Four returning champs aim to repeat, finals set for Junior Greco-Roman Championships

Photo: Idaho's Aden Attao in the semifinals of the 2023 USMC Junior Greco-Roman National Championships. (Andrea Jones/MatFocus.com)

FARGO, N.D.—The 2023 Junior Greco-Roman National Championship finals are set as the competition continued through Saturday morning. All four defending champions at the USMC Junior Greco-Roman National Championships that reached the quarterfinals will compete in the final match in hopes of winning back-to-back Fargo crowns.

Defending champion Mack Mauger of Idaho reached the finals after defeating Lawson Eller of Minnesota in the semifinals by 9-1 technical fall. Mauger, who won the Greco-Roman title twice previously in both the 16U and Junior divisions, will face Kody Tanimoto of Texas in the final later this evening. Tanimoto is a Fargo All-American, having placed fifth in the tournament in 2022.

At 132 pounds, it took Otto Black of Colorado less than a minute to navigate his way back to the finals. Black, a returning champion, meets Zan Fugitt of Missouri in the finals. Fugitt placed third and earned All-American honors in the 16U Greco-Roman championships in 2021.

It's an all-Illinois matchup for the finals at 145 pounds as Kannon Webster faces Noah Manuel Tapia. Webster, defending national champion in 2022, won the Junior freestyle title earlier this week. He is a five-time Fargo All-American and ensured himself a high spot on the podium with his semifinal victory against Gabriel Bouyssou of Rhode Island. Tapia placed third in Greco-Roman competition at the 16U National Championships in 2021 and bested Garrett Reece of Colorado in a 9-0 technical fall semifinal.

The final returning champion, Aden Attao of Idaho, won his semifinal match by 11-2 technical fall against Connor Aney of Washington. Attao entered the tournament with high accolades, as he is a U20 World bronze medalist in Greco-Roman and will return to the U20 World Championships later this year. He adds a gold medal win at the U20 Pan-American Championships held last week in Santiago, Chile.

The matchup at 152 pounds features two athletes with a long list of achievements. Joel Adams of Nebraska enters the finals as the most accomplished athlete in the Greco-Roman competition of this year’s championships as he won a U17 Greco-Roman World title last summer in Rome, Italy. Adams used a 9-0 technical fall in the quarterfinals and pinned his opponent in the semifinal round to punch his ticket to the finals. Jadon Skellenger of Idaho was the runner up at 160 pounds in 2022 and found his way back to the finals with four technical falls and one decision through the tournament. Skellenger earned a gold medal at the U20 Pan American Championships last week and won the U20 Greco-Roman event at the 2023 U.S. Open in April.

The final matchup at 100 pounds will see Caden Correll of Illinois match up against Mayson Brayfield of Missouri. Correll placed sixth in the 16U freestyle tournament earlier this week and is competing in the Junior division for Greco-Roman. His opponent Brayfield is a Fargo All-American after placing in the 16U Greco-Roman tournament in 2022.

Tate Naaktgeboren of Iowa join’s Webster as the only two Junior freestyle champions entered in the Greco-Roman field. He reached the 182-pound finals with two technical falls in the morning session of the second day of Greco-Roman competition. Naaktgeboren, the runner-up at the U20 Greco-Roman World Team Trials this year, is set to face Franklin Ordonez-Fernandez of Florida in the finals.

In other weights, Cadyn Coyle of Nebraska will face Ezekiel Witt of Kansas in the finals at 106 pounds.

The 120-pound finals match will see Elyle Francisco of Alaska take on Ryker Graff of Iowa. Francisco aims to be the 17th Junior Greco-Roman champion for Alaska while Graff was the runner up in the 16U Greco-Roman tournament in 2022.

At 126 pounds, Isaiah Cortez of California matches up against Rhett Peak of Oklahoma. Cortez finished third in the 16U Greco-Roman tournament in 2022 and Peak hopes to be Oklahoma’s first champion in Junior Greco-Roman since 2018.

Landon Drury of Colorado and Isaiah Powe of Alabama will wrestle in the finals at 138 pounds. Drury won the U20 World Team Trials in Greco-Roman and will compete at the U20 World Championships in Amman, Jordan, next month. His opponent, Powe, hopes to be Alabama’s first-ever champion in Junior Greco-Roman competition.

The final at 160 pounds features Ashton Miess of Wisconsin and Leandro Araujo of North Dakota. Miess earned All-American honors in 2021, placing seventh at 138 pounds. Arajuo, North Dakota’s most recent All-American, is aiming to be North Dakota’s first champion in Junior Greco-Roman in seven years.

At 170 pounds, Tyler Secoy of Georgia meets Nicholas Fox of Iowa in the finals. Secoy is an All-American in men’s freestyle and Fox is a two-time Greco-Roman and two-time men’s freestyle All-American.

It’s another single-state matchup at 195 pounds as Joey Novak takes on Cittadino Tuttle, both wrestling for Team Minnesota. Novak earned All-American honors earlier this week with a third-place finish in Junior men’s freestyle. Tuttle finished sixth in the 2022 16U National Championships and aims for the title in Greco-Roman this year.

Sawyer Bartelt of Florida takes on Oscar Williams of Oklahoma in the 220-pound final. Bartelt won the event in the 16U division in 2021 and placed fifth in 2022. He is also a two-time All-American in men’s freestyle. He meets Williams, a 2021 16U Greco-Roman champion, in the finals.

In the team race, Idaho is leading the field with 117 points as they have four athletes in the finals. Iowa follows in second with 95 points and Illinois has totaled 80, with both states sending three to the finals. Oklahoma sits fourth in the standings with 70 points and two finalists. California rounds out the top five with 66 points and one finalist.

There will not be a USA Wrestling Triple Crown winner in the Junior division in 2023 as Wisconsin’s Koy Hopke was the only athlete eligible for the award. He elected not to enter the Greco-Roman field this weekend.

The USMC Junior Greco-Roman National Championships will continue at 3 p.m. (CT), starting with the consolation and medal matches. The championship finals are set for 6 p.m.

A live broadcast of the event and archived matches can be found on FloWrestling.com. A FloWrestling subscription is required to watch the event. Brackets and up-to-date results are available on FloArena.

2023 USMC Junior Greco-Roman Nationals
At Fargo, N.D., July 21-22

Finals Pairings
100 – Caden Correll (Illinois) vs. Mason Brayfield (Missouri)
106 – Cadyn Coyle (Nebraska) vs. Ezekiel Witt (Kansas)
113 – Mack Mauger (Idaho) vs. Kody Tanimoto (Texas)
120 – Elyle Francisco (Alaska) vs. Ryker Graff (Iowa)
126 – Isaiah Cortez (California) vs. Rhett Peak (Oklahoma)
132 – Otto Black (Colorado) vs. Zan Fugitt (Missouri)
138 – Landon Drury (Colorado) vs. Isaiah Powe (Alabama)
145 – Kannon Webster (Illinois) vs. Noah Manuel Tapia (Illinois)
152 – Jadon Skellenger (Idaho) vs. Joel Adams (Nebraska)
160 – Ashton Miess (Wisconsin) vs. Leandro Araujo (North Dakota)
170 – Tyler Secoy (Georgia) vs. Nicholas Fox (Iowa)
182 – Tate Naaktgeboren (Iowa) vs. Franklin Ordonez-Fernandez (Florida)
195 – Joey Novak (Minnesota) vs. Cittadino Tuttle (Minnesota)
220 – Sawyer Bartelt (Florida) vs. Oscar Williams (Oklahoma)
285 – Aden Attao (Idaho) vs. Shilo Jones (Idaho)

Semifinal Results

100 pounds
Caden Correll (Illinois) tech. fall Kaison Schreier (Missouri), 15-7 4:30
Mason Brayfield (Missouri) tech. fall Hunter Anderson (Idaho), 8-0 3:53

106 pounds
Cadyn Coyle (Nebraska) dec. Kiyan Simon (Alabama), 8-2
Ezekiel Witt (Kansas) tech. fall Isaac Stewart (Montana), 19-9 5:19

113 pounds
Mack Mauger (Idaho) tech. fall Lawson Eller (Minnesota), 9-1 4:07
Kody Tanimoto (Texas) tech. fall Brayten Casey (Wisconsin), 8-0 2:54

120 pounds
Elyle Francisco (Alaska) tech. fall Musa Tamaradze (Massachusetts), 9-0 2:01
Ryker Graff (Iowa) dec. Isaac Hampton (Oregon), 6-5

126 pounds
Isaiah Cortez (California) dec. Massey Odiotti (Illinois), 11-6
Rhett Peak (Oklahoma) tech. fall Layne Kleimann (Utah), 9-0 2:21

132 pounds
Otto Black (Colorado) tech. fall Gable Porter (Iowa), 8-0 0:55
Zan Fugitt (Missouri) pin Matthew Beem (Iowa), 10-3 4:19

138 pounds
Landon Drury (Colorado) dec. Maksym Chubenko (Ohio), 6-2
Isaiah Powe (Alabama) dec. Kane Naaktgeboren (Iowa), 17-14

145 pounds
Kannon Webster (Illinois) dec. Gabriel Bouyssou (Rhode Island), 7-6
Noah Manuel Tapia (Illinois) tech. fall Garrett Reece (Colorado), 9-0 3:36

152 pounds
Jadon Skellenger (Idaho) tech. fall Owen Hicks (New York), 8-0 2:42
Joel Adams (Nebraska) pin Aliaksandr Kikiniou (California), 4-2 2:22

160 pounds
Ashton Miess (Wisconsin) dec. Benjamin Smith (Maryland), 4-0
Leandro Araujo (North Dakota) dec. Brett Back (Wisconsin), 5-1

170 pounds
Tyler Secoy (Georgia) dec. Deontre Buttram (Oklahoma), 14-13
Nicholas Fox (Iowa) pin Angelo Posada (California), 8-0 1:16

182 pounds
Tate Naaktgeboren (Iowa) tech. fall Brayden Gautreau (Michigan), 11-3 4:31
Franklin Ordonez-Fernandez (Florida) dec. De'alcapon Veazy (Indiana), 2-2

195 pounds
Joey Novak (Minnesota) pin Kingsley Menifee (Virginia), 4-0 1:12
Cittadino Tuttle (Minnesota) dec. Karson Tompkins (Texas), 4-1

220 pounds
Sawyer Bartelt (Florida) dec. Jared Thiry (Iowa), 6-0
Oscar Williams (Oklahoma) pin Coby Merrill (California), 5-2 1:46

285 pounds
Aden Attao (Idaho) tech. fall Connor Aney (Washington), 11-2 2:43
Shilo Jones (Idaho) tech. fall Cameron Geuther (Iowa), 11-3 4:51

Quarterfinal Results

100 pounds
Caden Correll (Illinois) tech. fall Caden Smith (Virginia), 15-6 5:31
Kaison Schreier (Missouri) disq. Brady Byrd (Indiana), 14-2 cautions
Hunter Anderson (Idaho) tech. fall Alexander Diaz (Pennsylvania), 8-0 0:47
Mason Brayfield (Missouri) pin Damian Trujillo (New Mexico), 2:53

106 pounds
Cadyn Coyle (Nebraska) pin Taye Jordan (Iowa), 7-2 1:26
Kiyan Simon (Alabama) dec. Hunter Sanchez (Utah), 5-5
Ezekiel Witt (Kansas) pin Malachi Ortiz (Florida), 9-7 5:37
Isaac Stewart (Montana) tech. fall Erik Egstad (Missouri), 11-0 1:26

113 pounds
Mack Mauger (Idaho) tech. fall Revin Dickman (Indiana), 8-0 1:15
Lawson Eller (Minnesota) tech. fall Lander Bosh (Utah), 10-2 2:50
Kody Tanimoto (Texas) dec. Davis Motyka (Pennsylvania), 7-1
Brayten Casey (Wisconsin) tech. fall Nathan Rioux (Indiana), 8-0 1:15

120 pounds
Musa Tamaradze (Massachusetts) tech. fall Giovanni Martinez Chavez (Arizona), 8-0 0:35
Elyle Francisco (Alaska) tech. fall Robert Jones (California), 9-0 2:36
Isaac Hampton (Oregon) tech. fall Weston Pisarchick (Pennsylvania), 11-2 0:58
Ryker Graff (Iowa) dec. Charles Meudt (Wisconsin), 10-9

126 pounds
Isaiah Cortez (California) tech. fall Kolter Burton (Idaho), 8-0 1:05
Massey Odiotti (Illinois) dec. Miles Anderson (Nebraska), 5-2
Layne Kleimann (Utah) tech. fall Hoyt Hvass (Idaho), 9-0 2:13
Rhett Peak (Oklahoma) dec. Billy Townson (California), 6-4

132 pounds
Otto Black (Colorado) dec. Elijah Cortez (California), 4-0
Gable Porter (Iowa) pin Carter Nogle (Maryland), 5:08
Matthew Beem (Iowa) tech. fall Elias Navida (California), 9-0 1:09
Zan Fugitt (Missouri) dec. Dmytro Chubenko (Ohio), 4-1

138 pounds
Landon Drury (Colorado) tech. fall Maddox Khalimsky (Illinois), 8-0 4:26
Maksym Chubenko (Ohio) pin Paul Kelly (California), 0:30
Kane Naaktgeboren (Iowa) tech. fall Charles Curtis (Ohio), 9-0 1:53
Isaiah Powe (Alabama) tech. fall Tanner Frothinger (Idaho), 14-6 5:51

145 pounds
Kannon Webster (Illinois) dec. Brady Collins (Colorado), 14-13
Gabriel Bouyssou (Rhode Island) tech. fall Daniel Zepeda (California), 8-0 0:26
Garrett Reece (Colorado) dec. Pierson Manville (Pennsylvania), 5-5
Noah manuel Tapia (Illinois) tech. fall Ayson Rice (South Dakota), 9-0 0:53

152 pounds
Jadon Skellenger (Idaho) tech. fall Laird Root (California), 11-2 3:45
Owen Hicks (New York) tech. fall Tj Schierl (Wisconsin), 10-1 4:33
Aliaksandr Kikiniou (California) dec. Kellen Smith (Iowa), 6-0
Joel Adams (Nebraska) dec. Casper Stewart (New York), 9-6

160 pounds
Benjamin Smith (Maryland) tech. fall Patrick Brackett (Colorado), 8-0 6:00
Ashton Miess (Wisconsin) dec. Thor Michaelson (Washington), 7-2
Leandro (lj) Araujo (North Dakota) pin Kale Roth (Wisconsin), 10-0 3:41
Brett Back (Wisconsin) pin Tristin Greene (Ohio), 8-1 1:26

170 pounds
Deontre Buttram (Oklahoma) tech. fall Caden Young (Wisconsin), 8-0 2:21
Tyler Secoy (Georgia) dec. Gavin Ricketts (Kentucky), 9-8
Nicholas Fox (Iowa) tech. fall Dominic Bambinelli (Georgia), 9-1 4:07
Angelo Posada (California) dec. Adam Waters (Pennsylvania), 9-8

182 pounds
Tate Naaktgeboren (Iowa) tech. fall Aidan Squier (New Jersey), 8-0 3:42
Brayden Gautreau (Michigan) tech. fall Cole Han-lindemyer (Minnesota), 8-0 2:38
Franklin Ordonez-Fernandez (Florida) tech. fall Isaiah Twait (Idaho), 10-0 3:48
De'alcapon Veazy (Indiana) tech. fall Thomas Sandoval (California), 11-0 0:47

195 pounds
Joey Novak (Minnesota) tech. fall Hunter Sonnenberg (Washington), 16-8 2:21
Kingsley Menifee (Virginia) tech. fall Aiden Hight (Pennsylvania), 14-4 5:07
Cittadino Tuttle (Minnesota) dec. Sean Carroll (Kansas), 5-3
Karson Tompkins (Texas) tech. fall Quinlan Morgan (Minnesota), 8-0 1:08

220 pounds
Sawyer Bartelt (Florida) tech. fall Nick Nosler (Illinois), 9-0 1:58
Jared Thiry (Iowa) dec. Brennan Carey (Missouri), 11-5
Oscar Williams (Oklahoma) pin Noah Wenzel (Illinois), 4-2 1:37
Coby Merrill (California) tech. fall Bronx Wood (Kansas), 9-0 1:25

285 pounds
Aden Attao (Idaho) tech. fall Richard Thomas (Oklahoma), 9-0 1:30
Connor Aney (Washington) pin Cameron Groncki (New York), 1:01
Shilo Jones (Idaho) tech. fall Wyatt Schmitt (Illinois), 8-0 3:43
Cameron Geuther (Iowa) dec. Navarro Schunke (South Dakota), 7-6

Top Ten Current Team Standings

1. Idaho (117)
2. Iowa (95)
3. Illinois (80)
4. Oklahoma (70)
5. California (66)
6. Minnesota (65)
7. Colorado (63)
8. Wisconsin (54)
9. Missouri (47)
10. Florida (42 )