#GrecoMonday: Six wrestlers who placed in both Greco and freestyle at the U23 and UWW Junior Nationals

Photo of U23 87 kg Greco-Roman champion Cameron Caffey courtesy of Sam Janicki.

The UWW Junior and U23 Nationals were held earlier this month in Omaha, Nebraska. The brackets were loaded with stiff competition across all three international styles even though there were no World Team spots on the line. Six wrestlers managed to place in both men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman, two in the U23 division and four in the Junior division.

Below, lets dive into the athletes that accomplished this impressive feat.

U23

Clay Carlson – 5th in Greco at 63 kg, 6th in MFS at 65 kg
Overall record: 6-4
The first wrestler on the list is South Dakota State’s Clay Carlson. A redshirt sophomore, Carlson was the Jackrabbit’s starter at 141 pounds last season, recording a 21-16 record. He finished sixth at the Big 12 Tournament. In both brackets, Carlson dropped his opening match before battling back to reach the podium.

Cameron Caffey – 1st in Greco at 87 kg, 3rd in MFS at 86 kg
Overall record: 7-1
One of the most impressive and least surprising performances came from Michigan State’s Cam Caffey. A 2020 NWCA First-Team All-American last season as a redshirt sophomore, Caffey has excelled in all three styles. In 2018, Caffey won Junior Pan Am titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. He is a 2019 Greco-Roman Junior World Team member.

All seven of Caffey’s victories came by technical fall. His only loss of the tournament was an 8-7 decision in the men’s freestyle semifinals to Purdue’s Max Lyon.

Juinor

Eric Barnett – 5th in Greco at 55 kg, 6th in MFS at 57 kg
Overall record: 12-5
The lightweight division in both styles was filled with competitors, allowing Wisconsin’s Eric Barnett to log an impressive 17 matches. As a true freshman last season, Barnett compiled a 21-11 record and finished tenth at the Big Ten Tournament. Barnett is a 2015 Greco-Roman Cadet World Team member.

Barnett fell in the opening round in Greco-Roman and the round-of-32 in men’s freestyle, meaning he was forced to battle a long way back (hence the 17 matches) to place in both styles.

Jake Hendricks – 1st in Greco at 82 kg, 8th in MFS at 86 kg, 2nd in U23 Greco-Roman at 82 kg
Overall record: 9-4
While Barnett might have logged the most matches, the University of Pennsylvania’s Jake Hendricks has the unique honor of placing in three different divisions. Hendricks won a Junior Greco title while also finishing runner-up in the U23 division. Hendricks only entered the Junior division in freestyle, where he placed eighth. Hendricks, who will be a junior this season logged a 23-29 record in his first two years of competition for the Quakers.

Hendricks is a 2016 Pan Am Cadet champion in freestyle and runner-up in Greco-Roman. He is also a 2017 Cadet Greco-Roman World Team member.

Spencer Trenary – 1st in Greco at 130 kg, 3rd in MFS at 125 kg
Overall record: 8-1
The second South Dakota State wrestler on this list, Spencer Trenary had an impressive weekend of wrestling, earning a title in Greco-Roman and finishing third in freestyle. During his redshirt season, Trenary recorded an 18-9 record. Trenary is a Fargo 16U Greco-Roman champion and Junior runner-up. He is also a numerous-time Fargo All-American in freestyle.

Josiah Hill – 2nd in Greco at 130 kg, 6th in MFS at 125 kg
Overall record: 5-4
If Josiah Hill wasn’t on your radar before, he should be now. Hill, who is entering his freshman season at the University of Arkansas at Littlerock, only started wrestling his freshman year of high school. In 2020, the Bakersfield native claimed a California state title. Additionally, he is a 2018 Fargo 16U Greco-Roman All-American.