Browsing: Wrestling

VMI redshirt senior wrestler Neal Richards was named the 2019-20 Bob Waters Southern Conference Male Athlete of the Year Wednesday. Richards becomes just the second VMI student-athlete to be named the SoCon Male Athlete of the Year, the other being Johnny Mapp in 1953-54. Richards also is only the second wrestler to earn the award, joining Appalachian State’s Austin Trotman, who took the distinction in 2011-12. “Neal will go down as one of the greatest to step on the mat for VMI,” said wrestling head Keydet coach Jim Gibson. “He has embodied everything that it means to be a cadet-athlete.…

VMI red shirt senior Neal Richards was named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-American second team Friday, becoming the program’s first All-American since 1999 (Leslie Apedoe, 285) and third all-time. “Everyone is so proud of Neal,” said head coach Jim Gibson. “This honor is greatly deserved, and is the culmination of hard work and dedication throughout his time at VMI. It puts him in an elite category of wrestlers throughout the country.” Richards was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler for the second straight year after winning the 174-pound individual championship at the 2020 Southern Conference Wrestling Championships. The South Chesterfield native qualified…

Matoaca wrestling is one of the most successful programs in recent times, winning three straight state championships from 2014 to 2016. This year, with a talented roster that’s gotten better as the season has gone on, Daniel Clingenpeel and company are pushing for a state title. A quintet of wrestlers leads the way for the Warriors. They are sophomore Miles Woody (29-15 record, 106 pounds), senior Nick Garcia (43-2 record, 126 pounds), senior Elijah Garcia (35-6 record, 138 pounds), senior Jayden Burgos (35-6 record, 195 pounds) and sophomore Keyshawn Burgos (34-7 record, 220 pounds). Of the group, Nick Garcia is…

Matoaca In his second season as head coach, Daniel Clingenpeel is looking to push his Matoaca Warriors back to the greatness that they won three straight state championships from 2014-2016. “Matoaca Wrestling is returning a team with a good mix of experience,” said Clingenpeel. “We are returning seven wrestlers who were either freshmen or first-year wrestlers who gained a ton of experience last season.” Among those seven wrestlers were three regional placers, along with three upperclassmen who placed in region 5B last year. Returning 5B region champion Nick Garcia is hungry to improve on a 3rd-place state tournament finish last…

Brandon Woody in action. Sophomore Brandon Woody left his mark at Matoaca High School with three state championships and went on to wrestle in college. He previously wrestled at 106 pounds, but Woody has moved up to the 141-pound class at Averett University in Danville. Woody excelled during the first week of the new year, taking home a championship at an invitational. At the Jim Crytzer Invitational on Jan. 5, Woody won his opening round match 5-1, and then pinned West Virginia Tech University’s Tanner Harris to move to the semifinal round. Woody then used the strength of four takedowns…

BY RICHARD IMMEL, USA WRESTLING SALVADOR DA BAHIA, Brazil – The 2017 Pan American Beach Wrestling Championships was held at Stella Maris Beach recently with a record-setting 60 matches being contested in the unique international wrestling style. Sam Jones, a Thomas High School graduate and All-State wrestler his senior year was the lone U.S. competitor in the field. Jones who is now a teacher at Monacan, competed in the 70 kg/154 lbs. bracket, going 0-3 on the day. He took on opponents from Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil. “I didn’t wrestle as well as I wanted to, but I still…

By Zach Long Track and Field Matoaca: The Warriors are off to strong start for the 2017 indoor track season. Leaning on a little more experience than last year and some fresh new talent, the team has promise heading into the thick of the season. Senior transfer from California, Alexis Newberry has made an immediate impact for the team. She recently broke the school record in the 500-meter dash by six seconds at the Suffolk Stars invitational. Running a blistering 1:21:98, she finished fourth at the meet. Multi-discipline athlete Iva Allen had another solid showing at the meet, finishing eighth…

A trio of names that have already cemented their names in Matoaca athletics lore recently carved out some big time accomplishments at the college level – Neal Richards (VMI), Austin Akins (Coker) and Blake Roulo (George Mason). Richards has made an early mark on VMI’s program after winning four straight state championships in high school. After a third place finish in the Southern Conference 157 pound weight class, he earned a berth to the NCAA tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Roulo, a senior at George Mason finished fourth in the 149-pound weight class at the Eastern…

Things didn’t look so bright for Matoaca wrestling during the regular season. People said that their run was over. Some even said they felt as though new coach Hal Miles had allowed the program to decline. If you formed either of these opinions during the season, you were wrong. Matoaca pulled off a seemingly improbable three peat and claimed their third consecutive 5A State Championship on the last match of the night, with heavyweight Anthony “Shan” Helm claimed what was also his third straight state championship. “We had a plan the whole time,” said Matoaca coach Hal Miles. “It’s just…

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