Pennsylvania USA Wrestling

Hendricks’ three medals leads PA contingent at USAW U23 and UWW Junior Nationals
By Bill Rudick

OMAHA—Over the past weekend, wrestlers from around the country descended on the CHI Health Center in Omaha, NE for the USA Wrestling U23 and UWW Junior National championships, all vying for spots on World Teams, or an All-American finish at the first big event since the start of the pandemic. 

No Pennsylvania wrestler had as good a weekend as New Ringgold’s Jake Hendricks.  The Wyoming Seminary grad, now at the University of Pennsylvania and competing for the Penn RTC, came home with hardware in all three events he entered. 

Hendricks kicked off his weekend in a big way, earning a slot on the junior world team with a championship at 82Kg in UWW juniors, before finishing as the runner-up in U23 Greco.  Hendricks ended the week with another All-American finish, 8th place at 86kg in UWW junior freestyle. 

Another Sem alum, Vayle-Rae Baker from Benton, now competing for the Twinc Cities RTC, came home with multiple All-American finishes, grabbing third in U23 women’s freestyle at 55kg, and finishing as the runner-up in UWW juniors, also at 55kg. 

While Baker was the lone All-American for PA on the women’s side in U23, Ava Bayless (Wyoming Seminary) joined Baker with a 3rd place finish at 50kg in UWW juniors. 

Elsewhere in UWW junior Greco, Christian Coleman (60kg, Talents WC) was eighth, with Jacob Stefanowiz (72kg, Penn RTC) finishing 4th. 

In UWW junior men’s freestyle, finishing as runners-up were Cole Matthews (61kg, Pitt RTC); Clayton Olrey (70kg, Southeastern RTC); and Hunter Catka (125 kg, Southeastern RTC).  Finishing third were Sam Hillegas (61 kg, Southeastern RTC) and Justin McCoy (70kg, Cavalier WC).  Jacob Slinger (125kg, Pitt RTC) was fifth. Chris Kim (61 kg, Cliff Keen WC) Gerit Nijenhuis (79kg, Boilermaker RTC), and Austin Cooley (Pitt RTC) were seventh place finishers. 

Kaleb Young (Hawkeye Wrestling Club) was the state’s top finisher in U23 freestyle, finishing as the runner up at 70kg.  Max Murin (65kg, HWC) and Nino Bonacorsi (92kg, Pitt RTC) were third-place finishers.  Austin DeSanto (61kg, HWC) and Jordan Wood (125kg, Lehigh Valley WC) wewre fourth, Greg Harvey 86kg (Pitt RTC)and Micky Phillipi (61kg, Pitt RTC) were sixth, with Luke Kemerer (65kg, Pitt RTC) and Parker Kropman (70kg, rounding out the list of PA All-Americans with seventh-place hardware.  

Both boys teams in the gold bracket Sunday

WISCONSIN DELLS—Both of the PAUSAW boys teams are still in the hunt for a national title at the USA Wrestling Folkstyle Tour of America National Club Duals, with each emerging from pool competition with first place finishes.

The high school team was a perfect 5-0 on the day, with wins over Highway Wrestling White 36-12; MWC Wrestling Club White 43-6; Askren Wrestling Academy White 34-18 and Prior Lake Wrestling Club 22-21, taking a tie-breaker for most bouts won after the dual finished tied 21-21. Team PA wrapped up pool competition with a win over Vision Quest Colorado 35-11

Ethan Berginc (125), Ty Linsenbigler (150), Sammy Starr (175) and Stone Joseph (275) all went an undefeated 5-0 on Day 1.

When wrestling gets underway Sunday morning, Team PA gets started with a dual against Crass Trained Weigh-in Club (WI).

In the middle school tourney, team PA shook off a close, first round loss to Scoring Edge Wrestling Center, 24-23 to win three straight over Askren Wrestling Academy 33-15, The Beast Cage, 28-20, and Flat Earth Wrestling Club 52-6.

Connor Killion (105), Luke Sipes (139) and Terrell McFarland (157) are all still unbeaten.

As of this writing, their first round opponent Sunday was still to be determined.

                  PA Red takes home middle school girls national duals title

WISCONSIN DELLS—Pennsylvania took three girls teams—two middle school and a high school-- to Wisconsin Dells over the weekend to compete in the USA Wrestling Folkstyle Tour of America Nationals Duals.

Taking home a championship title was one of our middle school girls’ teams, PA Red, with PA White coming in third. The high school girls also finished third.

In the opening round of the round robin, PA Red trounced Wisconsin’s Lady Outlaws 48-9. Juliette Trout (72 pounds), Lillian Rumsey (79), Julia Horger (92), Lane Fordyce (105), and Emily Murphy (120) all won by fall in the victory.

Up next for Red came against PA White, who dropped its first round match-up to Badger Girls Elite (WI) by a score of 39-7, with only Sierra Chiesa (92) and Savannah Witt (120) coming away with victories for White. Red won the battle for PA supremacy 30-17.

Trout and Rumsey picked up their second falls of the day in the dual, while Aubre Krazer (86), Jordyn Fouse (112) and Jael Miller also got the slap of the mat.

Red secured a first-place finish, edging Badger Girls Elite 31-24 in the final round. Trailing 24-19 going into the final two bouts of the dual, the Red lightweights got the job done, with back-to-back pins.

“I knew the kind of hammers we had coming up,” said coach Lewis Rumsey. “I Knew they could get it done. All through the line-up, we had girls that you could count on. I’m really proud of how hard they wrestled all day.”

At 72, Trout got a quick takedown and hooked up an arm bar to deck Alexa Thomas in just 27-seconds.

“I have to admit I was really nervous going in,” said Trout. “This whole team was counting on me and I knew I just had to go out and get it. I’m really proud of the way I wrestled all day—and proud of my teammates.”

Rumsey was next, and slammed the door shut with a second period fall over Dilynn Albrecht.

“It felt so good when I got the pin,” said Rumsey. “We worked hard all day, and now we were the national duals champions. It just feels great.”
White rebounded with a final round win over Lady Outlaws, 39-18. Chiesa won by fall in the victory, while Sienna Landrum (105) wrestled to a win by decision.

The high school girls ran into a hammer right off the bat, in the USA Women National Travel Team. Team USA, who ran away with the championship title, topped the PA girls 48-6. Charlotte Guilfoil, who pinned Paige Peterson at 140, was one of only three girls with a win over Team USA all day.

Team PA bounced right back, turning back Askren Wrestling Academy 40-14. After Lexi Schechterly took a forfeit at 106 for PA, Askren answered back with three straight wins to go up 14-6 after four weights. They wouldn’t win another bout the rest of the way as Isabella Dias (132), Guilfoil, and Andrea Wilmouth (160) got pins; Colleen Kline (100) picked up a 10-0 major decision, while Mia Baumbarger (150) and Kaitlyn Pegeralla (170) collected forfeits.

In round three, Ana Mllovich (114), Morgan Edwards (120) and Schechterly each won by fall in a 60-0 win over Ground Up USA, with all the other points coming by way of forfeit.

Kato FSGR was the fourth round opponent, and the two were locked up in a doozy, with Kato edging PA by a score of 25-21.

Earning wins in the tough loss were Wilmoth, Pegarella, Kline, Gilfoil, and Marissa Rumsey (126)

When Team USA knocked off Kato FSGR in round five, PA earned a third-place finish.