Abbott Blog: My top 20 stories from 2018 Fargo
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Sage Mortimer of Utah competing in the USMC Junior Nationals in Greco-Roman. Mortimer won three All-American honors in Fargo. Photo by Nic Cortez, Matfocus.com
This is just one man’s opinion, but after spending nine days in Fargo, including all seven days of competition, I have compiled my list of the top 20 stories from the USMC Junior and Cadet Nationals this year.
It was the 48th annual Junior Nationals. My first was in 1978 in Iowa City, when I competed in the Junior Nationals for Team New York. I have not been to them all since then, but for sure I have been to most of them, either as a coach or a 30-year employee at USA Wrestling. It is my opinion that this year in Fargo was one of the best that I remember.
My top 20 stories from the Fargodome this year…
1. Cassioppi wins Junior Triple Crown for second time – Anthony Cassioppi of Illinois joined Adam Coon of Michigan as the only two-time Junior Triple Crown winner. Cassioppi generally dominated both the freestyle and Greco-Roman heavyweight fields in Fargo, but said it was more difficult this time because he felt poorly all week. If this is how the Iowa recruit competes when feeling badly, can’t wait to see what he does feeling well.
2. Gehloff bumps up a weight and wins Cadet Triple Crown – Mason Gehloff of Minnesota survived Fargo to become the only Cadet Triple Crown winner this year. It did not go easily for him. He won the first two legs down at 88 pounds, but jumped up to 94 pounds in Greco. He needed a last-second score to beat fellow Triple Crown threat Maxximus Martinez in the Greco semis. It took skill and guts to win for Gehloff.
3. Sage Mortimer wins three All-American honors, including in Greco – Sage Mortimer proved that she is a great women’s freestyle wrestler by winning the Cadet Nationals and taking second to UWW Cadet World champion Emily Shilson of Minnesota in the Junior Nationals. She showed how tough she is by entering Greco-Roman and taking seventh place to become a Triple All-American. Mortimer made a lot of fans with her gutsy Greco effort. There is a push in the grassroots to start women’s Greco. Mortimer just gave that a boost.
4. Christian Tanefeu makes Fargo final in fourth month as a wrestler – It normally takes years of wrestling to reach a Fargo final. For Christian Tanefeu of North Dakota, it took four months of wrestling. A freshman last year, Tanefeu did not wrestle on the high school team, but joined the club on March 15. He lost a close 3-1 final to Eli Griffin in Junior Greco-Roman to place second, and was also fifth in the Junior freestyle. Amazing start to a career.
5. Carson Manville wins Cadet double title for second time – Perhaps the most skilled young star in Fargo was Cadet Carson Manville of Pennsylvania, who came directly to Fargo from the Cadet Freestyle Worlds in Croatia to dominate the Cadet divisions, winning both freestyle and Greco-Roman. It was his fourth career Fargo Cadet title, the maximum possible. His family now has eight Fargo titles, as older brother Mason was also a Fargo four-timer, with both Cadet and Junior titles.
6. Alexys Zepeda blasts onto national scene with double women’s gold – Coming in, Alexys Zepeda, a freshman from Oregon, was ranked No. 8 in the nation. She started off strong, winning the Cadet Nationals finals with a technical fall in just 46 seconds over Nanea Estrella of Hawaii. It was in the Junior Nationals that she blasted onto the scene. In the semifinals, she beat a returning Junior Nationals champion and No. 2 ranked Cameron Guerin of Washington in a 10-0 tech. In the finals, she shut down returning Junior Nationals champion and No. 1 Alisha Howk of Wisconsin, 8-0. Zepeda is the real deal.
7. Illinois puts three sets of brothers on top of Fargo podium – In the Cadet Greco-Roman at 138 pounds, the Lopez brothers, older brother Fabian and younger brother Damien, reached the finals and chose to be co-champions. In the Junior tournament, Danny Braunagel won the Junior freestyle title at 160 pounds and Zachary Braunagel won the Junior Greco-Roman title at 182 pounds. The Cramer brothers were also champions, with Adrien winning the Cadet Greco-Roman at 160 pounds and Alex winning the Junior Greco-Roman at 170 pounds. Oh, brother.
8. Cadet World champions return to dominate Junior Women’s field – The 2018 UWW Cadet World champions Emily Shilson of Minnesota and Macey Kilty of Wisconsin came back from Croatia to Fargo, looking to repeat as Junior National champions. Both dominated their opponents, Shilson at 100 and Kilty at 152. Shilson is now a five-time Fargo champion and Kilty has won four, both with another year of eligibility.
9. Wil Guida repeats as Junior freestyle champion – Kind of under the radar, New Jersey star Wil Guida was able to repeat as a Junior Nationals champion in freestyle. Guida won a year ago at 100 years ago as a freshman. Up at 106 as a sophomore this year, Guida beat 2017 Cadet National Greco champion Anthony King in the finals, 11-3. There is only one four-time Junior National freestyle champ (Alan Fried of Ohio). Guida is now two titles in two years.
10. Hurricane Maria survivor beats returning Junior champion for gold – Abnelis Yambo of Florida came to Fargo with a No. 4 ranking, but still relatively new to the scene. She broke through in the Junior Women’s finals with an impressive win over No. 1 ranked and returning champion Alexandria Liles of Colorado. Yambo, who came from Puerto Rico and had family affected by Hurricane Maria, made big news in Fargo.
11. Palumbo and Kelly also win Cadet and Junior national titles – Along with Alexys Zepeda, two others won both Cadet and Junior freestyle titles on the women’s side, Mia Palumbo of Illinois and Tristan Kelly of Colorado. Palumbo, who made the Illinois boys state meet this year, beat No. 2 Samara Chavez of Texas in the Cadet finals, then beat another No. 2 ranked wrestler, Caityln Walker of Pennsylvania, in the Junior finals. Kelly, ranked No. 2 in the nation, beat No. 3 Katya Osteen in the Cadet finals, then beat Colorado teammate Emily Cue in the Junior finals.
12. Illinois sets team scoring records in Junior Greco-Roman – Led by four champs and 20 All-Americans, Illinois set the Junior Greco-Roman team scoring record with 110. It was also the largest margin of victory, 65 points ahead of runner-up Washington.
13. Burks uses Greco throw to win Cadet freestyle gold – Jakason Burks of Nebraska came back from the UWW Cadet World Championships in Greco-Roman and entered the Cadet Nationals in freestyle. Burks had a great tournament, reaching the finals against Daniel Cardenas of Colorado at 113 pounds. Burks nailed a big five-point back arch throw on the way to a 10-0 technical fall and the Outstanding Wrestler award.
14. Record women’s entries lead to huge field with 4,999 total competitors – As both the Cadet Women’s Nationals and Junior Women’s Nationals set all-time records, the overall tournament was up again in entries from last year. All of the men’s divisions were up or close to their previous numbers. With the increase in entries, there was also an overall high quality of entries in each division. The wrestling is Fargo was spectacular.
15. Sterling Dias follows World medal with Fargo Cadet title – If you hadn’t heard of Sterling Dias before this month, you have now. Dias won a bronze medal at the UWW Cadet Worlds, then returned to Fargo to enter the Cadet Nationals. Dias tore up the 94-pound weight class, scoring a 10-0 technical fall in the finals over Ava Bayless of Pennsylvania, and earning the Outstanding Wrestler award.
16. Decatur vs. Lovett freestyle finals worth price of admission – If you get a chance to see the replay of the Junior Nationals freestyle finals at 132 pounds between Jordan Decatur of Ohio and Ridge Lovett of Idaho, you will see why this one was great for spectators. Lovett came in seeking a Junior Triple Crown. Both have been on Cadet World teams. Both athletes were able to score, and Decatur emerged with a 13-8 victory for his third career Fargo gold.
17. Six Junior Women champions return to podium for second straight year – Eight returning champions entered the Junior Women’s division. Six of them were able to repeat, each showing their dominance. Along with Shilson and Kilty, returning champions who won were Vayle Baker of Pennsylvania (117), Emma Bruntil of Washington (138), Jayden Laurent of Wisconsin (144), and Alexandra Castillo of California (200).
18. Davison doubles up to finish Junior career – Lucas Davison of Indiana is a high school graduate, heading to Northwestern. Third in last year’s Junior Nationals in freestyle, Davison claimed his first Fargo Junior Nationals title with a 10-0 technical fall over Peter Christensen of Illinois in the finals. Although he doesn’t train in Greco, Davison entered and worked his way to the finals. He defeated Guillermo Escobedo of California in the Greco finals, a 12-0 technical fall, giving him a double title to finish his prep career.
19. Kharchla knocks off No. 1 Plott in freestyle finals – One of the Fargo Junior freestyle champions who impressed many was Carson Kharchla of Ohio, who came into Fargo with a No. 5 FloWrestling ranking. He worked his way into the finals at 170 pounds, where he faced FloWrestling’s No. 1 ranked and UWW Junior Trials finalist Dustin Plott of Oklahoma. Kharchla dominated in a 10-0 technical fall. He is son of coach Myron Kharchilava, who emigrated from the former Soviet Union and was a talented freestyler on the national circuit before turning to coaching youth wrestlers.
20. Omania and Dow prepare for Junior Worlds with Fargo Greco wins – A pair of 2018 UWW Junior World Team members entered the Junior Greco-Roman Nationals to help prepare for the World Championships this fall. Peyton Omania of California wasn’t pleased with his victory at 152 pounds, edging Tyler Eischens of Minnesota in the finals 8-7. Tyler Dow of Wisconsin got into a shootout at 160 pounds, outscoring Donnell Washington of Illinois, 16-11. Both expect to use their Fargo experience to prepare for the Worlds in the fall.
As always, I am certain I missed some stories worthy of making this list. All of the Junior and Cadet Nationals in Fargo did a great job and should be proud of their efforts. These are the memories which come up to the top of mind. Across the board, Fargo was exceptional this year.
This is just one man’s opinion, but after spending nine days in Fargo, including all seven days of competition, I have compiled my list of the top 20 stories from the USMC Junior and Cadet Nationals this year.
It was the 48th annual Junior Nationals. My first was in 1978 in Iowa City, when I competed in the Junior Nationals for Team New York. I have not been to them all since then, but for sure I have been to most of them, either as a coach or a 30-year employee at USA Wrestling. It is my opinion that this year in Fargo was one of the best that I remember.
My top 20 stories from the Fargodome this year…
1. Cassioppi wins Junior Triple Crown for second time – Anthony Cassioppi of Illinois joined Adam Coon of Michigan as the only two-time Junior Triple Crown winner. Cassioppi generally dominated both the freestyle and Greco-Roman heavyweight fields in Fargo, but said it was more difficult this time because he felt poorly all week. If this is how the Iowa recruit competes when feeling badly, can’t wait to see what he does feeling well.
2. Gehloff bumps up a weight and wins Cadet Triple Crown – Mason Gehloff of Minnesota survived Fargo to become the only Cadet Triple Crown winner this year. It did not go easily for him. He won the first two legs down at 88 pounds, but jumped up to 94 pounds in Greco. He needed a last-second score to beat fellow Triple Crown threat Maxximus Martinez in the Greco semis. It took skill and guts to win for Gehloff.
3. Sage Mortimer wins three All-American honors, including in Greco – Sage Mortimer proved that she is a great women’s freestyle wrestler by winning the Cadet Nationals and taking second to UWW Cadet World champion Emily Shilson of Minnesota in the Junior Nationals. She showed how tough she is by entering Greco-Roman and taking seventh place to become a Triple All-American. Mortimer made a lot of fans with her gutsy Greco effort. There is a push in the grassroots to start women’s Greco. Mortimer just gave that a boost.
4. Christian Tanefeu makes Fargo final in fourth month as a wrestler – It normally takes years of wrestling to reach a Fargo final. For Christian Tanefeu of North Dakota, it took four months of wrestling. A freshman last year, Tanefeu did not wrestle on the high school team, but joined the club on March 15. He lost a close 3-1 final to Eli Griffin in Junior Greco-Roman to place second, and was also fifth in the Junior freestyle. Amazing start to a career.
5. Carson Manville wins Cadet double title for second time – Perhaps the most skilled young star in Fargo was Cadet Carson Manville of Pennsylvania, who came directly to Fargo from the Cadet Freestyle Worlds in Croatia to dominate the Cadet divisions, winning both freestyle and Greco-Roman. It was his fourth career Fargo Cadet title, the maximum possible. His family now has eight Fargo titles, as older brother Mason was also a Fargo four-timer, with both Cadet and Junior titles.
6. Alexys Zepeda blasts onto national scene with double women’s gold – Coming in, Alexys Zepeda, a freshman from Oregon, was ranked No. 8 in the nation. She started off strong, winning the Cadet Nationals finals with a technical fall in just 46 seconds over Nanea Estrella of Hawaii. It was in the Junior Nationals that she blasted onto the scene. In the semifinals, she beat a returning Junior Nationals champion and No. 2 ranked Cameron Guerin of Washington in a 10-0 tech. In the finals, she shut down returning Junior Nationals champion and No. 1 Alisha Howk of Wisconsin, 8-0. Zepeda is the real deal.
7. Illinois puts three sets of brothers on top of Fargo podium – In the Cadet Greco-Roman at 138 pounds, the Lopez brothers, older brother Fabian and younger brother Damien, reached the finals and chose to be co-champions. In the Junior tournament, Danny Braunagel won the Junior freestyle title at 160 pounds and Zachary Braunagel won the Junior Greco-Roman title at 182 pounds. The Cramer brothers were also champions, with Adrien winning the Cadet Greco-Roman at 160 pounds and Alex winning the Junior Greco-Roman at 170 pounds. Oh, brother.
8. Cadet World champions return to dominate Junior Women’s field – The 2018 UWW Cadet World champions Emily Shilson of Minnesota and Macey Kilty of Wisconsin came back from Croatia to Fargo, looking to repeat as Junior National champions. Both dominated their opponents, Shilson at 100 and Kilty at 152. Shilson is now a five-time Fargo champion and Kilty has won four, both with another year of eligibility.
9. Wil Guida repeats as Junior freestyle champion – Kind of under the radar, New Jersey star Wil Guida was able to repeat as a Junior Nationals champion in freestyle. Guida won a year ago at 100 years ago as a freshman. Up at 106 as a sophomore this year, Guida beat 2017 Cadet National Greco champion Anthony King in the finals, 11-3. There is only one four-time Junior National freestyle champ (Alan Fried of Ohio). Guida is now two titles in two years.
10. Hurricane Maria survivor beats returning Junior champion for gold – Abnelis Yambo of Florida came to Fargo with a No. 4 ranking, but still relatively new to the scene. She broke through in the Junior Women’s finals with an impressive win over No. 1 ranked and returning champion Alexandria Liles of Colorado. Yambo, who came from Puerto Rico and had family affected by Hurricane Maria, made big news in Fargo.
11. Palumbo and Kelly also win Cadet and Junior national titles – Along with Alexys Zepeda, two others won both Cadet and Junior freestyle titles on the women’s side, Mia Palumbo of Illinois and Tristan Kelly of Colorado. Palumbo, who made the Illinois boys state meet this year, beat No. 2 Samara Chavez of Texas in the Cadet finals, then beat another No. 2 ranked wrestler, Caityln Walker of Pennsylvania, in the Junior finals. Kelly, ranked No. 2 in the nation, beat No. 3 Katya Osteen in the Cadet finals, then beat Colorado teammate Emily Cue in the Junior finals.
12. Illinois sets team scoring records in Junior Greco-Roman – Led by four champs and 20 All-Americans, Illinois set the Junior Greco-Roman team scoring record with 110. It was also the largest margin of victory, 65 points ahead of runner-up Washington.
13. Burks uses Greco throw to win Cadet freestyle gold – Jakason Burks of Nebraska came back from the UWW Cadet World Championships in Greco-Roman and entered the Cadet Nationals in freestyle. Burks had a great tournament, reaching the finals against Daniel Cardenas of Colorado at 113 pounds. Burks nailed a big five-point back arch throw on the way to a 10-0 technical fall and the Outstanding Wrestler award.
14. Record women’s entries lead to huge field with 4,999 total competitors – As both the Cadet Women’s Nationals and Junior Women’s Nationals set all-time records, the overall tournament was up again in entries from last year. All of the men’s divisions were up or close to their previous numbers. With the increase in entries, there was also an overall high quality of entries in each division. The wrestling is Fargo was spectacular.
15. Sterling Dias follows World medal with Fargo Cadet title – If you hadn’t heard of Sterling Dias before this month, you have now. Dias won a bronze medal at the UWW Cadet Worlds, then returned to Fargo to enter the Cadet Nationals. Dias tore up the 94-pound weight class, scoring a 10-0 technical fall in the finals over Ava Bayless of Pennsylvania, and earning the Outstanding Wrestler award.
16. Decatur vs. Lovett freestyle finals worth price of admission – If you get a chance to see the replay of the Junior Nationals freestyle finals at 132 pounds between Jordan Decatur of Ohio and Ridge Lovett of Idaho, you will see why this one was great for spectators. Lovett came in seeking a Junior Triple Crown. Both have been on Cadet World teams. Both athletes were able to score, and Decatur emerged with a 13-8 victory for his third career Fargo gold.
17. Six Junior Women champions return to podium for second straight year – Eight returning champions entered the Junior Women’s division. Six of them were able to repeat, each showing their dominance. Along with Shilson and Kilty, returning champions who won were Vayle Baker of Pennsylvania (117), Emma Bruntil of Washington (138), Jayden Laurent of Wisconsin (144), and Alexandra Castillo of California (200).
18. Davison doubles up to finish Junior career – Lucas Davison of Indiana is a high school graduate, heading to Northwestern. Third in last year’s Junior Nationals in freestyle, Davison claimed his first Fargo Junior Nationals title with a 10-0 technical fall over Peter Christensen of Illinois in the finals. Although he doesn’t train in Greco, Davison entered and worked his way to the finals. He defeated Guillermo Escobedo of California in the Greco finals, a 12-0 technical fall, giving him a double title to finish his prep career.
19. Kharchla knocks off No. 1 Plott in freestyle finals – One of the Fargo Junior freestyle champions who impressed many was Carson Kharchla of Ohio, who came into Fargo with a No. 5 FloWrestling ranking. He worked his way into the finals at 170 pounds, where he faced FloWrestling’s No. 1 ranked and UWW Junior Trials finalist Dustin Plott of Oklahoma. Kharchla dominated in a 10-0 technical fall. He is son of coach Myron Kharchilava, who emigrated from the former Soviet Union and was a talented freestyler on the national circuit before turning to coaching youth wrestlers.
20. Omania and Dow prepare for Junior Worlds with Fargo Greco wins – A pair of 2018 UWW Junior World Team members entered the Junior Greco-Roman Nationals to help prepare for the World Championships this fall. Peyton Omania of California wasn’t pleased with his victory at 152 pounds, edging Tyler Eischens of Minnesota in the finals 8-7. Tyler Dow of Wisconsin got into a shootout at 160 pounds, outscoring Donnell Washington of Illinois, 16-11. Both expect to use their Fargo experience to prepare for the Worlds in the fall.
As always, I am certain I missed some stories worthy of making this list. All of the Junior and Cadet Nationals in Fargo did a great job and should be proud of their efforts. These are the memories which come up to the top of mind. Across the board, Fargo was exceptional this year.
