TDR Top 12 Preseason Rankings 138-150 lbs.
Editor’s Notes; The following are potential returning wrestlers from last year’s The TakeDown Report’s Top 12 Team as best wrestlers in eastern North Carolina. We expect many changes in weight classes
This will be the 28th consecutive season of publicizing the TDR Top 12 rankings and awards. The win-loss record is from the end of last year. There will be freshmen who could and maybe even should be listed and they will once the regular season. Many wrestlers will be in different weight classes but that will be apparent once the ‘referee blows the whistle.’ We welcome input from coaches, fans and wrestlers.
We plan to recognize the top wrestlers with engraved wooden plaques the 21st year with our ‘duck under’ logo. We do have TDR T-Shirts yet we do have white print on black shirts TDR shirts for just $10!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
| Rnk | Wght. | Name | Team | Gr. | W. | L. | Pct. | Dist. |
| 1 | 138 | Mann, Ryan | North East Carolina Prep | 25 | 56 | 0 | 1.000 | 1A-E |
| 2 | 138 | Shirley, Dylan | West Carteret | 25 | 48 | 8 | 0.857 | 3A-E |
| 3 | 138 | B-Meza, David | Washington | 26 | 36 | 15 | 0.706 | 2A-E |
| 4 | 138 | Klemmer, Tyler | New Bern | 25 | 42 | 16 | 0.724 | 4A-E |
| 5 | 138 | Edwards, Jaden | Southern Nash | 25 | 36 | 9 | 0.800 | 3A-E |
| 6 | 138 | Paul, Ryan | Northside (Pinetown) | 25 | 31 | 12 | 0.721 | 1A-E |
| 7 | 138 | Gunn, Donovan | Topsail | 26 | 14 | 5 | 0.737 | 4A-E |
| 8 | 138 | Barcliff, Jeremy | Northeastern | 26 | 32 | 19 | 0.627 | 2A-E |
| 9 | 138 | Herron, Camden | Northside (Jacksonville) | 27 | 32 | 13 | 0.711 | 3A-E |
| 10 | 138 | Catalan-Escamilla, Eliu | Bunn | 25 | 25 | 7 | 0.781 | 2A-ME |
| 11 | 138 | McMullen, Mason | Jacksonville | 25 | 31 | 17 | 0.646 | 3A-E |
| 12 | 138 | Cooper, Mason | Swansboro | 25 | 30 | 12 | 0.714 | 3A-E |
| 13 | 138 | Dougherty, Ryan | Pasquotank Co. | 26 | 30 | 20 | 0.600 | 2A-E |
| 13 | 138 | Avvisato, Dominic | Dixon | 26 | 21 | 17 | 0.553 | 3A-E |
| 1 | 144 | Rubistello, Stephen | Tarboro | 26 | 41 | 2 | 0.953 | 1A-E |
| 2 | 144 | Foreman, Gabe | Washington | 26 | 43 | 15 | 0.741 | 2A-E |
| 3 | 144 | Cohen, Gavin | Croatan | 25 | 42 | 6 | 0.875 | 3A-E |
| 4 | 144 | Alston, Jayden | Bunn | 25 | 29 | 5 | 0.853 | 2A-ME |
| 5 | 144 | Shields-Adams, Ashton | Southwest Onslow | 25 | 40 | 13 | 0.755 | 2A-E |
| 6 | 144 | Root, Justin | Dixon | 25 | 43 | 8 | 0.843 | 3A-E |
| 7 | 144 | Anderson, Cole | North East Carolina Prep | 26 | 40 | 7 | 0.851 | 1A-E |
| 8 | 144 | Callon, Michael | Pasquotank Co. | 25 | 40 | 15 | 0.727 | 2A-E |
| 9 | 144 | Loftin, Connor | Ayden-Grifton | 25 | 35 | 13 | 0.729 | 2A-E |
| 10 | 144 | Turner , James | North Johnston | 25 | 34 | 12 | 0.739 | 2A-E |
| 11 | 144 | Allen, Colton | Topsail | 25 | 29 | 12 | 0.707 | 4A-E |
| 12 | 144 | Bock, Kyle | Hoggard | 25 | 29 | 17 | 0.630 | 4A-E |
| 13 | 144 | Heppner, Christopher | Ashley | 25 | 23 | 7 | 0.767 | 4A-E |
| 13 | 144 | Prapuolenis, Kaz | West Carteret | 26 | 17 | 8 | 0.680 | 3A-E |
| 13 | 144 | Waterfield, Waylon | Currituck County | 26 | 29 | 14 | 0.674 | 3A-E |
| 13 | 144 | Meadows, Micaiden | White Oak | 25 | 19 | 13 | 0.594 | 3A-E |
| 1 | 150 | Fritz, Ian | Topsail | 25 | 47 | 3 | 0.940 | 4A-E |
| 2 | 150 | Johnson, Gerald “JJ” | West Craven | 25 | 45 | 8 | 0.849 | 2A-E |
| 3 | 150 | Sabillion, Fabian | Rosewood | 25 | 47 | 9 | 0.839 | 1A-E |
| 4 | 150 | Toliver, Jordyn | Currituck County | 25 | 29 | 5 | 0.853 | 3A-E |
| 5 | 150 | Powell, Ethan | South Granville | 25 | 31 | 7 | 0.816 | 2A-ME |
| 6 | 150 | Hill, Jamari | Fike | 25 | 38 | 13 | 0.745 | 3A-E |
| 7 | 150 | Schulz, John | West Carteret | 25 | 43 | 12 | 0.782 | 3A-E |
| 8 | 150 | Nguyen, Jonathan | Northeastern | 26 | 24 | 14 | 0.632 | 2A-E |
| 9 | 150 | Gurkin, Krick | North Brunswick | 26 | 30 | 14 | 0.682 | 3A-E |
| 10 | 150 | Mewborn, Isiah | Pamlico County | 26 | 27 | 12 | 0.692 | 1A-E |
| 11 | 150 | Benitez, Alexi | Southern Nash | 25 | 41 | 7 | 0.854 | 3A-E |
| 12 | 150 | Browning, Landon | Tarboro | 26 | 36 | 8 | 0.818 | 1A-E |
| 13 | 150 | Tucker, Tate | Washington | 26 | 33 | 11 | 0.750 | 2A-E |
| 13 | 150 | Smith, Brock | Jacksonville | 26 | 35 | 13 | 0.729 | 3A-E |
| 13 | 150 | Vanacore, Dominic | First Flight | 25 | 34 | 14 | 0.708 | 3A-E |
| 13 | 150 | Norville, Sawyer | Ayden-Grifton | 25 | 30 | 13 | 0.698 | 2A-E |
| 13 | 150 | Guenduer, Nicholas | Hoggard | 25 | 32 | 17 | 0.653 | 4A-E |
| 13 | 150 | Bolden, Trenstin | Southwest Onslow | 27 | 20 | 12 | 0.625 | 2A-E |
TDR Top 12 Preseason Rankings 157-175 lbs.
Editor’s Notes; The following are potential returning wrestlers from last year’s The TakeDown Report’s Top 12 Team as best wrestlers in eastern North Carolina. We expect many changes in weight classes
This will be the 28th consecutive season of publicizing the TDR Top 12 rankings and awards. The win-loss record is from the end of last year. There will be freshmen who could and maybe even should be listed and they will once the regular season. Many wrestlers will be in different weight classes but that will be apparent once the ‘referee blows the whistle.’ We welcome input from coaches, fans and wrestlers.
We plan to recognize the top wrestlers with engraved wooden plaques the 21st year with our ‘duck under’ logo. We do have TDR T-Shirts yet we do have white print on black shirts TDR shirts for just $10!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
| Rnk | Wght. | Name | Team | Gr. | W. | L. | Pct. | Dist. |
| 1 | 157 | Niedzielski, Izaak | West Craven | 25 | 40 | 18 | 0.690 | 2A-E |
| 2 | 157 | Reynolds, Braeden | West Carteret | 25 | 48 | 11 | 0.814 | 3A-E |
| 3 | 157 | Daniel, Josiah | J.F. Webb | 26 | 23 | 10 | 0.697 | 2A-ME |
| 4 | 157 | McMorris, Zachary | Rolesville | 25 | 44 | 19 | 0.698 | 4A-E |
| 5 | 157 | Cardenas, Mario | Pasquotank Co. | 25 | 40 | 14 | 0.741 | 2A-E |
| 6 | 157 | Higgins, Marqueze | New Hanover | 25 | 40 | 16 | 0.714 | 4A-E |
| 7 | 157 | Lamm, Stephen | Louisburg | 25 | 32 | 6 | 0.842 | 2A-ME |
| 8 | 157 | Francis, Dillon | First Flight | 26 | 30 | 14 | 0.682 | 3A-E |
| 9 | 157 | Davidson, Jessi | North Pitt | 26 | 26 | 11 | 0.703 | 2A-E |
| 10 | 157 | Thibodeau, Joseph | Currituck County | 25 | 25 | 16 | 0.610 | 3A-E |
| 11 | 157 | Wintersein, Pete | Clayton | 25 | 41 | 5 | 0.891 | 2A-E |
| 12 | 157 | Horrell, Lucky | Hoggard | 25 | 36 | 15 | 0.706 | 4A-E |
| 13 | 157 | Wardrick, Jahron | Northern Nash | 26 | 25 | 12 | 0.676 | 3A-E |
| 13 | 157 | Jenkins, Cole | Wake Forest | 26 | 31 | 15 | 0.674 | 4A-E |
| 13 | 157 | Smith, James | Swansboro | 26 | 27 | 15 | 0.643 | 3A-E |
| 1 | 165 | Moses, Jonathan | Jacksonville | 26 | 35 | 18 | 0.660 | 3A-E |
| 2 | 165 | Michael, Noah | Franklinton | 25 | 45 | 6 | 0.882 | 3A-E |
| 3 | 165 | Campos, Jacob | Lejeune | 27 | 33 | 10 | 0.767 | 1A-E |
| 4 | 165 | Kopelman, Mac | Laney | 26 | 38 | 14 | 0.731 | 4A-E |
| 5 | 165 | Farmer, Jacob | Fike | 25 | 31 | 9 | 0.775 | 3A-E |
| 6 | 165 | Lambert, Jeremiah | New Bern | 25 | 47 | 12 | 0.797 | 4A-E |
| 7 | 165 | Scott, Jaden | New Hanover | 25 | 43 | 12 | 0.782 | 4A-E |
| 8 | 165 | Bennion, Jude | East Wake | 25 | 34 | 16 | 0.680 | 3A-E |
| 9 | 165 | Mitcham, Jackson | Dixon | 25 | 31 | 7 | 0.816 | 3A-E |
| 10 | 165 | Crump, Azuriah | North Pitt | 27 | 19 | 16 | 0.543 | 2A-E |
| 11 | 165 | Black, Ethan | First Flight | 25 | 32 | 13 | 0.711 | 3A-E |
| 12 | 165 | Moore, William | SouthWest Edgecombe | 25 | 23 | 11 | 0.676 | 2A-E |
| 13 | 165 | Freed, Bryson | Louisburg | 25 | 21 | 13 | 0.618 | 2A-ME |
| 13 | 165 | Carpenter, Justice | North East Carolina Prep | 25 | 17 | 11 | 0.607 | 1A-E |
| 13 | 165 | Arce, Gabriel | South Brunswick | 26 | 22 | 20 | 0.524 | 3A-E |
| 1 | 175 | Kallar, Clark | Pasquotank Co. | 27 | 49 | 10 | 0.831 | 2A-E |
| 2 | 175 | Perry, Tyler | Bunn | 26 | 36 | 16 | 0.692 | 2A-ME |
| 3 | 175 | Folks, Dashawn | Ayden-Grifton | 26 | 46 | 10 | 0.821 | 2A-E |
| 4 | 175 | Ellison, Elijah | Franklinton | 25 | 38 | 12 | 0.760 | 3A-E |
| 5 | 175 | Stevens, Brendan | Corinth-Holders | 25 | 31 | 12 | 0.721 | 4A-E |
| 6 | 175 | Baldree, Trenton | Washington | 26 | 39 | 18 | 0.684 | 2A-E |
| 7 | 175 | Moulton, Jude | Hoggard | 26 | 21 | 10 | 0.677 | 4A-E |
| 8 | 175 | Brown, Lazarte | Pender County | 25 | 35 | 8 | 0.814 | 1A-E |
| 9 | 175 | Linton, Mehki | South Granville | 25 | 34 | 20 | 0.630 | 2A-ME |
| 10 | 175 | Yarger, Dominic | Currituck County | 26 | 34 | 14 | 0.708 | 3A-E |
| 11 | 175 | Miller, Joseph | Lejeune | 25 | 30 | 11 | 0.732 | 1A-E |
| 12 | 175 | Botti, Diego | Wake Forest | 25 | 29 | 9 | 0.763 | 4A-E |
| 13 | 175 | Fitzsimmons, Owen | Clayton | 25 | 21 | 3 | 0.875 | 4A-E |
| 13 | 175 | Perry, Axl | Aycock, C.B. | 25 | 23 | 6 | 0.793 | 3A-E |
| 13 | 175 | Walker, Holden | Laney | 25 | 25 | 11 | 0.694 | 4A-E |
| 13 | 175 | Staton, Dontae | D.H. Conley | 25 | 28 | 14 | 0.667 | 4A-E |
| 13 | 175 | Gonzalez, Aaron | East Carteret | 25 | 19 | 10 | 0.655 | 2A-E |
| 13 | 175 | Spencer, Carel | New Bern | 27 | 26 | 15 | 0.634 | 4A-E |
TDR Top 12 Preseason Rankings 190-285 lbs. – 2025
Editor’s Notes; The following are potential returning wrestlers from last year’s The TakeDown Report’s Top 12 Team as best wrestlers in eastern North Carolina. We expect many changes in weight classes
This will be the 28th consecutive season of publicizing the TDR Top 12 rankings and awards. The win-loss record is from the end of last year. There will be freshmen who could and maybe even should be listed and they will once the regular season. Many wrestlers will be in different weight classes but that will be apparent once the ‘referee blows the whistle.’ We welcome input from coaches, fans and wrestlers.
We plan to recognize the top wrestlers with engraved wooden plaques the 21st year with our ‘duck under’ logo. We do have TDR T-Shirts yet we do have white print on black shirts TDR shirts for just $10!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
| Rk | Wght. | Name | Team | Gr. | W. | L. | Pct. | Dist. |
| 1 | 190 | Brantley, Eric | Pamlico County | 25 | 34 | 9 | 0.791 | 1A-E |
| 2 | 190 | Mason, Wisdom | North Pitt | 27 | 26 | 14 | 0.650 | 2A-E |
| 3 | 190 | Darden, Jaylin | Rosewood | 26 | 24 | 4 | 0.857 | 1A-E |
| 4 | 190 | Longo, Dino | Bunn | 25 | 36 | 9 | 0.800 | 2A-ME |
| 5 | 190 | Summers, Lucas | First Flight | 25 | 33 | 9 | 0.786 | 3A-E |
| 6 | 190 | Smith, Kaeden | Laney | 25 | 35 | 17 | 0.673 | 4A-E |
| 7 | 190 | Doyle, Antoine | Vance County | 25 | 18 | 3 | 0.857 | 3A-E |
| 8 | 190 | Bates, Marek | Washington | 25 | 17 | 7 | 0.708 | 2A-E |
| 9 | 190 | White, Pierce | Hoggard | 25 | 46 | 8 | 0.852 | 4A-E |
| 10 | 190 | Harris, Baylor | Pender County | 26 | 36 | 15 | 0.706 | 1A-E |
| 11 | 190 | Titus, Cameron | Havelock | 25 | 30 | 27 | 0.526 | 3A-E |
| 12 | 190 | Cherry, Marcus | Northside (Jacksonville) | 25 | 27 | 15 | 0.643 | 3A-E |
| 13 | 190 | Salas-Aguilera, Jonathan | Southside | 26 | 15 | 6 | 0.714 | 1A-E |
| 13 | 190 | Higginbotham, Xavier | Lejeune | 25 | 24 | 10 | 0.706 | 2A-ME |
| 13 | 190 | Stevens, Rhett | Corinth-Holders | 26 | 23 | 12 | 0.657 | 4A-E |
| 13 | 190 | Saldana-Morales, Alonzo | Greene Central | 25 | 26 | 14 | 0.650 | 2A-E |
| 13 | 190 | Royster, Walter | Franklinton | 26 | 27 | 16 | 0.628 | 3A-E |
| 13 | 190 | Matea, Sam | Jacksonville | 25 | 27 | 17 | 0.614 | 3A-E |
| 1 | 215 | Eason, Asher | Heidi Trask | 25 | 41 | 5 | 0.891 | 2A-E |
| 2 | 215 | Ward, Jamarion | South Johnston | 25 | 34 | 16 | 0.680 | 3A-E |
| 3 | 215 | Ewell, Jack | Ayden-Grifton | 25 | 50 | 8 | 0.862 | 2A-E |
| 4 | 215 | Witmer, Codie | Clayton | 25 | 21 | 6 | 0.778 | 4A-E |
| 5 | 215 | Spencer, Landon | Manteo | 25 | 41 | 16 | 0.719 | 2A-E |
| 6 | 215 | Harris, Judah | Hunt | 27 | 20 | 8 | 0.714 | 3A-E |
| 7 | 215 | Garay-Martinez, John | First Flight | 26 | 25 | 14 | 0.641 | 3A-E |
| 8 | 215 | Bowling, Zander | J.F. Webb | 26 | 19 | 13 | 0.594 | 2A-ME |
| 9 | 215 | Roberio, Leo | Southern Nash | 25 | 29 | 9 | 0.763 | 3A-E |
| 10 | 215 | Previl, Aldinio | Rosewood | 27 | 29 | 10 | 0.744 | 1A-E |
| 11 | 215 | Pierce, Gavin | Holmes, Edenton | 25 | 26 | 9 | 0.743 | 2A-E |
| 12 | 215 | Morris, Lathon | West Craven | 25 | 31 | 21 | 0.596 | 2A-E |
| 13 | 215 | Tart, David | Louisburg | 26 | 14 | 5 | 0.737 | 2A-ME |
| 13 | 215 | Carabali Salina, Brian | Southside | 26 | 14 | 6 | 0.700 | 1A-E |
| 13 | 215 | Sanchez, Kevin | Heritage | 25 | 18 | 11 | 0.621 | 4A-E |
| 13 | 215 | Pegues, Jamarious | Cleveland | 25 | 16 | 17 | 0.485 | 4A-E |
| 1 | 285 | Rodgers, Nicholas | Fike | 25 | 50 | 4 | 0.926 | 3A-E |
| 2 | 285 | McClary, Jaden | Goldsboro | 26 | 32 | 6 | 0.842 | 2A-E |
| 3 | 285 | Ouellette, Everest | First Flight | 25 | 39 | 3 | 0.929 | 3A-E |
| 4 | 285 | Modina, Jorge | Ayden-Grifton | 26 | 34 | 11 | 0.756 | 2A-E |
| 5 | 285 | Silver, Daniel | North East Carolina Prep | 25 | 26 | 9 | 0.743 | 1A-E |
| 6 | 285 | Barrington, Davante | Northeastern | 25 | 32 | 14 | 0.696 | 2A-E |
| 7 | 285 | Taula, Eteuanti | Jacksonville | 25 | 35 | 8 | 0.814 | 3A-E |
| 8 | 285 | Nixon, Antonio | Heidi Trask | 25 | 31 | 10 | 0.756 | 2A-E |
| 9 | 285 | Michael, Landon | Franklinton | 26 | 35 | 7 | 0.833 | 1A-E |
| 10 | 285 | Bispham, Christopher | Havelock | 26 | 20 | 6 | 0.769 | 3A-E |
| 11 | 285 | Herring, Nicholas | Greene Central | 25 | 16 | 6 | 0.727 | 2A-E |
| 12 | 285 | Wade, Nick | Rosewood | 26 | 35 | 16 | 0.686 | 1A-E |
| 13 | 285 | Ferebee, Steven | Holmes, Edenton | 26 | 23 | 12 | 0.657 | 2A-E |
| 13 | 285 | Best, Jadon | Aycock, C.B. | 25 | 16 | 9 | 0.640 | 3A-E |
NCAA D1 Wrestling Week 2 Roundup: Journeymenmania
The world’s finest collection of noteworthy happenings from the 1st week of the 2023-24 NCAA D1 wrestling season.
This week’s D1 schedule featured a mix of tournaments, both of the bracketed and round robin variety, and out-of-conference dual meets, as is common this early in the season as teams get their match counts up and continue to figure out their lineup questions and roster battles.
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 space. Duals are the lifeblood of the college season. No duals, no season. No season, no fans. No fans, fewer new wrestlers, and then the sport is forever diminished.
The Dual of the Week, of the Century
Last week we celebrated Wyoming starting the season on Halloween with the Dual at the Daddy. This week we celebrate the Citadel for locking down a dang aircraft carrier as setting for their double dual meet. UVA won seven matches to spoil the party for the hometown Bulldogs, winning 24-11, while the Runnin Dawgs of Gardner-Webb were stopped in their tracks by a stout Army squad that put a 35-6 thumping G-WU.
Thing is though, an outdoor match next to the South Carolina shore in early November sometimes has a humidity problem. And so the two duals that were scheduled to take place later in the evening (Army vs the Citadel and UVA vs GWU) did not happen. But ya know, that’s life and that won’t stop me from celebrating that we still got do dual meets on the deck of an aircraft carrier.
There was also a collegiate women’s dual between Presbyterian and Campbellsville, and it was a thriller. Campbellsville led by two points heading into the final match, but Ella Beam secured the 10-0 tech to score 4 team points for the Blue Hose (and no points for the Tigers) which put Presbyterian on top 23-21 (freestyle dual meet scoring is a little different but we don’t have time for that now). Additionally, Division II power Lander triumphed over Newberry, 31-6. … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/12985683-ncaa-d1-wrestling-week-2-roundup-journeymenmania
Gable Steveson Returning to Gopher Wrestling Team
MINNEAPOLIS – He’s back.
Olympic gold medalist, two-time NCAA champion and two-time Hodge Trophy winner Gable Steveson is returning to the University of Minnesota wrestling team for a fifth season of competition in the 2024-25 campaign, head coach Brandon Eggum announced Tuesday. “First I would like to thank the University of Minnesota for their time, their effort and their persistence with me to push me to the man I am today,” Steveson said in his comeback video. “Minnesota has given me everything, and now it’s my turn to give it right back to them: to put my feet back on the wrestling mat, to be the champ, one more time.”
Steveson has the opportunity to return by utilizing NCAA waivers due to an Olympic redshirt and the extra year of eligibility that was granted in 2020 due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19. He is expected to make his season debut on Nov. 24 against Campbell. “Gable has the burning desire to compete for the Maroon and Gold one last time,” Eggum said. “We are thankful he has chosen the opportunity to add to his historic legacy with our program. He is one of the best to ever compete in the sport of wrestling, and we are grateful for the impact has had at our program.”
Steveson, who last competed during the 2021-22 campaign, is one of the most decorated wrestlers in Minnesota wrestling history. The heavyweight is one of six in program history to win multiple NCAA championships (2021-22), one of eight to win three Big Ten titles (2020-22) and one of 11 to be a four-time All-American (2019-22). He boasts the best winning percentage in Gophers history with an 85-2 career record (.977), including a perfect 48-0 mark in dual competition and a 36-0 tally against Big Ten opponents. … more at … https://gophersports.com/news/2024/11/12/gable-steveson-returning-to-gopher-wrestling-team
WIN’s First Regular-Season Rankings include 34 Newcomers, 9 Freshmen
NEWTON, Iowa — The college season has been going on for two weeks and opened the door for 34 wrestlers to join WIN Magazine’s Nov. 11 NCAA Division I Individual Rankings and Tournament Power Index, presented by Cliff Keen Athletic.
Among those newcomers are six who are ranked in the Top 10 of their weight classes: Chris Cannon (Northwestern) and Tyler Knox (Stanford) at 133; Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) at 141; Lorenzo Norman (Stanford) and Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) at 174; and Gabe Arnold (Iowa) at 184.
Knox, Norman and Arnold are also among nine freshmen in WIN’s first weekly rankings. The others include Illinois’ Kannon Webster and Penn’s Cross Wasilewski at 149 pounds, Cornell’s Simon Ruiz at 174, Minnesota’s Max McEnelly at 184, Iowa State’s Christian Carroll at 197 and Iowa’s Ben Kueter at heavyweight.
All wrestlers, ranked No. 1 at their weight in WIN’s preseason ranking, remain on top at their weights. That includes former national champs Richard Figueroa (125) of Arizona State, Jesse Mendez (141) of Ohio State, Caleb Henson (149) of Virginia Tech, Keegan O’Toole (174) of Missouri, Carter Starocci (184) of Penn State and Greg Kerkvliet (Hwt) of Penn State. Other defending champs Levi Haines (Penn State) and Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) are rated No. 2, respectively, at 174 and 184 pounds.
Defending national champ Penn State remains No. 1 in WIN’s Tournament Power Index, which is team-race prediction at this point in the season for the 2025 NCAA Division I Championships, March 20-22, in Philadelphia; and based on where their wrestlers are ranked in WIN’s individual ratings.
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.
The Nittany Lions, which feature nine ranked wrestlers and eight ranked in the Top 8 of their weight class, earned 125.5 TPI points in these rankings. … more at … https://www.win-magazine.com/2024/11/11/wins-first-regular-season-rankings-include-34-newcomers-9-freshmen/
Carolinas Colleges News & Results
Wolves Dominate in Season Home Opener 44-10 Against Bluefield State University
Newberry, SC: The Wolves dominate in season home opener 44-10 against Bluefield State University.
The first win of the night goes to Sophomore Ethan McCullough who went up against Luke Roberts at 133 pounds. Roberts couldn’t keep up with McCullough as the match ended with a technical fall 21-4.
Caelen Alderman, 149 pounds, was up next against Enrique Sanchez where he brought the pressure. Alderman was the first and only Newberry pin of the night with a time of 4:06. … more at … https://newberrywolves.com/news/2024/11/13/general-wolves-dominate-in-season-home-opener-44-10-against-bluefield-state-university.aspx
And …
Crusaders Move to 2-0 in Conference With Victory at LMU
HARROGATE, Tenn. — The Belmont Abbey wrestling team earned its second straight Conference Carolinas victory thanks to a 35-16 victory over Lincoln Memorial Wednesday evening at Mary Mars Gymansium.
The Crusaders won three of the six bouts contested Wednesday while winning the other four via forfeit. Freshman Stone Busler (149) led the way for the Crusaders with a win via tech fall over LMU’s Graham Rocha.
Additionally, Alex Ropski (165) and Palmer Smith (174) won their respective bouts by decision to help clinch the match for the Abbey.
Belmont Abbey is now 2-0 overall in dual matches with the same record in Conference Carolinas competition. Lincoln Memorial is now 0-2 overall and in conference play. … more at … https://abbeyathletics.com/news/2024/11/13/wrestling-crusaders-move-to-2-0-in-conference-with-victory-at-lmu.aspx
And …
Issac Sheeren Named Conference Carolinas Wrestler of the Week
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Freshman Issac Sheeren has been named the Conference Carolinas Wrestler of the Week, the league annouced on Tuesday afternoon. This is the first award for Sheeren this season and the first Bearcat to earn a weekly honor from the conference since the 2022-23 season.
Sheeren also earned Wrestler of the Week honors from Wrestle Report
A freshman from Houston, Texas, Sheeren opened his career with a dominant 18-2 tech fall over Ruban Izzard Jr. of Allen. He then raised eyebrows on Friday as he took down a former Junior College national champion in Kale Schrader of Newberry with a takedown in the last ten seconds to secure a 6-5 win.
Issac then wrapped his week by winning the Georgia Open on Sunday which included him taking down the #3 ranked heavyweight in NAIA, 8-2, in the finals. … more at … https://landerbearcats.com/news/2024/11/12/wrestling-issac-sheeren-named-conference-carolinas-wrestler-of-the-week.aspx
And …
A wrestler’s journey from Afghanistan to Newberry College
NEWBERRY COUNTY – The start of a new season for the Newberry College wrestling team means a crop of new wrestlers with unique backgrounds and stories. One of those unique stories is that of Bashir Rostami, an Afghanistan refugee who, after wrestling for his high school in Florida for one year, found his way to Newberry.
Rostami was born in Kabul (the capital city of Afghanistan), and grew up in the Parwan Province before once again living in Kabul. His sister, Malalai, had a high-level position at the Kabul International Airport and according to Bryant Blanton, associate head wrestling coach at Newberry college, she bravely risked her own life helping to get American soldiers out of Afghanistan.
This heroic act led to the troops offering to get her and her family out of Afghanistan, to which they took advantage. The family then came to the United States, specifically Tampa, Florida. Rostami attended Freedom High School for two years. While he was unable to wrestle his junior year, he did participate during his senior year.
And wrestled he did as Rostami said he won over 20 matches with just one loss. This was not Rastami’s first experience with wrestling, or contact sports in general. He said he wrestled for about six or seven years in Afghanistan, as well as practicing kung fu, muay thai, mixed martial arts and soccer.
Rastami said he has a goal of being a UFC world champion and that his family is his motivation to succeed, especially that of his father who passed away two years ago. … more at … https://www.newberryobserver.com/sports/72714/a-wrestlers-journey-from-afghanistan-to-newberry-college
NWCA All-Star classic match order, Penn State wrestling bout previews, how to watch, and more
The eyes of the college wrestling world will turn toward State College this weekend. The No. 1 Penn State wrestling team opens its 2024-2025 season and NCAA title defense on Sunday when Drexel visits for a 1 p.m. ET dual meet. Of course, that is not the only event Rec Hall is hosting this weekend. One day earlier, the NWCA All-Star Classic, an exhibition event featuring top wrestlers from around the country, will feature 16 bouts, five of which will feature a Nittany Lion.
The NWCA All-Star Classic starts at 7 p.m. ET. Flo Wrestling is streaming it live for its subscribers here. And, some tickets are still available here.
Which Penn State wrestlers are in the NWCA All-Star Classic?
Penn State was set to have six competitors in this event. Now, however, the list is down to five. Heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet dropped out earlier this week due to a family obligation. But, he will be in action Sunday against the Dragons. His teammates competing on Saturday, though, are unlikely to be. The Nittany Lions are represented by Beau Bartlett, Shayne Van Ness, Tyler Kasak, Levi Haines, and Carter Starocci.
“It looks like the majority of them will not be wrestling Sunday,” head coach Cael Sanderson said this week. “I think there’s a couple of them that are considering it, but I think their focus right now is the all-star match. If something changes, obviously they’re on weight, but they’re wrestling some of the best guys in the country, so we want them to focus on that match. We have a lot of really tough and able bodied kids that are ready to jump in there, if the opportunity presents itself.”
NWCA All-Star Classic bout order
Here’s the order of competition, courtesy of the NWCA:
110: 1 Emma Baertlein, Southern Oregon vs #4 Kendra Ryan, North Central … more at … https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/news/nwca-all-star-classic-match-order-penn-state-wrestling-bout-previews-how-to-watch-and-more/
UNC-Pembroke Wrestling Weathers Storm, Takes Down Tornado
PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke wrestling team faced a 19-14 deficit with two matches remaining, but wins from Nigel Williams and Massimo Sullivan secured the narrow 21-19 victory for the Braves in Conference Carolinas wrestling action Wednesday night at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
The Braves (2-0, 2-0 CC) improved to 9-1 in the all-time series with the Tornado (0-1, 0-1 CC).
Bryson Harper got the Braves on the board first with a decision victory at 125 pounds, before King would take the 133 and 141 pound bouts. Ninth-ranked Jake Piccirilli cut into the King lead with a dominating 21-3 tech. fall win at 149 pounds, while King answered with a decision win at 157 pounds to stretch the lead once again. Will Lowery’s reverse pin in the 165-pound match gave the lead back to the Braves, while a King win at 174 pounds saw the lead change once more. A Tornado win by decision at 184 pounds took the King lead to 19-14, before Williams kept the Black & Gold alive with a victory at 197 pounds. Sullivan would then clinch the UNCP win in the heavyweight bout with … more at … https://uncpbraves.com/news/2024/11/13/wrestling-weathers-storm-takes-down-tornado.aspx
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, with newcomer Arizona State adding to the list of usual suspects. Iowa State (13-2) and Missouri (10-4) come in ranked sixth and ninth, respectively.
The ACC boasts five schools ranked – including rivals Virginia Tech (9-4) and NC State (16-2) coming in ranked No. 7 and No. 8 to start the year. Geographical outlier Stanford joins the conference and starts the year ranked No. 21. … more at … https://nwcaonline.com/news/2024/10/30/national-wrestling-coaches-association-penn-state-iowa-begin-season-ranked-atop-nwca-division-i-mens-wrestling-coaches-poll.aspx

