Illinois in position to reclaim USMC Junior Greco-Roman team title; Returning champion Drury seeks to repeat

Fargo, North Dakota – Illinois streak of Junior Greco-Roman championships in Fargo was snapped by Idaho last year, but with five wrestlers in the finals and 10 All-Americans, wrestlers from the Land of Lincoln are in solid position to recapture the team championship after Saturday afternoon’s semifinal session came to a close inside the Fargodome at the 2024 U.S. Marine Corps Junior and 16U Nationals.

Illinois leads Oklahoma, Minnesota and Colorado in the team race. Oklahoma has four in the finals and seven All-Americans, while Minnesota has three in the finals and five more wrestling in consolation semifinals and matches. Colorado has three in the finals and four more who will wrestle for medals.

Here’s a breakdown of how the semifinals shook out on Saturday afternoon.

At 100 pounds, three of the four wrestlers were from Illinois, but only one of them – Junior men’s freestyle champion Michael Rundell made the finals. Rundell defeated Illinois teammate Ray Long, who moved up from 16U, via a 6-0 decision. Rundell will face Tennessee’s Jose Cordero on Saturday night. Cordero topped Illinois’ Vince DeMarco 14-5.

The first of two Texas finalists came at 106 pounds where Dylan Ota upended returning Junior Greco-Roman champion Caden Correll of Illinois 4-1. Ota went up 2-0 in the first period on a passivity point and a caution point as Correll was hit for fleeing. In the second, Correll cut the lead with a passivity point and trailing late, Ota countered a Correll roll attempt with a counter exposure for two late points and the 4-1 win. Ota will face Cason Craft of Oklahoma, who defeated returning Junior Greco-Roman All-American Brady Byrd of Indiana 8-3. Craft was a 16U All-American a year ago.

North Dakota’s Nicolas Enzminger dispensed with Junior men’s freestyle champion Dunia Sibomana 8-0 in under a minute to reach the finals at 113 pounds. Enzminger’s run has been impressive all tournament as he’s teched all five opponents including Illinois’ Caleb Noble in the quarterfinals, who was a two-time 16U Greco-Roman champion. Enzminger will face Ezekiel Witt of Kansas in the finals. Witt, a North Dakota State commit, is a returning Greco-Roman runner-up and has also teched all five opponents en route to the finals. Witt beat Michigan’s Santana Ramon 17-9 in the semifinals.

The second Texas finalist came at 120 pounds where returning runner-up Kody Tanimoto pinned Pennsylvania’s Davis Motkya late in the first period to reach his second straight championship final. Tanimoto will face Oklahoma’s Isaiah Jones, last year’s 126-pound 16U runner-up. Jones topped beat two-time 16U Greco-Roman All-American Maximus Riggins of Iowa 11-5 in his semifinal. Like Witt at 113, Tanimoto has committed to wrestle here in Fargo at North Dakota State.

Connecticut’s Jackson Heslin became the first Junior Greco-Roman finalist from his state in 10 years and just the third all-time. Heslin teched Minnesota’s Lawson Eller 8-0 in under a minute to earn the chance to wrestle for gold at 126 pounds. Heslin will face Illinois’ 2022 Junior Greco-Roman champion Anthony Ruzic, who teched Minnesota’s Logan Schwanz 10-1 in the other semifinal. Ruzic also won the 16U Greco crown in 2021. 

At 132 pounds, returning Junior Greco runner-up Rhett Peak of Oklahoma will try to move up one more spot on the podium as he reached the finals for the second straight year with a 9-0 win over California’s Moses Mendoza in the semifinals. Peak will face Idaho’s Treygen Morin, who defeated Nevada’s Manuel Saldate 10-6 in his semifinal. Morin’s a two-time Fargo placer in Greco-Roman and was sixth last year at 126.

Returning Junior Greco champion Landon Drury of Colorado cruised into the finals with a 9-0 technical superiority victory over Alabama’s William Anderson at 138 pounds. Drury will face Minnesota’s Alex Braun in the finals. Braun teched Wisconsin’s Amryn Nutter 9-0 to reach his second career Fargo final. Braun, who’s teched all six opponents, was seventh in Juniors last year but was a 2022 16U runner-up. The two met at Junior Duals with Braun winning via injury default.

At 144 pounds, Pennsylvania’s Pierson Manville assured himself of an eighth Fargo placement across both age groups and styles and will wrestle in his first final since 2021. Manville defeated Ohio’s Maksym Chubenko 5-2 and will face Illinois’ Wyatt Medlin in the final. Manville won the 16U Greco title back in 2021. Medlin was last year’s 16U champion at 132 pounds. Medlin defeated California’s Emil Necula of Georgia 10-6 in the semifinals.

It'll be all-Colorado final in Junior Greco-Roman for the first time since 2021 as Garrett Reece and Brandon Dean will do battle at 150 pounds. Reece defeated two-time Greco All-American Paul Kelly of California 11-2, while Dean topped 2022 16U runner-up Hunter Sturgill of Tennessee 13-4.

At 157 pounds, Oklahoma’s Jude Randall was superb in his semifinal victory over Utah’s Tucker Roybal, but he almost wasn’t in that position. In the quarterfinals, there was a lengthy review against Nevada’s Gabriel Delgado. Leading 8-4, Delgado hit Randall with a front headlock throw to tie it up at 8-8 and then another four to take the apparent 12-8 win.

After a lengthy discussion, the officials deemed Delgado should have been cautioned, which removed the future four-point actions and reset the bout with Randall leading 9-4 after the caution point with 16 seconds remaining. Delgado was unable to take a lead and Randall survived to reach the semis and ultimately defeated Roybal an hour later. Randall will face Wisconsin’s Brett Back, a returning Junior All-American and 2021 16U runner-up. Back pinned Colorado’s Leister Bowling IV to advance to the final.

At 165 pounds, California’s Aliaksandr Kikinou will face Minnesota’s Griffin Lundeen for the title. Kikinou was third last year and won 16U in 2022. He’s teched four opponents and pinned two more, including semifinal opponent Trae Rios of Oklahoma,  to reach the final. Lundeen defeated Minnesota teammate Jarrett Wadsen 5-0 in the semifinals.

The second finalist for Pennsylvania in Junior Greco-Roman is Adam Waters who defeated Utah’s Ben Smith 8-0 in the semifinals. Waters, a 16U runner-up in 2022, will face New Jersey Greco specialist Aidan Squire for the title. Squire defeated Idaho’s Hudson Rogers 14-4.

At 190 pounds, Minnesota’s Zakary McPhee will face Illinois Alihan Bereket for the title. McPhee pinned North Dakota’s William Ward in the semifinals while Bereket teched Texas’ Aiden Cooley 10-2. Both earned medals for the first time in their careers in Fargo.

Illinois’ last finalist is at 215 pounds where Michael Calcagno will face Virginia’s Soren Pirhoun. Calcagno was sixth in Junior freestyle and defeated Junior freestyle champion Angelo Posada 8-0 in the semifinals. Pirhoun beat South Carolina’s Cason Howle 7-1. Pirhoun is Virginia’s first Junior Greco-Roman finalist since King Sandoval in 2018.

North Dakota State commits making the finals isn’t just for the lower weights as Idaho’s Shilo Jones will wrestle for gold against South Dakota’s Micah Hach, who committed to play football and wrestle at rival South Dakota State. Jones teched Massachusetts’ Alexander Bajoras in just 23 seconds to reach the final while Hach needed 5:49 to tech Ohio’s Mustafa Woodi.

2024 U.S. MARINE CORPS JUNIOR AND 16U NATIONALS

FINALS PAIRINGS

100 pounds

Michael Rundell (IL) vs. Jose Cordero (TN)

106 pounds

Dylan Ota (TX) vs. Cason Craft (OK)

113 pounds

Nicolas Enzminger (ND) vs. Ezekiel Witt (KS)

120 pounds

Kody Tanimoto (TX) vs. Isaiah Jones (ID)

126 pounds

Jackson Heslin (CT) vs. Anthony Ruzic (IL)

132 pounds

Treygen Morin (ID) vs. Rhett Peak (OK)

138 pounds

Alex Braun (MN) vs. Landon Drury (CO)

144 pounds

Pierson Manville (PA) vs. Wyatt Medlin (IL)

150 pounds

Garrett Reece (CO) vs. Brandon Dean (CO)

157 pounds

Brett Back (WI) vs. Jude Randall (OK)

165 pounds

Aliaksandr Kikinou (CA) vs. Griffin Lundeen (MN)

175 pounds

Adam Waters (PA) vs. Aidan Squier (NJ)

190 pounds

Zakary McPhee (MN) vs. Alihan Bereket (IL)

215 pounds

Michael Calcagno (IL) vs. Soren Pirhoun (VA)

285 pounds

Shilo Jones (ID) vs. Micah Hach (SD)

Semifinal Results

100 pounds

Michael Rundell (IL) dec. Ray Long (IL) 6-0

Jose Cordero (TN) tech fall Vincent DeMarco (IL) 14-5, 4:57

106 pounds

Dylan Ota (TX) dec. Caden Correll 4-1

Cason Craft (OK) dec. Brady Byrd (IN) 8-3

113 pounds

Nicolas Enzminger (ND) tech fall Dunia Sibomana (NY) 8-0, 0:56

Ezekiel Witt (KS) tech fall Santana Ramo (MI) 17-9, 3:47

120 pounds

Kody Tanimoto (TX) pin Davis Motyka (PA) 2:44

Isaiah Jones (OK) dec. Maximus Riggins (IA) 11-5

126 pounds

Jackson Heslin (CT) tech fall Lawson Eller (MN) 8-0, 0:43

Anthony Ruzic (IL) tech fall Logan Schwanz (MN) 10-1, 4:51

132 pounds

Treygen Morin (ID) dec. Manuel Saldate (NV) 10-6

Rhrett Peak (OK) tech fall Moses Mendoza (CA) 9-0, 1:49

138 pounds

Alex Braun (MN) tech fall Amryn Nutter (WI) 9-0, 1:22

Landon Drury (CO) tech fall William Anderson (AL) 9-0, 2:59

144 pounds

Pierson Manville (PA) dec. Maksym Chubenko (OH) 5-2

Wyatt Medlin (IL) dec. Emil Necula (GA) 10-6

150 pounds

Garrett Reece (CO) tech fall Paul Kelly (CA) 11-2, 3:57

Brandon Dean (CO) tech fall Hunter Sturgill (TN) 13-4, 4:51

157 pounds

Brett Back (WI) pin Leister Bowling IV (CO) 4:30

Jude Randall (OK) tech fall Tucker Roybal (UT) 10-0, 0:42

165 pounds

Aliaksandr Kikinou (CA) pin Trae Rios (OK) 5:20

Griffin Lundeen (MN) dec. Jarrett Wadsen (MN) 5-0

175 pounds

Adam Waters (PA) tech fall Ben Smith (UT) 8-0, 2:52

Aidan Squier (NJ) tech fall Hudson Rogers (ID) 14-4, 5:45

190 pounds

Zakary McPhee (MN) pin William Ward (ND) 2:29

Alihan Bereket (IL) tech fall Aiden Cooley (TX) 10-2, 2:15

215 pounds

Michael Calcagno (IL) tech fall Angelo Posada (CA) 8-0, 0:46

Soren Pirhoun (VA) dec. Cason Howle (SC) 7-1

285 pounds

Shilo Jones (ID) tech fall Alexander Bajoras (MA) 8-0, 0:23

Micah Hach (SD) tech fall Mustafa Woodi (OH) 10-1, 5:49

Team Standings

Going into consolation semifinals

1. Illinois 135

2. Oklahoma 96

3. Minnesota 90

4. Colorado 83

5. Pennsylvania 63

6. Idaho 58

7. California 50

7. Wisconsin 50

9. Texas 47

10. Utah 36

11. Tennessee 31

12. Kansas 27

12. North Dakota 27

14. Iowa 23

14. Ohio 23

16. Virginia 22

17. Indiana 21

18. Connecticut 20

18. New Jersey 20

18. South Dakota 20

21. Alabama 16

22. Massachusetts 14

22. New Mexico 14

24. Florida 11

24. Michigan 11

24. South Carolina 11

27. Georgia 9

27. Nebraska 9

27. Oregon 9

30. Alaska 7

30. Nevada 7

30. New York 7

30. Washington 7

34. Kentucky 2

34. Missouri 2

34. Puerto Rico 2