Upstart Lindsey Wilson Women’s Wrestling Ready To Take On The Nation
Lindsey Wilson’s women’s wrestling team will test the NAIA’s best during its inaugural season.
The Lindsey Wilson women’s wrestling program is ready to launch. And head coach Devane Dodgens couldn’t be more excited.
The Columbia, Kentucky-based college competes in the Mid-South Conference and will take on the NAIA’s best. Dodgens has built a team capable of cracking the top 10 in year one.
The Blue Raiders have a few high-profile transfers and top high-school talent to get things started. It took eight months for Dodgens to build a roster of 40 wrestlers — but he wants more. “Having a first-year women’s wrestling program is a transformative experience,” Dodgens said. “The opportunity to build something from the ground up with support can help build a winning culture and attitude for our ladies and the team. “We want to be the hardest working, best conditioned, most professional, unselfish, toughest, meanest, and funniest team in the NAIA. My vision is to see the program grow to 50-60 ladies who all want to have an enjoyable college experience. As a team, we want to grow as a family.”
Dodgens coached the men’s and women’s teams at Brewton-Parker before assuming the head women’s role at Lindsey Wilson. He was a two-time All-American at Life University, finishing seventh at the 2015 NAIA Championships and third in 2017.
Leidaly Rivera and India Page are returning NAIA All-Americans, and Josselinne Campos, Brielle Bibla, Alesandra Burgos, and Sierra Hartfelder are college national qualifiers. Add a handful of nationally ranked high school girls and this team could make some noise. “We want to be in the top five at some point like a lot of great teams in our conference are,” Dodgens said. “We want to bring back national titles and a bunch of All-American honors. As a first-year program, we have to remember two words: temper expectations. We are good on paper but that doesn’t mean anything when we toe the line. We will get what we ultimately work for. “This group is exciting and has a balanced group of youth mixed in with veterans. I am excited to work with such an outstanding group of ladies.”
117 Pounds
Kamilah Brooks, FR — TDR’s Olivia Neal Award winner
— 2024 North Carolina state champion
— 4x state placer
— Ranked 28 in the nation … more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/12880074-upstart-lindsey-wilson-womens-wrestling-ready-to-take-on-the-nation
Campbell and Nebraska to wrestle at Jim Perry Stadium
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell’s dual against Nebraska on November 15 will be a special event, as the two teams will face off on the infield of Jim Perry Stadium beginning at 4:30 and streamed on UFC Fight Pass. “Nebraska is a top 3 ranked team, and we get to wrestle them at the historic Jim Perry Stadium,” head coach Scotti Sentes said. “It really doesn’t get much better than that. The team is well aware of the winning tradition set in that baseball field, and we are honored to go in there and build on that tradition.” This will be the first time Campbell will wrestle at Jim Perry Stadium, continuing their effort to wrestle at unique venues. “We have a senior-heavy team with a lot of experience competing under the bright lights,” said Sentes. “It should be a fun dual with a lot of high-flying action from both sides of the mat. I anticipate a great show for the fans and look forward to a fun afternoon of wrestling.”
During intermission, CLAW Wrestling will host a match between Jordan Oliver and Bryce Andonian. Campbell has wrestled multiple times in an aircraft hangar at Fort Liberty in Fayetteville, facing off against Army, North Carolina and Michigan. Last year, they wrestled Wyoming in the Battle in the Barn at the highest elevation ever for an NCAA dual.
To begin this season, Campbell and Wyoming received a waiver from the NCAA to begin their season on October 31st. The teams will face off in the Dual at the Daddy at Frontier Park in Cheyenne. The venue hosts Cheyenne Frontier Days, the world’s largest outdoor rodeo and western celebration and known as “The Daddy of the All”. Tickets for the 2024-25 wrestling season are now available. … more at … https://gocamels.com/news/2024/10/11/wrestling-campbell-and-nebraska-to-wrestle-at-jim-perry-stadium.aspx
Randolph College Opens New Wrestling Facility
LYNCHBURG, Va.- On Thursday afternoon, more than 100 people gathered on Bedford Avenue to celebrate the opening of Randolph’s new wrestling facility.
The 4,700-square-foot building will house the women’s and men’s wrestling programs, which are currently in their first year. The facility’s renovation was led by Penny Lane Properties, and the new space includes a practice facility, locker rooms, changing rooms, and offices.
Members of Randolph’s Board of Trustees attended the ribbon cutting, along with faculty, staff, students, representatives from the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance, and other community members and leaders. After the ceremony, the facility’s garage doors rose to reveal Wanda WildCat and both wrestling teams while music blared. “It is such an exciting time to be at Randolph College, and we’re happy to partner with the community on projects such as this,” President Sue Ott Rowlands told the gathered crowd. “This athletic facility is the result of much hard work. With Randolph’s recent enrollment growth, it was necessary for us to find additional space to accommodate some of our programs, and this building was the perfect match.”
Both Ott Rowlands and Athletic Director Tom Galbraith spoke about the process of expanding the athletics department with the addition of four new sports over the last two years. “When we talked about wrestling, we ran into one roadblock, and that was a facility,” Galbraith said. “You are now standing in front of the answer to that question. This building not only represents the College’s commitment to wrestling, it represents the College’s commitment to the athletics department as a whole and our nearly 350 student-athletes who call themselves WildCats. Thirty of those this year will be wrestlers.”
Women’s wrestling coach Brooke Richards, men’s wrestling coach Paul Biggs, and two student-athletes also spoke during the event, sharing their enthusiasm for their upcoming seasons.
Megan Lucas, CEO and chief economic development officer of the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance, echoed that sentiment in her remarks. “This is my route to and from work every day, and I have been so excited watching this building transform into an amazing athletic center,” Lucas said. … more at … https://randolphwildcats.com/news/2024/10/4/mens-wrestling-randolph-college-opens-new-wrestling-facility.aspx
Emmanuel College Announces the Addition of Men’s & Women’s Wrestling Programs
OCT. 5, 2024 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – BOSTON – Emmanuel College is very pleased to announce the addition of men’s and women’s wrestling as varsity programs to the athletic department. These new varsity teams – which will begin competing in the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years, respectively – will represent the only Division III collegiate wrestling programs in the City of Boston.
Wrestling is among the nation’s fastest-growing sports, particularly at the collegiate level, due largely to its appeal to student-athletes from various backgrounds. Emmanuel is proud to join this movement, further expanding the range of its athletic offerings and bringing its total number of Division III programs to 18. “This new wrestling program is a win for current and future Emmanuel student-athletes and for our entire community,” said Emmanuel College President Beth Ross. “We are excited to provide wrestlers superb opportunities to engage in Division III intercollegiate competition, and we look forward to the way they will further electrify our Boston campus with their displays of athleticism, stamina, and heart.” Regarding women’s wrestling, according to the Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Coalition (WCWC), Emmanuel is the 105th NCAA varsity program to offer women’s wrestling. The popularity of women’s wrestling resulted in the NCAA declaring it an emerging sport in 2020-2021, as 66 institutions have added the sport since then. Based on the most recent participation rate, women’s wrestling is on track to become the NCAA’s 91st NCAA championship.
According to the Next College Student Athlete (NCSA), 126 NCAA Division III programs offer men’s varsity wrestling as Emmanuel becomes the 17th institution in New England to offer the sport. The popularity of wrestling has been seen at the high school level as, according to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), there has been a 25 percent increase in participation in boys wrestling from approximately 230,000 in 2021-2022 to nearly 292,000 in 2023-2024. “The addition of the wrestling program at Emmanuel further solidifies the College’s commitment … more at … https://goecsaints.com/news/2024/10/5/general-emmanuel-college-announces-the-addition-of-mens-womens-wrestling-programs.aspx
Wolfpack Wrestling Unveils 2024-25 Schedule
RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State wrestling program has released its full schedule for the upcoming 2024-25 season, as announced by head coach Pat Popolizio on Friday.
Featuring 18 total dates, the team’s slate holds five home duals, in addition to wrestle-offs in Reynolds Coliseum on October 26th at 1 p.m., six away duals, and three neutral site duals.
Special events and tournaments include Journeymen’s WrangleMania and Collegiate Classic in Bethlehem, Pa., the new Jersey Jostle duals in Toms River, N.J. and the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev. Season tickets are still available and can be purchased on GoPack.com here, fans will be able to purchase individual here as well once they go on sale. Start times and television designations for the duals will be announced at a later date.
The stacked schedule includes six duals with preseason ranked teams by InterMat; No. 5 Oklahoma State, No. 6 Virginia Tech, No. 11 Cornell, No. 15 Stanford, No. 18 Rutgers, and No. 23 North Carolina. The 2024-25 season for the Wolfpack starts on the road at The Citadel on Sunday, November 3 followed by Journeymen’s WrangleMania holding a dual with Campbell and the Collegiate Classic round robin the following weekend, Nov. 9th and 10th in Bethlehem, Pa.
The Pack opens their home schedule on November 15th when they host Appalachian State Friday night, to then travel to Toms River, N.J. that same weekend for Journeymen’s Jersey Jostle with duals against Rutgers and Princeton on that Sunday, the 17th. The following weekend will host Utah Valley when the Pack returns home to Reynolds Coliseum for a Saturday dual on November 23rd.
The month of December consists of the well-known Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev. on the 6th and 7th as well as a dual in Ithaca, N.Y. at Cornell on the 22nd. … more at … https://gopack.com/news/2024/10/11/wolfpack-wrestling-unveils-2024-25-schedule
Defending National Champion Bronchos Face Tough Schedule
Bronchos Have Five Home Duals in 2024-25
EDMOND – Two-time defending NCAA Division II national wrestling champion Central Oklahoma will host five home duals and an open tournament in 2024-25, with four of those events coming during a three-week span late in the season.
UCO went 15-0 in duals before capturing its 23rd regional title and 17th national championship last season. The Bronchos of ninth-year head coach Todd Steidley return seven starters, including four All-Americans. “It’s a challenging schedule,” said Steidley, who has a 101-12 dual record at UCO and was the Division II Coach of the Year last season. “We’re on the road a lot as usual, but I really think that helps us in the long run. Our guys have been working hard to get ready and we’re looking forward to the season.”
Central makes its 2024-25 debut at Hamilton Field House on Nov. 3 with the Broncho Open, then begins the dual schedule the following weekend on the road at Maryville and McKendree.
UCO sandwiches its only first-semester home dual on Nov. 22 in the MIAA opener against Ouachita Baptist between a couple of open tournaments before going to Newman and another open tourney. The Bronchos finish the first semester slate at the rugged Midwest Classic in Indianapolis, Ind. Dec. 14-15.
The season resumes Jan. 10-11 at the NWCA Division II National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa and UCO finishes with six more duals. Four of those are at home – Colorado State-Pueblo (Jan. 26), Fort Hays State (Feb. 2), Nebraska-Kearney (Feb. 7) and New Mexico Highlands (Feb. 16) – along with road trips to Drury (Jan. 24) and Central Missouri (Feb. 15). … more at … https://bronchosports.com/news/2024/9/29/wrestling-defending-national-champion-bronchos-face-tough-schedule.aspx
Six Americans over 30 earn spots on Non-Olympic Weights World Team
By Mike Finn
OMAHA — Sunday was quite a day for several of USA Wrestling’s older wrestlers as six wrestlers over the age of 30 — James Green, Jordan Burroughs and David Taylor in men’s freestyle, Ildar Hafizov and Aliaksandr Kikiniou in Greco-Roman, and Jacarra Winchester in women’s freestyle — all won Best-of-3 Championships at the Non-Olympic Weight World Team Trials.
For Green and Burroughs, New Jersey natives and former stars at the University of Nebraska, they earned spots before many of their Husker fans in the MECA – CHI Health Center. Green, 31, a two-time World medalist, defeated former Michigan All-American Alec Pantaleo in two straight matches at 70 kilos, while Burroughs, 36, a six-time World champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist, avenged a 2023 World Team Trials loss to Chance Marsteller at 79 kilos.
Taylor, 33, the former World and Olympic champ who came up short at the 2024 Olympic Trials at 86 kilos before taking the Oklahoma State head coaching position, defeated fellow 2023 Worlds teammate Zahid Valencia in two straight bouts at 92 kilos.
Aliaksandr Kikiniou (right), a 2009 World bronze medalist for Belarus, defeated Jesse Porter in two bouts to claim a World Team Trials title in Greco-Roman. (Sam Janicki photo)
Hafizov and Kikiniou, both immigrants from Uzbekistan and Belarus, respectively, earned spots on the team. Hafizov, 36, qualified for his fifth World Team for Team USA but needed three matches to beat Max Black at 63 kilos, while Kikiniou, 44, a former World bronze medalist for his native country, will represent Team USA for the first time. Winchester, 31, who has represented Team USA at 53k and 55k in past World and Olympic Championships, won two straight matches against Michaela Beck at 59 kilos.
Jacarra Winchester has now qualified for either the Worlds or Olympics in three different weights. (Sam Janicki photo)
The other six winners, who will compete in the 2024 Non-Olympic Weight World Championships, Oct. 28-31 in Tirana, Albania, were 2023 World champ Vito Arujau (61k) in men’s freestyle, Areana Villaescusa (55k), 2023 World silver medalist Macey Kilty (65k) and Kylie Welker (72k) in women’s freestyle, and Brady Koontz (55k) and Benji Peak (63k) in Greco-Roman. … more at … https://www.win-magazine.com/2024/09/15/29536/
The 25 most accomplished DI men’s wrestlers to watch this 2024-25 season
Every season, NCAA.com ranks the biggest names the watch in college wrestling. In 2021, the ranking criteria was “most exciting.” In 2022, the theme shifted to “most interesting,” and in 2023, the ranking was for the “most notable.” Now, the rankings are back, this time based purely on credentials.
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Former champs are ranked first, then national finalists, then All-Americans. There are more returning All-Americans than spots in the top 25 — the last six athletes on this list were thus chosen because of a combination of dominance, big wins, current ranking in their weight class and previous honors. These are the top 25 athletes you need to know heading into the 2024-2025 college wrestling season.
1. Carter Starocci, Penn State, 184 pounds
Penn State’s Carter Starocci is the biggest name in college wrestling this year. Not only has the Nittany Lion veteran won four national titles, three team titles and been a Hodge Trophy finalist, but he’s also built his brand as a hard-nosed, never-say-die warrior who wants to wrestle everyone and dominate every second. He notably shared in 2023 that he likes to take his opponents to “deep waters” and “feel [their] soul leave [their body]” — it’s this kind of mentality that has pushed him to a 77-4 varsity record with a 50%+ varsity career bonus rate.
HISTORY MAKER: Here’s how Carter Starocci won his fourth national title
Penn State fans love Starocci and his fierceness, but it wasn’t always guaranteed that they’d get to see their star wrestle back this season. After winning his fourth title in 2-0 fashion against Ohio State’s Rocco Welsh, Starocci shared in the post-match press conference that he might have wrestled his last folkstyle match. He had world and Olympic aspirations and had already proven himself on the national stage. Yet, less than two months later, Starocci announced that he would indeed be returning. He wanted to finish on his “terms.” He’s expected to go up a weight class to achieve that goal, bumping from 174 to 184. Winning a fifth national title and a Hodge Trophy at this new weight would certainly put an exclamation mark on a career that has been nothing if not historic.
2. Keegan O’Toole, Missouri, 174 pounds
Keegan O’Toole, the two-time title winner from Missouri, is the only other multiple-time NCAA champion returning this season, making him the obvious choice for the No. 2 wrestler on this list. He is expected to move up a weight class too, though, taking his funk from 165 pounds to 174 pounds. … more at … https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling/article/2024-10-01/25-most-accomplished-di-mens-wrestlers-watch-season
Cowboy Wrestling to Host Seven Duals In 2024-25 Season
STILLWATER – Head coach David Taylor and the Oklahoma State wrestling program revealed the home schedule for the 2024-25 season Thursday, which features seven duals inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.
The Cowboys again play host to one of the most exciting home slates in the country, as six of their seven visitors held a spot in the top 25 of InterMat’s preseason rankings. That group also includes four top 11 finishers from the 2024 NCAA Championships and is made up of five Big 12 opponents and a pair from the ACC.
Last season, Gallagher-Iba Arena saw Oklahoma State win eight of its nine contests inside the venue, highlighted by a 21-12 victory over fourth-ranked Iowa State and a 24th straight home win in the Bedlam Rivalry Series.
Taylor will make his Gallagher-Iba Arena debut against Wyoming on November 22. A familiar opponent, OSU has wrestled Wyoming in 15 of the past 16 seasons and is undefeated in the all-time series at 27-0-1. In addition, the Cowboys will be looking to extend their winning streak in home openers to 25.
Just two days later, Big 12 newcomer Arizona State will make its way to Stillwater for the second year in a row. Oklahoma State owns wins in 40 of the 44 all-time matchups, while Troy Spratley’s major decision over 2024 NCAA champion Richard Figueroa sparked the team’s victory last season.
Throughout late December and early January, the Cowboys can get comfortable in Gallagher-Iba Arena as they host four more duals within a month.
The first of that stretch comes on December 19 against Virginia Tech, the highest-ranked team on OSU’s home schedule at No. 6. The 2011 Hokies downed Oklahoma State in the programs’ only meeting, but a win by the Cowboys this time around would give them a .500 record or better against every opponent they’ve faced since the program’s inaugural season in 1915.
Shortly after the turn of the calendar, OSU will open 2025 against Air Force on January 3, … more at … https://okstate.com/news/2024/10/3/cowboy-wrestling-to-host-seven-duals-in-2024-25-season
Why Does Iowa Wrestling Have So Many Fans?
Here are six reasons the University of Iowa wrestling program has a fan base like no other.
The University of Iowa continues to be the standard-bearer for college wrestling attendance. For the past three seasons, the Hawkeyes averaged over 14,000 fans for home duals. A record 42,287 attended the Grapple on the Gridiron on November 14, 2015 — a home dual between Oklahoma State and Iowa at Kinnick Stadium before the Minnesota football game.
Here are six reasons Iowa has the country’s largest wrestling fan base. Watch the below interview with former Hawkeye coach Dan Gable for his insights.
1. Winning Program
Iowa hired Gary Kurdelmeier during the 1972-73 season. Kurdelmeier’s first order of business was to hire Dan Gable as his assistant. Gable was fresh off a win at the 1972 Munich Olympics when he arrived in Iowa City.
Hiring Gable marked a turning point. Iowa finished seventh at the 1973 NCAA Championships, fifth in 1974, and first in 1975 and 1976. Gable took over as head coach during the 1977 season and his teams won 15 of 21 championships and 21 consecutive Big Ten titles.
The Hawkeyes have never finished lower than eighth at nationals for 51 straight seasons. No other program compares during that span. “Iowa fans are used to excitement,” Gable said. “Iowa fans are used to winning. A lot of it has to do with how the kid wrestles. Iowa wrestling has done it for so long with such good performances that they’re consistent.”
Iowa Wrestling NCAA Championships Results: 1973-2025
| Year | NCAA Finish | Coach |
| 1973 | 7th | Gary Kurdelmeier |
| 1974 | 5th | Gary Kurdelmeier |
| 1975 | 1st | Gary Kurdelmeier |
| 1976 | 1st | Gary Kurdelmeier |
| 1977 | 3rd | Dan Gable |
| 1978 | 1st | Dan Gable |
| 1979 | 1st | Dan Gable |
… more at … https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/12872714-why-does-iowa-wrestling-have-so-many-fans
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
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