Cadet National Team ready to take on World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, Sept. 13-18

2015 Cadet World champion Yianni Diakomihalis

Three talented, young squads from the United States will head to Tbilisi, Georgia, for the UWW Cadet World Championships on Sept. 13-18, where they will compete against the best 15-17-year wrestlers in the world. 

Greco-Roman will kick off the tournament Sept. 13-14, followed by women’s freestyle on Sept. 15-16 and men’s freestyle on Sept. 17-18.

The U.S. team features three reigning Cadet World champions in Ronna Heaton (Brookings, S.D.), Yianni Diakomihalis (Rochester, N.Y.) and Gable Steveson (Apple Valley, Minn.) as well as a 2015 Cadet World runner-up Alleida Martinez (Selma, Calif.).

Heaton, who won her World title at 49 kg/108 lbs. a year ago, will move up a weight class this year to 52 kg/114.5 lbs.

Cadet freestyle World champion Diakomihalis moves up to 63 kg/138.75 lbs., while fellow freestyle World champion Steveson will look to defend his title at 100 kg/220 lbs.

Martinez remains at 46 kg/101.25 lbs. and looks to improve upon her 2015 silver medal.

Three other athletes will return to the World Championships this year, including Malik Heinselman (Castle Rock, Colo.) in men’s freestyle at 46 kg/104.4 lbs., Gracie Figueroa (Selma, Calif.) in women’s freestyle at 56 kg/123.25 lbs. and Ashlynn Ortega (Pueblo, Colo.) women’s freestyle at 65 kg/143.25 lbs.

Figueroa was 10th at last year’s championships, while Heinselman and Ortega did not place.

Two women’s freestyle Cadet Pan-American Championships silver medalists will represent the U.S. in Caitlyn Walker (Hartboro, Pa.) at 38 kg/83.5 lbs. and Katlyn Pizzo (Madison Heights, Mich.) at 43 kg/94.75 lbs.

Several World Team members competed at the Cadet and Junior National Championships in Fargo, N.D., earlier this summer, collectively earning nine national titles.
Travis Wittlake, Jr. (Myrtle Point, Ore.), who will wrestle freestyle at 76 kg/167.2 lbs., is the lone 2016 USA Wrestling Cadet Triple Crown winner in the field, winning both Greco and freestyle at Fargo, plus Folkstyle Nationals in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Greco World Team member Cohlton Schultz (Colorado Springs, Colo.) won a Cadet title in freestyle and finished third in Greco in Fargo.

For the women, Cadet and Junior national champions include Martinez and Figueroa, who each titles at both divisions. Other Fargo champs include Walker and Macey Kilty (Stratford, Wisc.), both winning at the Cadet level.

Flowrestling is expected to live stream the competition on its website, flowrestling.org. Those interested in watching will need a FloPro account. Results can also be found at unitedworldwrestling.org.

Follow the action daily on TheMat.com and through USA Wrestling’s social media outlets.

UWW CADET WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Tbilisi, Georgia, Sept. 13-18
U.S. Greco-Roman roster
42 kg/92.5 lbs. - Andrew Chambal, Millington, Mich.
46 kg/104.4 lbs. - Mosha Schwartz, Franktown, Colo.
50 kg/110 lbs. - Malik Johnson, Florissant, Mo.
54 kg/119 lbs. - Real Woods, Wheaton, Ill.
58 kg/127.75 lbs. - Jack Davis, Hanover Township, Pa.
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Peyton Omania, Concord, Calif.
69 kg/152 lbs. - Max Wohlabaugh, Winter Springs, Fla.
76 kg/167.2 lbs. - Clay Lautt, Olathe, Kan.
85 kg/185.4 lbs. - Brandon Whitman, Dundee, Mich.
100 kg/220 lbs. - Cohlton Schultz, Colorado Springs, Colo.
World Team coach: Shawn Sheldon, West Palm Beach, Fla.
World Team coach: Gary Mayabb, Kansas City, Mo.
World Team coach: Mark Halvorson, Martinez, Calif.
U.S. women’s freestyle roster
38 kg/83.5 lbs. - Caitlyn Walker, Hartboro, Pa.
40 kg/88 lbs. - Erin Mance, Weatherford, Texas
43 kg/94.75 lbs. - Katlyn Pizzo, Madison Heights, Mich.
46 kg/101.25 lbs. - Alleida Martinez, Selma, Calif.
49 kg/108 lbs. - Mace Kilty, Stratford, Wisc.
52 kg/114.5 lbs. - Ronna Heaton, Brookings, S.D.
56 kg/123.25 lbs. - Gracie Figueroa, Selma, Calif.
60 kg/132.25 lbs. - Alara Boyd, Muncie, Ind.
65 kg/143.25 lbs. - Ashlynn Ortega, Pueblo, Colo.
70 kg/154.25 lbs. - Emily Cue, Parker, Colo.
Assistant National Women’s: Emma Randall, Colorado Springs, Colo.
World Team coach: Kevin Black, River Falls, Wisc.
World Team coach: Jacquelyn Davis, New York, N.Y.
U.S. men’s freestyle roster
42 kg/92.5 lbs. - Kurt McHenry, Leesburg, Va.
46 kg/104.4 lbs. - Malik Heinselman, Castle Rock, Colo.
50 kg/110 lbs. - Aaron Cashman, Springpark, Minn.
54 kg/119 lbs. - Roman Bravo-Young, Tuscon, Ariz.
58 kg/127.75 lbs. - Vitali Arujau, Syosset, N.Y.
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Yianni Diakomihalis, Rochester, N.Y.
69 kg/152 lbs. - David Carr , Massillon, Ohio
74 kg/163 lbs. - Travis Wittlake, Myrtle Point, Ore.
85 kg/187.4 lbs. - Jacob Warner, Washington, Ill.
100 kg/220 lbs. - Gable Steveson, Apple Valley, Minn.
Assistant Freestyle National Coach: Brandon Slay, Colorado Springs, Colo.
World Team coach: Kevin Jackson, Ames, Iowa
World Team coach: Zach Esposito, Stillwater, Okla.
UWW Junior Worlds Schedule
Listed is local time in Tbilisi, which is eight hours before U.S. Eastern time
Tuesday, September 13
Greco-Roman: 50 kg, 54 kg, 58 kg, 63 kg, 100 kg (Johnson, Woods, Davis, Omania, Schultz)
10:00 a.m. – Preliminaries and repechage
7:00 p.m. – Opening Ceremonies
7:30 p.m. – Finals
Wednesday, September 14
Greco-Roman: 42 kg, 46 kg, 69 kg, 76 kg, 85 kg (Chambal, Schwartz, Wohlabaugh, Lautt, Whitman)
10:00 a.m. – Preliminaries and repechage
6:00 p.m. – Finals
Thursday, September 15
Women’s freestyle: 38 kg, 43 kg, 49 kg, 56 kg, 65 kg (Walker, Pizzo, Kilty, Figueroa, Ortega)
10:00 a.m. – Preliminaries and repechage
6:00 p.m. – Finals
Friday, September 16
Women’s freestyle: 40 kg, 46 kg, 52 kg, 60 kg, 70 kg (Mance, Martinez, Heaton, Boyd, Cue)
10:00 a.m. – Preliminaries and repechage
6:00 p.m. – Finals
Saturday, September 17
Men’s freestyle: 42 kg, 50 kg, 58 kg, 69 kg, 85 kg (McHenry, Cashman, Arujau, Carr, Warner)
10:00 a.m. – Preliminaries and repechage
6:00 p.m. – Finals
Sunday, September 18
Men’s freestyle: 46 kg, 54 kg, 63 kg, 76 kg, 100 kg (Heinselman, Bravo-Young, Diakomihalis, Wittlake, Steveson)
10:00 a.m. – Preliminaries and repechage
6:00 p.m. – Finals