Nutter, Peak competed in U23 Greco-Roman division at Sirakov – Iliev International in Bulgaria over weekend
Share:
by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
BLAGOEVGRAD, Bulgaria – A pair of top Greco-Roman wrestlers from the Northern Michigan – Olympic Training Site (NMU-OTS) competed in the U23 division at the Petko Sirakov – Iliev International over the weekend.
Alston Nutter (Fennimore, Wis., NMU-OTS) placed seventh at 63 kg and Benji Peak (Elkhorn, Wis./NMU-OTS) placed eighth at 67 kg.
Nutter opened with a forfeit win, then dropped a competitive 8-6 match to Milan Dukanovic of Serbia in the quarterfinals. When Dukanovic failed to reach the finals, Nutter was ineligible for repechage.
Peak also put up a bunch of points in his two matches. He opened with a 6-4 loss to 2018 University World silver medalist Bence Balatoni of Hungary, who qualified for the finals and pulled Peak back into repechage. Peak was beaten in an 8-8 criteria decision by 2016 Mediterranean Junior bronze medalist Lucas Oudy of France in his repechage bout.
Nutter was a member of the 2018 U.S. Junior World Team after winning both the UWW Junior Nationals and the UWW Junior World Team Trials. He was also second in the 2017 UWW Junior Nationals.
Peak was a 2018 UWW Junior World Team Trials champion and won a gold medal at the 2018 Klippan Cup in Sweden.
The two U.S. athletes scored 14 team points, placing the USA in ninth in the team standings. Host Bulgaria won the competition.
Archived video from the tournament can be found on the Bulgarian Wrestling Federation YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJiDc36vZMzAy1IcHpPyXwg/videos
PETKO SIRAKOV – IVAN ILIEV INTERNATIONAL
At Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
Greco-Roman U23 champions
55 kg – Tita Florin (Romania)
60 kg – Ivo Iliev (Bulgaria)
63 kg – Irinel Botez (Romania)
67 kg – Nad Sebastijan (Serbia)
72 kg – Deyvid Dimitrov (Bulgaria)
77 kg – Vlad Mariea (Romania)
82 kg – Svetoslav Nikolov (Bulgaria)
87 kg – Nicu Ojog (Romania)
97 kg – Robert Ersek (Hungary)
130 kg – Muhammet Hamza Bakir (Turkey)
U.S. Greco-Roman U23 results
63 kg - Alston Nutter (Fennimore, Wis., NMU-OTS), 7th place
WIN forfeit
LOSS Milan Dukanovic (Serbia), 8-6
67 kg – Benji Peak (Elkhorn, Wis./NMU-OTS), 8th place
LOSS Bence Balatoni (Hungary), 6-4
LOSS Lucas Oudy (France), 8-8
Team Standings
1 Bulgaria, 190
2 Romania, 156
3 Turkey 124
4 Serbia 109
5 Hungary 75
6. Tunisia 48
7 France 45
8 Japan 40
9 USA 14
10 Portugal 6
11 Indonesia 0
Alston Nutter (Fennimore, Wis., NMU-OTS) placed seventh at 63 kg and Benji Peak (Elkhorn, Wis./NMU-OTS) placed eighth at 67 kg.
Nutter opened with a forfeit win, then dropped a competitive 8-6 match to Milan Dukanovic of Serbia in the quarterfinals. When Dukanovic failed to reach the finals, Nutter was ineligible for repechage.
Peak also put up a bunch of points in his two matches. He opened with a 6-4 loss to 2018 University World silver medalist Bence Balatoni of Hungary, who qualified for the finals and pulled Peak back into repechage. Peak was beaten in an 8-8 criteria decision by 2016 Mediterranean Junior bronze medalist Lucas Oudy of France in his repechage bout.
Nutter was a member of the 2018 U.S. Junior World Team after winning both the UWW Junior Nationals and the UWW Junior World Team Trials. He was also second in the 2017 UWW Junior Nationals.
Peak was a 2018 UWW Junior World Team Trials champion and won a gold medal at the 2018 Klippan Cup in Sweden.
The two U.S. athletes scored 14 team points, placing the USA in ninth in the team standings. Host Bulgaria won the competition.
Archived video from the tournament can be found on the Bulgarian Wrestling Federation YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJiDc36vZMzAy1IcHpPyXwg/videos
PETKO SIRAKOV – IVAN ILIEV INTERNATIONAL
At Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
Greco-Roman U23 champions
55 kg – Tita Florin (Romania)
60 kg – Ivo Iliev (Bulgaria)
63 kg – Irinel Botez (Romania)
67 kg – Nad Sebastijan (Serbia)
72 kg – Deyvid Dimitrov (Bulgaria)
77 kg – Vlad Mariea (Romania)
82 kg – Svetoslav Nikolov (Bulgaria)
87 kg – Nicu Ojog (Romania)
97 kg – Robert Ersek (Hungary)
130 kg – Muhammet Hamza Bakir (Turkey)
U.S. Greco-Roman U23 results
63 kg - Alston Nutter (Fennimore, Wis., NMU-OTS), 7th place
WIN forfeit
LOSS Milan Dukanovic (Serbia), 8-6
67 kg – Benji Peak (Elkhorn, Wis./NMU-OTS), 8th place
LOSS Bence Balatoni (Hungary), 6-4
LOSS Lucas Oudy (France), 8-8
Team Standings
1 Bulgaria, 190
2 Romania, 156
3 Turkey 124
4 Serbia 109
5 Hungary 75
6. Tunisia 48
7 France 45
8 Japan 40
9 USA 14
10 Portugal 6
11 Indonesia 0
