Five World medalists headline Who's #1 this weekend at Lehigh

Photos of Kurt McHenry (left) and Macey Kilty by UWW. 

Who’s #1, the popular pre-season high school all-star showcase developed by FloWrestling, featuring the nation’s best high school stars, is set for Sunday, Oct. 7 in Grace Hall on Lehigh University’s campus in Bethlehem, Pa.

Of the star-studded lineup, five World medalists will take to the mat to fight for the No. 1 spot at their respective weight class to start off the high school season.

Two-time Cadet World champion Kurt McHenry of Virginia aims for his second WNO win as he picked off Malik Heinselman last year in the closing seconds. This year at 120 pounds, McHenry will face 2018 Fargo freestyle champion and Wisconsin state champion Eric Barnett.

Macey Kilty, a three-time age-group World medalist and four-time Fargo champion, will be featured in only the second women’s match to take place at Who’s #1, wrestling in freestyle at 152 pounds.

After an impressive summer that saw her win a Cadet World title and a Junior World silver medal, Kilty will take on fellow Fargo champion Kennedy Blades.

Blades is an up and coming talent from Illinois, who will start high school this fall at Wyoming Seminary. In addition to her Fargo title, Blades also has freestyle success, winning a Cadet Pan American title earlier this summer.

Blades and Kilty wrestled in May in the best-of-three finals of the Cadet World Team Trials with Kilty coming out victorious, winning two matches to none. Blades held Kilty to decisions in both bouts.

In addition to Kilty, there are three other 2018 Cadet World medalists that will be featured Sunday night, including silver medalist Richard Figueroa at 106 pounds and bronze medalists Alex Facundo at 160 pounds and Abe Assad at 182 pounds.

California state champion Figueroa will battle two-time Ohio state champion and Ironman winner Jacob Decatur for the top spot at 106 pounds.

Facundo, a two-time USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals champion and Michigan state champion, is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation at 160 pounds. For the No. 1 ranking, Facundo will have to go through current top-ranked wrestler Brevin Balmaceda, a three-time Florida state champion and Super 32 gold medalist.

Illinois state champion Assad won both the Greco-Roman and Freestyle Cadet World Team Trials before deciding to compete solely in freestyle at the World Championships, where he won bronze.

A 2017 Fargo Greco-Roman champion, Assad will take on 2017 Cadet Fargo freestyle champion and Missouri state runner-up Devin Winston for the crown at 182 pounds.

At 132 pounds, it will be a battle of past USA World Team members as No. 1 Joshua Saunders of Missouri faces No. 2 Jordan Decatur of Ohio.

Saunders represented the U.S. at the Cadet and Junior World Championships this summer, winning the Cadet World Team Trials and taking third at Junior Trials, before being called up to replace an injured team member. Saunders is a Fargo champion and two-time Missouri state champion.

Awaiting him is WNO veteran Decatur, who was on the 2017 Cadet World Team and wrestled for the Red, White and Blue in Athens, Greece. This summer, Decatur was second at the UWW Junior Freestyle Nationals before picking up his second Fargo title. His first came in 2016.

2018 Cadet Greco World Team member and 2018 Greco Fargo champ Jakason Burks will also seek WNO glory, taking on No. 2 Greg Diakomihalis, a three-time state champion from New York, at 113 pounds.

Burks also won a high school state title in Nebraska.

At 138 pounds, there will be a four-man bracket to find out who is No. 1.

The first matchup will pit No. 1 Jojo Aragona of Pennsylvania against No. 4 Gabe Tagg of Ohio.

Aragona is a three-time New Jersey state placer and a two-time Super 32 place winner, while Tagg won the 2016 Ironman tournament and was this year’s Fargo Junior freestyle runner-up. Tagg currently trains out of the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The winner of that bout will go on to face the winner of the match between No. 2 Keegan O’Toole of Wisconsin and No. 3 Jaden Abas of California.

O’Toole won the Junior Fargo freestyle title at 138 pounds earlier this year, defeating Tagg in the finals, 11-6.

A three-time Wisconsin state champion, O’Toole will battle California state champ Abas, who has two top-three Fargo finishes.

Pan American champion and Junior World Team Trials runner-up Andrew Alirez of Colorado will aim to keep his No. 1 ranking at 152 pounds. Alirez, who took third at UWW Junior Freestyle Nationals, is a three-time Colorado state champion.

Looking to knock off Alirez is No. 2 Jace Luchau of California. Luchau is a four-time Fargo All-American and placed top-three in both the Cadet Greco-Roman and freestyle World Team Trials in June.

At 170 pounds, No. 1 Julian Ramirez, a 2016 Fargo runner-up, will face No. 2 Carson Kharchla, a 2018 Fargo champion and Ohio state champion.

The competitors will be divided into two teams: Team Green and Team Black. Coaching the Green squad is Cornell Robinson of Missouri, while Zac Dominguez of Nebraska will corner the Black team.

Who’s #1 is set for 2 p.m. ET on Oct. 7 and will be streamed live on Flowrestling.org. Fans interested in attending can buy tickets HERE.

At 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 6, also a t Grace Hall, Helen Maroulis and Alex Hedrick will wrestle a best-of-three Final X special wrestle off for the 57 kg spot on the 2018 World Team. Admission is free for spectators and it will be streamed live on Flowrestling.

WHO’S #1

at Bethlehem, Pa., Oct. 7

Match Order
Team & Weight             Name

138 Green         #1-JoJo Aragona
138 Black           #4-Gabe Tagg

138 Black           #2-Keegan O'Toole
138 Green         #3-Jaden Abas

120 Green         #1-Kurt McHenry
120 Black           #2-Eric Barnett

152 Green         #1-Andrew Alirez
152 Black           #2-Jace Luchau

160 Green         #1-Brevin Balmeceda
160 Black           #2-Alexander Facundo

152 Green         #1-Macey Kilty
152 Black           Kennedy Blades

106 Green         #1-Richard Figueroa II
106 Black           #4-Jacob Decatur 

182 Green         #1-Abe Assad
182 Black           #3-Devin Winston

113 Green         #2-Greg Diakomihalis
113 Black           #1-Jakason Burks

170 Green         #1-Julian Ramirez
170 Black           #2-Carson Kharchla

132 Green         #1-Joshua Saunders
132 Black           #2-Jordan Decatur 

138 Green         Aragona or Tagg
138 Black           Abas or O'Toole