Peters, Mueller, Trotman, Cooper win U.S. Beach National men’s titles, the men’s World Beach Games qualifier
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
2019 U.S. Beach Nationals champions (left to right): Michael Peters (70 kg), Brandon Mueller (80 kg), Austin Trotman (90 kg), Diante Cooper (Over 90 kg). USA Wrestling photo.
CAROLINA BEACH, N.C. – The field was large and competitive in the Senior men’s division of the 2019 U.S. Beach National Championships, which served as the qualifying event for the U.S. team for the World Beach Games in San Diego, Calif. in October.
A pair of past U.S. Beach National champions emerged as champion, Michael Peters of Illinois at 70 kg and Austin Trotman of North Carolina at 90 kg.
Peters, who has competed at the last two Beach World Championships, needed three matches in the best-of-three championship series to beat past Beach Nationals medalist Joe Mondragon, two matches to one.
Mondragon won the first match, 3-0, but Peters stormed back with two straight wins, taking bout two 3-0 and bout three by a 5-0 margin. Peters, who competes for Div. II power Maryville University, was a 2017 U.S. Beach Nationals champion.
Trotman won the U.S. Beach Nationals for the second straight year. He handled Austin Watkins in the finals series, two matches to none, winning 3-0 in the first bout and 4-0 in the second bout.
Trotman was an All-American at Appalachian State, and a top U.S. Senior freestyle wrestler for many years. He stays in shape as a wrestling coach in an MMA gym in North Carolina.
The other two champions have a direct connection to the U.S. Air Force, champions Brandon Mueller of Colorado at 80 kg and Diante Cooper of Kentucky at Over 90 kg (unlimited).
Mueller was a Div. I wrestler for the U.S. Air Force Academy, and is now in the Air Force World Class Athlete Program, where he is a successful Senior-level Greco-Roman wrestler. He competed at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in Raleigh, N.C. on Friday but did not medal. He accepted an invitation from Cooper to go with him to the Beach Nationals event today.
Mueller needed three bouts to claim the title at 80 kg. He won his first match over Tyler Loethen, 3-2, but was beaten by Loethen in the second match, 4-0. In the deciding third bout, Mueller scored a convincing 4-0 victory.
Cooper is active duty Air Force, stationed in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, He competed in both freestyle and Greco-Roman for the Air Force at the 2019 Armed Forces Championships in El Paso, Texas. He competed in college for Campbellsville University, but had not wrestled for many years until recently coming back into the sport. A friend had wrestled in the Beach Nationals in the past, and Cooper decided to give it a try.
Cooper won his finals series in a two-match sweep, beating Joseph Fletcher, 3-2 in the first match and 3-0 in the second match. A big win for Cooper came in the semifinals, when he stopped 2017 Beach Nationals champion Gabe Beauperthuy, 3-0.
The men’s senior division at the U.S. Beach Nationals served as the Men’s Beach World Games Trials, with the winner in each of the four weight classes earning the spot on the U.S. team for the ANOC World Beach Games in San Diego in October.
With their wins, Mueller, Trotman and Cooper qualified to compete in San Diego.
There could be a wrestle-off at 70 kg between Peters and Reece Humphrey, who won a bronze medal at the Beach World Series in Rio de Janiero, Brazil last week. If Humphrey is in the top eight of the UWW Beach World Series standings after the Rio event, he earns a best-of-three wrestle-off, which will be held in late June in Colorado Springs. The official UWW Beach World Series standings have not yet been published, but is expected soon.
The U.S. Women’s Beach Games World Team, which includes four athletes, was set in Las Vegas. Nev. in April.
Beach Wrestling is one of only 15 sports which will be included in this historic first-ever Beach World Games. The competition is endorsed by the International Olympic Committee, with the Beach Wrestling competition being organized by United World Wrestling. The U.S. team in all of the participating sports will be managed by the U.S. Olympic Committee.
The city of Carolina Beach, N.C. hosted the annual U.S. Beach National Championships for the seventh straight year at this popular Atlantic Ocean beach. National competition was held in eight age levels (8U, 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, Junior, Senior (men and women) and Masters. Held alongside the U.S. Beach Nationals was the third annual U.S. Belt National Championships
U.S. BEACH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Carolina Beach, N.C., May 18, 2019
Senior Men’s Results
Note: Serves as World Beach Games Trials event for men
70 kg
Championship Series – Michael Peters dec. Joe Mondragon, two matches to one
Bout One – Mondragon dec. Peters, 3-0
Bout Two – Peters dec. Mondragon, 3-0
Bout Three – Peters dec. Mondragon, 5-0
3rd Place – Tim Box dec. Marco Lara, 3-0
80 kg
Championship Series – Brandon Mueller dec. Tyler Loethen, two matches to one
Bout One – Mueller dec. Loethen, 3-2
Bout Two – Loehten dec. Mueller, 4-0
Bout Three – Mueller dec. Loethen, 4-0
3rd Place – Spencer Griffey dec. Chad Simmons, 4-2
90 kg
Championship Series – Austin Trotman dec. Austin Watkins, two matches to none
Bout One – Trotman dec. Watkins, 3-0
Bout Two – Trotman dec. Watkins, 4-0
3rd Place – Kyle Inlander dec. Jeff Green, 3-1
Over 90 kg
Championship Series – Diante Cooper dec. Joseph Fletcher, two matches to none
Bout One – Cooper dec. Fletcher, 3-2
Bout Two – Cooper dec. Fletcher, 3-0
3rd Place – Gabe Beauperthuy dec. Carson Raymond, 3-0
CAROLINA BEACH, N.C. – The field was large and competitive in the Senior men’s division of the 2019 U.S. Beach National Championships, which served as the qualifying event for the U.S. team for the World Beach Games in San Diego, Calif. in October.
A pair of past U.S. Beach National champions emerged as champion, Michael Peters of Illinois at 70 kg and Austin Trotman of North Carolina at 90 kg.
Peters, who has competed at the last two Beach World Championships, needed three matches in the best-of-three championship series to beat past Beach Nationals medalist Joe Mondragon, two matches to one.
Mondragon won the first match, 3-0, but Peters stormed back with two straight wins, taking bout two 3-0 and bout three by a 5-0 margin. Peters, who competes for Div. II power Maryville University, was a 2017 U.S. Beach Nationals champion.
Trotman won the U.S. Beach Nationals for the second straight year. He handled Austin Watkins in the finals series, two matches to none, winning 3-0 in the first bout and 4-0 in the second bout.
Trotman was an All-American at Appalachian State, and a top U.S. Senior freestyle wrestler for many years. He stays in shape as a wrestling coach in an MMA gym in North Carolina.
The other two champions have a direct connection to the U.S. Air Force, champions Brandon Mueller of Colorado at 80 kg and Diante Cooper of Kentucky at Over 90 kg (unlimited).
Mueller was a Div. I wrestler for the U.S. Air Force Academy, and is now in the Air Force World Class Athlete Program, where he is a successful Senior-level Greco-Roman wrestler. He competed at the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament in Raleigh, N.C. on Friday but did not medal. He accepted an invitation from Cooper to go with him to the Beach Nationals event today.
Mueller needed three bouts to claim the title at 80 kg. He won his first match over Tyler Loethen, 3-2, but was beaten by Loethen in the second match, 4-0. In the deciding third bout, Mueller scored a convincing 4-0 victory.
Cooper is active duty Air Force, stationed in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, He competed in both freestyle and Greco-Roman for the Air Force at the 2019 Armed Forces Championships in El Paso, Texas. He competed in college for Campbellsville University, but had not wrestled for many years until recently coming back into the sport. A friend had wrestled in the Beach Nationals in the past, and Cooper decided to give it a try.
Cooper won his finals series in a two-match sweep, beating Joseph Fletcher, 3-2 in the first match and 3-0 in the second match. A big win for Cooper came in the semifinals, when he stopped 2017 Beach Nationals champion Gabe Beauperthuy, 3-0.
The men’s senior division at the U.S. Beach Nationals served as the Men’s Beach World Games Trials, with the winner in each of the four weight classes earning the spot on the U.S. team for the ANOC World Beach Games in San Diego in October.
With their wins, Mueller, Trotman and Cooper qualified to compete in San Diego.
There could be a wrestle-off at 70 kg between Peters and Reece Humphrey, who won a bronze medal at the Beach World Series in Rio de Janiero, Brazil last week. If Humphrey is in the top eight of the UWW Beach World Series standings after the Rio event, he earns a best-of-three wrestle-off, which will be held in late June in Colorado Springs. The official UWW Beach World Series standings have not yet been published, but is expected soon.
The U.S. Women’s Beach Games World Team, which includes four athletes, was set in Las Vegas. Nev. in April.
Beach Wrestling is one of only 15 sports which will be included in this historic first-ever Beach World Games. The competition is endorsed by the International Olympic Committee, with the Beach Wrestling competition being organized by United World Wrestling. The U.S. team in all of the participating sports will be managed by the U.S. Olympic Committee.
The city of Carolina Beach, N.C. hosted the annual U.S. Beach National Championships for the seventh straight year at this popular Atlantic Ocean beach. National competition was held in eight age levels (8U, 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, Junior, Senior (men and women) and Masters. Held alongside the U.S. Beach Nationals was the third annual U.S. Belt National Championships
U.S. BEACH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Carolina Beach, N.C., May 18, 2019
Senior Men’s Results
Note: Serves as World Beach Games Trials event for men
70 kg
Championship Series – Michael Peters dec. Joe Mondragon, two matches to one
Bout One – Mondragon dec. Peters, 3-0
Bout Two – Peters dec. Mondragon, 3-0
Bout Three – Peters dec. Mondragon, 5-0
3rd Place – Tim Box dec. Marco Lara, 3-0
80 kg
Championship Series – Brandon Mueller dec. Tyler Loethen, two matches to one
Bout One – Mueller dec. Loethen, 3-2
Bout Two – Loehten dec. Mueller, 4-0
Bout Three – Mueller dec. Loethen, 4-0
3rd Place – Spencer Griffey dec. Chad Simmons, 4-2
90 kg
Championship Series – Austin Trotman dec. Austin Watkins, two matches to none
Bout One – Trotman dec. Watkins, 3-0
Bout Two – Trotman dec. Watkins, 4-0
3rd Place – Kyle Inlander dec. Jeff Green, 3-1
Over 90 kg
Championship Series – Diante Cooper dec. Joseph Fletcher, two matches to none
Bout One – Cooper dec. Fletcher, 3-2
Bout Two – Cooper dec. Fletcher, 3-0
3rd Place – Gabe Beauperthuy dec. Carson Raymond, 3-0
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