Blaze, Duke, Lockett, Rademacher headline men’s freestyle champions at U20 World Team Trials

GENEVA, Ohio – Returning U20 World medalists Marcus Blaze, PJ Duke, Ladarion Lockett and Justin Rademacher were among the 10 men’s freestyle champions crowned at the 2025 U20 World Team Trials held at SPIRE Academy on Saturday.

All four athletes secured convincing best-of-three championship series wins and are full steam ahead to the 2025 U20 World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, this August.

Wrestling in his home state of Ohio, Blaze methodically advanced through the 61 kg challenge tournament with four decisive wins, three of which came by 10-0 technical fall. He unseated U20 Nationals champion and 2022 U17 World Team member Kyler Larkin in the championship series by scores of 10-0 and 4-1. Blaze was a U17 World champion in 2023 before jumping up to grab bronze at the U20 Worlds last year.

Duke, a future Penn State Nittany Lion, took a pair of decisions over incoming Oklahoma State freshman Landon Robideau in the 70 kg championship series, 7-0 and 9-4. Duke was a bronze medalist at last year’s U20 Worlds. He has been on a freestyle heater in recent months with first place finishes at the Bill Farrell Memorial International, U20 Nationals and Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament on his resume.  

Two weeks from today, Blaze and Duke will take part in 2025 Final X at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Blaze will compete against 2023 U23 World bronze medalist Brock Hardy in the 65 kg true-third match with aspirations to make his second U.S. Senior National Team. Duke qualified for the 70 kg best-of-three series against 2022 World silver medalist Yianni Diakomihalis and is two wins away from his first Senior World Team.

Lockett and Rademacher, who were both Senior Pan American champions earlier this month, took out world-class competitors with relative ease.

Lockett sailed past youngster Jayden James, this year’s U17 World Team member, by scores of 6-1 and 15-2 at 74 kg. James put up a 10-0 technical fall on 2022 U17 World champion and top contender Joseph Sealey in the challenge tournament. Lockett owns two age-group World medals—U17 World gold in 2023 and U20 World silver in 2024.

Rademacher took the championship series rematch in two-straight matches over 2023 U20 World bronze medalist Camden McDanel at 97 kg, 10-5 and 7-1. The Oregon State product was a bronze medalist at last year’s U20 Worlds.

All told, five members of last year’s U20 World Team earned a return trip to the U20 Worlds with championship efforts on Saturday evening. 92 kg champion Connor Mirasola, who was fifth at the 2024 U20 Worlds, joins Blaze, Duke, Lockett and Rademacher as repeaters. Mirasola went 10-0 and 4-1 against Dillon Bechtold in the finals.

Additionally, nine-of-10 U20 Nationals champions from Las Vegas punched through to the U20 World Team after getting to sit out to the best-of-three championship series. Larkin was the lone champion from Las Vegas to not make the cut.

Making his first international appearance come Bulgaria is 125 kg champion Cole Mirasola, Connor’s twin brother. He impressed with controlled decision wins over Oklahoma State commit Dreshaun Ross in the championship series, 4-1 and 5-2.

2022 U17 World bronze medalist Max McEnelly is back on the World stage following a thrilling three-match series win over 2023 U17 World Team member Aeoden Sinclair at 86 kg. McEnelly, a 2025 NCAA All-American as a freshman for Minnesota, rebounded from a 10-2 loss to Sinclair in round one to take one-point victories in rounds two and three, 6-5 and 3-2. The series was a classic case study of offense (McEnelly) versus counter-offense (Sinclair) and resulted in some of the best moments of the tournament.  

Other U20 Nationals champions who emerged with best-of-three series wins were Anthony Knox at 57 kg, Luke Stanich at 65 kg and William Henckel at 79 kg. Knox and Stanich went the full three matches—Knox defeating 2023 U17 World bronze medalist Ignacio Villasenor and Stanich topping two-time age-group World medalist Bo Bassett. Henckel made quick work of 2023 U17 World bronze medalist Brock Mantanona with two 10-0 technical falls.

Scores from the best-of-three championship series and the challenge tournament placement matches can be found below. Complete brackets and match-by-match results are available on USA Bracketing.

The action from Ohio concludes at 10 a.m. (ET) on Sunday with the remaining rounds of the men’s freestyle U23 Nationals. A complete schedule of events is available at usawrestlingevents.com.

Watch every match from the 2025 U23 Nationals and U20 World Team Trials live or on-demand at FloWrestling.com.