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Four wrestlers still alive in pursuit of Triple Crowns after first day of Cadet Nationals freestyle competition

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by Craig Sesker

FARGO, N.D. - Day 1 of 3 of the Cadet Nationals freestyle competition is in the books and four wrestlers are still in the running to win prestigious USA Wrestling Triple Crowns.

Michigan's Taylor Massa (152 pounds) tops the list.

Massa, a 2008 Cadet Triple Crown winner, has finished two of the three legs of this year's hat trick. He won all five of his matches on Wednesday at the FargoDome. He pinned three opponents in the first period and won his other two matches by technical fall.

Massa is trying to become the first wrestler to win back-to-back Triple Crowns in Cadets.

Only five wrestlers have ever won a USA Wrestling Triple Crown in Cadets.

Oliver Pierce of Texas (135), Jake Waste of Minnesota (160) and Devin Peterson of Wisconsin (171) also are two-thirds of the way to a Triple Crown after winning Folkstyle and Greco-Roman titles this year.

Pierce, a two-time USA Wrestling Kids Triple Crown winner, won his first five freestyle matches on Wednesday. Waste won his first five matches and Peterson finished the day 3-0.

The Cadet competition continues Thursday with the finals on Friday.

Pennsylvania's Nick Roberts (98) and New Jersey's Mark Grey (112) are both alive to become double Cadet Nationals champions again this year. Roberts won his first four bouts in freestyle. Grey went 5-0. They won Cadet Nationals Greco-Roman titles on Monday.

2008 Cadet freestyle national champion Zachary Horan of Pennsylvania (125) also went unbeaten on the first day of Cadet freestyle wrestling.

Tyler Fraley of New Jersey, a Junior Nationals champion in freestyle in 2008, is trying to win his second Cadet Nationals title of the week. He won the Greco-Roman title Monday and started out 5-0 in the freestyle competition on Wednesday.

There are 954 wrestlers from 46 states competing in the Cadet Nationals freestyle class.

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