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Loaded field to compete for spots on the Cadet Men’s Freestyle and Greco-Roman World Teams this weekend in Wisconsin Dells
by Mike Willis, USA Wrestling
After a 2020 with no World Championships, the marquee international tournaments are back for 2021. This weekend, the best age-group wrestlers in the country will flock to Wisconsin Dells looking to earn the right to represent the Red White and Blue at the Cadet World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, this July. Below, let’s take a look at some of the top competitors aiming to claim spots on the Men’s Freestyle and Greco-Roman Cadet World Teams.
Leading off at 45 kg, Bo Basset of Pennsylvania looks to be the front runner in the brackets. Basset is a six-time Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling state champion and a two-time Super 32 middle school champion. He is a 2019 14U USAW Kids Nationals champion in both freestyle and Greco-Roman and is registered to compete in both styles in Wisconsin.
A handful of wrestlers have the potential to challenge Bassett, including Mac Mauger of Idaho, also a 2019 14U Kids Nationals champion in freestyle and Greco-Roman. More recently, Mauger won the 2021 16U Folkstyle Nationals. He is also registered to compete in both styles. Edwin Sierra of Arizona is another wrestler to keep an eye on in both brackets. He is a 2021 Junior Folkstyle Nationals champion and 16U runner-up. 2019 14U Kids Freestyle Nationals champion Javaan Yarbrough of Ohio will also be in the mix in both styles.
At 48 kg, Aden Valencia of California, a 2019 U15 World champion in freestyle and Greco-Roman, will look to earn a spot on his first Cadet World Team in either freestyle or Greco. Last month, Valencia, who is ranked No. 2 in the country at 106 pounds by FloWrestling, won a title at the USAW High School National Recruiting Showcase. Elias Navida of California is one of the wrestlers poised to challenge Valencia. He is the 2019 UWW U15 Nationals Greco-Roman runner-up and also placed sixth in freestyle. Navida is currently only registered in freestyle. Another wrestler to watch in both styles is multiple-time Pa. Junior Wrestling state champion Nathan Desmond. Wisconsin’s Ben Bast, a 2019 Fargo 16U All-American in freestyle, is another wrestler of note in the freestyle bracket.
51 kg is loaded with top-tier competition, particularly in freestyle. 2019 Cadet World champion Marc-Anthony McGowan, the No. 1 wrestler in the country at 113 pounds, will look to make his second Cadet World Team in freestyle. The No. 3 ranked wrestler in the country Nathan Jesuroga will be one of the wrestlers looking to push McGowan. Jesuroga finished third at the UWW U15 Nationals in freestyle and is a 2019 14U Kids Folkstyle Nationals champion. 2020 Pa. high school state champion Vinny Kilkeary, who is currently ranked No. 7 in the country, is also registered for freestyle. Another Pa. stud signed up for freestyle is Dalton Perry, a multiple-time Pa. Junior Wrestling state champion and Super 32 middle school division champion.
Alan Koehler of Minnesota is a wrestler to watch in both the freestyle and Greco-Roman brackets. Koehler is a 2019 Fargo 16U finalist in freestyle and fourth-place finisher in Greco-Roman. 2019 U15 Greco-Roman World champion Paul Kelly of Arizona is another wrestler registered for both brackets. Kelly is a 2019 15U Pan Am champion in freestyle and Greco. He placed sixth in the 16U freestyle bracket in Fargo in 2019.
55 kg is an outrageously deep weight class. 2019 Cadet Greco-Roman Team member Cory Land of Alabama is registered in both styles. Land finished third earlier this month in the Junior division of Folkstyle Nationals. Another wrestler to watch in both styles is Sergio Lemley, a two-time time high school state champion (once in Illinois and once in Indiana). Lemley won the 2021 Folkstyle Junior Nationals earlier this month.
2019 16U Fargo freestyle runner up Mitchell Neiner of Washington is also registered in both styles. Neiner placed in both freestyle and Greco at the 2019 U15 Nationals. Oregon’s DJ Gillet, a 2019 Fargo 16U Greco-Roman third-place finisher, will compete in both freestyle and Greco as well. Gillet placed fourth in the Junior division of the 2021 Folkstyle Nationals. 2021 Junior Folkstyle Nationals runner-up Teegan Vasquez is another wrestler to look out for in both styles. Vasquez also placed in freestyle and Greco at the 2019 U15 Nationals. Missouri’s Zan Fugitt, who is ranked No. 9 at 113 pounds, also has the potential to contend for titles in both brackets.
Pa. state runner-up, freshman Mason Gibson, who is ranked fifth in the country at 120 pounds, is a hammer to watch in the freestyle division. Gibson, who won a Super 32 title in the high school division as an eighth grader in 2020, is a 2019 14U Kids Nationals champion in freestyle and Greco-Roman. 2019 Fargo 16U fourth-place finisher Grigor Cholokyan of California is another wrestler to watch in the freestyle bracket.
2019 U15 World bronze medalist Greyson Clark of Wisconsin will attempt to make his first Cadet Freestyle World Team at 60 kg. Clark is a 2019 Pan Am champion in freestyle and Greco, a 2019 Fargo 16U All-American in both styles and a 2021 Folkstyle Nationals champion. California’s Brock Bobzien, a 2018 Pan Am champion in freestyle and Greco, is a contender in both styles but particularly shines in Greco. Bobzien is a 2019 Fargo 16U Greco-Roman champion (he finished sixth in freestyle) and a 2019 U15 Nationals runner-up in Greco. Another wrestler with the potential to make deep runs in both styles is Pierson Manville. He is a 2021 Folkstyle Nationals 16U champion and a 2019 Kids Nationals 14U champion in both Freestyle and Greco. Manville also finished runner-up last month at the High School National Recruiting Showcase.
2021 Pa. high school state champ Tyler Kasak, who is ranked No. 18 at 126 pounds, has the potential to break through in the freestyle bracket. California’s Beau Mantanona, currently ranked No. 19 will also be a contender to make the freestyle team. Mantanona, a 2020 Preseason Nationals champion in the 9th and 10th grade division, was a 16U Fargo All-American in both styles. Arizona’s Emilio Ysaguirre is another wrestler to look for. He is currently slotted behind Kasak and Mantanona in the rankings at No. 20.
65 kg features a wealth of wrestlers with international experience. Ethan Stiles, Jayden Colon, Jadon Skellenger and Tyler Antoniak all competed on U15 World Teams. Stiles was a 2019 U15 World champion in freestyle, while Skellenger and Antoniak were U15 World champions in Greco-Roman. Colon placed fifth in freestyle and was a 2019 U15 Pan Am champion in freestyle and Greco. Skellenger, Antoniak and Colon are registered for both styles while Stiles is only competing in freestyle.
Another wrestler to look for in freestyle is Maryland’s Meyer Shapiro, a 2020 National Preps runner-up who is currently ranked No. 6 at 138 pounds. No. 20 Joey Blaze, a 2021 Ohio state champion, is another tough competitor in the freestyle bracket. No. 11 at 145 pounds, Kyle Dutton of Missouri, a 2019 Fargo 16U All-American in Greco-Roman should be in the mix in both styles.
2019 U15 World silver medalist Antrell Taylor of Nebraska will be one of the favorites in the 71 kg freestyle bracket. Taylor, a 2019 Fargo 16U freestyle runner-up, is currently ranked No. 8 at 160 pounds. No. 14 at 145 pounds Levi Haines, a 2019 Fargo 16U fourth-place finisher in freestyle will be one of the top contenders to knock off Taylor. Haines is a three-time Pa. state finalist and a 2021 state champion. No. 13 at 152 pounds Aiden Riggins of Iowa will also be in the mix. Riggins was a 2019 UWW U15 Nationals freestyle runner-up. Washington’s Thor Michaelson is one of the top wrestlers entered in both brackets. Michaelson is a 2019 Fargo 16U All-American in freestyle and a 2021 Junior Folkstyle Nationals runner-up. He finished runner-up in Greco-Roman and sixth in freestyle at the 2019 UWW U15 Nationals.
The front runners in the 80 kg bracket are Oregon’s James Rowley and Georgia’s Gabe Arnold. Rowley is a 2019 U15 World bronze medalist in freestyle and currently No. 7 at 170 pounds. Arnold is a 2020 National Preps champion for Wyoming Seminary and ranked No. 2 at 170 pounds. Arnold is competing in both styles, while Rowley is only wrestling freestyle. Another top competitor in both styles is Ryder Rogotzke of Minnesota. He is a 2019 Fargo sixth-place finisher in Greco-Roman and a 2019 U15 Nationals place winner in both styles. Oregon’s Hayden Walters, who is currently No. 12 at 182 pounds, should also be in the mix in the freestyle bracket.
Minnesota’s Gavin Nelson, a 2019 Greco-Roman U15 World Team member and 2019 Fargo 16U champion, is only entered in the freestyle tournament as of right now. Nelson, who is ranked fifth nationally at 220 pounds, placed fifth in the 2019 16U Fargo freestyle bracket and third in the 2019 UWW U15 Nationals. 2020 New Jersey high school state champion, PJ Casale is signed up to wrestle both styles. He is ranked No. 4 in the country at 220 pounds. Iowa’s Ben Kueter is another wrestler to watch in the freestyle bracket. Ranked No. 12 at 195 pounds, Kueter is a 2021 Junior Folkstyle Nationals champion and a 2019 UWW U15 Nationals fourth-place finisher in freestyle.
Another New Jersey state champion, Jimmy Mullen will be one of the favorites at 100 kg. Mullen is ranked No. 3 at 285 pounds and is signed up for both styles. Wisconsin’s Koy Hopke is another contender in both brackets. Hopke is a 2021 16U Folkstyle Nationals champion and a 2019 14U Kids Nationals champion in freestyle and Greco-Roman.2019 Fargo 16U Greco-Roman All-American Leighton Jones is another wrestler to keep your eyes on in both styles.
Cadet World Team Trials run from Friday, April 23 through Sunday, April 25 and will be streamed live on FloWrestling.
Leading off at 45 kg, Bo Basset of Pennsylvania looks to be the front runner in the brackets. Basset is a six-time Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling state champion and a two-time Super 32 middle school champion. He is a 2019 14U USAW Kids Nationals champion in both freestyle and Greco-Roman and is registered to compete in both styles in Wisconsin.
A handful of wrestlers have the potential to challenge Bassett, including Mac Mauger of Idaho, also a 2019 14U Kids Nationals champion in freestyle and Greco-Roman. More recently, Mauger won the 2021 16U Folkstyle Nationals. He is also registered to compete in both styles. Edwin Sierra of Arizona is another wrestler to keep an eye on in both brackets. He is a 2021 Junior Folkstyle Nationals champion and 16U runner-up. 2019 14U Kids Freestyle Nationals champion Javaan Yarbrough of Ohio will also be in the mix in both styles.
At 48 kg, Aden Valencia of California, a 2019 U15 World champion in freestyle and Greco-Roman, will look to earn a spot on his first Cadet World Team in either freestyle or Greco. Last month, Valencia, who is ranked No. 2 in the country at 106 pounds by FloWrestling, won a title at the USAW High School National Recruiting Showcase. Elias Navida of California is one of the wrestlers poised to challenge Valencia. He is the 2019 UWW U15 Nationals Greco-Roman runner-up and also placed sixth in freestyle. Navida is currently only registered in freestyle. Another wrestler to watch in both styles is multiple-time Pa. Junior Wrestling state champion Nathan Desmond. Wisconsin’s Ben Bast, a 2019 Fargo 16U All-American in freestyle, is another wrestler of note in the freestyle bracket.
51 kg is loaded with top-tier competition, particularly in freestyle. 2019 Cadet World champion Marc-Anthony McGowan, the No. 1 wrestler in the country at 113 pounds, will look to make his second Cadet World Team in freestyle. The No. 3 ranked wrestler in the country Nathan Jesuroga will be one of the wrestlers looking to push McGowan. Jesuroga finished third at the UWW U15 Nationals in freestyle and is a 2019 14U Kids Folkstyle Nationals champion. 2020 Pa. high school state champion Vinny Kilkeary, who is currently ranked No. 7 in the country, is also registered for freestyle. Another Pa. stud signed up for freestyle is Dalton Perry, a multiple-time Pa. Junior Wrestling state champion and Super 32 middle school division champion.
Alan Koehler of Minnesota is a wrestler to watch in both the freestyle and Greco-Roman brackets. Koehler is a 2019 Fargo 16U finalist in freestyle and fourth-place finisher in Greco-Roman. 2019 U15 Greco-Roman World champion Paul Kelly of Arizona is another wrestler registered for both brackets. Kelly is a 2019 15U Pan Am champion in freestyle and Greco. He placed sixth in the 16U freestyle bracket in Fargo in 2019.
55 kg is an outrageously deep weight class. 2019 Cadet Greco-Roman Team member Cory Land of Alabama is registered in both styles. Land finished third earlier this month in the Junior division of Folkstyle Nationals. Another wrestler to watch in both styles is Sergio Lemley, a two-time time high school state champion (once in Illinois and once in Indiana). Lemley won the 2021 Folkstyle Junior Nationals earlier this month.
2019 16U Fargo freestyle runner up Mitchell Neiner of Washington is also registered in both styles. Neiner placed in both freestyle and Greco at the 2019 U15 Nationals. Oregon’s DJ Gillet, a 2019 Fargo 16U Greco-Roman third-place finisher, will compete in both freestyle and Greco as well. Gillet placed fourth in the Junior division of the 2021 Folkstyle Nationals. 2021 Junior Folkstyle Nationals runner-up Teegan Vasquez is another wrestler to look out for in both styles. Vasquez also placed in freestyle and Greco at the 2019 U15 Nationals. Missouri’s Zan Fugitt, who is ranked No. 9 at 113 pounds, also has the potential to contend for titles in both brackets.
Pa. state runner-up, freshman Mason Gibson, who is ranked fifth in the country at 120 pounds, is a hammer to watch in the freestyle division. Gibson, who won a Super 32 title in the high school division as an eighth grader in 2020, is a 2019 14U Kids Nationals champion in freestyle and Greco-Roman. 2019 Fargo 16U fourth-place finisher Grigor Cholokyan of California is another wrestler to watch in the freestyle bracket.
2019 U15 World bronze medalist Greyson Clark of Wisconsin will attempt to make his first Cadet Freestyle World Team at 60 kg. Clark is a 2019 Pan Am champion in freestyle and Greco, a 2019 Fargo 16U All-American in both styles and a 2021 Folkstyle Nationals champion. California’s Brock Bobzien, a 2018 Pan Am champion in freestyle and Greco, is a contender in both styles but particularly shines in Greco. Bobzien is a 2019 Fargo 16U Greco-Roman champion (he finished sixth in freestyle) and a 2019 U15 Nationals runner-up in Greco. Another wrestler with the potential to make deep runs in both styles is Pierson Manville. He is a 2021 Folkstyle Nationals 16U champion and a 2019 Kids Nationals 14U champion in both Freestyle and Greco. Manville also finished runner-up last month at the High School National Recruiting Showcase.
2021 Pa. high school state champ Tyler Kasak, who is ranked No. 18 at 126 pounds, has the potential to break through in the freestyle bracket. California’s Beau Mantanona, currently ranked No. 19 will also be a contender to make the freestyle team. Mantanona, a 2020 Preseason Nationals champion in the 9th and 10th grade division, was a 16U Fargo All-American in both styles. Arizona’s Emilio Ysaguirre is another wrestler to look for. He is currently slotted behind Kasak and Mantanona in the rankings at No. 20.
65 kg features a wealth of wrestlers with international experience. Ethan Stiles, Jayden Colon, Jadon Skellenger and Tyler Antoniak all competed on U15 World Teams. Stiles was a 2019 U15 World champion in freestyle, while Skellenger and Antoniak were U15 World champions in Greco-Roman. Colon placed fifth in freestyle and was a 2019 U15 Pan Am champion in freestyle and Greco. Skellenger, Antoniak and Colon are registered for both styles while Stiles is only competing in freestyle.
Another wrestler to look for in freestyle is Maryland’s Meyer Shapiro, a 2020 National Preps runner-up who is currently ranked No. 6 at 138 pounds. No. 20 Joey Blaze, a 2021 Ohio state champion, is another tough competitor in the freestyle bracket. No. 11 at 145 pounds, Kyle Dutton of Missouri, a 2019 Fargo 16U All-American in Greco-Roman should be in the mix in both styles.
2019 U15 World silver medalist Antrell Taylor of Nebraska will be one of the favorites in the 71 kg freestyle bracket. Taylor, a 2019 Fargo 16U freestyle runner-up, is currently ranked No. 8 at 160 pounds. No. 14 at 145 pounds Levi Haines, a 2019 Fargo 16U fourth-place finisher in freestyle will be one of the top contenders to knock off Taylor. Haines is a three-time Pa. state finalist and a 2021 state champion. No. 13 at 152 pounds Aiden Riggins of Iowa will also be in the mix. Riggins was a 2019 UWW U15 Nationals freestyle runner-up. Washington’s Thor Michaelson is one of the top wrestlers entered in both brackets. Michaelson is a 2019 Fargo 16U All-American in freestyle and a 2021 Junior Folkstyle Nationals runner-up. He finished runner-up in Greco-Roman and sixth in freestyle at the 2019 UWW U15 Nationals.
The front runners in the 80 kg bracket are Oregon’s James Rowley and Georgia’s Gabe Arnold. Rowley is a 2019 U15 World bronze medalist in freestyle and currently No. 7 at 170 pounds. Arnold is a 2020 National Preps champion for Wyoming Seminary and ranked No. 2 at 170 pounds. Arnold is competing in both styles, while Rowley is only wrestling freestyle. Another top competitor in both styles is Ryder Rogotzke of Minnesota. He is a 2019 Fargo sixth-place finisher in Greco-Roman and a 2019 U15 Nationals place winner in both styles. Oregon’s Hayden Walters, who is currently No. 12 at 182 pounds, should also be in the mix in the freestyle bracket.
Minnesota’s Gavin Nelson, a 2019 Greco-Roman U15 World Team member and 2019 Fargo 16U champion, is only entered in the freestyle tournament as of right now. Nelson, who is ranked fifth nationally at 220 pounds, placed fifth in the 2019 16U Fargo freestyle bracket and third in the 2019 UWW U15 Nationals. 2020 New Jersey high school state champion, PJ Casale is signed up to wrestle both styles. He is ranked No. 4 in the country at 220 pounds. Iowa’s Ben Kueter is another wrestler to watch in the freestyle bracket. Ranked No. 12 at 195 pounds, Kueter is a 2021 Junior Folkstyle Nationals champion and a 2019 UWW U15 Nationals fourth-place finisher in freestyle.
Another New Jersey state champion, Jimmy Mullen will be one of the favorites at 100 kg. Mullen is ranked No. 3 at 285 pounds and is signed up for both styles. Wisconsin’s Koy Hopke is another contender in both brackets. Hopke is a 2021 16U Folkstyle Nationals champion and a 2019 14U Kids Nationals champion in freestyle and Greco-Roman.2019 Fargo 16U Greco-Roman All-American Leighton Jones is another wrestler to keep your eyes on in both styles.
Cadet World Team Trials run from Friday, April 23 through Sunday, April 25 and will be streamed live on FloWrestling.