Wrestlers from all over the country traveled to Las Vegas last weekend to compete at the 2022 U.S. Open Wrestling Championships. Several Minnesota high school-age wrestlers had success at the U15, U17, and U20 National Championships.
U15
At the U15 age division, Liam Collins of Prior Lake won the 38 kg Greco-Roman title going 5-0 to top the 18-man bracket.
John Murphy of Big Lake was runner-up in both the 75 kg Greco-Roman and freestyle tournaments. Murphy was 1-1 in Greco competition and 2-1 in freestyle competition.
Titan Friederichs of Watertown-Mayer placed fourth in freestyle and fifth in Greco-Roman at 48 kg. He was 5-3 in Greco and 4-2 in freestyle. Joel Friederichs of Watertown-Mayer was fifth in the 44 kg freestyle bracket, going 3-2.
Grayson Eggum of Stillwater placed fifth in the 41 kg freestyle bracket with a 5-2 record.
Joseph Muhlstein of Mounds View went 4-2, placing fifth in freestyle at 85 kg, and Ethan Swenson of Mounds View went 0-2, placing seventh in Greco-Roman at 75 kg.
The U15 National Championships was a qualifying event for the U15 USA Pan-Am team.
U17
The U17 division tournaments served as the U17 World Team Trials, with wrestlers looking to punch their ticket to Rome, Italy, at the end of July. It also was a qualifying event for the U17 USA Pan-Am team, which will compete in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Cole Han-Lindemyer of Farmington won the 80 kg Greco-Roman title, going 6-0, including winning two matches to none in the best-of-three finals series. Han-Lindemyer also placed seventh in the 80 kg freestyle bracket.
Max McEnelly of Waconia won the 92 kg freestyle title in dramatic fashion, going 6-1, including needing to win the second and third matches in the best-of-three finals series.
Soren Herzog of Simley was runner-up in the 92 kg Greco-Roman. He won four matches to make the finals but dropped the first two matches in the best-of-three finals series.
Also placing second in Greco-Roman was Austin Laudenbach of Apple Valley at 55 kg. Laudenbach won four matches to get to the finals and won the first match in the best-of-three finals but dropped the last two.
Zach Hanson of Lakeville North placed third in Greco-Roman and fourth in freestyle at 65 kg. He was 8-1 in Greco and 6-2 in freestyle.
Landon Robideau of St. Michael-Albertville went 6-1, placing third in freestyle at 60 kg.
Tyson Charmoli of St. Francis placed fourth in freestyle at 60 kg, going 6-2. Both of his losses were to Robideau.
Jed Wester of St. Michael-Albertville placed fifth in the 71 kg Greco-Roman bracket with a 5-2 record.
Lawson Eller of New Prague was seventh in the 45 kg Greco-Roman bracket with a 4-2 record.
U20
At the U20 age division, Jore Volk of Lakeville North placed sixth in the 57 kg freestyle bracket. Volk went 3-3, making it to the semifinals before injury-defaulting out after that.
Elijah Paulson of Anoka was seventh in the 63 kg Greco-Roman bracket with a 3-2 record.
Ryder Rogotzke of Stillwater placed eighth in the 87 kg Greco-Roman bracket with a 0-3 record.
National High School Recruiting Showcase
For girls, Aspen Blasko of Forest Lake placed fourth at 100 pounds, going 3-2, in the National High School Recruiting Showcase.
TheMat.com wrap-up articles: