Men's freestyle quarterfinals are set as Attasauov impresses at U23 Nationals

Photo of Ramazan Attasauov finishing a takedown on Luke Werner courtesy of Tony Rotundo/Wrestlers are Warriors.

OMAHA, Neb. – The early rounds of the men’s freestyle division at the U23 Nationals went mostly as expected. 2019 U23 Nationals champs, Muhamed McBryde (77 kg) and Jake Woodley (92 kg) both advanced through their opening matches. McBryde recorded a 7-2 victory in the round of 32 over Trey Sizemore and a 5-3 win over DeMichael Franklin in the round of 16. Woodley was more dominant, earning back-to-back shut out technical falls in his first two matches.

2019 UWW Junior Nationals champion Anthony Cassioppi bullied his way through the 125 kg bracket. In his first two matches, Cassioppi scored 10-0 technical falls. In the round of 16, he defeated Lock Haven’s Isaac Reid, 3-0.

On the other side of the heavyweight bracket, 2018 U23 World silver medalist Youssif Hemida advanced to the quarterfinals as well. Hemida opened the tournament with a 5-0 decision before defeating Wyoming’s two-time NCAA qualifier Brian Andrews, 4-2, in the round of 32. Hemida dominated his round-of-16 opponent Alex Esposito to the tune of a 17-4 technical fall.

Lehigh’s Jordan Wood, a 2014 Cadet World silver medalist, and Missouri’s Zach Elam, a 2018 Junior World silver medalist, also advanced to the 125 kg quarterfinals.

Other age-group World medalists in the quarterfinals include the Gopher Wrestling Club RTC’s 2017 Junior World silver medalist Mitch McKee at 61 kg, Michigan’s 2017 Cadet World champion Will Lewan at 70 kg, Arizona State’s 2017 Cadet World bronze medalist Jacori Teemer at 74 kg and Iowa’s 2016 Cadet World bronze medalist Jacob Warner at 92 kg.

At 57 kg, Iowa State’s Ramazan Attasauov looked impressive, knocking off Rutgers’s NCAA qualifier Nicolas Aguilar, 10-0, in the opening round. He followed it up with a 7-3 decision over Luke Werner, a NCAA qualifier for Lock Haven. Attasauov was born in Russia and wrestled in high school in Massachusetts, where he was a two-time state champion before spending a year at Wyoming Seminary. He compiled a 21-8 record as a redshirt last season. In the quarterfinals, he faces a steep test in Princeton All-American Pat Glory.

U23 Greco-Roman National champion Cameron Caffey advanced to the quarterfinals with a 14-4 technical fall over Jacob Raschka, keeping his hopes of winning double titles alive. Caffey is a 2020 NWCA First-Team All-American for Michigan State.

Tomorrow’s quarterfinal action resumes at 9 a.m. CST and will be streamed live on FloWrestling.

U23 men’s freestyle quarterfinal results

57 kg
Danny Vega SD (Jackrabbit Wrestling Club) vs. Brandon Courtney AZ (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club)
Paul Bianchi WI (Arkansas Regional Training Center) vs. Joseph Manchio NJ (New York City RTC)
Rayvon Foley MI (Unattached) vs. Devin Schroder IN (Boilermaker RTC)
Patrick Glory NJ (Unattached) vs. Ramazan Attasauov MA (Cyclone Regional Training Center C-RTC)

61 kg
Josh Kramer AZ (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club) vs. Mitchell McKee MN (Gopher Wrestling Club
Collin Gerardi VA (Southeast RTC, Inc) vs. Micky Phillippi PA (Pittsburgh Wrestling Club)
Michael Colaiocco NJ (Pennsylvania RTC) vs. Taylor Lamont UT (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club)
Austin DeSanto PA (Hawkeye Wrestling Club) vs. Drew Mattin OH (Cliff Keen Wrestling Club)

65 kg
Carter Happel IA (Hawkeye Wrestling Club) vs. Kizhan Clarke DC (Dcac)
Allan Hart OH (Tiger Style Wrestling Club) vs. Dom Demas OK (Oklahoma Regional Training Center)
Max Murin PA (Hawkeye Wrestling Club) vs. Luke Kemerer PA (Pittsburgh Wrestling Club)
Zackary Donathan OH (Unattached) vs. Brock Mauller MO (Tiger Style Wrestling Club)

70 kg
Jake Keating VA (Cavalier Wrestling Club) vs. Isaac Judge IA (Cyclone Regional Training Center C-RTC)
Jaron Jensen WY (Wyoming Wrestling RTC) vs. Will Lewan IL (Cliff Keen Wrestling Club)
Baltazar Joel Gonzalez CT (Silverback Wrestling Club) vs. Garrett Model WI (Wisconsin RTC)
Kaleb Young PA (Hawkeye WC) vs. Parker Kropman PA (Pennsylvania RTC)

74 kg
Danny Braunagel IL (Illinois RTC/Illini WC) vs. Grant Stotts IA (Cyclone Regional Training Center C-RTC)
Evan Barczak NY (Pennsylvania RTC) vs. Patrick Schoenfelder IL (Panther Wrestling Club RTC)
Quentin Perez MD (Navy-Marine Corps Mat Club) vs. Jacori Teemer NY (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club)
Joshua Kim CA (New England Regional Training Center) vs. Evan Wick CA (TMWC)

79 kg
David McFadden VA (TMWC) vs. Noah Glaser IA (Panther Wrestling Club RTC)
Demetrius Romero ID (Brunson UVRTC) vs. Jake Allar MN (Gopher Wrestling Club - RTC)
Dakota Howard VA (Southeast RTC, Inc) vs. Nelson Brands IA (Hawkeye Wrestling Club)
Kenny O'Neil MN (Jackrabbit Wrestling Club) vs. Muhamed McBryde NY (Buffalo Wrestling Club RTC)

86 kg
Taylor Lujan GA (Panther Wrestling Club RTC) vs. Stanley Smeltzer VA (Southeast RTC, Inc)
Gregg Harvey Jr. PA (Pittsburgh Wrestling Club) vs. Cody Baldridge IL (Cardinal Wrestling Club)
Max Lyon IA (Boilermaker RTC) vs. Keegan Moore MN (Panther Wrestling Club RTC)
Cameron Caffey IL (Unattached) vs. Cade Belshay AZ (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club)

92 kg
Jakob Woodley OK (Oklahoma RTC) vs. Travis Stefanik PA (New Jersey RTC)
Jonathan Aiello VA (Unattached) vs. Kordell Norfleet AZ (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club)
Jacob Warner IL (Hawkeye Wrestling Club) vs. Nathan Traxler CA (CA RTC)
Thomas Penola IN (Boilermaker RTC) vs. Nino Bonaccorsi PA (Pittsburgh Wrestling Club)

97 kg
Tanner Sloan IA (Jackrabbit Wrestling Club) vs. Jacob Boyd OK (Unattached)
Jackson Schichel MN (Hastings WC) vs. Duncan Lee IA (Unattached)
Noah Adams WV (West Virginia RTC) vs. Michael Loyola MO (Unattached)
Kobe Woods IN (Burg Training Center) vs. Brandon Whitman MI (Tar Heel Wrestling Club)

125 kg
Youssif Hemida NY (Cliff Keen Wrestling Club) vs. Francis Duggan IA (Cyclone RTC)
Zach Elam MO (Tiger Style Wrestling Club) vs. Ethan Laird PA (Broncs Wrestling Club)
Jordan Wood PA (Lehigh Valley Wrestling Club) vs. Luke Luffman IL (Illinois RTC/Illini WC)
Gannon Gremmel IA (Cyclone RTC) vs. Anthony Cassioppi IL (Hawkeye Wrestling Club)