Three wrestlers stay on course for Triple Crown on first day of Junior Nationals Greco-Roman event
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Craig Sesker (USA Wrestling)
07/16/2012
Zane Richards of Illinois looks for an opening during the Junior Nationals Greco-Roman tournament. John Sachs photo.
FARGO, N.D. – Three wrestlers remain on track to win USA Wrestling Triple Crowns in the Junior division.
Texas’ Oliver Pierce (152 pounds), Iowa’s Alex Meyer (170) and Michigan’s Adam Coon (285) went undefeated on the opening day of the Junior Nationals Greco-Roman competition on Monday at the Fargo Dome.
Pierce, Meyer and Coon won Junior Nationals Folkstyle titles earlier this year. The Junior Nationals freestyle tournament is set for later this week.
Coon, a top NCAA Division I college prospect in wrestling and football, won a Junior Nationals title last year in Greco and won a FILA Cadet World title in freestyle.
Meyer, a University of Iowa recruit, placed second in the Junior Nationals Greco event last year.
Returning Junior Nationals Greco champion Johnson Mai of California went unbeaten at 113. Returning champions who also won all of their bouts included Florida’s Isaiah Varona (120) and Geordan Speiller (160).
Varona and Speiller made the U.S. Junior World Team this year.
U.S. FILA Cadet World Team member Hayden Tuma of Idaho finished unbeaten on the first day at 138.
2011 Junior Triple Crown winner Nkosi Moody of Illinois won his first three matches before falling to Bill Prochniewski of Wisconsin at 106 pounds. Prochniewski won 2-0, 0-2, 3-3. Moody won a 2012 Junior Nationals Folkstyle title.
Moody’s brother, Jabari, advanced to the Greco finals at 100 pounds.
Day 4 of the Cadet and Junior Nationals is set for Tuesday in Fargo. The Junior Nationals Greco-Roman finals are scheduled for 2:15 p.m. with the Junior women’s freestyle finals scheduled for 5:45.