Hatcher Nominated for Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame
The man who is responsible for bringing a Division I wrestling program to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has been nominated to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
Greg Hatcher is a nominee for the 67th class in the regular (under 65) voting category for wrestling. Inductees are selected based on the lasting impact and contributions they’ve made to their respective sports. Voting will continue until Oct. 31. Those who would like to vote may join the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. “It’s nice to be nominated for my work with wrestling, but it’s never seemed like work,” Hatcher said. “It’s just been fun helping grow wrestling in the state and across the country. Of all the things I have been involved in, nothing has been more satisfying than watching kids turn into confident, strong men through wrestling competition. Once you’ve wrestled, everything else is easy.”
When Hatcher graduated from Michigan’s Alma College in 1983, he was captain of the wrestling team and named All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association in wrestling. He was also a member of three hall-of-fame wrestling teams, two hall-of-fame baseball teams, and six MIAA championship teams. Following graduation, he coached baseball at Notre Dame University for one year. Hatcher was named the Distinguished Alumnus by Alma College and was inducted into the Alma College Sports Hall of Fame in soccer, wrestling, and baseball. In 2008, he became a member of the Alma College Board of Trustees. Hatcher’s greatest work has come from his efforts in getting wrestling started in Arkansas. Hatcher founded The Arkansas Wrestling Association and has purchased the mats for 65 high schools and 13 colleges to help get new programs started at these schools. For his efforts, he has been honored with the Dan Gable America Needs Wrestling Award, named WIN Magazine’s Man of the Year, and awarded the Certificate of Merit by the Arkansas Activities Association. Hatcher has been inducted into the Arkansas Wrestling Hall of Fame as well as the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
In February 2009, the Jack Stephens Center at UA Little Rock hosted the first sanctioned high school state wrestling tournament, featuring 460 athletes from 40 teams. This early connection between UA Little Rock and the high school wrestling community helped pave the way for the university to establish the first NCAA Division I wrestling program in Arkansas.
In 2018, Hatcher donated $1.4 million for Division I wrestling to be added to Little Rock Athletics. The Greg Hatcher Wrestling Center is named in his honor. In 2019, UA Little Rock honored Greg and Lee Hatcher as the honorees of SpectacuaLR, Little Rock Athletics’ biggest annual fundraising event in support of student-athletes.
Neil Erisman, a Kansas high-school state champion and Big 12 champion at Oklahoma State, came to UA Little Rock to serve as head coach. The Trojans are coming off a historic season this year. The Trojans captured the Pac-12 regular season, … more at … https://lrtrojans.com/news/2024/10/21/wrestling-hatcher-nominated-for-arkansas-sports-hall-of-fame.aspx?utm_medium=sidearm-email&utm_source=lrtrojans.com&utm_campaign=Hatcher%20Nominated%20for%20Arkansas%20Sports%20Hall%20of%20Fame&utm_content=1d0699f2-f646-41da-adfe-5ba03cafba7d
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame on Thursday announced that its Class of 2025 is Distinguished Members
Darryl Burley, Matt Lindland, Terry Steiner and Greg Wojciechowski, Meritorious Official honoree Ken Mara, Order of Merit Recipient Van Stokes, Medal of Courage recipient Mark Coleman and Outstanding American honoree Terry Davis.
“The National Wrestling Hall of Fame is pleased to announce our Class of 2025, a deserving group of individuals are being recognized because of the sustainable values they have contributed to wrestling,” said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. “Each of these leaders set the tone and modeled the rituals, skills and work ethic necessary to advance the culture of our great sport’s heritage, both on and off the mat.”
The Hall of Fame’s Board of Governors approved the selections at their annual fall meeting on October 29. The Class of 2025 will be honored and officially inducted during the 48th Honors Weekend on June 6 and 7, 2025 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. For more information on Honors Weekend, please telephone (405) 377-5243. Lindland and Steiner were chosen as Distinguished Members for the Modern Era while Burley and Wojciechowski were selected by the Veterans Committee. The newest honorees will bring the number of Distinguished Members to 216, since the Hall of Fame began in 1976. Steiner becomes the 18th Distinguished Member from the University of Iowa while Burley is the sixth from Lehigh University, Lindland is the fifth from the University of Nebraska and Wojciechowski is the second from the University of Toledo. Oklahoma State University has the most Distinguished Members with 38 while Iowa’s 18 is second followed by Iowa State University and the University of Oklahoma tied for third with 14 each. Distinguished Members can be a wrestler who has achieved extraordinary success in national and/or international competition; a coach who has demonstrated great leadership in the profession and who has compiled an outstanding record; or a contributor whose long-term activities have substantially enhanced the development and advancement of the sport. Wrestlers must have been retired from active competition for a period of five years to be eligible for consideration as a Distinguished Member. Darryl Burley was a two-time NCAA Division I national champion and a four-time NCAA finalist with a career record of 94-5-1 for Lehigh University. He won his titles at 134 pounds in 1979 and at 142 pounds in 1983 while finishing second in 1980 and 1981 at 134 pounds. Burley was a four-time Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association champion, and a two-time champion, six-time finalist and Outstanding Wrestler at the Midlands Tournament. He won a bronze medal at the prestigious Tbilisi tournament … more at … https://nwhof.org/news
Presbyterian Women’s Wrestling Announces 2024-25 Schedule with Championship Aspirations
CLINTON, S.C. – A national top-ten finisher in each of the past two seasons, the Presbyterian College women’s wrestling team has announced their full slate for the 2024-25 campaign.
Unveiled by head coach Brian Vutianitis as he enters his second full season with the first-ever Division I university to sponsor a women’s wrestling program, PC brings an obvious sense of expectation into the new year thanks to a boatload of success in recent times.
Since November of 2022, the Blue Hose have achieved 58 individual medals (otherwise known as a top-three finish) when wrestling in a tournament. A PC grappler has won gold 22 times in the past two seasons, along with 14 silvers and 22 bronze nods.
Presbyterian came in 8th-place at the national tournament in the team rankings last spring, boasting three All-Americans (who were all freshmen at the time) and will return to the mat next month (Madeline Kubicki, Cassia Zammit, and Henlee Haynes).
PC has witnessed six All-Americans (or top-ten placers at nationals) under Vutianitis’ watch, setting up a new roster for success that is a little bit older and a lot larger in numbers.
The Blue Hose now have 29 wrestlers on the official roster, its biggest since starting the program in 2019. Fifteen of those 29 are at least sophomores, hoping to follow in the footsteps of last season’s squad which won over 250 matches … more at … https://gobluehose.com/news/2024/10/22/womens-wrestling-womens-wrestling-announces-2024-25-schedule-with-championship-aspirations.aspx
Lander picked to repeat as Conference Carolinas men’s wrestling champions
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Lander University has been picked atop the 2024-25 Conference Carolinas Men’s Wrestling Preseason Poll the league announced on Thursday, October 24. The Bearcats won the final two South Atlantic Conference Carolinas crowns before taking the Conference Carolinas West Division and tournament titles last year in the first year Conference Carolinas soley sponsored sport.
The Bearcats received 12-of-14 first-place votes (teams can’t vote for themselves) and 194 total points to claim the top spot while Newberry was a close second with 186 points and the remaining two first-place votes. UNC Pembroke wasn’t far behind, picked third with 180 points before King (142) and Mount Olive (131) rounded out the top five. Belmont Abbey (126) was sixth in the preseason poll followed by Emmanuel (112), Limestone (102), Coker (101), Montevallo (97), Allen (60), Lincoln Memorial (59), Emory & Henry (33), Bluefield State (27) and Shorter (25).
The preseason poll was voted on by the league’s head coaches. … more at … https://conferencecarolinas.com/news/2024/10/18/mens-wrestling-preseason-poll.aspx
UNC Wrestling Caps Off Preseason At Blue And White Showcase
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The North Carolina wrestling program finished its preseason prior to the 2024-25 campaign Saturday night, with the annual Blue and White Showcase.
Ten new faces to the program, nine freshmen and one transfer, made their Carmichael Arena debuts.
Blue And White Showcase Results
Saturday, October 26 – Carmichael Arena
141: Jace Palmer (Team Blue) over Elias Navida (Team White): 4-1 Dec
125: Marco Tocci (Team Blue) over Cameron Stinson Jr. (Team White): 8-7 Dec
133: Derek Guanajuato (Team Blue) over Max Martin (Team White): 22-6 TF
157: Laird Root (Team White) over Colin Nugent (Team Blue): 19-5 MD
157: Joey Showalter (Team White) over Cullen Kane (Team Blue): 9-2 Dec
165: Nicholas Fea (Team Blue) over Nolan O’Boyle (Team White): 8-0 Dec
165: Collin Carrigan (Team White) over Omaury Alvarez (Team Blue): 14-4 MD
174: Marcus Murabito (Team White) over Sabino Portella (Team Blue): 4-1 SV Dec
174: Cade Tenold (Team Blue) over Matthew Foil (Team White): 18-2 TF
184: Jake Dailey (Team White) over Carson Tenold (Team Blue): 10-9 Dec
197: Robert Platt (Team Blue) over Aidan Schlett (Team White): 5-0 Dec
141: Nick O’Neill (Team White) over Jace Palmer (Team Blue): 6-4 Dec … more at … https://goheels.com/news/2024/10/26/wrestling-caps-off-preseason-at-blue-and-white-showcase
Lanham Announces 2024-25 Wrestling Slate
DURHAM, N.C. — Duke wrestling head coach Glen Lanham officially announced the 2024-25 wrestling schedule Monday, which kicks off in less than two weeks. Lanham, who enters his 13th campaign in Durham with the Blue Devils, welcomes back seven starters and brought in 14 newcomers for the upcoming season.
Duke is set to open the 2024 season at the Battle at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., on Nov. 3. The Blue Devils will then compete against Long Island and Rutgers in WrangleMania, which will be contested at Nov. 9 at Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pa., and then compete in the Journeymen Collegiate Classic at Freedom High School on Nov. 10.
The Blue Devils face Hofstra and Sacred Heart Nov. 16 in Hempstead, N.Y., before featuring the first match in Durham on Nov. 22 against Michigan. The contest will be played at Jordan High School at 7 p.m.
Duke will then host a quad match on Nov. 23 with American, Utah Valley and Presbyterian in Durham at a site yet to be determined. The Blue Devils close the fall slate with Davidson (Dec. 6) and VMU (Dec. 22) at home. To open the 2025 portion of the schedule, Duke travels to the Southern Scuffle Jan. 4-5 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The dual match schedule features four home matches in 2025 – Gardner-Webb (Jan. 14), North Carolina (Jan. 17), Virginia Tech (Jan. 24) and Stanford (Feb. 16). Away matches include NC State (Jan. 10), Appalachian State (Jan. 20), Pittsburgh (Feb. 1) and Virginia (Feb. 7).
Duke is set to host the ACC Championship in Cameron Indoor Stadium March 9. … more at … https://goduke.com/news/2024/10/21/lanham-announces-2024-25-wrestling-slate.aspx?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Jason Moorman Out As King University Women’s Wrestling Coach
Jason Moorman is no longer the King University Women’s Wrestling coach as of October 18, 2024.
Jason Moorman is no longer the head women’s wrestling coach at King. Moorman is arguably the country’s most successful women’s college wrestling coach after serving in the role since the 2009-10 season.
He led the team to a 1-9 record during its inaugural season before building a national powerhouse. The Tornado won four WCWA Championships (2014-17) and has placed in the top three at the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships since the tournament began in 2020.
King University, an NCAA Division II school in Bristol, Tennessee, stated about his departure: “As of Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, Jason Moorman is no longer employed with King University. We are grateful for his service and wish him well going forward. “The future remains bright for the Tornado, and we will now begin a formal search process to identify the next proven and qualified candidate to guide our highly respected women’s wrestling program.”
The 2014 King University women’s team was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct 6, 2024. Moorman and several team members, including 2024 Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hildebrandt, attended the weekend festivities. “I know when abrupt changes like this happen in a sport with men coaching female athletes, first assumptions can go straight to some inappropriate incidents causing harm or mistreating student-athletes, and that is not the case whatsoever,” Moorman said. “I am extremely grateful for King University and my 18 years there. … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/12919987-jason-moorman-out-as-king-university-womens-wrestling-coach
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, … more at … https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#label/INBOX%2FaaResponseNeeded/FMfcgzQXJswdRXkXhZpHCFlpJWpHlCXs
Brock University to host Wrestling Canada Lutte U SPORTS Invitational Championships at Canada Games Park
Canada’s best university wrestlers are set to grapple for gold as Brock University hosts the newly branded 2025 Wrestling Canada Lutte U SPORTS Invitational Championships. The Badgers will host the Championships from February 28 to March 1 for the first time at the Canada Games Park.
With the recently signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) between U SPORTS and Wrestling Canada Lutte (WCL), this new partnership model will foster greater collaboration between the two organizations, setting the stage for an even more exciting and competitive championship in 2025, said WCL Chief Executive Officer Tamara Medwidsky. “WCL is excited to be partnering with Brock University to host the 2025 WCL U SPORTS Invitational Championships, under this new model,” Medwidsky said. “Brock has a strong history for hosting these types of events, and we look forward to building on that prestigious past. We are eager to welcome the best university wrestlers in the country to the fantastic venue at Canada Games Park and to watch what is sure to be some entertaining wrestling.”
Brock has a rich history in U SPORTS wrestling, with both its men’s and women’s teams dominating the national landscape for years. In 2024, the Brock women’s wrestling team secured its 11th national championship, while the men’s team captured its ninth consecutive title, bringing the total to 22 championships overall.
Brock’s wrestling teams, which have consistently performed at the highest levels in Canadian university athletics, are well-positioned to continue their legacy of excellence in front of a home crowd. The 2025 WCL U SPORTS Invitational Championships are the first to be held at Canada Games Park, further elevating the level of competition and providing student-athletes with a world-class venue to showcase their skills. “We’re thrilled to host the 2025 WCL U SPORTS Invitational Championships at Canada Games Park,” said Brock Sports Associate Director Courtney Smith. “Brock’s proud wrestling tradition makes this partnership a perfect fit, and we look forward to showcasing top university talent and providing an exceptional experience for student-athletes from across the country.” … more at … https://wrestling.ca/brock-university-to-host-wrestling-canada-lutte-u-sports-invitational-championships-at-canada-games-park/?utm_source=Wrestling+News&utm_campaign=c7bbfabb03-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_09_28_09_07_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_44607e8210-c7bbfabb03-245314521&mc_cid=c7bbfabb03&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
The Campbell Funding Situation
“I am committed to continuing our winning tradition both academically and athletically. I look forward to the work ahead with a focus on providing a championship caliber experience for our student-athletes, coaches, staff and the entire Campbell family. The future is bright for Campbell Athletics.”
Those are the words for Campbell University’s Director of Athletics Hannah Bazemore shortly after being named the school’s athletic director in November 2022.
Those words rang hollow just a day after the school’s wrestling team learned that they would have a significant amount of funding cut from them. Starting in the 2025-26 school year, the wrestling program will only be given three scholarships which is a sharp decrease from the nine they had been working with. In what seems to be an unusual move, wrestlers who wish to keep their scholarships would not be allowed to compete.
InterMat reached out to AD Bazemore for comment on this story and/or more information about this situation and has yet to receive a response as of Tuesday morning. Men’s and women’s soccer, golf, tennis, and volleyball are also said to be impacted.
This change comes on the heels of the school’s move from the Big South Conference to the Coastal Athletic Association (formerly the Colonial Athletic Association). The move put Campbell in a conference that stretches from Charleston, South Carolina to Boston, Massachusetts. It was likely supposed to boost the school’s profile in football and basketball but generally has added more in travel expenses for everyone else – a common thread in conference realignment.
Another “big-picture” change that’s in play here is the announcement that college athletics must share revenue with their athletes. Campbell has reportedly “opted in” to participate in revenue sharing in the future. Administrators can stomach sharing revenue with football and basketball teams, but everyone else, not so much. That plays a part in this decision.
The main theme here is that the school and the athletic department have grossly mismanaged their … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/socon/the-campbell-funding-situation-r99624/?utm_source=Wrestling+News&utm_campaign=62306f9b2b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_09_28_09_07_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_44607e8210-62306f9b2b-245314521&mc_cid=62306f9b2b&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
And Budget cuts coming for Campbell athletics, school says
… story at … https://www.wralsportsfan.com/budget-cuts-coming-for-campbell-athletics-school-says/21675210/?utm_source=Wrestling+News&utm_campaign=c7bbfabb03-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_09_28_09_07_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_44607e8210-c7bbfabb03-245314521&mc_cid=c7bbfabb03&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
And Facing funding challenges some universities make difficult choices on academic, athletic programs
BUIES CREEK, N.C. (WTVD) — Korbin Meink recalls his time wrestling for Campbell University fondly. “I enjoyed my time there. I got two degrees from that school, and everything about it was awesome while I was there. I felt like we were one of the best programs on campus, and it was great to be part of that,” said Meink, who graduated in 2022.
Meinik’s experience influenced his younger brother to take a recruiting trip to Campbell himself. However, what the brothers learned on that trip was difficult to accept. “They were talking about how they wanted to give (him) a scholarship, and they just said we don’t have it anymore because we have the guys on the team we need to look after, and right now our recruiting has kind of gone to a halt because we have no more funds to give to anyone,” said Meink.
Meink, who won multiple conference championships at the school, learned the news a couple days before word trickled out on social media, … more at … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkZQe9AqYjA
And … So uh, what’s going on with Campbell?
Is the latest athletic department budget cut a sign of the times, or more about a local campus situation?
Good morning, and thanks for spending part of your day with Extra Points.
I’m not used to writing a lot about the Campbell University Camels on this newsletter. I know they have an excellent baseball program, they’re in Buies Creek, North Carolina, they’re a small, private college in the CAA, and their fans apparently say Roll Humps, which is maybe my new favorite fan slogan.
I also knew that Campbell had a real wrestling tradition. Remember when we wrote about how the University of Wyoming scheduled a wrestling match in a barn? They put it on UFC Fight Pass and everything. That was against Campbell. Also, the Camels won.
But earlier this week, I stared to hear some different stories about Campbell wrestling. Namely, that the school was slashing the budget. … more and audio at … https://www.extrapointsmb.com/p/so-uh-what-s-going-on-with-campbell
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 