Duke Wrestling News
Blue Devils Collect 22-12 Win Over VMI to Conclude 2024
DURHAM, N.C. — The Duke wrestling team collected its third straight victory on Sunday with a 22-12 victory over VMI inside Cameron Indoor Stadium to close 2024. The Blue Devils (4-6) won seven out 10 matches on the afternoon against the Keydets (4-6).
HOW IT HAPPENED
With a 7-3 decision by Gaetano Console, the Blue Devils took a 15-7 lead with three matches remaining. Console, a tri-captain from Barrington Hills, N.J., led 3-2 heading into the third period, but totaled an escape and takedown to jump out to a 7-2 lead with over a minute remaining in the contest. It marked Console’s second-straight win on the season.
The Blue Devils opened the contest with a solid, 10-4, decision by freshman Riley Rowan against Cody Tanner. The win marked the first collegiate victory by Rowan. A product of Perry, Ohio, Rowan registered a takedown in the first period and led 6-3 heading into the final period. He posted a riding time point along with a takedown at the end to net the decision.
After sophomore Raymond Adams dropped a 4-2 decision to Dyson Dunham at 133, the match was even, 3-3. At 141, Christian Colman trailed, 5-3, going into the final period, but totaled an escape and takedown to come away with a 7-6 decision against Phoenix Alyea.
Duke netted a second-straight win as SP O’Donnell never trailed en route to a 5-3 decision versus Raymond Cmil. Eric Doran of VMI posted a 12-4 major decision against Duke’s Logan Ferrero to cut into the Blue Devil lead, 9-7. Duke sophomore Aidan Wallace continued his solid start to the 2024-25 season with a takedown in the first 17 seconds and went on to total a 9-4 decision versus Ryan Vigil. … more at … https://goduke.com/news/2024/12/22/wrestling-blue-devils-collect-22-12-over-vmi-to-conclude-2024-fall
And …
The Heavyweight: Connor Barket Has Big Plans on and off the Wrestling Mat
By: Meredith Rieder
DURHAM, N.C.– Duke wrestling’s Connor Barket is the total package. On the mat, the redshirt sophomore is all about turning pressure into pleasure. Off the mat, the redshirt sophomore is hoping to take all the life lessons and privileges he and other Duke athletes have garnered through sports and share them with young athletes in the Durham community through his newly founded Rising Athletes Foundation.
Barket is off to a stellar start to the 2024-25 campaign with a 14-2 record and a top 30 ranking for the first time in his career. The 14 wins are two shy of his total last season, his first as Duke’s starting heavyweight. He also is fresh off an inspiring summer service trip to Panama through Duke’s ACE program, leaving him inspired to make a difference off the mat.
Barket took the bumps and bruises both physically and mentally in his first two seasons in a collegiate wrestling room. Now he is back with a firm grasp on his physical strengths, which he plays to well, and a mental edge that has grown exponentially — the perfect formula for success.
“I remember my freshman year,” said Barket. “We had a big heavyweight in Jonah Niesenbaum. He was an exceptional wrestler and also just a gigantic human being. He was probably 6-4 and 260. I stepped on campus at about 200 to 205 pounds, and I was expected to go wrestle him every day. Life was completely miserable to start, to be completely honest. It was no fun at all, especially in the sport of wrestling where if you lose, you get your face beat in by somebody else’s hands. So, going through that every day for months makes you question a lot.” … more at … https://goduke.com/news/2024/12/24/the-heavyweight-connor-barket-has-big-plans-on-and-off-the-wrestling-mat
NCAA D1 Wrestling Week 7 Roundup: Do Duals Matter?
The world’s finest collection of noteworthy happenings from the 7th week of the 2024-25 NCAA D1 wrestling season.
We’ve completed another week of rad wrestling from the 2024-25 NCAA D1 season, and we’re here to recap it for you!
Box Scores | Rankings | Last Week’s Roundup
It was a fairly light week of competition as many teams were recovering from the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (which ruled). With limited results to examine, I figure now’s as good a time as any for a brief digression, in which I will answer the question: “Do dual meets matter?”
Regular readers of this blog will know I absolutely believe duals matter. Dual meets are, in my humble opinion, the lifeblood of the sport. They are the engine that powers the collegiate season. Without duals, there would be no season, no season, no fans, etc.
Duals also matter to the sport’s stakeholders. Wrestling is an individual sport, but it takes more than competitors and coaches for the sport to thrive. To maintain the level of funding that many D1 programs enjoy you need buy-in from school administrators, alumni, donors and the community at-large. You need to demonstrate to these stakeholders that your program has value. And the best way to generate enthusiasm from stakeholders is with raucous college rivalries, which are best expressed in head-to-head team competitions.
When people say “duals matter”, this is what they mean.
However, in another more specific way, duals, in fact, do not matter.
And that take is not driven by opinions, but rooted in the rule book. The NCAA team … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/13255794-ncaa-d1-wrestling-week-7-roundup-do-duals-matter
David Taylor is positioned to dominate college wrestling’s future
David Taylor completed his first semester as the Oklahoma State wrestling coach, and his grades are posted. He earned straight A’s with a team title at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, the second-ranked recruiting class and an undefeated dual record – topped with a 34-9 win over No. 7 Virginia Tech Thursday in Gallagher-Iba Arena. The possibilities for the next decade of his career are as enticing for OSU as they are concerning for the rest of the country.
Seven months before his 34th birthday, Taylor was given the enviable position to coach the winningest program in NCAA history and the unenviable task to follow John Smith.
Sources have told the News Press that Smith fully intended and expected his replacement to be chosen from within, and Smith said he coached a few extra years to set the program up for success. Instead, Taylor was hired and had to earn the team and the fanbase’s confidence as a coach.
He has swiftly done that in the best way possible: by being himself. And the team has taken on the aggressive identity of its coach. “We’re just looking to score the whole time up and down the lineup,” Luke Surber said. “Coach Smith wanted to score, too. But what we’re doing is a little bit different.”
Last season, the Cowboys scored more than 31 team points in one dual. This season, they have yet to score fewer than 32 team points. Smith deserves a lot of credit for the team’s strong finish in the spring leading to its strong start in the fall. “Our guys that have been there and had success at the national tournament – their aura, their demeanor, their work ethic – is super valuable for some of the younger guys on our team,” Taylor said.
But Taylor’s coaching has clearly unlocked something extra in wrestlers such as Troy Spratley, Tagen Jamison, Luke Surber and transfers Dean Hamiti and Wyatt Hendrickson. Especially after Hamiti destroyed No. 4 Lennox Wolak, it would not be surprising to see him win the national title, and that was unexpected when he committed to OSU. … more at … https://www.stwnewspress.com/sports/in-the-loop-david-taylor-is-positioned-to-dominate-college-wrestlings-future/article_fb2ccacc-bea9-11ef-8be9-03c589b71f4b.html
No. 13 Cyclones Go 2-1 at Collegiate Duals
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – No. 13 Iowa State (4-3, 1-0 Big 12) went 2-1 Saturday at the Collegiate duals in Nashville, Tenn. The Cyclones defeated Lock Haven (2-4, 1-0 MAC) and No. 25 North Carolina (4-4, 0-0 ACC) before falling to No. 5 Ohio State (7-0, 0-0 Big Ten) in the final dual of the day.
The Cyclones notched victories over the Bald Eagles, 30-6, and Tar Heels, 23-14, but dropped the finale to the Buckeyes, 29-10.
Kysen Terukina went 2-0 at 125 pounds in his first action of the season while Paniro Johnson and Evan Bockman went 2-0 at 165 and 184 pounds, respectively. Cody Chittum went 3-0 on the day at 157 pounds with an upset over Ohio State’s No. 7 Paddy Gallagher.
Osmany Diversent earned the first top-15 win of his career with a win over Lock Haven’s two-time All-American No. 13 Anthony Noto.
Individual dual recaps from the day can be found below.
Iowa State is back in dual action after the New Year at West Virginia on Jan. 8.
No. 13 Iowa State 30, Lock Haven 6
No. 13 Iowa State took eight of 10 bouts, including four with bonus points, in the first dual of the day against Lock Haven. Kysen Terukina, Jacob Frost, Cody Chittum and Manny Rojas tallied extra points in ISU’s 30-6 victory over the Bald Eagles.
In his first match of the season, Terukina earned a 20-5 tech fall over Lucas Fye at 125 pounds. The Hawaiian tallied five takedowns in the win.
Osmany Diversent notched the first top-15 victory of his young career with a commanding 9-3 victory over two-time All-American No. 13 Anthony Noto. Diversent had a takedown in all three periods.
Frost continued his strong start to the season with a 20-4 tech fall over No. 21 Wyatt Henson at 141 pounds. Frost gave up the first takedown but settled in and turned Henson twice to break the match open. Lock Haven got on the board at 149 pounds when Carter Fousek fell to No. 31 Lucas Kapusta, 9-6. Fousek reversed Kapusta to his back at the end of the second period but time ran out before the Cyclone could accumulate near fall points.
At 157 pounds, Chittum earned bonus points with a 13-4 major decision over Nick Stampoulos, putting Iowa State ahead of Lock Haven, 17-3, at the halfway point. Rojas earned the first dual victory of his career with a 12-3 major decision over Caden Dobbins at 165 pounds. … more at … https://cyclones.com/news/2024/12/21/wrestling-no-13-cyclones-go-2-1-at-collegiate-duals.aspx
Utah Valley tops No. 23 Oregon State, 20-14
OREM, Utah – Utah Valley wrestling defeated No. 23 Oregon State, 20-14, on Friday night inside Lockhart Arena. The Wolverines (4-4) won six of the ten bouts, including major decisions by No. 18 Haiden Drury and Smokey McClure in his UVU debut.
“We embodied grit tonight to take down a top 25, nationally ranked team! It was definitely not the prettiest dual. Both teams had guys out, made mistakes, and had hard-fought wins, but we came out on top. I’m excited for our guys to get some well-deserved rest after this weekend and to get ready for some important matchups in January. Go Wolverines!”
Oregon State got out to a 3-0 lead in the team scores when former Wolverine Kekana Fouret picked up an 11-5 decision over Kaden Bennie in his UVU Debut. Bennie trailed going into the third period but scored on a key takedown and added an escape to make it 10-5 before Fouret held on for the win.
The Wolverines won the next three bouts first with 174-pounder Mark Takara upsetting No. 32 Sean Harman. Takara scored five points in the final minute of the opening period on a takedown and a two-point near fall. He would not score again until an escape to open the third period and hold on for the upset. It is the first-ranked win for the redshirt sophomore from Temecula, Calif.
Caleb Uhlenhopp kept the momentum going in UVU’s favor, going up 3-0 in the first period against TJ McDonnell at 184. The lead was pushed out to 6-0 in the second. McDonnell fought back and cut the lead to 6-3 after a takedown, but it was too late to come back.
Kael Bennie gave the Wolverines a 9-3 lead with a 14-7 decision over Riverton native and Bingham alum Mason Christiansen. The high scoring affair favored Bennie, 5-4, before he extended the lead out to 10-7 after two. In the final period, he sealed the match for his seventh win of the season with a takedown.
Leading 9-3, the Beavers found some life with their ranked wrestlers at heavyweight, … more at … https://gouvu.com/news/2024/12/20/wrestling-utah-valley-tops-no-23-oregon-state-20-14.aspx
NDSU Wrestling Tops Campbell at Knockout Christmas Classic
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – North Dakota State wrestling picked up its first win of the season with a 22-16 win over Campbell University on Saturday at the Knockout Christmas Classic held at Silver Spurs Arena. The Bison also fell on a tiebreaker to No. 22 West Virginia, 22-21, and lost to Wisconsin 22-13.
In the opening dual against West Virginia, the Bison picked up five victories, including a tech fall from Kyle Burwick early on. The teams traded the lead early before West Virginia went up by 9 with three straight wins. However, Tayshaun Glover and Drew Blackburn-Forst answered back with wins. Glover won by a decision and then Blackburn-Forst upset No. 29 Michael Wolfgram with a pin to tie the dual at 21-21. The Mountaineers would claim the dual win with a 49-43 difference in match points.
The Bison responded with a strong start against Campbell. In his first career dual, freshman Ezekiel Witt pinned No. 28 Anthony Molton for the Camels to give the Bison an early lead. Burwick followed it up with a win in sudden victory, taking down No. 25 Dom Zaccone.
Following a couple wins from Campbell, Gabriel Schumm, Boeden Greenley, Devin Wasley and Aidan Brenot reeled off four-straight decisions to secure the dual win for the Bison. Greenley secured a 7-1 win over No. 24 Domonic Baker for NDSU’s third upset win over a ranked opponent in the dual.
Wisconsin would jump out to an early lead against the Bison in the final dual, going up 7-0. However, Michael Olson picked up his first dual win, followed by a major decision from No. 29 Gavin Drexler to tie the dual at 7-7. … more at … https://gobison.com/news/2024/12/21/ndsu-wrestling-tops-campbell-at-knockout-christmas-classic.aspx
West Virginia Earns Three Wins at Knockout Christmas Classic
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University wrestling team put on a dominant performance at the Knockout Christmas Classic, defeating three teams on Saturday at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida.
The Mountaineers (6-1, 1-1 Big 12) began the day in a tight battle with the North Dakota State Bison.
Redshirt junior Jace Schafer earned a win by decision against North Dakota State’s Tristan Daughtery in the 125 pound match to get the day started. West Virginia quickly lost momentum as the Bison secured wins to lead, 12-7, early on.
However, fifth-year No. 3 Peyton Hall earned his fifteenth win of the season with a 17-2 technical fall over Boeden Greenley. That was followed by wins from redshirt sophomore No. 29 Brody Conley (174) and redshirt senior No. 26 Dennis Robin (184) to put WVU up, 21-12.
The Bison tied it up at 21 after redshirt senior No. 31 Austin Cooley (197) and fifth-year Michael Wolfgram lost (285). West Virginia earned the win, 22-21, based on a 49-43 difference in match points.
The Mountaineers quickly gained momentum in their match against the Wisconsin … more at … https://wvusports.com/news/2024/12/21/wrestling-west-virginia-earns-three-wins-at-knockout-christmas-classic.aspx
Sooners Score Three Wins at Norman Duals
NORMAN — The No. 21 Oklahoma wrestling team earned an unblemished 3-0 record after defeating Southeast CC, Cal State Bakersfield and Chattanooga in dual action on Saturday. As a team, the Sooners outscored opponents 105-21 on the day.
OU’s first dual was against Southeast CC. A historical milestone for the squad from Lincoln, Neb., Saturday marked the Bobcats’ first dual against a Division I opponent since the inception of the program in 2023. The Sooners had seven wrestlers make their season dual debuts: Beric Jordan, Carter Schmidt, Alex Braun, Hunter Hollingsworth, Anders Thompson, Seth Seago and Ryder Wiese all picked up wins. Elsewhere, KJ Evans, Tate Picklo and Mannix Morgan took care of business as the Sooners routed the Bobcats, 41-0. It marked the first time Oklahoma won all 10 matches in a dual since blanking Little Rock, 37-0, on Nov. 18, 2022.
The Sooners went up against CSU Bakersfield in their second dual of the day. Mosha Schwartz, Willie McDougald, KJ Evans, Mannix Morgan and DJ Parker led the way for Oklahoma as all earned bonus-point wins. Antonio Lorenzo and Picklo added decision victories, while the Roadrunners forfeited the 133-pound bout. The Sooners took eight of the 10 matches to take the 38-7 win.
OU finished out the quad with a dual against Chattanooga. Bradley Hill scored his first dual win since the season opener, racking up three takedowns, an escape and riding time against UTC’s David Harper for an 11-2 major decision. Picklo scored his third win of the day by fall, pinning the Mocs’ Jackson Hurst just one minute into the first period. Lorenzo, Schwartz and Parker contributed with bonus points, capping off a 26-14 win for the Sooners.
OU will enjoy a holiday break before traveling to Chattanooga, Tenn., to participate in the Southern Scuffle on Jan. 4-5, in what is widely considered one of the toughest regular season tournaments in collegiate wrestling. It will mark the second consecutive season Oklahoma will start the year at the event, and the Sooners will look to improve on … more at … https://soonersports.com/news/2024/12/21/wrestling-sooners-score-three-wins-at-norman-duals
Roanoke Wrestling wins all three at Gator ‘Boots’ Duals
The Facts:
Scores: No. 8 Roanoke 38, Mount Union 9, No. 8 Roanoke 22, No. 14 Loras 17, No. 8 Roanoke 51, Muskingum 3
Location: Hendersonville, Tenn., Hendersonville High School
The Short Story: The Roanoke College wrestling team earned three victories Saturday at the Gator ‘Boots’ Duals, hosted at Hendersonville High School (Tenn.). The Maroons, ranked No. 8 this week in dual match rankings by TheOpenMat.com, breezed to two non-conference victories and won a tight 22-17 decision over No. 14 Loras College (Iowa).
How it happened:
*Mark Samuel rolled to three wins at 141, with two pins and a technical fall.
*Isaic Paulino was 3-0 on the day at 125 with a major decision win.
*Vincenzo Corvetto won all three of his matches at 184, including one pin.
*Jonah Paulino was 2-0 at 133 with two technical falls.
Next Time:
Roanoke will compete at the Jim Crytzer Memorial at Washington & Lee University on Saturday, Jan. 4.
Men’s Gator ‘Boots’ Duals
Hendersonville High School
Hendersonville, Tenn.
Dec. 21, 2024
Final Results: Roanoke 38, Mount Union 9
125 – Isaic Paulino (Roanoke College) over Mason Taylor (Mount Union) Maj 15-4
133 – Jonah Paulino (Roanoke College) over Nolan Frye (Mount Union) TF 17-2
141 – Mark Samuel (Roanoke College) over Mason McCarty (Mount Union) TF 17-2 … More at … https://roanokemaroons.com/news/2024/12/21/roanoke-wrestling-wins-all-three-at-gator-boots-duals.aspx
Cowboys, Buckeyes take out ranked opponents, Top 25 sees minimal movement
Manheim, Pennsylvania – One upset created some movement in the lower half of the NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll released on Tuesday, but in large, there were minimal changes in the poll.
The biggest upset came in West Virginia as California Baptist upended then-No. 18 West Virginia 18-15 in New Cumberland. The loss dropped the Mountaineers (3-1) four spots to No. 22.
There were only two duals between ranked teams this past week: No. 3 Oklahoma State (5-0) trounced No. 21 Oklahoma 35-3 at Bedlam, while No. 5 Ohio State topped then-No. 19 Pittsburgh 20-17.
The top 10 remained the same as No. 1 Penn State (3-0) shutout Wyoming 54-0 at the Bryce Jordan Center. Other action saw No. 10 Northern Iowa beat perennial Division II power Nebraska-Kearney 35-8, No. 13 Iowa State beat North Dakota State 27-12, Rutgers (8-2) swept a trio of duals with Gardner-Webb, Kent State and Clarion, while Little Rock beat Chattanooga 32-6 on Monday night.
Methodology: The NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll is voted on by two coaches from each Division I wrestling conference. Each first-place vote is worth 25 points, 24 points for a second-place vote, 23 points for a third-place vote, and so on, through to one point for a 25th-place vote. The poll is based on dual meet results.
NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll
December 17, 2024
… more at … https://nwcaonline.com/news/2024/12/17/ncaa-division-1-men-cowboys-buckeyes-take-out-ranked-opponents-top-25-sees-minimal-movement.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 