Alabama's Cory Land Claims U20 Greco Title

Outstanding Day 1 for the current (and former) SE hammers in Vegas. Former Alabama hammer Cory Land of Moody, now a freshman at the University of Northern Iowa, claimed the 60 kg US Open title in dominating fashion. Land was unscored on in his first 3 matches and then downed Calfornia’s Elijah Cortez 7-2 in the finals. Joining Land in the finals was former Florida hammer and current Little Rock freshman Brennan Van Hoecke. Van Hoecke, the 5 seed at 67 kg, had a pair of quick technical superiorities before downing Noah Manuel Tapia in the quarters. Van Hoecke then took out top seed Pierson Manville in a wild semifinal match that end 14-6. Van Hoecke came up just short of a title after losing to returning World Champ Joel Adams in the finals.

Several other SE hammers made the U20 podium in Greco:

Former Gardendale hammer Keenan Wyatt finished 4th at 82 kg
And a handful of current high schoolers made the top 8 as well …
- Colson Hoffman of Central Carroll (GA) was 7th at 60 kg
- Will Anderson of Athens (AL) was 8th at 63 kg
- Hunter Sturgill of Baylor (TN) was 7th at 72 kg
- Riley Hucks of South Carolina was 7th at 87 kg

Necula and Tovar Make the U15 Greco Podium

Bit of a rough day for the U15 Greco crew as just Mihai Necula of Georgia and Jovanni Tovar of Florida were able to make the podium for the SE. Necula lost early (in the Round of 16 on a 5-5 criteria decision) and won 5 in a row to make the consolation finals where he lost a close 8-7 decision to former Florida hammer (current PA hammer) Asher Bacon. Tovar came in as the 5 seed at 52 kg and won 3 in a row to make the semis before losing to eventual Champion Reece Movahead. A 1-1 criteria loss to Cooper Mathews put him in the 5th place match where he beat Jordan Manyette 2-2 on criteria to take 5th.

Jason FulmoreApril 25, 2024Comment

Tricia Saunders Award Winners

From USA Wrestling

STILLWATER, Okla. - The National Wrestling Hall of Fame on Wednesday announced the state winners of the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award (TSHSEA).

First presented in 2014, the award is named for Tricia Saunders, a four-time World Champion and women’s wrestling pioneer. Saunders was the first woman to be inducted as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006 and was inducted into the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2011.

The award recognizes and celebrates the nation’s most outstanding high school senior female wrestlers for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship, and community service.

“The winners of our Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award are an amazing group of young women who have set the highest standards for personal achievement, excelling in the classroom and on the wrestling mat while also providing leadership and service,” said NWHOF Executive Director Lee Roy Smith. “I want to thank our committees for their diligence and hard work to select such outstanding representatives of our sport.

“We take great pride watching our TSHSEA winners as they continue their careers and achieve success at the collegiate and international level while continuing to excel academically and be positive role models who inspire young wrestlers.”

TSHSEA winners are evaluated and selected on the basis of three criteria: success and standout performances and sportsmanship in wrestling; review of GPA and class rank, academic honors and distinctions; and participation in activities that demonstrate commitment to character and community.

The Central Region, Midwest Region, Northeast Region, Southeast Region and West Region winners will be announced on May 1 and the national winner will be announced on May 8.

The state winners of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award will be announced on Thursday. The DSHSEA recognizes and celebrates the nation’s most outstanding high school senior male wrestlers for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship, and community service. The regional DSHSEA winners will be announced on May 2 and the national winner will be announced on May 9.

The regional winners for the TSHSEA and the DSHSEA are selected from the state winners, and the national winner is chosen from the regional winners.

Congrats to this year’s Award Winners in the Southeast:

Alabama - Emily Smith, Daphne High School
Florida - Gabriele Tedesco, Lake Gibson High School
Georgia - Genevieve An, Kennesaw Mountain High School
Mississippi - Kayleigh Savage, St Martin High School
North Carolina - Caleigh Suddreth, Lake Norman High School
South Carolina - June Welch, Woodruff High School
Tennessee - Ella Murphey, Hardin Valley Academy

Jason FulmoreApril 25, 2024Comment

U17 Freestyle Preview

SE Registered as of 4.20.24

45 kg

Hudson Chittum Tennessee
Jose Cordero Tennessee
David Serrano Florida
Cameron Gill Florida

48 kg

Christopher Swann Georgia

51 kg

Shamus Regan Tennessee
Joseph Uhorchuk Tennessee
Mac Johnson North Carolina
Liam Davis Florida

55 kg

Ethan Brownlee North Carolina
Tye Johnson North Carolina
Landon Quiroga Florida
Adaias Ortiz Florida
Brooks Morton Alabama

60 kg

Alex Giglietti Florida

65 kg

Malachi Puckett Tennessee
Houston Rudisill South Carolina
Jaylen Bethea North Carolina
Nathaniel Askew North Carolina
Samuel Gantt North Carolina
Karter Nolan Georgia
Blue Stiffler Georgia
Titus Deyoung Florida
Charlie DeSena Florida
Bradley Hastings Alabama
Colyn Finley Alabama
Cruz Rainwater Alabama

71 kg

Chase Mayes Tennessee
Brodie Melzoni Tennessee
Titus Norman Tennessee
Ryan Rector Georgia
Nathan Nielsen Georgia
Zeno Moore Florida

80 kg

Cy Fowler Tennessee
Maximus Norman Tennessee
Nathaniel Lowe Georgia
Jackson Moffit Georgia
Ronan An Georgia
Ryder Wilder Georgia
Tre Driggett Florida

92 kg

Cason Howle South Carolina
Dantrell Williams North Carolina
Alexander Smith Florida

110 kg

Jacob Levy Georgia
Michael Mocco Florida

Who to Watch (Based on PIN Ratings from USA Wrestling … not sure what PIN is? Check out my interview with Coach Mathews - starts at 16:36). PIN Ratings are listed for each wrestler below. Keep in mind that a wrestler may not have a PIN rating (I don’t know why that would be the case … just going by USA Wrestling’s information).

NOTE: The weight listed below is the weight they registered … don’t be surprised if they weigh-in at a different weight class.

Tons of talent coming from the Southeast at U17 Freestyle. Tennessee’s Hudson Chittum has the highest PIN rating at 45 kg and should be amongst the favorites to claim a title. 80 kg is wide open in terms of high PIN ratings and Fargo Runner-up Max Norman has the highest rating for the SE. But he isn’t the only one with Ronan An of Georgia and Cy Fowler of Tennessee also having notable PIN ratings. One wrestler that doesn’t have a rating (from what I could find - probably because he doesn’t have many freestyle matches) is Camden County’s Ryder Wilder. 80 kg is another weight to watch. But the headliner from a SE perspective is 110 kg with returning Fargo Champs Michael Mocco of Florida and Jacob Levy of Georgia. 110 has some hammers, but this is a weight that could feature an all SE final.