Junior World medalists LaMont and Omania among registered athletes for U23 Greco Nationals

Tomorrow, the U23 and UWW Junior Nationals kick off in Omaha, Nebraska at the CHI Health Center Arena. While the U23 and Junior World Championships were cancelled this year, the brackets are still stacked with talented wrestlers vying to be crowned national champions. Both Greco-Roman divisions will run in their entirety tomorrow and can be streamed live on FloWrestling starting at 9 a.m. CST.

Below, let’s take a look at the heavy hitters registered in the U23 division.

55 kg
Unfortunately, current National Team member Brady Koontz, who registered for the event, will no longer be competing. However, 55 kg still features some very talented wrestlers. One of the frontrunners in the bracket is Mason Hartshorn. A 2019 Junior World Team member, Hartshorn has recorder numerous placements at age-group-level events. Additionally, Hartshorn finished third at the 2018 Bill Farrell International.

Another wrestler to watch is Brandon Garcia. A redshirt freshman at Wyoming, Garcia is a two-time Junior Fargo champion. Two-time U23 Nationals placer Sam Braswell should also be a factor in the bracket. Braswell finished seventh in 2018 and sixth in 2019.

60 kg
The two big names to watch for at 60 kg are Taylor LaMont and Randon Miranda. LaMont, who wrestles collegiately for Utah Valley, is currently No. 3 on the National Team. He has remarkably competed in seven age-group World Championships, bringing home bronze from the 2016 Junior Worlds. Miranda is a two-time Junior World Team member and 2018 U23 World Team member. On the senior level, Miranda has logged first-place performances at the 2019 Dave Schultz Memorial, the 2018 Bill Farrell International and the 2017 Arvo Haavisto Cup in Finland.

Both LaMont and Miranda competed in the 2020 Senior Nationals in October. LaMont recorded a third-place finish while Miranda took fifth. The pair did not meet, however they have battled numerous times over the years. Their most recent series took place in the 2019 U23 World Team Trials finals, where Miranda bested LaMont, two matches to one.

63 kg
2019 U23 Nationals runner-up Dylan Gregerson is back and looking to take home a title. Gregerson, who wrestles collegiately for Utah Valley, placed seventh at the 2019 U.S. Open and is a 2018 Junior Pan Am champion in both Greco-Roman and freestyle.

Looking to challenge Gregerson are Erik Spence, who placed fourth at the 2018 U23 Nationals and Rylee Molitor, a 2017 Fargo Junior All-American.

67 kg
67 kg is one of the most loaded brackets in the tournament. It features five of the eight 2020 Senior Nationals place winners including Senior National champion Benji Peak, who is also competing in the Junior division. In addition to Peak, Senior Nationals third-place finisher Lenny Merkin, fifth-place finisher Nolan Baker, seventh-place finisher Jasiah Williams and eighth-place finisher Duncan Nelson are all registered to compete.

Merkin is a 2019 U23 World Team member and Baker is a 2018 U23 World Team member.

Not included in the aforementioned group is Peyton Omania, arguably the favorite in the bracket. Omania is a 2019 Junior World bronze medalist. He also competed at the 2019 U23 World Championships, the 2018 Junior World Championships and the 2016 Cadet Worlds Championships. Omania, a redshirt freshman at Michigan State, did not compete at the 2020 Senior Nationals.

72 kg
Calvin Germinaro, the 2019 and 2020 Senior Nationals runner-up at 67 kg is registered at 72 kg for this tournament. Germinaro, a 2016 Cadet Pan Am champion, will be faced with numerous challengers in his new weight class including 2020 Senior Nationals sixth-place finisher at 77 kg Zachary Grimes. Last year, Grimes placed seventh at the U23 Nationals.

Others to watch include Zachary Tolver, who finished third at this tournament last year and Riley Briggs, who finished sixth.

77 kg
77 kg is another stacked weight class featuring three 2020 Senior Nationals placers and three age-group World Team members. Jesse Porter must be considered the man to beat, as he’s won this tournament and represented the U.S. at the past three U23 World Championships. In 2019, Porter placed fifth at the U.S. Open, third at the Dave Schultz Memorial, and fourth at the Bill Farrell International, where he pinned Serbian Olympic and World Champion Davor Stefanek.

The other two age-group World Team members entered are 2019 Junior World Team member Jack Ervien, who is also competing in the Junior division and Tyler Dow, a 2018 Junior World Team member. Dow is a 2016 Cadet Pan Am champion and placed seventh at the 2019 U.S. Open.

Fritz Schierl will be a man on a mission after falling just shy of a title the past two years. Schierl, a 2020 Senior Nationals seventh-place finisher, made the finals of this tournament in 2018 and 2019 before falling to Porter. Other wrestlers to watch include Eddie Smith, a two-time U23 Nationals place winner and 2020 Senior Nationals eighth-place finisher and Ryan Epps, who finished fifth at the 2020 Senior Nationals.

82 kg
2017 Cadet World Team member Jake Hendricks is competing in both the U23 and Junior Divisions. Hendricks competed at both the U23 and Junior Nationals last year, when they were separate tournaments, and placed sixth at U23s and third at Juniors.

Tommy Brackett is another wrestler who has found success at this tournament, placing fourth in 2019, fifth in 2018 and runner-up in 2017. Brackett is a 2016 Junior Fargo champion and a 2017Junior Pan Am silver medalist.

87 kg
Three former age-group World Team members are in the field at 87 kg. The most well-known perhaps being Cam Caffey, a 2020 NWCA First-Team All-American for Michigan State. Caffey finished eighth at the 2019 Junior World Championships. He is also a 2018 Junior Pan Am champion.

2018 U23 World Team member George Sikes will be looking to make a return to the top of the podium. He finished sixth at this tournament last year. Sikes is also a 2018 U.S. Open seventh place finisher.

2018 Junior World Team member Bear Hughes will also be looking to improve on last year’s performance. He placed fifth.

97 kg
2020 Senior Nationals champion Nick Boykin headlines the field at 97 kg. Boykin, who is now at Ohio State after spending time at the USOPTC, is a 2019 Junior World Team member and 2019 Senior Nationals fourth-place finisher.

George Hooker, last year’s third-place finisher is one of the wrestlers poised to challenge Boykin. Another is Brady Vogel, the 2020 Senior Nationals fifth-place finisher. Vogel also finished fifth at this tournament last year. 2018 U23 Nationals eighth-place finisher Dylan Buschow is also in the field.

130 kg
Zach Schrader, a 2020 Senior Nationals seventh-place finisher and 2019 U.S. Open eighth-place finisher, will be one of the top contenders in the title hunt. Another name to look out for is Lee Herrington, a 2018 Junior Fargo All-American and 2019 UWW Junior Nationals runner-up. In the best-of-three Junior Nationals finals, Herrington pushed Cadet World champion and currently No. 2 on the National Team Cohlton Schultz to a third match, after pinning him in the second match of the series. Schultz went on to take silver at the Junior World Championships.

Others to watch include Trent Ragland, a 2017 Fargo Cadet third-place finisher and Octavio Alejandre, who finished fourth at the 2016 UWW Junior Nationals.