Aaron Stewart of Illinois works for a takedown in the 16U boys finals at the Air Force Special Warfare Folkstyle Nationals in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Sendele repeats, Landers named 16U boys OW at Air Force Special Warfare Folkstyle Nationals
by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
Watch:16U boys champion post-match interviews
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – 17 champions were decided in the 16U boys division at the Air Force Special Warfare 16U and Junior Folkstyle Nationals on Sunday morning at the UNI Dome, with Brody Sendele of Illinois being the lone man to repeat.
The Roscoe, Illinois, native struck with a double leg takedown, pouncing to a head and arm finish, to pin Barrett Mieras of Iowa in the first period of the 157-pound finals. Sendele won the 16U Folkstyle Nationals at 145 pounds last year.
Sendele went 4-0 on the weekend with two pins and a technical fall to his credit. His closest contest came in the quarterfinals, which was an 8-3 decision over Victor Marks Jenkins of Maryland.
Returning champion Broedy Hendricks of Iowa was stunned in the 175-pound finals by Michael White of Indiana, in what was undoubtedly the match of the session. Hendricks appeared to have the match in hand, scoring a go-ahead takedown in the waning moments, but White never relented. He reversed Hendricks to his back, grabbing a pin with three seconds left in the match.
His finals performance gave White his third pin of the tournament. He went four-for-four on bonus point victories, tacking on a technical fall in the quarterfinals, in one of the more impressive efforts this weekend.
Earning the Outstanding Wrestler award for the 16U division was 113-pound champion Gavin Landers of Iowa. The Immortal Athletics Wrestling Club athlete won five matches o the weekend while only giving up a single point to the opposition. Landers defeated Pierce Hurd of South Dakota, 6-0, in his championship bout on the raised platform.
Last year’s runner-up, Aaron Stewart of Illinois, came back to dominate the 165-pound field in Cedar Falls. He earned a pair of pins, plus a 15-0 technical fall in the semifinals, to earn a place on the big stage. In the championship bout, Stewart controlled Xavier Smith of Indiana with a 9-4 decision.
Stewart was one win away from earning a USA Wrestling Triple Crown award last year. He dropped a 2-1 decision in the Folkstyle Nationals finals to eventual Triple Crown winner Kyler Knaack of Iowa, then went on to bring home stop signs in Fargo, N.D., in both the Greco-Roman and freestyle disciplines.
Mason Carlson of Utah picked up an impressive 17-7 major decision over 16U Freestyle Nationals runner-up Bruno Cassioppi of Illinois in the 126-pound finals.
Wrestlers earning pins in the finals include Sendele, White, Tanner Telford of Utah at 106 pounds and Dawson Youngblut of Iowa at 132 pounds.
A complete list of championship finals and medal match results for the 16U boys division can be found below.
The Air Force Special Warfare 16U and Junior Folkstyle Nationals is the first leg of the USA Wrestling Triple Crown award. Boys champions in Cedar Falls must win Greco-Roman and freestyle nationals titles in Fargo, N.D., this July to complete the three-style sweep.
Fans can watch archived matches of this event on FloWrestling.com. Brackets and match-by-match results are available on Trackwrestling.com.
For more information about this event, please visit usawrestlingevents.com.