Lee, Alirez, Monday, Dieringer, Moore, Bradley win Senior Nationals men’s freestyle titles

FORT WORTH, Texas – The men’s freestyle championship finals at the Senior Nationals were action-packed, with six champions crowned on Sunday afternoon at the Fort Worth Convention Center.

Earning the Outstanding Wrestler in men’s freestyle was the champion at 65 kg, Andrew Alirez, the No. 3 seed and a 2023 NCAA champion from Northern Colorado. In a battle of college stars, he beat No. 5 seed and Penn State All-American Beau Bartlett, 8-0. Alirez scored a takedown and two ankle laces to lead 6-0 at the break. He added a second-period go-behind takedown for the final margin.

Alirez won his second Senior Nationals title, to go along with a 2020 championship. He defeated Bartlett 6-2 in the 2023 NCAA Championships semifinals at 141 pounds.

In a highly-anticipated finals at 86 kg between past Senior Nationals champions, No. 2 seed Alex Dieringer shut out top seed Mark Hall, 6-0. Dieringer scored two first period takedowns to lead 4-0 and added a throw-by takedown to close the scoring in the second period.

Hall won Senior Nationals titles in 2021 and 2022. Dieringer was a 2019 Senior Nationals champion.

The other four champions all came in as No. 1 seeds, Spencer Lee at 57 kg, Quincy Monday at 74 kg, Kollin Moore at 97 kg and Dom Bradley at 125 kg.

Lee defeated Nico Megaludis in the finals, 6-2. Lee scored two first-period takedowns to lead 4-0 at the break. Both athletes scored second-period takedowns, but Megaludis could not close the gap.

Earlier this season, Lee defeated Megaludis in the Bill Farrell Memorial International finals. Both attended the same school in Pennsylvania, Franklin Regional High School. Lee was also a 2019 Senior Nationals champion.

Monday opened up his offense in his 14-2 technical fall over Alex Marinelli in the finals. Marinelli scored the first takedown and Monday answered with his own for a 2-2 tie at the break. In the second period, Monday scored a takedown and three turns to lead 10-2. He closed it out with a four-point takedown. It was Monday’s first Senior Nationals title.

Moore was explosive in the second period on the way to a 12-2 technical fall over Nathan Jackson. Trailing 2-0 at the break, Moore scored a spin behind takedown and four gut wrenches to lead 10-2. A go behind takedown ended the match. It was his second Senior Nationals title, to go along with his 2020 championship.

Bradley won a tight 2-1 victory over Christian Lance in the finals. All of the points were scored when athletes could not score on the shot clock. Lance was put on the shot clock in both the first and second period and did not score, giving Bradley a 2-0 lead. Bradley was on the shot clock later and did not score, giving Lance his only point. Bradley’s most recent Senior Nationals title was in 2019.

The top five finishers in each weight class punched their ticket for U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Wrestling, set for Penn State, April 19-20.

The Titan Mercury Wrestling Club won the Div. I team title, and the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club was the Div. II champions.

SENIOR NATIONALS

At Fort Worth, Texas, December 17, 2023

Men’s freestyle results

57 kg

1^st - Spencer Lee (HWC/TMWC) dec. Nico Megaludis (Pitt WC/TMWC), 6-2

3rd - Liam Cronin (Nebraska Wrestling Training Center) dec. Daniel DeShazer (Gopher Wrestling Club - RTC), 5-0

5th - Luke Lilledahl (X-Calibur Athletics Wrestling Club) dec. Joshua Rodriguez (NLWC/TMWC) 4-2

7th - Gary Steen (Nittany Lion Wrestling Club) forfeit Brandon Courtney (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club) FF

65 kg

1^st - Andrew Alirez (NCRTC/TMWC) dec. Beau Bartlett (NLWC/TMWC), 8-0

3rd - Joseph McKenna (Penn RTC/TMWC) dec. Seth Gross (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club), 5-2

5th - Austin DeSanto (HWC/TMWC) dec. Alec Pantaleo (CKWC/TMWC), 9-6

7th - Ian Parker (Cavalier Wrestling Club) inj. dft. Aden Valencia (CARTC/TMWC), 0:00

74 kg

1^st - Quincy Monday (NJRTC/TMWC) tech fall Alex Marinelli (HWC/TMWC), 14-2

3rd - Alex Facundo (NLWC/TMWC) dec. Jarrett Jacques (Tiger Style Wrestling Club), 6-4

5th - Tyler Berger (Pennsylvania RTC) tech fall Terrell Barraclough (NLWC/TMWC), 10-0

7th - Joey Lavallee (LVWC/TMWC) pin Joseph Sealey (Pennsylvania), 4:14

86 kg

1^st - Alex Dieringer (CKWC/TMWC) dec. Mark Hall (Penn RTC/TMWC), 6-0

3rd - Maxwell Dean (NLWC/TMWC) dec. Connor Mirasola (Askren Wrestling Academy), 8-4

5th - Evan Wick (SoCal RTC/TMWC) inj. dft. David McFadden (Penn RTC/TMWC), 0:10

7th - Taylor Lujan (Panther WC/TMWC) forfeit Marcus Coleman (CRTC/TMWC)

97 kg

1^st - Kollin Moore (Ohio RTC/TMWC) tech fall Nathan Jackson (New York Athletic Club), 12-2

3rd - Jonathan Aiello (Cavalier WC/TMWC) dec. Eric Schultz (Nebraska Wrestling Training Center), 9-4

5th - Anthony Cassioppi (HWC/TMWC) tech fall Jacob Warner (HWC/TMWC), 11-0

7th - Tyrie Houghton (Wolfpack WC/TMWC) inj. dft. Lou DePrez (Bearcat Wrestling Club), 0:00

125 kg

1^st - Dominique Bradley (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club) dec. Christian Lance (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club), 2-1

3rd - Gary Traub (Cowboy RTC/TMWC) dec. Demertius Thomas (Pittsburgh Wrestling Club), 8-5

5th - Trent Hillger (Gopher Wrestling Club - RTC) dec. Samuel Schuyler (Cyclone Regional Training Center), 8-0

7th - Jacob Bullock (Indiana RTC) forfeit Daniel Erekson (Air Force Regional Training Center)