-sponsored National Championship and is slated to crown its first national champion in the 2025-26 season. Currently, more than 1,200 women wrestlers are competing at 76 NCAA schools across Division I, II, and III, with NCAA projections pointing to an additional 17 programs to be added in the coming years, which was a crucial factor in UPJ’s decision to add the sport as it continues to increase efforts to boost its lagging enrollment of female students. With the addition of Women’s Wrestling at Pitt-Johnstown, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) will have five universities with Women’s Wrestling … more at … https://pittjohnstownathletics.com/news/2025/4/7/baseball-pitt-johnstown-announces-historic-addition-of-3-new-sports-to-boost-enrollments-competitive-excellence.aspx
And …
Endowment for the pin: Launching women’s wrestling
Just a decade ago few envisioned a women’s wrestling team competing for the Rams. But as the sport exploded at high schools across the nation, our Strategic Planning Committee set it as a priority program.
Cornell became one of the first 29 Division III colleges to add women’s wrestling when we announced our launch on Dec. 1, 2021. The timing was perfect: today girls wrestling is the fastest-growing high school sport. Because we moved quickly, Cornell is in a good position to attract wrestlers who want to continue the sport in college.
We couldn’t have made that choice without Cornell’s endowment.
Although a budget for the program did not exist, the flexibility of unrestricted endowment funds allowed Cornell to pivot and launch the program. “We were able to move quickly and now we’re in a great position to recruit women wrestlers,” says Vice President for Enrollment Management Wendy Beckemeyer. “We’re at the leading edge of this exciting sport, offering women new athletic opportunities, and our enrollment is growing because of this program. It’s a win-win.”
Cornell’s young team landed two place-winners at the Rams’ first-ever women’s wrestling tournament—the Cliff Keen-Mike Duroe Invitational—in January. The team has a roster of 15 women in its second year of competition and shares facilities with the men’s team in the renovated and expanded Richard and Norma Small Athletic and Wellness Center—the SAW.
When Cornell announced the launch, then-Athletic Director Seth Wing called it “a giant step for the college as we continue to enhance the student-athlete experience” … more at … https://news.cornellcollege.edu/2025/Spring/Endowment-womens-wrestling.html
Dominance on the mat: NHSCA Nationals cown 55 high school wrestling champions in Virginia Beach showdown
With nearly 6,000 competitors, Pennsylvania leads the pack with seven titles across freshman and junior divisions as top-ranked wrestlers battle for national glory; Florida and Georgia also shine.
Last weekend’s NHSCA Wrestling Nationals in Virginia Beach was a tournament of epic proportions with nearly 6,000 wrestlers competing in a girls, middle school, and four high school divisions. There were 14 weights contested in three of the four high school divisions with the seniors not having a 106lb weight class.
A total 55 champions were crowned amongst the high schoolers. We will not be discussing all of them, just the happenings of interest for the national rankings and other intriguing trends or outcomes.
One of the more intriguing of those being Pennsylvania’s tournament high seven champions coming in just two divisions, Freshman and Junior.
Leading the way was Montgomery’s Brandt Harer, whose 138lb title in the junior division made him a three-time NHSCA Champion. Harer, who is ranked 8th in the nation and won his second consecutive state title this year, used a 16-1 technical fall of Kentucky’s two-time state champion, George Dennis (Harrison County), to lock it down. Dennis picked off California’s Joseph Toscano of Buchanan, who is ranked 3rd at 144, 14-12, in the quarters.
At the next junior weight class, 145lbs, West Scranton’s No. 21 Michael Turi, a three-time state placer, defeated North Carolina’s three-time champ Lorenzo Alston, 6-4. Turi won a NHSCA title as a freshman but did not appear last year.
Speaking of not appearing, Turi’s teammate Jake Benyo (106) did not wrestle an official match during the season. In the freshman finals, Benyo faced another wrestler that was mostly inactive during the campaign, New Jersey’s Anthony Curlo (Blair Academy), and slid by on a 1-0 decision. … more at … https://www.si.com/high-school/wrestling/dominance-on-the-mat-nhsca-nationals-cown-55-high-school-wrestling-champions-in-virginia-beach-showdown-01jqrw289sbj
And …
NHSCA Wrestling Nationals Recap: Part II
Massachusetts crowns three champions, including one from nationally ranked Musa Tamaradze
We are picking up part two of our NHSCA Wrestling Nationals recap with a state not known for their wrestling prowess, Massachusetts. They had three exit the Senior Division with wall charts in hand, Musa Tamaradze (126), No. 18 Elliott Humphries (Northfield Mount Hermon), and Saint John Prep’s Alexander Bajoras (285).
Tamaradze was third at the National Prep Tournament and earned a No. 22 national ranking at 132lbs for the New York Military Academy. Tamaradze won the 126lb bracket over Maryland’s two-time state champ, Tanner Halling (Boonsboro), 9-3, for his second straight NHSCA title. Halling defeated three-time California state placer No. 29 Paulo Valdez (Hespria), 11-0, to reach the finals.
Humphries came on strong last summer with a second-place finish at Fargo in Junior Freestyle after failing to place at National Preps and NHSCAs. This year, Humphries was third at preps and collected his first NHSCA hardware with a 4-1 sudden victory win over Pennsylvania state placer (4th twice), … more at … https://www.si.com/high-school/wrestling/nhsca-wrestling-nationals-recap-part-ii-01jqshh21xc0
Top 40 Division I ACTIVE Coaches
The following is a listing of the Top 40 Active (including rece3ntly retired) Division I Head coaches by dual meet wins. We welcome input, questions and corrections.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1. John Smith (Oklahoma State Univ.) 490 retired 2024
2. Tom Borelli (Central Michigan) 368 retired 2024
3. Rob Koll (North Carolina/Stanford/Cornell) 348
4. Brian Smith (Missouri/Syracuse) 341
5. Tom Ryan (Ohio State/Hofstra) 335
6. Mark Manning (Nebraska/Northern Iowa) 328
7. Tom Brands (Iowa & Virginia Tech) 308
8. Jim Zalesky (Oregon State/Iowa) 278 now at D-II school
9. Tim Flynn (West Virginia/Edinboro St.) 274
10. Cael Sanderson (Penn State, Iowa State) 262
11. Joel Greenlee (Ohio Univ.) 260
12. Roger Reina (Pennsylvania, Un. Of) 258
13. Pat Popolizio (North Carolina St., SUNY-Binghampton) 256
14. Kevin Dresser (Iowa State/Virginia Tech Univ.) 253
15. Pat Santoro (Lehigh University, Maryland) 239
16. Scott Goodale (Rutgers University) – 235
17. Jim Andrassy (Kent State Univ.) 204
18. Steve Garland (Virginia University) 194
19. John Stutzman (Buffalo SUNY, Bloomsburg) – 190
20. Dan Wirnsberger (Bucknell, Bloomsburg) 183
21. Chris Bono (Wisconsin/South Dakota/U.Tenn.Chatt.) 158
22. John Mark Bentley (Appalachian State) 152
23. Jay Weiss (Harvard Univ.) – 151
24. Jason Borelli (American/Stanford Univ.) – 150
25. Mark Branch (Wyoming Univ.) – 149
26. Zeke Jones (Ariz. St., Univ. Of Penn.) 127
26. Doug Schwab (Northern Iowa) 127
28. Mark Cody (Presbyterian, Oklahoma U., American U.) 124
29. Roger Kish (Oklahoma/N. D. St.) – 122
30. Ryan Ludwig (Northern Illinois) – 113
30. Matt Azevedo (Drexel Un.) 113
32. Greg Williams (Utah Valley State) 110 — Inactive
33. Chris Ayres (Princeton) 105
34. Scott Moore (Lock Haven) 95
35. Tony Ersland (Purdue) 90
36. Brandom Eggum (Minnesota) 84
37. John Hangey (Rider Un.) 83
38. Tony Robie (Virginia Tech/SUNY-Bing.) 80
39. Kevin Ward (U.S. Army Acad.) 78
40. Daniel Elliott (Gardner-Webb) 77
The 2025 NCAA Championships Were Overflowing with Storylines
I waited a couple of days to write this article. I wanted to write it when I got home from Philadelphia and the 2025 NCAA Championships, but I needed some time for perspective. Personally, I’m not a fan of labeling the match or tournament or upset we saw last night as the “Greatest Ever.” Ever is a long time and frankly, even though I’ve covered 17 of the last 19 NCAA Tournaments, I’ve missed much more than I’ve ever seen when it comes to the history of college wrestling.
What that means is that it’s not hyperbole when I say the 2025 NCAA Championships had the best and greatest number of storylines surrounding the tournament of any that I’ve been associated with.
Some were blatant and obvious – others you had to pay attention to notice. Quite frankly, there were so many that you might have missed one or seven.
Let’s go through some of the main ones we knew before the tournament.
- Carter Starocci’s quest for five titles. He did it and became the first NCAA wrestler to achieve the feat and beat an undefeated returning champion in the process.
- Could Penn State break their own scoring record – established a year ago – along with matching Minnesota’s highwater mark of 10 All-Americans? Yes and yes to both. Then Nittany Lions were also the first team since 1992 to put their entire lineup in the NCAA quarterfinals.
- Can Iowa hold onto second place and what’s Jacori Teemer’s status? Teemer went 0-2 and Kyle Parco was injured in his second match and didn’t wrestle in the consolations. Aside from that, Iowa had an alright tournament – capped off by a win at 197 lbs from Stephen Buchanan. They finished fourth as a team.
- Is Oklahoma State the next team ready to challenge Penn State? I suppose that depends on what you call “challenge,” but the Cowboys had a very good tournament, finishing third and crowning two champions in year one under David Taylor. … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/the-2025-ncaa-championships-were-overflowing-with-storylines-r100162/
Celebrating the many “firsts” of our great sport
By Mike Chapman
Being first in any sporting activity is a part of history that lasts forever. There can only be one first in any event for an athlete. Babe Ruth, Roger Bannister, the Green Bay Packers were all first, in one way or another. And college wrestling is no different.
As we speed toward another NCAA tournament, here are some fabulous firsts that come to my mind:
The very first NCAA tournament was held in Ames, Iowa, in 1928.
That year, Harold DeMarsh, Oklahoma State, became the first NCAA champion ever, at 115 pounds.
The first official team champion was Oklahoma State in 1929. (No team score was kept in 1928.)
The first three time champion was Earl McCready, Oklahoma State heavyweight, from 1929 to 1931.
In 1932, Edwin Belshaw, Indiana, became the first O.W.
The tournament was cancelled from 1943-1945 due to World War II, and David Arndt of Oklahoma State stands tall as the only wrestler to win titles on both sides of the war. He claimed two at 145 pounds prior to the conflict, then flew over 100 combat missions in Europe, and returned home to win his third in 1946, this time at 136 pounds.
In 1947, tiny Cornell College in Mount Vernon, under Coach Paul Scott, became the first of four Iowa colleges to win the team title.
In 1948, Bill Koll, Iowa Teachers College (now UNI), was the first to win two O.W. awards at the tournament.
The first four-time finalist was Dick Hutton, Oklahoma State heavyweight, with three titles and one runner-up spot, his final year in 1949.
Penn State claimed its first NCAA title in 1953, under Coach Charlie Speidel.
In 1956, Oklahoma’s Dan Hodge became the first wrestler to capture NCAA, freestyle and Greco-Roman titles all the same year (and with 13 straight pins)!
In the 1957 tourney, Ed Peery of Pittsburgh won his third title at 123, giving the Peery family an amazing nine crowns, the most ever for one family. Father Rex won three for Oklahoma State in the 1930s and Hugh won three for Pittsburgh when Rex was the head coach there.
That same year, Simon Roberts of Iowa earned the honor of being the first African-American by winning at 147 pounds.
In 1958, Myron Roderick of Oklahoma State became the first NCAA champion to also coach a team to the title.
In 1967, Michigan State was the first Big Ten team to win the official title, under coaches Grady Peninger and Doug Blubaugh.
The first and only seven-time college champion is Gray Simons, Lock Haven State (three NCAA and four NAIA), his last pair coming in 1962. … more at … https://www.win-magazine.com/2025/03/06/celebrating-the-many-firsts-of-our-great-sport/
Cornell Wrestling Earns Three Fifth Place Finishes at the 2025 NCAA Championships
PHILIDELPHIA, Pa. – Cornell wrestling ends the 2025 NCAA Championships with three fifth place finishes and three All-American in Meyer Shapiro, Simon Ruiz and Chris Foca.
SESSION FIVE ACTION
With only three wrestlers remaining, Cornell charged into the consolation semifinals with determination and earned three fifth place finishes.
No. 6 Chris Foca went a round with No. 4 Dustin Plott of Oklahoma State and was held without score till the third period. Plott earned a reversal at the end of the second period to take a 2-0 lead. Foca threw in an escape early in the third but could not put up another point falling 2-1. The senior was able to move on to win one last bout in the Big Red singlet as he took fifth over No. 8 Jaxson Smith of Maryland. Foca wrestled with nothing to lose and racked up two takedowns and an escape in his 7-4 victory over Smith. The New Jersey wrestler ended his senior career 18-2 and 95-20 all time for the Big Red.
No.2 Meyer Shapiro met the 157 first place seed Tyler Kasak of Penn State first thing. The top seeds made a match out of it as they pursued the third-place match. Kasak earned the first points of the match with a takedown in the first period. Shapiro was in control of the second period scramble ultimately letting Kasak escape and add another point the board. The sophomore would add an escape of his own and be rewarded with a penalty point falling 4-2 to the number one seed and moving on to the fifth-place match. Shapiro added one more bonus bout to his records earning a 11-0 major decision win over No. Vinny Zerban of Northern Colorado. With a takedown in each period as well as an escape and riding time the two-time All-American walks away from the championship in fifth place.
Freshman No. 5 Simon Ruiz held No. 2 Levi Haines scoreless through the first two periods … more at … https://cornellbigred.com/news/2025/3/22/cornell-wrestling-earns-three-fifth-place-finishes-at-the-2025-ncaa-championships.aspx
Byrd Wins National Title at 133 Pounds
Press Conference // Final Brackets
PHILADELPHIA – Lucas Byrd won his first national title at 133 pounds on Saturday (March 22) at the NCAA Championships in the Wells Fargo Center. He became the 21st Fighting Illini wrestler to win a national championship and earned the program’s 25th individual national title. He’s also the program’s first NCAA Champion since now assistant coach Isaiah Martinez in 2016 and the first ever in the weight class of 133 pounds.
“I couldn’t be happier for Lucas Byrd,” said head coach Mike Poeta. “If anybody deserved to be the NCAA Champion this year, it’s him. The amount of work and sacrifice he put into this was amazing. This was not easy; it was a long journey for him, but he wrestled fantastic this weekend. He wanted to be the national champion and he went and got it, he took it. I couldn’t be prouder of him. It was pretty cool seeing him after he won in the tunnel. He had his face in his hands thinking ‘I can’t believe I’m the NCAA Champion’ because it’s that big of a deal and it hits you differently. He did an amazing job and we’re excited to add him to the storied list of national champions that we have at Illinois.”
“I’ll say the same thing I did after I won the semifinals I just have to stay where my toes are at,” said Lucas Byrd. “Me and coach Jeremy Hunter have been striking on a different level; we can speak telepathically almost and anything he tells me I have to trust. In overtime they threw the brick, I looked at Jeremy and he said we’re good we have to go neutral. I step on the line, choose neutral and I look over and see my brother yelling ‘go down, go down’. I shook my head no because I trust my coaches and they put me in the right position.’
‘It has been one hell of a journey. It has been the most exciting journeys that I’ve ever been on. … more at … https://fightingillini.com/news/2025/3/22/wrestling-byrd-wins-national-title-at-133-pounds.aspx
National Champion Penn State Crowns Two Individual Titlists to Close out 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia
Carter Starocci and Mitchell Mesenbrink claim individual titles, Josh Barr national runner-up
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team followed up clinching the NCAA team title earlier in the day by crowning two individual champions in the national finals at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Carter Starocci and Mitchell Mesenbrink both won in the national finals while freshman Josh Barr finished as NCAA runner-up.
With the titles won by Starocci and Mesenbrink, the Nittany Lions now have 61 NCAA Champions, 40 since Sanderson’s arrival as head coach (this is his 16th season at Penn State). Starocci became the first ever five-time national champion with his win. Carter Starocci was named the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championship Outstanding Wrestler at the tournament’s end and Mitchell Mesenbrink was presented with the NCAA’s season-long Most Technical Falls Award.
The Nittany Lions won the team race, clinching it early Saturday morning, with 177.0 points. Penn State finished a full 60.0 points ahead of second place Nebraska’s 117.0 The team point total of 177.0 is a new NCAA record, breaking the mark of 172.5, set by Penn State last year in Kansas City.
Penn State has now won 12 of the last 15 contest NCAA Championships (no event in 2020) and its fourth straight for the third time since Sanderson became head coach in April of 2009. Sanderson is now second in all-time NCAA history with 12 head coaching titles to his credit. The NCAA record is 15. The Nittany Lions have won the NCAA Championship in 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011 and 1953. Early in the tournament on Friday night, Penn State secured 10 All-Americans for the first time in school history, becoming only the second team in NCAA history to do so (Minnesota, 2001). All of Penn State’s 10 All-Americans placed in the top six. The Nittany Lions now have 264 All-Americans, 101 under Sanderson in just 16 seasons.
Graduate Carter Starocci, the No. 1 seed at 184, took on No. 2 Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa in the first match of the championship finals. The duo worked through the first minute-plus on their feet in the center circle. Starocci gained control of Keckeisen’s foot on the edge of the mat with :50 on the clock but Keckeisen was able to counter and force a stalemate at :32. … more at … https://gopsusports.com/news/2025/03/22/national-champion-penn-state-crowns-two-individual-titlists-to-close-out-2025-ncaa-wrestling-championships-in-philadelphia
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 