Minnesota’s Gannon Volk locks up a cradle in his finals win at 91 pounds on Friday afternoon. John Sachs photo.

FARGO, N.D. – Minnesota’s Gannon Volk won a USA Wrestling Triple Crown on Friday afternoon.

And shortly after his historic win, he was wearing a Triple Crown T-shirt to prove it.

Volk captured a Triple Crown in dramatic fashion when he notched a first-period fall to win a Cadet Nationals freestyle title on Friday afternoon at the FargoDome.

Volk was the lone wrestler to accomplish the impressive Triple Crown feat as 17 Cadet Nationals freestyle champions were crowned in Fargo. Volk earlier won Cadet Nationals titles in Folkstyle and Greco-Roman.

“It means a lot,” Volk said. “This is the first year I’ve won Folkstyle Nationals and this is the first year I’ve won this, too. It took a lot of training throughout the year. I’ve been training non-stop since last September.” 

Volk trailed 2-0 early in his 91-pound finals bout against Miguel Silva of Illinois before locking Silva in a near-side cradle and recording the pin with seven seconds left in the first period.

“I was just trying to get the points to win the period and the pin just came,” Volk said. “I was just trying to get the takedown, but I tried to get the pin once I got him on his back. I had one other match in the tournament where I had to come back and win. It feels good to come back and win like this in the finals.”

Oregon’s Ronnie Bresser fell just short in his bid for a Triple Crown after dropping a decision to Cadet Folkstyle Nationals champion Tommy Thorn of Minnesota in the 105 finals. Thorn won the match 7-0, 3-1.

Bresser bumped up to 105 for freestyle after capturing Cadet Folkstyle and Greco titles at 98.

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.

Illinois won the team title with Pennsylvania finishing second and Minnesota third.

Pennsylvania’s Chance Marsteller (152) repeated as Cadet Nationals freestyle champion after making quick work of Kelian Torres of Oklahoma 6-0, 7-0 in the finals.

Marsteller, who just turned 16, recently spent time training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. He won Cadet Nationals in Greco earlier this week.

“This will be my last time in Fargo,” Marsteller said. “Next year, I want to wrestle in the Olympic Trials. I want to go back to the Olympic Training Center and see what I can do.”

2010 Cadet Triple Crown winner Mitch Sliga of Indiana (189) became a Fargo double champion for the second straight year when he defeated 2011 Cadet Nationals Folkstyle champion Jordan Ellingwood of Illinois 4-0, 1-0 in the freestyle finals. Sliga won his second straight Cadet Nationals Greco-Roman title on Monday.

2011 Cadet Nationals Folkstyle champion Jabari Moody of Illinois dropped the first period before coming back to record a second-period fall over Pennsylvania’s Luke Karam in the 84 finals. Moody placed second in the Cadet Greco competition on Monday.

Cadet Folkstyle Nationals champion Zach Beard of Oklahoma captured a Cadet Nationals freestyle title when he swept Iowa’s Dustin Fuller 6-0, 7-0 in the 160 finals.

Cadet Nationals Greco champion Sam Stoll of Minnesota added a Cadet Nationals freestyle title when he swept Chet Spears of Oregon 4-3, 4-2 in the 285 finals.

California’s Aaron Pico became a Fargo double champion after downing Oklahoma’s Gary Wayne Harding 4-0, 8-2 in the 119 finals. Pico won a Cadet Nationals Greco title on Monday.

Idaho’s Hayden Tuma looked dominant in sweeping Colorado’s Geo Martinez 6-0, 6-0 in the 130 finals. Tuma earlier placed second in the Cadet Nationals Greco tournament after winning a Cadet Greco title in 2010.

Indiana’s Stevan Micic earned the crown at 98 after sweeping Ohio’s Austin Assad 6-0, 4-3 in the finals. Minnesota’s Seth Gross swept Wisconsin’s Andrew Crone 5-2, 6-2 to take home the championship plaque at 112.

Ohio’s Edgar Bright rebounded from an early 3-0 deficit to defeat Oklahoma’s Jonce Blaylock 6-3, 3-0 in the 125 finals. Missouri’s Grant Leeth came out strong in the first period and rallied in the second to down Virginia’s Jake Bass 5-0, 3-2 in the 135 finals.

Collin Holler of Illinois captured the 140 title by gaining a second-period fall over Nebraska’s Kenny Martin. New Jersey’s Dylan Milonas capped a superb tournament by posting a 1-1, 7-0 win over Nebraska’s JaVaughn Perkins in the 145 finals.

Ricky Robertson of Illinois took the 171 title by defeating North Carolina’s Parker Vonegidy 5-3, 2-1.

Maryland’s Kyle Snyder downed South Dakota’s Nathan Rotert 2-0, 2-1 in the 215 finals. Snyder placed second in the Cadet Nationals in Greco-Roman.

This is Day 7 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.

CADET NATIONALS FREESTYLE FINALS RESULTS

84 POUNDS
Jabari Moody (Illinois) pinned Luke Karam (Pennsylvania), 3-3, 0:41

91 POUNDS
Gannon Volk (Minnesota) pinned Miguel Silva (Illinois), 1:53

98 POUNDS
Stevan Micic (Indiana) dec. Austin Assad (Ohio), 6-0, 4-3

105 POUNDS
Tommy Thorn (Minnesota) dec. Ronnie Bresser (Oregon), 7-0, 3-1

112 POUNDS
Seth Gross (Minnesota) dec. Andrew Crone (Wisconsin), 5-2, 6-2

119 POUNDS
Aaron Pico (California) dec. Gary Wayne Harding (Oklahoma), 4-0, 8-2

125 POUNDS
Edgar Bright (Ohio) dec. Jonce Blaylock (Oklahoma), 6-3, 3-0 

130 POUNDS
Hayden Tuma (Idaho) dec. Geo Martinez (Colorado), 6-0, 6-0

135 POUNDS
Grant Leeth (Missouri) dec. Jack Bass (Virginia), 5-0, 3-2

140 POUNDS
Colin Holler (Illinois) pinned Kenny Martin (Nebraska), 6-0, 1:09

145 POUNDS
Dylan Milonas (New Jersey) dec. JaVaughn Perkins (Nebraska), 1-1, 7-0

152 POUNDS
Chance Marsteller (Pennsylvania) dec. Kelian Torres (Oklahoma), 6-0, 7-0

160 POUNDS
Zach Beard (Oklahoma) dec. Dustin Fuller (Iowa), 6-0, 7-0

171 POUNDS
Ricky Robertson (Illinois) dec. Parker Vonegidy (North Carolina), 5-3, 2-1

189 POUNDS
Mitch Sliga (Indiana) dec. Jordan Ellingwood (Illinois), 4-0, 1-0

215 POUNDS
Kyle Snyder (Maryland) dec. Nathan Rotert (South Dakota), 2-0, 2-1

285 POUNDS
Sam Stoll (Minnesota) dec. Chet Spears (Oregon), 4-3, 4-2