22 champions return to Air Force Special Warfare 16U and Junior Folkstyle Nationals as USA Wrestling Triple Crown chase begins

The USA Wrestling Air Force Special Warfare 16U and Junior Folkstyle Nationals returns to the UNI Dome in Cedar Fall, Iowa, this weekend as the chase for the coveted USA Wrestling Triple Crown award gets underway for the 2024 season.

Serving as the capstone event to USA Wrestling’s folkstyle season, which includes the Folkstyle Tour of America Series and various tournaments at the state and local levels, the Folkstyle Nationals will offer competition in the 16U, Junior and Masters divisions.

The 16U and Junior tournaments will feature boys and girls divisions, which is an adjustment to this year’s event which is held on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa. Last year the tournaments were held separately, with the boys wrestling in Cedar Falls, Iowa, while the girls competed in Omaha, Neb.

The champions of the 16U and Junior divisions pass stage one on the road to the USA Wrestling Triple Crown. The Triple Crown award is presented annually to boys who earn USA Wrestling national titles in folkstyle, Greco-Roman and freestyle at their age-level in the same season. Similarly, girls must take top prize at the Folkstyle Nationals, Freestyle Nationals, and either the Women’s Nationals or High School Recruiting Showcase to become Triple Crown award winners.  

Two athletes brought home the USA Wrestling Triple Crown in 2023—Iowa hammers Kyler Knaack and Dreshaun Ross. Both did so in the 16U division, Knaack at 152 pounds and Ross at 195 pounds. Neither are currently entered in the field. 2022 Triple Crown award winner Mack Mauger of Idaho will be featured in the 120-pound Junior bracket.

There are four returning champions slated to defend titles in the boys Junior division—Mauger, Benjamin DeForest of North Dakota at 126 pounds, Dorian Olivarez of Texas at 144 pounds and Hudson Rogers of Idaho at 175 pounds. Five 16U champions from last year—Kaison Schreier of Missouri, Caleb Noble of Illinois, Alex Rozas of Louisiana, Isaiah Jones of Oklahoma and Tyler Traves of Virginia—are bumped up to the Junior division this time around.

Brody Sendele of Illinois and Broedy Collins Hendricks of Iowa are the lone 16U champions from 2023 that return to the division this time around.

Looking at the Junior girls division, there are five returning champions set to compete in Cedar Falls—Reanah Utterback of Iowa at 110 pounds, Gigi Bragg of Michigan at 115 pounds, Leiannah Landreth of Kansas at 120 pounds, Valeria Hamilton of Illinois at 145 pounds and Tilisa Matakaiongo of Utah at 235 pounds.

Six 16U girls champions are entered in this weekend’s field—Kendall Moe of Indiana, Riley Hanrahan of Wisconsin, Lilliana Banks of Wisconsin, Skylar Slade of Iowa, Ella Brown of Iowa and Makayla Vasser of Nebraska. All six will compete in the Junior division, with Hanrahan, Banks, Slade and Vasser doubling up with the 16U division.

In the Masters division eight of last year’s champions are back for more—Cedric Gibson of Wisconsin, Nick Cleary of Wisconsin, Jeffrey Isaac of Minnesota, Jared O`Riley of Iowa, James Medeiros of California, Travis Wiuff of Minnesota, Chad Otterness of Minnesota and James Miller of Iowa.

Custom awards will be presented to the top eight place winners in each weight class for the 16U and Junior divisions, with an Outstanding Wrestler and team award given per division. Champions will be awarded a 12-inch USA Wrestling stop sign award. The top three place winners in the Masters brackets will take home a USA Wrestling plaque.

Registration is still open for those seeking to participate in one of the toughest national events on the folkstyle calendar. Visit usawrestlingevents.com and sign up by Thursday, March 14 to secure your spot. There are nearly 1,400 athletes entered in the field to date.

All the action in Cedar Falls will be available to watch live or on-demand on FloWrestling.com. FloWrestling offers a monthly subscription priced at $29.99 and an annual subscription for $150.00 to access its platform.

Brackets and updated match-by-match results will be available through Trackwrestling.com.

Friday, March 15

9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Junior Boys and Girls (preliminaries, consolations)

3 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Junior Boys and Girls (quarterfinals, consolations)

Saturday, March 16

9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Junior Boys and Girls (semifinals, consolations)

16U Boys and Masters (preliminaries, consolations)

1 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Junior Boys (medal matches)

3 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

16U Boys (preliminaries, quarterfinals, consolations)

16U Girls (preliminaries, consolations)

Masters (If necessary)

Sunday, March 17

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

16U Boys (semifinals, consolations, medal matches)

16U Girls (quarterfinals, semifinals, consolations)

2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

16U Girls (medal matches)

*All times listed are CST. Schedule subject to change.

Kyler Knaack, Iowa (16U Boys, 152 lbs.)

Dreshaun Ross, Iowa (16U Boys, 195 lbs.)

100 lbs. – Saxton Scott (Idaho)

106 lbs. – Ezekiel Witt (Kansas)

113 lbs. – Mack Mauger (Idaho)

120 lbs. – Benjamin DeForest (North Dakota)

126 lbs. – Cael Nasdeo (Pennsylvania)

132 lbs. – Teegan Vasquez (Montana)

138 lbs. – Dorian Olivarez (Texas)

145 lbs. – Jason Mara (Idaho)

152 lbs. – Leandro Araujo (North Dakota)

160 lbs. – Thor Michaelson (Washington)

170 lbs. – Hudson Rogers (Idaho)

182 lbs. – Wyatt Ingham (Wisconsin)

195 lbs. – Karson Tompkins (Texas)

220 lbs. – Cy Kruse (Minnesota)

285 lbs. – Koy Hopke (Wisconsin)

100 lbs. – Katey Valdez (Colorado)

106 lbs. – Reanah Utterback (Iowa)

112 lbs. – Gigi Bragg (Michigan)

117 lbs. – Leiannah Landreth (Kansas)

122 lbs. – Rose Kaplan (Indiana)

127 lbs. – Nicole Redmond (Kansas)

132 lbs. – Lauren Walton (Kentucky)

138 lbs. – Valeria Hamilton (Illinois)

144 lbs. – Allyssa Johnson (North Dakota)

152 lbs. – Azana King (Texas)

164 lbs. – Alexandra Hofrichter (Wisconsin)

180 lbs. – Cheyenne Ruiz (Utah)

200 lbs. – Tilisa Matakaiongo (Utah)

225 lbs. – Erica Cobos (Texas)

88 lbs. – Kellen Downing (Montana)

94 lbs. – Kaison Schreier (Missouri)

100 lbs. – Caleb Noble (Illinois)

106 lbs. – Alex Rozas (Louisiana)

113 lbs. – Linden Phetxoumphone (Iowa)

120 lbs. – Isaiah Jones (Oklahoma)

126 lbs. – Christian Jelle (Minnesota)

132 lbs. – Dean Anderson (Arizona)

138 lbs. – Tyler Traves (Virginia)

145 lbs. – Brody Sendele (Illinois)

152 lbs. – Bradley Rodriguez-Little (Minnesota)

160 lbs. – Kyler Knaack (Iowa)

170 lbs. – Broedy Collins Hendricks (Iowa)

182 lbs. – Max Matthias (Wisconsin)

195 lbs. – Dreshaun Ross (Iowa)

220 lbs. – Garett Kawczynski (Wisconsin)

285 lbs. – Milan Colvin (Kansas)

94 lbs. – Kendall Moe (Indiana)

100 lbs. – Lola Gonzales (Colorado)

106 lbs. – Reanah Utterback (Iowa)

112 lbs. – Sara McLaughlin (Massachusetts)

117 lbs. – Kaylyn Harrill (Nebraska)

122 lbs. – Riley Hanrahan (Wisconsin)

127 lbs. – Corynne McNulty (Massachusetts)

132 lbs. – Lilliana Banks (Wisconsin)

138 lbs. – Belicia Manuel (Michigan)

144 lbs. – Adelaida Fernandez (California)

152 lbs. – Skylar Slade (Iowa)

164 lbs. – Autumne Williams (Illinois)

180 lbs. – Ella Brown (Iowa)

200 lbs. – Makayla Vasser (Nebraska)

62-70 kg – Nathan Ryan (Iowa)

78 kg – Cedric Gibson (Wisconsin)

88 kg – Jeffrey Isaac (Minnesota)

100 kg – Kenneth Porter (Methods Wrestling)

130 kg – Devon Price (California)

62 kg – Nick Cleary (Pe Ell)

70 kg – Jared O`Riley (Lenox Tiger WC)

78-88 kg – Donaco Watts (South Dakota)

100 kg – Michael Burke (Yorktown WC)

130 kg – James Medeiros (Birmingham)

70-77 kg – Rudy James (Minnesota Storm)

88 kg – Rudy James (Minnesota Storm)

100 kg – Andy Ward (Wrestling With Character)

130 kg – Travis Wiuff (Minnesota)

58-62 kg – Joe Raia (Chicago WC)

70 kg – Chad Otterness (Mat Rats WC)

78-88 kg – Nicholas Bluel (Winlock)

78-88 kg – Dennis McInerney (Texas)

130 kg – Mark Dollins (South Side WC)

70-76 kg – James Miller (Iowa)