Men's freestyle quarterfinals complete, semifinals set at USMC 16U Nationals

2018 national champion Nicolar Rivera of Wisconsin has tech falled his way to the 120 lbs. semifinals. Photo by Nicholas Cortez, MatFocus.com. 

FARGO, N.D. - The USMC 16U Nationals day two morning session has finished up and the men’s freestyle semifinals are set.

With nine wrestlers in the semifinals and 27 points, Ohio currently sits in atop the team race. Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Florida, and Michigan round out the top five. Tied for seventh place, Illinois has three wrestlers in the semifinals, but has 14 athletes on the backside, the most of any state.

Returning champion Jordan Williams of Oklahoma once again avoided being defeated with last seconds points in his quarterfinals match at 120 lbs. Down 3-0. Williams scored a takedown with 26 seconds left and then used a head pinch with one second left to take the lead. A failed challenge by Pennsylvania’s corner made the final score 5-3.

On the top half of the 120 lbs. bracket, Nicolar Rivera of Wisconsin, also a 2018 men’s freestyle national champion, is taking out his opponents in a more dominating fashion. Rivera tech falled Hunter Garvin of Iowa 10-0 in just over a minute to make the semifinals. The win was Rivera’s fourth tech fall of the tournament.

Daniel Cardenas is having a dominant tournament as well. The Coloradan picked up a pin over Michael Kilic of Georgia in just 16 seconds in the 126 lbs. quarterfinals. In his first four matches, Cardenas went 10-0, 10-0, 10, 12-0, and hasn’t made it past the 1:10 mark. Cardenas was a runner-up last year at 113 lbs.

At 170 lbs., 2018 16U National champion Tate Picklo of Oklahoma has outscores his opponents 44-0. The No. 9 ranked 170-pounder in the country, Picklo will have Leonard Pinto of Pennsylvania in the semifinals, the No. 11 ranked 170-pounder.

Hayden Copass of Illinois is making his bid for Outstanding Wrestler en route to back-to-back stop signs. The 2018 national champion has two pins and two tech falls in four matches so far.

The semifinal session begins at 4:30 p.m. CST and can be live streamed on FloWrestling. 

2019 USMC JUNIOR/16U NATIONALS
At Fargo, N.D., July 12-19

16U freestyle semifinal pairings

88
Alan Koehler (MN) vs Hunter Taylor (KS)
Braeden Davis (MI) vs Caleb Thoennes (MN)

94
Dillion Campbell (OH) vs Codie Cuerbo (OH)
Cael Hughes (OK) vs Jaden Pepe (PA)

100
Kai Owen (FL) vs Jore Volk (MN)
Christian Forbes (OK) vs Caden Harwath (MI)

106
Mitchell Neiner (WA) vs Carter McCallister (MO)
Sean Seefeldt (OH) vs Evan Tallmadge (NJ)

113
Wilfred Tanefeu (ND) vs Nash Singleton (OR)
Levi Haines (PA) vs Gabe Whisenhunt (OR)

120
Nicolar Rivera (WI) vs Zeke Seltzer (IN)
Brennan Van Hoecke (FL) vs Jordan Williams (OK)

126
Ismael Ayoub (OH) vs Nic Bouzakis (FL)
Kyren Butler (OH) vs Ramon Ramos (AZ)

132
Daniel Cardenas (CO) vs Mitchell Mesenbrink (WI)
Antrell Taylor (NE) vs Jack Crook (FL)

138
Cody Chittum (TN) vs Nicholas Vafiadis (VA)
Joshua Barr (MI) vs John Wiley (OK)

145
Dean Hamiti Jr. (IL) vs Gavin Brown (OH)
Cael Berg (MN) vs Matthew Singleton (GA)

152
Manuel Rojas (MI) vs Hunter Lyden (MN)
Stoney Buell (MI) vs Tyler Lillard (OH)

160
Cayleb Atkins (KS) vs Mac Stout (PA)
Bradley Gillum (IL) vs Thomas Stewart (MD)

170
Tate Picklo (OK) vs Leonard Pinto (PA)
Brandon Britten (TX) vs Rylan Rogers (WA)

182
Michael Tal-Shahar (FL) vs Michael Altomer (NY)
Nicholas Feldman (PA) vs Bennett Berge (MN)

195
Evan Bates (IN) vs Wyatt Voelker (IA)
David Harper (GA) vs Seth Shumate (OH)

220
Kolby Franklin (PA) vs Jaren Rohde (WI)
Dustin Swanson (PA) vs Riley Ucker (OH)

285
Hayden Copass (IL) vs Jacob Barnes (OR)
Jacob Moore (AZ) vs Griffin Liddle (IA)

16U freestyle quarterfinal results

88
Alan Koehler (Minnesota) TF Kolby Warren (Missouri), 10-0 1:34
Hunter Taylor (Kansas) TF Benjamin Bast (Wisconsin), 10-0 1:13
Braeden Davis (Michigan) dec. Braden Tatum (Kansas), 16-11
Caleb Thoennes (Minnesota) TF Cael Alderman (Kansas), 10-0 1:00

94
Dillon Campbell (Ohio) dec. Tristan Stafford (Arkansas), 5-5
Codie Cuerbo (Ohio) win by forfiet Drew Heethuis (Michigan)
Cael Hughes (Oklahoma) TF Coleman Nogle (Maryland), 16-4 2:39
Jaden Pepe (Pennsylvania) dec. Paul Kelly (Arizona), 7-3

100
Kai Owen (Florida) dec. Koy Buesgens (Minnesota), 4-1
Jore Volk (Minnesota) dec. Kannon Webster (Illinois), 3-0
Christian Forbes (Oklahoma) dec. Quintin Wolbert (Wisconsin), 8-2
Caden Horwath (Michigan) TF Reid Nelson (Minnesota), 12-2 3:15

106
Mitchell Neiner (Washington) TF Jacob Van dee (Pennsylvania), 10-0 0:51
Carter Mccallister (Missouri) dec. Alec Hunter (Wisconsin), 6-6
Sean Seefeldt (Ohio) dec. Pablo Castro (Ohio), 3-2
Evan Tallmadge (New Jersey) pin Greyson Clark (Wisconsin), 2-0 0:28

113
Wilfried Tanefeu (North Dakota) dec. Brennen Cernus (Ohio), 8-4
Nash Singleton (Oregon) dec. Brady Hankin (Colorado), 11-7
Levi Haines (Pennsylvania) TF Kenneth Crosby (Colorado), 14-2 1:51
Gabe Whisenhunt (Oregon) TF Brock Bobzien (California), 16-4 2:13

120
Nicolar Rivera (Wisconsin) TF Hunter Garvin (Iowa), 10-0 1:03
Zeke Seltzer (Indiana) dec. Jacob Mann (Missouri), 8-0
Brennan Van hoecke (Florida) dec. Zachary Espalin (Arizona), 8-7
Jordan Williams (Oklahoma) dec. Rocco Welsh (Pennsylvania), 5-3

126
Ismael Ayoub (Ohio) dec. Derrick Cardinal (Minnesota), 6-5
Nic Bouzakis (Florida) TF Francisco Ayala (Washington), 10-0 0:44
Kyren Butler (Ohio) dec. Eli Rocha (Missouri), 7-2
Ramon Ramos (Arizona) dec. Chase Deblaere (Minnesota), 15-7

132
Daniel Cardenas (Colorado) pin Michael Kilic (Georgia), 2-0 0:16
Mitchell Mesenbrink (Wisconsin) dec. Nathan Burnett (Ohio), 6-0
Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) TF Matthew Bianchi (Wisconsin), 15-4 3:12
Jack Crook (Florida) dec. Kyler Lake (California), 4-3

138
Cody Chittum (Tennessee) TF Jake Jones (Pennsylvania), 12-2 2:11
Nicholas Vafiadis (Virginia) TF Jared Keslar (Pennsylvania), 11-1 4:00
Joshua Barr (Michigan) dec. Nick Hamilton (Iowa), 10-4
John Wiley (Oklahoma) TF Preston Owens (Idaho), 12-2 2:24

145
Dean Hamiti jr (Illinois) dec. Erik Gibson (Pennsylvania), 11-4
Gavin Brown (Ohio) dec. Cj Hamblin (Washington), 8-8
Cael Berg (Minnesota) dec. Liam Gordon (Virginia), 11-2
Matthew Singleton (Georgia) TF Adam Thebeau (Illinois), 14-4 3:46

152
Manuel Rojas (Michigan) TF Nick Sanko (New York), 13-2 3:46
Hunter Lyden (Minnesota) dec. Jared Simma (Kansas), 16-11
Stoney Buell (Michigan) dec. Keon Ayala (New York), 4-2
Tyler Lillard (Ohio) dec. Zane Cox (Virginia), 8-6

160
Cayleb Atkins (Kansas) dec. Nicholas Hall (Delaware), 8-6
Mac Stout (Pennsylvania) pin Drake Buchanan (Indiana), 3-2 1:31
Gillum (Illinois) dec. Clayton Whiting (Wisconsin), 5-4
Thomas Stewart (Maryland) TF Dawson Mathews (Georgia), 11-1 3:49

170
Tate Picklo (Oklahoma) TF Evan Canoyer (Nebraska), 11-0 3:03
Leonard Pinto (Pennsylvania) TF Andrew Wenzel (Illinois), 10-0 1:19
Branson Britten (Texas) de. Damion Schunke (South Dakota), 7-3
Rylan Rogers (Washington) dec. Gavin Nelson (Minnesota), 8-2

182
Michael Tal-shahar (Florida) TF Talmage Carman (Utah), 12-1 2:35
Michael Altomer (New York) dec. Evan Anderson (Ohio), 5-4
Nicholas Feldman (Pennsylvania) dec. Harley Andrews (Oklahoma), 17-7 3:47
Bennett Berge (Minnesota) dec. Jack Darrah (Missouri), 7-1

195
Evan Bates (Indiana) TF Tabor (Minnesota), 14-2 2:05
Wyatt Voelker (Iowa) dec. Ashton Davis (Tennessee), 8-4
David Harper (Georgia) TF Todd Degroat (New York), 12-1 1:44
Seth Shumate (Ohio) pin Kaden Glass (Oklahoma), 4-0 0:22

220
Kolby Franklin (Pennsylvania) dec. Chase Horne (Georgia), 7-2
Jaren Rohde (Wisconsin) pin Macintyre Thacker (Utah), 10-4 3:54
Dustin Swanson (Pennsylvania) TF Lucas Walker (Iowa), 13-0 3:50
Riley Ucker (Ohio) dec. Levi Kovacs (Washington), 15-11

285
Hayden Copass (Illinois) pin Matthew Munoz (Indiana), 10-0 1:30
Jacob Barnes (Oregon) dec. Ethan Kremer (Kansas), 4-0
Jacob Moore (Arizona) dec. Lb Neloms (Georgia), 2-0
Griffin Liddle (Iowa) pin Jeremiah Vasquez (Colorado), 4-0 0:11