Fargo, North Dakota—The 2024 USMC Junior and 16U National Championships have officially come to a close with the wrap of the Greco-Roman championship finals on Saturday evening. Wrestlers from Wisconsin battled in the consolations, medal matches and championship finals to place All-American, all on this final day of competition. 

Three graduated seniors place All-American
National finalist Brett Back defeated two Colorado opponents today after a string of 4 wins yesterday. The first was especially notable for the Pan Am champ as he avenged the loss he took at World Team Trials to Patrick Brackett in the quarterfinals. His semifinal win was over Leister Bowling iv by fall.

The Wisconsin Rapids native moved last August to train Greco full-time under the tutelage of Olympian and Wisconsin legend Dennis Hall as he finished his final year of high school in Dubuque. “Being down in Dubuque with Coach Hall and all my partners, even Eddie Smith, he’s one of my coaches here today, it’s a blessing,” he said after the semifinal win. “We’re working hard down there and every single day is a new day to get better.”

The finals were intense, and a bit controversial. Back put the first point on the board with passivity over No. 2 seed Jude Randall, and then hit a nasty throw to go up 5-0. The call on the mat was challenged and reversed because of an offensive leg foul. Then, in the second period, Randall scored a passivity point and caution +2 from a defensive leg foul. Back picked up 2 points with 18 seconds left, but was edged out by decision, 4-3 as the clock ran out. Back, now a two-time Junior All-American, has his sights set on the stuff of legends, and you can be sure to see Brett back as he chases after his goals in Greco for Team USA. 

Grant Stromberg, at 215, realized a high school dream with a 3rd place All-American finish here in Fargo. “It feels really good,” he said. “It’s been a long time coming.” The UNI commit recalled going 0-8 at junior national duals his sophomore season only to be told by coaches Randy Dusing and Scott Kluever that he’d be an All-American one day, and one day turned into today. The two-year-long transformation took hard work, and he placed at the WIAA state tournament twice along the way. “You gotta show up to practice every day, work hard every single go, and listen to your coaches," Stromberg said.

His 3rd-place victory came after a strategic call from Coach Dusing. Originally ruled a loss by fall, Wisconsin's challenge overturned the call on a leg foul. Stromberg then chipped away to a dominant 8-1 win over his Ohio opponent. He finished the tournament with a 9-1 record.

Brayten Casey ended his high school wrestling career with a 10-6 decision over Oregon’s Jeremiah Wachsmuth, making him a three-time Junior All-American for Wisconsin. Casey’s corner, at the outcome and close of a phenomenal chapter, was full of embrace between club coaches and family. He was cornered again this year by his uncle, Maja, with his dad Miah also matside, as they are both staples on the Wisconsin national team coaching staff. Family and coaches will continue to support Casey close to home as he heads to the University of Minnesota in the fall.

Five more Greco All-Americans
Five more from Wisconsin wrestled their All-American medal matches earlier this afternoon.

After winning in the blood round, Breyson Kelley shared a sweaty hug with his dad in the stands. The wrestler from Florence said he connected with coach Pelot and has been training Greco several times a week for the last two to three months. Kelley's hard work has paid off with a 6th-place finish overall, going 6-3 at 190 pounds. 

Also earning 6th was Amryn Nutter at 138 pounds. Nutter is another wrestler that has gone all-in on Greco. He’s now a two-time junior All-American who absolutely brawls in his matches regardless of the outcome. With his brothers Alston and Aidan before him, the trio now has a combined six placements in Fargo dating back to 2014.

Hunter Vander Heiden placed 5th overall and was able to avenge the loss he took in the semis to Alexander Bajora of Massachusetts. Now an All-American, Vander Heiden went 6-2 in the two-day national event, winning most falls of the tournament with four.  

New London wrestlers Preston Krueger (215) and William Christopher (138) both placed All-American in the 16U division. Kruger saw an exciting finish in his first Fargo trip as he closed a 5-0 gap in the first period of the medal match, and then hit a sick throw and ended up sticking Noah Mathis of Kansas to place 3rd. He put together an impressive 7-1 performance. Christopher battled his way into the 138-pound quarterfinals last night and then, after a loss, wrestled back to a 6th-place finish overall in today’s medal matches. He went 5-3 and improved on a 2-2 performance in 2023.

Looking ahead
The Junior and 16U Greco teams are headed by a young and collaborative coaching staff backed by veterans of the sport in coaching roles. Their sights are set on a future of Greco they hope will build on Wisconsin’s storied history. While applauding the individual and team efforts, Tyler Dow (16U) and Ty Pelot (Juniors) are realistic about where Wisconsin Greco can go from here with the number of young wrestlers taking a growing interest in the discipline. 

“If you look back year in and year out, we’re top ten, top five, in the country, and with the resources and the coaching staff that we have, we’re 100% capable of winning a team title,” Dow said. “We just have to get a little bit more buy-in from some of the coaches and the kids around the state.”

To help with that buy-in, coaches are in talks to bring back Greco camps. “Years ago, when I was coming through, we had monthly camps around the state for kids to come in and train Greco,” Dow said. “We’ve kind of got away from that but Ty, Kluever and I are in talks about bringing that back just trying to get kids more involved and more bought into wrestling Greco, and once we get that I think the results will show.” 

Wisconsin has a lot to lean on and learn from, and a promising future ahead.

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