Six athletes claim World Team spots in session one of Final X: Lincoln

LINCOLN, Neb. – Ildar Hafizov did not immediately celebrate like someone who has not seen his family in five years. At 31 years old, the 2008 Olympian for Uzbekistan, has traveled far, done much, and won a lot of Greco-Roman wrestling matches. On Saturday, during the first session of Final X: Lincoln, Hafizov (Colorado Springs/U.S. Army WCAP) won a close opening bout, then quickly took the second for a sweep of Leslie Fuenffinger (Colorado Springs/U.S. Army WCAP) at 60 kg in Greco-Roman.

After a passivity call, two slick turns for Hafizov built a 7-0 lead two minutes into the first period, but Fuenffinger, a two-time NCAA Division III champion for Augsburg, turned a body lock into four and cut the lead to 7-5 halfway through the second period. However, Hafizov maintained his lead and won the opener. A series of powerful turns in the second bout finished off a 9-0 win for the sweep and punched his ticket to Kazakhstan and a chance to reunite with his family.

“I think it started in 2010 when I came to the (United States) for the Dave Schultz Tournament. After that I was just chasing dreams to come to the United States,” Hafizov said. “I was telling my wife we gotta go because I love this country. We need to be there.

“It’s a huge opportunity for me personally to go to Kazakhstan. My father dreaming, my little brother. It’s a 12-hour drive so that is nothing. It will be a holiday for me to see them.”

Four Greco-Roman and two women’s freestyle weight classes were determined during Saturday’s first session. None required a third match in the best-of-three format. All will represent the United States in Kazakhstan this September at the World Championships. The remaining weight classes will be wrestled in tonight’s 6 p.m. session.

Raymond Bunker (Camp LeJeune, N.C./U.S. Marine Corps) beat RaVaughan Perkins in the U.S. Open finals, then dispatched Alex Mossing (Colorado Springs/Air Force ROTC) on Saturday to earn the 72 kg spot in Greco. Mossing, a No. 9 seed at the Trials, could not solve Bunker, who won the opener, 3-1, and dominated the second bout, 8-0. The United States Marines’ emotion was obvious, bringing his mother to the stage following his victory.

“I started this Greco-Roman wrestling in 2015. I didn’t even know what it was,” said Bunker, who has not lost a Greco match in 2019. “I was given this opportunity and I ran with it. I’ve sacrificed so much to get here. My mom, my family, I barely see my family. The Marine Corps made me make this World Team. Without the Marine Corps I would not be standing here in front of you.

“I may be in a prison cell, I may be dead, I may be back home working at Arby’s … nothing wrong with Arby’s, I like Arby’s … but the Marine Corps got me where I am today. I hope they remember the name because this is just the beginning.”

Another Mango will compete at a World Championship in Greco. Ryan, younger brother of Olympian Spenser, rallied twice to beat Xavier Johnson at 63 kg. Johnson (Camp LeJeune, N.C./U.S. Marine Corps) built a 2-0 lead before, midway through the second period of the first match, Mango (Colorado Springs/U.S. Army WCAP) trapped an arm and used a flurry of turns for a 13-2 victory. In the second six-minute session Johnson again built a lead only to see Mango rally with a powerful four-point gut-wrench for a 6-5 win to make his first World Team.

G’Angelo Hancock (Colorado Springs/Sunkist Kids) was the better of the two against Lucas Sheridan (Colorado Springs/U.S. Army WCAP) at 97 kg in Greco. Hancock continued his run of dominance, not surrendering a point at the U.S. Open, including a 9-0 win over Sheridan in the finals. Saturday saw scores of 8-0 and 5-2 and Hancock’s third-consecutive U.S. squad.

The two women’s freestyle weights contested in the first session proved one-sided.

Two-time World medalist Alli Ragan (Iowa City/Sunkist Kids/Hawkeye WC) took just 1:22 in the second match to dispatch Lauren Louive (New York AC/Hawkeye WC) in two-straight matches to claim the women’s freestyle spot at 59 kg. Ragan, who missed the 2018 World Championships due to injury, has made seven-straight World Teams, earning silver medals in 2016 and 2017.

“My job is to go out and get the job done,” Ragan said. “I don’t really think about the past because (today) was what was in front of me, the most important thing. The energy in the Iowa room is amazing. It’s crazy, it’s contagious, so I think that is healing power in itself.”

While off the mat, recovering, Ragan watched and learned.

“I really did not know how to hand-fight before (getting to Iowa). Now I feel comfortable in those positions. At the highest elite level against those foreigners, they are strong and you just can’t wrestle open all the time. Every day, being able to pick the brains of some many great coaches, has helped me develop even more.”

Jacarra Winchester (Colorado Springs/Titan Mercury WC/OTC) made her second-consecutive U.S. squad, beating Dominque Parrish (Scotts Valley, Calif./Sunkist Kids) in two-straight bouts at 55 kg. A takedown in opening five seconds and a powerful arm-drag built a 6-0 lead, and the fifth place finisher at the 2018 World Championships finished off a 10-0 technical fall with a takedown in the final seconds of the opening period; she then won the second, a much more competitive six minutes, 8-3.

The evening session hits the mat at 6 p.m. live on Flowrestling.org.

2019 FINAL X: LINCOLN

at Bob Devaney Center (Lincoln, Neb.), June 15

Women’s freestyle

55 kg: Jacarra Winchester (Colorado Springs, Colo./Titan Mercury WC/OTC) df. Dominique Parrish (Scotts Valley, Calif./Sunkist Kids), 2 matches to 0
Round 1 – Winchester TF Parrish, 10-0
Round 2 – Winchester dec. Parrish, 8-3

59 kg: Alli Ragan (Iowa City, Iowa/Sunkist Kids/Hawkeye WC) df. Lauren Louive (Iowa City, Iowa/New York AC/Hawkeye WC), 2 matches to 0
Round 1 – Ragan TF Louive, 10-0
Round 2 – Ragan TF Louive, 10-0

Greco-Roman

60 kg: Ildar Hafizov (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP) df. Mike Fuenffinger (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP), 2 matches to 0
Round 1 – Hafizov dec. Fuenffinger, 7-5
Round 2 – Hafizov TF Fuenffinger, 9-0

63 kg: Ryan Mango (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP) df. Xavier Johnson (Camp LeJeune, N.C./U.S. Marines Corps), 2 matches to 0
Round 1 – Mango TF Johnson, 13-2
Round 2 – Mango dec. Johnson, 6-5

72 kg: Raymond Bunker (Camp LeJeune, N.C./U.S. Marines Corps) df. Alex Mossing (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Force RTC), 2 matches to 0
Round 1 – Bunker dec. Mossing, 3-1
Round 2 – Bunker dec. Mossing, 7-0

97 kg: G’Angelo Hancock (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) df. Lucas Sheridan (Colorado Springs, Colo./Army WCAP), 2 matches to 0
Round 1 – Hancock TF Sheridan, 8-0
Round 2 – Hancock dec. Sheridan, 5-3