TAKEDOWN RADIO REPORT
Posted on | June 6, 2008 | No Comments
This week America’s Wrestling Radio Talk show comes to you LIVE from the Brute Adidas Studios In Des Moines with Host’s Scott Casber, Steve Foster, Chris Arns and Jeff Murphy. I want to thank Lee Roy Smith who directs the efforts of the National Hall of Fame. He and his staff do a terrific job throughout the year and make the Inductions weekend very special indeed. This is a Loaded show so I invite you to tune in and listen. We hit the air Saturday Mornings each week at 9:06 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST throughout Iowa on AM 1460 KXNO and Takedownradio.com
Alert- Special in studio guest host- Cornell University Wrestler Justin Kerber. Cornell wrestling’s Jordan Leen and Justin Kerber were named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division I All-Academic team for the 2007-08 season. Leen was also named to the team for the 2006-07 season, and is one of three NCAA champions to make the list.
Individual wrestlers need at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average to qualify. Each athlete must have also either been an NCAA qualifier or won 60% of his total schedule. This season the All-Academic team included 88 total wrestlers, which increased 35% from 57 in 2006-07. Kerber (Emmetsburg, Iowa) is one of only two true freshmen to make the All-Academic team, with a 3.64 GPA in economics. In his rookie season, he compiled a 28-11 overall record, with an 8-1 dual mark. Kerber was slated to wrestle for Cornell at 174 pounds, but moved up two weight classes to compete in the last seven duals. The freshman tallied a perfect 7-0 record dual record in his new weight class defeating all five of his league opponents in the process to earn First-Team All-Ivy honors. Kerber also placed fifth at the EIWA tournament.
Scheduled to join TDR this week-
9:05 Brad Penrith- Head Coach at University of Northern Iowa, Recruiting can be a nightmare or sometimes, just sometimes things can fall in to place. UNI Wrestling Adds 12 Recruits for Next Season Head coach Brad Penrith’s class includes six in-state and six out-of-state recruits. A balancing act is how I best describe it. Coach Penrith has it 6 and 6. 2008 UNI Wrestling Recruits include:
Blayne Beale, 285 lbs. (Davenport, Iowa/Davenport West HS)
David Bonin, 165 lbs. (Broussard, La./Comeaux HS)
Tannor Burke, 133/141 lbs. (Cresco, Iowa/Cresco-Crestwood HS)
Cody Delagardelle, 133/141 lbs. (Jesup, Iowa/Gilbertville-Don Bosco HS)
Steven Fitzgerald, 125 lbs. (Fresno, Calif./Clovis East HS)
Alec Hoffman, 141/149 lbs. (Davenport, Iowa/Davenport North HS)
Ryan Jauch, 133 lbs. (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake Central HS)
Mitch Johnson, 141 lbs. (Truro, Iowa/I-35 HS)
Anthony Meza, 157 lbs. (Vista, Calif./Vista HS)
John Simon, 165 lbs. (Parkersburg, Iowa/Aplington-Parkersburg HS)
Grant Sutter, 125 lbs. (Barneveld, Wis./Dodgeville HS)
Terrance Young, 125/133 lbs. (Minneapolis, Minn./Roosevelt HS/Iowa Central CC)
9:20 Cael Sanderson- Head Coach Iowa State University- It was Cael who authored back to back Big 12 Championship seasons but that’s not the big picture. Change was in the wind, another step needed to be taken and Casey Cunningham, who as assistant head wrestling coach the past seven years at Central Michigan guided 18 Chippewa All-Americans and 35 Mid-American Conference champions, has been named as an assistant coach on the Iowa State wrestling coaching staff head coach Cael Sanderson announced Wednesday. At CMU, Cunningham was a part of a program in which he was the 1999 NCAA 157-pound champion. Cunningham, the 2008 Pan American Games wrestling silver medalist who is retiring from international competition at the end of this season, replaces former ISU assistant coach Tim Hartung. Hartung resigned to accept a job in private business. Cunningham will assume coaching duties Aug. 1.
9:40 Juanito Ibarra- Trainer of the UFC Lt. Hvywt. Wt. Champion Q. Rampage Jackson. We’ll catch up with the personal trainer and mentor of the champ and find out what he has in store for Forrest Griffin.
10:05 Matt Fields- Former Heavy Weight at University of Iowa. This 6ft 3 mountain of a man endured a lot while at Iowa. Coaching changes, style changes, surgery, injuries, classes and did so like a man on a mission. He is one of the more likable young men I’ve come across in years. He made his way to the U of I from Lowden, Iowa and North Cedar HS. Now graduating we’ll find out what Matt has planned for the future. God I hope its television. This is one funny guy. Son of Bob Fields and Rhonda Fields … he was working on a health and sports studies major. Lets see how it all turned out. 2007-08 — all-American, placing fifth at NCAA Championships… placed third at Big Ten Championships… collegiate season record was 32-8 at heavyweight, going 19-3 in dual competition and 5-3 in Big Ten duals… posted a 6-1 record at Carver-Hawkeye Arena… ranked second on team in collegiate wins (32), third in duals wins (19) and fourth in dual winning percentage (.863), dual team points scored (72) and pins (5)… won Kaufman-Brand Open title while competing unattached… placed eighth at Midlands Championships… earned team’s Most Improved and all-American awards, as well as J. Donald McPike award which is annually presented to the graduating senior with the highest grade-point average… academic all-Big Ten… letterwinner.
10:25 Dan Wirnsberger- Head Coach of the Bison at Bucknell University- Seven members of the Bucknell wrestling squad competed at the FILA Junior Freestyle National Championships this past weekend where two of the Bison qualified for the FILA Junior World Team Trials. Sophomore David Marble (Harpursville, N.Y./Harpursville Central) and freshman Kevin LeValley (Hugo, Colo./Limon) both placed second at their respective weights, earning the duo an opportunity to contend for a spot on the World Team.
Marble went 4-1 at 60 KG (132.25 lbs.), including a first round technical fall (6-0, 7-0) and a pin versus Dan White (Sunkist Kids) 1:45 into the second period of his semifinal match before suffering a loss, 6-0, 6-1, to Dylan Alton (MAT-TOWN USA) in the championship bout. The competitors wrestled a best-of-three format, with each period set at two minutes in length. LeValley, who wrestled at 66 KG (145.5 lbs.), went 4-1 in the tournament and saw three of his first four matches reach a deciding third period. LeValley won his semifinal bout against Corey Manson (Hicks Scrappin), 0-1, 3-3, 4-3, to advance to the championship where he fell to Jordan Burroughs (Sunkist Kids), 6-1, 7-0. Freshmen Tyler Riccio (Warren, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan Regional) and Scott Sechler (Slatington, Pa./Northern Lehigh) competed at 70 KG (154.25 pounds) where Sechler went 2-2 with two victories in the championship bracket. Freshman Chris Bailes (Middletown, Pa./Middletown Area) was 0-2 at 74 KG (163 lbs.), freshman Rob Waltko (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) picked up two wins in the wrestleback bracket at 79 KG (174 lbs.) to finish 2-2 and freshman David Thompson (West Liberty, Ohio/Graham Local) went 1-2 with a win in the wrestleback bracket at 84 KG (185 lbs.). Marble and LeValley will vie for the opportunity to compete at the World Championships, in Istanbul, Turkey this summer when they travel to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 18-24, to take part in the FILA Junior World Team Trials.
10:40 Jack Childs- Head Coach of the Dragons of Drexel. Childs announced the signing of four student-athletes for the 2008-09 season. Jack Callendar, Jesse Carling, Matt Dugan and Steven Julian each signed a letter-of-intent to attend and compete at Drexel.
Callendar will likely wrestle at 197 pounds at Drexel. In his scholastic career at Council Rock North High School, Callender was a regional runner-up at 215 pounds and was ranked as high as third in Pennsylvania as a senior. Carling is a Waverly High School product who will likely see time at 149 pounds as a Dragon. He placed at the New York State Championships at 145 pounds twice in his scholastic career.
Dugan wrestled at 140 pounds for DeMatha High School who will look to compete at 141 pounds at Drexel. He placed twice at the National Prep Championships with third and fourth place finishes on his resume. Julian is a Plantation, Fla. Native who twice placed at the Florida State Championships. He wrestled for American Heritage High School where he wrestled at 171 and 189 pounds. Julian will likely see action at 184 pounds with the Dragons.
Childs is also the active leader in all-time wins at all levels of NCAA competition with 457 victories combined during his tenure at Stevens Tech and Drexel.
They will wrestle for Gold and Glory!
Wrestling fans. Here’s your special invitation to join Steve and I for a crazy, wild week of great wrestling action for The U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling and Judo in Las Vegas, Nev., June 13-15, 2008. There are tickets available. Check out our web partners at Themat.com for more information.
Who will earn the honor of wrestling for the US? What Judo stars will emerge from the talented pool. Will you be there to witness history?
Join your fellow wrestling and Judo fans. Visit http://www.usawrestlinglasvegas.com/