FARGO: Iowa, Illinois win 16U & Junior Greco team titles, respectively
Photo: Michael Rundell (right) defeated Team Illinois teammate Ray Long in the Junior Greco finals, but both helped propel their home state to another Junior Greco team title. Photo by Tony Rotundo.
By David Gerhart, Richard Immel (USA Wrestling)
FARGO, North Dakota – Iowa’s Jaimon Mogard and Minnesota’s Sawyer Schendel secured their Triple Crowns on Wednesday night at the FARGODOME during the championship finals of the 16U Boys Greco-Roman division at the 2026 U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals.
Mogard and Schendel are the first 16U Boys Triple Crown winners since 2023, when Kyler Knaack and Dreshaun Ross of Iowa won Triple Crowns. Schendel is Minnesota’s first 16U Boys Triple Crown winner since Mason Gehloff achieved the feat in 2018.
Schendel shutout all six of his opponents at 285 pounds to claim his Triple Crown. Facing John Montgomery of Pennsylvania in the championship, Schendel earned a 5-0 decision to close out his Fargo run.
At 157 pounds, Mogard teched his way to the Triple Crown and secured the Greco-Roman championship with a 9-0 victory against Ohio’s Tommy Rowlands in a rematch of the 16U Boys freestyle final at the weight class.
Mogard was one of four Iowa wrestlers to come away with a Greco-Roman title on the night. Iowa’s four champions are tied for the most in its history after originally hitting that mark in 2006. Iowa won the team title for the third straight year and fourth overall, with 190 total points.
Diego Robertty of Iowa (120) was one of four individuals to pin their way to the national title. Robertty, who was a runner-up in freestyle, was the only wrestler in the field to repeat as 16U Boys Greco-Roman champion after pinning Wade Stubbs of Kansas 2:58 into the bout.
Shay Lundvall and Tyde Nelsen wrapped up Iowa’s championship performances on Wednesday night. At 100 pounds, Lundvall upended Leonidas Murillo of Pennsylvania, 8-5, in a rematch of the freestyle quarterfinals that went to Murillo. Nelsen ended Pennsylvania’s Layden Acevedo’s run for two Fargo titles at 175 pounds in a 9-5 contest.
Giovanni Nix of Illinois had the fastest fall of the four in the championship finals with a 48-second pin of Caleb Heyder of Utah at 88 pounds.
Alaska’s two national champions, Trestin Houck at 126 pounds and Shane Ostermiller at 144 pounds, locked in their championships with pins. This is the first time Alaska has produced two champions in state history, and they are the first Fargo champions since six-time Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey won the title in 2003. Alaska, which had three total finalists, finished seventh in the team standings with 82 points. The seventh-place finish is the best in state history, regardless of style.
Evan Cies was Pennsylvania’s only champion on the night, despite having six total finalists. Cies took down Manny Novelli of Alaska in a 9-1 contest in the finals at 113 pounds. Cies was named Outstanding Wrestler after bonusing his way through the tournament. He posted six technical falls and one pin over his seven matches. Cies did not allow a point until the quarterfinals, where he was trailing 3-2 before earning his lone fall of the tournament.
Wisconsin’s Kade Splinter joined Mogard and Schendel as a double Fargo champion. He sealed the Greco-Roman national title at 215 pounds with an 11-0 win against Virginia’s Zachary Leftwich, and Splinter put a stamp on the match with a five-point move to end the match.
Chase Smith of Tennessee (94), Jack Holman of Utah (106) and Jaiden Finger of Arizona (165) were the final three wrestlers to win their championships by technical fall. Smith is the first 16U Boys Greco-Roman national champion from Tennessee since Nicholas Boykin’s title in 2015.
Rounding out the 16U Boys Greco-Roman champions were Obidah Willis of Illinois at 132 pounds, Austin Schield of Washington at 138 pounds, Lincoln Steele of Idaho at 150 pounds and Mason McDonnell of California at 190 pounds.
Pennsylvania finished just behind Iowa in second place with 152 points in the team standings. Illinois finished third with 143 points.
The top 10 states in the team standings and all placement match results are available below.
2026 U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals
At Fargo, N.D., July 15
16U Boys Greco-Roman Results
Team Rankings
1st – Iowa, 190
2nd – Pennsylvania, 152
3rd – Illinois, 143
4th – Utah, 106
5th – Wisconsin, 103
6th – Minnesota, 102
7th – Alaska, 82
8th – California, 81
9th – Washington, 74
10th – Florida, 61
Placement Match Results
88 pounds
1st – Giovonni Nix (Illinois) fall Caleb Heyder (Utah), 0:48
3rd – Ryker Rollans (Nevada) dec. Elijah Jensen (Washington), 10-10
5th – Dylan Verceles (Maryland) fall Reed Akkerman (Wisconsin), 2:46
7th – Cameron Smith (Ohio) tech. fall Logan Rang (Pennsylvania), 9-1
94 pounds
1st – Chase Smith (Tennessee) tech. fall Mason Irwin (New Jersey), 8-0
3rd – Isaac Hierro (Arizona) dec. Grady Glowacki (Illinois), 7-1
5th – Samuel Svitana (California) tech. fall Jarek Gallegos (Colorado), 11-2
7th – George Dipsey (New Jersey) dec. Colton Wiseman (Indiana), 7-3
100 pounds
1st – Shay Lundvall (Iowa) dec. Leonidas Murillo (Pennsylvania), 8-5
3rd – Cyrus Millage (Iowa) dec. Gavin Boller (Michigan), 9-4
5th – Elias Faith (Indiana) tech. fall Kenly Estevez (Florida), 10-0
7th – Grayson Schroeder (Minnesota) tech. fall Brison Romero (Colorado), 8-0
106 pounds
1st – Jack Holman (Utah) tech. fall Amir Newman-Winfrey (Iowa), 9-0
3rd – Quentin Walls (California) dec. Casen Becker (Colorado), 9-2
5th – Miro Parr-Coffin (Washington) dec. Cole Lemberg (Illinois), 6-1
7th – Jantz Greenhalgh (Utah) tech. fall Cam Johnson (North Carolina), 9-0
113 pounds
1st – Evan Cies (Pennsylvania) tech. fall Manny Novelli (Alaska), 9-1
3rd – Leonydes Peraza (Florida) tech. fall Garrett Bjerga (Minnesota), 8-0
5th – Chase Lawrence (Minnesota) dec. Ashur Whitmer (Iowa), 7-5
7th – Jake Strickland (South Carolina) dec. Isaac Showalter (Illinois), 11-9
120 pounds
1st – Diego Robertty (Iowa) fall Wade Stubbs (Kansas), 2:58
3rd – Blake Mauch (Utah) tech. fall Lincoln Swick (Wisconsin), 11-2
5th – Alyis Brown (Florida) tech. fall Spenser McCammon (Indiana), 12-4
7th – Xavier Seabury (New York) tech. fall Dylan Phillips (Michigan), 11-2
126 pounds
1st – Trestin Houck (Alaska) fall Flynn Arnestad (Pennsylvania), 2:49
3rd – Scout Scott (Idaho) dec. Beckett Edstrom (Minnesota), 11-10
5th – Arcadius Cruz (Washington) med. for. Zachary Donalson (Arkansas)
7th – Jaden Washington (Illinois) dec. Jeremy Carver (Indiana), 11-6
132 pounds
1st – Obadiah Willis (Illinois) dec. Weston Baumgartner (Maryland), 7-1
3rd – Lewis Davis (Arkansas) dec. Ryder Owen (Washington), 8-1
5th – Gunner Knudsen (Utah) fall Isaac Weber (Wisconsin), 0:30
7th – Quint Copeland (Colorado) dec. Garrett Bills (Iowa), 8-2
138 pounds
1st – Austin Schield (Washington) dec. Aspen Tritz (Wisconsin), 8-3
3rd – Uriah Anderson (Utah) fall Jaxsen Bailey (Connecticut), 1:06
5th – Hudson Bragg (Colorado) tech. fall Tyler Paulson (Wisconsin), 9-0
7th – Elliot Wullbrandt (Oregon) dec. Marcel Hawkins (Oklahoma), 8-8
144 pounds
1st – Shane Ostermiller (Alaska) fall Jeremiah Hayes (Illinois), 2:51
3rd – Devin Ehler (Illinois) dec. Riley Watts (Iowa), 6-5
5th – Mason McDonald (Pennsylvania) tech. fall Jackson Humphrey (California), 9-0
7th – Drake Sheffield (Oklahoma) med. for. Wyatt Rock (New York)
150 pounds
1st – Lincoln Steele (Idaho) dec. Reza Massjouni (Virginia), 4-2
3rd – Stetson Gabel (Colorado) tech. fall Owin Koethe (Iowa), 23-12
5th – Everett Zeitler (Wisconsin) tech. fall Daniel Jones (New York), 8-0
7th – Kaden Clark (Alabama) for. Gavin Cantera (Ohio)
157 pounds
1st – Jaimon Mogard (Iowa) tech. fall Tommy Rowlands (Ohio), 9-0
3rd – Jake Austin (Florida) tech. fall Landon Weidler (Illinois), 18-8
5th – Jack Torosian (California) tech. fall Dylan Buelow (Hawaii), 10-0
7th – Walker Woodard (Georgia) dec. Jack Burdick (Utah), 4-2
165 pounds
1st – Jaiden Finger (Arizona) tech. fall Blest Woods (Iowa), 13-4
3rd – Terriel Cooke (Florida) dec. Elias Motta (Minnesota), 3-3
5th – Michael Daleiden (Wisconsin) dec. Chaney Lewis Jr. (Pennsylvania), 7-5
7th – Rex Ayshford (Minnesota) tech. fall Talen Tuchscherer (North Dakota), 9-1
175 pounds
1st – Tyde Nelsen (Iowa) dec. Layden Acevedo (Pennsylvania), 9-5
3rd – Blu Stephens (Utah) fall Cael Tyler (Michigan), 1:50
5th – Peter Mikedis (New York) tech. fall Arel Francke (California), 8-0
7th – Aiden Rodriguez (Illinois) med. for. Destan Skelly (Minnesota)
190 pounds
1st – Mason McDonnell (California) dec. Bryce Collins (Pennsylvania), 6-1
3rd – Daniel Jackson (Illinois) fall Layth Qouchbane (Oregon), 0:48
5th – Noah Soto (California) med. for. Duane Leslie (Washington)
7th – Ibrahim Dheel (Virginia) fall Ashton Prahin (Michigan), 1:20
215 pounds
1st – Kade Splinter (Wisconsin) tech. fall Zachary Leftwich (Virginia), 11-0
3rd – Phillip Harris (Minnesota) dec. Charlie Powers (Alaska), 6-3
5th – Emmanuel Ocansey (Pennsylvania) fall Lucas Lewandowski (Michigan), 3:13
7th – Adrian Fuchs (Minnesota) fall Carter Eddy (Iowa), 1:51
285 pounds
1st – Sawyer Schendel (Minnesota) dec. John Montgomery (Pennsylvania), 5-0
3rd – Lucas Franklin (Oklahoma) fall Michael Carter (Michigan), 1:33
5th – A.W. VanKirk (Indiana) dec. Garrett Cowan (North Dakota), 10-3
7th – Lucian Lorenz (Wisconsin) dec. Kriss Vazquez (Wisconsin), 1-1
Junior Greco-Roman
It is the 20th year of the USA Wrestling Triple Crown program in the Junior Boys division. Iowa’s Waylon Cressell added his name to the exclusive list of winners, becoming just the 10th individual, and first since 2022, to win a USA Wrestling folkstyle, freestyle and Greco-Roman national title in the Junior Boys division during the same year.
The Cressell triple stamp came on Wednesday evening at the FARGODOME in the 190-pound Greco-Roman finals. Cressell toughed out a 4-3 decision over returning All-American Victor Marks-Jenkins of Maryland in the championship match. Prior to the finals, neither Cressell nor Marks-Jenkins had surrendered a point in the tournament and pinned or teched all comers—a worthy matchup for the moment.
This is one of the unique Triple Crowns in Junior Boys history. All past winners have come from the edges of the weight class bell curve—either under 112 pounds or at heavyweight. Cressell is the first Triple Crown winner in the upper weights that isn’t a heavyweight. The list of heavyweight Triple Crown winners is impressive—Adam Coon of Michigan (2012, 2013), Anthony Cassioppi of Illinois (2017, 2018) and Aden Attao of Idaho (2022)—a promising sign for Cressell’s upcoming college career with Northern Iowa and in the Olympic styles.
Cressell was one of two freestyle champions to double up in Fargo. Iowa teammate Ty Martin took a 1-1 criteria win over Dakota Harmer of Michigan to capture the 106-pound title. Martin was the 100-pound champion in freestyle earlier in the week. A third Iowa champion was guaranteed at 285 pounds, with Ashton Honnold edging Joe Constable by two points in an all-Iowa final.
No repeats were had in the Junior Greco-Roman division. Illinois’ Wyatt Medlin, the only returning champion to make the finals, was stopped by Alaska’s Jacob Morris at 157 pounds by a single point. It was Medlin’s third-straight Junior Greco-Roman finals appearance, and fifth overall Fargo final. The win bolsters Morris’ already solid Greco-Roman resume. He owns third-place finishes from the 2025 U17 World Team Trials and 2025 Junior Nationals prior to this Fargo run.
The Outstanding Wrestler award for the division went to 175-pound champion Ivan Ivanov of Idaho, who was a 16U Greco-Roman champion the past two years. Ivanov made quick work of Tennessee’s Gary High, 8-0, less than a minute and a half into the championship match. Up next for Ivanov is a trip to the U17 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, representing Team USA at 80 kg.
2025 U17 World bronze medalist Michael Rundell of Illinois put up a 14-4 technical fall over his Illinois teammate Ray Long in the 120-pound finals. He finished his run in Fargo with seven wins by technical fall, shutting out his first six opponents, and outpacing the opposition by a combined 65-4 score.
Joining Ivanov and Rundell with technical falls in the finals were Cruzer Dominguez of Nebraska at 126 pounds, Ned Kauffman of Pennsylvania at 144 pounds and Ladd Holman of Utah at 215 pounds.
Additional champions include Logan Raske of Tennessee at 100 pounds, Cason Craft of Oklahoma at 113 pounds, Jamiel Castleberry of Illinois at 132 pounds, Nicholas Sorrow of Michigan at 138 pounds, Gavin Weichelt of Colorado at 150 pounds and Jared Remington of Texas at 165 pounds.
Taking the top spot in the team standings and earning the Battles Won Award was Illinois, which amassed 249 team points from two champions and 17 All-Americans. Iowa finished in second place with 112 team points. Rounding out the top five teams were Oklahoma, Minnesota and California.
Junior Greco-Roman Results
Team Standings
1. Illinois, 249
2. Iowa, 112
3. Oklahoma, 84
4. Minnesota, 80
5. California, 64
6. Maryland, 63
7. Colorado, 61
T8. Ohio, 59
T8. Florida, 50
10. Utah, 56
Placement Matches
100 pounds
1st – Logan Raske (Tennessee) dec. Symon Woods (Illinois), 6-4
3rd – Eldon Roth (Wisconsin) tech. fall David Serrano (Florida), 14-6 (3:54)
5th – Jackson Taylor (Kentucky) fall Rocco Valvano (Illinois), 0:31
7th – Jayland Davis (Indiana) tech. fall Logan Wray (Washington), 11-2 (1:35)
106 pounds
1st – Ty Martin (Iowa) dec. Dakota Harmer (Michigan), 1-1
3rd – Aidan Ortega (Illinois) dec. Derik Kiefer (Georgia), 9-7
5th – Stephano Calderon (South Carolina) dec. DeVaughn Miller (Alabama), 5-2
7th – Parker Williams (Florida) tech. fall Grady Swalberg (Utah), 10-2 (2:03)
113 pounds
1st – Cason Craft (Oklahoma) dec. Niko Odiotti (Illinois), 8-2
3rd – Austin Hayes (Maryland) tech. fall Blackburn Savage (Ohio), 8-0 (2:59)
5th – Koa DeLoach (Florida) tech. fall RJ Phelan (Florida), 8-0 (0:44)
7th – Evan Centeno (Utah) tech. fall Rowdy Angst (Missouri), 12-2 (3:40)
120 pounds
1st – Michael Rundell (Illinois) tech. fall Ray Long (Illinois), 14-4 (3:00)
3rd – Brendon Oehme (South Dakota) fall Dustin John Snider (Colorado), 4:12
5th – Kaleb Blackner (Utah) fall Tyler Verceles (Maryland), 3:49
7th – Joel Friederichs (Minnesota) dec. Lazarus McEwen (Washington), 8-6
126 pounds
1st – Cruzer Dominguez (Nebraska) tech. fall Isaiah Jones (Oklahoma), 10-1 (2:33)
3rd – Nicolas Enzminger (North Dakota) tech. fall Titan Friederichs (Minnesota), 9-0 (1:44)
5th – Thiago Silva (California) forfeit Loc Webber (Ohio)
7th – Kai Plinski (West Virginia) tech. fall Jesse Landtroop (Oregon), 8-0 (0:24)
132 pounds
1st – Jamiel Castleberry (Illinois) dec. Tommy Wurster (Ohio), 6-5
3rd – Kaleb Pratt (Illinois) dec. Caleb Schaefer (Indiana), 5-1
5th – Robert Ruscitti (Illinois) tech. fall Jr Ortega (Colorado), 9-0 (2:01)
7th – Aidan McClure (Illinois) fall Chase Kastner (Connecticut), 2:42
138 pounds
1st – Nicholas Sorrow (Michigan) dec. Thomas Banas (Illinois), 4-1
3rd – Gage Bjerga (Minnesota) tech. fall Matthew Orbeta (California), 9-1 (4:05)
5th – Jensen Boyd (Indiana) tech. fall Louden Elliott (New York), 9-1 (3:53)
7th – Blake Nevils (Idaho) tech. fall William Christopher (Wisconsin), 9-0 (5:42)
144 pounds
1st – Ned Kauffman (Pennsylvania) tech. fall Liam Collins (Minnesota), 8-0 (1:39)
3rd – Mason Goelz (Indiana) dec. Tyler Stephens (Maryland), 8-6
5th – Adante Washington (Illinois) dec. Mason DesRochers (Washington), 4-1
7th – Garrison Sartain (Oklahoma) dec. Anthony Severino (New York), 11-8
150 pounds
1st – Gavin Weichelt (Colorado) dec. Legend Ellis (Oklahoma), 6-0
3rd – Austin Collins (Colorado) tech. fall Bennett Kujawa (Minnesota), 13-0 (1:07)
5th – Dimitri Kizer (Oklahoma) fall Hayden Reuter (Alaska), 1:09
7th – Samson McKissick Staley (New York) dec. David Burchett (Colorado), 9-7
157 pounds
1st – Jacob Morris (Alaska) dec. Wyatt Medlin (Illinois), 5-4
3rd – Gregory Torosian (California) tech. fall Daniel Acosta (Texas), 8-0 (4:47)
5th – Dominic Way (West Virginia) dec. Donald Jackson (Kansas), 10-9
7th – Parker Casey (Iowa) fall Micah McCaskill (Texas), 0:34
165 pounds
1st – Jared Remington (Texas) dec. Cael Gilmore (Ohio), 5-3
3rd – Tre Haines (Washington) dec. Thunder Page (Kansas), 3-0
5th – Emerson Tjaden (Kansas) tech. fall Drake Morrison (Idaho), 9-0 (0:45)
7th – Preston Scott (Oklahoma) fall Aiden Arnett (Illinois), 2:58
175 pounds
1st – Ivan Ivanov (Idaho) tech. fall Gary High (Tennessee), 8-0 (1:25)
3rd – Lucas Boe (Florida) dec. Mason Carnrite (California), 6-5
5th – Noah Tucker (Maryland) dec. Grady Weinbrenner (Minnesota), 8-8
7th – Ty’Quavion Smart (Illinois) dec. Jad Urribarri (Florida), 6-4
190 pounds
1st – Waylon Cressell (Iowa) dec. Victor Marks-Jenkins (Maryland), 4-3
3rd – Shepard Stephens (Utah) fall Hugh Meyer (North Dakota), 2:45
5th – Kyle Gallo (Florida) tech. fall Caden Grenier (Minnesota), 9-0 (2:09)
7th – Andy Franke (Iowa) tech. fall Gabriel Cohn (Minnesota), 12-3 (3:55)
215 pounds
1st – Ladd Holman (Utah) tech. fall Jaxon Penovich (Illinois), 8-0 (1:54)
3rd – Gage Ponton (Idaho) dec. Cooper Reves (Kansas), 9-5
5th – Carter Brown (Missouri) dec. Xander Dossett (Georgia), 7-3
7th – Carter Vannest (California) tech. fall Layne O’Neil (Michigan), 17-6 (2:24)
285 pounds
1st – Ashton Honnold (Iowa) dec. Joe Constable (Iowa), 2-0
3rd – Kade West (Washington) dec. Jeremy Marshall (Illinois), 5-0
5th – Matthew Cooley (California) dec. JT Kelso (Iowa), 2-1
7th – Damian Bodiu (Texas) forfeit Noah Larios (California)
- FARGO: Iowa, Illinois win 16U & Junior Greco team titles, respectively
- FARGO: 16U & Junior Greco finals set
- FARGO: 16U Greco quarterfinals set up through 138 pounds
- Pennsylvania, California win 16U and Junior Boys Freestyle team titles, respectively
- FARGO: Quarters set in Junior Greco-Roman through 157
