Macchiavello, Fishback, Gwiazdowski, Stemmet at Ziolkowski Memorial. Photo by Joe Russell.

Photo: U.S. men’s freestyle medalists on day one of the Waclaw Ziolkowski Memorial—Michael Macchiavello, Dylan Fishback, Nick Gwiazdowski and Nikolas Stemmet. (Joe Russell/USA Wrestling)

WARSAW, Poland – The U.S. picked up five medals on Saturday across the women’s freestyle Poland Open and men’s freestyle Waclaw Ziolkowski Memorial, highlighted by a gold medal performance from heavyweight staple Nick Gwiazdowski.

The two-time World bronze medalist from Raleigh, N.C., went an impressive 3-0 on the day to claim the 125 kg gold medal. He pulled away in the final minute to defeat current European bronze medalist Giorgi Meshvildishvili of Azerbaijan in the finals, 9-2.

Gwiazdowski scored the only points in the opening frame against Meshvildishvili, leading 2-0 at the break. The Azerbaijani took the lead on criteria, 2-2, halfway through the second period after picking up a takedown of his own. The pivotal sequence of the match came with 58-seconds remaining as Gwiazdowski countered a shot from Meshvildishvili, popping a chest wrap through out-of-bounds to reclaim the lead, 4-2. It was all Gwiazdowski in the final minute as he countered multiple attacks to take the seven-point decision.

His other wins came 6-1 against longtime grappler Robert Baran, who is a two-time medalist on the World Military stage and five-time Senior World Team representative for Poland, and by fall over Bulgaria’s Islam Adizov.

The only other American finalist came on the women’s freestyle side, with Yelena Makoyed picking up a silver medal at 76 kg. The three-time NCWWC national champion for North Central College and inaugural winner of the USA Wrestling Women’s College Wrestler of the Year posted a 2-1 record on the day as the only woman competing for the U.S.

Makoyed was in firm control of her finals bout at the break, leading Genesis Reasco Valdez of Ecuador, 3-0. After trading takedowns in the second period, it appeared Makoyed would hold on to a well-earned 5-3 win over a wrestler who finished in fifth place at last year’s World Championships. However, Reasco Valdez blasted Makoyed to her back in the waning moments of the match, securing a fall to steal the gold.

With Makoyed’s silver medal in tow, the U.S. women’s delegation finished in fifth place in the team standings. Maya Letona was the only other U.S. woman to medal, earning bronze at 65 kg on Friday.

The U.S. picked up bronze medals from three men’s freestyle competitors.

Pan-American champion and current No. 2 on the U.S. National Team Michael Macchiavello posted three technical fall wins on his way to the 92 kg bronze medal. He looked sharp in an 11-0 bronze medal match win over Nazar Dod of Ukraine. Macchiavello picked up a trio of takedowns, a neutral exposure, a gutwrench, and a step out point in the decisive win.

Claiming the second bronze medal at 92 kg was American Nikolas Stemmet, who was this year’s U23 Nationals champion. Stemmet held firm in a 7-5 decision against Hungary’s Balazs Juhasz, scoring the winning takedown in the final minute of the bout.

Fellow U23 Nationals champion Dylan Fishback earned a bronze medal for the U.S. at 86 kg. He went 3-1 on the day, capping off his medal run with a stifling 8-0 win over World bronze medalist and 2020 Olympian Stefan Reichmuth of Switzerland.

U.S. Open place winner Morgan Smith came up one win short of a medal at 97 kg. He went 2-2 during the competition, taking an 11-0 loss to past U20 World silver medalist Erik Thiele of Germany in the bronze medal round.

The competition in Warsaw will wrap up on Sunday with the remaining six men’s freestyle weight classes, where 11 American athletes are slated to compete. The action will begin at 11 a.m. local time with the finals scheduled for 6 p.m. Warsaw, Poland, is in the GMT +2 time zone, six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time.

A live stream of the tournament is being provided on the SportZona YouTube channel. Complete results are available on SportZona.pl.

Poland Open (WFS) and Waclaw Ziolkowski Memorial (MFS)
At Warsaw, Poland, July 29

Quick Links

Live stream: SportZona YouTube

Results: SportZona.pl

Women’s Freestyle Results

Team Standings

1. Poland, 89

2. Kazakhstan, 62

3. Canada, 60

4. Germany, 53

5. United States, 33

6. Hungary, 29

6. France, 29

8. Bulgaria, 27

8. Ukraine, 27

10. Ecuador, 20

72 kg

Gold – Kendra Dacher (France)

Silver – Anastassiya Panassovich (Kazakhstan)

Bronze – Olha Shchebetiuk Koroltchuk (Ukraine)

4^th – Faith Telford (Canada)

5^th – Patrycja Sperka (Poland)

Round 1 – Anastassiya Panassovich (Kazakhstan) dec. Faith Telford (Canada), 6-0

Round 1 – Olha Shchebetiuk Koroltchuk (Ukraine) dec. Patrycja Sperka (Poland), 7-1

Round 2 – Kendra Dacher (France) tech. fall Faith Telford (Canada), 10-0

Round 2 – Anastassiya Panassovich (Kazakhstan) forfeit Patrycja Sperka (Poland)

Round 3 – Olha Shchebetiuk Koroltchuk (Ukraine) fall Faith Telford (Canada)

Round 3 – Kendra Dacher (France) fall Anastassiya Panassovich (Kazakhstan)

Round 4 – Faith Telford (Canada) forfeit Patrycja Sperka (Poland)

Round 4 – Kendra Dacher (France) tech. fall Olha Shchebetiuk Koroltchuk (Ukraine), 12-0

Round 5 – Anastassiya Panassovich (Kazakhstan) dec. Olha Shchebetiuk Koroltchuk (Ukraine), 3-1

Round 5 – Kendra Dacher (France) forfeit Patrycja Sperka (Poland)

76 kg

Gold – Genesis Reasco Valdez (Ecuador)

Silver – Yelena Makoyed (United States)

Bronze – Taylor Follensbee (Canada)

Bronze – Francy Raedelt (Germany)

5^th – Inkara Zhanatayeva (Kazakhstan)

5^th– Kamile Guacaite (Lithuania)

7^th – Fanni Nagy Nad (Serbia)

8^th – Linda Machuca (Argentina)

9^th – Cynthia Vescan (France)

9^th – Marion Bye (Norway)

Gold – Genesis Reasco Valdez (Ecuador) fall Yelena Makoyed (United States)

Bronze – Taylor Follensbee (Canada) fall Kamile Guacaite (Lithuania)

Bronze – Francy Raedelt (Germany) fall Inkara Zhanatayeva (Kazakhstan)

U.S. Women’s Freestyle Results
76 kg – Yelena Makoyed (Orangevale, Calif./Cardinal WC), silver medal

WIN Cynthia Vescan (France), 8-2

WIN Francy Raedelt (Germany), fall

LOSS Genesis Reasco Valdez (Ecuador), fall

Men’s Freestyle Results

Current Team Standings

1. Poland, 75

2. United States, 40

3. Azerbaijan, 19

4. Georgia, 18

5. Bulgaria, 17

6. Germany, 14

7. Switzerland, 12

8. Hungary, 11

9. Ukraine, 6

10. Lithuania, 5

86 kg

Gold – Sebastian Jezierzański (Poland)

Silver – Krzysztof Sadowik (Poland)

Bronze – Dylan Fishback (United States)

Bronze – Cezary Sadowski (Poland)

5^th – Stefan Reichmuth (Switzerland)

5^th – Daviti Koguashvili (Georgia)

7^th – Tamaz Nikoleishvili (Georgia)

8^th – Domantas Pauliuscenko (Lithuania)

9^th – Patrik Puespoeki (Hungary)

9^th – Uri Kalashnikov (Israel)

Gold – Sebastian Jezierzański (Poland) dec. Krzysztof Sadowik (Poland), 3-2

Bronze – Dylan Fishback (United States) dec. Stefan Reichmuth (Switzerland), 8-0

Bronze – Cezary Sadowski (Poland) dec. Daviti Koguashvili (Georgia), 10-1

92 kg

Gold – Osman Nurmagomedov (Azerbaijan)

Silver – Michal Bielawski (Poland)

Bronze – Michael Macchiavello (United States)

Bronze – Nikolas Stemmet (United States)

5^th – Nazar Dod (Ukraine)

5^th – Balazs Juhasz (Hungary)

7^th – Filip Rogut (Poland)

Gold – Osman Nurmagomedov (Azerbaijan) tech. fall Michal Bielawski (Poland), 10-0

Bronze – Michael Macchiavello (United States) tech. fall Nazar Dod (Ukraine), 11-0

Bronze – Nikolas Stemmet (United States) dec. Balazs Juhasz (Hungary), 7-5

97 kg

Gold – Zbigniew Baranowski (Poland)

Silver – Radoslaw Baran (Poland)

Bronze – Ahmed Bataev (Bulgaria)

Bronze – Erik Thiele (Germany)

5^th – Samuel Scherrer (Switzerland)

5^th – Morgan Smith (United States)

7^th – Saba Gamtenadze (Georgia)

8^th – Richard Vegh (Hungary)

9^th – Lukas Krasauskas (Lithuania)

10^th – Ricardo Baez (Argentina)

Gold – Zbigniew Baranowski (Poland) dec. Radoslaw Baran (Poland), 5-1

Bronze – Ahmed Bataev (Bulgaria) forfeit Samuel Scherrer (Switzerland)

Bronze – Erik Thiele (Germany) tech. fall Morgan Smith (United States), 11-0

125 kg

Gold – Nick Gwiazdowski (United States)

Silver – Giorgi Meshvildishvili (Azerbaijan)

Bronze – Kamil Kościółek (Poland)

Bronze – Robert Baran (Poland)

5^th – Gennadij Cudinovic (Germany)

5^th – Georgi Ivanov (Bulgaria)

7^th – Giga Shavadze (Georgia)

8^th – Islam Adizov (Bulgaria)

Gold – Nick Gwiazdowski (United States) dec. Giorgi Meshvildishvili (Azerbaijan), 9-2

Bronze – Kamil Kościółek (Poland) forfeit Gennadij Cudinovic (Germany)

Bronze – Robert Baran (Poland) tech. fall Georgi Ivanov (Bulgaria), 10-0

U.S. Men’s Freestyle Results

86 kg – Dylan Fishback (Aurora, Ohio/Wolfpack WC/Titan Mercury WC), bronze medal

WIN Domantas Pauliuscenko (Lithuania), tech. fall, 11-0

WIN Cezary Sadowski (Poland), 7-6

LOSS Sebastian Jezierzański (Poland), 5-1

WIN Stefan Reichmuth (Switzerland), 8-0

86 kg – Braden Thompson (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC), dnp

LOSS Daviti Koguashvili (Georgia), 7-2

LOSS Tamaz Nikoleishvili (Georgia), 4-2

92 kg – Nikolas Stemmet (Yorkville, Ill./California RTC), bronze medal

LOSS Michael Macchiavello (United States), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN Filip Rogut (Poland), 10-4

LOSS Osman Nurmagomedov (Azerbaijan), tech. fall, 11-0

WIN Balazs Juhasz (Hungary), 7-5

92 kg – Michael Macchiavello (Raleigh, N.C./Wolfpack WC/Titan Mercury WC), bronze medal

WIN Nikolas Stemmet (United States), tech. fall, 10-0

LOSS Osman Nurmagomedov (Azerbaijan), 8-2

WIN Filip Rogut (Poland), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN Nazar Dod (Ukraine), tech. fall, 11-0

97 kg – Morgan Smith (Lynnwood, Wash./Lehigh Valley WC), 5^th

WIN Ricardo Baez (Argentina), 4-1

LOSS Radoslaw Baran (Poland), tech. fall, 10-0

WIN Saba Gamtenadze (Georgia), fall

LOSS Erik Thiele (Germany), tech. fall, 11-0

125 kg – Nick Gwiazdowski (Raleigh, N.C./Wolfpack WC/Titan Mercury WC), gold medal

WIN Islam Adizov (Bulgaria), fall

WIN Robert Baran (Poland), 6-1

WIN Giorgi Meshvildishvili (Azerbaijan), 9-2

Gwiazdowski golden, Mayoked takes silver, plus three bronzes at Poland Open and Ziolkowski Memorial

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