Cadet World champions Brooks and Kerkvliet highlight UWW Junior freestyle winners at 2018 U.S. Open

VIDEO: UWW Junior interviews

LAS VEGAS – 2017 Cadet World champions Aaron Brooks and Daniel Greg Kerkvliet won UWW Junior freestyle national titles on Saturday morning at the 2018 Marines Corps U.S. Open to earned automatic bids to the Junior Freestyle World Team Trials, which will be held May 18-20 in Rochester, Minn.

Both World champs teched their opponents in their final bouts as Brooks put up a 14-3 win over Michael Labriola at 79 kg, and Kerkvliet earned a quick 10-0 victory over Zach Elam at 97 kg.

Of his five matches, Brooks, who will take a year to train at the OTC next year, won four of them with technical falls.

Oklahoma State commit Kerkvliet was perfect this weekend, not giving up a single point to outscore his opponents, 41-0, collectively.

All 10 weight classes crowned brand new winners as there were no repeating champions this year.

At 57 kg, Brandon Courtney, who finished sixth at this event a year ago, knocked off returning champion and two-time age-group World Team member Malik Heinselman with a 10-3 decision. Courtney was a Junior World Team Trials champion last year.

Iowa State wrestler Austin Gomez will return to the Junior World Team Trials finals for the third year in a row, securing his spot at 61 kg after dominating 2017 Cadet World Team member Jordan Decatur with a 14-4 tech fall for the gold.

The Cyclones picked up another champion in Gannon Gremmel, who won the 125 kg division. Gremmels found himself with an 8-0 deficit early in his bout against Brandon Metz. Gremmel stormed back, earning 16 unanswered points for a 16-8 victory. Gremmel and Metz both won Fargo titles in 2016.

Dominick Demas, a freshman at OU, capped off an impressive weekend at the Open, snagging the UWW freestyle title at 65 kg this morning with a 10-3 win over Max Murin in the finals. On Friday, Demas won silver in the UWW Junior Greco-Roman tournament. Demas was a member of the 2017 Junior Greco World team.

Coming out of a very tough 70 kg bracket was North Carolina freshman Austin O’Connor. The Tar Heel had a successful morning knocking off 2016 Junior World bronze medalist and top-seeded David Carr in the semifinals, 6-5, before taking a 2-2 win on criteria against 2015 Cadet World teamer Brady Berge, a freshman at Penn State.

2016 Cadet World bronze medalist Iowa Hawkeye Jacob Warner teched his way through the 92 kg, with signs of struggle. In the finals, he sailed past John Borst with a 10-0 win in less than 90 seconds.

Lou DePrez impressed at 86 kg, getting a 12-2 tech fall in the gold-medal bout against Nino Bonaccorsi, and Jeremiah Moody won the 74 kg bracket, defeating Dustin Plott, 8-6, for the crown.

2018 MARINE CORPS U.S. OPEN

at South Point Arena in Las Vegas

UWW Junior freestyle results

57 kg
1st - Brandon Courtney (Arizona State University) dec. Malik Heinselman (Olympian Elite), 10-3
3rd - Paul Bianchi (Bison WC) tech. fall Gavin Teasdale (Unattached), 17-6
5th - Sidney Flores (Air Force RTC) win by fall Ty Smith (Team Nevada), 1:51
7th - Rayvon Foley (Michigan State) tech. fall Gage Curry Bethesda, MD (American), 23-12

61 kg
1st - Austin Gomez (Cyclone RTC) tech. fall Jordan Decatur (Unattached), 14-4
3rd - Joshua Saunders (TMWC) dec. Vitali Arujau (New York RTC), 10-8
5th - Mcgwire Midkiff (Bison WC) win by injury default Gabriel Tagg (Unattached)
7thDerek Spann (Bulls WC) win by fall Jack Skudlarczyk (Panther WC RTC), 3:31

65 kg
1st - Dominick Demas (OklahomaRTC) dec. Max Murin (University of Iowa), 10-3
3rd - Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado WC) win by fall Kaden Gfeller (Cowboy WC/TMWC), 2:41
5th - Kanen Storr (TMWC) win by fall Kendall Coleman (harvey), 1:51
7thYahya Thomas (Northwestern) dec. Michael Blockhus (Panther WC RTC), 7-0

70 kg
1st - Austin O'Connor (Tar Heel WC) dec. Brady Berge (Nittany Lion WC), 2-2
3rd - Jacori Teemer (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club) tech. fall David Carr (TMWC), 12-2
5th - Brayton Lee (Red Cobra Westling Academy) tech. fall Jaden Van maanen (Bison WC), 16-5
7th - Brock Mauller (Eierman Elite) dec. Aj Jaffe (Harvard), 6-2

74 kg
1st - Jeremiah Moody (University of Iowa) dec. Dustin Plott (Unattached), 8-6
3rd - Jarrett Jacques (Eierman Elite) win by forfeit Kaleb Romero (OSC-Unattached)
5th - Mehki Lewis (SERTC-VT) dec. Tyler Dow (BRTC), 15-8
7th - Andrew Merola (Blairstown WC) tech fall Hayden Hastings (Wyoming Wrestling RTC), 13-2

79 kg
1st - Aaron Brooks (TMWC/ EAP) tech fall Michael Labriola (Nebraska), 14-3
3rd - Beau Breske (Nebraska) tech fall Matthew Finesilver (Blue Blood WC), 10-0
5th - Travis Stefanik (NJRTC) dec. Trent Hidlay (Bison Legend), 6-3
7th - Travis Wittlake (Team Bucs) dec. Ethan Smith (OSC-Unattached), 8-8

86 kg
1st - Lou Deprez (Bearcat WC) tech. fall Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh WC), 12-2
3rd - Jelani Embree (Michigan RTC) win by injury default Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State University)
5th - Max Lyon (Boilermaker RTC) tech fall Cameron Caffey (Michigan State), 10-0
7th - Michael Beard (Malvern Prep) tech fall Myles Wilson (University of Iowa), 10-0

92 kg
1st - Jacob Warner (University of Iowa) tech. fall John Borst (SERTC-VT), 10-0
3rd - Jakob Woodley (OklahomaRTC) tech. fall Jacob Raschka (Missouri Wrestling RTC), 12-3
5th - Alex Hopkins (Army West Point) dec. Danny Salas (Valley RTC), 8-8
7th - Lucas Davison (Chesterton WC) win by fall Cade Belshay (Arizona State University), 4-3 2:46

97 kg
1st - Daniel Kerkvliet (Pinnacle(MN)) tech. fall Zach Elam (Team Central WC), 10-0
3rd - Quinn Miller (Cavalier WC) win by injury default Matthew Correnti (NJRTC)
5th - Hunter Dejong (MWC Wrestling Acadamy) win by injury default Jake Boyd (OklahomaRTC)
7th - Cale Davidson (Wyoming Wrestling RTC) tech fall Owen Trephan (Blairstown WC), 10-0

125 kg
1st - Gannon Gremmel (Cyclone RTC) dec. Brandon Metz (Bison WC), 16-8
3rd - Trent Hillger (University of Wisconsin) dec. Seth Nevills (Unattached), 8-3
5th - Kayne Hutchison (Air Force RTC) tech fall Robert Winters (Northern Colorado Wrestling Club), 14-4
7th - Bobby Heald (Army West Point) dec. Christian Rebottaro (Michigan State), 10-4