U20 Greco-Roman World Team members named in Geneva, Ohio

Jonathan Gurule after making the U20 World Team. Photo by Sam Janicki 

U20 Greco-Roman World Team Trials took place today at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. Athletes competed in a challenge tournament to meet the U.S. Open champs, who had an automatic finals bid, in a best-of-three series finals. All series winners are awarded a spot on the 2022 U20 Team and have earned the chance to represent the United States at the 2022 UWW World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria (August 15-21).
Greco-Roman best-of-three finals recap:


55 kg

At 55 kg, Jakason Burks of the MWC Wrestling Academy teched his way through the 2022 U.S. Open to take a seat in the World Team Trial finals. Joining him in the best-of-three series tonight was Jonathan Gurule of the NMU-National Training Center. The series started with a passivity call on Burks and Gurule took a 1-0 lead. From the par terre position Gurule ended the match with back-to-back four-point lifts and a 9-0 technical fall. Match two started off similarly, but this time, with both guys being awarded passivity points. Tied at one in the second period, Gurule went back to the same lift on top in par terre and ended the match and the series by a score of 5-1. Gurule was crowned the 55 kg champion and U20 Greco-Roman World Team member.
60 kg

NMU-National Training Center's Max Black, competed in both the U20 and U23 Greco-Roman divisions today. Though he fell short in the U23 finals, he was victorious in claiming the U20 World Team spot at 60 kg. Black matched up with Maryland’s Joseph Couch in the U20 finals. In the first match of the series Black took an early 2-0 lead before both guys exchanged four-point throws to end the first period 6-4 in favor of Black. Couch evened the score with a two-point takedown in the second period. Black finished the match with a four-point throw, two gut wrenches and a 14-6 technical fall. Black started the second meeting with a two-point takedown in the first period and finished the match with a passivity point and two more takedowns to leave Ohio with a 7-0 decision and the World Team spot at 60 kg.
63 kg
Haiden Drury of Brunson UVRTC held a finals bid at 63 kg where he met Pennsylvania’s Pierson Manville. Manville took an early lead in the first match with a two-point takedown, but Drury soon countered with a four-point throw and the lead headed into the second period. Both wrestlers were awarded one point each in match two, but Drury ended with the win by decision 5-3. In the second match, Manville jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after a passivity point and a two-point turn while on top in par terre. However, the second period and World Team Spot at 63 kg would be Drury’s to claim after two takedowns and a pushout point propelled him to a 6-3 decision.
67 kg
At 67 kg, Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club’s Robert Perez III, 2019 U17 World Team member, awaited Hunter Garvin of Big Game Wrestling Club. The two wrestled in the finals of the U.S. Open where Perez came out on top, and the result was the same today. Perez wasted no time in match one with a throw and an early 4-0 lead. The rest of the period remained scoreless, however, Perez was granted a passivity point in the second period to go on top in par terre where he would turn Garvin for two and gain an eventual 7-0 victory. During match two, both wrestlers received passivity points and cautions to even the score at two points apiece. Later in the match, Perez was granted four more caution points that helped him secure a 6-2 decision over Garvin and the U20 67kg World Team spot.
72 kg
Richard Fedalen of Warhawks Wrestling at 72 kg faced Braden Stauffenberg of Illinois. Fedalen took an early lead in match one after being granted a passivity point and soon after extended the lead 5-0 after two consecutive gut wrenches on top in par terre. Fedalen then locked up a two-point takedown and pushout point in the second period to win the match by technical fall 8-0. Match two also belonged to Fedalen as he earned a pushout point, passivity point and ended the period with a four-point lift. The match concluded by a final score of 6-0 with no points scored in the second period and Richard Fedalen was crowned the 72 kg U20 Greco-Roman World Team member.
77 kg

The 77 kg U.S. Open Champion was Manuel Gaiton, however he did not register to challenge for the World Team spot. Therefore, the two challenge tournament finalists Payton Jacobson of Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club and Jared Stricker of Wisconsin advanced to the best-of-three series after finishing at the top of their round-robin challenge tournament bracket. The first match between the two was wrestled in round one of the round-robin bracket where Jacobson was awarded five pushout points in the first period taking a 5-0 lead. In the second period, Stricker was able to claim a pushout point for himself, but Jacobsen ran away with the lead after two more pushouts and an arm drag secured him the match by technical fall 9-1. The two met again in the final series where Jacobsen hit an early arm spin and quick takedown that gave him a four-point lead. Seconds later a four-point lift ended the match with Payton Jacobsen winning by technical fall 8-0 and capturing a place in the U20 World Team lineup.
82 kg
At 82 kg, Michael Altomer of West Point Wrestling Club faced Elite Wrestling Academy’s Adrian Artsisheuskiy. Artsisheuskiy took a 3-0 lead after a passivity point and gut wrench. Soon after, Artsisheuskiy found himself with a two-point takedown and consecutive gut-wrenches to propel himself to an 8-0 technical fall. Match two mirrored the result after an arm spin takedown led to a gut wrench series that ended the match by technical fall 8-0. Adrian Artsisheuskiy was named the World Team member at 82 kg.


87 kg
Kodiak Stephens of Beaver Dam Wrestling Regional Training Center was named a back-to-back World Team member at 87 kg after defeating Tyler Hannah of Combat W.C. School of Wrestling. In match one, the first period ended with Stephens taking a 2-1 lead after earning a two-point takedown. In the second period, Stephens extended his lead after receiving two points on a caution call. Soon after, both athletes exchanged takedowns, but Stephens had the final say finishing off the match with a two-point throw and the 6-3 final decision. The second match began with a passivity point awarded to Stephens, but Hannah took the lead 2-1 in period two. However, Stephens secured back-to-back takedowns and locked up the match by a 5-2 decision to continue his reign in the 87 kg World Team spot.


97 kg
Robert Plympton of Oregon sat in the finals spot at 97 kg where he met Indiana’s Christian Carroll. Carroll wasted no time in match one with a 38-second technical fall after an arm drag led to a gut wrench series that ended the match 8-0. The second match wasn’t much different, only taking Carroll one takedown and a few gut wrenches to establish himself as the 97kg World Team member after an 8-0 technical fall.


130 kg
At 130 kg, Aden Attao of Suples Wrestling Club, took on Gladiator Wrestling Club’s Gary Powell in a best-of-three series. Attao ended match one early after a headlock led to a pin in 52-seconds. Attao started the second match with a four-point takedown and later three more takedowns that eventually led to another first-period pin and his spot as a World Team member.
2022 U20 Greco-Roman World Team members
55kg – Jonathan Gurule ((NMU-National Training Center)
60 kg – Max Black (NMU-National Training Center)
63 kg – Haiden Drury (Brunson UVRTC)
67 kg – Robert Perez III (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club)
72 kg – Richard Fedalen (Warhawks Wrestling)
77 kg – Payton Jacobson (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club)
82 kg – Adrian Artsisheuskiy (Elite Wrestling Academy)
87 kg – Kodiak Stephens (Beaver Dam Wrestling RTC)
97 kg – Christian Carroll (Indiana)
130 kg – Aden Attao (Suples Wrestling Club)


Event Schedule:

Saturday, June 4th
Session 1: Freestyle
U20 FS World Team Trials - Challenge Tournament - Preliminaries, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Finals & Consolations
9:30 AM - 2:30 PM
U23 (Men) FS Preliminaries and Consolations
9:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Session 2: Freestyle:
U20 FS World Team Trials Challenge Tournament Consolations, All Medal Matches, and FINAL WTT Best 2 out of 3 finals
4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
U23 (Men) FS Preliminaries and Consolations
4:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Sunday, June 5th
Session 3: Freestyle
U23 (Men) FS Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Consolations, All Medal Matches, and Best 2 out of 3 Finals
10:00 AM to 3:30 PM

The action will be streamed live on FloWrestling
For more details on this event visit USA Wrestling Events