Minnesota's Volk, Oregon's Bresser stay on Triple Crown track as Cadet Nationals freestyle event kicks off

<< Back to Articles
Craig Sesker (USA Wrestling)
07/20/2011


California’s P.J. Klee went 5-0 in the Cadet Nationals freestyle tournament at 119 pounds on Wednesday. John Sachs photo.

FARGO, N.D. – The USA Wrestling Triple Crown quests continue for Minnesota’s Gannon Volk and Oregon’s Ronnie Bresser.

The two talented lightweight wrestlers continued to stockpile victories as the Cadet Nationals freestyle competition kicked off on Wednesday in Fargo.

Vok (91 pounds) and Bresser (105) both went undefeated in the two sessions that were held in the FargoDome.

Volk and Bresser are two-thirds of the way to history after each won Cadet Nationals Folkstyle and Greco-Roman title this year. Bresser bumped up to 105 for freestyle after capturing Cadet Folkstyle and Greco titles at 98.

The Cadet Nationals freestyle competition continues at 3:30 p.m. Thursday in the FargoDome. The Cadet finals are scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday.

Volk and Bresser won Cadet Nationals Greco-Roman titles on Monday. They both captured Cadet Nationals Folkstyle titles earlier this year in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Bresser won Cadet Nationals in freestyle in 2010.

2010 Cadet Triple Crown winner Mitch Sliga of Indiana (189) remained on track to be a double winner in Fargo again this year. Sliga, who won his second straight Cadet Nationals Greco-Roman title on Monday, went unbeaten in freestyle on Wednesday.

Pennsylvania’s Chance Marsteller (152) looked strong in going unbeaten in freestyle on Wednesday. He is seeking his second straight title in that division. He won Cadet Nationals in Greco earlier this week.

Washington’s Chandler Rogers (145) went unbeaten in freestyle as well on the first day of competition in that style. He won a Cadet Nationals Greco title on Monday. Rogers won Schoolboy Nationals in Greco-Roman and freestyle in 2010. He is the younger brother of Jordan Rogers, a Cadet Nationals champion in Greco-Roman and freestyle last year.

Returning champion Brent Fleetwood of Delaware (98) also stayed on track to repeat after going unbeaten on Wednesday. He won a Cadet title at 84 last year.

2011 Cadet Nationals Folkstyle champion Jabari Moody of Illinois finished 2-0 on Day 1 of the Cadet Nationals freestyle tournament. Moody placed second in the Cadet Greco competition on Monday.

Cadet Nationals Greco champs who are also off to unbeaten starts in freestyle include Pennsylvania's Darian Cruz (105), New Jersey’s Joseph McKenna (112), California’s Aaron Pico (119), Iowa’s Peter Nagy (140), Pennsylvania’s Eric Morris (160) and Raymond O'Donnell (171), Missouri’s J’den Cox (215) and Minnesota’s Sam Stoll (285).

Oklahoma’s Joe Smith, son of Oklahoma State coach John Smith, went 3-2 in the Cadet Nationals freestyle competition at 112. Smith, 15, who will be a high school freshman, is competing in Fargo for the first time.

This is Day 5 of 8 at the ASICS/Vaughan Junior and Cadet Nationals, which are being held on 23 mats at the FargoDome on the campus of North Dakota State University. Cadets feature the nation’s top 15-16 year olds.

The Junior freestyle competition kicks off on Thursday morning at 9:30 in Fargo. Juniors feature the nation’s top 16-18 year olds.