Seven repeat as Masters Greco-Roman Nationals champions in a strong, international field

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – It was the largest field ever at the Masters Greco-Roman Nationals on Wednesday at the South Point Arena, and if you asked around, it was also the most competitive in history as well. It was the first day of action at the 2024 Pritchard Companies U.S. Open.

There were only seven repeat Greco-Roman champions from last year, which is a much lower total than most years at the Masters Nationals. One of the key reasons was the large number of athletes from other nations who flew to the USA this year to enter.

Chris Brown, a two-time Veterans World Greco-Roman champion who now serves as Team Leader for the U.S. Veterans World Team, counted more than 10 nations represented in the field including Brazil, Canada, France, Georgia, Germany, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Puerto Rico, Romania and Uzbekistan.

The repeat champions were all from the USA. They included Ben Kjar of Brunson UVRTC (Div. B, 58 kg), Travis Wiuff of Minnesota (Div. C, 130 kg), Carson Gainey of the Mad Cow WC (Div. D, 58 kg), Kevin Pine of the Las Vegas WC (Div. D, 88 kg), Petros Petrosyan of Orange County Grappling (Div. E, 88 kg), Charles Jones of the Las Vegas WC (Div. E, 100 kg) and Ron Cole (Div. F, 100 kg).

Kjar was a Veterans World champion in 2023 in Loutraki, Greece. Another U.S. star who won a Masters Nationals title this year was Eric Mittlestead of the Mad Cow WC at 130 kg in Div. E. Mittlestead was a double champion at the Veterans World Championships last year, claiming both the freestyle and Greco-Roman World titles.

An example of the quality of the international competitors was the Div. D champion at 78 kg, Akaki Chachua, who represented Colorado in the tournament. Chachua was a 2000 Olympic bronze medalist for Georgia at 63 kg in Sydney, Australia, and also competed in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Chachua finished ahead of runner-up Ernesto Alarcon of the Mad Cow WC, who was a U.S. Masters champion in Greco-Roman last year.

The Masters Freestyle National Championships begin on Thursday, and will complete on Friday.

MASTERS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Las Vegas, Nev., April 24

Masters Div. A Greco-Roman results

58 kg

Gold - Devon Jackson (Inner Beast Training Center)

Silver - Abylay Medeuov (Pennsylvania)

Bronze - Reginald Lowery (Ohio)

62 kg

1st Yernar Fidakhmetov PA (Pennsylvania) default over Yernur Fidakhmetov PA (Pennsylvania),

3rd Peter Del Gallo ME (South Side Wrestling Club) tech fall Nelson Baker IL (Rochelle Wrestling Club), 12-2 0:59

70 kg

1st Mirzobek Rakhmatov PA (Pennsylvania) tech fall Savion Haywood IL (Iguana Wrestling Club), 11-0 1:28

3rd Ryan Fillingame CA (Swarm Wrestling Club) dec. Javier Mandera OR (Oregon), 6-0

78 kg

1st Abunassyr Omirzak PA (Morris Fitness Wrestling Club) dec. Phillip Mcbride GA (Master Statesmen WC), 4-1

3rd Aleksandr Slobodeniuk FL (Chicago Wrestling Club) tech fall Jimmy Felix CA (California), 12-2 3:50

88 kg

1st Hassan Fouad NY (New York) dec. Eldiiar Satarov IL (Chicago Wrestling Club), 6-1

3rd Jake Ferris WA (Wrestling Club Tacoma Slam) dec. Alex Skipper IN (Brownsburg Wrestling Club), 4-4

100 kg

Gold - Christian Louis (Master Statesmen WC)

Silver - Amos Bailey (Las Vegas Wrestling Club)

Bronze - Sergio Camacho (Beat The Streets - LA)

130 kg

Gold - Dylan Buschow (Mustang Wrestling Club)

Silver - Eric Schwark (Oregon)

Bronze - Reuben Juarez (Kansas)

Masters Div. B Greco-Roman results

58 kg

Gold - Ben Kjar (Brunson UVRTC)

Silver - Dante Lewis (Lewis Academy Wrestling)

Bronze - Daniel Coyne (Edgewood Wrestling Club

62 kg

Gold - Marat Garipov (Brazil)

Silver - Mostafa Mohamed (Talents Wrestling Club)

Bronze - Max Oldenburg (Savage House Wrestling Club)

70 kg

1st Dimitar Georgiev ID (Suples Wrestling Club) dec. Jacob Salas CA (Mad Cow Wrestling Club), 10-3

3rd Anthony Birchak AZ (Torotech Wrestling) by disqualification over Mark Dickman NV (American Wrestling Club)

78 kg

1st Joshua Nolan GA (Compound Wrestling) dec. Eric Buisson CO (Colorado), 2-1

3rd Ted Bristol CA (Mad Cow Wrestling Club) dec. Justin Hale IL (512 Outlaw Wrestling), 5-2

88 kg

Gold - Nathaniel Augustson (505 Wrestling Club)

Silver - Chrisopher Fickes (Mad Cow Wrestling Club)

Bronze - Stephen Beovich (New Jersey)

100 kg

1st Deandre Nunn IL (Chicago Wrestling Club) tech. fall Kyle De berry AZ (Mad Cow Wrestling Club), 10-0 0:51

3rd Borys Savkiv IL (Chicago Wrestling Club) dec. Gabriel Camarillo CA (California), 5-2

130 KG

1st Garret Johnson WA (Medical Lake Mat Maulers) pin Mm Grant MD (Maryland), 0:28

3rd Raymone Gude MI (Michigan) pin Ronald Williams II NV (Las Vegas Wrestling Club), 3:10

Masters Div. C Greco-Roman results

62 kg

Gold - Curtis Ray (Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club)

70 kg

Gold - Joseph Uccellini (Curby 3 Style Wrestling Club)

Silver - David Yi (Mad Cow Wrestling Club)

Bronze - James Ferguson (Wrestling With Character)

78 kg

Gold - Rudy James (Minnesota Storm)

Silver - Adrian Garcia (Mad Cow Wrestling Club)

Bronze - Jose Trevino (Minnesota)

88 kg

1st Frederic Calixte CO (Colorado) tech fall John Gillis WI (Ringers Wrestling Club), 11-3 3:36

3rd Jeremy Black CA (Mad Cow Wrestling Club) tech fall Travis Barter CA (California), 8-0 1:31

100 kg

1st Zurab Tsikaridze CO (Colorado/Georgia) tech. fall James Medeiros CA (Mad Cow Wrestling Club), 10-1 3:01

3rd Nickolaus Knight CA (Mad Cow Wrestling Club) dec. James Verderico NV (Las Vegas Wrestling Club), 7-1

130 kg

Gold - Travis Wiuff (Minnesota)

Silver - Tim Buffone (Pennsylvania)

Bronze - Joseph T Bellavia (Mad Cow Wrestling Club)

Masters Div. D Greco-Roman champions

58 kg

Gold - Carson Gainey (Mad Cow Wrestling Club)

Silver - Robert Bonner (Cowboy Mat Club)

62 kg

Gold - Matt Ciampa (Eclipse Wrestling Club)

Silver - Joe Raia (Chicago Wrestling Club)

Bronze - Malkhaz Gogoladze (GEO) (Las Vegas Wrestling Club)

70 kg

1st Tariel Shavadze (Las Vegas Wrestling Club/Georgia) dec. Viktor Smirnov NY (New York), 7-2

3rd Robert Porter IL (Naperville Wrestling Club) dec. Stefan Pentschew UST (US Territory), 5-2

78 kg

Gold - Akaki Chachua (Colorado)

Silver - Ernesto Alarcon (Mad Cow Wrestling Club)

Bronze - Jon Banko (All-American Wrestling Club)

88 kg

Gold - Kevin Pine (Las Vegas Wrestling Club)

Silver - Sigurd Slaastad (Chicago Wrestling Club)

Bronze - Celini Luca (Las Vegas Wrestling Club)

100 kg

Gold - William Carr (Minnesota Storm)

Silver - Domenico Lemme (Eastside Wrestling Club)

Bronze - Jorge Otero (Grapplers Garage Wrestling)

130 kg

Gold - George Porter (ATT/Mocco Wrestling Academy)

Silver - Tyrone Abercrombie (Arizona)

Bronze - Steve Davis (Florida)

Masters Div. E Greco-Roman champions

58 kg

Gold - Daniel Cota (Mad Cow Wrestling Club)

Silver - Kevin Grant (Maui Style Wrestling)

Bronze - Clinton Yale (Illinois)

62 kg

Gold - Matthew Robertson (Fitness Quest Wrestling Club)

Silver - Roger Papotto (Florida)

Bronze - Mike Smith (Missouri)

70 kg

Gold - John Laurenzi (Rockland International Wrestling Academy)

Silver - Kraig Peterson (Grindhouse Wrestling Club)

Bronze - Ashot Heboyan (California)

78 kg

Gold - Darryl Hall (Las Vegas Wrestling Club)

Silver - William Newton (Mad Cow Wrestling Club)

Bronze - Patrick Daly (New Jersey)

88 kg

Gold - Petros Petrosyan (Orange County Grappling)

Silver - Kevin Kares (Las Vegas Wrestling Club)

Bronze - Louis Orr (Victory School of Wrestling)

100 kg

Gold - Charles Jones (Las Vegas Wrestling Club)

Silver - Frank Lopez (US Territory)

130 kg

Gold - Eric Mittlestead Sr (Mad Cow Wrestling Club)

Silver - Attila Szabo (Las Vegas Wrestling Club)

Bronze - Brian Jones (Orange County Grappling)

Masters Div. F Greco-Roman champions

62 kg

Gold - Rick Mahonski (Pennsylvania)

Silver - Clifford Ray (Arizona)

70 kg

Gold - Bruce Moe (Bison Wrestling Club)

Silver - Steve Ferguson (Wrestling With Character)

78 kg

Gold - Cal Cherrington (Wild West Wrestling Club)

Silver - Kevin Hejnal (California)

88 kg

Gold - Steve Contarino (Florida)

Silver - Peter Haag (Chicago Wrestling Club)

100 kg

Gold - Ron Cole (Washington)