MCB Camp Lejeune, N.C. –
The top two military teams, the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force, finished the Sunday morning session with 2-0 records and will meet for the team title in freestyle at the 2018 Armed Forces Wrestling Championships.
Army, led by head coach Shon Lewis, which has won the event 16 years in a row, defeated the U.S. Air Force, 38-4, and the U.S. Navy, 39-3.
The Marines, under head coach Jason Loukides, scored a 34-8 win over the U.S. Navy and then defeated the U.S. Air Force, 39-6.
Six 2017 Armed Forces freestyle champions are on the mat and remain unbeaten through two rounds. Five of the returning champions hail from the U.S. Army, SPC Michael Fuenffinger at 61kg/134.4 lbs., SGT Ryan Mango at 65kg/143.3 lbs., SPC Isaac Dukes at 74kg/163.1 lbs. 1LT Matt Brown at 79kg/174.1 lbs. and SGT Vladyslav Dombrovskiy at 86kg/189.5 lbs. The other returning champion is a Marine, Capt. Daniel Miller at 97kg/213.8 lbs.
Of the returning champions, Dukes, who was a Div. III national champion in college, had the closest match, a 6-2 win over PO2 Blake Borges of the U.S. Navy in their dual meet.
Although the U.S. military is recognized for its success in Greco-Roman, all of the lineups competing today feature a number of past college wrestlers, as well as others who were successful in high school wrestling in folkstyle. Many others have strong freestyle achievements.
There was one women’s freestyle bout on Saturday morning, as SPC Samantha Klingel of the U.S. Army scored a 10-0 technical fall over PO3 Genesis Ramirez of the U.S. Navy at 55 kg/121 lbs. Klingel was a WCWA women’s college national champion for King University before joining the Army. It was the only women’s bout of the event.
The final session will be at 3:00 p.m. ET.
2018 ARMED FORCES WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
At MCB Camp Lejeune, N.C., Feb. 25
Freestyle competition
1st round
U.S. Army 38, U.S. Air Force 4
57kg/125.6 lbs. – SGT Max Nowry (U.S. Army) tech. fall SrA Joey Garza (U.S. Air Force), 11-0
61kg/134.4 lbs. – SPC Michael Fuenffinger (U.S. Army) tech. fall A1C Taylor Mercier (U.S. Air Force), 10-0
65kg/143.3 lbs. – SGT Ryan Mango (U.S. Army) tech. fall A1C Dakota Ball (U.S. Air Force), 16-6
70kg/154.3 lbs. – SPC Ellis Coleman (U.S. Army) tech. fall A1C Brennan Giffin (U.S. Air Force), 10-0
74kg/163.1 lbs. – SPC Isaac Dukes (U.S. Army) tech. fall SrA Sidney Blackwood (U.S. Air Force), 15-5
79kg/174.1 lbs. – 1LT Matt Brown (U.S. Army) by forfeit
86kg/189.5 lbs. – SGT Vladyslav Dombrovskiy (U.S. Army) tech. fall Amn Noah Perdue (U.S. Air Force), 10-0
92kg/202.8 lbs. – SGT Courtney Myers (U.S. Army) dec. SrA Jorge Hernandez (U.S. Air Force), 9-9
97kg/213.8 lbs. – SGT Panagiotys Gounaridis (U.S. Army) dec. A1C Raul Veliz (U.S. Air Force), 10-0
125kg/275.5 lbs. – PFC Jacob Mitchell (U.S. Army) tech. fall SrA Eric Lapotsky (U.S. Air Force), 10-0
U.S. Marines 34, U.S. Navy 8
57kg/125.6 lbs. – PO2 Schulyer Swanton (U.S. Navy) dec. Cpl. Nicholas Quillen (U.S. Marines), 12-11
61kg/134.4 lbs. – Sgt. Xavier Johnson (U.S. Marines) tech. fall LTJG Nathaniel Giorgio (U.S. Navy), 18-8
65kg/143 lbs. – Sgt. Raymond Bunker (U.S. Marines) tech. fall PO3 Malcom Harris (U.S. Navy), 10-0
70kg/154.3 lbs. – 2nd Lt. Jamel Johnson (U.S. Marines) tech. fall SN Derekston Williams (U.S. Navy), 10-0
74kg/163.1 lbs. – PO2 Blake Borges (U.S. Navy) dec. Sgt. Jayshon Wilson (U.S. Marines), 5-3
79kg/174.1 lbs. – 1st Lt. Payton Walsh (U.S. Marines) tech. fall PO3 Austin Craig (U.S. Navy), 11-0
86kg/189.5 lbs. – 2nd Lt. Terrence Zaleski (U.S. Marines) tech. fall PO3 Joseph Marques (U.S. Navy), 10-0
93kg/205.0 lbs. –Sgt. John Stefanowicz (U.S. Marines) by forfeit
97kg/213.8 lbs. – Capt. Daniel Miller (U.S. Marines) tech. fall SN James Connaghan (U.S. Navy), 10-0
125kg/275.5 lbs. – Cpl. Eric Fader (U.S. Marines) dec. PO3 Logan Renas (U.S. Navy), 8-5
2nd round
U.S. Army 39, U.S. Navy 3
57kg/125.6 lbs. – SGT Max Nowry (U.S. Army) tech. fall PO2 Schulyer Swanton (U.S. Navy), 10-0
61kg/134.4 lbs. – SPC Michael Fuenffinger (U.S. Army) tech. fall LTJG Nathaniel Giorgio (U.S. Navy), 10-0
65kg/143.3 lbs. – SGT Ryan Mango (U.S. Army) tech. fall PO3 Malcom Harris (U.S. Navy), 10-0
70kg/154.3 lbs. – SPC Ellis Coleman (U.S. Army) tech. fall SN Derekston Williams (U.S. Navy), 12-2
74kg/163.1 lbs. – SPC Isaac Dukes (U.S. Army) dec. PO2 Blake Borges (U.S. Navy), 6-2
79kg/174.1 lbs. – 1LT Matt Brown (U.S. Army) tech. fall PO3 Austin Craig (U.S. Navy), 10-0
86kg/189.5 lbs. – SGT Vladyslav Dombrovskiy (U.S. Army) tech. fall PO3 Joseph Marques (U.S. Navy), 10-0
92kg/202.8 lbs. – SGT Courtney Myers (U.S. Army) by forfeit
97kg/213.8 lbs. – SGT Panagiotys Gounaridis (U.S. Army) tech. fall SN James Connaghan (U.S. Navy) , 10-0
125kg/275.5 lbs. – PFC Jacob Mitchell (U.S. Army) dec. PO3 Logan Renas (U.S. Navy), 7-6
Women’s Freestyle
55kg/121.2 lbs. – SPC Samantha Klingel (U.S. Army) tech. fall PO3 Genesis Ramirez (U.S. Navy), 10-0
U.S. Marines 39, U.S. Air Force 6
57kg/125.6 lbs. – Cpl. Nicholas Quillen (U.S. Marines) pin SrA Joey Garza (U.S. Air Force), 3:31
61kg/134.4 lbs. – Sgt. Xavier Johnson (U.S. Marines) tech. fall A1C Taylor Mercier (U.S. Air Force), 10-0
65 kg/143 lbs. - Sgt. Raymond Bunker (U.S. Marines) tech. fall A1C Dakota Ball (U.S. Air Force), 10-0
70kg/154.3 lbs. – 2nd Lt. Jamel Johnson (U.S. Marines) tech. fall A1C Brennan Giffin (U.S. Air Force), 10-0
74kg/163.1 lbs. – Sgt. Jayshon Wilson (U.S. Marines) tech. fall SrA Sidney Blackwood (U.S. Air Force), 11-1
79kg/174.1 lbs. – 1st Lt. Payton Walsh (U.S. Marines) by forfeit
86kg/189.5 lbs. – 2nd Lt. Terrence Zaleski (U.S. Marines) dec. Amn Noah Perdue (U.S. Air Force), 6-6
93kg/205.0 lbs. – Sgt. John Stefanowicz (U.S. Marines) pin SrA Jorge Hernandez (U.S. Air Force), 4:00
97kg/213.8 lbs. – Capt. Daniel Miller (U.S. Marines) tech. fall A1C Raul Veliz (U.S. Air Force), 10-0
125kg/275.5 lbs. – SrA Eric Lapotsky (U.S. Air Force) tech. fall Cpl. Eric Fader (U.S. Marines), 12-2
3:00 p.m. – Third Session:
Army vs USMC
Navy vs USAF