2011 JUNIOR AND CADET NATIONALS
Volk, Moody earn USAW Triple Crowns
By Craig Sesker F
ARGO, N.D. - Winning a USA Wrestling Triple Crown is a feat that takes an abundance of qualities. Skill, strength, determination and toughness, to name a few. Those traits certainly apply to Gannon Volk of Minnesota and Nkosi Moody of Illinois.
Of the thousands of wrestlers around the country who com- peted in the Cadet and Junior Nationals competitions in Folkstyle, Greco-Roman and freestyle this season, only Volk and Moody were able to earn championships in all three divi- sions this year. Volk captured a Cadet Triple Crown title after winning Greco and freestyle titles during the ASICS/Vaughan Junior and Cadet Nationals, held July 16-23 at the FargoDome. Volk earlier won a Cadet Nationals Folkstyle title in April in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Volk prevailed at 91 pounds. Moody followed suit with double titles in Fargo to go with his Folkstyle title earlier this year in the Junior division at 98 pounds. He becomes just the third Junior Triple Crown winner since USA Wrestling added the Junior Nationals Folkstyle divi- sion in 2007.
Billed as the biggest wrestling tournament in the World, the Junior and Cadet Nationals attracted nearly 4,000 total entries this year in Greco-Roman, freestyle and women’s freestyle. Here is a recap, in the order they were wrestled, of the tour- naments held in Fargo:
CADET WOMEN’S FREESTYLE
Twins Marina and Regina Doi of California earned titles in the first two weight classes at the inaugural Cadet Nationals for women’s freestyle.
Marina Doi won the championship at 88 pounds and Regina Doi followed by capturing the gold medal at 95. California team- mate Jasmine Mendoza earned the title at 132. The Doi sisters won FILA Cadet Nationals titles earlier this season. Hawaii’s Bree Rapoza won by fall in the finals at 115. Rapoza was named Outstanding Wrestler.
Hawaii won the team title with California finishing second and
Texas third. Ten women’s champions were crowned. Indiana’s Kayla Miracle recorded a first-period pin to earn the title at 108. Miracle won the FILA Cadet Nationals earlier this year to earn a trip to the FILA Cadet Worlds. She was named an ASICS First Team All-American this year. CADET GRECO-ROMAN
Volk and Oregon’s Ronnie Bresser moved within one title of
Triple Crowns after winning Cadet Nationals Greco-Roman championships.
8 USA Wrestler
Minnesota’s Gannon Volk won by fall in the Cadet Nationals freestyle finals at 91 pounds to complete his Triple Crown on July 22 in Fargo, N.D. John Sachs photo.
Volk swept Isaac Jimenez of Texas 1-0, 6-0 in the finals at 91 pounds. Bresser fell behind early before downing North Dakota’s Tommy Walton 6-2, 3-0 in the finals at 98. California’s Elijah Davis was named Outstanding Wrestler in the tournament. Davis knocked off returning champion Hayden Tuma of Idaho 2-0, 3-0 in the finals at 130.
Pennsylvania won the team title with California finishing sec- ond and Illinois taking third. 2010 Cadet Triple Crown winner Mitch Sliga of Indiana (189) won his second straight Cadet Nationals Greco-Roman title after defeating Pennsylvania’s Javon Reyes 1-0, 7-0 in the finals.
New Jersey’s Joseph McKenna of New Jersey (112) repeated as a Cadet Nationals Greco-Roman champion. McKenna swept Minnesota’s Tristan Manderfeld 7-0, 1-0 in the finals.
Pennsylvania’s Chance Marsteller (152) completed a domi- nating two days by downing Nevada’s Ryder Newman 1-0, 7-0 Continued on page 9
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