U20 Men’s Freestyle World Team set as Lilledahl, Blaze, Lockett secure titles in Ohio

The 2024 U20 Men’s freestyle World Team is set. Action in Geneva, Ohio, at the U20 World Team Trials concluded on Saturday evening as ten champions were crowned following a best-of-three championships series in Men’s freestyle. The champions secured a spot on the U20 World Team that will compete in Pontevedra, Spain, this fall.

Watch all champion interviews on the USA Wrestling YouTube channel.

Luke Lilledahl emerged on top in one of the most anticipated matchups of the weekend. The three-time age-group World Medalist, one gold and two silver, defeated Senior National Team member Jax Forrest two matches to none in the best-of-three series at 57 kg. Round one saw Lilledahl grind out seven points in the second period for the 9-4 victory and the series lead. In round two, Forrest had a late takedown with just seconds left to even the score, but Lilledahl’s four-point move earlier in the match secured him the win on criteria.

Two athletes made the move from U17 to U20 after standing atop the podium in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2023. Marcus Blaze and Ladarion Lockett both earned World titles at the U17 World Championships last year.

Blaze, a Senior National Team member at 57 kg, competed at 61 kg in this tournament. He faced a tough path to the finals, having to win five matches to earn a trip to the U20 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain, in September. His finals opponent was Benjamin Davino, a young talent committed to wrestle at Ohio State. Blaze controlled the first match, winning a tight 5-2 decision after dropping behind early. He won round two by a score of 6-3 and will aim to reach the top of the podium overseas once more.

At 74 kg, Lockett was in one of two series that went the distance. The Stillwater, Oklahoma, native dominated in his first match against challenge tournament champion Beau Mantanona, coming out with a 12-3 decision with nine of his points scored during the second period. It was Mantanona that came out strong in round two, defeating Lockett in a 6-3 decision. The final match and U20 World Team spot went to Lockett, as he was able to pick up pace and shut down Mantanona’s offence for the 13-3 technical fall.

Ben Kueter had an exciting day that led to a U20 World Team Trials title and trip to Spain in September. Competing at 125 kg, the Iowa wrestler and football player swept 2024. U20 U.S. Open champion Jimmy Mullen in the best-of-three series. Kueter led 5-0 with two minutes remaining, but Mullen closed the gap with a four point move at 1:58, forcing Kueter to display strong defense and hold off any late attacks. In round two, the back-and-forth scoring ended in Kueter’s favor as he nabbed the 5-3 win. Kueter, a 2022 U20 World Champion at 97 kg, looks to earn his second age-group World gold medal in Pontevedra, later this year.

The fifth age-group World Champion to earn a title in Geneva on Saturday was Bo Bassett, a young star wrestling at 65 kg. Bassett, who won a gold medal at the 2021 U17 World Championships, defeated Stanford commit Aden Valencia in two matches in the championship series. The Bishop McCort wrestler sat out until the finals after winning the U20 U.S. Open in April. In round one, Bassett used a late takedown to sneak past Valencia for the 1-0 lead in the series. He was strong in round two, shutting Valencia down for the 4-0 decision and the World Team spot.

At 79 kg, Zack Ryder, a two-time U17 World bronze medalist, bested Gabriel Arnold of Iowa in the championship series. Ryder was another athlete that sat out to the finals, coming out strong for the U20 World Team Trials title. The first round saw Ryder take an early lead with a four-point move, but Arnold was able to tie it 4-4. With Arnold leading on criteria, Ryder forced the Hawkeye out of bounds for the step out point. Round two was also in Ryder’s favor as he was able to secure a 4-2 decision.

One of the top high school athletes in the country PJ Duke was the U20 World Team Trials champion at 70 kg, sweeping Illinois’ Kannon Webster in the finals. Duke took an early lead in period one, scoring two takedowns on Webster. He carried his momentum into the second period, staving off Webster’s shot attempts and holding on to the victory. Round two was won in a similar fashion, with Duke nearly doubling his offense for the 9-2 win.

Connor Mirasola, a Penn State commit that competed at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in April, secured the 92 kg U20 World Team spot after shutting down Ohio State’s Ryder Rogotzke. Rogotzke won the U20 Greco-Roman World Team Trials title on Friday and was aiming to make World teams in both styles. Wisconsin native Mirasola didn’t allow Rogotzke to score a single point throughtout the series, recording a 6-0 round one win and 10-0 round two win.

Penn State’s Joshua Barr captured the spot at 86 kg after a tough path through the challenge tournament. Barr finished second in the challenge tournament last year, narrowly missing out on the best-of-three series. This year, Barr was slated to face Aeoden Sinclair, an Askren Wrestling Academy star committed to wrestle at Mizzou. Sinclair shut down Barr earlier in the year at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas, Nevada. In round one, Barr scored a takedown with less than 10 seconds remaining in the match to win on criteria 2-2. It was Sinclair that responded with a 5-3 win in round two to send this one to three. Barr came out in round three looking for redemption for his April loss, and won the match 10-0. This will be Barr’s first international tournament.

At 97 kg, Justin Rademacher made his way through a strong challenge tournament bracket to reach the finals series. His opponent was Nebraska’s Camden McDanel, the 2024 U.S. Open champion. Rademacher held strong in round one for the 4-3 victory. In round two, it was all Rademacher as he secured the series with an 11-1 victory.

Of the ten champions, five have earned age-group World gold medals in the past three years while another adds two World bronze medals. This talented group is set to compete September 2-8 in Pontevedra, Spain, at the U20 World Championships.

The U20 World Team Trials continue with Men’s freestyle action kicking off on Saturday morning. For full results and brackets, visit FloArena. Join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #WrestleGeneva.