Decreasing Incidence of Youth Wrestling Injuries: A 10-Year Analysis of National Injury Data
Abstract
Background: Wrestling is among the most common youth sports in the United States, with about 260,000 high school participants annually. There is a lack of literature investigating wrestling injury profiles and mechanisms of injuries. In the past 15 years, urgent care utilization has increased, and National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) concussion protocols have been developed and implemented. Purpose/hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to analyze causes, diagnoses, body parts, and trends associated with wrestling injuries presenting to US emergency departments. It was hypothesized that there would be (1) decreased overall injuries presenting to emergency departments because of increased urgent care utilization and (2) decreased concussions because of the NFHS rule implementation and revision.
Study design: Descriptive epidemiology study; Level of evidence, 3.
Methods: Youth wrestling injuries presenting to US emergency departments between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2022, were queried from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database. The data included date of presentation, age, sex, race, body part, injury diagnosis, disposition, and a brief injury narrative. National estimates (NE) were calculated using the associated statistical weight of the reporting hospital. Linear regressions were performed to investigate the relationship between year and NE for overall injuries, diagnoses, body parts, mechanisms of injury, and other subanalyses. Statistical significance was set at P < .05.
Results: A total of 8628 (NE = 296,502) wrestling injuries met the inclusion criteria for this study. The mean age at presentation was 14.3 ± 2.6 years (range, 3 to 18 years). The shoulder (NE = 43,207 [14.6%]), head (NE = 40,875 [13.8%]), and knee (NE = 30,218 [10.2%]) were the most injured body parts. The most common diagnoses were strain/sprain … more at … https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39640181/
California Junior Colleges Results
Sacramento City College’s men’s wrestling team captain shares his journey as a wrestler
Sacramento City College’s wrestling team captain Ben Quilpa was recently named Most Outstanding Wrestler at a big statewide tournament with a season record of 21-3. With the conclusion of the Santa Ana Tournament, Quilpa shared his experience ranking second place in the state at 133 pounds. “It was a good experience. I really liked the setup of the tournament. Santa Ana was really fun just being out there in L.A. chilling with the team,” said Quilpa, who majors in sociology.
Quilpa placed seventh in the Leemore Open prior to the Santa Ana Tournament. He said he felt bitter about the loss, but he is proud of himself after winning the Santa Ana Tournament. “[I] really had a bitter taste in my mouth, so it felt good to win that tournament and kind of shake off the rust,” Quilpa said.
Some struggles Quilpa faced when practicing for the Santa Ana Tournament were balancing schoolwork and practice as well as maintaining weight for the tournament.
City College’s wrestling coach Marques Gales said he was not surprised Quilpa won. Gales praised Quilpa, who he said was coming off of an injury after the Leemore Open tournament, and persisted through his training for Santa Ana. “After a week, he had some time to heal and recover. We were really confident he was going to wrestle to his best ability at the Santa Ana invitation, so there was no surprise that he won it.” Gales said. “He won in nominate fashion, so he was also named the Most Valuable Wrestler at the tournament.”
Quilpa started wrestling in eighth grade at Olympus Junior High School in Roseville. Coming to City College wrestling has been intense, according to Quilpa. He said he finds it a great experience to push his limits and do things he did not think he could do, such as … more at … https://saccityexpress.com/61032/all/sacramento-city-colleges-mens-wrestling-team-captain-shares-his-journey-as-a-wrestler/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
And …
Victor Valley Men’s Wrestling Send Record Number to State
This accomplishment is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Victor Valley College Rams wrestling team. Head coach Rocky Humphrey has been instrumental in leading these athletes to success, pushing them to reach their full potential on the mat.
The Rams have been dominant throughout the season, with several wrestlers earning individual titles at various tournaments. Now, with 10 wrestlers qualifying for the state championships, the team is poised to make a strong showing at the highest level of competition.
Blade Owens, Andrew Diaz, Chris Guerrero, Angel Salgado, Matthias Valdez, Ricardo Valdez, Aiden Valencia, Frankie Stevenson, Joseph Robles, and Alonzo Cardona have all earned their spots at the state championships through their hard work and determination. They have proven themselves to be among the best in the state and will be looking to bring home some hardware next weekend. Additionally, Edward Saldana will serve as a state alternate, ready to step in and compete if needed. This depth and talent on the team are a true testament to the strength of the Victor Valley College wrestling program. … more at … https://athletics.vvc.edu/sports/wrest/2024-25/releases/20241210otr2dk?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
And …
Mt. SAC Men’s Wrestling Dominates at 3C2A Southern California Regional Championships
Monterey Park, Calif. – The Mt. San Antonio College Men’s Wrestling Team captured first place for the fourth consecutive year at the 3C2A Southern California Regional Championships held on Saturday, December 7, at East Los Angeles College. The Mounties earned a team score of 245.5, outpacing second-place Palomar College (169.0) and third-place Cerritos College (120.5).
The Mounties delivered outstanding individual performances, clinching five first-place finishes from Jason Saenz (133 lbs.), Maxximus Martinez (157 lbs.), Jack Estevez (165 lbs.) Roman Loya (184 lbs.) and Mo Talebi (197 lbs.).
Additional podium finishes included Brian Geiger (149 lbs.) and Jakob Hand (174 lbs.) earning second place and Michael Williams (149 lbs.) and Javier Montes (174 lbs.) securing third place.
All 12 Mountie wrestlers qualified to compete at the upcoming individual state championships, set for next weekend at West Hills College in Lemoore, California. … more at … https://www.mtsacathletics.com/sports/wrest/2024-25/releases/20241209npj6fg
OSU moves to No. 2, Purdue’s Ramos new No. 1 at 125 in WIN rankings
Dec. 9, 2024
NEWTON, Iowa — Coming off an impressive team championship at last weekend’s Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Oklahoma State has moved up to No. 2 in WIN Magazine’s Dec. 9 Rankings, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic. Meanwhile, Purdue Matt Ramos is now ranked No. 1 at 125 pounds after the Boilermaker won a championship at that weight last weekend in Las Vegas.
The Cowboys, led by CKLV champs Dean Hamiti (ranked 3rd/174) and Wyatt Hendrickson (3rd/Hwt), are ranked in every weight class and tallied 79 points in WIN Magazine’s Tournament Power Index. Other OSU wrestlers who have been wrestling well include Troy Spratley, who moved to No. 2 at 125, and three other Cowboys who are new to these rankings in Reece Witcraft (133), Carter Young (149) and Caleb Fish (157). WIN’s TPI projects where programs would finish in the 2025 NCAA Division I Championships, which will be held March 20-22 in Philadelphia, if every wrestler finished the season where they are ranked now. The following is a breakdown of those individual TPI points per ranking: 20 for 1st, 16 for 2nd, 13.5 for 3rd, 12.5 for 4th, 10 for 5th, 9 for 6th, 6.5 for 7th and 5.5 for 8th. Wrestlers ranked 9-12 earn two points each, followed by one and a half points for wrestlers ranked 13-16 and one point for those ranked 17-20.
Penn State (2-0) remains No. 1 in both the TPI and dual-team rankings and the Nittany Lions also feature someone new to this season’s rankings: freshman Luke Lilledahl, ranked No. 5 at 125 pounds.
Iowa (6-0) remains No. 2 in the dual-team rankings while the Hawkeyes are now rated No. 3 with 75 points, followed by Minnesota (64.5) and Virginia Tech (57.5).
It should be noted that WIN dropped two wrestlers, highly-ranked in previous rankings: Arizona State’s 125-pound defending champ Richard Figueroa, who has not wrestled this season; and Iowa’s Jacori Teemer, last year’s national runner-up at 157, who is out of the Hawkeye lineup for the time being after sustaining a leg injury two weeks ago.
Penn State features the most top-ranked individuals in Tyler Kasak (157), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165) and Carter Starocci, while the other No. 1-rated wrestlers are Lehigh’s Ryan Crookham (133), Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez (133), Virginia Tech’s Caleb Henson (149), Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole (174), Iowa’s Stephen Buchanan (197) and Minnesota’s Gable Steveson.
WIN Magazine’s Dec. 9 Top-20 Dual Teams
| Rk. | School | W-L | Prev. | Upcoming Action |
| 1. | Penn State | 2-0 | 1st | vs. Wyoming, Dec. 15 |
| 2. | Iowa | 6-0 | 2nd | off until Dec. 29-30, Soldier Salute |
| 3. | Oklahoma State | 4-0 | 3rd | at Oklahoma, Dec. 13 |
| 4. | Nebraska | 3-0 | 4th | off until Dec. 20 vs. Augustana/Neb-Kearney |
| 5. | Ohio State | 3-0 | 5th | at Pitt, Dec. 13 |
| 6. | NC State | 5-0 | 6th | off until dec. 22 at Cornell |
… more at … https://www.win-magazine.com/2024/12/09/osu-moves-to-no-2-purdues-ramos-new-no-1-at-125-in-win-rankings/
Mount Olive wrestlers named Wrestlers of th Week
Bramhall collects third Wrestler of the Week honor
GREENVILLE, S.C. (Dec. 10) – For the third time this season, University of Mount Olive sophomore Savannah Bramhall was tabbed the Conference Carolinas Wrestler of the Week after posting an undefeated record over the weekend.
A native from Charlotte, North Carolina, Bramhall produced a 4-0 record in the 160-weight class, as Mount Olive collected four dual meet victories at the Trojan Dual on Sunday. In the opening dual versus Newberry, she posted a dominant 10-0 tech fall over Madison Edens in a 42-7 win. Bramhall received a forfeit against Greensboro before battling to victory via fall against Rihana Carson of Emory & Henry in a 45-5 win. … more at … https://umotrojans.com/news/2024/12/10/womens-wrestling-bramhall-collects-third-wrestler-of-the-week-honor.aspx?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
And …
Smart named Conference Carolinas Wrestler of the Week
GREENVILLE, S.C (Dec. 10) – After recording a pair of victories via fall over the weekend, University of Mount Olive sophomore Raife Smart was voted the Conference Carolinas Wrestler of the Week, as announced by the league office on Tuesday.
A native of Stratford, Wisconsin, Smart posted a 2-0 mark in the 197-weight class while competing at the Trojan Duals on Sunday. In a dual against Emory & Henry, Smart delivered a dominant first-round fall over Evan Alger in a 53-4 win over the Wasps. Later in the day, Smart earned another victory via fall against Sekou Bangoura, as Mount Olive cruised to a 49-5 win versus Allen.
In his first season with the program, Smart boasts an impressive 14-6 record at 197 behind a 3-1 mark in Conference Carolinas duals. Smart garnered the league accolade … more at … https://umotrojans.com/news/2024/12/10/wrestling-smart-named-conference-carolinas-wrestler-of-the-week.aspx?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Jayson Victoria Named MPSF Wrestler of the Week
ARCATA, Calif. —Jayson Victoria of Cal Poly Humboldt Wrestling was named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Men’s Wrestler of the Week on Tuesday afternoon for his standout performances in Oregon this past Friday and Saturday.
On Friday at No. 9 ranked (NAIA) Southern Oregon University, Victoria (149 pounds) produced one of the night’s most exciting results, pulling off a stunning 5-4 victory in a triple-overtime decision over Southern Oregon’s second-ranked Evan Potter.
Following up his thrilling win on Friday, Victoria delivered a gritty 7-2 decision over Corban’s Bo Davis at 149 pounds. As a university, Corban is ranked No. 13 nationally in the NAIA Top-25.
Victoria, a freshman from Dublin, California, is the first Lumberjack to earn MPSF Wrestler of the Week honors since the program was relaunched this season. Freshman Josh Neiwert (133 pounds) has received votes for MPSF Wrestler of the Week twice this season, but has not yet taken home the weekly honor. “That was probably one of the most exciting matches of the year on Friday,” said head coach Lennie Zalesky. “The entire match was action packed and a great environment to be in with the loud crowd. I’m proud of the way he fought to the end against a No. 2 ranked opponent and glad he got recognized with this weekly honor.”
Victoria will look to continue his streak on … more at … https://humboldtathletics.com/news/2024/12/10/mens-wrestling-jayson-victoria-named-mpsf-wrestler-of-the-week.aspx?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
NCAA D1 Wrestling Week 6 Roundup: Much Happened In Vegas
The world’s finest collection of noteworthy happenings from the 6th week of the 2024-25 NCAA D1 wrestling season.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Wrestling season!
It’s also nice to be in the full swing of holiday season. Now that we’re all done stuffing our faces with turkey and leftovers it’s time to break out the music and decorations!
Box Scores | Rankings | Last Week’s Roundup
Last week was light on action due to Thanksgiving, but just about everyone was back on the mats this week, so let’s get to it.
We’ll start the week as we did last week, with the Dual of the Century of the Week, because this is a pro-dual blog. Duals are the lifeblood of college wrestling. No duals, no season. No season, no fans. No fans, no new wrestlers, and the sport is forever diminished.
The Dual of the Century, of the Week
Lions Maul Mountain Hawks In The PPL Center
Okay so maybe it was a blowout, and maybe they’re closing all the factories down, and maybe they’re all killing time, filling out forms, standing in line. But also there were 9,769 watching here in Allentown, and that counts for something!
Lehigh hosted their in-state rival in the PPL Center, an arena whose primary tenant is the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, which is a minor league hockey team affiliated with the Flyers.
The Mountain Hawks normally wrestle in Bethlehem, the city that inspired Billy Joel’s song ‘Allentown’, which is where you can find the PPL Center.
Anyhow, here is the box score:
125: #23 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) dec. #17 Sheldon Seymour (LEH), 4-1
133: #1 Ryan Crookham (LEH) dec. #8 Braeden Davis (PSU), 4-2
141: #3 Beau Bartlett (PSU) dec. Carter Bailey (LEH), 5-0
149: #2 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) maj. dec. Matt Repos (LEH), 17-3
157: #4 Tyler Kasak (PSU) dec. Logan Rozynski (LEH), 5-2
165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) tech fall Thayne Lawrence (LEH), 18-1 (TF; 4:37)
174: #2 Levi Haines (PSU) pinned Rylan Rogers (LEH), WBF (4:12)
184: #1 Carter Starocci (PSU) maj. dec. Jack Wilt (LEH), 15-1
197: #21 Josh Barr (PSU) maj. dec. #6 Michael Beard (LEH), 11-3
285: #2 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) tech fall Calvin Lachman (LEH), 15-0 (TF; 2:07)
Penn State won 36-3.
Lehigh’s sole victory came from 133-pound standard-bearer Ryan Crookham, who also got the only takedown
The Nittany Lions won 9 of 10 bouts. … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/13165110-ncaa-d1-wrestling-week-6-roundup-much-happened-in-vegas
Maryland breaks into Top 25; Illinois climbs to No. 11
Manheim, Pennsylvania – While one of the nation’s premier in-season individual tournaments took place in Las Vegas, there was plenty of dual meet action around the Division I mats as competition resumed after the Thanksgiving Holiday.
Maryland (4-0) entered the NWCA Division I Men’s Wrestling Coaches Poll for the first time this season as the new poll was released on Tuesday. Coach Alex Clemsen’s team was ranked for two weeks last season and climbed as high as No. 22 during the 2022-23 season.
Penn State (2-0) remained the unanimous No. 1 after blasting then-No. 22 Lehigh 36-3 at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The dual drew 9,769, the largest home crowd in the storied history of Lehigh wrestling. Iowa improved to 6-0 after taking out Army West Point and Princeton at Journeymen Wrestling’s Uncivil War in St. Charles, Missouri. The Hawkeyes pulled out a 23-16 win over the Black Knights and a 39-3 win over the Tigers.
The rest of the Top 10 was in Las Vegas, where third-ranked Oklahoma State won the team title at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.
Illinois moved up two more spots to No. 11, after defeating Indiana 34-3 prior to the Big Ten’s conference championship football game in Indianapolis. Currently, seven of the nation’s top 11 teams reside in the Big Ten.
Rutgers picked up a pair of wins to improve to 5-2. The Scarlet Knights beat Lock Haven 34-6 and in-state rival Princeton 32-7. No. 20 Little Rock and No. 21 Oklahoma both beat Central Michigan over the weekend. Little Rock (4-0) won 27-15, while Oklahoma (3-0) won 28-6.
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 10, 2024 details at https://nwcaonline.com/
| Rank | Team (First) | Record | Points | Conf. | Previous |
| 1 | Penn State (16) | (2-0) | 400 | Big Ten | 1 |
| 2 | Iowa | (6-0) | 380 | Big Ten | 2 |
| 3 | Oklahoma State | (4-0) | 368 | Big 12 | 3 |
| 4 | Nebraska | (3-0) | 352 | Big Ten | 4 |
| 5 | Ohio State | (3-0) | 329 | Big Ten | 5 |
| 6 | NC State | (5-0) | 315 | ACC | 6 |
Oklahoma State dominates team race at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Hendrickson named Outstanding Wrestler
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The third-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys, led by two individual champions and eight place winners, improved on a strong day one lead to win the team title at the 2024 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Saturday afternoon.
In the team race, Oklahoma State was leading by 21.5 points entering day two. The Cowboys put up a dominant 192 points in Las Vegas, 77 points ahead of second-place finisher Nebraska. The Huskers scored 115 team points, edging out third-place Ohio State who tallied 110.5 points. Virginia Tech secured 90 team points, and 2023 team champion Iowa State rounds out the top five with 89.5 team points.
In his first season at the helm for the Cowboys, 2020 Olympic champion David Taylor has coached his team to a dominant performance at one of the biggest midseason tournaments in collegiate wrestling. Oklahoma State had all ten in its line-up reach the podium in Las Vegas, and five wrestlers reached the finals after the third session.
The two champions for Oklahoma State were Dean Hamiti Jr. at 174 pounds and Wyatt Hendrickson at 285 pounds. Hamiti edged Lorenzo Norman (Stanford) in a 4-3 match that came down to a riding time point after Norman took the lead with a first-period takedown. Hamiti scored two on a reversal in the first, then evened the score at 3 with an escape in the second period. Hendrickson capped off the night with a pin against Isaac Trumble (NC State) at 2:35 in a battle of U23 World Champions. He was also named the Outstanding Wrestler for his performance this weekend.
At 125 pounds, Matt Ramos (Purdue) displayed dominance early, securing a 6-2 lead over Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) in the first period with a pair of takedown-escape sequences. Despite Ventresca earning a point from a stalling call in the third period in an effort to narrow the gap, Ramos held on for the victory.
In the 133-pound final, Zeth Romney (Cal Poly) showed precision, using an early escape and a second-period takedown to secure a 7-3 win over Evan Frost (Iowa State). Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) edged out Tagen Jamison … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2024/december/07/oklahoma-state-dominates-team-race-at-cliff-keen-las-vegas-invitational-hendrickson-named-outstanding-wrestler
Cowboy Wrestling Wins CKLV Invitational, Two Individual Titles
LAS VEGAS – The No. 3 Oklahoma State wrestling team won the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Saturday evening, claiming two individual titles from heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson and 174-pounder Dean Hamiti Jr.
The Cowboys routed the field, earning 192 team points and coming up just short of the record 198.25 points set by Oklahoma State in 1983. They outscored second-place Nebraska by 77 points and combined for a 48-10 record with beating 31 ranked wrestlers and 18 conference opponents. An impressive 25 bonus-point wins also helped bolster OSU’s historical point total.
It was a strong performance by the entire lineup, as all 10 Cowboys placed no lower than fifth, becoming the first team to do so since 1999 and just the fourth ever. OSU is responsible for all four of those performances, and no other collegiate wrestling program has accomplished that feat.
Wyatt Hendrickson continued his stellar start to his Cowboy career by claiming the heavyweight title. Hendrickson received the top seed at his weight and used that to rattle off five straight victories, three coming against ranked wrestlers and the final two over opponents in the top eight. His efforts earned the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler award.
Hendrickson started off the day with an injury default win over the eighth-ranked Nick Feldman from Ohio State to put him in the championship bout. There, Hendrickson put on a show by defeating No. 6 Isaac Trumble (NC State) with a pin in just 2:35. Over his five matches, he had three pins and none of his five bouts went the distance.
Dean Hamiti Jr. had a similar weekend at 174 pounds. Starting in the semifinals, Hamiti cruised past Cornell’s No. 13 Simon Ruiz, 14-1, to set up a championship bout between the fifth-ranked Cowboy and Stanford’s Lorenzo Norman, ranked No. 8 in the country. Tied 3-3 heading into the third period, Hamiti began in the top position and stayed there for the final two minutes to earn a crucial riding time point that clinched the championship. … more at … https://okstate.com/news/2024/12/7/cowboy-wrestling-wins-cliff-keen-invitational-along-with-two-individual-champions
Lopers Takedown Newly Named Tech Tigers
Kearney, Neb. – The fifth-ranked Nebraska Kearney wrestling team used two falls and two tech falls to get past Fort Hays State Northwest Tech, 34-13, Friday night at Kearney High School.
This “Wrestling Night in Kearney” event, held several times over the years, features the Lopers wrestling alongside boys and now girls varsity teams from Kearney High.
The Tigers, formerly known as the Northwest Kansas Tech Mavericks, are the second-ranked team in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Their lineup includes the top-ranked individuals at both 174 and 184 pounds with the pair hailing from Mongolia and Cuba, respectively.
At 133 pounds, Kansas redshirt junior Hector Serratos rolled third-ranked John Kenney by a 17-1 count thanks to three takedowns and a total of seven near fall points. Two classes higher, Colorado redshirt junior Beau Hostler tallied four points in the second period to win by one with 14th-ranked Trenton Munoz (Santa Clarita, Calif.) up 16-2 in his 165-pound match before recording a fall at 4:47. Next at 197 and 285 pounds, third-ranked Jackson Kinsella (Creston, Ia.) pinned his Tiger at 6:37 with top-ranked Crew Howard (Clarinda, Ia.) having a 20-5 tech fall in an even 5:00. His night included four takedowns and six near fall points. Finally, the Lopers had three falls in four exhibition matches.
UNK heads to Hays, Kan., Sunday for the annual Bob Smith Open. … more at … https://lopers.com/news/2024/12/6/wrestling-lopers-takedown-newly-named-tech-tigers.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 