EAP Vegas Update: Schultz wins UWW Junior Greco Trials; Ikei reaches U.S. Senior Women’s Open finals
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Cohlton Schultz (right) pummels with Lee Herrington in the UWW Junior Greco-Roman World Team Trials finals. Photo by John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – It was a strong day of competition for USA Wrestling’s Elite Accelerator Program at the U.S. Open Championships on Thursday.
Cohlton Schultz (Parker, Colo./Sunkist Kids/EAP) won a gold medal at 130 kg at the UWW Junior Greco-Roman World Team Trials.
All three EAP women’s freestyle wrestlers have clinched All-American status at the U.S. Senior Open by reaching the semifinal round at their weight class.
Tiare Ikei (Honolulu, Hawaii/EAP) has reached the gold-medal finals at the U.S. Senior Open at 53 kg, while EAP teammates Cameron Guerin, Yakima, Wash. (Titan Mercury WC/EAP) at 57 kg and Macey Kilty, Stratford, Wis. (Sunkist Kids/EAP) at 65 kg lost in their semifinal bouts, and will wrestle in Saturday’s consolation semifinals.
The Elite Accelerator Program (EAP) is a progressive developmental movement based at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., aimed at molding young wrestlers into World and Olympic Champions.
Schultz has now made his sixth U.S. age-group World Team. He is a high school senior, who has signed with Arizona State.
He needed all three matches to win his best-of-three championship series against Lee Herrington of the Nebraska Golden Eagles WC. Herrington came out in bout one with a shocking 35 second pin over Schultz. However, Schultz rebounded with a pair of technical falls, beating Herrington 9-0 in bout two and 8-0 in bout three.
Schultz is on his third straight Junior World Team. He was a 2018 Junior World bronze medalist, and a 2017 Cadet World champion. He was also on the 2018 U23 World Team, and wrestled in the 2016 Cadet Worlds and 2017 and 2018 Junior Worlds.
Ikei, who was a 2018 Cadet World bronze medalist, is a high school student. In the semifinals, she was losing 10-2 against Senior National Team member Cody Pfau of the Titan Mercury WC. She fought her way back with 10 straight points to take a 12-10 lead, then pinned Pfau at 5:16. Ikei will battle veteran star Katherine Shai of the Titan Mercury WC in the finals.
Guerin opened with a strong victory, defeating 2012 Olympian and past World Team member Kelsey Campbell of the Sunkist Kids in her opening match, 6-4. In the semifinals, she fell to 2017 World bronze medalist Becka Leathers in a 14-4 technical fall.
Kilty, a 2018 Cadet World champion and 2018 Junior World silver medalist, is the newest EAP women’s athlete and is a high school senior. She opened with a 7-0 win over Nicole Joseph of Team Tornado. In the semifinals, she was beaten by 2018 Senior World Team member Forrest Molinari, 7-3.
Both Guerin and Kilty have a chance on Friday to wrestle back as far as third place in their weight classes.
There is a group of six EAP men’s freestyle athletes who start their competition in the UWW Junior National Championships on Friday.
U.S. OPEN
At Las Vegas, Nev.8
EAP Women’s freestyle athletes at U.S. Senior Open
53 kg - Tiare Ikei, Honolulu, Hawaii (EAP)
WIN Kierstien Bush (Sanderson Wrestling Academy), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Cody Pfau (Titan Mercury WC), pin 5:16
Gold-Medal match – Vs. Katherine Shai (Titan Mercury WC)
57 kg - Cameron Guerin, Yakima, Wash. (Titan Mercury WC/EAP)
WIN Kelsey Campbell (Sunkist Kids), 6-4
LOSS Becka Leathers (Titan Mercury WC), tech. fall 14-4
Consolation semifinals – Vs. Allison Petix (Team Tornado)
65 kg - Macey Kilty, Stratford, Wis. (Sunkist Kids/EAP)
WIN Nicole Joseph (Team Tornado), 7-0
LOSS Forrest Molinari (Titan Mercury WC), 7-3
Consolation semifinals – Vs. Destiny Lyng (Aires WC)
EAP Greco-Roman athletes in UWW Junior Championships
130 kg - Cohlton Schultz, Parker, Colo. (Sunkist Kids/EAP), gold medal
WIN Spencer Trenary (SWIFT), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Trevor Piggot (Olivet WC), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Gavin Nye (CSU-Pueblo RTC), tech. fall 9-0
LOSS Lee Herrington (Nebraska Golden Eagles WC), pin 0:35
WIN Lee Herrington (Nebraska Golden Eagles WC), tech. fall, 9-0
WIN Lee Herrington (Nebraska Golden Eagles WC), tech. fall 8-0
EAP Men’s freestyle athletes in UWW Junior Championships (begins Friday)
57 kg - Julian Tagg. Mayfield Heights, Ohio (EAP)
61 kg - Job Greenwood, Livermore, Colo. (EAP)
61 kg - Gabe Tagg, Mayfield Heights, Ohio (EAP)
74 kg - DJ Shannon, East St. Louis, Ill. (EAP)
79 kg - Aaron Brooks, Hagerstown, Md. (Titan Mercury WC/EAP)
97 kg - Greg Kerkvliet, Inver Grove Heights, Minn. (EAP)
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – It was a strong day of competition for USA Wrestling’s Elite Accelerator Program at the U.S. Open Championships on Thursday.
Cohlton Schultz (Parker, Colo./Sunkist Kids/EAP) won a gold medal at 130 kg at the UWW Junior Greco-Roman World Team Trials.
All three EAP women’s freestyle wrestlers have clinched All-American status at the U.S. Senior Open by reaching the semifinal round at their weight class.
Tiare Ikei (Honolulu, Hawaii/EAP) has reached the gold-medal finals at the U.S. Senior Open at 53 kg, while EAP teammates Cameron Guerin, Yakima, Wash. (Titan Mercury WC/EAP) at 57 kg and Macey Kilty, Stratford, Wis. (Sunkist Kids/EAP) at 65 kg lost in their semifinal bouts, and will wrestle in Saturday’s consolation semifinals.
The Elite Accelerator Program (EAP) is a progressive developmental movement based at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., aimed at molding young wrestlers into World and Olympic Champions.
Schultz has now made his sixth U.S. age-group World Team. He is a high school senior, who has signed with Arizona State.
He needed all three matches to win his best-of-three championship series against Lee Herrington of the Nebraska Golden Eagles WC. Herrington came out in bout one with a shocking 35 second pin over Schultz. However, Schultz rebounded with a pair of technical falls, beating Herrington 9-0 in bout two and 8-0 in bout three.
Schultz is on his third straight Junior World Team. He was a 2018 Junior World bronze medalist, and a 2017 Cadet World champion. He was also on the 2018 U23 World Team, and wrestled in the 2016 Cadet Worlds and 2017 and 2018 Junior Worlds.
Ikei, who was a 2018 Cadet World bronze medalist, is a high school student. In the semifinals, she was losing 10-2 against Senior National Team member Cody Pfau of the Titan Mercury WC. She fought her way back with 10 straight points to take a 12-10 lead, then pinned Pfau at 5:16. Ikei will battle veteran star Katherine Shai of the Titan Mercury WC in the finals.
Guerin opened with a strong victory, defeating 2012 Olympian and past World Team member Kelsey Campbell of the Sunkist Kids in her opening match, 6-4. In the semifinals, she fell to 2017 World bronze medalist Becka Leathers in a 14-4 technical fall.
Kilty, a 2018 Cadet World champion and 2018 Junior World silver medalist, is the newest EAP women’s athlete and is a high school senior. She opened with a 7-0 win over Nicole Joseph of Team Tornado. In the semifinals, she was beaten by 2018 Senior World Team member Forrest Molinari, 7-3.
Both Guerin and Kilty have a chance on Friday to wrestle back as far as third place in their weight classes.
There is a group of six EAP men’s freestyle athletes who start their competition in the UWW Junior National Championships on Friday.
U.S. OPEN
At Las Vegas, Nev.8
EAP Women’s freestyle athletes at U.S. Senior Open
53 kg - Tiare Ikei, Honolulu, Hawaii (EAP)
WIN Kierstien Bush (Sanderson Wrestling Academy), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Cody Pfau (Titan Mercury WC), pin 5:16
Gold-Medal match – Vs. Katherine Shai (Titan Mercury WC)
57 kg - Cameron Guerin, Yakima, Wash. (Titan Mercury WC/EAP)
WIN Kelsey Campbell (Sunkist Kids), 6-4
LOSS Becka Leathers (Titan Mercury WC), tech. fall 14-4
Consolation semifinals – Vs. Allison Petix (Team Tornado)
65 kg - Macey Kilty, Stratford, Wis. (Sunkist Kids/EAP)
WIN Nicole Joseph (Team Tornado), 7-0
LOSS Forrest Molinari (Titan Mercury WC), 7-3
Consolation semifinals – Vs. Destiny Lyng (Aires WC)
EAP Greco-Roman athletes in UWW Junior Championships
130 kg - Cohlton Schultz, Parker, Colo. (Sunkist Kids/EAP), gold medal
WIN Spencer Trenary (SWIFT), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Trevor Piggot (Olivet WC), tech. fall 10-0
WIN Gavin Nye (CSU-Pueblo RTC), tech. fall 9-0
LOSS Lee Herrington (Nebraska Golden Eagles WC), pin 0:35
WIN Lee Herrington (Nebraska Golden Eagles WC), tech. fall, 9-0
WIN Lee Herrington (Nebraska Golden Eagles WC), tech. fall 8-0
EAP Men’s freestyle athletes in UWW Junior Championships (begins Friday)
57 kg - Julian Tagg. Mayfield Heights, Ohio (EAP)
61 kg - Job Greenwood, Livermore, Colo. (EAP)
61 kg - Gabe Tagg, Mayfield Heights, Ohio (EAP)
74 kg - DJ Shannon, East St. Louis, Ill. (EAP)
79 kg - Aaron Brooks, Hagerstown, Md. (Titan Mercury WC/EAP)
97 kg - Greg Kerkvliet, Inver Grove Heights, Minn. (EAP)
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