Chaid father-son duo among 32 U.S. Open Masters champions crowned in freestyle

Connor Keating locks up a crotch lift against his quarter finals opponent. Photo courtesy of Nic Cortez, MatFocus.com.

LAS VEGAS, NEV. - In an eventful first day at the U.S. Open, 32 wrestlers were crowned Masters Freestyle champions.

Among today’s champions was the Chaid father-son duo. Danny, a former Division I wrestler, won the A division 100 kg bracket. His father, Daniel, who won the D division 130 kg title, is a past Veterans World champion.

“It felt awesome to go out there and compete with my dad,” said Danny. “We got to wrestle on the same mat today and at the same time. I don’t think a lot of people get to experience that.”

Danny will also be wrestling Friday in the U.S. Open in the Senior Men’s Freestyle division.

Another former Division I wrestler, Timmy Box, tossed his hat back in the ring today and won the A division 70 kg bracket. Box was an NCAA qualifier for Northern Colorado in 2017. 

“I just wanted to prove it to myself,” said Box. “Set a goal, train, and see if I could still do it.”

In a rematch of last year’s Masters World Greco-Roman finals, Stephen Horton defeated Domenico Piccinini of Italy. Although all their meetings have come in Greco-Roman, this was the first time in four matches that Horton has defeated Piccinini.

“I knew he was going to be here,” said Horton. “That’s why I came, and it’s awesome to beat him. Freestyle, Greco, folkstyle, I don’t care what style, I teched him right there.”

Jordin Humphrey, a 2018 Masters World bronze medalist, repeated as Masters National freestyle champion. He defeated Luis Quinones of 10th Planet HQ in a 9-0 technical fall. Quinones, a member of the U.S. Grappling World Team, won two Pan American Grappling gold medals last week in Argentina.

Nate Hansen, Matthew Paeth, Alexandr Serebrinnikov, Aaron Meister, Petros Petrosyan, Robert Mancha, Daniel Chaid, Shirzad Ahmadi, Steve Contarino, and Jack Schwartz also repeated as freestyle champions this year. Ahmadi has won more Veterans World gold medals than any other U.S. athlete.

2019 MARINE CORPS U.S. OPEN
At the South Point Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nev., April 24-28

Masters Division Freestyle Results

A Division

58 kg

1 Alexio Garcia (EWC)

2 Matt Groepel (Champion W.C.)

3 Jurane Culbreath (CWC)

70 kg
1st  Timmy Box Oceanside, CA (Carlsbad Legacy Wrestling Club) VSU Ben Sanchez Plainview, TX (Wayland Baptist University W), 12-0 5:37
3rd  Geno Capezio Carol Stream, IL (Mat Rats Wrestling Club) VFA Joseph Gosinski Carol Stream, IL (Mat Rats Wrestling Club), 4-0 1:13

78 kg
1st  Scott Loescher San Francisco, CA (El Nino Training Center) VSU1 Connor Keating VT (Rock Eater Wrestling Club), 12-1 3:13
3rd  Dustin Kempf Carrollton, OH (Carrollton Wrestling) VFA Reggie Polydor Colorado Springs, CO (None), 15-4 4:11

88 kg
1st  Xzavier Grey (Wolfpack Wrestling Club) VFA Ernie Vasheresse Saratoga, CA (Unattached), 13-4 2:23
3rd  Joshua Davis Bakersfield, CA (Team Fluffy) VSU Taylor Doan Marquette, MI (USOTS), 10-0 1:56

100kg

1 Daniel Chaid (CRTC)

2 Moshe Klyman (Tribe)

3 Ryan Bascue (Spartan Mat Club)

4 Cristian Yanes (Yanes Gang Wrestling)

130 kg
 
1Ike Okoli (CWC)

2 Matthew Paeth (EWC)

B Division

58kg

1Nicholas Hull (LOG)

2 Shane Kim (KWIK WC)

3 Roger Stewart (NYAC)

62 kg

1 David Yi (MD)

2 Justin Grupe (Curby 3 Style Wrestling)

3 Craig VanDyke (Fall Guys)

70 kg
1st  Jordin Humphrey Monrovia, CA (TMWC) VFA Luis Quinones Los Angeles, CA (10th Planet HQ), 9-0 1:24
3rd  Orlando Jimenez Phoenix, AZ (Olympus) VFA Jesse Hoff Hudson, WI (Hudson Wrestling club), 8-0 1:17

78 kg
1st  Rudy James Saint Paul, MN (Minnesota Storm) VSU Adrian Garcia Lincoln, CA (Unattached), 10-0 1:23
3rd  Jeffrey Estrada Los Angeles, CA (SOTLA) VPO1 Ryan Meloche Bakersfield, CA (Team Fluffy), 5-4

88 kg
1st  Aaron Meister Plainview, TX (Wayland Baptist University W) VSU1 Sion King McKinney, TX (Mighty Eagles), 12-2 3:49
3rd  Russell Brunson Boise, ID (Unattached) VPO1 Jeremy Black San Diego, CA (Old School wrestling), 6-2

100 kg
1 James Medeiros (Team USA Master)

2 Quinn Collett (Next Level Wrestling)

3 Matthew Corona (Team Fluffy)

130 kg
1 Oleg Kharlamov (CWC)

2 Joseph Bellavia (Fall Guys)

3 Karl Junitz (CWC)

C Division

58 kg
1 Carson Gainey (Ohio Core)
2 Kelly Hogue (BWC)

62 kg
1st  Gil Donahue Uniontown, OH (Bethel Wrestling Club) VSU1 Gary Cook Syracuse, NY (CNYPIN2WIN/Mowhawk Valley), 11-1 5:19
3rd  Rob Prebish Richmond, VA (Richmond Wrestling Club) VFA Alesio Velasquez Las Vegas, NV (Las Vegas WC), 4-0 0:15

70 kg
1st  Antonino Calandra Miami, FL (The Wrestling Family) VFA Furkat Isaev Ки-Уэст, FL (Bone Island Jiu Jitsu), 4-2 1:55
3rd  Tom Donahue Bethel, OH (Bethel Wrestling Club) VSU Thandi Turner Hoschton, GA (Morris Fitness), 11-0 1:52

78 kg
1st  Mark Strickland Smithfield, VA (VA Team Predator) VSU Stacy Behrens MI (Michigan Revolution), 10-0 1:07
3rd  Jon Banko NEW KENSINGTN, PA (All-American Wrestling Club) VSU1 Michael Kelly Hebron, IL (Old School wrestling), 12-1 5:05

88 kg
1st  Kevin Pine Las Vegas, NV (Las Vegas WC) VFA Scott Herman Redondo Beach, CA (Team Fish), 3-0 1:13
3rd  Alvin Riggs Lowell, OR (Fin Spin) VFA Joaquin Bautista Katy, TX (patriot), 8-5 3:18

100 kg
1 Octavius Bellamy (CWC)
2 Dave Hart (Unattached)
3 Robert Niedzwiecki (Las Vegas WC)
4 Chris O'Hara (IEWA)

130 kg
1 Aaron Hayes (IEWA)
2 Gabe Beauperthuy (The Community)
3 Eric Beckmann (Team Fluffy)
4 Victor Ledon (Unattached)

D Division

62 kg
1 Matthew Robertson (Fitness Quest)
2 Zhora Houhannisyan (Santa Monica)
3 Hedj Nelson (INWWTC)
4 Dan Verr (CWC)

70 kg
1st  Steve Horton Schertz, TX (Unattached) VSU Domenico Piccinini (The Wrestling Family), 10-0 5:56
3rd  Jamey Kasser Lewis Center, OH (Chicago Wrestling Club) VPO1 Timothy Alger Monument, CO (Air Force RTC), 4-2

78 kg
1st  Igor Ilin Chicago, IL (Chicago Wrestling Club) VPO1 Brad Swartz Puyallup, WA (Vision Quest Wrestling Club), 2-1
3rd  Aslan Kesaev Милфорд, NJ (Edge Hoboken) VFA Randy Barkhurst Steilacoom, WA (Unattached), 10-0 1:21

88 kg
1st  Petros Petrosyan Rossmoor, CA (Team USA Master) VFA Kevin Kares Henderson, NV (Las Vegas WC), 4-0 0:44
3rd  Jeff Henry Colorado Springs, CO (Team USA Master) VFA Dean Robertson Avon, OH (Vision Quest Wrestling Club), 4-0 0:41

100 kg
1 Dan Chaid (THWC)
2 Jeffery Anderson (CWC)
3 JOSEPH CATTAN (KY)
4 Rex Davis (Team Fluffy)

130 kg
1 Robert Mancha (Unattached)
2 Brian Jones (SM)
3 matthew nowak (FOG)
4 Jim Gerstbrein (Unattached)

E Division

62 kg
1 Shirzad Ahmadi (Team USA Master)
2 Christopher Roos (VCWA)
3 Charles McCook (Unattached)

70 kg
1 Gaetano DiZebba (BCWC)
2 Steve Barkman (Hunterdon Hills)

78 kg
1 Bruce Moe (mochine)
2 Kevin Hejnal (Unattached)
3 Peter Haag (CWC)
4 Mark Black (SM)

88 kg
1 Antonio Peraza (proex)
2 Jeff Davis (Florida Jets)
3 Dean Barnard (Mf)

100 kg
1 Steve Contarino (Unattached)
2 ZDZISLAW JAN BRZOZOWSKI (Las Vegas WC)
3 Anthony Collins (Unattached)

130
1 Jack Schwartz (Butcher Shop Boyz)

F Division

78 kg
1 Terry Harris (CWC)