EAP Update: Welker and Ikei win titles at Berlin Open, Moran, Saunders and Elam place at Northern Colorado Open

Tiare Ikei won the Junior division of the Berlin Open this weekend.

It was a successful weekend for EPA athletes, with five wrestlers all placing at their respective events. 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. EAP athletes are either enrolled in high school or have recently graduated.

Women’s freestyle

Kylie Welker and Tiare Ikei both steamrolled through the Berlin Open to take gold. They were part of a larger U.S. team that won 11 medals at the tournament.

Welker picked up three falls and two technical falls on her way to a Cadet title at 61 kg. Ikei was equally dominant en route to a Junior title at 53 kg, earning two falls and two technical falls.
Men’s folkstyle
Jacob Moran, Josh Saunders and Rocky Elam all competed in the Northern Colorado
Open on Sunday against college competition.
Elam was the highest placer of the group, finishing second at 184 pounds. He cruised to the finals with two pins and a technical fall. In the first-place match, he lost, 4-2, in sudden victory to Alan Clothier, a redshirt junior at Northern Colorado and a 2018 NCAA qualifier.
Saunders finished third at 141 pounds. His only loss came to the eventual champion Chase Zollman of Wyoming in the semifinals, 3-0. Saunders would end the day with a 4-1 record.
The third EAP athlete, Jacob Moran finished in fourth place at 125 pounds. Moran put together a 4-2 performance at the tournament with two major decisions and one fall.
Berlin Open

at Berlin, Germany
Cadet
61 kg: Kylie Welker (Colorado Springs, Colo.) – GOLD
WIN Hedda Holm, 10-0
WIN Mikalea Viebke, fall
WIN Saga Soro, 10-0
WIN Sophie Kraus, fall
WIN Nicola Wasilewska, fall
Junior
53 kg: Tiare Ikei (Colorado Springs, Colo.) – GOLD
WIN Natalia Walczak, 10-0
WIN Sophie Seimetz, fall
WIN Melanie Mendoza, fall
WIN Angelina Purschke, 10-0
Northern Colorado ,Open

at Greeley Colo.
125 - Jacob Moran, Portage, Ind. (Unattached) - FOURTH
WIN Matt Sedillo (Airforce Prep), 15-2
WIN Marcus Reid (Team Roof), FF
WIN, Adrian Marquez (Unattached Northern Colorado), 11-1
LOSS, Nick Raimo (Unattached), 7-0
WIN Quinn Melofchick (Airforce), Fall 3:23
LOSS Will VomBaur (Air Force Prep), 5-3
141 - Josh Saunders, St. Louis, Mo. (Unattached), THIRD
WIN Aaron Beltran (RTT), FFT
WIN Daniel Magana (Unattached Colorado Mesa), 7-3
LOSS Chase Zollman (Wyoming), 3-0
WIN Aaden Valdez (La Gente), 6-2
WIN Trevor Jeffries (Wyoming), 5-4
184 - Rocky Elam, Kansas City, Mo. (Unattached), SECOND
WIN Micah Sterling (Cloud County CC), Fall 1:22
WIN Dominic Robles (Unattached CSU Pueblo), 18-3
Win Joshua Flanagan (Northern Colorado), Fall :54
LOSS Alan Clothier (Northern Colorado), 4-2 TB-1