FUN FARGO FACTS: MILESTONES AND NOTABLES FROM THE 16U AND JUNIOR MEN’S FREESTYLE TOURNAMENTS
Fargo, North Dakota – Let’s geek out over some more data, shall we? Here’s a look at some of the notable nuggets, milestones and achievements from across the 30 mats at the record-setting USMC Junior & 16U Nationals in men’s freestyle at the Fargodome on the campus of North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota.
Alabama: Kyan Simon was the fourth wrestler in state history to reach the Junior men’s freestyle finals. The first was Henry Lavender in 1980 at heavyweight, while the state’s only two champions came relatively recently. The first champ was current Virginia Tech All-American Sam Latona at 106 pounds in 2017 and the second was last year, when current Northern Iowa wrestler Cory Land won at 132 pounds. Simon has moved up to 106 pounds for Greco-Roman.
Arizona: While the state just missed out on hitting the top 10 in the team standings in either age group, the state set a record for most total men’s freestyle medals with 10. Arizona placed four wrestlers in 16U, while six hit the medal stand in Juniors, including champion Kyler Larkin, who won his second all-time title. Larkin’s father Eric was an eight-time placewinner in both age groups from 1994-1998, including four titles – a 16U freestyle title, two Junior Greco-Roman titles and a Junior freestyle title.
California: Cody Merrill joined an exclusive group of Californians with his second Junior men’s freestyle title. Merrill, who won at 220 pounds after winning at 195 pounds in 2022, is only the third wrestler from the Golden State to win two Junior men’s freestyle titles. Laurence Jackson was the first, winning in 1984 and 1985 and Morgan McIntosh won titles in 2010 and 2011.
Colorado: With four All-Americans, Colorado’s medal streak hit 19 tournaments in a row at 16U. It’s also the 10th straight year the state has put multiple wrestlers on the podium. Isaiah Harrison was the runner-up at 113 pounds. He was the first finalist since Dominick Serrano won at 132 pounds in 2019.
Florida: Michael Mocco’s title at 220 pounds was Florida’s first in 16U freestyle since Nic Bouzakis claimed gold at 126 pounds in 2019. Mocco’s father Steve was a 2008 Olympian and a monster in his era in Fargo. Steve Mocco was a six-time men’s freestyle placewinner for New Jersey and won four titles. He won a 16U title in 1997 before reeling off three straight Junior freestyle titles from 1999-2001. Michael does already have something dad doesn’t – a Greco-Roman medal. Michael placed second in 2022. He’s looking to double up with big stop signs this week. …
North Carolina: With Savoy New’s eighth-place finish at 182 pounds in Junior men’s freestyle, North Carolina has placed a wrestler in the division for consecutive years for the first time since 2012-13. Last year, Jeremiah Prince place eighth at 152 pounds. … rest of story at … Teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2023/July/21/Fun-Facts-Mens-Freestyle
PENNSYLVANIA WINS USMC JUNIOR MEN’S FREESTYLE TEAM TITLE, BUT WISCONSIN SHINES IN FINALS; FOUR CHAMPS WIN SECOND TITLES
Fargo, North Dakota – Pennsylvania set a state-record with 19 All-Americans and came away with two individual champions and a ninth Junior men’s freestyle team title, but Wisconsin stole the show Wednesday night as they set their own records and tied a national record with five champions at the 2023 USMC Men’s Junior Freestyle National Championships at the Fargodome on the campus of North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota.
Four of the five Juniors looking to win second men’s freestyle titles were successful as Iowa’s Ryder Block, Illinois’ Kannon Webster, Wisconsin’s Connor Mirasola and California’s Cody Merrill were all victorious. The fifth, Idaho’s Aden Attao, was pinned in the finals by Wisconsin’s Koy Hopke.
Pennsylvania won two of their three finals — Jax Forrest at 126 pounds, Vince Bouzakis at 152 pounds. Coming into the finals, Wisconsin set a state record with six finalists. The state’s previous high was in 2002 when they put five in the finals and won three titles. Titlists Mirasola and Hopke were joined atop the podium by Haakon Peterson (106 pounds), Braeden Scoles (160) and Noah Mulvaney (170). Wisconsin’s second-place finish its best in state history as well.
The five champions ties a national record for most Junior men’s freestyle champions in a year, set by Ohio in both 1991 and 2003. Pennsylvania’s 19 placewinners was the second-most all-time. Illinois had 20 medalists in 2011 and 2018.
Block, one of two Iowa champions on the night, earned his second title in a row, dominating California’s Daniel Zepeda 10-0. Block had five techs, a fall and a decision en route to his title. He outscored his opponents 76-10 in the tournament.
Webster won his second championship in three finals trips and returned to the top of the podium after finishing second a year ago after a 7-4 win at 145 pounds over Cross Wasilewski. It was one of two champions from Illinois on the night.
Wisconsin’s first champion of the night came at 106 pounds where Peterson won his fourth all-time title in Fargo and his first Junior freestyle championship with a 6-4 win over Iowa’s Tyler Harper. Scoles climbed to the top of the podium after finishing fourth and third each of the last two years. He topped New Jersey’s William Henckel, a 2021 16U freestyle champion, 7-4. Mulvaney followed with a dominant 14-1 technical fall over Illinois’ Chris Moore.
Of the five Wisconsin champions, four were part of Ben and Max Askren’s Askren Wrestling Academy, including 195-pound gold medalist Mirasola, who won last year at 182 pounds. Mirasola was one of the most dominant wrestlers in the tournament, going 7-0 and not surrendering a single point and putting up 71 points in seven technical falls.
California’s Merrill won his second title and was the only one who was able to solve Wisconsin in the finals. Merrill beat Cole Mirasola 11-0 and was the only champion from the Golden State on the night.
Hopke put the cherry on top for Wisconsin, rallying from a 7-0 deficit to pin Idaho’s returning champion Attao in the final 30 seconds. Hopke found an opening in the second period with sweeps and ended up tying the bout at nine before he maintained control on top and picked up the fall. … rest of story at … Teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2023/July/19/Junior-FS-finals-wrap
PENNSYLVANIA EXTENDS LEAD OVER ILLINOIS IN COMBINED #FARGO2023 TEAM STANDINGS, AFTER WINNING BOTH MEN’S FREESTYLE EVENTS
#Fargo2023 is now two-thirds over, with four of the six national tournaments completed on Wednesday night. The USMC Junior Nationals and USMC 16U Nationals in men’s freestyle finished up on Wednesday night in the FargoDome. The USMC Junior Nationals and USMC 16U Nationals for women’s freestyle completed on Sunday.
Pennsylvania won the team title in both of the men’s freestyle tournaments, and has climbed to 599 points, which puts them 151 points ahead of second place Illinois with 448 points. After the two women’s freestyle tournaments, Pennsylvania was in first also, but only 12 points ahead of Illinois.
Pennsylvania has won three of the four tournaments held, also winning the 16U Women’s Nationals team title on Sunday. Illinois won the other completed national event, the Junior Women’s Nationals.
Rounding out the top five are California in third with 401 points, Iowa in fourth with 385 points and Wisconsin in fifth with 342 points.
Dropping out of the top five after the men’s freestyle events were Michigan (which was third after the women’s freestyle and are now eighth) and Missouri (which was fifth after the women’s freestyle and are now 11th).
The top 10 after four events include Ohio (6th with 292), Oklahoma (7th with 248), Michigan (8th with 236), Minnesota (9th with 233) and New Jersey (10th with 225). … rest of story at Teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/July/20/PA-leads-Fargo-combined-team-race-after-4-events
Flashes Mourn the Loss of Varsity “K” Hall of Fame Head Wrestling Coach Ron Gray
KENT- The Golden Flashes mourn the passing of Varsity “K” Hall of Famer and long-time wrestling head coach Ron Gray who died last weekend at the age of 86.
A 1999 inductee into the Varsity “K” Hall of Fame, Gray led the Kent State wrestling program for 25 years from 1971 through 1996. He guided the Golden Flashes to 233-112-5 record overall and a 57-10-3 mark in conference. The Flashes won the Mid-American Conference nine times during his tenure including six consecutive titles from 1977 through 1982. Coach Gray was named Mid-American Coach of the Year five times. His Kent wrestlers won 46 individual MAC titles and earned All-America accolades six times. The Flashes finished in the top-20 at the NCAA National Tournament three times under his leadership, including a pair of top-15 finishes.
Gray was also an accomplished collegiate wrestler at Iowa State, he captured two NCAA titles and a runner-up finish. He was voted outstanding wrestling in the United States in 1959. He also served two terms on the NCAA Wrestling Rules Committee and the NCAA Wrestling Executive Committee. … rest of story at … Kentstatesports.com/news/2023/7/10/flashes-mourn-the-loss-of-varsity-k-hall-of-fame-head-wrestling-coach-ron-gray
Get to Know the US Merchant Marine Academy
“It is a brotherhood. Everyone on the team has a shared goal and a shared mission. We’re all trying to accomplish it together,” said United States Merchant Marine Academy Assistant Coach Daniel May.
The United States Merchant Marine Academy is the only Federal service academy with a civilian option and is located in Kings Point, N.Y. USMMA, which is renowned for its rigorous curriculum, demands more credits than any other federal service academy for a baccalaureate degree. Each wrestler will graduate debt-free with a Bachelor of Science degree, a U.S. Coast Guard license, and an officer’s commission in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Every year, most of the students in each incoming class are among the top 20% of their high school cohort. Students that enroll in rigorous curricula such as honors, advanced placement, international baccalaureate, and dual-enrollment courses are given special consideration. Candidates must have successfully finished their high school education at a recognized secondary school or its equivalent in order to be appointed to the Academy. At least 15 units of credit must have been obtained by them: three English units, three mathematics units (from algebra, geometry, and trigonometry); one laboratory-based physics or chemical unit.
Candidates are strongly advised to complete four years of mathematics, including calculus, as well as physics and chemistry, according to the Academy. They must have undertaken a full academic course load.
The recruiting process for USMMA is similar to other schools in college wrestling. They look at the state placers, and their grades, and get a feel for their college plans or career plans. If your GPA is on the lower side, a military academy is most likely not going to be the best fit for you, even if it is a free education. … rest of story at … Intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/get-to-know-the-us-merchant-marine-academy
Campbell Continues Hot Streak on Recruiting Trail
Last week, InterMat looked closely at the Class of 2023 recruiting for the SoCon. Atop the conference rankings was Campbell University with a pair of wrestlers on the Big Board. Only ten days into July, head coach Scotti Sentes’ team appears to be running away from the rest of the conference in the race for the recruiting crown for the Class of 2024.
The Camels also look like they may be worthy of mention in the 2024 recruiting rankings, an honor that has slipped by the team for the past two seasons. In 2021, Campbell was noted as an honorable mention for their signing class that included five Big Boarder’s, one of which was ranked amongst the top 100.
On Sunday, the Class of 2024 continued to grow with a verbal commitment from heavyweight prospect Aaron Ries, currently ranked 96th in the class and 16th in the nation at 285 lbs. Ries’ commitment gives Campbell a pair of top-100 recruits (also #93 Kendrick Hodge) and three Big Boarder’s (#142 Brent Slade). In addition to three nationally ranked recruits, Campbell also has commitments from three other notables that warrant ranking consideration.
The Campbell staff is on a bit of a hot streak on the recruiting trail as Ries’ commitment gives the Camels three new verbals within the last seven days. They also saw Colby Crouch (Triad, IL) and Mikey Trujillo (Wyoming Seminary, PA) recently pledge to the school in Buies Creek, North Carolina. Sometimes these commitments happen in bunches, so could there be another recruit or two in the near future that sees the high-quality wrestlers committing to Sentes’ team and jumping on in the next week or two.
Ries, a 2022 16U freestyle national champion in Fargo, comes from a familiar school. He hails from Wadsworth, Ohio the same program that produced 2023 Big Board’er and Campbell signee Chris Earnest. … rest of story at … Intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/socon/campbell-continues-hot-streak-on-recruiting-trail
A PEEK BACK AT THE 2022 FARGO TEAM RESULTS, WITH THE FINAL STANDINGS IN EACH OF THE SIX TOURNAMENTS
By Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling | July 07, 2023,
In anticipation of the 2023 USMC Junior/16U National Championships in Fargo, N.D. next week, we bring you the final team results of all six national tournaments held in the FargoDome last year. What teams will get to lift the trophy in Fargo in 2023?
2022 USMC JUNIOR GRECO-ROMAN NATIONALS
At Fargo, N.D., July 22, 2020
Junior Greco-Roman Team Standings
1 Illinois, 164
2 Wisconsin, 104
3 Idaho, 100
4 Florida, 93
5 Iowa, 75
6 New York, 73
7 Nebraska, 65
8 Colorado, 61
9 Minnesota, 56
10 Georgia, 47
11 Pennsylvania, 44
12 Montana, 37
13 Michigan, 36
14 (tie) Maryland and Oregon, 34
16 Oklahoma 33
17 (tie) Alabama, California, Kansas, and Ohio, 32
21 Washington, 28
22 Indiana, 27
23 Tennessee, 26
24 Missouri, 25
25 (tie) Alaska, Arizona, New Jersey 20
28 Utah, 17
29 South Dakota, 12
30 Virginia, 11
31 Nevada, 9
32 (tie) Connecticut, Louisiana, North Dakota, 7
35 Kentucky, 5
2022 USMC JUNIOR MEN’S FREESTYLE NATIONALS
At Fargo, N.D., July 19, 2022
Junior Men’s Freestyle Team Standings
1. Iowa 214
2. Pennsylvania 116
3. California 115
4. Idaho 99
5. Wisconsin 84
6. New Jersey 81
7. Minnesota 79
8. Illinois 78
9. Ohio 77
10. Michigan 71 … rest of results and story at … Teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2023/July/07/2022-Fargo-team-standings
Fargo Wrestling 2023 Schedule, Brackets, And Coverage
The 2023 US Marine Corps USAW 16U, Junior National Wrestling Championships begin soon. Here’s what you need to know to follow along.
Get prepared for Fargo! The 2023 US Marine Corps USAW 16U, Junior National Wrestling Championships take place July 15-22 in Fargo, North Dakota. More than 7,000 wrestlers are expected to compete for national titles in boys freestyle, girls freestyle, and Greco-Roman.
2023 US Marine Corps USAW 16U Junior National Championships
Bookmark this page for all the information you’ll need about this year’s schedule and brackets along with links to in-depth preview content about the 2023 US Marine Corps 16U Junior Nationals field.
Subscribe To FloWrestling To Watch The 2023 US Marine Corps USAW Junior National Champs
2023 Fargo Wrestling Schedule
The 2023 US Marine Corps 16U Junior National Championship schedule looks quite a bit different than it has in years past with two divisions running simultaneously throughout the event. Here’s when all the action will be going down:
Saturday, July 15th *all times Central
Session I – 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
16U/Junior Girls: Championship (2 Rds) and Consolation (2 or 3 Rds)
Session II – 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
16U/Junior Girls: Championship & Quarterfinals (3 Rds) and Consolation (2 or 3 Rds) … rest of story at … Flowrestling.org/articles/11121586-fargo-wrestling-2023-schedule-brackets-and-coverage
Lander wrestling announces the 2023-24 recruiting class
GREENWOOD – After finishing as the Div. II National Runner-Up, the Lander wrestling team and head coach R.C. LaHaye are proud to announce the addition of 16 new wrestlers set to join the ranks this coming season.
Along with returning nine of its 10 starters from last season, the Bearcats will welcome wrestlers from South Carolina, Florida, Missouri, Georgia and Alabama. The Bearcats will also see transfers come in from Oregon State, Seton Hill and Northern Colorado.
“We are extremely excited about this crop of wrestlers coming to Greenwood,” said LaHaye. “We have added a few instant impact guys along with some very good young guys that can develop and be ready to step up when our upperclassmen graduate.”
125- Ethan Smith -Cook TL Hannah HS (SC)- 2x Region Champion, State Placer
133- Kaden Kuenzi – (Oregon State University) 2x State Champion, 4x State Finalist / 13-6 Record at OR State in 22-23 Season
141- Reid “RJ” Noble – George Steinbrenner HS (FL) – 2x FL State Placer
141- Will Hendricks – Carolina Forest HS (SC) – South Carolina State Champion
149- Lucas Crosby – High Pointe Academy (SC) 4x South Carolina State Champion
157- Noah Bourke – Whitfield HS (MO) Missouri State Champion … rest of story at … Landerbearcats.com/news/wrestling-lander-wrestling-announces-the-2023-23-recruiting-class
NATION’S TOP YOUNG ATHLETES EXPECTED FOR THE WORLD’S LARGEST TOURNAMENT, THE USMC JUNIOR & 16U NATIONALS IN FARGO, N.D., JULY 15-22
By Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling | July 07, 2023
FARGO, N.D. – Every year, the nation’s best young wrestlers come together for the world’s largest wrestling competition, the 2023 U.S Marine Corps Junior and 16U Nationals at the Fargodome on the campus of North Dakota State in Fargo, N.D.
In 2022, the Junior/16U Nationals set a new participation record, with a combined 6,646 participants in the six national tournaments. Five of the six tournaments in 2022 saw growth over the previous year. Based upon preliminary registration from USA Wrestling’s state associations, organizers expect another new record this year, with the possibility of going over the 7,000 entries mark for the first time. There will be 30 mats used for this year’s competition.
It all started with the Junior Nationals in men’s freestyle, held in Iowa City, Iowa in 1971, which added Greco-Roman in 1972, and later was merged with the 16U Nationals (formerly the Cadet Nationals) in 1996. The Junior Nationals enters its 52nd year, held anunally except in 2020 when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2023 tournament is scheduled for July 15-22 and the field is as strong as ever. USA Wrestling has official state association team standings in all the divisions held in Fargo, adding to the tradition of state wrestling pride exhibited at this event.
The USMC Junior Nationals features high school wrestlers in grades 9-12. Every year, the Junior division features talented athletes who are proven winners, as well as many emerging stars. The 16U division features athletes who turned 15 or 16 years old in 2023 and is a tournament where athletes can begin to make a name for themselves on the national level
The combined USMC Junior and 16U Nationals has become a traditional highlight of the wrestling season. This year’s event will feel quite a bit different, due to a big change in the schedule and event presentation.
Instead of starting each of the six national tournaments on different days and holding a one-mat finals on six consecutive days, this year the tournament is broken up by discipline. Both the Junior and 16U Nationals finals in each discipline will be held side-by-side on two raised mats. It starts with women’s freestyle (July 15-16), followed by men’s freestyle (July 17-19) and Greco-Roman (July 21-22). There is a off-day on Thursday, July 20. … rest of story at … Teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2023/July/07/2023-Fargo-advance
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 