Bennett Berge

Berge brings home Bronze from U20 Worlds

AMMAN, Jordan – South Dakota State wrestler Bennett Berge earned his second career individual medal at the United World Wrestling U20 World Championships, claiming bronze as competition wrapped up Wednesday.

Competing in the 86-kilogram freestyle division, Berge compiled a 3-1 record over two days of wrestling. He began the tournament Tuesday with back-to-back victories over Ivan Chornohuz, Ukraine (9-5, VPO1) and Slavi Stamenov, Bulgaria (11-0, VSU 1:49), but dropped his semifinal match later in the day to France’s Rakhim Madmadov by a 9-4 (VPO1) score.

In his final match of the competition on Wednesday, Berge wasted little time in posting an 11-0 (VSU 2:09) victory over Shakjir Bislimi of North Macedonia.

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Berge prepares for U20 World Championships

AMMAN, Jordan — South Dakota State wrestler Bennett Berge returns to international competition Tuesday at the United World Wrestling U20 World Championships.

Berge is one of 26 wrestlers entered in the freestyle competition for the 86-kilogram weight class. Matches begin at 2 a.m. Central Time, with the semifinals starting at 8:45 a.m. On Wednesday, repechage matches are slated for 2 a.m., with medal matches beginning at 10 a.m.

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Berge claims U20 Pan-Am title

SANTIAGO, Chile — South Dakota State wrestler Bennett Berge added to his list of individual accomplishments at the U20 Pan-Am Championships over the weekend and was part of a dominant performance by the American squad.

Berge claimed the 86-kilogram championship in men’s freestyle, ending the tournament with a 3-0 record. He posted back-to-back 10-0 victories over Zaurbek Arsagov (Canada) and Max Franca (Brazil) in the first two rounds, then recorded a fall against Steven Rodriguez of Venezuela in the championship match.

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Berge repeats, four other Jacks in quarters

GENEVA, Ohio — South Dakota State wrestler Bennett Berge is headed back to the U20 World Championships in freestyle after winning the 86-kilogram division during competition Saturday at SPIRE Institute.

A native of Mantorville, Minnesota, Berge swept a best-of-three series against Brayden Thompson of the Cowboy Regional Training Series by scores of 6-2 (VPO1) and 10-0 (VSU, 1:35). Berge secured a spot in the finals after winning the U.S. Open in late April in Las Vegas.

The U20 World Championships are slated for Aug. 14-20 in Warsaw, Poland. Berge earned a silver medal at the 2022 U20 World Championships last summer in Bulgaria.

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Berge wins U.S. Open Title

LAS VEGAS — South Dakota State wrestler Bennett Berge claimed the 86-kilogram freestyle title in the Under-20 Division of the 2023 U.S. Open held over the weekend.

The top-seeded Berge, who was wrestling as a member of the Jackrabbit Wrestling Club, posted a 6-0 record. He recorded shutouts against each of his first four opponents, winning by a combined score of 42-0. The Mantorville, Minnesota, native won by a 9-4 score (VPO1) in his semifinal matchup against Clayton Whiting of the Tiger Style Wrestling Club, then notched a 7-4 (VPO1) victory over Max McEnelly of the Waconia Wrestling Club to win the title.

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Berge earns silver at U20 World Championships

SOFIA, Bulgaria — Incoming South Dakota State wrestler Bennett Berge earned a silver medal in the 86-kilogram weight class Wednesday at the 2022 U20 World Championships.

A native of Mantorville, Minnesota, and a member of the Pinnacle Wrestling Club, Berge posted a 4-1 record over two days of competition. He won his first three matches all by technical fall Tuesday, outscoring his opponents by a 32-2 margin. In Tuesday night’s semifinals, Berge recorded a come-from-behind, 9-7 victory over Ismail Kucuksolak of Turkey.

In Wednesday’s championship bout against Rakhim Magamadov of France, Berge lost a 10-5 decision.

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Men’s freestyle ends U20 Worlds with four medals and second-place team finish

Kasson-Mantorville’s Bennett Berge earns a World Silver Medal

SOFIA, Bulgaria – Team USA wrapped up its men’s freestyle competition at the U20 World Championships with four medals and a second-place team finish on Wednesday in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Medalists for the Red, White and Blue were champions Jore Volk (57 kg) and Ben Kueter (97 kg) and silver medalists Mitchell Mesenbrink (70 kg) and Bennett Berge (86 kg).

The U.S. scored 132 team points behind team champions Iran with 159 points. India finished third with 112 points.

Tonight, Team USA fell in all three of its medal matches today.

In an impressive international debut, Bennett Berge earned a silver medal at 86 kg, falling to 2021 U20 World silver medalist Rakhim Magamadov from France. The American led 4-1 at the break, but Magamadov put together a strong comeback bid, which included a four-point takedown near the edge for an eventual 10-5 win over Berge. Continue reading at teamusa.org →

Berge rallies from five-point deficit to earn spot in U20 World Finals

SOFIA, Bulgaria – Bennett Berge put together a big comeback win in the semifinals of the 2022 U20 World Championships and will wrestle for gold on Wednesday in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Tomorrow’s medal matches begin at 6 p.m. local time (11 a.m. U.S. ET) live on FloWrestling. Continue reading at teamusa.org →